MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'depression research'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:52:30 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4952985&cid=t_168615_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2F21%2F6-tips-to-help-summer-depression%2F The kids are out of school. Your neighbors are whistling on their way to work, greeting you with an enthusiasm peculiar to warm weather. And if you hear one more person ask you about your summer vacation plans, you will throw a US map and atlas at them. You don’t mean to be grumpy. But darn it, you are miserable in the oppressive heat, your kids are home for 90 consecutive days, and you are don’t have the stamina to pretend you are giddy that summer has arrived. Sound familiar? You’re not alone. After publishing a piece recently about the trigger of Memorial Day for me — reminding me that most of my relapses have happened in the summer months — I’ve heard from so many readers that fear this time of year for the same reason: summer depression. Ian A. Cook, MD, the direc... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4952985 Tue, 21 Jun 2011 14:39:48 +0100 4952985 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3502831&cid=t_168615_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F04%2F25%2Fultrawellness-or-ultra-hype-antidepressant-as-demagogue%2F Mark Hyman, MD, is a “practicing physician and pioneer in functional medicine,” according to his bio on the Huffington Post where he recently penned the nonsensical, “Why Antidepressants Don’t Work for Treating Depression.” I say “nonsensical” because this article is based upon a study that came out 3 years ago, so writing this article to educate the public seems not to be its primary purpose. Exhibiting sound reasoning and logic also doesn’t seem apparent in this article, since generally a scientist or doctor would not dismiss an entire class of medications — antidepressants — based upon a single study. Or when there are many different types of antidepressants and sub-classes — SSRIs, tricyclics, MAOIs, SRNIs, etc. The stud... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3502831 Sun, 25 Apr 2010 15:45:16 +0100 3502831 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2033354&cid=t_168615_122_f&fid=35372&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FSomatopsychic%2F%7E3%2F483066799%2Fsalvia-week-5-almost-done.html Well it's the penultimate week for this run of the Salvia study and things are looking good. Salvia rats have showed continued improvement in anhedonia, while control rats keep getting more depressed. The only problem in the data has been that gap between control and salvia at the outset of the experiment. This chart sums it up nicely. (Source: Somatopsychic) Somatopsychic blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2033354 Fri, 12 Dec 2008 21:36:00 +0100 2033354 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2011078&cid=t_168615_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2008%2F12%2F04%2Fdr-fred-goodwin-update%2F I have little to add, but wanted to provide a roundup of updates about Dr. Fred Goodwin, the one-time director of the National Institute for Mental Health, a well-respected bipolar researcher, and host of a public radio program called The Infinite Mind. The Infinite Mind was called on the carpet earlier this year for what was largely a biased program emphasizing that there was little evidence linking suicidality to antidepressants (contrary to what the actual research shows). Undisclosed to listeners of the March 2008 broadcast (Prozac Nation: Revisited) was that all four of the commentators — including Dr. Goodwin himself — received funding from the very same pharmaceutical companies whose products they were defending. You can read a very interesting point-by-point analysis of... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2011078 Thu, 04 Dec 2008 15:43:28 +0100 2011078 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1999181&cid=t_168615_122_f&fid=35372&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FSomatopsychic%2F%7E3%2F470887341%2Fmaybe-there-isnt-problem.html So as you saw in my last part there is an unusually signifcant difference between the control and the salvia group even though we haven't yet begun administering salvia. There are actually two other divisions in our stress-rats that should have no difference. I thought because the divisions are independant of each other it might help reveal the confound. I didn't do any stats on these, just graphed it out and did a spot check since creating these simple graphs is ... well simple.In this first graph I've seperated the rats by the undergraduate researcher (3390) to which the rats are assigned. And you can see that while in the first week there seemed to be a difference, this has disappeared in subsequent weeks.In this next graph we see the rats seperated by their schedule group:Uhm, so... if... Somatopsychic blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1999181 Mon, 01 Dec 2008 04:04:00 +0100 1999181 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1522045&cid=t_168615_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2008%2F06%2F16%2Fcover-up-paxil-and-suicide-risk%2F Yes, it appears the makers of Paxil may have been a bit disingenuous in their publication of the risks of suicide associated with their medication back in the early 1990s. The U.S. Senate has made available an in-depth report (4 MB PDF) written by Joseph Glenmullen, a Harvard psychiatry professor, who examined the drug company’s data on Paxil. There apparently were some serious discrepancies in the original researchers’ data analysis. One of those discrepancies was a pretty big one — that Paxil resulted in a suicide rate 8 times greater than a sugar pill. That’s a huge, major difference. The researchers were clever in their cover-up. They included 2 people who apparently committed suicide before the study even began and attributed their suicides to the placebo con... