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Millions of people suffer from depression, and one of the latest and most innovative tools to identify and treat this mental health disorder is web based treatment. Is this treatment model actually effective though? According to a new study by Lueneburg, Germany’s Leuphana University web based treatment can be effective when it provides guided intervention and self help. Claudia Buntrock, M.Sc. Was the lead researcher on the study, providing guidance to the research team during the study. 406 adults who all had sub threshold depression but who did not have major depressive disorder were divided into two groups. One group received a web based program that offered guided self-help intervention while the second group received a web based program that offered psychoeducation instead. Both groups still had access that was unrestricted to their usual care and primary care physician visits.
The study on web based treatment for depression found that the guided self help intervention was more effective when the program included therapy which involved problem solving and cognitive behavioral adjustment. The program with guided self help intervention also had the support of an online trainer as well. 82% of the study participants took part in a telephone follow up 12 months after having access to the web based treatment. Of the follow up respondents only 27% of the intervention group participants experienced major depression disorder while 41% of the control group respondents experienced MDD.
The study researchers noted that “Results of the study suggest that the intervention could effectively reduce the risk of MDD onset or at least delay onset. Further research is needed to understand whether the effects are generalizable to both first onset of depression and depression recurrence, as well as efficacy without the use of an online trainer.”
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A recent medical study has shown that when infants are suffering from opioid withdrawal and Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome they will recover faster when they spend a significant amount of time with their parents nearby. Having the parents close to the infant has shown to greatly improve the outcome. The study findings were used in a presentation for the 2016 meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies. According to Boston Children’s Hospital/Boston Medical Center Combined Residency Program associate Mary Beth Howard, M.D., M.Sc., the lead author of the study, “Encouraging and supporting mothers with substance abuse disorders to be involved in their infant’s care while they are being treated for withdrawal symptoms should be a priority of providers caring for opioid-exposed newborns.”
As the USA and Canada struggle with an epidemic of opioid abuse more infants will experience opioid withdrawal and Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome from exposure to heroin or other opioid drugs in the womb. Some of the symptoms of NAS include poor feeding, lethargy, tremors, vomiting, diarrhea, poor sleep, and intense irritability. Infants who experience these symptoms are typically treated in the hospital, and this often requires weeks of an inpatient stay along with a variety of drugs to treat the symptoms that the infant experiences. In the study newborns who had their parents at the bedside during the treatment tended to have opioid withdrawal symptoms that were less severe, and these infants were typically released after shorter stays than infants who did not receive the same parental support and presence.
According to Howard “Our results show that non-pharmacologic interventions play a key role in treating opioid-exposed infants and lessening the severity of NAS. Rooming-in may provide opportunities for bonding and normalize the postpartum process for women who may feel vulnerable and stigmatized because of their opioid dependence history. Creating a more secure, compassionate, and comfortable environment for mothers and infants will likely lead to improved outcomes for both mother and infant.”
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1. Expect to struggle with the fact that you can not heal someone who has bipolar disorder no matter how much you love them. Many people think that if they try hard enough they can save someone that they love from mental illness but this is not the case. You did not cause this condition and you can not cure it no matter how much you want to or how hard you try.
2. This mental health disorder will cause chaos, especially when your loved one is first diagnosed, and you can expect to be surprised. While the condition has a set of parameters each individual is different and unique, and the disorder can take many different forms and include a wide range of symptoms. There is no lab test for this condition, it is diagnosed based on the symptoms displayed and the history given by the patient.
3. Treatment does not always mean the same thing to someone who has bipolar disorder, and yoru loved one may seem to resist the treatment that you think they would benefit from. A mental disorder changes the way an individual thinks and they may not always see treatment as something that is necessary until an effective treatment is started.
4. Expect to feel guilt when you feel good or you are having a positive moment when you love someone who has this mental health disorder because this is part of human nature. Let this guilt go and understand that avoiding happiness will not help your loved one recover, and that you should not be sentenced to a lifetime of sadness just because the person that you love is mentally ill.
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1. Your loved one may not even realize that they have bipolar disorder. Often those with a mental illness do not even know that they are sick, This is a phenomenon known as anosognasia and the person who is ill will often not even seek treatment as a result of this condition.
2. This mental health disorder requires a considerable amount of time and effort to manage properly, even for those who do not have any mental or medical conditions. Expecting someone who is ill to manage this is impossible and an advocate and caregiver may be needed until the condition is under control and the individual can handle their own needs in these areas.
3. In many cases medications used to treat bipolar disorder is not always effective, and it can take some time to find the right medications in the right dosages. Very few people with this diagnosis get rapid relief as soon as they start the first medications and many find that it can take several attempts and various drugs and drug combos before they begin to see improvement. Don’t expect changes overnight.
4. Expect to feel overwhelmed and remember to take care of yourself. This type of mental health diagnosis is usually one that is life changing, especially for those who care about the person who is diagnosed. Schedule time for yourself on a regular basis and do not let the demands of caring for your loved one prevent you from caring for yourself properly at the same time. Enlist the help of others so that you do not end up exhausted and run down.
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A new study by University of Helsinki researchers has determined that a lack of sleep can impact mental and physical health both, leading to a greater risk of illness for the individual. Studies in the past have identified a lack of sleep with conditions that affect the immune system, inflammation in the body, appetite regulating hormones, and even how you metabolize carbohydrates. The latest study also shows that a lack of sleep could affect your physical health in other ways as well, including your cholesterol metabolism. The study results showed that people who get less sleep tend to have less active genes which are involved in the regulation of cholesterol transport in the body.
Sleep Team Helsinki researcher Vilma Aho, a doctoral student at the University of Helsinki, explained the connection between lack of sleep and poor physical health. Aho said “In this case, we examined what changes sleep loss caused to the functions of the body and which of these changes could be partially responsible for the elevated risk for illness. It is particularly interesting that these factors contributing to the onset of atherosclerosis, that is to say, inflammatory reactions and changes to cholesterol metabolism, were found both in the experimental study and in the epidemiological data. The experimental study proved that just one week of insufficient sleep begins to change the body’s immune response and metabolism. Our next goal is to determine how minor the sleep deficiency can be while still causing such changes.” This is something to think about when you are tempted to cut back on your sleep.
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Psilocybin, the substance in magic mushrooms which allow users to experience a distorted reality and “trip” as it is referred to, could help patients with certain mental health disorders experience less social rejection and the negative emotions and pain that this rejection can cause. Researchers have long known that people who have mental disorders tend to react much stronger to social rejection, and this can add even more stress on the patient which can have a negative impact on their treatment and the development of their mental disorder. These individuals could be at greater risk for even further withdrawal from social life and the support that these activities can provide. University of Zurich researchers have found that a small amount of psilocybin can affect the way that the brain processes social conflicts and allow the participants to feel socially included and to experience less stress when they are socially rejected.
First author of the study on social rejection and psilocybin, Dr. Katrin Preller, explained that “Increased activity in brain areas such as the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex is associated with an increased experience of social pain. This has been shown to be present in different psychiatric disorders. Psilocybin seems to influence these particular brain areas.” Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging Unit director Dr. Franz Vollenweider stated “These new results could be groundbreaking for the illumination of the neuropharmacological mechanisms of social interaction and may help to develop new treatments. On the other hand the reduction of psychological pain and fear can facilitate the therapist-patient relationship and therefore the psychotherapeutic treatment of formative negative social experiences.
