Publications - Depression

Depression tied to shorter lifespan, by Lisa Rapaport, Reuters, Oct 25 2017.

“People who suffer from depression may not live as long as individuals who don’t experience this mental health disorder, a Canadian study suggests...Depression has long been linked to a variety of health problems, in part because it may lead to physiological changes in the body and also because it can contribute to unhealthy habits like a poor diet, inactivity, smoking and excessive drinking. In the current study, however, researchers found a link between depression and premature death even after accounting for things like obesity, smoking and drinking habits...'This study suggests that this increased risk of death extends to other causes of premature death and persists over decades,' Stewart said by email. ”

Older adults more likely to disclose suicidal thoughts as they age, by Lisa Rapaport, Reuters, Oct 4 2017.

“More than one in five older adults who commit suicide disclose their intention to kill themselves before taking their own lives, a U.S. study suggests. Overall, 23 percent of suicide victims age 50 or older shared suicidal thoughts with another person in the month before their death, the study found. Disclosure rates were higher among the elderly, and more common when people had chronic health problems or suffered from depression...'Healthcare providers, especially primary care physicians who frequently see older adults with health problems and depression, should routinely assess suicide risk along with access to guns and other means of suicide,' Choi added. ”

Increased Risk for Suicidal Thoughts Among Transgender Students, by Rick Nauert, PhD, Psych Central, Sep 6 2017.

“Emerging evidence suggests school-based mental health services are urgently needed to protect against suicidal thoughts among transgender students...Nearly 35 percent of transgender youth in California reported suicidal thoughts in the past year, compared to 19 percent among non-transgender youth...The study also reports that higher rates of depression and victimization among transgender youth compared to non-transgender youth partly explain higher risk of suicidal thoughts among transgender students...Study authors explain that this research is only a beginning as the results may represent an underestimate of the gender identity-related disparity in suicidal thoughts.  ”

School Suspensions Tied to Poor Mental Health, by Traci Pedersen, Psych Central, Sep 1 2017.

“Children who are suspended from school are more likely to develop a range of mental disorders, such as depression and anxiety as well as behavioral disturbances, according to a new study published in the journal Psychological Medicine...The findings show that consistently poor behavior in the classroom is the primary reason for school exclusion, with many students, particularly those in middle and high school, facing repeated dismissal from school. Relatively few pupils are completely expelled from school, but the researchers warn that even temporary exclusions can exacerbate psychological distress. ”

Teens’ Poor Body Image Tied to More Drinking, Smoking, by Rick Nauert, PhD, Psych Central, Jun 22 2017.

“New research finds that the way a teen feels about their appearance can significantly impact their health and wellness...The finding supports prior work that discovered people with negative body image are more likely to develop eating disorders and are more likely to suffer from depression and low self-esteem. ”

Exercise may stave off postpartum depression, by Carolyn Crist, Reuters, Jun 16 2017.

“Physical activity during and after pregnancy improves psychological wellbeing and may protect against postpartum depression, according to a new analysis of existing research. Even low-intensity exercise, such as walking with a baby stroller, was linked to a lower likelihood of depressive symptoms in new mothers, researchers found...Compared to women who didn’t exercise, those who did had lower scores on depression symptom tests during the postpartum period, the researchers found. The apparent benefit of having fewer depression symptoms was seen even among women who did not meet the cutoff for a depression diagnosis. ”

Childhood brain injury tied to adult anxiety, depression, by Madeline Kennedy, Reuters, Jun 7 2017.

“Children who sustained traumatic brain injuries may experience psychological effects like anxiety, phobias and depression more than a decade later, researchers say...Albicini’s team reports in the Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation that children with moderately severe brain injuries and females in general were at the greatest risk for long-term psychological effects compared with boys and children who had milder brain injuries...'These results emphasize the need to monitor children and adolescents for the development of anxiety disorders after they have a TBI,' said Dr. Jeffrey Max, a psychiatry professor at the University of California, San Diego, who wasn’t involved in the study. ”

With mental health problems, fitness is tied to reduced risk of death, Reuters, May 19 2017.

