http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. (Medical Xpress)—Using multiple forms of media at the same time – such as playing a computer game while watching TV – is linked to symptoms of anxiety and depression, scientists have found for the first time. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-multiple-media-tied-depression-anxiety.html Psychology & Psychiatry Tue, 04 Dec 2012 12:05:34 EST news273845122 Teenage girls who smoke accumulate less bone during a critical growth period and carry a higher risk of developing osteoporosis later in life, according to new research in the Journal of Adolescent Health. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-teen-decreases-bone-accumulation-girls.html Health Tue, 04 Dec 2012 00:20:03 EST news273780234 Although several studies have followed the course of depression throughout the lifespan, the characteristics of depression at different developmental stages haven't been clearly identified. New research published in Clinical Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, presents a unique longitudinal investigation of depression across four critical developmental periods from childhood to adulthood. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-explores-markers-depression-childhood-adulthood.html Psychology & Psychiatry Mon, 03 Dec 2012 11:46:22 EST news273757570 Scientists have discovered a cognitive biomarker – a biological indicator of a disease – for young adolescents who are at high risk of developing depression and anxiety. Their findings were published today, 28 November, in the journal PLOS ONE. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-scientists-depression-anxiety-biomarker-youths.html Psychology & Psychiatry Wed, 28 Nov 2012 17:00:01 EST news273344209 (Medical Xpress)—Depression among older adults can lead to serious health problems. Jojanneke Korte, PhD student at the University of Twente, investigated the effects of the life-review group therapy programme "The Stories we live by" ("Op verhaal komen" in Dutch) in some two hundred older patients (55+) with mild depressive symptoms. According to Korte, "The process of systematically recalling memories, otherwise known as life-review', is found to be effective. Depressive symptoms had disappeared in more than half of participants by the end of the course, and these participants were still symptom-free nine months later." http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-efficacy-depression-therapy.html Psychology & Psychiatry Wed, 28 Nov 2012 09:42:24 EST news273318124 Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a form of learning that begins at the moment of the exposure to extremely stressful situations and that grows in impact as trauma-related memories are rehearsed and strengthened repeatedly. This somewhat oversimplified view of PTSD yields a powerful prediction: if one could disrupt the rehearsal and strengthening of traumatic memories, a process called reconsolidation of memories, then one might reduce PTSD risk or PTSD severity after potentially traumatic events. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-posttraumatic-stress-disorder-trauma-memories.html Psychology & Psychiatry Tue, 27 Nov 2012 09:54:56 EST news273232483 (Medical Xpress)—Depression—one of the most crippling and costly illnesses in the United States—is the leading cause of disability among people ages 15 to 44. Since Prozac hit the market in 1987, many Americans have relied on antidepressant medications to control their symptoms. One in 10 of us takes antidepressants, making them the third most common prescription drug, after painkillers and high blood pressure pills, according to a 2011 report from the National Center for Health Statistics. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-caution-drugs-prozac-adverse-effects.html Health Tue, 27 Nov 2012 06:05:25 EST news273218714 Rhode Island Hospital researcher Mark Zimmerman, M.D., director of outpatient psychiatry, has found that patients suffering from major depressive disorder (MDD) define remission from depression differently than clinicians. While many psychiatrists and clinicians view remission from a symptom-based standpoint, the study found that patients put much more emphasis on life satisfaction and sense of well-being than on actual symptoms. The paper is published online in advance of print in the Journal of Psychiatric Research. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-clinicians-patients-definition-remission-depression.html Psychology & Psychiatry Wed, 31 Oct 2012 17:39:03 EST news270923935 (HealthDay)—People who exercise 2.5 to 7.5 hours a week have better mental health, but more than that is associated with poorer mental health, a new study suggests. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-amount-boost-mental-health.html Psychology & Psychiatry Fri, 26 Oct 2012 18:10:01 EST news270488134 While powerful magnetic stimulation of the frontal lobe of the brain can alleviate symptoms of depression, those receiving the treatment did not report effects on sleep or arousal commonly seen with antidepressant medications, researchers say. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-magnetic-brain-depression-independent-effect.html Neuroscience Fri, 26 Oct 2012 11:30:01 EST news270469517 (Medical Xpress)—A study conducted by researchers at Emory indicates that inflammation targets a part of the brain called the basal ganglia, causing symptoms of depression and fatigue. The study was recently reported in the October edition of Archives of General Psychiatry. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-uncovering-source-inflammatory-malaise.html Psychology & Psychiatry Mon, 22 Oct 2012 07:15:50 EST news270108943 (Medical Xpress)—No matter which way you look at it, rejection hurts. Experiencing rejection from a boss, a friend, or a partner is difficult enough for many adults to handle. But adolescents, who are dealing with the one-two punch of biological and social change, may be the most vulnerable to its negative effects. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-immune-response-link-social-health.html Psychology & Psychiatry Tue, 16 Oct 2012 17:28:38 EST news269627269 Scientists at the Universities of Liverpool, Manchester, and Kings College, London, have found that mothers who stroke their baby's body in the first few weeks after birth may change the effects that stress during pregnancy can have on an infant's early-life development. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-mother-effects-prenatal-stress.html Psychology & Psychiatry Tue, 16 Oct 2012 17:00:04 EST news269623988 (HealthDay)—Most Americans know what depression is and believe there is no shame in seeking treatment for the mental health condition, a new survey shows. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-depression-stigma-survey.html Psychology & Psychiatry Thu, 11 Oct 2012 17:20:01 EST news269194195 A simple form of mindful meditation can help breast cancer survivors stave off the symptoms of depression, new research suggests. But the potential benefits don't stop there. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-simple-meditation-shown-decrease-symptoms.html Psychology & Psychiatry Sun, 07 Oct 2012 18:50:01 EST news268839761 (Medical Xpress)—Many chronically depressed and treatment-resistant patients experience immediate relief from symptoms after taking small amounts of the drug ketamine. For a decade, scientists have been trying to explain the observation first made at Yale University. