Holistic Approaches to Depression

A new study conducted by researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital explored some of the risks associated with medical marijuana. Their findings showed that consumers may be prone to developing cannabis use disorder once they start using the drug for medical purposes. 

“There have been many claims about the benefits of medical marijuana for treating pain, insomnia, anxiety, and depression, without sound scientific evidence to support them,” said researcher Jodi Gilman, Ph.D.

“In this first study of patients randomized to obtain medical marijuana cards, we learned there can be negative consequences to using cannabis for medical purposes. People with pain, anxiety, or depression symptoms failed to report any improvements, though those with insomnia experienced improved sleep. 

Risks of cannabis use 

For the study, the researchers analyzed data from 2017 that tracked nearly 270 adults in Boston who were trying to get medical marijuana cards. While one study group had to wait 12 weeks to get the cards, the other group was given medical marijuana cards immediately. The team followed the participants’ health outcomes over the course of 12 weeks to understand how access to medical marijuana affected them. 

Ultimately, the researchers learned that immediate access to a medical marijuana card posed some risks to the consumers’ health. The study showed that cannabis use disorder was twice as likely in those who had access to the medical marijuana cards immediately when compared to those who had to wait the 12 weeks. 

The team learned that the risk of cannabis use disorder was also higher in those using the treatment for mental health concerns. Participants struggling with depression or anxiety were 20% more likely to develop cannabis use disorder.

The researchers also found that many of the participants didn’t report any benefits of using cannabis to treat their medical symptoms. While the drugs were effective at improving insomnia symptoms, those struggling with chronic pain or mental health concerns didn’t experience any notable improvements. 

“Our study underscores the need for better decision-making about whether to begin to use cannabis for specific medical complaints, particularly mood and anxiety disorders, which are associated with an increased risk of cannabis use disorder,” Dr. Gilman said. “There needs to be better guidance to patients around a system that currently allows them to choose their own products, decide their own dosing, and often receive no professional care or follow-up.” 

Countless studies have looked at the ways air pollution can be detrimental to consumers’ physical health, and now researchers from the American Psychological Association explored how pollutants can also harm our mental health. 

According to their findings, teens exposed to ozone from air pollution may be more likely to experience depression-related symptoms. This was true even for those in areas that met air quality standards. 

“I think our findings really speak to the importance of considering air pollution’s impact on mental health in addition to physical health,” said researcher Erika Manczak, Ph.D. 

Mental health concerns

For the study, the researchers analyzed data from over 210 kids between the ages of 9 and 13 living in the San Francisco area. To understand what impact air pollution had on the kids’ mental health, the team compared data from the California Environmental Protection Agency with mental health evaluations over the course of four years. 

The researchers identified a relationship between air pollution exposure and depression symptoms. The study showed that exposure to higher levels of ozone, which typically comes from power plants or car exhaust, increased the likelihood of experiencing symptoms related to depression. These symptoms became more severe as the study progressed. 

This was true despite the fact that all of the participants lived in neighborhoods that were in compliance with local and national air quality standards. 

“It was surprising that the average level of ozone was fairly low even in the communities with relatively higher ozone exposure,” Dr. Manczak said. “This really underscores the fact that even low levels of ozone exposure have potentially harmful effects. "

The researchers believe the link between air pollution and depression comes down to inflammation. Exposure to ozone has been associated with a spike in inflammation, which also makes consumers more susceptible to depression. The more time that kids spend outdoors, the greater their exposure is to these pollutants. This can ultimately increase the risk of depression. 

Moving forward, the researchers hope policymakers do more work to help protect consumers from air pollution exposure. 

“I believe state and federal air quality standards should be stricter, and we should have tighter regulations on industries that contribute to pollution,” said Dr. Manczak. “Our findings and other studies suggest that even low levels of ozone exposure can pose potentially serious risks to both physical and mental health.” 

In new research, experts broke down what treatment rates for major depressive disorder look like around the world. Their work showed that treatment rates remain low across the globe, with the biggest disparities coming in low- and middle-income countries. 

“Treatment coverage for major depressive disorder continues to be low globally, with many individuals failing to receive a level of care consistent with practice guideline recommendations,” said researcher Alize Ferrari. “This highlights the need to reconsider the availability of appropriate care and facilitators of treatment as we respond to the large burden imposed by this disorder.” 

Disparities in mental health care

To better understand what treatment for depression looks like around the world, the researchers analyzed nearly 150 earlier studies from 84 countries that were conducted between 2000 and 2021. 

The researchers observed that treatment rates for depression continue to be low around the world. It’s also important to note that there are significant disparities in treatment rates depending on a country's income level, with low-income countries having even lower depression treatment rates. The treatment rate in high-income countries topped out at 33%, whereas that figure was under 10% in low-income countries. 

The study also found that women were more likely than men to seek out mental health treatments. Older study participants were also more likely than younger participants to start depression treatment. 

The researchers explained that these findings point to a global issue related to mental health care – especially for consumers in low-income countries. While it’s not uncommon in high-income areas for consumers to have access to dedicated mental health institutions and resources, the same isn’t true for all countries across the world.

A new study conducted by researchers from the Van Andel Research Institute found that women’s blood may predict their likelihood of developing depression during pregnancy. Their work showed that inflammatory markers in the blood are likely to identify those who have the highest risk of pregnancy-related depression. 

“Depression isn’t just something that happens in the brain – its fingerprints are everywhere in the body, including our blood,” said researcher Dr. Lena Brundin. “The ability to predict pregnancy-related depression and its severity will be a gamechanger for protecting the health of mothers and their infants. Our findings are an important leap forward toward this goal.” 

Identifying depression risks during pregnancy

For the study, the researchers analyzed data from 114 women from Spectrum Health’s Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinics. The participants underwent medical exams and provided blood samples during each trimester of their pregnancies and after giving birth.

The researchers identified 15 blood biomarkers that were linked with an increased risk of depression during pregnancy and postpartum; ultimately, the team was more than 80% effective at predicting the likelihood that the women developed depression while pregnant. 

The study suggests that inflammation is the link between these biomarkers and pregnancy-related depression symptoms. The researchers explained that the body’s immune response changes greatly during pregnancy, which is a normal and healthy bodily response. However, it also tends to cause inflammatory markers to spike – especially in the beginning and final months of pregnancy. This inflammation can affect women both mentally and physically. 

Considering the prevalence of mental health concerns during pregnancy and postpartum, the researchers hope these findings are more widely adopted to help identify women who may have the highest risk of developing pregnancy-related depression. 

“Having an objective and easily accessible method associated with depression risk, such as a blood test, provides a unique tool for helping identify women who may develop depression during pregnancy,” said researcher Dr. Eric Achtyes. “Our findings are an exciting development and an important first step towards using these types of methods more widely to help patients. Our next steps include replicating the results in additional patient samples to verify cut-offs for depression risk.” 

While virtual therapy services have grown in popularity throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, a new study conducted by researchers from the American Psychological Association explored how other digital treatment options can benefit consumers’ mental health. 

According to their findings, alternative styles of therapy that take place online were found to be effective at reducing depression symptoms. 

“The COVID-19 pandemic has had a major impact on mental health across the globe,” said researcher Isaac Moshe. “Depression is predicted to be the leading cause of lost life years due to illness by 2030. At the same time, less than 1 in 5 people receive appropriate treatment, and less than 1 in 27 in low-income settings. A major reason for this is the lack of trained health care providers. 

“Overall, our findings from effectiveness studies suggest that digital interventions may have a valuable role to play as part of the treatment offering in routine care, especially when accompanied by some sort of human guidance.” 

Digital treatments can benefit patients

The researchers analyzed data from more than 80 earlier studies that included information on more than 15,000 participants. All of the participants were struggling with depression symptoms, and the team compared how different treatment styles impacted the severity of their symptoms. 

The study showed that digital treatment methods were effective at reducing depression symptoms. It’s important to note that these digital interventions aren’t the same as consumers who participate in teletherapy. Instead, patients utilized a computer program that allowed them to complete therapy-based tasks and assignments, watch videos or read articles, and connect with mental health professionals one-on-one. 

Compared to participants who received no mental health treatment, those who completed digital intervention exercises experienced reduced depression symptoms. The benefits were strongest when the participants were able to communicate in some capacity with a health care provider. The researchers explained that having some kind of human interaction while tackling mental health concerns is an important component of successful treatment. 

How does face-to-face therapy compare?

The study also compared the efficacy of digital interventions with face-to-face talk therapy when it came to treating depression symptoms. Ultimately, the researchers found that one didn’t beat out the other; the researchers explained that there weren’t enough earlier studies to create a thorough comparison. However, they said the benefits associated with both traditional therapy and digital therapy treatments were fairly similar. 

Moving forward, the team hopes more work is done in this area to better understand how different therapies and treatment methods benefit consumers. 

“Digital interventions have been proposed as a way of meeting the unmet demand for psychological treatment,” said Moshe. “As digital interventions are being increasingly adopted within both private and public health care systems, we set out to understand whether these treatments are as effective as traditional face-to-face therapy, to what extent human support has an impact on outcomes, and whether the benefits found in lab settings transfer to real-world settings.”

Parents who struggle with maintaining their mental health have a higher chance of having children that face the same problems. That’s one of the takeaways from a new study conducted by researchers from the University of Texas Health Science Center. 

The team found that mothers who struggle with depression have a higher chance of raising children who develop their own mental health issues.  

“By focusing on mother-child duos, we identified that maternal depression at an earlier time point predicted child anxiety and depressive symptoms at a later time point,” said researcher Daphne Hernandez, Ph.D. “Further, children who experienced anxiety and depressive symptoms at an earlier time point were more likely to have mothers who experienced depression at later time points.” 

Children and parents share mental health struggles

The researchers analyzed data from over 1,400 mother-child duos enrolled in the Fragile Families and Child Well-being Study. Over the course of 10 years, the researchers checked in on the participants’ mental health three times and explored how the two were related. 

The researchers learned that mothers’ mental health is closely linked with their children’s mental health. When mothers experienced depression-related symptoms, their children were more likely to also struggle with their own mental health at any of the check-in points during the study. The opposite was also true – when children were dealing with anxiety or depression symptoms, their parents were more likely to experience similar symptoms. 

The researchers explained that the connection between maternal depression and children’s anxiety and depression is still unclear. However, they believe the stress of being a parent may prevent some mothers from developing warm, meaningful relationships with their children. This may, in turn, make anxiety and depression more likely. 

With a better understanding of the mother-child mental health relationship, the researchers hope resources and treatments can be tailored to benefit all family members. 

“A dual intervention, where both mother and child are receiving treatment together, in addition to their separate treatment plans, may be a successful approach for families where mothers and children exhibit symptoms of anxiety and depression,” Dr. Hernandez said. “Most importantly, implementing strategies to lower parental stress is vital.” 

A new study conducted by researchers from Swansea University explored how parents’ mental health can impact their children. According to the findings, children are more likely to experience mental health problems and not perform as well in school when parents struggle with depression. 

“Children who live with a parent (mum or dad) who has depression are more likely to also develop depression and not achieve as well in school, compared to children who live with a parent with treated depression,” the researchers wrote. 

“Working with families and treating parental depression (in dads as well as mums) is likely to have long-term benefits for children’s mental health and educational attainment. This has never been more important than after lockdown and COVID, as depression is contagious too.” 

The family impact of depression

For the study, the researchers analyzed data from infants enrolled in the Secure Anonymized Information Linkage (SAIL) database who were born between 1987 and 2018. The team looked at the participants’ and parents’ medical records to determine the long-term impacts of mental health outcomes. 

The researchers learned that having a parent who was depressed was linked with two important risk factors: a higher risk of children developing depression and a higher risk of not meeting academic milestones. The study showed that young girls were more likely than young boys to develop depression based on their parents’ mental health outcomes. This risk remained high regardless of which parent was struggling with depression. 

From an academic standpoint, children were less likely to pass academic assessments at the end of elementary school when they lived with depressed parents. Moving forward, the team hopes these findings help identify families who may be in need of mental health resources that could greatly benefit both parents and children. 

“This finding suggests that working closely with families where depression (particularly chronic depression) is present in either parent and treating parental depression to remission is likely to have long-term benefits for children’s mental health and educational alignment,” the researchers wrote. 

A new study conducted by researchers from the University of California San Francisco explored how consumers’ mental health can impact their long-term cognitive function. 

Their findings showed that depression-related symptoms in early adulthood can increase the risk of dementia. The opposite also appeared to be true -- experiencing fewer depression-related symptoms was associated with better cognitive function in older age. 

“Generally, we found that the greater depressive symptoms, the lower the cognition and the faster rates of decline,” said researcher Willa Brenowitz, Ph.D. “Older adults estimated to have moderate or high depressive symptoms in early adulthood were found to experience a drop in cognition over 10 years.” 

The link between mental health and cognitive function

To better understand how mental health and mood can impact long-term cognitive function, the researchers had nearly 15,000 people between the ages of 20 and 89 answer questionnaires about their depression symptoms. The team then tracked these individuals over time to determine how their cognitive function was impacted. 

The researchers learned that the participants’ experiences in young adulthood significantly impacted their cognitive function down the road. 

Overall, 13% of the young adults involved in the study had moderate or high depressive symptoms, compared with 34% of older participants. However, for those who experienced depression in their younger years, there was a 73% higher risk of developing dementia; comparatively, depression in later life was linked with a 43% higher risk of dementia. 

“Several mechanisms explain how depression might increase dementia risk,” said Dr. Brenowitz. “Among them is that hyperactivity of the central stress response system increases production of the stress hormones glucocorticoids, leading to damage of the hippocampus, the part of the brain essential for forming, organizing, and storing new memories.” 

The researchers hope these findings highlight how important it is for consumers to have access to mental health treatments and resources. 