“For men experiencing emotional distress like depression, anxiety or thoughts of suicide, having high cardiorespiratory fitness may cut the risk of death in half compared to those in poor condition, researchers say...The researchers found that men with the lowest cardiovascular fitness tended to have higher weight, blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels and were more likely to smoke and to be sedentary. In addition, men who reported more than one type of emotional distress were more common in the low-fitness group. ”

How Untreated Depression Contributes to the Opioid Epidemic, by Olga Khazan, The Atlantic, May 15 2017.

“Several researchers now believe depression, one of the most common medical diagnoses in the U.S., might be one underlying cause that’s driving some patients to seek out prescription opioids and to use them improperly...Sullivan and other researchers from Washington and California found in 2012 that depressed people were about twice as likely as non-depressed ones to misuse their painkillers for non-pain symptoms, and depressed individuals were between two and three times more likely to ramp up their own doses of painkillers. Adolescents with depression were also more likely, in one study, to use prescription painkillers for non-medical reasons and to become addicted. ”

Scientists test deep brain stimulation as potential anorexia therapy, by Kate Kelland, Reuters, Feb 23 2017.

“A small study in 16 people with severe anorexia has found that implanting stimulation electrodes into the brains of patients could ease their anxiety and help them gain weight. Researchers found that in extreme cases of the eating disorder, the technique - known as deep brain stimulation (DBS) - swiftly helped many of those studied reduce symptoms of either anxiety or depression, and improved their quality of life...results suggest deep brain stimulation - which involves implanting electrodes to stimulate brain areas that control dysfunctional behaviors - might alter the brain circuits that drive anorexia. ”

Dads, like moms, are at risk of depression after a child’s birth, researchers report, by Megan Thielking, STAT News, Feb 15 2017.

“New dads are at risk of experiencing the same symptoms of postpartum depression as women who’ve just given birth — despite the fact that their bodies don’t go through the same sort of changes.  A paper published Wednesday in JAMA Psychiatry finds that just over four percent of new fathers experience elevated symptoms of depression after their children are born.  The idea of postpartum depression among new dads is a relatively new one, and the study’s authors say raising awareness about the issue is a critical first step. That, combined with screenings, could help catch symptoms of depression among new fathers and treat them early. ”

Hospice Caregivers at Risk for Depression, by Rick Nauert, PhD, Psych Central, Feb 13 2017.

“A new University of Missouri study discovered that nearly one-quarter of hospice caregivers were moderately or severely depressed and nearly one-third had moderate or severe anxiety...Researchers recommend that health providers remember to treat the whole family, providing ongoing screening to family caregivers to identify early signs of depression and anxiety. ”

Depression Strikes Today's Teen Girls Especially Hard, by Patti Neighmond, NPR, Feb 13 2017.

“But a recent study published in the journal Pediatrics suggests many more teenage girls in the U.S. may be experiencing major depressive episodes at this age than boys...The findings are just the latest in a steady stream of research showing that women of all ages experience higher rates of depression compared to men, says psychologist and author Catherine Steiner-Adair. And no wonder, she says — despite gains in employment, education and salary, women and girls are still 'continually bombarded by media messages, dominant culture, humor and even political figures about how they look — no matter how smart, gifted, or passionate they are.' ”

Being incarcerated as a juvenile tied to poor health years later, by Andrew M. Seaman , Reuters, Jan 23 2017.

“People incarcerated as juveniles may have worse physical and mental health as adults than youths who did not spend time in detention centers or correctional facilities, according to a new study...The magnitude of the increased health risks was tied to the time people spent incarcerated, researchers found. About 1.3 million children under age 18 years are arrested each year, write the researchers in Pediatrics. Of those, 46 percent require some type of immediate medical attention. Additionally 70 percent of incarcerated children have at least one psychiatric disorder...'Like most things in life, the experiences they have as a young person seem to carry over into their adult years,' said Ralph DiClemente, of Emory University's Rollins School of Public Health in Atlanta. ”

Teens Who Get Mental Health Help Less Likely to Suffer Depression Later, by Janice Wood, Psych Central, Jan 21 2017.

“Young people with mental health problems who have contact with mental health services are significantly less likely to suffer from clinical depression later in their adolescence, according to new research. The study, published in Lancet Psychiatry, found that 14-year-olds who had contact with mental health services had a greater decrease in depressive symptoms than those with similar difficulties, but who had no contact, according to researchers at the University of Cambridge. By the age of 17, the odds of reporting clinical depression were more than seven times higher in individuals without contact than in those who did access mental health services, the study found. ”