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Work productivity is key factor in assessing recovery of depressed patients

The study found that medications improved work productivity of most participants but that those whose productivity increased more quickly showed more significant reduction in their depression symptoms and were more likely to recover over the long term. These findings suggest that patients treated for depression and who are still having work productivity issues may need additional treatments such as exercise or cognitive therapy to overcome depression in the long term, said senior author Dr. Madhukar Trivedi, Director of the Center for Depression Research and Clinical Care, part of the O'Donnell Brain Institute at UT Southwestern Medical Center. The study, published online in the  American Journal of Psychiatry , gives new insight to specific aspects of depression that are not commonly evaluated, including work productivity, cognitive function, and motivation. These insights in turn provide added urgency for doctors to personalize treatment -- beyond simply prescribing antidep...
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Study finds one in three former ICU patients shows symptoms of depression

The prevalence of depressive symptoms in this population, described in the September issue of the journal  Critical Care Medicine , is three to four times that of the general population, says study coauthor O. Joseph Bienvenu, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. "Not only can people with depression have slower physical recovery, but they also experience financial strain because they often cannot return to work and their caregivers must stay home with them," Bienvenu says. Psychological symptoms occurring before an ICU stay and psychological distress experienced during the ICU stay or hospitalization were risk factors most associated with depressive symptoms after hospital discharge, the review found. "It's very clear that ICU survivors have physical, cognitive and psychological problems that greatly impair their reintegration into society, return to work and being able to tak...
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Combat exposure may jeopardize the behavioral health of women in the military

In the study, which was funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, 42,397 Army enlisted women who returned from Afghanistan or Iraq were assigned combat exposure scores of 0, 1, 2, or 3+ based on their self-reported experiences. Importantly, any report of combat exposure among Army women was associated with an increased likelihood of each post-deployment behavioral health problem (PTSD, depression, and at-risk drinking), suggesting that the impact of even one exposure event should not be overlooked. The magnitude of the association between combat exposure and PTSD was most striking. Active duty and National Guard/Reserve women with combat exposure scores of 3+ had at least a 20 times higher likelihood of screening positive for PTSD compared with women with no combat exposure. "Our findings suggest that injuries, assaults, and combat exposures experienced by women during deployment may have an additive, negative effect on their post-deployment behavioral health," ...
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PET imaging of adult neurogenesis may contribute to better diagnosis of depression, evaluation of drug therapy effectiveness

These two areas are known to be neurogenic regions, where neural stem cells give rise to new neurons throughout our lives. Hippocampal neurogenesis is known to be associated with depression and the effect of antidepressive medication, but it is also involved in learning and memory, so scientists are keen to find techniques that can monitor cell proliferation in the region. However, the process of neurogenesis is very hard to monitor non-invasively. It is possible using magnetic resonance imaging, but with MRI the tracers do not move into the brain effectively and must be injected directly into the brain fluid, making is invasive and difficult to perform. Positron emission tomography (PET) is another method that has been used. Previously, attempts have been made to use a molecule called [18F]FLT as a marker for cell proliferation in the brain in PET, but unfortunately the difference in signal strength between regions with and without cell growth was small. "We were not exactly ...
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Financial worries linked to mental health issues among university students

The research, published online in the  Community Mental Health Journal , found that symptoms of anxiety and alcohol dependence worsened over time for those who were struggling to pay the bills. Those who were more stressed about their debt had worsening levels of stress, anxiety and depression. Additionally, mental health issues and alcohol dependency predicted higher levels of financial stress and vice versa, suggesting the possibility of a 'vicious cycle' occurring. Dr Thomas Richardson, a visiting academic at the University of Southampton and Principal Clinical Psychologist at Solent NHS Trust, led the study. He said: "The findings suggest a vicious cycle whereby anxiety and problem drinking exacerbate financial difficulties, which then go on to increase anxiety and alcohol intake. Interventions which tackle both difficulties at the same time are therefore most likely to be effective." The study asked more than 400 first-year, undergraduate students, from u...
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Is depression in parents, grandparents linked to grandchildren's depression?

It is well known that having depressed parents increases children's risk of psychiatric disorders. There are no published studies of depression examining three generations with grandchildren in the age of risk for depression and with direct interviews of all family members. Myrna M. Weissman, Ph.D., of Columbia University and New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, studied 251 grandchildren (average age 18) interviewed an average of two times and their biological parents, who were interviewed an average of nearly five times, and grandparents interviewed up to 30 years. When first comparing two generations, the study suggests grandchildren with depressed parents had twice the risk of MDD compared with nondepressed parents, as well as increased risk for disruptive disorder, substance dependence, suicidal ideation or gesture and poorer functioning. Comparing three generations, the authors report grandchildren with both a depressed parent and depressed grandparent had ...
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Correcting metabolic deficiencies may improve depression symptoms

This research is funded through a 2014 Pitt Innovation Challenge Award from Pitt's Clinical and Translational Science Institute. "What's really promising about these new findings is that they indicate that there may be physiological mechanisms underlying depression that we can use to improve the quality of life in patients with this disabling illness," said David Lewis, M.D., Thomas Detre Professor and Chair of Pitt's Department of Psychiatry. Major depressive disorder, also referred to simply as depression, affects nearly 15 million American adults and is one of the most common mental disorders. Unfortunately, at least 15 percent of patients don't find relief from conventional treatments such as antidepressant medications and psychotherapy , explained lead study investigator Lisa Pan, M.D., professor of psychiatry, and clinical and translational science, Pitt School of Medicine. Depression also is the cause of more than two-thirds of suicides that occur...
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