“Future work will be needed to confirm these findings, but in the meantime, we should screen and treat depression for many reasons,” said researcher Dr. Kristine Yaffe. 

A new study conducted by researchers from the University of Exeter explored the connection between obesity and depression. According to their findings, the two conditions are closely linked; being overweight may increase the risk of developing depression, and both physical and social factors can contribute to mental health risks. 

“Obesity and depression are both major global health challenges, and our study provides the most robust evidence to date that higher BMI causes depression,” said researcher Jess O’Loughlin. “Understanding whether physical or social factors are responsible for this relationship can help inform effective strategies to improve mental health and well-being. 

“Our research suggests that being fatter leads to a higher risk of depression, regardless of the role of metabolic health. This suggests that both physical health and social factors, such as social stigma, both play a role in the relationship between obesity and depression.” 

The connection between the mind and body

For the study, the researchers analyzed the genetic data of more than 145,000 Europeans enrolled in the U.K. Biobank to determine which factors related to obesity may impact the risk of depression. After analyzing the participants’ DNA, the team determined that there were metabolic and psychological factors linked to obesity. 

The findings showed that being overweight or obese increased the risk of the participants developing depression, and both physical and social factors contributed to that risk. 

The researchers explained that not all genes associated with obesity increase the risk of other health conditions, like high blood pressure or diabetes. Some consumers with obesity are still metabolically healthy despite having higher BMIs. This leads the team to believe that other physical and social aspects -- like societal expectations and the social stigma associated with obesity -- are what contribute to the heightened risk of depression. 

As these findings further highlight the ways that physical health can impact mental health, the researchers hope that consumers make both aspects of their health a priority. 

“Our research adds to a body of evidence that being overweight causes depression,” said researcher Dr. Francesa Casanova. “Finding ways to support people to lose weight could benefit their mental health as well as their physical health.” 

A new study conducted by researchers from Ruhr-University Bochum explored the mental health benefits associated with physical activity. 

According to their findings, staying active can have significant brain benefits for consumers struggling with depression. The study showed that regular physical activity helps the brain adapt to change and helps reduce depression-related symptoms. 

“The results show how important seemingly simple things like physical activity are in treating and preventing illnesses such as depression,” said researcher Dr. Karin Rosenkranz. 

Mental health benefits of exercise

The researchers had more than 40 people receiving clinical treatment for depression participate in the study. For three weeks, one group of participants completed an exercise program while the other group maintained their regular routine. The researchers tracked the participants’ depression symptoms throughout the course of the study to determine what role exercise played in their mental health outcomes. 

The study showed that engaging in physical activity had several brain-related benefits. One important finding was that the exercise was associated with a better ability to both change and adapt to change. The researchers explained that these are key factors for consumers with depression because struggling with mental health can impact the willingness to change. 

“The ability to change is important for all of the brain’s learning and adaptation processes,” said Rosenkranz. 

The researchers also learned that exercise helped reduce the participants’ depression symptoms; the more they were able to change, the more manageable their symptoms were by the end of the study. Participants showed improvements in several key areas: negative feelings, a loss of interest, and a lack of motivation. Moving forward, the researchers hope these findings emphasize the mental health benefits associated with regular physical activity. 

“This shows that physical activity has an effect on symptoms and the brain’s ability to change,” Rosenkranz said. “We cannot say to what extent the change in symptoms and the brain’s ability to change are causally linked based on this data. It is known that physical activity does the brain good, as it, for instance, promotes the formation of neuron connections. This could certainly also play a role here.” 

A new study conducted by researchers from the University of Colorado at Boulder explored how consumers’ sleeping habits can impact their risk of depression. According to their findings, waking up just one hour earlier can reduce the risk of depression by more than 20%. 

“We have known for some time that there is a relationship between sleep timing and mood, but a question we often hear from clinicians is: How much earlier do we need to shift people to see a benefit?” said researcher Celine Vetter. “We found that even one-hour earlier sleep timing is associated with a significantly lower risk of depression.” 

How sleep impacts mental health

For the study, the researchers analyzed genetic data from over 850,000 participants. One portion of the group filled out questionnaires about their typical sleeping habits, while another portion wore wearable sleep trackers for one week. The team then combined that information with another dataset of survey responses about mental health and sleep records to determine if being genetically predisposed to waking up earlier impacted depression risk. 

The large majority of the participants didn’t define themselves as either early risers or night owls, as the most common sleep patterns were from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. However, the study also showed that participants that were genetically predisposed to waking up earlier were at a much lower risk for developing depression. 

The researchers learned that putting more of an emphasis on sleep -- even by just one hour -- can have significant impacts. Going to bed at 12 a.m. versus at 1 a.m., while still waking up at 6 a.m., was linked with a 23% lower risk of depression; going to bed at 11 p.m. and maintaining a 6 a.m. wake-up time lowered the risk of depression by 40%. 

The researchers also explained that the sleep midpoint -- the halfway point between sleeping and waking -- is an important factor in mental health. Consumers can lower their risk of depression by more than 20% with each hour earlier they make their sleep midpoint. 

Getting on an earlier schedule

While sleeping can be tricky for many consumers, the researchers recommended some ways to go about adopting an earlier schedule and improving mental health. 

“Keep your days bright and your nights dark,” said Vetter. “Have your morning coffee on the porch. Walk or ride your bike to work if you can, and dim those electronics in the evening.” 

A new study conducted by researchers from Uppsala University explored the relationship between teens’ mental health, bullying, and obesity. 

The researchers learned that bullying was a bigger risk factor for teens to develop depression than obesity; however, they did notice differences between teen boys and girls. While girls were more likely to struggle with depression regardless of any outside influences, boys experienced greater mental health struggles when they were also dealing with obesity. 

“The purpose of our study was to investigate the connection between body mass index (BMI) and depressive symptoms, and to take a close look at whether being subjected to bullying affects this relationship over time,” said researcher Sofia Kanders. “We also wanted to investigate whether any gender differences existed.” 

What factors influence depression?

To determine which factors are most likely to affect teens’ mental health, the researchers analyzed responses to the Survey of Adolescent Life in Vastmanland (SALVe) study. This report looked at more than 1,100 survey responses from 2012, 2015, and 2018. In each year, the participants answered questions about their general interests, hobbies, physical and mental health, and height and weight. 

The researchers learned that teen boys and girls had different mental health outcomes. Teen girls were more likely to experience depression-related symptoms than teen boys regardless of any other potentially influential factors, including weight. 

Over the course of the study, the percentage of teen girls with depression symptoms steadily increased; in 2012, 17% of teen girls had depression symptoms, but that number skyrocketed to 34% by 2018. Conversely, the percentage of teen boys that experienced depression symptoms never reached 20% over the entirety of the study. 

Obesity and bullying had a big impact on overall depression rates. Teen boys who had higher BMIs were more likely to experience depressive symptoms than their peers with normal BMIs. Those who were bullied for any reason also had an increased risk of depression-related symptoms at each survey check-in. 

“One key conclusion and take-home message from our study is that bullying can affect mental illness for a long time to come, which therefore makes preventative measures against bullying in schools extremely important,” Kanders said. 

Many parents worry about how much time their teens are spending on the internet. Now, a new study conducted by researchers from Concordia University has explored the mental health risks associated with excessive time online. 

According to their findings, there is a strong correlation between teens’ problematic internet use (PIU) and an increased risk of depression. They explained that several factors like loneliness and gender come into play, but mental health can be significantly affected by excessive time online.  

“Our study tries to understand this relationship in a bi-directional or reciprocal way,” said researcher István Tóth-Király. “We think that PIU and depressive symptoms are likely to be co-occurring instead of one determining the other. They likely reinforce one another over time.” 

The link between depression and internet use

To understand the risks between PIU and depression, the researchers followed nearly 2,000 high school aged participants for three years. The group reported on how much time they spent on the internet and how they felt about their social connections, their academic performances, their relationships with their parents or caregivers, and their overall mental health and wellness. 

The researchers learned that those with higher levels of PIU were at an increased risk of developing depression-related symptoms. They also found that several different factors made the participants more likely to spend excessive amounts of time on the internet. 

The study revealed that teens who felt neglected by their parents spent more time on devices. The opposite was also true -- participants who felt more supported and cared for by their parents logged fewer hours online. Both gender and loneliness also played a role in PIU; boys were more likely than girls to spend excessive time on the internet, and those who felt dissatisfied with their personal relationships were also more prone to PIU.

When is internet use problematic? 

Though there are mental health risks associated with excessive screen time, the researchers explained that a lot of internet time isn’t necessarily always problematic. Some teens cycle in and out of spending tons of time online, and they’re able to successfully maintain other areas of their lives, including interpersonal relationships and academic performance. The researchers offered parents some tangible signs to look for that could be an indication of PIU. 

“If adolescents spend a lot of time on the internet but it doesn’t really impact their mental health or their grades or doesn’t seem to have any substantial negative consequences, then we cannot really say this is problematic behaviour,” said Tóth-Király. 

A new study conducted by researchers from Penn State explored factors that could affect the likelihood of teens developing depression. 

According to their findings, young people are less likely to experience depressive symptoms when they have go-to, trusted sources to access health-related information. Gathering information and feeling more knowledgeable can go a long way towards improving kids’ mental health. 

“This study was actually inspired by my students, after several of them came to me really stressed out,” said researcher Bu Zhong. “I know firsthand how widespread depression can be among students, so I was interested in what kind of health information people shared with the young people and if it can help them cope with depression.” 

Relying on trusted sources

The researchers surveyed 310 students about their overall mental health and had them complete a questionnaire about how they typically took in health-related information and what kinds of sources they viewed as credible.

One of the biggest takeaways from this study is that teens who made an effort to stay informed about their health -- and utilized sources that they trusted for that information -- were less likely to experience depression. Having a trusted parent or teacher that kids trusted for the right information led to improved mental health outcomes.

When it came to getting health information from media sources, the results were a little more mixed. While the participants tended to trust social media sources less when it came delivering correct information, these sites actually did have a positive effect on mental health. On the flip side, TV news and newspapers were seen as more reliable resources but delivered fewer benefits to mental health.

“The kids weren’t purposefully being misleading when they said they didn’t trust information online, even though that information was ultimately linked with lower depression,” explained Zhong. “They were probably told by their parents and teachers to be wary of information found online or on social media. But our research found that online content has a strong impact on their health behavior and depression mitigation strategies, which are not found in the traditional media content.” 

Improving mental health

The researchers’ main goal with this study was to uncover new ways for young people to deal with their mental health. Finding the right treatment can be a difficult, ongoing process for many teens, and these findings provide another potential course of action for managing depression symptoms. 

“Our research is interested in providing long-term health outcomes, not just temporary relief,” Zhong said. “So we’re looking for anything in addition to drugs, in addition to therapy, that can help people with their depression, and this offers another possibility. It may not be able to remove all the stressors causing teen depression, but it’s possible we could equip adolescents with better health information gathering skills to help battle depression.” 

Getting quality sleep each night can be challenging for many consumers. Unfortunately, poor sleep can affect both physical and mental health --even from a very young age. 

In a recent study conducted by researchers from Michigan Medicine, wearable devices and smartphone apps were used to track the effect that sleep had on mental health. They learned that consumers who don’t maintain consistent sleeping patterns are more likely to struggle with depression and have generally worse moods. 

“These findings highlight sleep consistency as an underappreciated factor to target in depression and wellness,” said researcher Dr. Srijan Sen. “The work also underscores the potential of wearable devices in understanding important constructs relevant to health that we previously could not study at scale.” 

Changes in sleeping and waking time disturb mental health

The researchers had over 2,100 early-career doctors wear sleep trackers and use a smartphone app each morning to record their overall mood for one year. Their mental health was evaluated every few months using a popular assessment that gauges depression. 

The researchers found a direct correlation between participants who had the greatest inconsistencies in their sleeping habits and those who were at the greatest risk of depression and poor moods. 

While this demographic of participants was particularly susceptible to a demanding work schedule and varying sleep routines, the study showed that their mental health suffered when they went to bed or woke up at different times each day. Simply not getting enough sleep or going to bed late also contributed to poorer mental health and wellness outcomes. 

On the other hand, the researchers noted some factors that led to improved mental health among the participants. Sleeping longer each night, going to bed earlier, and having fewer changes to time spent sleeping were all associated with better moods in the morning and long-term. 

Though these findings focus on one specific group, the researchers hope that all consumers recognize the important connection that exists between sleeping habits and mental health and wellness. Working to create a stable and consistent sleep routine can be a great benefit for consumers. 

“The advanced wearable technology allows us to study the behavioral and psychological factors of mental health, including sleep, at a much larger scale and more accurately than before, opening up an exciting field for us to explore,” said researcher Yu Fang. “Our findings aim not only to guide self-management on sleep habits, but also to inform institutional scheduling structures.” 

The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly affected consumers’ mental health over the last year. Now, researchers from Boston University are exploring the specific mental health challenges that college students are facing. 

The researchers found that conditions like depression and anxiety, and feelings of loneliness, are higher than ever among college students. While the pandemic certainly comes into play, the team thinks that these findings should be considered in a broader context of mental health struggles. 

“Half of students in fall 2020 screened positive for depression and/or anxiety,” said researcher Sarah Ketchen Lipson. “I think mental health is getting worse [across the U.S. population], and on top of that we are now gathering more data on these trends than ever before. People are being more open, having more dialogue about it, and we’re able to better identify that people are struggling.” 

Widespread mental health concerns

The researchers conducted a survey of nearly 33,000 college students to better understand what mental health struggles they’re experiencing. The survey asked general questions about the participants’ mental health and also touched on how stressors affected their day-to-day lives. 

