ScienceDaily (Feb. 26, 2010) — In reports of two new studies, researchers led by Johns Hopkins say they have identified the mechanisms rooted in two anatomical brain abnormalities that may explain the onset of schizophrenia and the reason symptoms don't develop until young adulthood. Both types of anatomical glitches are influenced by a gene known as DISC1, whose mutant form was first identified in a Scottish family with a strong history of schizophrenia and related mental disorders. The findings could lead to new ways to treat, prevent or modify the disorder or its symptoms.
full article can be found at this link
Friday, February 26, 2010
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Have Your Say On New Psychiatric Manual
By Alix Spiegel
Finally, after years of work, the American Psychiatric Association has put out the list of mental illnesses it intends to include in its new Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.
Have your say on a new psychiatric guide.
A new guidebook to the psychiatrist's couch is coming.
The DSM, as it's called for short, is incredibly influential. Doctors use it to diagnose patients, of course, but insurance companies also consult it in their decisions about reimbursements. Courts, schools, governments and researchers also turn to the manual for guidance on behavior that deviates from normal.
The manual and the secretive process for its drafting have attracted their share of controversy over the years. And the APA has been careful to say that this is a "proposed draft" of the new DSM, the fifth edition. For the first time, the group is inviting "public input."
Anyone--including you--can log on and tell the nice people working on DSM their thoughts about, say, the new proposed Temper Dysregulation Disorder. You have 10 weeks to speak up.
The people at the APA say they are doing this because they want to be transparent and take advantage of the Internet, but doing this could create some problems.
There are quite a few hot-button changes like the elimination of Asperger's that are sure to inflame passions. What will the APA do if Asperger's groups rally the troops and organize a write-in campaign? Will Asperger's be put back?
The APA has made a big deal of the DSM being the product of an intense scientific process. So if the group changes the contents based on interest group politics, they open themselves to fresh criticism that the DSM is less scientific than claimed.
Finally, after years of work, the American Psychiatric Association has put out the list of mental illnesses it intends to include in its new Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.
Have your say on a new psychiatric guide.
A new guidebook to the psychiatrist's couch is coming.
The DSM, as it's called for short, is incredibly influential. Doctors use it to diagnose patients, of course, but insurance companies also consult it in their decisions about reimbursements. Courts, schools, governments and researchers also turn to the manual for guidance on behavior that deviates from normal.
The manual and the secretive process for its drafting have attracted their share of controversy over the years. And the APA has been careful to say that this is a "proposed draft" of the new DSM, the fifth edition. For the first time, the group is inviting "public input."
Anyone--including you--can log on and tell the nice people working on DSM their thoughts about, say, the new proposed Temper Dysregulation Disorder. You have 10 weeks to speak up.
The people at the APA say they are doing this because they want to be transparent and take advantage of the Internet, but doing this could create some problems.
There are quite a few hot-button changes like the elimination of Asperger's that are sure to inflame passions. What will the APA do if Asperger's groups rally the troops and organize a write-in campaign? Will Asperger's be put back?
The APA has made a big deal of the DSM being the product of an intense scientific process. So if the group changes the contents based on interest group politics, they open themselves to fresh criticism that the DSM is less scientific than claimed.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Fish oils 'beat mental illness'
Taking a daily fish oil capsule can stave off mental illness in those at highest risk, trial findings suggest.
A three-month course of the supplement appeared to be as effective as drugs, cutting the rate of psychotic illness like schizophrenia by a quarter.
The researchers believe it is the omega-3 in fish oil - already hailed for promoting healthy hearts - that has beneficial effects in the brain.
A "natural" remedy would be welcomed, Archives of General Psychiatry says.
"The finding that treatment with a natural substance may prevent, or at least delay, the onset of psychotic disorder gives hope that there may be alternatives to antipsychotic drugs," the study authors said.
“ If young people can be treated successfully with fish oils, this is hugely preferable to treating them with antipsychotics ”
Alison Cobb Mind
Antipsychotic drugs are potent and can have serious side effects, which puts some people off taking them.
Fish oil supplements, on the other hand, are generally well tolerated and easy to take, say the scientists.
The international team from Austria, Australia and Switzerland tested the treatment in 81 people deemed to be at particularly high risk of developing psychosis.
