Archives for November 2009

People with depression often get better when they change the way they think.  Since therapy is more likely to achieve this with longer-lasting results than drugs, doctors need to stop pushing pills and start pushing treatments that work.

Depressed people feel low, worthless, and often suicidal. They need treatment.  Six million people suffer from depression and anxiety in the UK, and surveys show that most do not want to take drugs.

They want a treatment with long-lasting results.  'Distorted thinking'  This treatment is cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT).  CBT is based on a well-supported theory of how depression starts and what keeps it going: distorted thinking patterns.

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Both organisations are the biggest contributors to the million dollar study by Newcastle University researcher Kerry Inder. Dr Inder's research will focus on the role of social networks, relationship break down and depression as potential risk factors for suicide.

Beyondblue chief executive, Leonie Young, says the study will also develop strategies to combat the problem. "Interest in the mental health of men working in a range of industries in rural areas including mining farming and business is one aspect," she said. "Beondblue's work for the last nine years has been to let people know it's not a shame factor or weakness to have depression and very importantly to seek help early."

A simple telephone intervention improved mood, physical functioning, and overall quality of life in patients who were depressed after heart bypass surgery, researchers reported in a late breaking clinical trial here at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2009.

In the so-called Bypassing the Blues trial, 50 percent of patients who were depressed after having coronary artery bypass surgery saw improvements of at least 50 percent in their negative mood after participating in the intervention, compared with 29 percent of control patients who received usual care.

Depressed men benefited most and were far less likely to be re-hospitalized for heart-related causes than men who got usual care, said study presenter Dr. Bruce L. Rollman, from the University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

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Experts at the country’s depression initiative beyondblue quizzed 733 men and women and found that more than half believe it was usual for women to suffer depression during pregnancy.  The survey further discovered that one quarter of respondents thought postnatal depression did not require treatment and would disappear on its own.

Beyondblue deputy chief executive and psychologist Nicole Highet revealed that the fact that most people regard depression as a normal part of pregnancy was worrying.  She said: "Maybe people are confusing the baby blues, which is quite normal and it does pass on its own, with depression, which is certainly not normal and it’s something that needs to be picked up as soon as possible.”

Depression in adolescents, a problem 1 in 5 teens experiences before age 18, could be reduced or even prevented by something relatively simple yet often ignored by late-night tweeting or texting teens - sleepFew teenagers get.

The recommended nine hours of nightly sleep for people their age, staying up well past a reasonable bedtime e-mailing, e-chatting or doing homework. And in the morning, they can be groggy, cranky and distracted.

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Stress, depression and mental health problems in the workplace are costing employers billions of pounds in lost productivity, the NHS watchdog says.  A culture of long hours and “presenteeism” — where workers feel obliged to come into work although they may be unproductive — is damaging small businesses and the wider economy, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) says.

 Analysis by the watchdog suggests that the annual cost of mental ill health to a business with 1,000 employees is £835,355, but up to £250,000 a year could be saved by reducing absenteeism and increasing performance.

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A recent research from University College, London, suggested a link between nutrients that are present in processed foods such as fatty acids and B vitamins, and depression.

For the new study, published in the British Journal of Psychiatry, researchers studied dietary data provided from 3486 participants, foodproductiondaily.com reported.

With an average age of 55 years the participants, completed a questionnaire on their eating habits at the start of the trial and, five years later, a self-assessment on depression.

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Want to fight depression? A new study suggests to stay away from processed and fatty foods.  Researchers at University College London say a diet loaded with fish, fresh veggies and fruit can prevent people from getting depressed, while people who have lots of fats and processed foods on the menu could be in trouble.  Doctors say it's because fruits and vegetables are packed with protective antioxidants, and fish contains polyunsaturated fatty acids that stimulate brain activity.

What is more, people who ate plenty of vegetables, fruit and fish actually had a lower risk of depression, the University College London team found.

Data on diet among 3,500 middle-aged civil servants was compared with depression five years later, the British Journal of Psychiatry reported.  The team said the study was the first to look at the UK diet and depression.

They split the participants into two types of diet - those who ate a diet largely based on whole foods, which includes lots of fruit, vegetables and fish, and those who ate a mainly processed food diet, such as sweetened desserts, fried food, processed meat, refined grains and high-fat dairy products. After accounting for factors such as gender, age, education, physical activity, smoking habits and chronic diseases, they found a significant difference in future depression risk with the different diets.

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