Publications - Depression

What is cognitive behavioral therapy and how does it work?, by Sarah DiGiuli, NBC News, Apr 29 2019.

“The American Psychological Association (APA) recognizes CBT as one of the most effective forms of psychological therapy and psychiatric medications. And based on the evidence proving it works when it comes to managing anxiety disorders, bulimia, insomnia, personality disorders, stress management, and more, CBT is considered the gold-standard of psychotherapies in the field. CBT aims to uncover unhelpful or problematic ways of thinking in order to change unwanted or unhealthy behaviors. ”

New Postpartum Depression Drug Could Be Hard To Access For Moms Most In Need, by Rhitu Chatterjee, NPR, Mar 21 2019.

“One in nine women in the United States suffer from depression after childbirth. For some women, postpartum depression is so bad that they struggle to care for their children and may even consider or attempt suicide. [...] Depression during pregnancy and soon after childbirth can be debilitating and can even lead to hospitalization for some women. It can prevent a mother from taking care of her baby, which in turn affects the mother-child bonding, the baby's development and emotional well-being. Postpartum depression even increases an infant's risk of having depression later in life. [...] This week, the Food and Drug Administration approved a new drug that can help, the first drug approved specifically for postpartum depression. While researchers and clinicians are excited about the drug's potential, some foresee obstacles to making it available to women who need it the most. ”

Misophonia: When Life's Noises Drive You Mad, by April Fulton, NPR, Mar 18 2019.

“Misophonia is characterized by intense emotion like rage or fear in response to highly specific sounds, particularly ordinary sounds that other people make. The cause is unknown. For people who suffer from it, mouth sounds are common triggers. "Chewing is almost universal. Gum chewing is almost universal. They also don't like the sound of throat clearing. Coughing, sniffing, nose blowing — a number of things," says Jaelline Jaffe, a psychotherapist in Los Angeles who specializes in misophonia. ”

FDA Approves Esketamine Nasal Spray For Hard-To-Treat Depression, by Jon Hamilton, NPR, Mar 5 2019.

“The Food and Drug Administration approved the first drug that can relieve depression in hours instead of weeks. Esketamine, a chemical cousin of the anesthetic and party drug ketamine, represents the first truly new kind of depression drug since Prozac hit the market in 1988. ”

To Prevent Pregnancy-Related Depression, At-Risk Women Advised To Get Counseling, by Patti Neighmond, NPR, Feb 12 2019.

“Doctors can and should do more to prevent depression among pregnant women and new mothers by referring them to counseling. That's the recommendation of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, an influential panel of clinicians and researchers that makes recommendations for patient care. [...] Depression during pregnancy and in the year after childbirth is surprisingly common. It's estimated that 1 in 7 pregnant women will suffer depression while pregnant or following childbirth. ”

Antidepressants Can Interfere With Pain Relief Of Common Opioids, by Jonathan Lambert, NPR, Feb 6 2019.

“Antidepressants may dampen the effects of some common opioids, resulting in less effective pain management according to research findings published Wednesday. The researchers suggest physicians should consider alternative pain management strategies for patients on antidepressants. ”

If You're Often Angry Or Irritable, You May Be Depressed, by Nell Greenfieldboyce, NPR, Feb 4 2019.

“Many people — including physicians — associate depression with feelings of hopelessness, sadness and a lack of motivation or concentration, but not anger. Some researchers say that's a problem, given that there appears to be a strong link between irritability and depression. If you pick up what is often called the "bible of psychiatry," the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, you'll find that the list of core symptoms for major depression doesn't include anger.   "It's not included at all in the adult classification of depression," says Dr. Maurizio Fava, a psychiatrist at Massachusetts General Hospital and a professor at Harvard Medical School. But he points out that irritability — a reduced control over one's temper that results in angry outbursts — is listed as a core symptom of depression for children and adolescents. It has never made sense to him that it's not included for adults. "Why would someone who happens to be irritable and angry when depressed as an adolescent suddenly stop being angry at age 18?" he asks. ”

Link between social media and depression stronger in teen girls than boys, study says, by Jacqueline Howard, CNN, Jan 3 2019.

“There appears to be a connection between social media use and depressive symptoms in 14-year-olds, and that connection may be much stronger for girls than boys, according to a study published in the journal EClinicalMedicine on Thursday...Among teens who use social media the most -- more than five hours a day -- the study showed a 50% increase in depressive symptoms among girls versus 35% among boys, when their symptoms were compared with those who use social media for only one to three hours daily. ”

Doctors struggle to help older gun owners, by Carolyn Crist, Reuters, Dec 14 2018.

