Depression News

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ONE in five people say they would not work with someone suffering depression, a new survey shows.

The survey of more than 6000 Australians showed that men, the less-educated and migrants were more likely to attach stigma to depression.

The survey in the Journal BioMed Central was part of research by Kathy Griffiths and Helen Christensen of the Australian National University and Anthony Jorm of the University of Melbourne.

Professor Griffiths said the findings highlighted the need for targeted programs to reduce levels of stigma attached to depression.’

Read more at One in five won’t work with depressed

‘Puerto Ricans 59 and older have higher rates of depression than other Hispanics living in the United States, researchers said.

“Our findings support the hypothesis that the assumption of homogeneity of the prevalence of depression across Hispanic groups is not tenable,” said study researcher Dr. Yang of Hebrew SeniorLife’s Institute for Aging Research in Roslindale, Mass. “Furthermore, Puerto Ricans experienced a significantly higher number of depressive symptoms and prevalence of depression than did the three Hispanic groups in the study.”‘

Read more at Hispanics have different depression rates

‘The ancient art of tai chi is helping bring peace and harmony in a place you would least expect it - Outback NSW.

For the past decade the drought has put pressure on farmer’s livelihoods and well-being.

So much so, that some farmers’ wives are afraid to leave their husbands amid fears of suicide.

But Mate Helping Mate, a program started by farmer John Harper, is being used to give hope and offer friendship.’

Read more at Tai chi to help farmers fight depression

‘Increased positive experiences ease symptoms of depression often accompanying multiple sclerosis, U.S. researchers said.

The study, published in The Journal of Holistic Nursing, determined a higher number of positive experiences in patients with MS was associated with fewer symptoms of depression, fewer functional limitations and a better quality of life even when taking into account age, education and disease-related factors such as mobility, vision and cognition.

“People with MS typically rate the quality of their lives lower than that of the general population, so it is important for people with MS and clinicians involved in their care to understand what factors may improve the quality of their lives,” study co-author Lorraine Phillips of the University of Missouri said in a statement.

Study participants recorded the frequency of positive experiences in their lives, such as, “I said something pleasant to someone who didn’t expect it,” and the researchers found those who reported a higher number of positive experiences also reported lower levels of symptoms of depression.’

Read more at Positive experiences ease MS depression

‘A history of depression, especially if it occurs early in life, boosts your risk of getting Alzheimer’s disease, according to a new study.

But depression does not seem to increase during the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease, according to another new study, refuting the idea that the Alzheimer’s causes the depression, as some claim.

Together, the two studies contribute some answers to the ongoing debate about depression and Alzheimer’s disease — and whether depression triggers the Alzheimer’s disease, the Alzheimer’s disease triggers the depression, or yet another risk factor leads to both. Up to 50% of Alzheimer’s patients also report depression.

The new research strengthens advice to take depression seriously and get treatment, says Gary Kennedy, MD, director of geriatric psychiatry at Montefiore Medical Center, New York, N.Y. “You want to get over it as quickly and completely as possible,” says Kennedy, who reviewed the studies for WebMD.’

Read more at Depression and Alzheimer’s Linked

‘Insomniacs are at increased risk of developing major depression, results of a 20-year study demonstrate.

The findings also suggest that while insomnia frequently accompanies depression, it may not be just a symptom of depression as is commonly thought, but a separate condition, Dr. Dr. Daniel J. Buysse of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and colleagues say.

Depression is a well known risk factor for insomnia, and people with depression often report difficulty sleeping, Buysse and his team point out in the journal Sleep. And while some investigators have suggested that insomnia could, conversely, increase depression risk, few studies have looked at this issue over time.’

Read more Insomnia may boost future depression risk

‘Depression stops stroke victims from returning to work almost as often as physical disability does, Australian researchers report.

The study of 210 men and women, average age 55, who had paying jobs before a stroke found that 112 of them returned to work within six months — about the same ratio as in a recent U.S. study, said researchers at the George Institute for International Health in Sydney. Their report appears in the March 28 issue of Stroke.

In developed countries, roughly 20 percent of stroke victims are still young enough to be part of the workforce, the researchers noted.

Of those study participants who went back to work, 71 percent were rated as physically independent. Thirty-three percent of those working were diagnosed with post-stroke depression, compared with 45 percent of those who had not returned to their jobs.’

Read more at Depression After Stroke Can Be Debilitating

‘Two drugs that act on nicotine receptors are now being tested as antidepressants — offering hope to the millions of people who don’t respond to traditional antidepressants.

Chantix, a pill that can help people quit smoking, and Inversine, a hypertension drug, appear to exert a soothing effect by blocking nicotine receptors in the brain. There’s just one catch: Chantix may also exacerbate suicidal tendencies.

Chantix came on the market in 2006 and has recently been blamed for causing suicidal thoughts, prompting the FDA to issue not one, but two, advisories about the drug. That came after friends and family of Dallas musician Carter Albrecht blamed Chantix for the erratic behavior that led to his violent death. Quite a few smokers described worrisome emotional side effects on blogs and in the pages of New York Magazine.’

Read more at Antismoking Pill May Ease Depression … Or Cause Suicidal Thoughts

‘She’s quite the social butterfly, but Lynn Stockmaster says that when seasonal allergies strike, time with her husband and friends, and even her dog, is sometimes usurped by a soft couch, a bottle of Benadryl and a box of tissues.

“Being congested all the time makes me feel more tired and grumpy,” says Stockmaster, 43, a telecommunications project manager from Rochester, N.Y. “Lack of oxygen? Breathing through my mouth? It’s just kind of unattractive and irritating. I am definitely less social when allergies flare up.”

As the dawn of spring allergy season arrives in much of the country this month, the 40 million Americans who have seasonal allergies — sensitivity to tree, flower and other plant pollens — will be sneezing and congested and fending off sinus headaches and red eyes for weeks to come.’

Read more at Seasonal allergies could spark depression, fatigue

‘The increased risk of death associated with depression after a heart attack persists for at least five years, a study finds.

“We’ve known for a number of years that depression increases the risk of mortality as well as morbidity [illness] after a heart attack for at least three to six months,” said study author Robert M. Carney, a professor of psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. “We assumed that we would find a decline in risk, but that was not what we found. The risk remained worse after five years.”

Carney and his colleagues followed more than 750 people after their heart attacks, according to their report in the current online issue of theJournal of Affective Disorders. Using diagnostic interviews rather than the self-reporting common in most such studies, the researchers determined that 163 had major depression, and 195 had minor depression. Over the five-year study, the death rate was 87 percent higher for those with major depression and 76 percent higher for those with any form of depression.’

Read more at Depression After a Heart Attack Dangerous for Years