Natural choice
Their high risk was down to a strong family history of schizophrenia, or similar disorders, or them already showing mild symptoms of these conditions themselves.
For the test, half of the individuals took fish oil supplements (1.2 grams of omega-3 fatty acids) for 12 weeks, while the other half took only a dummy pill. Neither group knew which treatment they were receiving.
Dr Paul Amminger and his team followed the groups for a year to see how many, if any, went on to develop illness.
Two in the fish oil group developed a psychotic disorder compared to 11 in the placebo group.
Based on the results, the investigators estimate that one high-risk adult could be protected from developing psychosis for every four treated over a year.
They believe the omega-3 fatty acids found in the supplements may alter brain signalling in the brain with beneficial effects.
Alison Cobb, of the mental health charity Mind, said: "If young people can be treated successfully with fish oils, this is hugely preferable to treating them with antipsychotics, which come with a range of problems from weight gain to sexual dysfunction, whereas omega-3s are actually beneficial to their general state of health.
"These are promising results and more research is needed to show if omega-3s could be an alternative to antipsychotics in the long term."
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/health/8490937.stm
Published: 2010/02/02 00:02:02 GMT
© BBC MMX
A three-month course of the supplement appeared to be as effective as drugs, cutting the rate of psychotic illness like schizophrenia by a quarter.
The researchers believe it is the omega-3 in fish oil - already hailed for promoting healthy hearts - that has beneficial effects in the brain.
A "natural" remedy would be welcomed, Archives of General Psychiatry says.
"The finding that treatment with a natural substance may prevent, or at least delay, the onset of psychotic disorder gives hope that there may be alternatives to antipsychotic drugs," the study authors said.
“ If young people can be treated successfully with fish oils, this is hugely preferable to treating them with antipsychotics ”
Alison Cobb Mind
Antipsychotic drugs are potent and can have serious side effects, which puts some people off taking them.
Fish oil supplements, on the other hand, are generally well tolerated and easy to take, say the scientists.
The international team from Austria, Australia and Switzerland tested the treatment in 81 people deemed to be at particularly high risk of developing psychosis.
Natural choice
Their high risk was down to a strong family history of schizophrenia, or similar disorders, or them already showing mild symptoms of these conditions themselves.
For the test, half of the individuals took fish oil supplements (1.2 grams of omega-3 fatty acids) for 12 weeks, while the other half took only a dummy pill. Neither group knew which treatment they were receiving.
Dr Paul Amminger and his team followed the groups for a year to see how many, if any, went on to develop illness.
Two in the fish oil group developed a psychotic disorder compared to 11 in the placebo group.
Based on the results, the investigators estimate that one high-risk adult could be protected from developing psychosis for every four treated over a year.
They believe the omega-3 fatty acids found in the supplements may alter brain signalling in the brain with beneficial effects.
Alison Cobb, of the mental health charity Mind, said: "If young people can be treated successfully with fish oils, this is hugely preferable to treating them with antipsychotics, which come with a range of problems from weight gain to sexual dysfunction, whereas omega-3s are actually beneficial to their general state of health.
"These are promising results and more research is needed to show if omega-3s could be an alternative to antipsychotics in the long term."
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/health/8490937.stm
Published: 2010/02/02 00:02:02 GMT
© BBC MMX
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Self-Control Just Might Be Contagious
MONDAY, Jan. 18 (HealthDay News) -- If you spend time with people who exhibit self-control -- resisting the death-by-chocolate cake after a restaurant meal, for instance -- you can expect your own self-control to be pretty good, too, according to new research.
But the opposite seems true, too: Spending time with people with less-than-ideal self-control will influence you negatively, the researchers found.
"Before, we knew people tended to hang out with other people who were like themselves," said Michelle vanDellen, a visiting assistant professor of psychology at the University of Georgia, who led the research, which was published online in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin.
"But in these studies, we actually show there is a direct effect of our friends' behavior on our own behavior," vanDellen said. The findings apply, she said, "not only to the people we [choose to] hang out with, but those we are forced to hang out with," such as co-workers on the job.
The conclusions came from five studies conducted by vanDellen and her co-author, Rick Hoyle of Duke University.
