By checking for specific genetic variants, researchers from the University of Warwick Medical School have been able to predict which women are likely to suffer from postnatal depression. This, they believe, may lead to a simple blood test able to make the same prediction. Approximately one in seven women suffer from postnatal depression. It typically [...]
Patients’ initial responses to light therapy for seasonal affective disorder (SAD) may not indicate how much it ultimately helps them, according to a researcher from Baltimore University in Baltimore, Md. Monika Acharya, M.D., speaking at the American Psychiatric Association’s annual meeting in Philadelphia, said that in a placebo-controlled study of 79 patients with SAD, the [...]
People tend to base the severity of their own depression on how depressed their friends and acquaintances feel. Researchers from the psychology department at the University of Warwick found that individuals make faulty judgments about their depression and anxiety symptoms, possibly leading to missed or false diagnoses. For example, people who are surrounded by others [...]
Sleep apnea, a condition in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts during sleep, has been linked to depression in a new study. Researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say obstructive sleep apnea and other symptoms of OSA are associated with probable major depression, regardless of factors like weight, age, sex or race. [...]
Adolescents who suffer from depression are more likely to have problems with peer relationships, including being bullied at school, according to a new study. And while it is often assumed that being bullied leads to psychological problems, such as depression, the new study does not support that direction of influence, researchers said. “Often the assumption [...]
A new analysis of clinical trial data has found that treatment with the antidepressant fluoxetine (brand name Prozac) did not affect the risk of suicide in children. The study comes after the FDA issued a rare “black box warning” in 2004 after concerns were raised about antidepressant drugs increasing suicidal thoughts and behaviors in young [...]
Individuals treated for both depression and Type 2 diabetes have better medication compliance and experience significant improvements in depression and blood sugar levels compared to those receiving typical treatments, according to a new study out of the University of Pennsylvania. Over 60 percent of patients who received both treatments along with a short period of [...]
New research shows that while many antidepressants help most people who take them, a small group of people who take them will actually feel more depressed than if they had just been taking a placebo or sugar pill. The antidepressants studied included selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and Cymbalta (duloxetine). The new study from Yale [...]
A recently published multi-center pilot study supports use of deep brain stimulation (DBS) for major depressive disorder for people who have not responded to more traditional modes of treatment. The study, conducted at three research facilities in Canada, is published online in the Journal of Neurosurgery. Researchers determined that DBS therapy, targeted to an area [...]
Children and teenagers who live at home with a depressed mom or dad are more likely to experience behavioral or emotional problems, according to new research. The study of over 21,000 families over four years’ time also suggests that children whose parents both seem depressed are at particularly high risk. The research was conducted through [...]
