Depression
The Secret Power of Sugar Pills
New research suggests that antidepressant medication for those with bipolar disorder is no
more effective than a sugar pill placebo. Bipolar disorder, a mental illness characterized
by severe mood swings, is usually treated with mood-stabilizing drugs such as lithium,
valproate, or carbamazepine.
http://v.mercola.com/blogs/public_blog/More-Proof-That-Sugar-Pills-
Are-Better-Than-Antidepressants-12524.aspx
Getting dirty may lift your mood
Treatment of mice with a ‘friendly’ bacteria, normally found in the soil,
altered their behavior in a way similar to that produced by antidepressant drugs, reports
research published in the latest issue of Neuroscience. These findings, identified by
researchers at the University of Bristol and colleagues at University College London, aid
the understanding of why an imbalance in the immune system leaves some individuals
vulnerable to mood disorders like depression. Dr Chris Lowry, lead author on the paper
from Bristol University, said: “These studies help us understand how the body
communicates with the brain and why a healthy immune system is important for maintaining
mental health. They also leave us wondering if we shouldn’t all be spending more time
playing in the dirt.”
http://www.bristol.ac.uk/news/2007/5384.html
High-quality child care for
low-income children offset the risk of later depression
Young adults from low-income families who were in full-time early educational child care
from infancy to age 5 reported fewer symptoms of depression than their peers who were not
in this type of care, according to a new report. The early educational intervention also
appears to have protected the children to some extent against the negative effects of
their home environments.
http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/may07/fpgdepressivesymptoms051807.html
Omega-3 May Relieve Depression
There is no convincing evidence that taking omega-3 fatty acids on their own can alleviate
depression, says Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin (DTB).
And there is only limited evidence that they can relieve depression when used in
combination with antidepressant drugs, it adds. Evidence from circumstantial research has
suggested links between omega-3 levels and behaviour and mood disorders, such as
depression.
And the findings have attracted widespread attention. Omega-3 fatty acids are
polyunsaturated fatty acids, or PUFAs, which include ALA, EPA, and DHA. They are involved
in chemical messaging in the brain, and help regulate blood vessel activity and aspects of
the immune system that affect the central nervous system. [Ben Licher]
http://www.nutritionhorizon.com/newsmaker_article.asp?id
NewsMaker=13381&fSite=AO545&next=nh
Depression - New therapy gives
reason for hope
A study at the University Clinics of Bonn and Cologne gives people with therapy-resistant
depression reason for hope. The doctors treated two men and a woman with what is known as
deep brain stimulation. During the simulation the condition of two of the three patients
improved within a few days. The results of the preliminary study have now been published
in the renowned journal Neuropsychopharmacology.
http://www.uni-bonn.de/en/News/89_2007.html
Antidepressants Slice & Dice
Brain
Without the ability to cope, a lobotomy would surely open the doors to all kinds of
craziness from the nastiness in the world....depression, suicide, and murder become a
reality...And this is exactly what an SSRI (antidepressant) can potentially do at the
molecular level - remove that portion of your brain that helps you cope.
http://healthtruthrevealed.com/full-page.php?id=09514614505&&page=article
Are Antidepressants Ever Necessary?
A new study suggests that about a quarter of the people who have been diagnosed with
depression may actually be dealing with the normal and expected emotions associated with
loss or traumatic events.
http://v.mercola.com/blogs/public_blog/Are-Antidepressants-Ever-Necessary--9354.aspx
Fatty acid tied to depression and
inflammation
Specifically, the more omega-6 fatty acids people had in their blood compared with omega-3
fatty acid levels, the more likely they were to suffer from symptoms of depression and
have higher blood levels of inflammation-promoting compounds, report Dr. Janice K.
Kiecolt-Glaser and her colleagues from Ohio State University College of Medicine in
Columbus.