The large majority of the students involved in the study reported struggling with mental health and feelings of isolation, and these experiences often impacted their daily routines. More than 80 percent of the students shared that their mental health was a roadblock in completing assignments and handling other academic responsibilities. 

Now knowing this, the researchers are calling on professors to make adjustments that can benefit their students’ mental health. Making assignments due earlier in the day can take the pressure off students to stay up all night, and gentle reminders about students’ worth outside of the classroom can leave a long-lasting positive impact. 

“Even in larger classes, where 1:1 outreach is more difficult, instructors can send classwide emails reinforcing the idea that they care about their students not just as learners, but as people, and circulating information about campus resources for mental health and wellness,” Lipson said. 

Utilizing mental health resources

Stressors like the COVID-19 pandemic or mounting student loan debt aren’t likely to disappear all at once, which makes it even more important for college students to utilize the mental health services that are available to them. Though half of the students involved in the survey were worried about what their peers would think about them seeking out mental health services, nearly 95 percent of the students said that they wouldn’t think differently of their peers for getting help for their mental health. 

The researchers hope that these findings inspire more young people to use the resources available to them before they reach crisis-level. Finding healthy ways to cope with and manage anxiety and depression can benefit college students beyond their four years of school. 

“Often students will only seek help when they find themselves in a mental health crisis, requiring more urgent resources,” said Lipson. “But how can we create systems to foster wellness before they reach that point? All students should receive mental health education, ideally as part of the required curriculum.” 

With the new year just underway, many consumers are focusing on eating healthy. According to a new study conducted by the North American Menopause Society (NAMS), a good place for women to start is by incorporating more fiber into their diets.

According to their findings, higher dietary fiber intake was associated with a reduced risk of depression for premenopausal women. 

“This study highlights an important link between dietary fiber intake and depression, but the direction of the association is unclear in this observational study, such that women with better mental health may have had a healthier diet and consumed more fiber, or a higher dietary fiber intake may have contributed to improved brain health by modulating the gut microbiome or some combination,” said researcher Dr. Stephanie Faubion. 

“Nonetheless, it has never been more true that ‘you are what you eat,’ given that what we eat has a profound effect on the gut microbiome which appears to play a key role in health and disease.” 

The link between diet and mental health

To understand how dietary fiber intake can affect depression risk, the researchers had over 5,800 women report on their diets over the course of several 24-hour windows. They also responded to questionnaires that gauged their risk for depression. 

The study revealed that dietary fiber played a large role in depression risk for premenopausal women, but not for postmenopausal women. The researchers found that the risk of depression was lowest in the premenopausal women who consumed the most dietary fiber. However, regardless of their dietary fiber intake, that association didn’t exist with postmenopausal women. 

The researchers explained that the change in hormone levels women experience between premenopause and postmenopause could explain the difference in diet and depression risk. Estrogen is responsible for changing the microorganisms in the gut, and the loss of the reproductive hormone during menopause can ultimately affect how the brain and the body process food. 

Ultimately, dietary fiber doesn’t increase the risk for depression in postmenopausal women, but they aren’t experiencing the same benefits from foods high in fiber the same way that premenopausal women are. For women looking to incorporate foods higher in dietary fiber into their diets, the researchers recommend eating more fruits and vegetables, beans and legumes, and whole grains. 

The researchers hope that these findings offer consumers a different approach to targeting depression because a change in diet can greatly affect mental health outcomes. 

Not getting enough sleep can be detrimental to consumers’ well-being, and now a new study conducted by researchers from the University of Ottawa has explored how sleeping habits can affect teens’ mental health.

Their work revealed that adolescents who struggle with chronic sleep issues are more likely to also struggle with depression.

“Our findings suggest that significant sleep delays during adolescence may increase the likelihood of depression onset in both males and females,” said researcher Nafissa Ismail, PhD. “Additionally, sleep delay may sensitize adolescent females to other stressors and increase the likelihood of mood disorder development.”  

Less sleep leads to more stress

To understand what effect sleep can have on depression risk, the researchers conducted a sleep experiment on 40 adolescent and 40 adult mice. While some mice slept normally for seven nights, other mice were disrupted for the first four hours of their sleep each night for seven nights. To assess their depression following this sleep cycle, the researchers exposed the mice to a stress-inducing activity.

The researchers learned that the adult mice responded differently than the adolescent mice after losing sleep for seven consecutive nights. Despite both groups experiencing sleep disruptions, only the adolescent mice reacted poorly to a new stressor, which indicates that they could be at a greater risk for depression. 

“When exposed to a new stressor following seven days of repeated sleep delay, only adolescent male and female mice showed increased activity in the prelimbic cortex of the brain -- not the adults,” Dr. Ismail said. “The prelimbic cortex is associated with stress coping strategies and can be damaged from overreaction following sleep deprivation.” 

The study also revealed that the female adolescent mice produced a greater stress hormone response than the male adolescent mice. The researchers explained that female teenagers may be more susceptible to depression than their male counterparts, and poor sleep only exacerbates that issue.

“A popular theory suggests that depression originates in adolescents overexposed to stress, and that differences between male and female depression rates are attributed to an increased female vulnerability to chronic stress,” said Dr. Ismail. 

“Sleep disruption is a common stressor during adolescent development,” she added. “Its repeated exposure could partially be responsible for adolescent female susceptibility to depression.”

Sleep and COVID-19

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect consumers’ sleep, stress, and mental health, the researchers worry about how these current circumstances will affect rates of teen depression moving forward. 

“As COVID-19 quarantine requirements -- such as remote learning, limited in-person social interactions, and increased screen time -- have removed some pressure to adhere to regular sleep schedules, adolescents could be at a higher risk than ever before for developing depression and other mood disorders,” Dr. Ismail said.

Depression affects consumers young and old, and now a new poll is exploring how the latter deals with mental health struggles. 

According to responses to the GeneSight Mental Health Monitor, nearly two-thirds of older consumers reported that they wouldn’t seek professional help for their depression. 

“The ‘pull yourself up by your bootstraps’ mindset of some seniors and reluctance to talk about mental health are hindering them from getting the help they need -- especially now when the pandemic is having an enormous impact on the mental health of older Americans,” said researcher Dr. Mark Pollack. “People will seek treatment for conditions like heart disease, high blood pressure, or diabetes. Depression is no different. It is an illness that can and should be treated.” 

Why are seniors avoiding treatment?

The GeneSight Mental Health Monitor polled consumers aged 65 and older across the country to determine their attitudes about depression. Their findings revealed that more than 60 percent of older consumers wouldn’t seek out mental health treatment for depression. 

Survey respondents hadn’t been formally diagnosed with depression, but they did have concerns that they were exhibiting depression-related symptoms. Despite that, they still reported that they wouldn’t get help for those concerns. Ultimately, over 30 percent of the participants believed that they could handle their depression themselves, and nearly 40 percent were confident that they didn’t need a doctor’s help. 

More than 30 percent of the participants also reported that they noticed their depression had affected their lives in tangible ways; they struggled to enjoy activities that normally brought them joy, and they had difficulties interacting with the people closest to them. Having strong, supportive connections is an important aspect when it comes to protecting against depression. 

“In my experience, there is a commonly held view that depression is a normal part of aging; it is not,” said researcher Dr. Parikshit Deshmukh. “I’ve found older adults have a very difficult time admitting that they have depression. When they do acknowledge it, they are still reluctant to start treatment for a wide variety of reasons.” 

The researchers explained that there is a stigma around mental health and depression for many older consumers, and finding the right treatment can be time-consuming and ultimately ineffective. However, the researchers hope that older consumers treat their mental health concerns the same way they’d treat their physical health concerns. They encourage seniors to take time to find a treatment plan that works for them. 

Recent studies have highlighted how yoga and meditation can help consumers struggling with everything from migraines to high blood pressure. 

Now, a new study conducted by researchers from the American Osteopathic Association has found that following a yoga and meditation practice can help those struggling with other types of chronic pain and depression. Because the two conditions are often linked, the study results are promising because consumers can get relief from both. 

“Chronic pain often goes hand-in-hand with depression,” said researcher Dr. Cynthia Marske. “Mindfulness-based meditation and yoga can help restore both a patient’s mental and physical health and can be effective alone or in combination with other treatments such as therapy and medication.” 

Healing versus curing

To see how a more mindful approach can help consumers struggling with chronic pain and depression, the researchers had participants take an eight-week mindfulness-based stress reduction course. Once a week, participants took a 2.5 hour class and were then instructed to practice the techniques they learned in class for 30 minutes a day and six times per week at home. Participants also completed several questionnaires at both the beginning and end of the study that allowed researchers to assess their pain levels and mental health. 

At the end of the eight weeks, the participants reported notable improvements to both their physical and mental health. Practicing yoga and meditation, which guided the participants to have a more mindful attitude, was effective in lowering the severity of chronic pain and related depression symptoms. 

“Many people have lost hope because, in most cases, chronic pain will never fully resolve,” said Dr. Marske. “However, mindful yoga and meditation can help improve the structure and function of the body, which supports the process of healing.” 

According to Dr. Marske, the biggest change can happen with a change in mindset. Instead of looking for a cure that isn’t likely to work long-term, she encourages those struggling with chronic pain to approach their condition from a place of healing. This shift in thinking will allow practices like yoga and meditation to be as effective as possible. 

“Curing means eliminating disease, while healing refers to becoming more whole,” Dr. Marske said. “With chronic pain, healing involves learning to live with a level of pain that is manageable. For this, yoga and meditation can be very beneficial.” 

As the prevalence of anxiety and depression among teens trends upwards, experts continue to explore the effects associated with such mental health struggles. 

Now, a new study conducted by researchers from the European Society of Cardiology has found that teens who struggle with anxiety and depression could be at an increased risk of heart attack when they reach middle age. 

“Be vigilant and look for signs of stress, depression, or anxiety that is beyond the normal teenage angst: seek help if there seems to be a persistent problem (telephone helplines may be particularly helpful during the COVID-19 pandemic),” said researcher Dr. Cecilia Bergh. “If a healthy lifestyle is encouraged as early as possible in childhood and adolescence it is more likely to persist into adulthood and improve long-term health.” 

Identifying potential health concerns

The researchers followed over 238,000 men from adolescence through middle age, assessing their physical and mental health at both the start and conclusion of the study. They evaluated participants’ fitness levels, interviewed them about their personalities and stress levels, and also did a thorough medical examination. 

Over 35,000 participants were diagnosed with anxiety or depression at the start of the study, and the researchers learned that these diagnoses contributed to the participants’ health over the long-term. By the middle-age check-up, which occurred when the participants were in their late 50s, the risk of heart attack was 20 percent higher for participants who struggled with mental health during their teen years. 

The researchers identified poor physical activity levels during the participants’ teen years as one of the primary factors involved in the heightened risk of heart attack. While not a cure-all for mental health or heart attack prevention, following an exercise routine can be incredibly beneficial for both physical and mental health. 

“Better fitness in adolescence is likely to help protect against later heart disease, particularly if people stay fit as they age,” said Dr. Bergh. “Physical activity may also alleviate some of the negative consequences of stress. This is relevant to all adolescents, but those with poorer well-being could benefit from additional support to encourage exercise and to develop strategies to deal with stress.” 

As cases of depression continue to grow nationwide, researchers are always looking for ways to treat the condition. A new study conducted by researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital found that having a strong social network could help protect against depression. 

“Depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide, but until now researchers have focused on only a handful of risk and protective factors, often in just one or two domains,” said researcher Karmel Choi, PhD. “Our study provides the most comprehensive picture to date of modifiable factors that could impact depression risk.” 

Staying socially engaged

To understand potential risk factors associated with depression, the researchers evaluated data from the U.K. Biobank. This study included responses from over 100,000 participants and assessed depression-related risks like screen time, physical activity, and sleeping habits, among several others. 

Of all of the risk factors they looked at, the researchers learned that having strong social connections was the most effective in terms of protecting against depression. Participants reported better mental health outcomes when they had cherished relationships in their lives, regardless of whether it was with friends or family. Having that network of people around for support and social engagement was crucial to reducing depression-related symptoms. 

“Far and away the most prominent of these factors was frequency of confiding in others, but also visits with friends and family, all of which highlighted the important protective effect of social connection and social cohesion,” said researcher Dr. Jordan Smoller. “These factors are more relevant now than ever at a time of social distancing and separation from friends and family.” 

While depression affects everyone differently, and there’s no single approach to improving such symptoms, these findings are an important piece of the puzzle when thinking about mental health. The researchers hope that more work can be done in this area to better understand the risks and protective factors associated with depression. 

“Depression takes an enormous toll on individuals, families, and society, yet we still know very little about how to prevent it,” said Dr. Smoller. “We’ve shown that it’s now possible to address these questions of broad public health significance through a large-scale, data-based approach that wasn’t available even a few years ago. We hope this work will motivate further efforts to develop actionable strategies for preventing depression.” 

Burnout affects consumers in every area of the workforce, and the ripple effects can reach beyond just those feeling overworked. 

Now, according to researchers from the Medical University of South Carolina, symptoms of burnout could be closely linked to symptoms of depression. 

“There is a longstanding thought that burnout is associated with workplace factors and that depressive symptoms are associated with workplace factors but also heavily influenced by personal factors,” said researcher Dr. Lisa Rosenstein. “We found that the factors that drive burnout are much more closely related to the factors that drive depressive symptoms than previously realized.” 

Understanding the connection

To better understand the connection between feelings of depression and feelings of burnout, the researchers surveyed over 1,500 medical interns across the country. The participants answered questions about their overall mental health to give the researchers a baseline understanding of their depressive symptoms, while other questions touched on feelings of emotional exhaustion. 

The researchers explained that it’s been hard for experts to pin down a proper set of criteria for burnout, which is why many consumers who experience it have had trouble reporting it to their employers. However, this study revealed that several similarities exist between symptoms of depression and those of burnout. 

