Depression, also known as depressive disorders or unipolar depression, is a mental illness characterized by a profound and persistent feeling of sadness or despair and/or a loss of interest in things that once were pleasurable. Disturbance in sleep, appetite, and mental processes are a common accompaniment.
Cannabis and adolescence — Cannabis in teens can cause depression and anxiety – Canadian teenagers are among the largest consumers of cannabis worldwide. The damaging effects of this illicit drug on young brains are worse than originally thought.
Study finds increased risk of death, stroke in postmenopausal women taking antidepressants — Findings signal need for individual risk assessment, additional study – Women participating in the Women’s Health Initiative study who reported taking an antidepressant drug had a small but statistically significant increase in the risk of stroke and of death compared with participants not taking antidepressants.
National survey tracks rates of common mental disorders among American youth – Only about half of American children and teenagers who have certain mental disorders receive professional services, according to a nationally representative survey funded in part by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).
Antidepressant may change personality while relieving symptoms – Individuals taking a medication to treat depression may experience changes in their personality separate from the alleviation of depressive symptoms, according to a report in the December issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Fear of anxiety linked to depression in above-average worriers – Anxiety sensitivity, or the fear of feeling anxious, may put people who are already above-average worriers at risk for depression, according to Penn State researchers.
Reduced muscle strength associated with risk for Alzheimer’s disease – Individuals with weaker muscles appear to have a higher risk for Alzheimer’s disease and declines in cognitive function over time, revealed by the researchers.
ATTENTION PARENTS AND TEACHERS! LEARN TO DEAL WITH INATTENTIVE, HYPERACTIVE & IMPULSIVE KIDS – ADHD is a disorder of the brain and behavior. It affects about 3 to 5% of children. The symptoms start before seven years of age. Global prevalence for children is approximately 5%, with wide variability dependent on research methodologies utilized in studies.
Feelings of hopelessness linked to stroke risk in healthy women – Healthy middle-aged women with feelings of hopelessness appear to experience thickening of the neck arteries, which can be a precursor to stroke, revealed by researchers at the University of Minnesota Medical School.
UCLA scientists present first genetic evidence for why placebos work — Researchers find genetic link to placebo response in depressive disorder. – In people suffering from major depressive disorder, depression or MDD, genes that influence the brain’s reward pathways may modulate the response to placebos, revealed by researchers.
Disclosing genetic risk for Alzheimer’s disease does not cause psychological distress – Disclosing genetic risk information to adult children of patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) who request this information does not result in significant short-term psychological distress, revealed by researchers.
Students with depression twice as likely to drop out of college, revealed in a study from University of Michigan, US. – College students with depression are twice as likely as their classmates to drop out of school, and lower grade point averages depended upon a student’s type of depression.
Study shows US seniors ‘smarter’ than English seniors – The first international comparison of cognitive function shows US seniors perform better than English counterparts. – US seniors performed significantly better that their English counterparts, revealed by researchers. The finding is surprising because older people in the US are known to suffer more from cardiovascular risk factors and diseases generally associated with more cognitive decline and poorer mental function.
