LGBTIQ individuals are less likely to seek and less likely to receive culturally appropriate, patient centered support for depression and other mental health conditions. If you are experiencing depression or anxiety please seek help. On this website are resourses to refer you to affirming on-line or in person support across the country.
I lost my best friend in graduate school to suicide, because he did not have affirming support. It was devestating to lose a brilliant young man with such promise, because of sexual orientation issues. I think of him everyday.
If your friend expresses thoughts of suicide seek immediate assistance.
This is part of a Scottish National Campaign on mental health issues. This segment is targetinging the LGBTIQ community. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSKZNYHoW1I&feature=youtu.be
One in the series of short films that 'see me' has produced to raise awareness of mental health and the stigma still too often associated with mental health problems. This film explores mental health issues, sexual orientation and gender identity.
Showing posts with label depression. Show all posts
Showing posts with label depression. Show all posts
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Monday, January 23, 2012
Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Mood Disorders
By Sari Harrar from Today’s Dietitian Vol. 14 No. 1 P. 22
Research suggests omega-3s can help mild to major depression and even schizophrenia.
Long recognized for their heart-health benefits, omega-3 fatty acids are emerging as an effective therapy for mood disorders ranging from major depression and postpartum depression to bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.
“Research suggests depression rates have risen as our intake of omega-3s has fallen over the past 50 to 100 years,” says omega-3 expert Gretchen Vannice, MS, RD, an independent nutrition research consultant based in Portland, Ore., and the author of The Omega-3 Handbook. “Studies show they help many mood disorders. So could getting enough of certain omega-3 fatty acids help reduce depression rates? Many experts think that among people who don’t have a genetic predisposition for mood disorders, they might.”
Yet giving your clients the green light to consume omega-3s for mental health benefits isn’t as simple as saying “swallow three fish oil capsules and call me in the morning.” It takes the right combination of fats, in addition to other therapies a client may be using, to get results, research shows. And many people with mood disorders should speak with their doctors first to avoid making mistakes like stopping other depression treatments.
But it’s a conversation worth having. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 10% of Americans are battling some type of depression. Forty percent of those have major depression.1 Another 2.6% of Americans are living with bipolar disorder, and 1.1% have schizophrenia. Meanwhile, about 10% to 15% of women experience depression during pregnancy, and up to one in five new mothers lives with postpartum depression.2 These disorders make daily living a struggle—and can be life-threatening. Ninety percent of suicides, for example, occur in people with treatable psychiatric illnesses, according to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
Fats on the Brain
Enter the good fats. The human body uses omega-3s in many ways. They seem to be especially important for a well-functioning central nervous system, for the transmission of signals from the eyes to the brain, for heart health (some omega-3s protect against abnormal heart rhythms, reduce triglycerides, lower the risk of blood clots, and discourage the growth of plaque in artery walls), and they even promote healthy brain development in babies during pregnancy and breast-feeding.3
While your body can synthesize other types of fat from dietary components such as carbohydrates and proteins, it can’t make its own omega-3s. We have to get them from food or fish oil supplements. Omega-3s come in three varieties:
• Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA): Found in fatty cold-water fish such as salmon, mackerel, halibut, sardines, tuna, and herring, DHA concentrates in the brain’s gray matter and the retinas in the eyes.
“DHA molecules are long-chain fatty acids. They’re fluid and flexible,” Vannice explains. “They become part of the membrane of brain cells and work at synapses, where chemical signals jump from cell to cell.”
• Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA): Also found in cold-water fish, EPA seems to have a unique role in maintaining a healthy mood.
“EPA doesn’t become part of a brain cell’s structure the way DHA does. It seems to help by reducing inflammatory processes in the brain and by balancing out metabolic pathways,” Vannice says. “Many studies show that DHA alone doesn’t work for depression. You need a little more EPA than DHA to get results. We’re still trying to understand exactly why, but we know it matters.”
In addition, some EPA is converted to DHA in the body.