The researchers explain that because of this link, resources for depression can be used for those struggling with burnout, and vice versa. Overall, looking at depression and burnout side by side can be beneficial in trying to manage both conditions. 

“Previous to this work, depression and burnout were conceptualized as separate entities with different factors contributing to these outcomes,” said Dr. Constance Guille. “This work suggests there is substantial overlap between both workplace and personal factors that contribute to an increase in both depressive symptoms and burnout.” 

While personal factors did come into play, including the participants’ own history of depressive symptoms, the researchers hope that these findings can be beneficial for those struggling with these incredibly common feelings. Having a more concrete understanding can help create more thorough treatment plans and relieve consumers of the overwhelming stress of both daily life and work. 

Many consumers struggle with anxiety and depression, and now researchers from Ohio State University found one practice that may not be helpful for those coping with mental health issues: gratitude. 

While incorporating a gratitude practice is certainly beneficial for other reasons, the researchers found that when it comes to anxiety and depression, gratitude may not help in improving related symptoms. 

“For years now, we have heard in the media and elsewhere about how finding ways to increase gratitude can help make us happier and healthier in so many ways,” said researcher David Cregg. “But when it comes to one supposed benefit of these interventions -- helping with symptoms of anxiety and depression -- they really seem to have limited value.” 

Limitations of a gratitude practice

To better understand what effect a gratitude practice can have on anxiety or depression, the researchers analyzed nearly 30 different studies that included over 3,600 participants. 

In the studies the researchers evaluated, participants completed a daily activity related to gratitude. Most of these activities had participants reflect on what in their lives they’re grateful for. After assessing the participants’ mental health, the researchers learned that the gratitude practices weren’t effective in helping them cope with anxiety or depression. 

“Based on our results, telling people who are feeling depressed and anxious to be more grateful likely won’t result in the kind of reductions in depression and anxiety we would want to see,” said researcher Jennifer Cheavens. “It might be that these sort of interventions, on their own, aren’t powerful enough or that people have difficulty enacting them fully when they are feeling depressed or anxious.” 

Better treatments

The researchers recommend more rigorous treatments that could better benefit those struggling with anxiety and depression. Similarly, recent studies have found that remaining hopeful is a key component to coping with anxiety and depression. 

However, the team doesn’t want to downplay the positives associated with practicing gratitude. Though it wasn’t so effective in improving anxiety and depression, there is an upside to being more grateful. 

“It is good to be more grateful -- it has intrinsic virtue and there’s evidence that people who have gratitude as a general trait have a lower incidence of mental health problems and better relationships,” said Cregg. 

While previous studies have revealed the countless outside factors that can contribute to mothers’ postpartum depression, including exposure to natural light and the gender of the baby, a new study found that there could be a biological push behind such depressive symptoms. 

Researchers from the Van Andel Research Institute discovered that heightened levels of inflammation throughout the body during pregnancy can be the catalyst for depressive symptoms in women. 

“Pregnancy-related depression is common yet poorly understood,” said researcher Dr. Lena Brundin. “Biologically speaking, pregnancy is a major inflammatory event that can upend many of the body’s day-to-day molecular processes. If we can better understand these irregularities, it could lead to new ideas about how best to treat prenatal depression.” 

Effects of inflammation

Recent studies have shown how inflammation can have negative effects on both physical and mental health, including increasing the risk for depression. To understand how it affects pregnant women, the researchers looked at blood samples from 165 women, analyzing the levels of several types of hormones and the effects they could be having on women during and after pregnancy. 

The study revealed that pregnancy affects the body’s processes in ways that many may not have realized before, including levels of hormones and inflammatory chemicals -- two factors that can contribute to severe depressive symptoms that can last beyond pregnancy. 

Higher levels of inflammatory chemicals were at the heart of the pregnant women’s depressive symptoms. The researchers learned that when these levels are raised, it prevents the body from creating serotonin, which helps to boost mood. 

Not only were serotonin levels found to be lower in most of the women tested, but their depression symptoms were more severe when serotonin levels were lower.

Proper treatment

While pregnant women are flooded with information on how to combat pregnancy-related depression, this condition can be difficult to pin down for medical professionals. Moving forward, the researchers hope that these findings highlight the severity of this condition so women can receive proper treatment.

“Inflammation is an important and normal part of the immune system and, in early pregnancy, prevents the mother’s immune system from attacking the fetus,” said researcher Dr. Eric Achtyes. 

“However, when the inflammatory reaction is protracted or more intense than is optimal, it may lead to worsening depression in a subset of vulnerable women. Hopefully, this study will allow us to develop treatments that more specifically target those who are at risk for an ‘inflammatory prenatal depression.” 

Introducing drugs as a treatment option for patients experiencing serious depression can come with mixed feelings, and now researchers are exploring the risks and benefits that could arise when older patients are prescribed the drugs.

While antidepressants are certainly a viable and life-changing option for many patients, that’s not the case with all patients, and researchers from the American Geriatrics Society looked into how mental health professionals can best help their older patients.

What are the risks?

To see how medication affected older patients who were struggling with depression, the researchers conducted a study in which participants aged 65 and older took either an antidepressant or a placebo sugar pill for 24 weeks.

Those who were given the medication were prescribed either a serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI) or a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), both of which are typically prescribed in the early stages of depression.

However, the researchers noted that over the course of the study, those who were given the sugar pills were doing better overall than those who had taken either SNRIs or SSRIs.

The participants who took the prescribed drugs were more likely to experience harmful incidents as a result of the medication, and many had to remove themselves from the study.

Though just one aspect of the researchers’ study, it’s important for both healthcare professionals and consumers to be aware of the potential risks associated with antidepressants.

Moreover, the researchers explained that certain depression medications can be harmful to the older demographic, as they can increase the likelihood of falls and subsequent injuries, particularly if patients have experienced dangerous falls in the past.

“Some of the antidepressants have not been studied in older patients with major depression, and studies don’t often describe specific side effects,” said researcher Diana M. Sobieraj. “Future research in this field is critical to better inform how the safety profiles of different antidepressants compare in older adults.”

Finding the best treatment option for depression can be difficult, and the researchers encourage patients and healthcare professionals to review the American Geriatric Society’s Beers Criteria, a comprehensive list of medications that may be harmful for older adults, before starting an antidepressant.

Staying informed

With over two million adults over the age of 65 suffering with depression, it’s important for consumers to know the warning signs, as well as what they can do to better their mental health.

Older adults who are in poor physical health, poor mental health, or experience other health complications are at an increased risk of depressive symptoms.

Adopting healthy habits such as exercising, sleeping well, eating healthy, and avoiding tobacco were found to leave lasting mental health benefits, while researchers also recently found that a change in scenery can be effective as well.

For years, researchers have seen a trend among patients who suffer with depression, as they frequently have issues with heart disease, and vice versa.

While this phenomenon has long gone unexplained, researchers from the University of Cambridge recently found that the link could be inflammation, which can result from both psychological and physical stress.

“It is possible that heart disease and depression share common underlying biological mechanisms, which manifest as two different conditions in two different groups -- the cardiovascular system and the brain,” said researcher Dr. Golam Khandaker. “Our work suggests that inflammation could be a shared mechanism for these conditions.”

Identifying inflammation

The researchers started their experiment by looking at different genetic explanations for both heart disease and depression and used data from nearly 370,000 UK Biobank participants.

While genetic risk for developing heart disease was not tied to depression in any way, the researchers did find that family history played a role. Participants were 20 percent more likely to develop depression if they had a parent die from heart disease.

Based on these findings, the researchers then turned to individual environmental factors that could increase the risk for both heart disease and depression.

The researchers were able to find 15 biomarkers of heart disease, and of those, two were also indicative of depression: triglycerides and proteins IL-6 and CRP, both of which are associated with inflammation.

According to Dr. Khandaker, these findings align with what he’s seen in the past, as many patients whose depression has been resistant to typical treatments have higher levels of these proteins in their blood. Moreover, patients in the midst of high-intensity depressive episodes have higher levels of the biomarkers.  

These proteins are most frequently found in patients as a response to smoking, infection, or stress, and the more IL-6 and CRP in the blood, the more likely a patient is to develop depression.

The researchers were unsure how triglycerides affected depression, but with this new information, Dr. Khandaker and his team were confident that these findings can lead to better treatment options moving forward.

“Although we don’t know what the shared mechanisms between these diseases are, we now have clues to work with that point towards the involvement of the immune system,” said Dr. Stephen Burgess. “Identifying genetic variants that regulate modifiable risk factors helps to find what is actually driving disease risk.”

Fighting inflammation

Recent studies have found ways for consumers to fight inflammation and lead healthier, longer lives.

For those who are unable to physically exercise, experts found that sitting in a hot water treatment -- which involves sitting in a 102-degree tub of water up to their necks for one hour -- can improve both inflammation and blood sugar.

Additionally, following an anti-inflammatory diet can help consumers live longer.

The report suggests that consumers looking to cut back on foods with inflammatory properties should stick to more fruits and vegetables, breakfast cereal, nuts, chocolate, whole-grain bread, and low-fat cheese, among other things.

“Adherence to a diet with high anti-inflammatory potential may reduce all-cause, CVD and cancer mortality and prolong survival time especially amongst smokers,” the researchers stated.

Much research has been done recently that shows the relationship between teens’ social media use and the likelihood of a depression diagnosis.

Now, researchers are turning that notion on its head, finding that there is no conclusive evidence that shows the correlation between social media use and depression for teenagers.

“You have to follow the same people over in time in order to draw the conclusion that social media use predicts greater depressive symptoms,” said lead researcher Taylor Heffer. “By using two large longitudinal samples, we were able to empirically test that assumption.”

The findings

The researchers followed sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students for two years, having them answer questions about their social media use and time spent in front of screens. The team used the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale to measure depression symptoms.

Additionally, the researchers had undergraduate students report their own social media and screen time use, as well as depressive symptoms, over the course of six years. The results were broken down by gender and age to get the most precise picture of whether or not social media is affecting the rate of depression.

The researchers found that spending time on social media was not an indication of developing depression later on, though teen girls were found to seek solace in social media after experiencing depressive symptoms.

“There may be different groups of people who use social media for different reasons,” said Heffer. “For example, there may be a group of people who use social media to make social comparisons or turn to it when they are feeling down, while another group of people may use it for more positive reasons, such as keeping in contact with friends.”

With these findings, the researchers hope parents gain a greater understanding of what their children are going through, and don’t jump to conclusions if their teens are spending a lot of time on their phones.

“When parents read headlines such as ‘Facebook Depression,’ there is an inherent assumption that social media leads to depression,” Heffer said. “Policymakers also have recently been debating ways to tackle the effects of social media use on mental health.”

Contradicting research

While people of all ages are being diagnosed with depression at higher rates, many researchers are pointing their fingers at more time being spent on electronic devices -- which young people struggle with the most.

With suicide rates among young girls at an all-time high, researchers from Timberline Knolls Residential Treatment Center are also placing the blame on social media.

According to the researchers, social media can fuel the fire for the need to be perfect at all times, which can have damaging effects on mental health.

“There continues to be a lot of pressure on young women to be perfect,” said Melissa O’Neill, LCSW, director of the program at Timberline Knolls. “This is definitely increased due to social media and the perception that everyone has the perfect clothes, body, relationship, grades, and life.”

While the debate over gun control continues to rage on, a new study conducted by researchers from Boston University’s School of Public Health attacks the situation from yet another angle: youth suicide.

According to the researchers, three young people between the ages of 10 and 19 use a gun to commit suicide every day, and those numbers become even more prevalent in states where gun ownership is more common.  

“The availability of firearms is contributing to an increase in the actual number of suicides, not just leading youth to substitute other means of suicide for guns,” said lead researcher Anita Knopov.

Localizing the problem

The researchers were looking to break down suicide rates by state and see the way gun ownership in the home affects the likelihood of young people committing suicide.

The team analyzed data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) to determine how many households per state had guns. They also consulted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to track the number of youth suicides from 2005 through 2015 and the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) by state to account for any potential variables, including education, poverty, depression, substance abuse associated with suicide, suicide planning, or suicide attempts.

The researchers found that states that had higher gun ownership were also associated with higher gun-related youth suicides; however, they also found that higher gun ownership is contributing to higher youth suicides overall.

For the 10 states with the lowest youth suicide rates, gun ownership in the home was at around 20 percent, whereas in the 10 states with the highest youth suicide rates, gun ownership in the home was over 52 percent.

“This study demonstrates that the strongest single predictor of a state’s youth suicide rate is the prevalence of household gun ownership in the state,” said researcher Michael Siegel. “The level of gun ownership is a much better predictor of youth suicide than even knowing the exact number of youth who will attempt suicide in a given year.”

Other factors

While guns are just one factor contributing to youth suicides, recent research has found that there is certainly more to it. A recent study found that suicide rates among young women are at an all-time high, which could be because of societal pressures to always feel perfect.

Researchers found that between the demands of performing well in school and portraying life perfectly on social media, comparison to others often leaves young women feeling inadequate, which can lead to suicide.

Additionally, a study from late last year found that lack of sleep can contribute to a higher chance of teens engaging in risky behaviors, including substance abuse, drinking and driving, and suicide.

“We found the odds of unsafe behavior by high school students increased significantly with fewer hours of sleep,” said lead author Matthew Weaver, PhD. “Personal risk-taking behaviors are common precursors to accidents and suicides, which are the leading causes of death among teens and have important implications for the health and safety of high school students nationally.”

Regardless of age, staying connected with friends and family is key to ensuring positive mental health. However, many older adults may find it hard to keep in touch with loved ones, particularly when they live far away, which researchers say can lead to depressive symptoms.

