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A new and innovative computer based treatment program may be effective at decreasing the symptoms and negative thought bias associated with Major Depressive Disorder or MDD. Researchers at the Hunan Normal University determined that using the program could help reduce the depression and associated symptoms in patients who were diagnosed with MDD, especially adolescents. In the USA alone it is estimated that more than 10% of adolescents will have MDD, and this group is approximately 5 times as likely to attempt suicide as their peers who do not suffer from this type of mental illness. The researchers determined that attention bias modification or ABM can help individuals with MDD shift their thoughts and word associations from negative to neutral and then to positive.
ABM is a computer based treatment program which could help when Major Depressive Disorder is an issue. During the study the participants were divided into treatment and control groups. The control group received placebo training sessions while the other group actually received the ABM treatment program. There were 45 adolescents diagnosed with MDD who took part in the study and these teens were chosen from a school population. The placebo group also performed the same types of tasks as the treatment group but the teens in the placebo group had their attention directed to neutral and sad words equally rather than positive associations. The study data and results were published in JAACAP, the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Further studies will be needed before the data can be verified but this study shows great promise in treatment for MDD.
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A new study by Brown University researchers may have identified a link between mindfulness and glucose levels. Mindfulness refers to being aware of the thoughts and emotions that are presently being experienced, and people who have healthier glucose levels tend to be more mindful than those whose glucose levels are not as healthy. The research shows that improving the level of mindfulness and being able to live in the now and this specific moment can be beneficial and lead to better physical and mental health in the long run. The study researchers do caution that the data does not prove cause and effect though, but it does suggest that a higher level of mindfulness could lead to an improvement in cardiovascular health. A connection between healthier blood glucose levels and a higher level of mindfulness was seen by the researchers but there could be many other factors at play as well.
Brown University School of Public Health assistant professor of epidemiology and lead study researcher and author Dr. Eric Loucks explained the study on mindfulness and glucose levels and the results seen from this study. Loucks and the other researchers explained “This study demonstrated a significant association of dispositional mindfulness with glucose regulation, and provided novel evidence that obesity and sense of control may serve as potential mediators of this association. As mindfulness is likely a modifiable trait, this study provides preliminary evidence for a fairly novel and modifiable potential determinant of diabetes risk. There’s been almost no epidemiological observational study investigations on the relationship of mindfulness with diabetes or any cardiovascular risk factor. This is one of the first. We’re getting a signal. I’d love to see it replicated in larger sample sizes and prospective studies as well.”
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In the past research has shown that the stress reaction in pregnant women can be passed to the fetus along the placenta, and this reaction can have a negative impact on the unborn child after they are born. Some of the symptoms associated with prenatal stress after birth include a low birth weight, a higher susceptibility to illness, and brain development that is poor compared to babies who were not exposed to prenatal stress. A new study shows that these problems can be overcome with sensitive infant care and good parenting. The researchers determined that after birth parenting that is loving and attentive can overcome the prenatal stress exposure and reduce the negative genetic impacts that the prenatal depression in the mother can cause.
Dr. Elisabeth Conradt, an assistant professor at the Department of Psychology at the University of Utah, was one of the researchers who studied sensitive infant care and prenatal depression, discussed the study and stated “We were curious about whether maternal behavior could buffer the child against the effects of maternal depression, and if this buffering could be observed at the level of the infant’s epigenome. Many mothers struggle with depression but interact quite sensitively with their infants. In these instances, the mother may be turning on certain genes that we think allow infants to manage stress in adaptive ways. We are excited about the possibility that this research may lead to specific ways one can effectively intervene with pregnant women at risk for postpartum depression.” Further research may be needed to evaluate the true effectiveness of sensitive infant care and how this care minimizes the prenatal stress exposure in infants.
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A new study from the University of California Davis Health System that involved imaging showed that intense exercise could help fight depression and promote overall better mental health. What researchers found was that two of the critical neurotransmitters that are associated with depression, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and glutamate, are boosted by intense exercise and that this can help fight depression. These neurotransmitters are important for good mental health and individuals with depression are usually deficient in these compounds in the brain. The study has been published in the scientific publication The Journal of Neuroscience. Researchers believe that intense exercise could be an important component of treatment for those who suffer from depression or other psychiatric disorders that have been associated with neurotransmitter deficiencies in the brain.
The study in intense exercise and depression showed that a deficiency in neurotransmitters which drive communications between different brain cells will have an impact on mental, physical, and emotional health. According to Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of California Davis Health System professor and lead study author Dr. Richard Maddock “Major depressive disorder is often characterized by depleted glutamate and GABA, which return to normal when mental health is restored. Our study shows that exercise activates the metabolic pathway that replenishes these neurotransmitters.” Maddock went on to say “From a metabolic standpoint, vigorous exercise is the most demanding activity the brain encounters, much more intense than calculus or chess, but nobody knows what happens with all that energy. Apparently, one of the things it’s doing is making more neurotransmitters.”
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When it comes to adolescent treatment for psychotic like symptoms many parents may not know where to turn or which approach to take. A cooperative study by researchers from the University of Helsinki, the Helsinki University Hospital Department of Psychiatry, and the National Institute for Health and Welfare in Finland has found that the best approach for these adolescents is home treatment that is network centered instead of hospital based treatment. The researchers determined that this treatment method offered a similar reduction in the psychotic like symptoms experienced to what was seen in hospital based treatment. In addition the teens who were treated at home and school instead of in a hospital had fewer hopeless and depressed feelings and they were better able to function.
HUH Department of Psychiatry researcher Docent Niklas Granö, Ph.D., explained the findings on adolescent treatment for psychotic like symptoms. Dr. Granö stated “The improved ability to function observed in the network-centered early intervention group is crucial, since this is usually a major challenge for people with psychotic-like symptoms. A poor ability to function makes it difficult to cope with everyday tasks and keep up with one’s peers. This is particularly true of those with psychotic-like symptoms or full-blown psychosis.” Granö went on to say “When young people receive real support with things that weigh on them and cause them stress, their mood lightens, their ability to function improves, feelings of hopelessness wane, and their recovery speeds up. The advantage of the early intervention method tested in this study is that its implementation does not require new resources, only reforms to old practices.”
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A recent scientific review explored available evidence to evaluate whether common bipolar medications can help to restore normal brain function, and this review was made possible thanks to the last two decades of MRI acquisition and analysis advancements. These advancements make it possible for researchers to identify the neuroanatomical abnormalities which can be found in a number of mental disorders. The researchers who performed the review evaluated the effect of the most common bipolar medications on the brain of individuals with bipolar disorder. These medications included antidepressants, lithium, anti psychotics, and mood stabilizers. People who have bipolar disorder are typically treated with drugs that help stabilize mood. During episodes of mania or depression the individual is usually given antidepressant or anti psychotic drugs as well, depending on whether the patient is displaying depression or mania.
Past studies and MRI analysis efforts have shown that patients who need bipolar medications because they have this disorder also tend to have deficits in the volume of gray matter in the brain. This is especially true in brain areas that are associated with mood regulation Previous research has also shown that this specific mental disorder also has associations with white matter disorganization in certain areas. The latest analysis showed that bipolar medications did seem to restore more normal brain function and brain anatomy. Some of the evidence evaluated showed that lithium and other mood stabilizers are associated with an increase in the volume of gray matter. This latest review is very promising and it means that bipolar medications may not only treat the symptoms of this disorder but also work at treating the cause as well.
