Antidepressant News and Research

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Antidepressants are medicines that treat depression. Your doctor can prescribe them for you. They can improve your mood, sleep, appetite and concentration. It may take several weeks for them to help. There are several types of antidepressants. You and your doctor may have to try several before finding what works best for you.

New evidence puts into doubt the long-held depression belief

New evidence puts into doubt the long-standing belief that a deficiency in serotonin - a chemical messenger in the brain - plays a central role in depression. In the journal ACS Chemical Neuroscience, scientists report that mice lacking the ability to make serotonin in their brains (and thus should have been "depressed" by conventional wisdom) did not show depression-like symptoms.

28 Aug 2014

Cognitive therapy combined with antidepressant drug effective for severe nonchronic depression

The odds that a person who suffers from severe, nonchronic depression will recover are improved by as much as 30 percent if they are treated with a combination of cognitive therapy and antidepressant medicine rather than by antidepressants alone.

21 Aug 2014

Studies support clinical use of antidepressants for treatment of postoperative pain

Antidepressants are known to provide effective pain relief for various chronic pain conditions; however, the jury is still out on their use in treating the millions of patients who suffer from acute or chronic pain following surgery.

20 Aug 2014

Dopamine therapy linked to increased impulse control disorders, daytime sleepiness in early PD patients

New Penn Medicine research shows that neuropsychiatric symptoms such as depression, anxiety and fatigue are more common in newly diagnosed Parkinson's disease (PD) patients compared to the general population.

18 Aug 2014

Dopamine replacement therapy increases impulse control disorders in newly diagnosed PD patients

16 Aug 2014

Bipolar II disorder course mapped in Japanese patients

The course of bipolar II disorder can follow several distinct trajectories, with a major depressive episode being the most common presenting feature, a study of Japanese patients suggests.

14 Aug 2014

Subtle changes in gene can predict how brain reacts to stress

Scientists studying depression in teens have discovered that subtle changes in a gene can predict how the brain reacts to stress, which can cause such health issues as depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and obesity.

5 Aug 2014

‘Soft’ bipolar spectrum disorders differ from depression

The neurocognitive function of patients with major depression who fall into the “soft” bipolar spectrum resembles that of patients with bipolar II disorder rather than those with unipolar depression, say researchers.

31 Jul 2014

Blacks with depression and diabetes receive inadequate mental health treatment

A new study in General Hospital Psychiatry confirms that Blacks with depression plus another chronic medical condition, such as Type 2 diabetes or high blood pressure, do not receive adequate mental health treatment.

25 Jul 2014

Brain stimulation effective for treating depression

Brain stimulation treatments, like electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), are often effective for the treatment of depression. Like antidepressant medications, however, they typically have a delayed onset.

22 Jul 2014

Three-stage PI CME initiative helps physicians improve diagnosis, care for depression

A performance improvement initiative for physicians can significantly increase their use of evidence-based practices in screening for and treating depression, in the July Journal of Psychiatric Practice. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.

19 Jul 2014

Prevalence of potentially inappropriate prescribing and prescribing omissions in older adults examined by new study from RCSI

A new study from RCSI (Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland) and Trinity College Dublin, which examined the prevalence of potentially inappropriate prescribing (PIP) and prescribing omissions in older Irish adults, has found that 14% of people over the age of 65 has been prescribed at least one inappropriate form of medication in their lives and 30% have not been prescribed clinically indicated medications, at least once in their lives. The

16 Jul 2014

Study analyzes effects of antidepressant drugs on well-being in children and adolescents

In an article published in the current issue of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics the effects of antidepressant drugs on well-being in children and adolescents are analyze.

7 Jul 2014

Study analyzes difference between day hospital and inpatient stay in depression

A study published in the current issue of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics has analyzed the difference between day hospital and inpatient stay in depression.

7 Jul 2014

Viewpoints: Expanding Hobby Lobby decision; the faux war on women; dispute over pelvic exams

The Supreme Court wasted no time in delivering a message to anyone who thought its Hobby Lobby ruling was limited to religious objections to coverage of purported abortion methods: You're wrong.

4 Jul 2014

Factors linked to bipolar cycle acceleration identified

Researchers have identified factors that are associated with cycle acceleration in patients with bipolar disorder admitted to hospital for a mood episode.

3 Jul 2014

Combination of cognitive behavioral therapy and medication reduces relapse in depressed youths

Cognitive behavioral therapy in addition to medication improves the long-term success of treatment for children and adolescents suffering from depression, a new UT Southwestern Medical Center study indicates.

3 Jul 2014

Antidepressant risk in bipolar patients limited to monotherapy use

Antidepressants may cause problems in patients with bipolar disorder only when they are used in isolation, research suggests.

26 Jun 2014

Henry Ford launches clinical trial for treatment of tinnitus caused by noise trauma

Henry Ford Health System has launched a clinical trial to investigate a new drug for the treatment of tinnitus, a chronic ringing of the head or ears that affects more than 600 million people worldwide.

25 Jun 2014

Weizmann Institute scientists 'fingerprint' a culprit in depression and anxiety disorders

According the World Health Organization, such mood disorders as depression affect some 10% of the world's population and are associated with a heavy burden of disease. That is why numerous scientists around the world have invested a great deal of effort in understanding these diseases. Yet the molecular and cellular mechanisms that underlie these problems are still only partly understood.

20 Jun 2014