Depression

More sleep may decrease the risk of suicide in people with insomnia

A new study found a relationship between sleep duration and suicidal thoughts in people with insomnia.

Health created May 15, 2013 | popularity 2 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Long-term use of prescription painkillers for back pain linked to erectile dysfunction in men

Regularly taking prescription painkillers, also known as opioids, is associated with a higher risk of erectile dysfunction (ED) in men, according to a study published online today in the journal Spine.

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes created May 15, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Father absence in early childhood linked to depression in adolescent girls

(Medical Xpress)—New research from the Children of the 90s study at the University of Bristol shows that girls whose fathers were absent during the first five years of life were more likely to develop depressive ...

Psychology & Psychiatry created May 15, 2013 | popularity 2 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Teens experience both sides of dating violence

Teens in a relationship that involves dating violence are likely to be both a victim and perpetrator, as opposed to being just one or the other, finds a recent study in the Journal of Adolescent Health. In som ...

Psychology & Psychiatry created May 15, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Chronic pain sufferers likely to have anxiety

Patients coping with chronic pain should also be evaluated for anxiety disorders, according to new research published in General Hospital Psychiatry.

Psychology & Psychiatry created May 15, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 1

Getting a grip on sleep

All mammals sleep, as do birds and some insects. However, how this basic function is regulated by the brain remains unclear. According to a new study by researchers from the RIKEN Brain Science Institute, ...

Neuroscience created May 14, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 2

EU court finds Swiss assisted-suicide laws vague (Update)

An elderly Swiss woman who would rather end her life now than decline further in health found sympathy Tuesday from the European Court of Human Rights, which called on the Swiss to clarify their laws on so-called passive ...

Other created May 14, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Brain-imaging study links cannabinoid receptors to post-traumatic stress disorder

In a first-of-its-kind effort to illuminate the biochemical impact of trauma, researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center have discovered a connection between the quantity of cannabinoid receptors in the human brain, known ...

Psychology & Psychiatry created May 14, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Study examines use of creative arts therapies among patients with cancer

Creative arts therapies (CATs) can improve anxiety, depression, pain symptoms and quality of life among cancer patients, although the effect was reduced during follow-up in a study by Timothy W. Puetz, Ph.D., M.P.H., of the ...

Cancer created May 13, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Body clocks of depressed people altered at cell level, researchers show

Every cell in our bodies runs on a 24-hour clock, tuned to the night-day, light-dark cycles that have ruled us since the dawn of humanity. The brain acts as timekeeper, keeping the cellular clock in sync ...

Medical research created May 13, 2013 | popularity 4 / 5 (19) | comments 4 | with audio podcast

Routine screening for depression not recommended for adults with no apparent symptoms of depression

For adults with no apparent symptoms of depression, routine screening is not recommended in primary care settings because of the lack of high-quality evidence on the benefits and harms of screening for depression, according ...

Psychology & Psychiatry created May 13, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Serotonin mediates exercise-induced generation of new neurons

Mice that exercise in running wheels exhibit increased neurogenesis in the brain. Crucial to this process is serotonin signaling. These are the findings of a study by researchers at the Max Delbrück Center ...

Neuroscience created May 13, 2013 | popularity 4.8 / 5 (4) | comments 0

Study finds gender, employment status and social conditions key factors in development of mental disorders

Being a woman, unemployed and living in a situation of social adversity are the three strongest trigger influences in subjects with a genetic predisposition to mental disorder. Moreover, in Andalusia, over 20% of the population ...

Psychology & Psychiatry created May 13, 2013 | popularity 4 / 5 (1) | comments 0

To suppress or to explore? Emotional strategy may influence anxiety

When trouble approaches, what do you do? Run for the hills? Hide? Pretend it isn't there? Or do you focus on the promise of rain in those looming dark clouds? New research suggests that the way you regulate ...

Psychology & Psychiatry created May 13, 2013 | popularity 3 / 5 (2) | comments 2 | with audio podcast

For mentally ill, a search for help is often in vain

When Chris Marciano was 4 years old, he would have a blistering tantrum whenever music came on the radio. By the second grade, his teacher described him as "not with us." At age 11, he was kicked out of school.

Psychology & Psychiatry created May 10, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0


Depression is a state of low mood and aversion to activity that can affect a person's thoughts, behaviour, feelings and physical well-being. Depressed people may feel sad, anxious, empty, hopeless, helpless, worthless, guilty, irritable, or restless. They may lose interest in activities that once were pleasurable, experience loss of appetite or overeating, or problems concentrating, remembering details or making decisions; and may contemplate or attempt suicide. Insomnia, excessive sleeping, fatigue, loss of energy, or aches, pains or digestive problems that are resistant to treatment may be present.

Depressed mood is a normal reaction to certain life events, a symptom of some medical conditions (e.g., Addison's disease, hypothyroidism), various medical treatments (e.g., hepatitis C drug therapy), and a feature of certain psychiatric syndromes.

This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.

Latest Spotlight News

Slowing the aging process—only with antibiotics

Swiss scientists reveal the mechanism responsible for aging hidden deep within mitochondria—and dramatically slow it down in worms by administering antibiotics to the young.

Researchers complete largest genetic sequencing study of human disease

Researchers from Queen Mary, University of London have led the largest sequencing study of human disease to date, investigating the genetic basis of six autoimmune diseases.

Brain can be trained in compassion, study shows

Until now, little was scientifically known about the human potential to cultivate compassion—the emotional state of caring for people who are suffering in a way that motivates altruistic behavior.

Having both migraines, depression may mean smaller brain

(HealthDay)—Migraines and depression can each cause a great deal of suffering, but new research indicates the combination of the two may be linked to something else entirely—a smaller brain.

Novel approach for influenza vaccination shows promise in early animal testing

A new approach for immunizing against influenza elicited a more potent immune response and broader protection than the currently licensed seasonal influenza vaccines when tested in mice and ferrets. The vaccine ...

Enzyme-activating antibodies revealed as marker for most severe form of rheumatoid arthritis

In a series of lab experiments designed to unravel the workings of a key enzyme widely considered a possible trigger of rheumatoid arthritis, researchers at Johns Hopkins have found that in the most severe ...

Research shows how immune system peacefully co-exists with 'good' bacteria

The human gut is loaded with commensal bacteria – "good" microbes that, among other functions, help the body digest food. The gastrointestinal tract contains literally trillions of such cells, and yet the ...

Research offers promising new approach to treatment of lung cancer

Researchers have developed a new drug delivery system that allows inhalation of chemotherapeutic drugs to help treat lung cancer, and in laboratory and animal tests it appears to reduce the systemic damage ...

Overeating learned in infancy, study suggests

In the long run, encouraging a baby to finish the last ounce in their bottle might be doing more harm than good.

Researchers analyse hunting behaviour of fish larvae in virtual reality

Moving objects attract greater attention – a fact exploited by video screens in public spaces and animated advertising banners on the Internet. For most animal species, moving objects also play a major ...