Science News
about Depression
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Press Releases and Science Updates
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- Tomorrow’s Antidepressants: Skip the Serotonin Boost?
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February 14, 2008
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Science Update
Even when serotonin levels stayed low, scientists were able to correct abnormal, mental-illness-like behaviors in mice by blocking an enzyme called GSK3ß. The finding adds evidence that molecular targets other than serotonin may lead to better and faster medications for some mental illnesses.
- Team Care for Depressed Older Adults Cuts Overall Medical Costs
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February 14, 2008
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Science Update
A team approach to depression treatment for older adults, already shown to be effective, is also less expensive than usual care.
- Gene Variants Protect Against Adult Depression Triggered by Childhood Stress
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February 4, 2008
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Press Release
Certain variations in a gene that helps regulate response to stress tend to protect adults who were abused in childhood from developing depression. Adults who had been abused but didn’t have the variations in the gene had twice the symptoms of moderate to severe depression, compared to those with the protective variations.
- Mood Disorders Predict Later Substance Abuse Problems
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January 9, 2008
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Science Update
People with manic symptoms and bipolar disorder type II are at significant risk of later developing an alcohol abuse or dependence problem, a long-term study conducted in Switzerland confirms.
- Hurricane Katrina Survivors Lack Access to Mental Health Services
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December 17, 2007
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Science Update
The majority of Hurricane Katrina survivors who developed mental disorders after the disaster are not receiving the mental health services they need, and many who were receiving mental health care prior to the hurricane were not able to continue with treatment.
- Depression’s Flip Side Shares its Circuitry
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December 14, 2007
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Science Update
Humans tend to be overly optimistic about the future, sometimes underestimating risks and making unrealistic plans, notes NIMH grantee Elizabeth Phelps, Ph.D., New York University. Yet “a moderate optimistic illusion” appears to be essential for maintaining motivation and good mental health
- Depression Linked to Bone-Thinning in Premenopausal Women
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November 26, 2007
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Press Release
Premenopausal women with even mild depression have less bone mass than do their nondepressed peers, a study funded in part by NIMH.
- Mental Disorders Account for Large Percentage of Adult Role Disability
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October 1, 2007
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Science Update
An NIMH-funded study finds that more than half of U.S. adults have a mental or physical condition that prevents them from working or conducting their usual duties (e.g., role disability) for several days each year, and a large portion of those days can be attributed to mental disorders.
- Depressed Adolescents Respond Best to Combination Treatment
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October 1, 2007
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Press Release
A combination of psychotherapy and antidepressant medication appears to be the most effective treatment for adolescents with major depressive disorder—more than medication alone or psychotherapy alone.
- Scientists May Have Found Long-Pursued Binding Site for Antidepressants
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September 28, 2007
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Science Update
NIMH-funded scientists have a major new clue as to where the long-pursued binding site for commonly used antidepressants – potentially the site that triggers the medications’ effects – may be on brain cells. The finding could lead to better medications for depression, but also has important implications for other mental illnesses because it addresses a biological flaw that a number of them share.