• Alpha-linolenic acid (ALA): Found in flaxseed, canola oil, pumpkin seeds, purslane, and walnuts, and in small amounts in Brussels sprouts, kale, spinach, and salad greens, ALA doesn’t directly influence mood management although it may help with heart health. The human body converts a small percentage into EPA and DHA.4
While most Americans get plenty of ALA, we’re woefully low in the consumption of DHA and EPA. The American Heart Association recommends people eat fish twice a week, which, on average, would give you the recommended dose of 500 mg of DHA and EPA daily. But most adults and kids get closer to 100 mg or less, Vannice says. As a result, blood levels of these fats are low—and even lower in people with depression.
Do Good Fats = Better Moods?
Research from laboratory and population studies and clinical trials that tested omega-3 supplements in people with various types of depression suggests that raising EPA and DHA levels can make a difference. Omega-3 researcher David Mischoulon, MD, PhD, director of research in the Depression Clinical and Research Program at Boston’s Massachusetts General Hospital and an associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, says EPA and DHA “are thought to be active as antidepressants” in the brain. From their catbird seat in cell walls, omega-3s help with what brain researchers call “second messenger systems” that carry messages from outside into cells.
Mischoulon and others who study the effects of omega-3s on depression have found the following:
• EPA plus DHA can improve primary depression. When M. Elizabeth Sublette, MD, PhD, of the New York State Psychiatric Institute and her team of researchers reviewed 15 trials involving 916 participants, they concluded that supplements with at least 60% EPA improved depression symptoms. Their meta-analysis was published online in the September 2011 issue of the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry. A Canadian study published in the August 2011 issue of the same journal found that a similar 60/40 ratio of EPA/DHA eased depression somewhat in people with depression who didn’t have anxiety disorders.
“The human brain likely benefits from a combination of EPA and DHA since they occur together in nature and both have apparent benefits for depression and suicide,” Mischoulon notes.
• Omega-3s help some aspects of bipolar disorder. In an analysis led by researchers from Australia’s University of Melbourne, Mischoulon and colleagues concluded that omega-3s could have a significant effect on bipolar depression but not on bipolar mania.5
• Low omega-3 levels are associated with suicide and self-harm. In response to increasing rates of suicide in the military, researchers from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) recently found that low blood levels of omega-3s were widespread and raised suicide risk by as much as 62%. The study was published online in the August 2011 issue of the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.
“A previous placebo-controlled trial demonstrated that 2 g of omega-3 fatty acids per day reduced suicidal thinking by 45% as well as depression and anxiety scores among individuals with recurrent self-harm,” says researcher Capt Joseph R. Hibbeln, MD, acting chief of the Section of Nutritional Neurosciences at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism’s Laboratory of Membrane Biochemistry and Biophysics in a press release from the NIH. He and other study authors concluded that “ensuring adequate omega-3 nutritional status is likely to benefit, and unlikely to harm, people at risk for suicide.”
• Omega-3s help menopausal depression. When 20 menopausal women with major depression took 2 g of EPA plus DHA daily for eight weeks, 70% found their mood improved, and 45% found their depression went into remission. Mean scores on the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale fell from 24.2 to 10.7. And the study participants enjoyed a bonus—fewer hot flashes—according to researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital in the March 2011 issue of Menopause.
• Omega-3s improve depression during and after pregnancy. Low-dose DHA/EPA supplements lifted major depression for 15 pregnant women in a 2006 study published in Acta Neuropsychiatrica. Other research has found that women with higher intakes of omega-3s after pregnancy are at lower risk of postpartum depression.6
In a small 2006 study published in the January issue of Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 16 new mothers with postpartum depression took 0.5 to 2.8 g of EPA/DHA daily for eight weeks. Depression scores dropped about 50% in all groups. The researchers say that lifting postpartum depression is good for mothers and their babies: “Children of affected mothers may experience impaired attachment, and [postpartum depression] may adversely affect behavioral and cognitive development. Some women refuse medications during pregnancy and/or breast-feeding because long-term effects of antidepressants on the infant are unknown. Omega-3 fatty acid supplementation is associated with health benefits and is an attractive potential treatment.”
• Omega-3s may protect against schizophrenia. In a 2010 study published in the February issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, 81 people at extremely high risk of schizophrenia took 1.2 g of omega-3s or a placebo daily for 12 weeks. At the end of the study, 28% in the placebo group had developed the disorder compared with 5% in the omega-3s group.