The best study, she said, and the most fun, involved 71 participants and two plates of food -- one stacked with carrot sticks, the other with freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. The participants either watched someone exhibit self-control by eating the carrots and leaving the cookies, or vice versa. Later, the participants took self-control tests (not involving cookies and carrots). Those who had watched a person eat cookies did less well than those who had watched someone eat carrots.
In another study, the researchers found that 36 participants randomly assigned to think of a friend with good self-control persisted longer on a handgrip test used to measure self-control than did the participants assigned to think about a friend with bad self-control.
Another study involved assigning 42 people to list the names of friends with good and bad self-control. As the participants took a test designed to measure self-control, a name was flashed very briefly on a computer screen. Those who saw the name of a friend with good self-control did better on the test than those who saw the name of a friend with poor self-control.
The researchers also assigned 112 people to write about a friend with good self-control, a friend with bad self-control or an outgoing friend. Those who wrote about a friend with good self-control did best on a test of self-control, those who wrote about a friend with bad self-control did worst and those who wrote about an outgoing friend scored in between the others.
In the fifth study, 117 people were randomly assigned to write about friends with good or bad self-control. Those who wrote about a friend with good self-control did better on word identification tests related to self-control, the researchers found.
"I think the message is really two-fold," vanDellen said of the research. "The first is, one way you can improve your behavior is by finding social networkers that support you." It makes sense, she said, to seek out people you know have self-control if you want to boost your own.
The other message, she said, is accountability. The research suggests that others aren't just watching your behavior when you show a lack of self-control but might actually be influenced by it. If a woman's husband is trying to lose weight, for instance, the last thing she should do is act like a lazy person who doesn't exercise in front of him, she said.
The research findings make sense, said Connie Diekman, director of university nutrition at Washington University in St. Louis. "Surrounding yourself with motivated, healthy people improves your odds of staying in control," she said.
Diekman said that's certainly the case with healthy eating. "When it comes to making healthy choices, we know that it is easier to skip dessert, limit portions or purchase the right foods if others we are with support these behaviors," she said.
By Kathleen Doheny HealthDay Reporter Copyright © 2010 ScoutNews, LLC. All rights reserved.
But the opposite seems true, too: Spending time with people with less-than-ideal self-control will influence you negatively, the researchers found.
"Before, we knew people tended to hang out with other people who were like themselves," said Michelle vanDellen, a visiting assistant professor of psychology at the University of Georgia, who led the research, which was published online in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin.
"But in these studies, we actually show there is a direct effect of our friends' behavior on our own behavior," vanDellen said. The findings apply, she said, "not only to the people we [choose to] hang out with, but those we are forced to hang out with," such as co-workers on the job.
The conclusions came from five studies conducted by vanDellen and her co-author, Rick Hoyle of Duke University.
The best study, she said, and the most fun, involved 71 participants and two plates of food -- one stacked with carrot sticks, the other with freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. The participants either watched someone exhibit self-control by eating the carrots and leaving the cookies, or vice versa. Later, the participants took self-control tests (not involving cookies and carrots). Those who had watched a person eat cookies did less well than those who had watched someone eat carrots.
In another study, the researchers found that 36 participants randomly assigned to think of a friend with good self-control persisted longer on a handgrip test used to measure self-control than did the participants assigned to think about a friend with bad self-control.
Another study involved assigning 42 people to list the names of friends with good and bad self-control. As the participants took a test designed to measure self-control, a name was flashed very briefly on a computer screen. Those who saw the name of a friend with good self-control did better on the test than those who saw the name of a friend with poor self-control.
The researchers also assigned 112 people to write about a friend with good self-control, a friend with bad self-control or an outgoing friend. Those who wrote about a friend with good self-control did best on a test of self-control, those who wrote about a friend with bad self-control did worst and those who wrote about an outgoing friend scored in between the others.
In the fifth study, 117 people were randomly assigned to write about friends with good or bad self-control. Those who wrote about a friend with good self-control did better on word identification tests related to self-control, the researchers found.
"I think the message is really two-fold," vanDellen said of the research. "The first is, one way you can improve your behavior is by finding social networkers that support you." It makes sense, she said, to seek out people you know have self-control if you want to boost your own.