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?alias=fatty-acid-tied-to-
depres&chanId=sa003&modsrc=reuters
Murders and the drug question
Reports have surfaced that the accused murderer of 33 people at Virginia Tech was briefly
under medical care for depression. So the question naturally arises: was he taking SSRI
antidepressants? Prozac? Zoloft? Paxil? These drugs are known to cause suicides and
murders. That is, the person taking them kills himself or others. Glaxo, the maker of
Paxil, has been under the gun for some time now, because it knew Paxil had problems and
concealed those problems from the FDA and doctors and the public.
http://www.nomorefakenews.com/archives/archiveview.php?key=3332
Study sees major depression
connection to diabetes
lderly people who are depressed are more likely to become diabetic than those who are not,
according to a study that suggests depression mayplay a role in causing the most common
form of diabetes. [Ben Licher]
http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=healthNews&storyid=
2007-04-23T225912Z_01_N23318481_RTRUKOC_0_US-DIABETES-DEPRESSION.xml
Depression Increases Health Risks in
Heart Failure Patients
Psychological depression appears to contribute to worse medical outcomes for patients with
heart failure, ranking it in importance with such risk factors as high cholesterol,
hypertension, and even the ability of the heart to pump blood throughout the body.
After taking into account such factors as disease severity, the strength of the heart
muscle contractions, the underlying cause for the heart failure, age and medication use, a
team of Duke University Medical Center and University of North Carolina researchers found
that symptoms of depression were common in this population, and that depressed patients
were over 50 percent more likely to die or be hospitalized for their heart condition than
patients who were not depressed.
Heart failure, also known as congestive heart failure, is marked by the inability of the
heart muscle to pump enough oxygen and nutrients in the blood to the body's tissues. A
variety of factors can cause heart failure, including infections of the heart, coronary
artery disease, high blood pressure, previous heart attacks and a malfunctioning heart
valve. An estimated 4.7 million Americans have heart failure, with 400,000 new cases
reported each year, and it is the only cardiovascular disease that is rising in incidence,
according to the researchers. About half of heart failure patients will die within five
years of diagnosis.
"While many studies have linked depression to worse outcomes for patients with heart
disease, there has been uncertainty about the extent to which depression is related to the
adverse medical outcomes independent of known medical risk factors," said James
Blumenthal, Ph.D., co-author of the study and a clinical psychologist at Duke.
http://www.dukemednews.org/news/article.php?id=10015
Omega-3s Boost Grey Matter, Findings
May Explain Why Omega-3s Seem To Improve Mood
Omega-3 fatty acids, found in fatty fish like salmon, are associated with increased grey
matter volume in areas of the brain commonly linked to mood and behavior according to a
University of Pittsburgh study.
Findings will be presented today by Sarah M. Conklin, Ph.D., postdoctoral scholar at the
Cardiovascular Behavioral Medicine Program in the department of psychiatry at the
University of Pittsburgh, at the American Psychosomatic Society’s Annual Meeting,
held in Budapest, Hungary.
Animal research has shown that raising omega-3 intake leads to structural brain changes.
In a separate study presented by Dr. Conklin at the society’s meeting last year, Pitt
researchers reported that people who had lower blood levels of omega-3 fatty acids were
more likely to have a negative outlook and be more impulsive. Conversely, those with
higher blood levels of omega-3s were found to be more agreeable and less likely to report
mild or moderate symptoms of depression. In the study being presented today, the
researchers sought to investigate if grey matter volume was proportionally related to
long-chain omega-3 intake in humans, especially in areas of the brain related to mood,
helping them attempt to explain the mechanisms behind the improvement in mood often
associated with long-chain omega-3 intake.
http://www.upmc.com/Communications/NewsBureau/NewsRelease
Archives/2007/March/Omega3ImproveMood.htm
Depression with Diabetes Increases
Heart Risk
Scientists have discovered that having both depression and type 2 diabetes can increase
the risk of death for heart patients. Although the mechanism by which the disease
combinations act together has not been identified, the sinister relationship was clear as
the risk of dying was increased by 20 to 30 percent.
http://psychcentral.com/news/2007/03/12/depression-with-diabetes-increases-heart-risk/
Junk food 'makes teens depressed'
Thousands of British teenagers could be suffering from depression because of a poor diet,
a leading scientist warned yesterday. Research had linked depression in young people to a
low intake of vitamins, minerals, and other essential nutrients such as Omega 3 fatty
acids, said Cambridge University scientist Diane Bamber.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/health/dietfitness.html?
