Mental Health

The most commonly prescribed antidepressants, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), lift the fog of depression for many people. But for around a third of people with major depressive disorder, SSRIs don't make much of a difference. Now, researchers from the Salk Institute have pinned down a possible reason why -- the neurons in at least some of these patients' brains may become hyperactive in the presence of the drugs. The study appeared in Molecular Psychiatry on January 30, 2019. "This is a promising step toward understanding why some patients don't respond to SSRIs and letting us better personalize treatments for depression," says Salk Professor Rusty Gage, the study's senior author, president of the Institute, and the Vi and John Adler Chair for Research on Age-Related Neurodegenerative Disease. Depression affects 300 million people around the world, and more than 6 percent of the US population experiences an episode of major depressive diso...

A new study reveals that approximately 1 in 5 individuals may experience mental health symptoms up to six months after mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), suggesting the importance of follow-up care for these patients. Scientists also identified factors that may increase the risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and/or major depressive disorder following mild mTBI or concussion through analysis of the Transforming Research and Clinical Knowledge in Traumatic Brain Injury (TRACK-TBI) study cohort. The study was supported by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), part of the National Institutes of Health. The findings were published in JAMA Psychiatry . "Mental health disorders after concussion have been studied primarily in military populations, and not much is known about these outcomes in civilians," said Patrick Bellgowan, Ph.D., NINDS program director. "These results may help guide follow-up care and suggest that doct...

NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) – Higher genetic risk scores for depression and other psychiatric disorders are associated with an increased risk of a diagnosis of depression within a general population cohort, a new study has found. A number of genetic loci have been linked to risk of developing major depressive disorder and polygenic risk scores based on these loci are associated with disease risk, but researchers from the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium noted that such tools have not been examined deeply in a general population context. Researchers led by Aarhus University's Esben Agerbo have now examined whether polygenic risk score for major depression and other psychiatric conditions are associated with a depression diagnosis in a general population using the Danish iPSYCH2012 case-cohort study. As they reported today in JAMA Psychiatry , the researchers found a link between polygenic liability and first depressive episode. They also noted that polygenic risk scores for bipolar di...

Published by Madelyn Gillentine and Christian Schaaf Baylor College of Medicine , Texas Children’s Hospital , University of Washington , and the University of Cologne These findings are described in the article entitled CHRNA7 copy number gains are enriched in adolescents with major depressive and anxiety disorders , recently published in the Journal of Affective Disorders (Journal of Affective Disorders 239 (2018) 247-252). This work was conducted by Madelyn A. Gillentine from Baylor College of Medicine , Texas Children’s Hospital , and the University of Washington , Ricardo Lozoya from Texas Children’s Hospital , Jiani Yin from Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children’s Hospital , Christopher M. Grochowski, Janson J. White, and Chadi A. Calarge from Baylor College of Medicine , and Christian P. Schaaf from Baylor College of Medicine , Texas Children’s Hospital , University Hospital Cologne , and the University of Cologne . Major depressive disorder (MDD) and anxiety di...

January 29, 2019 Share this content: Patients with ADHD had a higher number of hypomanic or manic symptoms during depressive episodes than those without ADHD. In patients with major depression, having a comorbid diagnosis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder ( ADHD ) is associated with bipolar diathesis, mixed features, multiple psychiatric comorbidities, and a more unstable disease course, according to a study published in the Journal of Affective Disorders . Giulia Vannucchi, MD, from the Psychiatry Unit, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Italy, and CREA, Research and Clinical Center, San Sebastiano Foundation and NEUROFARBA Department, University of Florence, Florence, Italy, and colleagues evaluated a sample of 2777 patients with a major depressive episode (MDE) who were enrolled in the multinational study BRIDGE-II-Mix Study to find patients who met the criteria for ADHD. Investigators identified 61 patients (2.20%) who had comorbid...