The other message, she said, is accountability. The research suggests that others aren't just watching your behavior when you show a lack of self-control but might actually be influenced by it. If a woman's husband is trying to lose weight, for instance, the last thing she should do is act like a lazy person who doesn't exercise in front of him, she said.
The research findings make sense, said Connie Diekman, director of university nutrition at Washington University in St. Louis. "Surrounding yourself with motivated, healthy people improves your odds of staying in control," she said.
Diekman said that's certainly the case with healthy eating. "When it comes to making healthy choices, we know that it is easier to skip dessert, limit portions or purchase the right foods if others we are with support these behaviors," she said.
By Kathleen Doheny HealthDay Reporter Copyright © 2010 ScoutNews, LLC. All rights reserved.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
PBS Series Profiles Adolescents with Severe Depression
The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is airing a national three-part series this month on emotional health called This Emotional Life. Daniel Gilbert, Ph.D., Harvard University psychology professor and author of Stumbling on Happiness, narrates an exploration of the struggles and triumphs of individuals who grapple with the complexities of their mental health every day. A Part 2 profile highlights the intractable depression of Caitlin, a high school student who has suffered from the mood disorder since the eighth grade.
“Human beings change a great deal during adolescence, so while somebody is struggling with depression, they’re unable to make the social gains, the intimacy gains, the academic gains that are so necessary when somebody is developing from adolescence to a young adult. It essentially robs people of their lives,” said Caitlin’s doctor, Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist Sheila Marcus, M.D., from the University of Michigan. “The problem with letting depression linger is we know that there are subtle changes in the brain such that it’s an illness that becomes harder to treat as you let it take its course.”
Caitlin’s story underscores the need for early identification of depression and other mental health disorders so that treatment can promptly begin and young people can be given the best chance for a healthy future.
This Emotional Life will be re-broadcast on PBS throughout January. Check local listings or purchase the series DVD, available for $34.99.
“Human beings change a great deal during adolescence, so while somebody is struggling with depression, they’re unable to make the social gains, the intimacy gains, the academic gains that are so necessary when somebody is developing from adolescence to a young adult. It essentially robs people of their lives,” said Caitlin’s doctor, Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist Sheila Marcus, M.D., from the University of Michigan. “The problem with letting depression linger is we know that there are subtle changes in the brain such that it’s an illness that becomes harder to treat as you let it take its course.”
Caitlin’s story underscores the need for early identification of depression and other mental health disorders so that treatment can promptly begin and young people can be given the best chance for a healthy future.
This Emotional Life will be re-broadcast on PBS throughout January. Check local listings or purchase the series DVD, available for $34.99.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Switching Antidepressants
Even today, the general public has little understanding of what's entailed in taking an antidepressant medication. Many think their doctor will give them a "miracle pill" and their depression will be cured. Unfortunately, for many, that's not the case.
As you may have discovered already, there's a large group of people with major depression for whom the first, even second antidepressant doesn't perform the way they hoped it would.
This brings us to our new special report on "Switching Antidepressants". In 5 pages, exclusively on HealthyPlace.com, find out
• why people with major depression sometimes switch antidepressant medications
• why you should never suddenly stop your antidepressant
• how to change antidepressants safely
It's a must-read for anyone taking an antidepressant and comes along with audio comments from HealthyPlace.com members who share their personal insights into changing antidepressants and their experiences with antidepressant discontinuation syndrome; something you never want to have.
You might also want to read the "Gold Standard for Treating Depression," an in-depth, authoritative examination of the best treatments for depression, which includes depression treatment video interviews with award-winning mental health author, Julie Fast.
As you may have discovered already, there's a large group of people with major depression for whom the first, even second antidepressant doesn't perform the way they hoped it would.
This brings us to our new special report on "Switching Antidepressants". In 5 pages, exclusively on HealthyPlace.com, find out
• why people with major depression sometimes switch antidepressant medications
• why you should never suddenly stop your antidepressant
• how to change antidepressants safely
It's a must-read for anyone taking an antidepressant and comes along with audio comments from HealthyPlace.com members who share their personal insights into changing antidepressants and their experiences with antidepressant discontinuation syndrome; something you never want to have.