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-ketamine-defeats-chronic-depression.html Psychology & Psychiatry Thu, 04 Oct 2012 14:00:09 EST news268576769 Gender-specific group therapy is effective for treating depressed women with Type 2 diabetes, according to a study published in the latest issue of the Annals of Behavioral Medicine and funded by the National Institute of Nursing Research. Evidence suggests that antidepressants may disrupt blood-sugar control and can be associated with increased weight gain; therefore, other treatment options are needed for depression. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-group-therapy-effective-treatment-option.html Psychology & Psychiatry Wed, 03 Oct 2012 16:04:43 EST news268498983 Humanitarian workers are at significant risk for mental health problems, both in the field and after returning home. The good news is that there are steps that they and their employers can take to mitigate this risk. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-relief-workers-humanitarian-aid-depression.html Psychology & Psychiatry Mon, 01 Oct 2012 16:16:37 EST news268326866 (Medical Xpress)—Researchers working out of the University of Washington have found that a certain peptide normally involved in helping the brain experience pleasure is caused to switch when subjected to long term stress, leading to depression. The team in trying to understand why long term stress in people quite often leads to debilitating depression, ran some simple experiments in mice that showed, as they describe in their paper published in the journal Nature, that a peptide called corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF), normally involved in helping to release dopamine in a certain part of the brain, causing pleasurable feelings, switches to a non active state leading to symptoms of depression when the mice were exposed to a stress inducing environment. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-link-peptide-stress-depression.html Neuroscience Thu, 20 Sep 2012 06:29:33 EST news267341360 (Medical Xpress)—Hear the word "party" and memories of your 8th birthday sleepover or the big bash you attended last New Year's may come rushing to mind. But it's exactly these kinds of memories, embedded in a specific place and time, that people with depression have difficulty recalling. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-memory-specific-events-alleviate-symptoms.html Psychology & Psychiatry Mon, 17 Sep 2012 13:08:08 EST news267106073 Depression takes a substantial toll on brain health. Brain imaging and post-mortem studies provide evidence that the wealth of connections in the brain are reduced in individuals with depression, with the result of impaired functional connections between key brain centers involved in mood regulation. Glial cells are one of the cell types that appear to be particularly reduced when analyzing post-mortem brain tissue from people who had depression. Glial cells support the growth and function of nerve cells and their connections. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-brain-growth-depression.html Psychology & Psychiatry Wed, 15 Aug 2012 11:11:52 EST news264247905 (Medical Xpress) -- Massage is purported to have an array of benefits, including alleviating symptoms of depression, anxiety, back pain, asthma, fatigue, and even HIV. A new study shows there are sustained, cumulative beneficial effects of repeated massage therapy. The effects persist for several days to a week, and differ depending on the frequency of sessions. Results of the study were reported on line in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-frequent-massage-sessions-boost-biological.html Health Wed, 08 Aug 2012 06:54:27 EST news263625555 (HealthDay) -- Symptoms of depression are linked to shorter survival times among cancer patients, according to a new study. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-depression-shorten-cancer-survival.html Cancer Thu, 02 Aug 2012 04:52:47 EST news263101955 People with mental health problems have a lower life expectancy, according to a large-scale population based study published today in the British Medical Journal. The findings may prompt further research into the way doctors treat patients with even mild psychological problems. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-poor-mental-health-linked-life.html Psychology & Psychiatry Tue, 31 Jul 2012 18:30:05 EST news262968538 (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 Does being an intense mother make women unhappy? According to a new study by Kathryn Rizzo and colleagues, from the University of Mary Washington in the US, women who believe in intensive parenting - i.e., that women are better parents than men, that mothering should be child-centred, and that children should be considered sacred and are fulfilling to parents - are more likely to have negative mental health outcomes. The work is published online in Springer's Journal of Child and Family Studies. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-parenthood-paradox-parenting-beliefs-detrimental.html Psychology & Psychiatry Thu, 05 Jul 2012 11:15:41 EST news260705734 Although 13 percent of new mothers experience postpartum depression (PPD) in the first year after childbirth, few women recognize the symptoms and seldom discuss their feelings with a health care provider. University of Louisville Hospital (ULH) hopes to change this statistic through a new policy to guide hospital-based perinatal nurses in caring for women with risk of PPD. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-hospital-guidelines-mothers-postpartum-depression.html Health Fri, 22 Jun 2012 13:45:04 EST news259591456 (Medical Xpress) -- Simply going out for a coffee or chatting to a friend can reduce the symptoms of depression experienced by people with mental health problems, according to a new study by UCD researchers funded by the Health Research Board. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-socialising-alleviate-symptoms-depression.html Psychology & Psychiatry Thu, 14 Jun 2012 08:51:53 EST news258882698 (Medical Xpress) -- Current clinical guidance recommends physical activity to alleviate the symptoms of depression (1). However, new research published today in the BMJ, suggests that adding a physical activity intervention to usual care did not reduce symptoms of depression more than usual care alone, even though it increased levels of physical activity. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-uk-physical-aids-depression-additional.html Psychology & Psychiatry Wed, 06 Jun 2012 05:25:37 EST news258178980 The challenges that come with battling a chronic medical condition or developmental disability are enough to get a young person down. But being left out, ignored or bullied by their peers is the main reason youths with special health care needs report symptoms of anxiety or depression, according to a study presented at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) annual meeting in Boston. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-left-youths-special-depression.html Pediatrics Sun, 29 Apr 2012 07:33:53 EST news254903612