JERUSALEM, Jan. 29, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BrainsWay Ltd. (TASE: BRIN) , a global leader in the advanced non-invasive treatment of brain disorders, today announced that its Deep TMS System has been approved in Japan by the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency (PMDA) for the treatment of patients suffering from Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) who did not benefit from previous antidepressants. The PMDA approval was obtained in collaboration with BrainsWay’s exclusive distributor in Japan, Century Medical, Inc. (CMI), an ITOCHU Group company. According to the World Health Organization, an estimated 5 million people suffer from depressive disorders in Japan.   “This PMDA approval represents a significant milestone in our efforts to expand our existing commercial footprint globally for BrainsWay Deep TMS,” said Yaacov Michlin, president and chief executive officer of BrainsWay. “Japan represents a significant market opportunity for BrainsWay and we look forward to providin...

Shingo Kakeda, 1 Keita Watanabe, 1 Asuka Katsuki, 2 Koichiro Sugimoto, 1 Issei Ueda, 1 Natsuki Igata, 1 Taro Kishi, 3 Nakao Iwata, 3 Osamu Abe, 4 Reiji Yoshimura, 2 Yukunori Korogi 1 1 Department of Radiology, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Kitakyushu, Japan; 2 Department of Psychiatry, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Kitakyushu, Japan; 3 Department of Psychiatry, Fujita Health University, School of Medicine, Toyoake, Japan; 4 Department of Radiology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan Background: A genome-wide association study using megadata identified 17 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in candidate genes for major depressive disorder (MDD). These MDD susceptibility polymorphisms may affect white matter (WM) integrity. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between WM alterations and 17 SNPs in candidate genes for MDD in the first depressive episode of drug-naive MDD patients usi...

Source: Free-Photos/Pixabay While there is no consensus on the exact definition of disability (especially psychological disability), there is greater recognition these days that like physical disease, psychological conditions can cause functional impairment and dysfunction—some more so than others. In a paper, published in the November issue of Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology , Edlund et al. conclude that among the 15 mental health conditions examined, mood disorders (e.g., depression) are associated with the greatest functional impairment and disability . 1 The Mental Health Surveillance Study Data for the present research came from the Mental Health Surveillance Study (MHSS). The MHSS is a sub-sample of 2008-2012 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), an annual survey of non-institutionalized US civilians 12 years or older. MHSS, however, includes only individuals aged 18 and over. For the Mental Health Surveillance Study, researchers conduc...

Legal Background The U nonimmigrant visa (“U visa”) is designed for victims of crimes who have suffered substantial mental or physical abuse and are willing to assist law enforcement and government officials in the investigation or prosecution of criminal activity. It is specifically for those who have suffered harm as the result of having been a victim of a qualifying criminal activity that violated United States laws. The individual must have information concerning the criminal activity, and also must have been helpful (or must be likely to help) in the investigation or prosecution of the crime . In certain situations, United States immigration law allows foreign nationals who have been victims of certain crimes and granted U nonimmigrant status to become lawful permanent residents by obtaining a Green Card.  Conceptualizing Harm Given that U visa applicants must have suffered harm, how can that harm be established? The harm should be conceptualized very broadly. Psych...

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Have you found yourself feeling down lately? Experts say there is a connection between the frigid forecast and your mood. A local doctor offers ways to at least warm your spirit. The holiday hype is over and so are the parties and get-togethers. Kentuckiana's in the dead of winter, and spring and the Kentucky Derby are in the distance. If you're dreaming of daffodils and more daylight, doctors say you're not the only one. "That is to be expected. You're not getting as much sun. Maybe you're not engaging in activities that aren't as fun as you do in the spring and the summer. So, that's totally normal. Seasonal Affective Disorder or major depressive disorder that has a seasonal pattern, what you would see is, you'd be sad most of the day, more days than not for longer than two weeks," says Dr. Katy Hopkins, a pediatric psychologist for Norton Children's Medical Associates. Dr. Hopkins said the disorder can ...

