Depression - Health News

New Antidepressant Guidelines: All Work the Same, But Some Pricier Than Others

November 17, 2008

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By Ray Hainer

MONDAY, Nov. 17, 2008 (Health.com) — If you are feeling depressed and your physician says she knows just the medication to help you, don’t take her word for it.

There is no evidence to suggest that one antidepressant is more effective than another at making you feel better, according to new guidelines released Monday by the American College of Physicians (ACP). Cost and side effects do vary, however, and should play a role when choosing a medication.

The guidelines were based on an analysis—the largest of its kind to date—of more than 200 clinical trials of antidepressants that have flooded the market since the release of fluoxetine (Prozac) more than 20 years ago. Read More

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Homecoming Veterans Often Face Inner Challenge

November 11, 2008

TUESDAY, Nov. 11 (HealthDay News) — In earlier wars, it was known as shell shock. In later military combat — Vietnam, the Gulf War, Iraq and Afghanistan — the emotional scars veterans brought back with them got new names for old problems: post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety, substance abuse.

As Americans gather for ceremonies throughout the nation Tuesday to honor those who served in the Armed Forces, many veterans are facing emotional and mental problems brought on by combat, and often, they can’t or won’t deal with them. Read More

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Gene Mutation May Cause Some Cases of Seasonal Affective Disorder

November 10, 2008

FRIDAY, Nov. 7 (HealthDay News) — A mutated gene in the eye may account for some cases of seasonal affective disorder, that annual bout of “winter blues” experienced by an estimated 6 percent of the U.S. population as the days get shorter.

“SAD [seasonal affective disorder] is a kind of major depression that recurs every year right around the fall,” said lead researcher Ignacio Provencio, an associate professor of biology at the University of Virginia. “By the spring and early summer, it goes away.” Read More

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Combo Treatment Best for Anxiety Disorder in Kids

October 31, 2008

THURSDAY, Oct. 30 (HealthDay News) — For children with anxiety disorders, a combination of cognitive behavior therapy and the antidepressant sertraline (Zoloft) works better than either treatment alone, researchers report.

However, Zoloft or cognitive behavior therapy by themselves did work in more than half of the patients, according to a report in the Oct. 30 online edition of the New England Journal of Medicine. The report is being published to coincide with a presentation of the findings at the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry annual meeting, in Chicago. Read More

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Depression During Pregnancy Doubles Risk of Preterm Birth

October 23, 2008

By Anne Harding

THURSDAY, Oct. 23 (Health.com) — Depressed moms-to-be are more likely than nondepressed women to have a preterm birth—and the worse their mood, the greater their risk, says a new study published in Human Reproduction. In fact, women in the study who were severely depressed during early pregnancy more than doubled their risk of giving birth to premature babies.

The reasons why aren’t entirely clear, but the researchers don’t think antidepressants are to blame. Only 1.5% of women were taking the drugs during pregnancy, and excluding them from the study didn’t change the results.

Depressed women who are pregnant, or planning to become pregnant, should get help, says De-Kun Li, MD, PhD, the lead study author and a reproductive and perinatal epidemiologist at Kaiser Permanente’s Division of Research in Oakland, Calif. Read More

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U.S. Suicide on Rise: Middle-Aged at Risk

October 21, 2008

By Theresa Tamkins

TUESDAY, Oct. 21 (Health.com) — After a decade-long decrease, U.S. suicide rates have started to rise, largely due to an increase in suicides among middle-aged white men and women.

Whites age 40 to 64 have “recently emerged as a new high-risk group for suicide,” according to the study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

Suicides increased between 1999 and 2005 by about 3% annually in white men and 4% in white women age 40 to 64, according to Susan Baker, MPH, of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, and her colleagues. Suicide rates remained the same in Asians and Native Americans, and declined in blacks. Read More

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Brain Chemical Could Spur Lovesickness

October 16, 2008

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 15 (HealthDay News) — Pity the lovelorn prairie vole. A new study finds that when this monogamous rodent is separated from a mate, its brain starts a process that ends in lovesickness.

The same mechanism might drive the feelings humans get when parted from a longtime mate, scientists say.

And it could also keep couples together — even when it’s not good for them. Read More

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NeuroStar Depression Therapy Cleared

October 14, 2008

MONDAY, Oct. 13 (HealthDay News) — The NeuroStar TMS (Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation) Therapy system has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for people with major depressive disorder who haven’t seen satisfactory improvement from at least one prior antidepressant medication, device maker Neuronetics said in a news release.

TMS is a non-invasive therapy that involves stimulation of nerve cells in the brain that have been linked to depression. This is done by delivering MRI-strength magnetic pulses during a 40-minute outpatient procedure, in which patients do not require anesthesia or sedation, the company said. The daily treatment typically is given for four-to-six weeks. Read More

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Cheap Prozac and Free Therapy From the Bailout Package? For Millions, It’s Still a Dream

October 8, 2008

By Walter Armstrong

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 7 (Health.com) — By the time the gargantuan $700 billion Wall Street bailout bill was passed and signed last Friday, it contained a landmark piece of legislation that just might improve—surprise!—the quality of our lives. Dubbed the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act, the law forces most insurance plans to offer the same coverage for mental problems as they do for physical ailments.

No longer can insurers discriminate against people with bipolar disorder, say, or alcoholism, by providing fewer benefits than they do for broken bones and breast cancer. Longstanding restrictions on mental health and substance-abuse treatment will be lifted, ranging from higher deductibles, co-pays, and out-of-pocket expenses to the automatic cutoffs (typically at 30) for hospital days and therapy sessions. Read More

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Economic Crisis Takes Toll on Emotional Health

October 8, 2008

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 8 (HealthDay News) — Wall Street’s roller coaster ride is costing Americans more than money: It’s costing them sleepless nights and a heap of emotional distress, experts say.

“People are anxious, and they are more anxious if they are nearer retirement age and have their 401k in the stock market and money in the banks,” said Linda Rosenberg, president of the National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare, in Washington, D.C. “When people get anxious . . . it begins to affect the whole family. There are marital fights over ‘What do we do now?’ Kids get involved when parents are fighting and have their own emotional upset.” Read More

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