“Doctors who work with seniors are grappling with ways to prevent gun-related suicides and accidents, often among gun-owning older patients with dementia or depression, according to a recent review article. People older than 65 have the highest rates of gun ownership, depression and suicide in the U.S., and while they’re less likely to be victims of violent crimes, they are more likely to become victims of their own guns, the authors write in the Journal of the American Osteopathic Association. ”

Even with insurance, getting mental health treatment is a struggle in Mass., study says, by Liz Kowalczyk, Boston Globe, Dec 11 2018.

“Massachusetts residents who need health care are colliding with a hard reality: Having medical insurance doesn’t guarantee you can get treatment, particularly for psychiatric problems. More than half of adults who sought mental health or addiction treatment in recent months had difficulty getting that care, according to a survey of 2,201 residents by the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation in Boston...The obstacle wasn’t a lack of insurance; the vast majority of patients were insured. Rather, the problem was that providers either did not accept their insurance or their practices were closed to new patients. ”

Infections May Raise The Risk Of Mental Illness In Children, by Rhitu Chatterjee, NPR, Dec 5 2018.

“Researchers have traced a connection between some infections and mental illnesses like schizophrenia, depression and bipolar disorder. New research from Denmark bolsters that connection. The study, published Thursday in JAMA Psychiatry, shows that a wide variety of infections, even common ones like bronchitis, are linked to a higher risk of many mental illnesses in children and adolescents...For all mental illnesses — excluding depression and bipolar disorder — the team found that being hospitalized for an infection was associated with a 84 percent higher risk of subsequently being diagnosed with a mental health disorder at a hospital and a 42 percent increased risk of being prescribed a medication for mental illness. ”

States may now broaden mental health treatment under Medicaid, by Michael Nedelman, CNN, Nov 13 2018.

“The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services may now allow for states to pursue Medicaid reimbursements for short-term inpatient treatment in mental health facilities despite a decades-old exclusion, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar announced Tuesday. In a letter to state Medicaid directors, CMS detailed a new Medicaid waiver opportunity through which states may bypass longstanding reimbursement restrictions on inpatient psychiatric treatment, which apply to mental health facilities with more than 16 beds. Azar said the original policy has posed a "significant barrier" to people getting the treatments they need. ”

Mental health diagnoses rising among U.S. college students, by Carolyn Crist, Reuters, Nov 1 2018.

“A range of common mental health conditions are being diagnosed more often in U.S. university students, according to a study that also finds students are more willing to seek help than in the past. Based on surveys of more than 450,000 college students at 452 institutions, researchers found that from 2009 to 2015, the proportion who report having a diagnosis or being treated has gone up for anxiety, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), depression, insomnia, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and panic attacks...The study wasn’t designed to determine why diagnoses might be up or down, the authors caution. The results raise the question of whether college students’ mental health has been deteriorating, or whether it only appears this way because efforts to encourage students to seek help have succeeded, they write. ”

Study: Lingering illnesses can trouble women for years after assault, workplace harassment, by Laura Geggel, Washington Post, Oct 6 2018.

“Women can experience lingering health problems years after workplace sexual harassment or sexual assault, a new study finds. These health problems can include high blood pressure, poor-quality sleep, anxiety and symptoms of depression, the researchers found after doing medical exams of about 300 women. 'There is a clear correlation between the experience of sexual harassment or sexual assault for a woman and adverse effects on her life, be they physical or mental health consequences,' said Maureen Sayres Van Niel, a women’s psychiatrist practicing in Cambridge, Mass., and president of the American Psychiatric Association Women’s Caucus. She was not involved with the study. ”

Brain Region Involved with Stress Bigger in Those Depressed or Bipolar, by Janice Wood, Psych Central, Sep 23 2018.

“A new study reveals that in people who are depressed or have bipolar disorder, the left hypothalamus was on average 5 percent larger than that of their healthy counterparts...The scientists also found that more severe the depression, the larger the hypothalamus was. Medication did not have any effect on the size of the hypothalamus, they added...For the study, the researchers used a high-resolution 7-Tesla MRI scanner on the study participants. The severity of disorders was measured using standardized questionnaires and interviews, according to the researchers. ”