A new study conducted by researchers at Oregon Health & Science University found that older adults that regularly use video chatting apps -- such as Skype or FaceTime -- were less likely to experience symptoms associated with depression when compared to those who used other social media apps.

“Video chat came out as the undisputed champion,” said Dr. Alan Teo. “Older adults who used video chat technology such as Skype had significantly lower risk of depression.”

Positive power of social media

The researchers had over 1,400 participants, with an average age of 65 years old. Each person completed a survey about their social media and technology use so the researchers could gauge how often they used email, instant messaging, video chat, or social media platforms like Facebook.

Two years later, the participants were asked to take another survey measuring their symptoms associated with depression, if they had any.

Perhaps the biggest finding was the power that video chatting seemed to have on the participants’ development of depressive symptoms. Those that used Skype or FaceTime were half as likely to be depressed compared with those that primarily used email, instant messaging, or social media.

The researchers believe their study is the first of its kind that links the positive relationship between video chatting and reduced risk of depression symptoms in older adults.

Despite these positive results, Dr. Teo still encourages people of all ages to engage face-to-face with as many people as possible to ensure a healthy mind.

“If we’re looking at the reality of modern American life, we need to consider these communication technologies,” Dr. Teo said. “And when we do consider them and compare them, our findings indicate that I’m better of Skyping with my dad in Indiana than sending him a message on WhatsApp.”

Finding a balance

Recently, researchers have found both positives and negatives associated with social media. As powerful a tool as it is, it’s important that consumers find the balance that works for them.

Last month, researchers found that words users post in their Facebook status could be used to detect depression. Researchers created an algorithm that was successful in predicting depression up to three months before a formal diagnosis, based entirely off what words users’ put in their Facebook statuses.

Instagram rolled out a new feature a few years ago that could help those suffering from eating disorders, depression, and other mental illnesses. Users can anonymously flag posts if they come across one that they think was posted by someone in need of help. Once a photo is flagged, the poster will receive a notification from Instagram advising them that a follower is concerned, and provide them with several different ways they can get help.

On the other hand, social media has been found to be the cause of some negative emotions. Many reports look to social media as one of the primary causes of the increase in depression among young people.

Researchers also found that social media can create an exclusionary effect for many users who see their friends interacting without them. Though this oftentimes occurs unintentionally, the damage is done.

“We’re using these technologies daily and they’re pushing information to users about their networks, which is what the sites are designed to do, but in the end there’s negative effects on people’s well-being,” said Michael Stefanone.

“It happened to me the other night. I see my friends are doing something while I’m sitting at home. It’s not devastating, but that’s the moment when I felt badly.”

Social media has evolved tremendously over the years, and its capabilities are ever-growing and changing. While still a way for people to keep in touch and connect with their friends, social media has also grown to do much more than that.

A new study, conducted by researchers from the University of Pennsylvania and Stony Brook University and recently published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, explores a new algorithm that can predict a depression diagnosis based off of language used in people’s Facebook posts.

“There’s a perception that using social media is not good for one’s mental health, but it may turn out to be an important tool for diagnosing, monitoring, and eventually treating it,” said lead researcher H. Andrew Schwartz. “Here, we’ve shown that it can be used with clinical records, a step toward improving mental health with social media.”

Words matter

The University of Pennsylvania’s Positive Psychology Center and Stony Brook University’s Human Language Analysis Lab have been working on the World Well-Being Project since 2012. The initiative strives to make breakthroughs in psychological wellness based on language used on social media.

The researchers involved in this study wanted to take the World Well-Being Project to the next level and see if social media could be an effective tool in diagnosing depression. Over 1,000 people joined the study -- 114 of whom had depression diagnoses in their medical records -- and gave the researchers full access to their Facebook statuses and medical records.

To compare the participants with depression to a control group, the researchers used five participants without depression for every one participant with depression for a total of 683 study participants. The researchers then used the participants’ Facebook statuses -- which totaled over 500,000 posts -- to determine the words and phrases that they deemed “depression-associated language markers.”

In putting the algorithm to the test, the researchers found that it was successful in predicting depression up to three months before a formal diagnosis, based entirely off of language used in Facebook posts.

The authors concluded that the users most likely to develop depression were found to use language expressing loneliness, anger, sadness, and self-reflection in their Facebook statuses.

“The hope is that one day, these screening systems can be integrated into systems of care,” said researcher Johannes Eichstaedt. “This tool raises yellow flags; eventually the hope is that you could directly funnel people it identifies into scalable treatment modalities.”

Bipolar disorder affects 2.6 percent of the United States population, and many professionals in the mental health field struggle with finding the proper treatment or appropriate medication for their patients.

Individuals with bipolar disorder experience intense mood swings -- shifting from episodes of mania to episodes of depression -- and it’s this balancing act between the two that often presents difficulties in treatment plans.

However, based on a new study conducted by researchers from Germany, Australia, and America, individuals’ who have a healthy diet and/or low body mass index (BMI) may be on the right track to a more effective treatment for the condition.

Finding the right diet

The study consisted of 133 participants, and before the testing began, the researchers recorded each participant’s BMI and measured their ability to function on a day-to-day basis based on their depression level.

To get a sense of the participants’ regular diet, they filled out questionnaires based on what they typically eat, and the researchers used that information to calculate a quality diet score for each participant. Those who consumed higher levels of fat, alcohol, or carbs were given lower scores, while those with higher intakes of fruits and vegetables were given higher scores.

The researchers then had each participant randomly assigned to start taking either:

• a combination of nutraceuticals -- a vitamin or mineral-based supplement used to treat or prevent disease;

• n-acetylcysteine -- an anti-inflammatory amino acid, commonly referred to as NAC; or

• a placebo pill for 16 weeks, in addition to whatever bipolar treatments they were already receiving.

The researchers then monitored each participant’s progress over the course of the study.

According to lead researcher Melanie Ashton of Deakin University in Australia, the nutraceutical treatment proved to be more beneficial for the group with the healthier diets.

“We found that people who had a better-quality diet, a diet with anti-inflammatory properties, or a lower BMI, showed better response to add-on nutraceutical treatment than did those who reported a low-quality diet, or a diet including foods that promote inflammation, or who were overweight,” Ashton said.

The researchers recently presented their findings at the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology Conference in Barcelona and noted that should these findings hold up over future tests, diet and weight would need to be factors in the treatment of bipolar disorder.

“If we can confirm these results, then it’s good news for people with bipolar disorder, as there is great need for better treatments for the depressive phase of bipolar disorder,” Ashton said.

A new U.S. study shows that more than one-third of American adults take prescription drugs that have the potential to cause depression.

The researchers found that more than 200 commonly used medications include depression as a possible side effect. The list includes certain proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) used to treat acid reflux, beta blockers, painkillers (including ibuprofen), anti-convulsant drugs, ACE inhibitors used to treat high blood pressure, and anxiety drugs. The risk for depression also increases when taking several of these drugs at the same time.

“The more of these medications you’re taking, the more likely you are to report depression,” says Mark Olfson, author of the study and professor of psychiatry at Columbia University.

“It was both surprising and worrisome to see how any medications have depression or suicidal symptoms as a side effect, given the burden of depression and suicide rates in the country, said Dima Mazen Qato, an assistant professor and pharmacist at the University of Illinois at Chicago and lead author of the study.

A look at the study

The study was published on Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association, and featured the results of 26,192 adults who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

At the time of the survey, all participants listed the medications they were taking and completed a depression screening that measured mood, sleep, and appetite.

Over one-third of participants were taking medications that had depression as a possible side effect. The goal of the study was to determine whether these individuals were more or less likely to experience depression compared to those who didn’t take any of these medications.

The study found that not only are individuals on these medications more likely to experience depression, but when taking multiple medications, they are three times more likely to be depressed.

Fifteen percent of participants who used three or more of these drugs at once were depressed compared to lower rates for those who only used one. Conversely, only five percent of participants who didn’t use any of these medications were depressed.

Despite the results, the researchers say they didn’t prove the medications cause depression.

“We didn’t prove that using these medications could cause someone who was otherwise healthy to develop depression or suicidal symptoms. But we see a worrisome dose-response pattern: the more of these medications that have these adverse effects that you’re taking concurrently, the higher the risk of depression,” said Dr. Qato.

The researchers also accounted for other risk factors that can cause depression when doing the study, including marital status, unemployment, poverty, and medical conditions like chronic pain.

“The study is an important reminder that all medicines have risks, and most medicines have rare but serious risks -- yet another reason that even commonly used medicines such as beta-blockers or proton pump inhibitors should not be used cavalierly,” said Dr. Caleb Alexander, co-director of the Center for Drug Safety and Effectiveness at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

What the study means for the future

The researchers hope that the findings from this study urge people to have important conversations with their healthcare providers when taking medication.

“People should always be ready to ask, ‘What are the risks and benefits of me taking this medication?’” says Don Mordecai, a psychiatrist with Kaiser Permanente. “People who don’t have a history of depression and then, suddenly, start to have symptoms of depression should be concerned that it’s potentially due to a side effect, or potentially, an interaction.”

“With depression as one of the leading causes of disability and increasing national suicide rates, we need to think innovatively about depression as a public health issue,” Dr. Qato said.

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a type of depression that can occur in some individuals each year during fall and winter. When the sun is up less and it’s too cold to spend much time outside, sufferers may experience an unpleasant drop in their mood and energy level. 

Doctors believe SAD is directly linked to this limited exposure to sunlight, which can alter a person’s circadian rhythm. Changes to the circadian rhythm affect sleep-wake cycles – a critical basis for good energy and mood. 

In an interview with ConsumerAffairs, Dr. David Earnest, a circadian rhythms expert at the Texas A&M College of Medicine, explained that SAD is different from other types of clinical depression.

“SAD differs from depression in that symptoms usually are less severe and SAD is ‘seasonal’, with typical onset of most symptoms during the late Fall and Winter due to the changes in day length,” he said.

Treating the symptoms

Symptoms of SAD include lethargy, low energy, sluggishness, feeling down or depressed, sleep problems (usually excessive sleep), loss of interest in social activities, and changes in appetite, Earnest said.

Here are a few expert-recommended activities consumers can try to ease the symptoms of winter depression:

• Light therapy. Studies show light therapy is an effective treatment for SAD. Commercially available light boxes help to lower melatonin levels in the bloodstream when the natural light of a winter or rainy day isn’t sufficient to do so.
• Allow more light indoors. For people struggling with SAD, doctors recommend keeping blinds open and sitting close to windows when possible. Bright, open-spaced environments are better when it comes to combating the symptoms of SAD. 
• Get outside. Individuals in northern regions should try to get some exercise and outdoor exposure to natural sunlight during the morning and late afternoon, says Earnest.
• Take daily walks. Exercise and spending more time outdoors can help keep depressive symptoms at bay, and daily walks are one way to accomplish both. Aerobic exercise (such as biking, running, or swimming) has also be found to help manage symptoms of SAD. Aim to exercise at least three times per week for at least 60 minutes.
• Maintain a healthy diet. Try to limit starches and sugars and avoid eating heavy meals or drinking fluids right before bed. 
• Practice good sleep hygiene. Creating a regular light-dark cycle is a key part of combating seasonal affective disorder. Set a time to routinely go to bed each night and minimize light exposure (including blue light emitted from devices) during the two hours prior to that time. 
• Supplements. Several over-the-counter natural products–including Hyperium extract (better known as St. John’s Wort), melatonin, and Vitamin D–have been found to be effective at treating the effects of SAD. Talk to your doctor before taking any new supplement.

When an accident or injury occurs, it’s second nature for consumers to go to the emergency room (ER) for treatment. But a new report finds that some of these visits aren’t necessary or advisable.

In a recent study, researchers from California deemed that 3.5% of all U.S. emergency room visits were “avoidable.” They say that the top three discharge diagnoses were alcohol abuse, dental disorders, and mood disorders, such as anxiety and depression. While some of these conditions can be serious, the authors note that the ER is not always necessarily the best place to have them treated.

“Our most striking finding is that a significant number of avoidable visits are for conditions the ED is not equipped to treat. Emergency physicians are trained to treat life- and limb-threatening emergencies, making it inefficient for patients with mental health, substance abuse, or dental disorders to be treated in this setting,” they said.

Avoidable visits

The study analyzed over 424 million visits made to emergency departments across the U.S. between 2005 and 2011 for patients aged 18 to 64. “Avoidable” cases were defined as those that did not require diagnostic or screening services, procedures, or medications, and led to patients being discharged home.

Of these visits, the researchers say that 6.8% were related to alcohol abuse or mood disorders, while 3.9% were connected to disorders with patients’ teeth or jaws. While the majority of these visits did warrant emergency attention, the results indicated that 16.9% of mood disorder visits, 10.4% of alcohol-related visits, and 4.9% of tooth and jaw-related visits were avoidable.

While visiting the ER might seem like the safest move, the researchers note that extraneous visits can impact the overall cost of health insurance for all consumers. They believe that their results may indicate a need to increase public access to mental health services and dental care.

“Our findings serve as a start to addressing gaps in the US healthcare system, rather than penalizing patients for lack of access, and may be a better step to decreasing ‘avoidable’ ED visits,” the researchers concluded.

The full study has been published in the International Journal for Quality in Health Care.

Numerous studies have addressed how inadequate sleep affects our bodies. The medical community has linked it to metabolic disorders, depression, and even diseases such as cancer. But a new study shows that it might also be tied to lower bone formation.

Researchers from the University of Colorado found that healthy men who didn’t achieve adequate amounts of sleep for three weeks had reduced levels of a marker of bone formation in their blood. This is dangerous, they say, because it opens the possibility of bone-related conditions whose causes have been partially unexplained.