“Intervention in at-risk individuals holds the promise of even better outcomes, with the potential to prevent full-blown psychotic disorders,” the study authors wrote.
Using Omega-3s Safely and Wisely
While low-dose omega-3s are a safe choice for most people, experts say people with depression and other mood disorders shouldn’t try to use this fat as a home remedy for depression. “I prefer that they at least talk to a physician first,” Mischoulon says. “Depression is a potentially dangerous illness because of the risk of disability and suicide, so a doctor’s input is important.”
Here are some guidelines you can use while counseling patients who suffer from depression:
• Safest dose: For general good health, adults and kids should get omega-3s by eating two or more servings of fatty cold-water fish per week. That’s the recommendation of the American Heart Association and the Omega-3 Fatty Acids Subcommittee organized in 2006 by the American Psychiatric Association.7 “That works out to about 500 mg per day, which you also can get from fish oil capsules or other products [see sidebar],” Vannice says. People with mood disorders may benefit from 1,000 mg of EPA plus DHA daily from fish oil supplements, according to the subcommittee, but they should consult a doctor first.
• Don’t stop taking antidepressants, lithium, or any other medications or treatments. “They shouldn’t necessarily be viewed as a replacement for standard antidepressants or for psychotherapy, if these are being used,” Mischoulon says.
Suggest clients get their doctor’s approval before starting any dose of omega-3s if they’re pregnant, nursing, taking blood thinners, or have a bleeding disorder. Omega-3s can reduce blood clotting; if clients are already taking a blood thinner for this purpose, the combination could be dangerous.
— Sari Harrar is an award-winning freelance writer specializing in health, medicine, and science. Her articles have appeared in national magazines, including O, The Oprah Magazine; Reader’s Digest; Good Housekeeping; Better Homes and Gardens; and Organic Gardening.
Alternatives for Fishy Burps
It’s an unpleasant turn-off—and a big reason clients stop taking fish oil supplements. “People feel embarrassed about fishy burps and may not tell their dietitian, so this is a good area for an RD to become familiar with,” says Gretchen Vannice, MS, RD. She recommends these strategies for minimizing unpleasant “repeats”:
Take fish oil capsules with food. Suggest clients pair them with the largest meal of the day.
Try a higher-quality supplement. “Spending a few more dollars could alleviate the problem.” Look for enteric-coated capsules, too.
Switch to a spoonable fish oil. Recommend clients try Coromega (http://www.coromega.com/), an orange-flavored gel that delivers 350 mg of EPA and 230 mg of DHA. Or have them try Barlean’s Omega Swirl (www.barleans.com/omega_swirl.asp), which has a fruit smoothie taste and consistency and provides 350 mg of EPA and 350 mg of DHA in 2 tsp. Barlean’s is also good for kids who can’t or won’t swallow fish oil capsules.
— SH
References
1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Current depression among adults—United States, 2006 and 2008. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2010;59(38):1229-1235.
2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Prevalence of self-reported postpartum depressive symptoms—17 states, 2004-2005. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2008;57(14):361-366.
3. Linus Pauling Institute. Micronutrient information center: essential fatty acids. http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/othernuts/omega3fa. December 2005. Updated April 2009.
4. Harvard School of Public Health. The Nutrition Source. Ask the expert: omega-3 fatty acids. http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/questions/omega-3/index.html.
5. Sarris J, Mischoulon D, Schweitzer I. Omega-3 for bipolar disorder: meta-analyses of use in mania and bipolar depression. J Clin Psychiatry. 2011;Epub ahead of print.
6. Hibbeln JR. Seafood consumption, the DHA content of mothers’ milk and prevalence rates of postpartum depression: a cross-national, ecological analysis. J Affect Disord. 2002;69(1-3):15-29.
7. Freeman MP, Hibbeln JR, Wisner KL, et al. Omega-3 fatty acids: evidence basis for treatment and future research in psychiatry. J Clin Psychiatry. 2006;67(12):1954-1967.
Posted at http://www.darkestclost.blogspot.com/
Research suggests omega-3s can help mild to major depression and even schizophrenia.
Long recognized for their heart-health benefits, omega-3 fatty acids are emerging as an effective therapy for mood disorders ranging from major depression and postpartum depression to bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.
