Mood Disorders

Study: Genetic factors, not exercise eases anxiety, depression

Voluntary physical activity does not appear to reduce anxiety and depression, but exercise and mood may be associated through a common genetic factor, according to a report in the August issue of Archives of General Psychiatry. In the general population, regular exercise is associated with a reduction in anxious and depressive symptoms, according to background information in the article. Experiments involving specific clinical populations have suggested exercise causes this reduction in anxiety ...

New insight into how brains process antidepressants, and addictive drugs

Discoveries may lead to new therapies for mental illnesses, addiction In a first, scientists from Weill Cornell Medical College and Columbia University Medical Center have described the how brain cells process antidepressant drugs, cocaine and amphetamines. These novel findings may prove useful in the development of more targeted medications for a host of psychiatric diseases, most notably in the area of addiction. Their breakthrough research, reported in a recent issue of Molecular Cell, descri...

Hundreds of new psych medications in pipeline

There are a record 301 new medicines being developed for mental illnesses, according to a new report released in New Orleans, Louisiana during a briefing that focused on the devastating effects that mental illnesses have on patients, their families, and society. In Louisiana, rates of post-traumatic stress disorder and suicide have increased since hurricanes Katrina and Rita, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Mental disorders after a natural disaster usually decrease with time, ...

Deep brain stimulation proves effective for treatment-resistant depression

New data from a study of patients with treatment-resistant depression who underwent deep brain stimulation (DBS) in the subcallosal cingulate region (SCG or Cg25) of the brain shows that this intervention is generally safe and provides significant improvement in patients as early as one month after treatment. The patients also experienced continued and sustained improvement over time. The study, led by Helen S. Mayberg MD, and collaborators neurosurgeon Andres Lozano, MD, PhD, and psychiatrist S...

Comorbid PTSD affects depression and pain severity

Patients with accident or trauma related chronic pain often have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression. What isn't clearly, however, is how PTSD relates to mood disorders and pain severity in chronic pain patients. To find out University of Michigan researchers examined the contribution of PTSD to the pain experience, functional disability and frequency of depressive symptoms. They studied 241 patients referred to the university hospital's pain rehabilitation program who reported ...

Researchers find a partially shared genetic profile between schizophrenia and bipolar disorder

Both schizophrenia and bipolar disorder can be disabling conditions, and both present clinically with significant mood and psychotic symptoms. These two illnesses also share genetic variants that might be involved in the predisposition to both disorders.

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Darren gives the Double Diablos Workout: Overhead Squat 5,5,5,5,5 Post loads to comments. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Article: Scientists learn how food affects mental health Omega-3 fatty acids — found in salmon, walnuts and kiwi fruit — provide many benefits, including improving learning and memory and helping to fight against such mental disorders as depression and mood disorders, schizophrenia, and dementia, said Gómez-Pinilla, a member of UCLA's Brain Res...

Obesity linked to anxiety, and depression

Mental health disorders such as anxiety and depression are associated with obesity according to a new study from the University of Otago, Wellington, New Zealand. The research found there are associations between obesity and some anxiety disorders, and less strong links with obesity and depression. This is the first study to have examined links between all anxiety disorders and obesity. The findings indicate that in the general population people with obesity are more likely to have certain menta...

Hemo2Homo Reviews The Happening

The Hemo2Homo Connection Movie Review Hemo: He has done it again: my generation's Alfred Hitchcock, Mr. M. Night Shaymalan, has delivered another masterpiece with The Happening. Homo: WHAT??? Are you losing your mind, Hemo? Hitchcock would have never produced a turkey like this thing, which I only went because you said we should review it. What's worse is that I had heard it sucked, but my friend Ernie and I decided to go see it anyway because we were in the mood for a good/bad movie. Hemo: Don...

Some foods can improve your mental health, and your grandkids' too

In addition to helping protect us from heart disease and cancer, a balanced diet and regular exercise can also protect the brain and ward off mental disorders. "Food is like a pharmaceutical compound that affects the brain," said Fernando Gómez-Pinilla, a UCLA professor of neurosurgery and physiological science who has spent years studying the effects of food, exercise and sleep on the brain. "Diet, exercise and sleep have the potential to alter our brain health and mental function. This raises...