"This altered bone balance creates a potential bone loss window that could lead to osteoporosis and bone fractures," said lead investigator Dr. Christine Swanson. "If chronic sleep disturbance is identified as a new risk factor for osteoporosis, it could help explain why there is no clear cause for osteoporosis in the approximately 50 percent of the estimated 54 million Americans with low bone mass or osteoporosis.”

Younger people affected most

The researchers analyzed 10 men and investigated the consequences that sleep deprivation and circadian disruption had on bone formation. Swanson described circadian disruption as “a mismatch between your internal body clock and the environment caused by living on a shorter or longer day than 24 hours."

Each subject stayed in a lab for three weeks and followed a sleep schedule wherein they went to bed four hours later than they did on the preceding day. Each person was allowed to sleep for 5.6 hours per 24-hour period, and the researchers controlled calorie intake and nutrition.

After three weeks, the researchers examined blood samples and measured them for bone biomarkers. They found that every participant had reduced levels of P1NP when compared to their baseline stats at the outset of the study period. The difference was greatest in participants aged 20-27, compared to those aged 55-65. Additionally, Swanson said that one marker called CTX remained constant throughout the period, indicating that old bone was breaking down but new bone was not being made.

"These data suggest that sleep disruption may be most detrimental to bone metabolism earlier in life, when bone growth and accrual are crucial for long-term skeletal health. Further studies are needed to confirm these findings and to explore if there are differences in women," she said.

The full study was presented at the Endocrine Society’s 99^th annual meeting. 

In recent years, there have been several studies which show that getting physical exercise can help counteract the development of depression. However, researchers have predominantly focused on adults and adolescents when conducting trials.

To widen the scope, researchers from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) and NTNU Social Research have tested how exercise can affect children's mental health. The findings show that allowing children to run around and actively play lowers the risk of depression as well.

"Being active, getting sweaty and roughhousing offer more than just physical health benefits. They also protect against depression," said first author Dr. Tonje Zahl.

Protecting against depression

The researchers analyzed 800 children over a four-year period between the ages of six and ten. At three intervals, children’s physical activity levels were measured with accelerometers. Parents were also interviewed to gauge children’s mental health.

The results showed that physically active six- and eight-year-olds had fewer signs of depression when they were reassessed two years later. The researchers believe this correlation could be important for parents when it comes to encouraging certain hobbies and activities.

"This is important to know, because it may suggest that physical activity can be used to prevent and treat depression already in childhood," said co-author Silje Steinsbekk.

Less active kids may not be depressed

While the study does corroborate past research that extolls the benefits of physical activity, it also differs in some respects. Perhaps most notable is the finding that depressed children tend to also be less active; previous studies on adults had correlated a sedentary lifestyle with depression, but that did not seem to be the case with children.

"We also studied whether children who have symptoms of depression are less physically active over time, but didn't find that to be the case,” said Steinsbekk.

So, what can parents take away from all of this? The researchers say encouraging physical activity is the main thing to keep in mind, but limiting TV and computer time may also be wise.

The full study has been published in Pediatrics.

In a recent report, researchers found that depression can be just as bad for your heart health as obesity or smoking. They stated that their findings would hopefully help guide the medical community towards providing more support for the condition.

Unfortunately, providing the right kind of support is a difficult problem to tackle. Depression is a complex condition that can affect anyone – and its effects can often be debilitating. Many consumers have come to rely on antidepressants to help manage symptoms and improve quality of life, but a new study shows that this could have harmful side effects.

Researchers from the Université de Montréal (UdeM) have found that pregnant women who take antidepressant drugs during the first12 weeks of their pregnancy are more likely to bear children with birth defects. The first 12 weeks were focused on, they say, because this is the time when the baby’s organ systems are developing.

"In pregnancy, you're treating the mother but you're worried about the unborn child, and the benefit needs to outweigh the risk," said senior author Anick Bérard, a professor at UdeM's Faculty of Pharmacy and researcher at its affiliated children's hospital, CHU Sainte-Justine.

Higher risk of birth defects

Bérard and her colleagues came to their conclusions after analyzing over 18,000 depressed women from the Quebec Pregnancy Cohort, which recorded 289,688 pregnancies between 1998 and 2009. They found that 3,640 of the women – or around 20% -- took antidepressants during the first three months of their pregnancy.

The findings showed that between 6% and 10% of women who took antidepressants during this period had complications with birth defects, around double the rate when compared to women who didn’t take the drugs. The researchers believe the drugs interfere with a fetus' serotonin intake, which can cause problems in development.

"Serotonin during early pregnancy is essential for the development of all embryonic cells, and thus any insult that disturbs the serotonin signaling process has the potential to result in a wide variety of malformations," they said.

Need for alternatives

The researchers urge caution for pregnant women who use antidepressants, pointing out that the drugs are sometimes only marginally effective. Bérard points out that there are other ways to treat mild to moderate depression, though having the time, money, and encouragement to take advantage of them may be difficult.

"Given that an increasing number of women are diagnosed with depression during pregnancy, (the new) results have direct implications on their clinical management. This is even more important given that the effectiveness of antidepressants during pregnancy for the treatment of the majority of cases of depression (mild to moderate depression) have been shown to be marginal,” she said.

"Hence, the need for caution with antidepressant use during pregnancy is warranted and alternative non-drug options should be considered."

The full study has been published in BMJ Open.

Maintaining a healthy heart is vital to having good overall health, but there are many issues that can get in the way. Being obese or smoking, for example, can stress the heart and lead to cardiovascular problems, but a new study shows that there is another condition that can be just as harmful.

Researchers from Helmholtz Zentrum München, along with colleagues from the Technical University of Munich and the German Center for Cardiovascular Disease, have found that depression poses just as great a risk to heart health. Further, they believe that finding how it interacts with other risk factors is of paramount importance.

“There is little doubt that depression is a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases,” said group leader Karl-Heinz Ladwig. “The question now is: What is the relationship between depression and other risk factors like tobacco smoke, high cholesterol levels, obesity or hypertension – how big a role does each factor play?”

Comparable risk factor

For the purposes of the study, Ladwig and his colleagues analyzed data from nearly 3,500 male patients between the ages of 45 and 74 for a total of 10 years. During that time, they tracked how depression impacted four other major risk factors for cardiovascular health.

The results indicated that depression led to the development of a fatal cardiovascular disease just as often as elevated cholesterol levels or obesity. The only risk factors that had a greater association were high blood pressure and smoking. Across the entire sample, the researchers say 15% of cardiovascular deaths could be attributed to depression.

“That is comparable to the other risk factors, such as hypercholesterolemia, obesity and smoking,” said Ladwig, pointing out that other risk factors caused between 8.4% and 21.4% of cardiovascular deaths.

The researchers believe that their work may have large implications on how the medical community evaluates depression as a condition. They point out that the findings indicate that the disorder has a “medium effect size within the range of major, non-congenital risk for factors for cardiovascular diseases.”

Ladwig says diagnostic investigation of co-morbid depression should become an industry standard, especially for high-risk patients.

The full study has been published in Atherosclerosis.

Depression – it’s a condition that has affected millions of people all around the world, and it can manifest itself in so many different ways. However, one common feeling that is often associated with it is one of hopelessness; it can often be hard for depressed individuals to imagine that things can ever get better.

But a new study shows that this is not necessarily the case. A team of researchers have found that 39% of individuals who have experienced a form of major depression are able to recover and achieve complete mental health. The team has also identified factors that both aid and detract from an individual’s ability to overcome the condition.

“This research provides a hopeful message to patients struggling with depression, their families and health professionals. A large number of formerly depressed individuals recover and go on to reach optimal well-being,” said lead author Esme Fuller-Thomson.

Full recovery never out of reach

While the phrase “complete mental health” may seem murky, the researchers clearly define it as a state that is reached when a person is able to achieve almost daily happiness or life satisfaction, positive social and psychological well-being, and are also free of depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, and substance abuse for at least one full year.

The study utilized a sample of over 2,500 participants who had shown symptoms of major depressive disorder at some time in their life. After collecting data on each participant, the researchers found that 39% of them were able to overcome their depression and achieve complete mental health.

Additionally, they found that the length of the depressive episode had no bearing on whether or not a participant was able to achieve complete mental health. For example, those who had long depressive episodes (lasting over two years) were able to overcome their depression just as often as those who experienced a depressive episode for one month.

“In other words, there is no need for individuals and families to lose hope that a full recovery is beyond reach,” remarked study co-author Senyo Agbeyaka.

Social support is key

While the length of the depressive episode had no bearing on a participant’s ability to achieve complete mental health, there were some factors that the researchers identified as being important to recovery.

Perhaps the most influential of these factors was the presence of social support. The researchers found that participants who had close ties to the people around them were much more likely to overcome their depression.

“Formerly depressed adults who had emotionally supportive and close relationships were four times more likely to report complete mental health than those without such relationships,” said co-author Mercedes Bern-Klug. “Having at least one trusted friend was critical to cultivating complete mental health.”

Inhibiting factors

On the flip side, the researchers found that certain factors stopped participants from achieving complete mental health. Some of these included poorer physical health, functional limitations, and insomnia. The researchers believe that these findings should inform how health care professionals treat depression.

“Clearly, this underlines the importance for health professionals to consider strategies that address both physical health problems and social isolation when treating those with depression,” said co-author Deborah LaFond.

The full study has been published in the journal Psychiatry Research.

The foods we eat can affect how we feel, and not just in terms of whether or not we feel satiated. Certain nutrients can help guide our emotions and can even help reduce symptoms of anxiety.

According to Dr. Uma Naidoo of Harvard Health, anxiety and depression sufferers may benefit from certain diet tweaks. Therapy and medications can help relieve the burden of anxiety, but Naidoo asserts that diet is also important.

Steady blood sugar

“In addition to healthy guidelines such as eating a balanced diet, drinking enough water to stay hydrated, and limiting or avoiding alcohol and caffeine, there are many dietary considerations that can help relieve anxiety,” writes Naidoo, adding that it’s also important not to skip meals.

She attributes the anxiety-alleviating effects of eating the right foods at the right time to even blood sugar levels, which can create a calmer state. Complex carbohydrates found in grains, fruits, and vegetables are metabolized more slowly and help keep blood sugar steady -- much better for the mood than the simple carbohydrates found in processed foods.

Serotonin receptors found in the lining of the gut may also play a role in the link between food and mood, Naidoo says. (Interestingly, about 95% of our serotonin receptors hang out in the gut.) 

So what foods have been shown to reduce anxiety?

Anxiety-reducing foods

• Magnesium. In a study, mice with diets low in magnesium showed an increase in anxiety-related behaviors. Therefore, explains Naidoo, foods rich in magnesium -- such as leafy greens, nuts, and whole grains -- may help a person feel calmer.
• Zinc. Zinc-laden foods have also been linked to lowered anxiety. Oysters, cashews, egg yolks, and beef are just a few examples of foods rich in zinc.
• Fish. Omega-3 fatty acids have previously been linked to improving symptoms of depression, but a 2011 study found that they may also help reduce anxiety. Omega-3 supplements are available, but can also be found in fatty fish such as wild Alaskan salmon.
• Sauerkraut. A recent study published in Psychiatry Research suggested that probiotic foods like sauerkraut, kefir, and pickles could lower social anxiety.
• Avocados and almonds. Foods packed with B vitamins, such as avocados and almonds, release neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine.
• Antioxidants. Anxiety is said to be associated with a lowered antioxidant state, so eating antioxidant-rich foods may help reduce those feelings. Beans, fruits, nuts, berries, vegetables, and some spices (such as turmeric and ginger) are some of the foods that boast high levels of antioxidants.

Everyone knows we're more likely to be depressed in the winter. Only problem is, everyone may be wrong, according to a new study.

The large-scale survey of U.S. adults found no evidence that levels of depressive symptoms vary from season to season, contradicting the widespread believe that seasonal affective disorder -- often referred to as "SAD" -- is a real phenomenon.

"In conversations with colleagues, the belief in the association of seasonal changes with depression is more or less taken as a given and the same belief is widespread in our culture," says Steven LoBello, a professor of psychology at Auburn University at Montgomery and senior author on the new study, published in Clinical Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.

"We analyzed the data from many angles and found that the prevalence of depression is very stable across different latitudes, seasons of the year, and sunlight exposures," LoBello said.

SAD was officially added to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) in 1987. But more recent studies have challenged the validity of earlier SAD research, including the fact that SAD is typically identified by asking patients to recall past depressive episodes over the course of the previous year or more.

Data examined

LoBello and lead study author Megan Traffanstedt decided to investigate whether they could find evidence for seasonal variation in depressive symptoms using data from a large-scale survey of U.S. adults.

They examined data from a total of 34,294 participants ranging in age from 18 to 99. Using geographic location for each participant, the researchers also obtained season-related measures including the actual day of the year, the latitude, and the amount of sunlight exposure.

The results showed no evidence that symptoms of depression were associated with any of the season-related measures. That is, people who responded to the survey in the winter months, or at times of lower sunlight exposure, did not have noticeably higher levels of depressive symptoms than those who responded to the survey at other times.

And the researchers did not find any evidence for seasonal differences in symptoms when they specifically looked at the subsample of 1,754 participants who scored within the range for clinical depression.

"The findings cast doubt on major depression with seasonal variation as a legitimate psychiatric disorder," the researchers conclude.

Emptiness. It is a word that many people with depression are familiar with. It is characterized by a distinct feeling of being lacking – lacking in feeling, lacking in motivation, lacking essential internal components that can make you feel “normal.” Ironically, researchers have found that it is an excess of a certain protein in the brain that may be a major factor in the development of depression in individuals.

The protein in question is called fibroblast growth factor 9, or FGF9 for short. When researching the protein, scientists found that people with major depression had 32% more of this protein in certain parts of their brain.

