Depression Symptoms Treatment

Minorities Slighted When It Comes To Depression Treatment

Kathleen Blanchard RN — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 08:25:54 -0600

According to the results of a large depression treatment study, published n the November issue of Psychiatric Services, minorities with depression have limited access to treatment. Those who seek treatment receive inadequate care. The findings reveal that even when variables such as poverty, insurance coverage, and education were taken into account, ethnicity and race still impacted treatment.

Depression Can Hamper Glucose Control

ruzik_tuzik — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 22:16:15 -0600

Depression can cause diabetes patients to suffer from higher glucose levels over time compared to those who are not depressed, finds a study of older veterans with the disease.

"Our study shows that depression is a major and important comorbidity in people with type 2 diabetes," said study co-author Leonard Egede, M.D., from the Center for Health Disparities Research at the Medical University of South Carolina.

NeuroStar TMS Therapy Effective In Depression Treatment

ruzik_tuzik — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 22:28:31 -0600

Neuronetics, Inc. announced today that a new health economic study evaluating the cost effectiveness of its NeuroStar TMS Therapy system in the treatment of depression was presented at the U.S. Psychiatric and Mental Health Congress in San Diego last week. This study is the largest and most comprehensive cost effectiveness study to date of TMS Therapy in patients with major depression who have failed to achieve benefit from prior antidepressant treatment, also called treatment-resistant depression (TRD).

Combined antidepressants and psychotherapy most effective for childhood anxiety

hareyan — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 11:05:02 -0500

Treatment that combines cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) with an antidepressant medication is most likely to help children with anxiety disorders, but each of the treatments alone is also effective, according to a new study funded by the National Institutes of Health's National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).

Black Heart Patients Undertreated For Depression

ruzik_tuzik — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 01:58:36 -0500

Blacks and whites with heart disease are both likely to experience symptoms of depression, but blacks are only half as likely to receive treatment for the disorder, according to a new study from Duke University Medical Center.

"This is an important finding because we know that depression is associated with a 2- to 4-fold increase in the risk of complications and death from heart disease," says James Blumenthal, PhD, a psychologist at Duke and a co-author of the study appearing early online in the American Heart Journal. "Undertreatment of depression is a serious clinical issue."

Spirituality protects against depression

hareyan — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 11:28:02 -0500

Those who worship a higher power often do so in different ways. Whether they are active in their religious community, or prefer to simply pray or meditate, new research out of Temple University suggests that a person's religiousness - also called religiosity - can offer insight into their risk for depression.

Depression During Pregnancy May Double Preterm Delivery Risk

hareyan — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 05:00:52 -0500

Depressed pregnant women have twice the risk of preterm delivery than pregnant women with no symptoms of depression, according to a new study by the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research. The study is published online in the Oxford University Press's journal Human Reproduction on behalf of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology.

VAI Finding Leads To New Drugs For Anxiety, Depression

ruzik_tuzik — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 09:01:37 -0500

Researchers in the Laboratory of Structural Sciences at Van Andel Institute (VAI) have determined how the hormone corticotrophin releasing factor (CRF) precisely binds to its receptor. This detailed structural information can help drug developers design new drugs for anxiety, depression, and related disorders.

Check For Depression If Requesting Physician Assisted Suicide

hareyan — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 10:23:10 -0500

The ability of 'Death with Dignity Act' in Oregon state is now questioned because those requesting physician assisted suicide may be depressed at the time of making the request. Therefore, those requesting physician assisted suicide should be checked for depression.

Millisecond Brain Signals Predict Response To Fast-Acting Antidepressant

ruzik_tuzik — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 01:51:55 -0500

Images of the brain's fastest signals reveal an electromagnetic marker that predicts a patient's response to a fast-acting antidepressant, researchers have discovered.

"Such biomarkers that identify who will benefit from a new class of antidepressants could someday minimize trial-and-error prescribing and speed delivery of care for what can be a life-threatening illness," said Carlos Zarate, M.D., of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), Mood and Anxiety Disorders Program.