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1522045 Mon, 16 Jun 2008 22:09:16 +0100 1522045 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1446026&cid=t_168615_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2008%2F05%2F15%2Fdepressed-moms-may-put-kids-at-risk%2F Left untreated, depression can result in all sorts of problems for people. But by and large, the problems tend to be focused on the depressed person’s life. Sometimes, however, a person’s depression can spill out into other people’s lives in unintended and potentially harmful ways. A new study suggests that moms who suffer from depression are three times more likely to have kids who have an accidental injury. A likely cause for the link between severe maternal depression and young children’s injury risk is that chronically depressed mothers may not appropriately safeguard the physical environments that children engage in, [the researchers] said. Another cause may be that symptoms of depression include inattention, poor concentration and irritability, which migh... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1446026 Thu, 15 May 2008 20:38:44 +0100 1446026 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1300304&cid=t_168615_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2008%2F03%2F13%2Fdo-we-need-a-lab-test-for-depression%2F Researchers continue to pursue a biological laboratory test for some of the most common and serious mental disorders, as they’ve been doing now for over a decade. I think it’s always infinitely harder to test for something when you don’t really understand the basis of how it actually works in our brains: Despite decades of research, the biological basis of depression is unknown, and the molecular and cellular targets of antidepressant treatment remain elusive, although it is likely that these drugs have one or more primary targets. What’s the latest research saying? In their study, Rasenick and colleagues compared brain samples from depressed people who had committed suicide with controls who had no history of psychiatric disorders. They found that while the t... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1300304 Thu, 13 Mar 2008 13:52:01 +0100 1300304 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1221256&cid=t_168615_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2008%2F02%2F10%2Fwhat-comes-first-%25e2%2580%2593-the-insomnia-or-the-depression%2F A recent article posted on Science Daily reported on research in which scientists studied treatment patterns for insomniacs. The scientists’ findings suggest that doctors are less likely to prescribe sleep aids, even those without risk of dependence, to insomniacs who also suffer from disorders such as depression or anxiety. The data showed these patients were 36% less likely to receive medication for their insomnia. However, there was an exception when it came to psychiatrists, who were twice as likely to prescribe sleep aids to patients with mental disorders. Yes, it’s better not to have to prescribe sleep aids to anyone, but in extreme cases, a person’s lack of sleep could actually lead to deeper states of anxiety and depression. In turn, being depressed or anxious may cause th... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1221256 Mon, 11 Feb 2008 01:41:52 +0100 1221256 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1215697&cid=t_168615_122_f&fid=36582&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FSharpBrains%2F%7E3%2F231123917%2F Not a day goes by without a significant depression-related announcement. Yesterday, one could read that Older Women More Likely to Suffer Depression (than Older Men; in the Washington Post). Today, we see that St. Jude Starting Trial On Brain Stimulation For Depression (CNN). A few days ago, Blue Cross of California Launched Maternity Depression Program (press release). Time to step back and ask ourselves questions such as, "What is going On", "What is Depression", "What Treatments Work, and What is the Latest Research". Fortunately, thanks to our collaboration with Greater Good Magazine, Jill Suttie offers a fascinating answers to those questions-and more. Enjoy. --------------------------- Closing the Circuit Helen Mayberg's research could revolutionize ... SharpBrains blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1215697 Thu, 07 Feb 2008 18:10:34 +0100 1215697 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1173129&cid=t_168615_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2008%2F01%2F23%2Fan-analysis-of-not-publishing-negative-drug-studies%2F We examined the study after its publication and agreed that there are significant issues that must be addressed in the disclosure and publication of drug studies. Some steps have already been undertaken individually by drug companies, but they should all be required to ensure all negative study data is as readily available as the positive study data. CL Psych has gone one step further if you’re interested in an even more in-depth analysis of the study (and its critics) in an entry entitled, Defending the Hiding of Negative Clinical Trial Data. It’s a long but thorough analysis (even though it goes off on a tangent about Vioxx). Leave it to CL Psych to tell it like it is! (Source: World of Psychology) World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1173129 Wed, 23 Jan 2008 13:23:21 +0100 1173129 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1108592&cid=t_168615_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2007%2F12%2F20%2Fdepression-heart-attacks-and-cbt-homework%2F Doctors have long known that depression is a common side effect of a heart attack (or an “acute myocardial infarction” if you want to get technical). And why wouldn’t it be? A person who just has suffered from a heart attack has just had their life flash before their eyes. Literally, given the morbidity numbers for a heart attack are around 15% without immediate treatment (like statins). That means around 1 in 7 people or so could die from a heart attack. It’s a number that really can put some perspective in your life. Research has pegged this rate of both major and minor depression after a heart attack at around 1 in 3 (see, for example, Lloyd & Cawley, 1978). That means depression is a big deal after a heart attack and a good attending physician will recogn... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1108592 Thu, 20 Dec 2007 23:19:00 +0100 1108592 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1070205&cid=t_168615_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2007%2F12%2F04%2Fthe-five-symptoms-of-depression%2F You’ve probably heard of depression if you’ve listened to a radio or watched a TV in the past 25 years. You can’t miss the commercials for medications that treat it (”Depression hurts”). Depression is the common cold of mental disorders, because it affects so many people over the course of a lifetime. If you don’t end up having at least a mild case of it in your life, I bet you know a loved one who has. And while some minor depressive feelings may be a normal part of modern life, major depression (also known as clinical depression) is a more serious and debilitating condition. The problem arises when depression overtakes your life and becomes your life’s focus. Nobody wants that, and it feels like a black hole that there’s no way you can cli... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1070205 Tue, 04 Dec 2007 14:14:23 +0100 1070205 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=906042&cid=t_168615_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2007%2F09%2F26%2Fsuicidal-genes-discovered%2F The Oct. 1 issue of The American Journal of Psychiatry will release both a study and editorial suggesting that a set of suicidal gene markers have been discovered. That is, people with these markers have a higher incidence of suicidal thinking (which is often the precursor to suicidal action). This is a significant finding, since there has been little previous evidence that suicidal thoughts or behaviors might be coded all the way down into our genes. Obviously, genes are not the whole story and environment plays a significant factor into deciding whether we act on a thought, or whether our personality has learned enough resiliency to “go against” such genetic encoding. Rumor has it that a company will also be marketing a genetic test kit for this set of “suicide mark... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=906042 Wed, 26 Sep 2007 13:33:38 +0100 906042 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=856756&cid=t_168615_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2007%2F09%2F09%2Fa-study-of-suicide-hotlines%2F You know they’re there if you need one, but like most people, you’re probably not really sure how they work, or if they even work at all. Suicide hotlines have been around since the 1960s, but were mostly locally-based and locally-run. But how do they work? And do they work at all in reducing suicidal thoughts and behaviors? That was the focus of a series of studies in a journal called Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior. Today’s Boston Globe has the story, called Wrong Answer, written by Christopher Shea. The results were mixed. According to two articles by lead author Brian L. Mishara […], 15.5 percent of the 1,431 calls his research assistants listened in on — at 14 crisis centers — failed to meet minimal standards for evaluating suicide risk... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=856756 Sun, 09 Sep 2007 12:56:54 +0100 856756 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=692336&cid=t_168615_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2007%2F06%2F23%2Fcognitive-behavioral-therapy-is-a-mainstay-treatment-for-depression%2F Most people who are treated for major depression receive antidepressants prescribed by their primary family doctor. Most people also never see a mental health specialist for depression until it worsens. Then they may be referred to a psychiatrist for additional medication options. Sometimes, they may also be referred to talk to a psychotherapy for psychotherapy. But the latter option doesn’t occur nearly as much as the medication treatment, despite an overwhelming amount of research that shows that both work together more than either work by themselves. So Kuyken and associates, in recently published research, help us understand how effective the most popular type of psychotherapy for depression is — cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). CBT provides a sophisticated, empirica... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=692336 Sat, 23 Jun 2007 14:48:23 +0100 692336 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=650795&cid=t_168615_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2007%2F06%2F01%2Fnew-antidepressant-desvenlafaxine-pristiq-does-well%2F A number of studies were presented the American Psychiatric Association’s annual meeting last week that showed the safety and efficacy of a new antidepressant, desvenlafaxine, which may be marketed under the brand name, Pristiq. Although I don’t have access to the main efficacy study at the moment, I did look it up on Medline and saw a few items that caught my eye in the abstract of this study. Treatment was given to four groups of patients (N ~= 115 per group), three of which were various dosing levels of desvenlafaxine (100, 200 and 400 mg/day), and one was given placebo. The 200 mg/day treatment group is the black sheep in the results: CGI-I and Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale results were significant for all groups; CGI-S results were significant with 100 mg... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=650795 Fri, 01 Jun 2007 18:18:00 +0100 650795