Testing the theory

Researchers from many organizations and universities, including the University of Michigan Medical School and the Pritzker Neuropsychiatric Disorders Research Consortium, developed their theory on FGF9 after years of studying brain tissue samples. They found that, along with increased levels of FGF9, the section of the brain called the hippocampus was smaller in brain samples of depressed individuals. They theorize that this is the result of FGF9 blocking cell growth and development in the brain.

In order to get a firm grasp on what FGF9 does to the brain, researchers used rats to see how changing the levels of the protein in their brains modified behavior. First, they exposed the rats to increased social stress for a week-long period. They found that FGF9 levels did increase, and the subjects became more socially withdrawn.

Next, the researchers injected FGF9 into the brains of an experimental rat group; the control group was given a placebo. The rats that received the real injection became much more anxious and less motivated to move around. These symptoms only worsened with more injections.

Finally, the researchers created a virus that would interfere with FGF9 production in the brain. They injected it into an experimental group of rats and found that FGF9 levels decreased by 30%. These rats became much less anxious as a result.

Better treatment

If we take a cue from the last experiment mentioned, then we can begin to see what some of the benefits of this research could be. It has already gone a long way in proving that depression is a physical illness, which has been debated in the medical community for many years.

“Fixing depression is not easy, because it’s a disorder at the level of the circuits that connect brain cells, and many regions of the brain are involved,” said Elyse Aurbach, co-author of the paper. “Still, this is the first time FGF9 has been identified as related to depression, and found to be active in a critical area of the brain for the disorder. We and others need to study it further to determine what is going on. It’s very exciting.”

As Aurbach says, there is still much research to be done on FGF9 before any sort of antidepressant can be developed. But when antidepressants can be developed, they would be much safer. Because the new medication would work at inhibiting FGF9 levels, instead of decreasing levels of something else in the brain, the risk of side effects would be greatly reduced. This thought will no doubt spur researchers on and keep them cautiously optimistic. 

Overcoming depression can be a major challenge for people who experience it every day. There are currently over 120 million people who suffer from it worldwide, and the existing therapies and prescriptions do not work for everyone. Luckily, recent research has found that elevating the levels of a signaling molecule in the brain can alter a person’s response to stress. This discovery could provide a new approach to treating depression.

The study was conducted by researchers from the UT Southwestern Medical Center. They found that mice changed their stress-induced behaviors when cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) levels in their brains were increased. This is extremely relevant to depression because other studies have showed that depressed people often have impaired cAMP signaling in their brains. Most antidepressants work by attempting to turn this signaling system on.

“This is the first step in the development of a treatment for patients with major depressive disorder using this new strategy,” said Dr. James Bibb, who is the lead author the study and a professor of psychiatry, neurology, and neurotherapeutics at UT Southwestern.

Changing responses to stressors

The cAMP levels in the brain correlate with feelings of pleasure, motivation, and reward. They are controlled by a variety of other molecules, which include an enzyme called phosphodiesterase-4 (PDE4). By disrupting PDE4 levels in the brain, scientists found that cAMP levels were able to elevate higher within the mice, which changed their behavioral responses to different stressors.

The researchers have already developed a drug-like peptide that they hope can selectively block PDE4 function. If successful, it could provide a new way for people with depressive disorders to deal with their condition and the stressors that cause it.  

“These exciting findings could help us develop very novel treatments to reduce stress response and prevent or treat depression effectively in the future," saidDr. Madhukar Trivedi, who is the Director of the Center of Depression Research and Clinical Care. The full study has been published in the journal Nature Neuroscience.

Bob’s dog recently died leaving him heartbroken. Weeks went by as he continued to grieve. He didn’t want to get another dog right away because it would only remind him of Sadie and make him unhappy. His sadness was intense. He had trouble eating and sleeping and had difficulty concentrating. He would call friends on the phone which made him feel more composed, that is, until the phone call ended.

Bob’s brother worried about him and urged him to get help. Maybe, since Bob was depressed, an antidepressant medication may be useful. But is Bob depressed or just going through the normal grieving process? He certainly has all the signs of clinical depression. However, whereas depression is usually constant, grief is more likely to ebb and flow like waves crashing on the shore. Grief does not usually invoke feelings of worthlessness and low self-esteem that are typical of true depression. Those who grieve long to be reunited with someone they loved. The clinically depressed believe they are unlovable.

Antidepressants are not recommended to overcome bereavement. These drugs can mask grieving which will only return after the person stops taking them. They can take weeks to kick in and have a long list of side effects.

A 2014 study examined the prescribing of antidepressants to bereaved parents who lost their newly born children. Of those prescribed medication, antidepressants were most common (80%) followed by benzodiazepines/sleep aids (20%). The bulk (75%) of these prescriptions were written within a month after the death. Obstetrician/gynecologists wrote nearly all prescriptions given shortly after loss, not giving the parent time to work through the process.

Disturbing questions

The majority of parents who were prescribed antidepressants took them long-term. These data raise disturbing questions about prescribing practices for anyone who grieves over a loved one. The grieving process gets close at what it means to be human. Handling that process over to professionals armed with pills approximates the most dangerous misuse of pharmaceuticals imaginable.

Nevertheless, powerful Big Pharma would rather have you take a pill to better fuel the $10 billion antidepressant market. Lost your sock in the laundry? There’s a pill for that. Someone cut you off on the highway? Pills for that too. Just had a bad day? Another pricey medication is a-waitin. Anyway, isn’t that what martinis are for?

But more seriously, when should the bereaved be medicated? For years, the official handbook of psychiatry, issued by the American Psychiatric Association, advised against diagnosing major depression when the distress is “better accounted for by bereavement.” Such grief, experts said, was better left to nature.

In what some prominent critics have called a cash cow for the drug companies, the American Psychiatric Association voted in 2013 to drop the old warning against diagnosing depression in those who are mourning, paving the way for more of them to be diagnosed with major depression , and, thusly treated with antidepressants. It’s a game of "I will scratch your back if you scratch mine."

Of the 11 members of the American Psychiatric Association committee that spearheaded the change, 8 of them reported financial connections to pharmaceutical companies — either receiving speaking fees, consultant pay, research grants or holding stock, according to the disclosures filed with the association. Six of the 11 panelists reported financial ties during the time that the committee met, and 2 others reported financial ties in the 5 years leading up to the committee assignment, according to APA records.

Several small studies have indicated that antidepressants do decrease grief intensity. And it is true, those who are so bereaved that they cannot function or those who were clinically depressed before the loss and the loss has magnified their depressive symptoms may benefit from an antidepressant. But for everyone who has lost a loved one? No. It’s just putting money into an industry that is already swimming in gold.

Instead of a pill, discuss your feelings with a priest, minister, rabbi or other spirtual advisor. Get counseling from a social worker or psychologist. Go on a trip to Europe. Get some exercise at the gym. Work through those tough times knowing that what you are feeling is natural and normal. A lot of dogs need good homes, so after a while, consider a rescue dog from a shelter.

What makes someone depressed? The question becomes more urgent as the number of cases of clinical depression increases.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates depression at some point affects about 9% of U.S. adults, leaving them with feelings of hopelessness, despondency, and sometimes guilt. The agency says major depression is the leading cause of disability for Americans between the ages of 15 and 44.

Researchers have turned out study after study trying to better understand the condition. At the University of Washington a recent study suggested stress is a major trigger.

A recent British study found over-achievers are more at risk of depression, becaise they become addicted to the Internet. Companies fail to notice the depression, the researchers conclude, because the sufferers are all successful.

Since many of the cases of depression have appeared in the wake of the financial crisis, some researchers looked for – and found – a link to long-term unemployment. Nearly 1 in 5 Americans who have been unemployed for a year or more say they currently have or are being treated for depression.

Physical illness

Here's a new theory. Major depressive disorder (MDD) is actually an infectious disease and not always caused by external influences.

Turhan Canli, a psychology professor at Stony Brook University, suggests that major depression may result from parasitic, bacterial, or viral infection. He thinks depression needs to be reclassified from a mental illness to a physical one while research continues into its causes.

“Future research should conduct a concerted effort search of parasites, bacteria, or viruses that may play a causal role in the etiology of MDD,” he said.

Canli offers 3 arguments why reconceptualizing MDD as an infectious disease may pay off.

For starters, patients with MDD exhibit physical symptoms like a loss of energy. Beyond that, inflammatory biomarkers associated with depression also suggest an illness-related origin.

Viruses can alter behavior

Canli says there is plenty of evidence that parasites, bacteria and viruses that infect humans can alter their emotional behavior. Finally, he cites the concept of the human body as an ecosystem for microorganisms and the role of genetics.

There's enough there, says Canli, to justify large-scale studies with depressed patients to see if there actually is a causal relationship between infectious disease and depression. A Northwestern University study, published in September, just might provide some ammunition.

Researchers developed a blood test that measures the levels of 9 RNA blood markers which seem to be different in patients diagnosed with clinical depression, suggesting some kind of physical link.

Depression symptoms

The CDC says symptoms of depression can range from a sad mood and diminished interest in activities to dramatic weight gain or loss, fatigue and excessive and unjustified feelings of guilt.

The condition also poses a substantial burden to the sufferer and friends and family. Interpersonal relationships are particularly likely to suffer when someone is depressed and the CDC says data suggest that few families or networks of friends are likely to remain unaffected.

When major depression goes unrecognized and untreated the results can turn tragic. Consequences can range from ruined marriages to damaged careers to suicide.

The CDC says this disorder is still misconstrued as a sign of weakness rather than being recognized as an illness.

Teen suicide is the third-leading cause of death for people in the U.S. between the ages of 15 and 24. Only homicide and accidents claim more lives.

The statistics from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also show as many as 20% of teens consider suicide at some point during the year.

But help may be available from an unexpected source.

In many instances, young people appear too reliant on digital communication, sending hundreds of texts and spending hours posting on social media sites. Some say it's not healthy. Now, mental health officials say what looks like a negative might actually turn out to be beneficial if it can be harnessed to provide a teen suicide early warning system.

After all, young people tend to be quite revealing when they send out a text or post something online. What if someone just paid closer attention?

Analyzing posts

A research team based at Ohio State University (OSU) began monitoring posts on MySpace. In one month they found 64 comments in which adolescents expressed a wish to die.

The researchers then conducted a follow-up survey of young adults and found that young people were highly likely to use text messages when they felt very depressed, reaching out to family and friends. They were least likely, the researchers found, to call a suicide-prevention hotline, which is probably the most common prevention strategy among existing suicide-prevention initiatives.

Obvious tool

Together, the data from the two studies told the researchers that an obvious tool was right in front of them. They conclude that teen suicide-prevention efforts should employ social networking and other types of technology.

“Obviously this is a place where adolescents are expressing their feelings,” said Scottye Cash, associate professor of social work at OSU and lead author of the studies. “It leads me to believe that we need to think about using social media as an intervention and as a way to connect with people.”

The team focused on MySpace and not Facebook because most Facebook profiles are private and not accessible. The challenge was finding expressions that met the test of a real suicide threat, not an easy task considering the age group.

“There’s a lot of drama and angst in teenagers so in a lot of cases, they might say something ‘will kill them’ but not really mean it. Teasing out that hyperbole was an intense process,” Cash said.

Song lyrics often a clue

Sometimes a post would reference a song lyric that was about suicide. According to Cash, the three most common phrases within the final sample were “kill myself,” referenced in 51.6 percent of the posts, “want to die,” mentioned 15.6 percent of the time, and “suicide,” mentioned 14.1 percent of the time.

Cash and her colleagues determined that 42 percent of the posts referred to problems with family or other relationships – including 15.6 percent that were about break-ups – and 6.3 percent were attributable to mental health problems or substance abuse.

A report by the National Institute of Mental Health, issued in 2004, determined that risk factors for suicide include depression and other mental disorders, and substance-abuse disorders. Sometimes these factors combined with other mental disorders. According to the report, more than 90 percent of people who die by suicide have these risk factors.

On top of the risk factors, mental health experts point to additional stressors, such as disciplinary problems, interpersonal losses, family violence, sexual orientation confusion, physical and sexual abuse and being the victim of bullying.

When it comes to prescription drugs, it seems that more people are taking them than not. 

In a recent study, researchers at the Mayo Clinic found that almost 70% of Americans take at least one prescription drug, 50% take two and about 20% of patients take five or more prescription medications.

The drugs most commonly prescribed were opioids, antibiotics and antidepressants.

Dr. Jennifer St. Sauver, one of the study authors, says the findings concern her and show just how big a problem mental health really is in the United States.

"Often when people talk about health conditions they're talking about chronic conditions such as heart disease or diabetes," she said. "However, the second most common prescription was for antidepressants.  That suggests mental health is a huge issue and is something we should focus on. And the third most common drugs were opioids, which is a bit concerning considering their addicting nature."

Growth of prescription drug use

A study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention produced a different set of numbers. It found that the percentage of Americans on at least one type of prescription medication increased from 44 to 48% in the last 10 years.

The people who were prescribed at least two drugs increased from 25% to 31% during that time period. And the folks who were prescribed at least five or more drugs went up from 6 to 11%.

Dr. Steven Hollon, professor of psychology at Vanderbilt University, said a good number of people aren't benefiting from taking antidepressants.

"I would say at least half the folks who are being treated with antidepressants aren't benefiting from the active pharmacological effects of the drugs themselves but from a placebo effect," he said in a published interview. "If people knew more, I think they would be a little less likely to go down the medication path than the psychosocial treatment path."

In other findings, the Mayo Clinic researchers learned that 17% of respondents were prescribed antibiotics, 13% were prescribed antidepressants, another 13% were told to take opioids and 11% of people were prescribed high blood pressure medications.

