ScienceDaily (Nov. 26, 2007) — Cambridge researchers have discovered that individuals with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and their close family members have distinctive patterns in their brain structure. This is the first time that scientists have associated an anatomical trait with familial risk for the disorder.
These new findings, recently reported in the journal Brain, could [...]
Archive for November, 2007
29 Nov
Brain Pattern Associated With Genetic Risk of OCD
28 Nov
Trauma Earlier In Life May Affect Response To Stress Years Later
ScienceDaily (Nov. 21, 2007) — Researchers have known for years that psychological trauma that results in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or depression can change how a person responds to stress. Now, Cornell researchers report that rapes, sudden deaths of loved ones, life-threatening accidents and other such traumas may result in long-term changes even if the [...]
28 Nov
Unemployment and Poverty Remain Dramatically High Among Workers With Disabilities
ScienceDaily (Nov. 21, 2007) — There is a dramatic employment and poverty gap between working-age people with disabilities and those without disabilities, according to a new Cornell report.
The Third Annual Disability Status Report, the only report of its kind in the nation, reveals that almost 38 percent of people with disabilities are employed, compared with [...]
27 Nov
2 Year Gold Pin
I received my 2 year anniversary pin at work last week, and for some reason things appear different somehow with me and my job. I can’t believe I made it this far.
My two years working in a call centre Customer Service department has been a topsy turvy struggle, especially after returning to the workforce [...]
27 Nov
Low B12 Tied To Faster Mental Decline With Age
November 26, 2007 – NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Low levels of vitamin B12 could speed mental decline in older people, a new study suggests.
Among a group of men and women aged 65 and older, those whose levels of two B12 activity markers indicated higher blood levels of the vitamin had a slower drop-off in [...]
26 Nov
Deliberate Self-Harm Can Signal Suicide Risk
Wednesday, November 21, 2007 – NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – The characteristics of young patients who commit acts of deliberate self-harm vary widely, but the risk of suicide is
very high in this population, UK investigators report.
“Deliberate self-harm and suicide are both major problems in young people,” Drs. Keith Hawton and Louise Harriss, of the University [...]
25 Nov
Obese Teens May Be At Risk Of Depression Later
By Amy Norton
Thursday, November 22, 2007 – NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Obese teenage girls may be more likely than their thinner peers to develop depression or anxiety disorders as adults, a study suggests.
Researchers found that among nearly 800 children and teenagers followed for 20 years, girls who were obese as teens had [...]
24 Nov
Inflammation Can’t Explain Depression’s Link to Heart Disease
THURSDAY, Nov. 15 (HealthDay News) — Depression is known to hike the risk of cardiovascular disease, but don’t put all the blame on any concurrent rise in inflammation.
So concludes a study led by Dr. Viola Vaccarino, a professor of medicine at Emory University, in Atlanta.
That means that it’s back to the drawing board in terms [...]
23 Nov
Brain Imaging Shows How Men and Women Cope Differently Under Stress
ScienceDaily (Nov. 19, 2007) — According to a study that appears in the current issue of SCAN (Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience), researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine discuss how men and women differ in their neural responses to psychological stress.
“We found that different parts of the brain activate with different spatial [...]
23 Nov
Brain Differences Detected in Migraine Sufferers
By Will Dunham
November 19, 2007 – WASHINGTON (Reuters) – People who get migraines
have structural differences in their brains notably in the cortex area that processes pain and other sensory information from the body, scientists said on Monday.
The researchers, whose findings were published in the journal Neurology, said it is unclear whether these brain differences [...]
20 Nov
Do Life Events Trigger Mental Disorders?
Do Life Events Trigger Mental Disorders?
ScienceDaily (Nov. 17, 2007) — A new epidemiological study performed in Italy addresses an old question in a recent issue of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics.
Although life events have been consistently reported as precipitating factors for most psychiatric disorders, there is no comprehensive investigation of the relationship between severe life events and [...]
20 Nov
Eating Disorders In Adolescents
ScienceDaily (Nov. 19, 2007) — Eating disorders in the U.S. among ethnic groups were thought to be rare, but recent studies have shown that many cultures are now exposed to the thin beauty ideal. As a result, experts expect to see an increase in eating disorder symptoms among ethnic groups. It is also suspected that [...]
