http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. Antidepressants are commonly prescribed for the treatment of depression, but many individuals do not experience symptom relief from treatment. The National Institute of Mental Health's STAR*D study, the largest and longest study ever conducted to evaluate depression treatment, found that only approximately one-third of patients responded within their initial medication trial and approximately one-third of patients did not have an adequate clinical response after being treated with several different medications. Thus, identifying predictors of antidepressant response could help to guide the treatment of this disorder. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-common-gene-variants-antidepressant-response.html Psychology & Psychiatry Thu, 28 Mar 2013 08:38:59 EST news283678728 Patients with more severe depression show at least as good clinical benefit from 'low-intensity' interventions, such as self help books and websites, as less severely ill patients, suggests a paper published on BMJ website today. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-websites-benefit-severely-depressed-patients.html Psychology & Psychiatry Tue, 26 Feb 2013 18:30:05 EST news281108553 Results from a new study published in Clinical Infectious Diseases suggest a link between untreated depression in older adults and decreased effectiveness of the herpes zoster, or shingles, vaccine. Older adults are known to be at risk for shingles, a painful condition caused by the reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus, and more than a million new cases occur each year in the U.S. The vaccine boosts cell-mediated immunity to the virus and can decrease the incidence and severity of the condition. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-link-untreated-depression-response-shingles.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Thu, 14 Feb 2013 02:36:33 EST news280031767 At least one in three patients with depression won't respond well to a series of treatments and experts in the field have joined together to outline practical treatments to tackle the issue, in the Medical Journal of Australia Open. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-stubborn-depression.html Psychology & Psychiatry Wed, 03 Oct 2012 07:26:44 EST news268467989 (Medical Xpress) -- Patients who have three or more chronic medical conditions are half as likely to receive depression treatment in primary care practices that use electronic medical records as they are in practices that use paper-based records, a new University of Florida study has found. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-depression-overlooked-physicians-electronic-medical.html Health Thu, 16 Aug 2012 18:12:29 EST news264359532 (Medical Xpress) -- Between five and 10 per cent of people over 60 suffer from depression - a common and disabling disorder. It is predicted that depression will be the second leading cause of disability worldwide within the next 10 years, making it a major public health problem. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-empathetic-gps-depression-suicidal-thoughts.html Psychology & Psychiatry Wed, 18 Jul 2012 06:49:12 EST news261812920 Suicide is the 11th leading cause of death in the United States. Every year millions of Americans think about taking their own lives. Sadly, each year tens of thousands die by suicide. While suicides can be a shock to family and friends, some warning signs exist. Often a simple question from a family doctor can be enough to start a person toward help and treatment. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-primary-physicians-key-suicide-video.html Psychology & Psychiatry Mon, 01 Aug 2011 14:50:04 EST news231427031 (Medical Xpress) -- Women who are clinically depressed at the time they enter drug court have a substantially higher risk of using crack cocaine within four months, according to a new study. Because current but not past depression was associated with a higher risk of use, the study published in the journal Addiction suggests that addressing depression could reduce the number of women who fail to beat crack addiction in drug court. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-07-current-prior-depression-cocaine.html Psychology & Psychiatry Thu, 14 Jul 2011 11:22:34 EST news229861334 Primary care doctors have long been on the front lines of depression treatment. Depression is listed as a diagnosis for 1 in 10 office visits and primary care doctors prescribe more than half of all antidepressants. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-05-tool-aims-primary-depression-outcomes.html Psychology & Psychiatry Wed, 25 May 2011 09:59:13 EST news225536334