A new study highlight some reasons why traumatic experiences can lead to depression. The research in Psychiatry Research found evidence that traumatic stress-related impairment in daily functioning and self-medicating with alcohol predict the onset of depression. “When working with trauma survivors in a mental health setting, one quickly learns it is not uncommon for people with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to also meet diagnostic criteria for major depressive disorder (MDD) at some point in their life. There are numerous theories as to why these two conditions often co-occur, and I was interested in teasing apart the nature of this relationship in a large, nationally representative sample,” said study author Shannon M. Blakey of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. To better understand the link between trauma exposure and depressive symptoms, the researchers examined data from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions. The nationally-...

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Robust evidence supports a protective relationship between objectively-assessed physical activity and major depression risk, according to findings from a two-sample mendelian randomization study. “The most convincing evidence to date that physical activity is associated with a reduced risk for depression comes from meta-analyses of prospective studies, which are high quality yet still limited by the breadth of behavioral, social and genetic confounders that cannot be fully ruled out in observational designs,” Karmel Choi, PhD, from the Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, and colleagues wrote in JAMA Psychiatry . Using a genetically informed method for assessing potential causal inference, Choi and colleagues evaluated the bidirectional relationships between physical activity and depression. The researchers examined independent genetic variants linked to two physical activity phenotypes — self-reported and objective accelerometer-based — and to major depre...

Advertisement Using a genetically informed method for evaluating potential causal inference, researchers analyzed bidirectional relationships between physical activity and depression. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) summary data were available for 611,583 adults. In this two-sample Mendelian randomization study, robust evidence was found to support a protective relationship between physical activity and the risk of major depressive disorder (MDD). Findings point to the importance of the objective physical activity measurement in epidemiological mental health studies and support the assumption that improving physical activity can be an effective prevention strategy for depression. Read the full article on JAMA http://bit.ly/2DzVm6O

DUBLIN , Jan. 24, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) - Market Insights, Epidemiology and Market Forecast-2027" drug pipelines has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) - Market Insights, Epidemiology and Market Forecast-2027' report delivers an in-depth understanding of the disease, historical &forecasted epidemiology as well as the market trends of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) in the United States , EU5 ( Germany , Spain , Italy , France and United Kingdom ) and Japan . The Report provides the current treatment practices, emerging drugs, market share of the individual therapies, current and forecasted market size of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) from 2016 to 2027 segmented by seven major markets. The Report also covers current treatment practice/algorithm, market drivers, market barriers and unmet medical needs to curate best of the opportunities and assess underlying potential of the ...

Objectively assessed, but not self-reported, physical activity protects against major depressive disorder. HealthDay News — Objectively assessed physical activity is associated with a protective relationship with major depressive disorder (MDD), according to a study published online January 23 in JAMA Psychiatry . Karmel W. Choi, PhD, from Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, and colleagues examined bidirectional correlations between physical activity and depression using a genetically informed method for assessing potential causal inference. Independent top genetic variants associated with 2 physical activity phenotypes (self-reported [377,234 participants] and objective accelerometer-based [91,084 participants]) and with MDD (143,265 participants) were used as genetic instruments from the largest available non-overlapping genome-wide association studies (GWAS) in 2-sample Mendelian randomization. GWAS summary data were available for 611,583 adult participants. Based on ev...

January 24, 2019 Share this content: While ECT is effective for major depressive disorder treatment, using brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels as a biomarker has yet to prove useful. Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) has demonstrated 80% to 90% efficacy in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD), an illness that is often refractory to medication. 1 ECT is favored among clinicians whose patients are psychotic, suicidal, or have failed on medication. 1 Why Researchers Measure BDNF To determine who would most benefit from ECT, researchers have turned to biomarkers for objective measurement. 1 Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is part of the neurotrophin group that influences much of the central nervous system, particularly in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus. 1 Because BDNF stimulates and develops new neurons, it is considered a surrogate marker for MDD. 1 In previous studies, patients with MDD treated with antidepressants showed a rise in serum BDNF levels....