“Research suggests depression rates have risen as our intake of omega-3s has fallen over the past 50 to 100 years,” says omega-3 expert Gretchen Vannice, MS, RD, an independent nutrition research consultant based in Portland, Ore., and the author of The Omega-3 Handbook. “Studies show they help many mood disorders. So could getting enough of certain omega-3 fatty acids help reduce depression rates? Many experts think that among people who don’t have a genetic predisposition for mood disorders, they might.”
Yet giving your clients the green light to consume omega-3s for mental health benefits isn’t as simple as saying “swallow three fish oil capsules and call me in the morning.” It takes the right combination of fats, in addition to other therapies a client may be using, to get results, research shows. And many people with mood disorders should speak with their doctors first to avoid making mistakes like stopping other depression treatments.
But it’s a conversation worth having. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 10% of Americans are battling some type of depression. Forty percent of those have major depression.1 Another 2.6% of Americans are living with bipolar disorder, and 1.1% have schizophrenia. Meanwhile, about 10% to 15% of women experience depression during pregnancy, and up to one in five new mothers lives with postpartum depression.2 These disorders make daily living a struggle—and can be life-threatening. Ninety percent of suicides, for example, occur in people with treatable psychiatric illnesses, according to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
Fats on the Brain
Enter the good fats. The human body uses omega-3s in many ways. They seem to be especially important for a well-functioning central nervous system, for the transmission of signals from the eyes to the brain, for heart health (some omega-3s protect against abnormal heart rhythms, reduce triglycerides, lower the risk of blood clots, and discourage the growth of plaque in artery walls), and they even promote healthy brain development in babies during pregnancy and breast-feeding.3
While your body can synthesize other types of fat from dietary components such as carbohydrates and proteins, it can’t make its own omega-3s. We have to get them from food or fish oil supplements. Omega-3s come in three varieties:
• Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA): Found in fatty cold-water fish such as salmon, mackerel, halibut, sardines, tuna, and herring, DHA concentrates in the brain’s gray matter and the retinas in the eyes.
“DHA molecules are long-chain fatty acids. They’re fluid and flexible,” Vannice explains. “They become part of the membrane of brain cells and work at synapses, where chemical signals jump from cell to cell.”
• Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA): Also found in cold-water fish, EPA seems to have a unique role in maintaining a healthy mood.
“EPA doesn’t become part of a brain cell’s structure the way DHA does. It seems to help by reducing inflammatory processes in the brain and by balancing out metabolic pathways,” Vannice says. “Many studies show that DHA alone doesn’t work for depression. You need a little more EPA than DHA to get results. We’re still trying to understand exactly why, but we know it matters.”
In addition, some EPA is converted to DHA in the body.
• Alpha-linolenic acid (ALA): Found in flaxseed, canola oil, pumpkin seeds, purslane, and walnuts, and in small amounts in Brussels sprouts, kale, spinach, and salad greens, ALA doesn’t directly influence mood management although it may help with heart health. The human body converts a small percentage into EPA and DHA.4
While most Americans get plenty of ALA, we’re woefully low in the consumption of DHA and EPA. The American Heart Association recommends people eat fish twice a week, which, on average, would give you the recommended dose of 500 mg of DHA and EPA daily. But most adults and kids get closer to 100 mg or less, Vannice says. As a result, blood levels of these fats are low—and even lower in people with depression.
Do Good Fats = Better Moods?
Research from laboratory and population studies and clinical trials that tested omega-3 supplements in people with various types of depression suggests that raising EPA and DHA levels can make a difference. Omega-3 researcher David Mischoulon, MD, PhD, director of research in the Depression Clinical and Research Program at Boston’s Massachusetts General Hospital and an associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, says EPA and DHA “are thought to be active as antidepressants” in the brain. From their catbird seat in cell walls, omega-3s help with what brain researchers call “second messenger systems” that carry messages from outside into cells.
Mischoulon and others who study the effects of omega-3s on depression have found the following:
• EPA plus DHA can improve primary depression. When M. Elizabeth Sublette, MD, PhD, of the New York State Psychiatric Institute and her team of researchers reviewed 15 trials involving 916 participants, they concluded that supplements with at least 60% EPA improved depression symptoms. Their meta-analysis was published online in the September 2011 issue of the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry. A Canadian study published in the August 2011 issue of the same journal found that a similar 60/40 ratio of EPA/DHA eased depression somewhat in people with depression who didn’t have anxiety disorders.
