Depression News and Research

Latest Depression News and Research

Do the risks of eating fish outweigh the benefits? Yes or No

Fish is high in protein and omega-3 fatty acids. But concerns have been raised in recent years about chemicals found in fish from environmental pollution, including mercury, PCBs and dioxins. That has led to confusion among the public--do the risks of eating fish outweigh the benefits?

17 Oct 2006

Discovery of mechanism by which Ebola and Marburg viruses cause disease

Researchers in the Greene Infectious Disease Laboratory at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Caribbean Primate Research Center have discovered a key mechanism by which the Filoviruses, Ebola and Marburg, cause disease.

16 Oct 2006

New Jersey law for postpartum depression screening

A bill (S 213) signed into law in April by New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine (D) that requires health care providers to screen women who recently have given birth for postpartum depression and teach women and their families about the condition took effect Tuesday, the Bergen Record reports.

16 Oct 2006

Cocaine addicts have an altered perception of reward

People addicted to cocaine have an impaired ability to perceive rewards and exercise control due to disruptions in the brain's reward and control circuits, according to a series of brain-mapping studies and neuropsychological tests conducted at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory.

16 Oct 2006

New guide to help countries prevent violence against children

The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a practical new guide to help countries prevent violence against children. Children are the victims of startling levels of violence, often at the hands of those who should be protecting them.

16 Oct 2006

Babies with big heads smarter by age eight

According to researchers in the UK, how much a child's head grows by the time he or she reaches age one may be an indication of a child's intelligence.

16 Oct 2006

Its time to let kids play

According to a new report from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) it is important that children are allowed to have free and unstructured play to help them achieve important milestones in their lives and to ensure future well being.

9 Oct 2006

Health drugs recommended for depression lack sound scientific backing

According to a new study the majority of drugs recommended by health shops to treat depression have no sound scientific backing.

5 Oct 2006

Men as likely as women to shop 'til they drop

According to psychologists in the U.S. men are just as likely to be shopaholics as women.

2 Oct 2006

Faulty gene linked to hair pulling disorder

An unusual and uncommon psychiatric disorder that compels people to pull out their hair is now thought to be caused by a mutant gene.

27 Sep 2006

Hospital services most expensive part of U.S. health aystem

About 33% of every dollar spent on U.S. health care goes toward inpatient hospital care, according to a report by HHS's Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the Washington Times reports (Howard Price, Washington Times, 9/23).

26 Sep 2006

Researchers identify neurocircuit that controls the brain's response to fear

Results suggest that it may be possible to understand psychiatric disorders, such as anxiety or depression, from the underlying neurophysiology - workings of the brain.

21 Sep 2006

Acne drug leads to depression-related behavior in mice

A drug commonly used to treat severe acne can lead to depression-related behavior in mice, according to research published in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology by scientists from The University of Texas at Austin and the University of Bath.

21 Sep 2006

How the brain resolves emotional conflict

Daily life requires that people cope with distracting emotions--from the basketball player who must make a crucial shot amidst a screaming crowd, to a salesman under pressure delivering an important pitch to a client.

21 Sep 2006

Unpleasant memories from intensive care

"Being cared for in an intensive care unit (ICU) can never be an especially positive experience. But at any rate it should not mean that the care improves the patient's physical condition only to leave him or her with severe mental problems!"

20 Sep 2006

Having breast implants does not increase mortality risk

A study conducted among 24,600 women by two Universiti Laval Faculty of Medicine researchers and their colleagues from the Canadian Public Health Agency and Cancer Care Ontario concludes that having breast implants does not increase mortality risk.

19 Sep 2006

Preconception care for improving perinatal outcomes: The time to act

Continued improvements in the infant and maternal mortality rates will depend on interventions before a woman becomes pregnant, according to officials from the March of Dimes, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other experts.

19 Sep 2006

1.6 million American adults use some form of complementary medicine to treat insomnia

A recent analysis of national survey data reveals that over 1.6 million American adults use some form of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) to treat insomnia or trouble sleeping according to scientists at the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), part of the National Institutes of Health.

19 Sep 2006

Acne drug Roaccutane linked to depression

A drug commonly used to treat severe acne can lead to depressive behaviour in mice, according to research published in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology.

19 Sep 2006

Access to care issues, physician training, other problems contributing to mental health issues for elderly

Poor access to mental health services, inadequately trained primary care physicians and apathy among the senior population are contributing to high rates of mental illness among those older than 65, according to experts who testified Tuesday before the Senate Special Committee on Aging, the Los Angeles Times reports.

18 Sep 2006