Tagged: Depression

Best evidence suggests antidepressants aren’t very effective in kids and teens. What can be done instead? - Hot off the press

Guest Author • May 25, 2021 •

• adolescents,
• children,
• Depression,
• New Zealand stories

Sarah Hetrick, University of Auckland; Joanne McKenzie, Monash University; Nick Meader, University of York, and Sally Merry, University of Auckland   Even before COVID-19 lockdowns, school closures and strict social distancing, depression was on the rise in children and teenagers around the globe. By the age of 19, around 25% of adolescents are estimated to have experienced a … Read More

Teen body dissatisfaction predictor of adult depression - News

Caroline Lord • Dec 08, 2020 •

• body dissatisfaction,
• Depression,
• Self-esteem,
• Social media,
• teenage depression

New research, published in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, shows a credible link between adolescent body dissatisfaction and the onset of depression in adulthood. Young people who experienced dissatisfaction with their appearance faced an increased risk of depression in their early adult lives of between 50% to 285%. The trend was present in both male and female … Read More

Pleading for accuracy in trial reporting - Guest Work

Guest Author • Mar 12, 2019 •

• clinical trials,
• Depression,
• micronutrients,
• science reporting

Dr Julia Rucklidge A recently-published trial generated headlines about nutritional supplements and depression – but what did they actually find? Last week, Mariska Bot and colleagues published a clinical trial in JAMA whereby they randomised overweight or obese adults with subsyndromal depressive symptoms to placebo, micronutrients (400 mcg folic acid, 800IU vitamin D, 30 mcg selenium, 100 mg … Read More

Moderate to severe mid-life anxiety may be linked to later life dementia - News

Jean Balchin • May 02, 2018 •

• anxiety,
• brain cell ageing,
• CNS,
• degenerative,
• Dementia,
• Depression,
• meditation,
• middle age,
• Mindfulness

An analysis of the available published evidence in the online journal BMJ Open suggests that moderate to severe mid-life anxiety may be linked to dementia in later life. However, it remains unclear as to whether active treatment could curb this risk. Moreover, the degree to which non-drug therapies such as meditation and mindfulness that reduce anxiety might help is unknown also. Read More

Is it ethical to grow brain tissue? - News

Jean Balchin • Apr 27, 2018 •

• Alzheimer's,
• anxiety,
• brain tissue,
• conscious,
• Depression,
• ethical framework,
• ethics,
• laboratory,
• morals,
• mystery,
• neurological illnesses,
• neuroscience,
• opinion,
• Parkinson's disease,
• psychiatric,
• Schizophrenia

In this week’s Nature, there is an intriguing op-ed about the ethics of growing or sustaining human brain tissue. We must consider the fact that researchers one day might be able to create a model in the laboratory that may be capable of what might appear to be conscious experiences. If this were to happen, it would raise a number of … Read More

Cannabis and psychosis: what is the link and who is at risk? - Guest Work

Guest Author • Apr 27, 2018 •

• alteration,
• anxiety,
• cannabinoids,
• Cannabis,
• Depression,
• euphoria,
• gene variants,
• growing brains,
• hallucinations,
• paranoia,
• paranoid personality,
• Psychology,
• Psychosis,
• Schizophrenia,
• THC

Jerome Sarris, Western Sydney University and Joe Firth, Western Sydney University This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. There has been a recent global rise in “green fever”, with various jurisdictions either decriminalising or legalising cannabis. But alongside relaxing the rules comes concern about the health implications … Read More

Mental health disorders among leading causes of children’ illness - News

Jean Balchin • Apr 13, 2018 •

• anxiety,
• children,
• Depression,
• Diabetes,
• Europe,
• hallucinations,
• Health,
• Infectious disease,
• Mental health,
• Panic attack,
• panic disorder,
• paranoia,
• Psychology,
• Schizophrenia,
• social anxiety disorder

According to a study published in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health, although global rates of mental disorders in children have remained stable over time, the decline of infectious diseases will place mental disorders among the main causes of disease in children aged 4-15 years. In the study, Marie-Laure Baranne and Bruno Falissard at INSERM, France describe the prevalence of mental … Read More

Menopausal mood swings can signal more serious mental illness - Guest Work

Guest Author • Apr 12, 2018 •

• anorexia,
• anxiety,
• binge eating,
• bipolar disorder,
• bulimia,
• delusions,
• Depression,
• dopamine,
• episode,
• food intake,
• hallucinations,
• hormonal changes,
• hunger,
• irritability,
• menopause,
• menstruation,
• Mental health,
• mood swings,
• neurological changes,
• oestrogen,
• psychotic,
• puberty,
• satiety,
• Schizophrenia,
• weight gain,
• women

Tania Perich, Western Sydney University This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. Most women expect to experience the effects of hormonal changes when they come to menopause and many anticipate increased irritability and mood swings. But mood swings that can be just an annoyance for some women can develop into something … Read More

Gene-based tests may improve treatment for people with bipolar disorder - Guest Work

Guest Author • Apr 04, 2018 •

• anti-epileptic,
• antipsychotics,
• bipolar affective disorder,
• catatonia,
• Depression,
• hallucinations,
• lithium,
• mania,
• manic episodes,
• medical assistance,
• medication,
• Mental health,
• mood symptoms,
• paranoia,
• Psychiatry,
• relapses,
• sodium valproate

Klaus Oliver Schubert, University of Adelaide and Bernhard Baune, University of Adelaide This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. Bipolar affective disorder (BPAD) affects around 2% of the world’s population, leaving them with bouts of severe depression and episodes of what is commonly referred to as “mania”. A … Read More

Is psychiatry ready for medical MDMA? - Guest Work

Guest Author • Mar 30, 2018 •

• clinical psychology,
• Depression,
• development,
• Drugs,
• MDMA,
• medication,
• Psychiatry,
• Psychology,
• psychotherapy,
• PTSD

Gillinder Bedi, University of Melbourne This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. Within five years, science will likely have answered a controversial question: can methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) treat psychiatric disorders? After some studies showing a positive effect, MDMA-assisted psychotherapy is entering final clinical trials as a treatment for post-traumatic stress … Read More