“The human brain likely benefits from a combination of EPA and DHA since they occur together in nature and both have apparent benefits for depression and suicide,” Mischoulon notes.
• Omega-3s help some aspects of bipolar disorder. In an analysis led by researchers from Australia’s University of Melbourne, Mischoulon and colleagues concluded that omega-3s could have a significant effect on bipolar depression but not on bipolar mania.5
• Low omega-3 levels are associated with suicide and self-harm. In response to increasing rates of suicide in the military, researchers from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) recently found that low blood levels of omega-3s were widespread and raised suicide risk by as much as 62%. The study was published online in the August 2011 issue of the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.
“A previous placebo-controlled trial demonstrated that 2 g of omega-3 fatty acids per day reduced suicidal thinking by 45% as well as depression and anxiety scores among individuals with recurrent self-harm,” says researcher Capt Joseph R. Hibbeln, MD, acting chief of the Section of Nutritional Neurosciences at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism’s Laboratory of Membrane Biochemistry and Biophysics in a press release from the NIH. He and other study authors concluded that “ensuring adequate omega-3 nutritional status is likely to benefit, and unlikely to harm, people at risk for suicide.”
• Omega-3s help menopausal depression. When 20 menopausal women with major depression took 2 g of EPA plus DHA daily for eight weeks, 70% found their mood improved, and 45% found their depression went into remission. Mean scores on the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale fell from 24.2 to 10.7. And the study participants enjoyed a bonus—fewer hot flashes—according to researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital in the March 2011 issue of Menopause.
• Omega-3s improve depression during and after pregnancy. Low-dose DHA/EPA supplements lifted major depression for 15 pregnant women in a 2006 study published in Acta Neuropsychiatrica. Other research has found that women with higher intakes of omega-3s after pregnancy are at lower risk of postpartum depression.6
In a small 2006 study published in the January issue of Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 16 new mothers with postpartum depression took 0.5 to 2.8 g of EPA/DHA daily for eight weeks. Depression scores dropped about 50% in all groups. The researchers say that lifting postpartum depression is good for mothers and their babies: “Children of affected mothers may experience impaired attachment, and [postpartum depression] may adversely affect behavioral and cognitive development. Some women refuse medications during pregnancy and/or breast-feeding because long-term effects of antidepressants on the infant are unknown. Omega-3 fatty acid supplementation is associated with health benefits and is an attractive potential treatment.”
• Omega-3s may protect against schizophrenia. In a 2010 study published in the February issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, 81 people at extremely high risk of schizophrenia took 1.2 g of omega-3s or a placebo daily for 12 weeks. At the end of the study, 28% in the placebo group had developed the disorder compared with 5% in the omega-3s group.
“Intervention in at-risk individuals holds the promise of even better outcomes, with the potential to prevent full-blown psychotic disorders,” the study authors wrote.
Using Omega-3s Safely and Wisely
While low-dose omega-3s are a safe choice for most people, experts say people with depression and other mood disorders shouldn’t try to use this fat as a home remedy for depression. “I prefer that they at least talk to a physician first,” Mischoulon says. “Depression is a potentially dangerous illness because of the risk of disability and suicide, so a doctor’s input is important.”
Here are some guidelines you can use while counseling patients who suffer from depression:
• Safest dose: For general good health, adults and kids should get omega-3s by eating two or more servings of fatty cold-water fish per week. That’s the recommendation of the American Heart Association and the Omega-3 Fatty Acids Subcommittee organized in 2006 by the American Psychiatric Association.7 “That works out to about 500 mg per day, which you also can get from fish oil capsules or other products [see sidebar],” Vannice says. People with mood disorders may benefit from 1,000 mg of EPA plus DHA daily from fish oil supplements, according to the subcommittee, but they should consult a doctor first.
• Don’t stop taking antidepressants, lithium, or any other medications or treatments. “They shouldn’t necessarily be viewed as a replacement for standard antidepressants or for psychotherapy, if these are being used,” Mischoulon says.