in_article_id=440650&in_page_id=1774&ito=1490
Serotonin Syndrome - A Mix of
Medicines That Can Be Lethal
Serotonin syndrome can occur at any age, including in the elderly, in newborns and even in
dogs. Since 1998, the poison control center at the American Society for the Prevention of
Cruelty to Animals has gotten more than a thousand reports of the ingestion of
antidepressant medications by dogs, which can develop symptoms rapidly and die. The
syndrome can also occur weeks after a serotonin-raising drug has been discontinued. Some
drugs remain active in the body for weeks"
http://www.ahrp.org/cms/content/view/479/28/
Tele-therapy Helps with Depression
In the largest study of psychotherapy delivered over the telephone, researchers report
positive long-term effects for individuals who receive brief telephone-based psychotherapy
soon after starting on antidepressant medication.
http://psychcentral.com/news/2007/03/22/tele-therapy-helps-with-depression/
Omega-3s Lower Risk of Depression
According to a new study, an individual's diet may not only lead them to be at risk of
developing certain inflammatory diseases but may also place them at risk for clinical
depression. Researchers say a diet should contain a better balance of omega-6 and omega-3
polyunsaturated fatty acids. [Ben Licher]
http://psychcentral.com/news/2007/03/29/omega-3s-lower-risk-of-depression/
Breastfeeding and good fats help new
moms fight depression
Breastfeeding and the good fats in Omega-3 fatty acids help new moms fight depression,
according to a new article published in the most recent issue of the International
Breastfeeding Journal by a University of New Hampshire researcher.
http://www.unh.edu/news/cj_nr/2007/may/lw02moms.cfm
Stress and nerve cells survival in
rats; finding may open window for depression treatment
A single, socially stressful situation can kill off new nerve cells in the brain region
that processes learning, memory, and emotion, and possibly contribute to depression, new
animal research shows.
Researchers found that in young rats, the stress of encountering aggressive, older rats
did not stop the generation of new nerve cells—the first step in the process of
neurogenesis. But stress did prevent the cells, located in the hippocampus, from
surviving, leaving fewer new neurons for processing feelings and emotions. The hippocampus
is one of two regions of the brain that continues to develop new nerve cells throughout
life, in both rats and humans. The reduction of neurogenesis could be one cause of
depression, says senior author Daniel Peterson, PhD, of the Rosalind Franklin University
of Medicine and Science, near Chicago. His team reports their findings in the March 14
issue of The Journal of Neuroscience.
"This is strong evidence that the effects of social stress on neurogenesis occur
after a delay of 24 hours or more, providing a possible time window for treatment after
acute episodes of stress," says Henriette van Praag, PhD, of the Salk Institute for
Biological Studies.
http://www.sfn.org/?pagename=news_031307
Antidepressants Facts
Since 1988 the pharmaceutical companies
(starting with Eli Lilly, the manufacturer of "Prozac") have advertised to the
people (direct to consumer) as well as to their family doctors, that if you suffer from
depressive feelings, you must have a "biochemical imbalance" in your brain. The
advertising finger was pointed at the neurotransmitter "serotonin", and it is
used to explain nearly any emotional problem a person might have nowadays. Many other
pharmaceutical companies came out with so many variants on the SSRI-antidepressant to try
and capitalize on its popularity, by spreading this theory even further amongst the
people. Theory? Yes, only a theory!
The Truth is that nobody in the medical
field really knows if a "biochemical imbalance" is the cause of any mental
disorder, and they do not know how even the hypothesized "biochemical
imbalances" could produce the emotional, cognitive, and behavioural symptoms that
characterize any mental disorder. Clever marketing tactics exercised on us by the
pharmaceutical industry, prevailed above scientifical evidence and research. Greed,
dis-respect and contempt of the population, prevailed above altruism, medical care and
responsibility. It's the greatest shame of of this era.
http://www.antidepressantsfacts.com/
Scientists, linking gene with serotonin
and depression, offer insights to new treatments
For the more than 18 million Americans who suffer from depressive illnesses, the best
pharmacological treatments are those that increase levels of serotonin, the brain chemical
that regulates mood, sleep and memory. New research by an international team of
scientists, led by Rockefeller University researchers in Paul Greengard’s laboratory
of Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience, shows that a gene called p11 is closely related to
serotonin transmission in the brain – and may play a key role in determining a
person’s susceptibility to depression. The newly discovered link between depression
and the serotonin system, reported in the January 6 issue of the journal Science, could
lead to new treatments for these mental disorders.
http://newswire.rockefeller.edu/index.php?page=engine&id=454
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