You might also want to read the "Gold Standard for Treating Depression," an in-depth, authoritative examination of the best treatments for depression, which includes depression treatment video interviews with award-winning mental health author, Julie Fast.
Monday, January 4, 2010
Earlier Bedtimes May Fight Teen Depression
Teens Who Regularly Sleep 5 or Fewer Hours Are 71% More Likely to Report Depression
By Bill Hendrick, WebMD Health News
Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD
Jan. 1, 2010 -- Adolescents whose parents set earlier bedtimes are significantly less likely to suffer from depression or have suicidal thoughts compared to youngsters who hit the sack later, new research indicates.
Youngsters in the study whose parents set bedtimes of midnight or later were 24% more likely to suffer from depression and 20% more apt to have thoughts of suicide, compared to youngsters with bedtimes of 10 p.m. or earlier, researchers report in the Jan. 1 issue of the journal SLEEP.
This suggests sufficient sleep may offer youngsters some protection from depression and thoughts of suicide, the researchers say.
Adolescents who reported they usually sleep five or fewer hours per night were 71% more likely to report depression, and 48% more likely to have thoughts of committing suicide, compared to young people reporting eight hours of sleep nightly, the study shows.
"Our results are consistent with the theory that inadequate sleep is a risk factor for depression," says study researcher James E. Gangwisch, PhD, of Columbia University Medical Center in New York.
He and his colleagues collected data on 15,659 adolescents and their parents who had participated in the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, a school-based sample of students in seventh to 12th grades, between 1994 and 1996.
The researchers found that:
* The average sleep duration was 7 hours and 53 minutes. The researchers note that adolescents need 9 hours of sleep daily.
* Nearly 70% of youngsters said they went to bed at a time that complied with the weeknight limit set by their parents.
The researchers say lack of sleep may produce moodiness that hinders the ability to cope with stresses of daily life, harming relationships with peers and adults. They say educating adolescents and their parents about the benefits of healthier sleep practices may be beneficial.
The researchers conclude that parents of adolescents should set earlier bedtimes to make sure their teens get adequate sleep.
One of the researchers, Gary K. Zammit, PhD, of Columbia, reported receiving research support from GlaxoSmithKline and other pharmaceutical companies. He also disclosed he has financial interests in two companies involved in sleep research.
By Bill Hendrick, WebMD Health News
Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD
Jan. 1, 2010 -- Adolescents whose parents set earlier bedtimes are significantly less likely to suffer from depression or have suicidal thoughts compared to youngsters who hit the sack later, new research indicates.
Youngsters in the study whose parents set bedtimes of midnight or later were 24% more likely to suffer from depression and 20% more apt to have thoughts of suicide, compared to youngsters with bedtimes of 10 p.m. or earlier, researchers report in the Jan. 1 issue of the journal SLEEP.
This suggests sufficient sleep may offer youngsters some protection from depression and thoughts of suicide, the researchers say.
Adolescents who reported they usually sleep five or fewer hours per night were 71% more likely to report depression, and 48% more likely to have thoughts of committing suicide, compared to young people reporting eight hours of sleep nightly, the study shows.
"Our results are consistent with the theory that inadequate sleep is a risk factor for depression," says study researcher James E. Gangwisch, PhD, of Columbia University Medical Center in New York.
He and his colleagues collected data on 15,659 adolescents and their parents who had participated in the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, a school-based sample of students in seventh to 12th grades, between 1994 and 1996.
The researchers found that:
* The average sleep duration was 7 hours and 53 minutes. The researchers note that adolescents need 9 hours of sleep daily.
* Nearly 70% of youngsters said they went to bed at a time that complied with the weeknight limit set by their parents.
The researchers say lack of sleep may produce moodiness that hinders the ability to cope with stresses of daily life, harming relationships with peers and adults. They say educating adolescents and their parents about the benefits of healthier sleep practices may be beneficial.
The researchers conclude that parents of adolescents should set earlier bedtimes to make sure their teens get adequate sleep.
One of the researchers, Gary K. Zammit, PhD, of Columbia, reported receiving research support from GlaxoSmithKline and other pharmaceutical companies. He also disclosed he has financial interests in two companies involved in sleep research.
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