Suggest clients get their doctor’s approval before starting any dose of omega-3s if they’re pregnant, nursing, taking blood thinners, or have a bleeding disorder. Omega-3s can reduce blood clotting; if clients are already taking a blood thinner for this purpose, the combination could be dangerous.
— Sari Harrar is an award-winning freelance writer specializing in health, medicine, and science. Her articles have appeared in national magazines, including O, The Oprah Magazine; Reader’s Digest; Good Housekeeping; Better Homes and Gardens; and Organic Gardening.
Alternatives for Fishy Burps
It’s an unpleasant turn-off—and a big reason clients stop taking fish oil supplements. “People feel embarrassed about fishy burps and may not tell their dietitian, so this is a good area for an RD to become familiar with,” says Gretchen Vannice, MS, RD. She recommends these strategies for minimizing unpleasant “repeats”:
Take fish oil capsules with food. Suggest clients pair them with the largest meal of the day.
Try a higher-quality supplement. “Spending a few more dollars could alleviate the problem.” Look for enteric-coated capsules, too.
Switch to a spoonable fish oil. Recommend clients try Coromega (http://www.coromega.com/), an orange-flavored gel that delivers 350 mg of EPA and 230 mg of DHA. Or have them try Barlean’s Omega Swirl (www.barleans.com/omega_swirl.asp), which has a fruit smoothie taste and consistency and provides 350 mg of EPA and 350 mg of DHA in 2 tsp. Barlean’s is also good for kids who can’t or won’t swallow fish oil capsules.
— SH
References
1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Current depression among adults—United States, 2006 and 2008. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2010;59(38):1229-1235.
2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Prevalence of self-reported postpartum depressive symptoms—17 states, 2004-2005. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2008;57(14):361-366.
3. Linus Pauling Institute. Micronutrient information center: essential fatty acids. http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/othernuts/omega3fa. December 2005. Updated April 2009.
4. Harvard School of Public Health. The Nutrition Source. Ask the expert: omega-3 fatty acids. http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/questions/omega-3/index.html.
5. Sarris J, Mischoulon D, Schweitzer I. Omega-3 for bipolar disorder: meta-analyses of use in mania and bipolar depression. J Clin Psychiatry. 2011;Epub ahead of print.
6. Hibbeln JR. Seafood consumption, the DHA content of mothers’ milk and prevalence rates of postpartum depression: a cross-national, ecological analysis. J Affect Disord. 2002;69(1-3):15-29.
7. Freeman MP, Hibbeln JR, Wisner KL, et al. Omega-3 fatty acids: evidence basis for treatment and future research in psychiatry. J Clin Psychiatry. 2006;67(12):1954-1967.
Posted at http://www.darkestclost.blogspot.com/
Monday, November 14, 2011
Too little exercise, too much TV tied to depression
Peposted at http://darkestcloset.blogspot.com/ Posted at http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/11/14/us-depression-exercise-idUSTRE7AD04I20111114
Sun Nov 13, 2011 9:26pm EST
(Reuters) - Older women who got more exercise and less television time were the least likely to be diagnosed with depression, according to a U.S. study of thousands of women -- with physical activity having the biggest impact.
According to findings published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, researchers found that women who reported exercising the most in recent years were about 20 percent less likely to get depression than those who rarely exercised.
On the other hand, the more hours they spent watching TV each week, the more their risk of depression crept up.
"Higher levels of physical activity were associated with lower depression risk," wrote study author Michel Lucas, from the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston.
More time spent being active might boost self-esteem and women's sense of control, as well as the endorphins in their blood, although the study could not prove directly that watching too much television and avoiding exercise caused depression, she added.
The report included close to 50,000 women who filled out surveys every couple of years as part of the U.S. Nurses' Health Study, and covered the years 1992 to 2006.
Participants recorded the amount of time they spent watching TV each week in 1992, and also answered questions about how often they walked, biked, ran and swam between 1992 and 2000.
On the same questionnaires, women reported any new diagnosis of clinical depression or medication taken to treat depression.
The analysis only included women who did not have depression in 1996. Over the next decade, there were 6,500 new cases of depression.