The rise of antidepressants

Additionally, women and older Americans were prescribed the most medications overall and received more prescriptions than men in many different drug categories, especially when it came to antidepressants.

The researchers found that just about one out of four women, between the ages of 50 to 64 is currently taking an antidepressant.

Dr. Daniel Carlat, clinical professor of psychiatry at Tufts University, says money and profit have a lot to do with why so many people are on antidepressants.

"There is a huge financial incentive for psychiatrists to prescribe instead of doing psychotherapy," he said. "You can make two, three, four times as much money being a prescriber than a therapist. The vicious cycle here is that as psychiatrists limit their practices to primarily prescribing, they lose their therapy skills by attrition and do even less therapy."

Dr. Des Spence, a general practitioner in the UK agrees, and says not only are antidepressants over-prescribed, people are taking them for too long.

"We use antidepressants too easily, for too long, and they are effective for too few people," said Spence.

Antidepressants are becoming "a distraction from a wider debate about why we are so unhappy as a society. But even if we accept that antidepressants are effective, a Cochrane review suggests that only one in seven people actually benefit. Thus millions of people are enduring at least six months of ineffective treatment," he said. 

However, Ian Reid, professor of Psychiatry at the University of Aberdeendisagrees, and told WebProNews that more antidepressants are being prescribed because more people are being treated for depression these days.

"Antidepressants are but one element available in the treatment of depression, not a panacea," he said. "Like talking treatments, they can have harmful side effects, and they certainly don't help everyone with the disorder.

"But they are not over-prescribed," Reid argues. "Careless reportage has demonized them in the public eye, adding to the stigmatization of mental illness, and erecting unnecessary barriers to effective care."

Additional findings from the Mayo Clinic showed that spending on prescription medication in the United States made up 12% of total personal health care costs. And the total spending on prescription drugs in 2009 alone was $250 billion.

Researchers at UC San Francisco (UCSF) and Baystate Medical Center in Massachusetts have found that that Prozac and other selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) can cause all types of problems when taken close to surgery.

The researchers came to this conclusion after examining over 530,000 medical records of patients who underwent surgery in the U.S. between the years of 2006 and 2008.

The 2012 AGS Beers Criteria showed SSRIs were potentially harmful for some seniors because they caused fall and balance issues.

More evidence found

Andrew D. Auerbach, MD, MPH, a professor of medicine at UCSF and lead author of the research, said past studies showed small signs of SSRIs being potentially harmful.

“There have been small studies that suggested there was a problem, but it has never been well-proven,” said Auerbach. “With this huge data set, we feel confident in saying that SSRIs are associated with about a 10% increased risk for these adverse outcomes.”

Auerbach and his team said if taken around the time of a surgery, SSRIs could cause hospital readmission, bleeding, transfusion and death.

Furthermore, the research team said many patients taking SSRIs already have conditions that could cause surgeries to go wrong, like chronic pulmonary disease, rapid weight gain and depression, so they took that into consideration.

Some factors eliminated

Some of the patients reviewed in the study were prescribed SSRIs for the first time, which Auerbach thought might be a contributor to some surgeries going wrong. But after looking closer, he said that argument didn't hold up. 

To make sure SSRIs actually did increase the chances of bleeding, transfusions and death during surgeries, researchers looked at patients who were on the antidepressant and patients who were not. Afterwards, they still found the same higher risk.

Auerbach said further research needs to be done involving actual patients on SSRIs at the time of surgery. For this current study only past medical records were used.

“A prospective observational study, in which patients are randomly assigned to take SSRIs around the time of surgery is still needed,” he said.

Autism link?

Surgery patients aren’t the only ones who might face potential harm from taking SSRIs. A new report out of Sweden indicates the antidepressant could cause autism in newborn babies too.

‘In utero exposure to both selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and nonselective monoamine reuptake inhibitors (tricyclic antidepressants) was associated with an increase risk of autism spectrum disorders, particularly without intellectual disability,” wrote the researchers.

After looking at the medical records of women during the early stages of pregnancy, researchers discovered the potential link between the antidepressant drug and autism.

The new evidence adds weight to concerns raised by a 2011 study in California, in which researchers also found that SSRI use in pregnancy was associated with increased risks of autism in the exposed children.  Furthermore, they showed that the association was with the SSRI use and not depression (that is, the depression-only group did not have an increased risk of autism.)  

Both studies found about a three-fold (or 300%) increased risk. 

“Future, larger studies, with access to both diagnostic and treatment data at multiple stages of pregnancy may help disentangle the role of maternal depression and the individual drugs used to treat it in the risk of autism spectrum disorder,” the Swedish researchers wrote.

A new study from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) found meditation provides the same protection against depression and depressive relapse as traditional antidepressant medication.

"With the growing recognition that major depression is a recurrent disorder, patients need treatment options for preventing depression from returning to their lives," said Dr. Zindel Segal, Head of the Cognitive Behaviour Therapy Clinic in the Clinical Research Department at CAMH.

Recent studies have shown about half of depressed people on antidepressants stop taking them, sometimes within two to four months, well before the medication has had a chance to work.

Segal said this could be due to side effects or an unwillingness to take medication for years.

"Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy is a non pharmacological approach that teaches skills in emotion regulation so that patients can monitor possible relapse triggers as well as adopt lifestyle changes conducive to sustaining mood balance," said Segal.

For the study, participants who were diagnosed with major depressive disorder were all treated with an antidepressant until their symptoms remitted.

They were then randomly assigned to come off their medication and receive MBCT, come off their medication and receive a placebo, or stay on their medication.

Participants in MBCT attended 8 weekly group sessions and practiced mindfulness as part of daily homework assignments.

Clinical assessments were conducted at regular intervals, and over an 18 month period, relapse rates for patients in the MBCT group did not differ from patients receiving antidepressants (both in the 30% range), whereas patients receiving placebo relapsed at a significantly higher rate (70%).

"The real world implications of these findings bear directly on the front line treatment of depression. For that sizeable group of patients who are unwilling or unable to tolerate maintenance antidepressant treatment, MBCT offers equal protection from relapse," said Segal.

"Sequential intervention -- offering pharmacological and psychological interventions -- may keep more patients in treatment and thereby reduce the high risk of recurrence that is characteristic of this disorder."

The study was published in the current issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry.

For decades, some physicians have suspected that patients' risk of suicidal thoughts and behavior increased when pediatric patients first begin taking antidepressants. Research indicates that there is no such association in adults.

In 2003, a report submitted to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) suggested a link between the antidepressant paroxetine and suicidality in pediatric patients. The FDA then requested pediatric data from the manufacturers of eight other antidepressant drugs, the authors report.

Tarek A. Hammad, M.D., Ph.D., and colleagues at the FDA performed a meta-analysis of data from 23 short-term clinical trials received in response to the request, as well as one trial funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). The 24 studies included 4,582 pediatric patients taking one of nine antidepressant medications for depression, anxiety or other psychiatric disorder.

No children committed suicide in any of the trials. Although the NIMH-funded trial was the only individual trial to show a significant increase in suicidality among children taking antidepressants, the analysis of all the trials together showed a higher risk of suicidal ideation and behavior for children taking the drugs compared with those who were not.

"When considering 100 treated patients, we might expect one to three patients to have an increase in suicidality beyond the risk that occurs with depression itself owing to short-term treatment with an antidepressant," the authors write.

The FDA now requires warnings regarding the risk of suicidality in children on antidepressant labeling and the distribution of a patient medication guide to patients, families and caregivers, the authors write.

"Although there remain differences of opinion in the clinical community about the strength of this signal for antidepressant druginduced suicidality in pediatric patients and the implications for clinical practice, it is important to be clear that the FDA has not contraindicated any of the antidepressant drugs for pediatric use," they conclude.

"The FDA recognizes that depression and other psychiatric disorders in pediatric patients can have significant consequences if not appropriately treated. The new warning language recognizes this need but advises close monitoring of patients as a way of managing the risk of suicidality."

FDA has also directed Eli Lilly and Company, manufacturer of Strattera, to develop a Medication Guide for patients and caregivers.

FDA is advising health care providers and caregivers that children and adolescents being treated with Strattera should be closely monitored for clinical worsening, as well as agitation, irritability, suicidal thinking or behaviors, and unusual changes in behavior, especially during the initial few months of therapy or when the dose is changed (either increased or decreased).

Patients and caregivers who have concerns or questions about these symptoms should contact their healthcare provider.

The actions follow a review and analysis of 12 clinical trials conducted in children with ADHD and one trial in children with enuresis (bedwetting) that identified an increased risk of suicidal thinking for Strattera.

There was one suicide attempt by a patient who received Strattera among the approximately 2,200 patients in the trial.

As part of a larger evaluation of psychiatric drugs and suicidality, FDA had requested that the manufacturer conduct a review of its database and clinical trials, which included more than 2200 patients -- 1350 patients receiving Strattera (atomoxetine) and 851 receiving a placebo.

The analysis showed that 0.4% of children treated with Strattera reported suicidal thinking compared to no cases in children treated with the placebo.

Strattera, manufactured by Eli Lilly, has been on the market since 2002 and has been used in more than two million patients.

Patients requesting specific medications can have a profound effect on physicians prescribing medications for major depression, according to a new study in the April 27 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Critics charge that direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertisements lead to overprescribing of unnecessary, expensive, and potentially harmful medications. Proponents counter that they can serve a useful educational function and encourage patients to treat conditions that may be poorly recognized or highly stigmatized.

The study noted that antidepressant medications consistently rank among the top DTC advertising categories -- with $3.2 billion spent on consumer ads for antidepressants in 2003.

Richard L. Kravitz, M.D., M.S.P.H., from the University of California, Davis, and colleagues conducted a randomized trial using trained actors as standardized patients to determine the effects of patients' DTC-related requests on physicians' initial treatment decisions in patients with depressive symptoms. The patients were middle-aged, white, non-obese women, most with professional acting experience.

They were trained to portray six roles and represented two clinical conditions: symptoms consistent with major depression or adjustment disorder, and three request types: a brand-specific drug request, a general drug request, or no request (control condition).

The scenarios included patients telling their doctor that they had seen an advertisement for Paxil on TV and asked for that drug by name; or patients saying they had watched a program on TV about depression and asking the physician if medication might help them.

The researchers chose Paxil because at the time of the study, it was widely promoted, priced higher than the generic fluoxetine, and available through the participating health care organizations in all three cities. In the control scenario, the patients reported the same symptoms but made no request for medication.

"Antidepressant prescribing rates were highest for visits in which standardized patients made general requests for medication (76 percent), lowest for visits in which standardized patients made no requests for medication (31 percent), and intermediate for visits in which standardized patients made brand-specific requests linked to DTC advertising (53 percent)," the authors found.

"Among standardized patients portraying major depression, paroxetine was rarely prescribed (approximately 3 percent) unless the standardized patient specifically requested Paxil; if Paxil was requested by name, 14 (27 percent) of 51 received Paxil/paroxetine, 13 (26 percent) received an alternative antidepressant, and 24 (47 percent) received no antidepressant," they said.

For standardized patients portraying adjustment disorder, physicians were less likely to prescribe antidepressants.

"These results underscore the idea that patients have substantial influence on physicians and can be active agents in the production of quality," the authors write. "The results also suggest that DTC advertising may have competing effects on quality, potentially averting underuse, while also promoting overuse."

"The results of this trial sound a cautionary note for DTC advertising but also highlight opportunities for improving care of depression (and perhaps other chronic conditions) by using public media channels to expand patient involvement in care," the study's authors said. "Furthermore, physicians may require additional training to respond appropriately to patients' requests in clinically ambiguous circumstances."

In an accompanying editorial, Matthew F. Hollon, M.D., M.P.H., from the University of Washington, Seattle, writes, "Relying on emotional appeals, most advertisements provide a minimal amount of health information, describe the benefits in vague, qualitative terms, and rarely offer evidence to support claims."

More than 80 percent of physicians believe that DTCA does not provide balanced information, he added.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued an update of its previous analysis of a possible link between some anti-depressant medication used by children and suicidal tendencies. The agency said it is preparing to issue new warnings.

"FDA has completed a new analysis of pediatric suicidality (suicidal thoughts and actions) data submitted to the agency and will be posting its analysis on its web site. FDA will also be posting on its web site additional summaries of pediatric efficacy studies from drugs that have been studied in depression in pediatric patients. Although specific new labeling language has yet to be developed, FDA will assure that the labels of the antidepressants used in pediatric patients reflect the most recent information obtained from these studies and analyses," the agency said in a news release.

The update may alarm some parents whose children are on anti-depressants, especially since FDA was not specific about which medications may be the subject of the warning.

In 2003 British health authorities published a list of commonly prescribed anti-depressants that might increase the risk of suicidal behavior in young people, and declared only Prozac as suitable for children.

FDA says it has been closely reviewing the results of antidepressant studies in children since June 2003, after an initial report on studies with paroxetine (Paxil) appeared to suggest an increased risk of suicidal thoughts and actions in the children given Paxil, compared to those given placebo. Later reports on studies of other drugs supported the possibility of an increased risk of suicidal thoughts and actions in children taking these drugs. There were no suicides in any of the trials.

In mid September, the agency said, FDA officials will be discuss this issue at a public meeting of its Psychopharmacologic Drugs and Pediatric Advisory Committees, at which time the agency will hear from the public and solicit the advice of the committees on these labeling changes and other possible regulatory actions.

Earlier this year the FDA urged medical professionals to closely monitor patients of all ages for warning signs of suicide, especially when they first start the pills or change a dose. Researchers believe starting medication may cause agitation, anxiety and hostility in some patients who may be sensitive to rare side effects.

Doctors say it's hard to tell if medication triggers suicide or if it's a product of the depression the medication is designed to treat. So far, Prozac is the only FDA-approved drug for pediatric depression.