Depression News and Research

Latest Depression News and Research

Boys at high-risk for familial depression show sadness oversensitivity

Boys, but not girls, with depressed parents display enhanced perceptual sensitivity to sadness when compared with low-risk peers, a study has shown.

4 Dec 2012

New screening tool to help reduce workplace accidents and illnesses

An international team of sleep researchers has developed the world's first screening tool to help reduce workplace accidents and illnesses, including cardiovascular disease and cancer, caused by shift work.

4 Dec 2012

Antidepressants in normal dosage may positively impact mood and seizure frequency

Epilepsy and depression are common co-morbidities. Concern for the potential of certain antidepressants to induce seizures has led to under-treating depression and anxiety disorders in epilepsy patients. Research presented today at the 66th American Epilepsy Society meeting suggests that antidepressants in normal dosage may have a positive impact on both mood and seizure frequency.

4 Dec 2012

Chronic periodontitis present more often in men with erectile dysfunction

Men in their thirties who had inflamed gums caused by severe periodontal disease were three times more likely to suffer from erection problems, according to a study published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine.

4 Dec 2012

Link between smoking, decreased bone density and osteoporosis risk in teenage girls

Teenage girls who smoke accumulate less bone during a critical growth period and carry a higher risk of developing osteoporosis later in life, according to new research in the Journal of Adolescent Health.

4 Dec 2012

Study describes 68 cases of chronic traumatic encephalopathy in athletes, military veterans

A study done by investigators at the Boston University Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy (CSTE) and the Veterans Affairs Boston Healthcare System, in collaboration with the Sports Legacy Institute (SLI), describes 68 cases of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) among deceased athletes and military veterans whose brain and spinal cords were donated to the VA CSTE Brain Bank.

4 Dec 2012

Obstructive sleep apnea affects women more severely than men

Women suffering from sleep apnea have, on the whole, a higher degree of brain damage than men with the disorder, according to a first-of-its-kind study conducted by researchers at the UCLA School of Nursing.

3 Dec 2012

Childhood trauma can leave permanent epigenetic marks on DNA

Abused children are at high risk of anxiety and mood disorders, as traumatic experience induces lasting changes to their gene regulation. Scientists from the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry in Munich have now documented for the first time that genetic variants of the FKBP5 gene can influence epigenetic alterations in this gene induced by early trauma.

3 Dec 2012

Elderly depression at discharge related to future outcomes

The number of depressive symptoms present in elderly patients at hospital discharge is associated with their future functional and mortality outcomes, indicate study results.

3 Dec 2012

Collaborative care significantly improves depression and anxiety outcomes

Collaborative care, a model that involves multiple clinicians working with a patient, significantly improves depression and anxiety outcomes compared to standard primary care treatment for up to two years, finds a new review by The Cochrane Library.

1 Dec 2012

Study examines role of inflammation in chronic fatigue syndrome

A new study published in the current issue of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics has examined the role of inflammation in chronic fatigue syndrome, a disorder that affects many people and does not seem to have an explanation that is likely to yield satisfactory treatment.

1 Dec 2012

Caregiving associated with increased cardiovascular disease risk

People acting as caregivers for family members with cardiovascular disease may inadvertently increase their own risk for heart disease by neglecting their own health, according to a new study in the American Journal of Health Promotion.

1 Dec 2012

Reduced production of myelin may play role in development of mental illness: Study

Reduced production of myelin, a type of protective nerve fiber that is lost in diseases like multiple sclerosis, may also play a role in the development of mental illness, according to researchers at the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at Mount Sinai School of Medicine.

1 Dec 2012

Medically unexplained symptoms cause relevant annual excess costs in health care

This study highlights that medically unexplained symptoms cause relevant annual excess costs in health care that are comparable to mental health problems like depression or anxiety disorders and which may be reduced by interventions targeting physicians as well as patients. More extensive research on indirect costs and cost-effectiveness is needed.

30 Nov 2012

Poor empathy may feature in common psychiatric conditions

Individuals with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or depression may be less empathic than individuals without these conditions, according to German study results.

30 Nov 2012

Physicians beware of fruity drug interactions

An understanding of the potential for pharmacokinetic interaction between orally administered drugs and grapefruit is necessary in view of an increase in marketed medications that fit the risk criteria, suggest Canadian researchers.

30 Nov 2012

LP-211 compound shows promise against Fragile X syndrome

A potential new therapeutic strategy for treating Fragile X syndrome is detailed in a new report appearing in the current issue of Biological Psychiatry, from researchers led by Dr. Lucia Ciranna at University of Catania in Italy.

29 Nov 2012

Yale and Mainz University Medical Center to extend collaboration

The University Medical Center at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Germany and the renowned School of Medicine at Yale University, USA have agreed upon a future collaboration. This strategic partnership promises to provide an innovative stimulus for the Research Unit Translational Neurosciences at the Mainz University Medical Center. The resulting regular exchange will benefit both basic research and the training of young researchers.

29 Nov 2012

Bipolarity common in major depressive episode patients

Results from an Egyptian study show that a substantial proportion of patients being treated for a major depressive episode may have underlying bipolarity.

29 Nov 2012

Suicide ‘a major concern’ in childhood psychosis

Children and adolescents with a first episode of psychosis should be monitored closely for suicidal behavior, say researchers who found that more than 12% of such patients attempted suicide over a 24-month period.

29 Nov 2012