After the researchers accounted for aspects of health and lifestyle linked to depression, including weight, smoking and a range of diseases, exercising the most -- 90 minutes or more each day -- meant women were 20 percent less likely to be diagnosed with depression than those who exercised 10 minutes or less a day.
Women who watched three hours or more of television a day were 13 percent more likely to be diagnosed with depression than those who hardly ever tuned in, but Lucas said at least part of that link might be due to women replacing time they could be exercising with TV watching.
One alternative explanation the researchers brought up is that women might have been experiencing some symptoms of depression before they were diagnosed, leading them to exercise less. A formal diagnosis could have come later.
"Previous studies have suggested that physical activity is associated with a lower risk of depressive symptoms," said Gillian Mead, who studies geriatric medicine at Edinburgh's Royal Infirmary but was not involved in the study.
"(The finding) adds to the growing body of evidence that physical activity is important to maintain brain health," she added in an email to Reuters Health. SOURCE: bit.ly/sQbWMU
(Reporting from New York by Genevra Pittman at Reuters Health; editing by Elaine Lies and Ron Popeski)
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/11/14/us-depression-exercise-idUSTRE7AD04I20111114
Friday, September 23, 2011
People with Depression Don’t Reveal Symptoms to Physicians
People suffering from depression may not bring it up with their doctor for a number of reasons, a study finds. One of the most common reasons is that they are afraid of getting a recommendation for antidepressants.
The study, reported in the journal Annals of Family Medicine, surveyed 1,054 adults about why they wouldn't tell their primary care physician about depression symptoms, as well as their beliefs about the condition. The common reasons reported by participants was the fear of being put on medication, a belief that a doctor isn’t the person to handle such issues, and worries over privacy. At least 10 percent of the participants said that fear of being referred to a counselor or psychiatrist and being branded a psychiatric patient were stumbling blocks. Those who had more barriers to talking to their doctors about depression were likely to be female, Hispanic, with less education and lower income. (Los Angeles Times, 9/12/11)
Reposted at darkestcloset.bloggerspot.com
The study, reported in the journal Annals of Family Medicine, surveyed 1,054 adults about why they wouldn't tell their primary care physician about depression symptoms, as well as their beliefs about the condition. The common reasons reported by participants was the fear of being put on medication, a belief that a doctor isn’t the person to handle such issues, and worries over privacy. At least 10 percent of the participants said that fear of being referred to a counselor or psychiatrist and being branded a psychiatric patient were stumbling blocks. Those who had more barriers to talking to their doctors about depression were likely to be female, Hispanic, with less education and lower income. (Los Angeles Times, 9/12/11)
Reposted at darkestcloset.bloggerspot.com
Friday, September 9, 2011
Mental Illnesses Mistaken for Medical Conditions
An August article in The Wall Street Journal Online highlights the prevalence of psychological symptoms attributed to medical conditions. In "Confusing Medical Ailments with Mental Illness," Harvard psychiatrist Barbara Schildkrout says more than 100 medical illnesses can be masked as mental health disorders. According to the article, "untangling cause and effect can challenge even seasoned clinicians, and the potential for missed diagnoses is growing."
Read the story, which includes warning signs for problems that seem behavioral, but may be medical:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111904480904576496271983911668.html.
Read the story, which includes warning signs for problems that seem behavioral, but may be medical:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111904480904576496271983911668.html.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Trends in treating Depression favor psychotropic medications over psychotherapy
The way that depression is treated in the US
Results revealed a continued decline in the use of psychotherapy and stabilization in the use of antidepressants to treat depression. Both studies were supported by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) See studies at http://www.ahrq.gov/research/jul11/0711RA22.htm
Reprinted at darkestcloset.blogspot.com
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Scientists Find How Antidepressants Make New Brain Cells
Scientists Find How Antidepressants Make New Brain Cells
Scientists report they have found out how antidepressants make new brain cells. The finding should help researchers develop better and more effective drugs for depression. In a study published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry, researchers found that the drugs regulate the glucocorticoid receptor, which is a key protein involved in the stress response. They used human hippocampal stem cells, the source of new cells in the human brain, to investigate the effects of antidepressants on brain cells in a lab dish. (Reuters, 4/12/11) Reprinted at darkestcloset.blogspot.com.
Monday, April 11, 2011
U.S. Panel Suggests Research Into Causes and Prevalence of Health Issues Facing Gays
By ROBERT PEAR Published: March 31, 2011, reposted at http://www.keystothecloset.blogger.com/ and http://www.darkestcloset.blogger.com/
WASHINGTON — The federal government should systematically collect demographic data on gay, lesbian and transgender people and should conduct biomedical research to understand why they are more likely to have certain chronic conditions, the National Academy of Sciences said Thursday.
In a report requested by the National Institutes of Health, the academy proposed an ambitious research agenda to investigate the prevalence and causes of obesity, depression, cancer, heart disease and other conditions among gay people.
Federal officials had asked the academy’s Institute of Medicine to identify gaps in research on the health of gay Americans. Dr. Robert O. Graham, the chairman of the panel that did the study, said that was impossible.
“The available evidence on the health of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people is sparse,” said Dr. Graham, a professor of family medicine at the University of Cincinnati. “Researchers need to do much more than simply filling gaps.”
The panel, appointed by the Institute of Medicine, said the government should finance research to develop standardized measures of sexual orientation and gender identity — “one’s basic sense of being a man, woman or other gender, such as transgender.”
Gay people often face “barriers to equitable health care,” decline to seek care in times of need and receive substandard care when they seek it, the report said.
“Fearing discrimination and prejudice,” it said, “many lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people refrain from disclosing their sexual orientation or gender identity to researchers and health care providers.”
In addition, the report said, many doctors lack the necessary training. “Medical schools teach very little about sexuality in general and little or nothing about the unique aspects of lesbian, gay and bisexual health,” it said.
The panel said the National Institutes of Health should strongly encourage researchers to include “sexual and gender minorities” in studies whenever possible, just as they include women, blacks, Asian-Americans and Hispanics.
In its report, which offers a comprehensive survey of information about the health of gay Americans, the panel made these points:
· “On average, men tend to show greater interest in sex and express a desire to engage in sex more frequently than women. These patterns appear to occur in both heterosexual and homosexual populations.”
· Gay youths and adults are typically well adjusted and mentally healthy, but some research indicates that they are more likely to be depressed, have suicidal thoughts and attempt suicide.
· “Lesbians and bisexual women may be at higher risk for breast cancer than heterosexual women.”
· Some studies suggest that long-term use of hormone therapy by transgender people may increase their risk for cancer, but more research is needed.
· In addition, the report said, “Some research suggests that lesbians and bisexual women have a higher risk of obesity than heterosexual females.” Lesbians may also have higher rates of smoking and alcohol consumption than heterosexual women, it said.
A version of this article appeared in print on April 1, 2011, on page A16 of the New York
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/01/health/policy/01gays.html?_r=1&ref=research
Health Disparities Among Older LGBTIQ Community
By RONI CARYN RABIN Published: April 1, 2011
Older lesbian, gay and bisexual adults in California
Related :U.S. Panel Suggests Research Into Causes and Prevalence of Health Issues Facing Gays (April 1, 2011)
The research brief was based on data from the California Health Interview Survey gathered in 2003, 2005 and 2007 by the Center for Health Policy Research at the University of California, Los Angeles.
Older gay and bisexual men — ages 50 to 70 — reported higher rates of high blood pressure, diabetes and physical disability than similar heterosexual men. Older gay and bisexual men also were 45 percent more likely to report psychological distress and 50 percent more likely to rate their health as fair or poor. In addition, one in five gay men in California
Older lesbian and bisexual women experienced similar rates of diabetes and hypertension compared with straight women of their age, but reported significantly more physical disabilities and psychological distress and were 26 percent more likely to say their health was fair or poor.
More than one in four lived alone, compared with only one in five heterosexual women.
Steven P. Wallace, associate director of the U.C.L.A. Center for Health Policy Research and lead author of the brief, said it was important to raise awareness of these disparities. “The gay culture tends to be youth-driven, and the aging community network doesn’t usually think about gay and lesbian elders,” he said.
A version of this article appeared in print on April 5, 2011, on page D7 of the New York
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/05/health/research/05gay.html?_r=1 Reprinted at http://keystothecloset.blogspot.com/ and http://darkestcloset.blogspot.com/
Thursday, March 24, 2011
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