19 Nov
Male & Female Adolescents Equally Victims of Physical Dating Violence, Study Shows
ScienceDaily (Nov. 12, 2007) — Physical dating violence (PDV) affects almost one in every 11 adolescents, according to research presented at the American Public Health Association’s 135th Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.
The study, which looked at data from the 2005 National Youth Risk Behavior Study, also found that contrary to common general perception, males and [...]
19 Nov
Alzheimer’s Patients Unresponsive to Antipsychotics
By Will Boggs, MD
Thursday, November 15, 2007 – NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Second-generation antipsychotic drugs are no better than placebo — from a cost-benefit viewpoint — for treating the psychosis and aggression that can develop in Alzheimer disease patients, according to a report in the Archives of General Psychiatry.
“These drugs do not generate enough [...]
18 Nov
Moms-to-be Often Anxious, Depressed: Study
By Megan Rauscher
November 08, 2007 – NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – It is not uncommon for expectant mothers to feel anxious and depressed, new research shows, and these feelings can have serious consequences for mom and baby.
“Mental health problems in the postpartum period have received much attention in the past decade,” Dr. Antoinette M. Lee [...]
15 Nov
47 Million Americans Lack Health Insurance: Report
Thursday, November 1, 2007 – NEW YORK (Reuters) – The number of Americans lacking health insurance rose by nearly 8.6 million to 47 million from 2000 to 2006, with children and workers from every income level losing coverage, a new report said on Thursday.
The increase was “driven primarily by the continued erosion in employer-provided health [...]
14 Nov
Exercise Eases Fibromyalgia Symptoms: Study
Biggest beneficiaries were women who also received training to manage the condition
MONDAY, Nov. 12 (HealthDay News) — Exercise may seem best at preventing illness rather than treating it, but a new study suggests that low-impact physical activity could make an immediate difference for people with one tough-to-treat condition: fibromyalgia.
Women with the little-understood chronic pain syndrome [...]
14 Nov
Fibromyalgia
Introduction
You hurt all over, and you frequently feel exhausted. Even after numerous tests, your doctor can’t find anything specifically wrong with you. If this sounds familiar, you may have fibromyalgia.
Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition characterized by widespread pain in your muscles, ligaments and tendons, as well as fatigue and multiple tender points — places on [...]
12 Nov
Caffeine and Depression: Is there a Link?
What is the relationship between caffeine and depression? Does caffeine make depression worse?
Mayo Clinic psychiatrist Daniel Hall-Flavin, M.D., answers:
The exact relationship between caffeine and depression isn’t clear. There’s no evidence that caffeine — a mild stimulant — causes depression. However, some people are more sensitive to the effects of caffeine than are others. In such [...]
11 Nov
Mental Problems in Teens Difficult to Diagnose
Online Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com
HOUSTON, Oct. 20 (UPI) — Pinpointing a diagnosis of psychiatric and behavioral problems in teens can be tricky, even for experts in mental health, a U.S. expert says.
Dr. Norma Clarke, medical director of the Adolescent Treatment Program at The Menninger Clinic in Houston, says the human brain is still developing during adolescence and [...]
10 Nov
Believe in You
Somewhere there’s a river
Lookin’ for a stream
Somewhere there’s a dreamer
Lookin’ for a dream
Somewhere there’s a drifter
Trying to find his way
Somewhere someone’s waitin’
To hear somebody say
I believe in you
I can’t even count the ways
That I believe in you
And all I want to do
ls help you to believe in you
Somewhere someone’s reachin’
Trying to grab that ring
Somewhere [...]
9 Nov
More Children on Chronic Meds
More Children On Chronic Medications For Blood Pressure, Cholesterol, Asthma, Depression And Diabetes
ScienceDaily (Nov. 9, 2007) — America’s tweens more than doubled their use of type-2 diabetes medications between 2002 and 2005, with girls between 10 and 14 years of age showing a 166 percent increase. The likely cause: Obesity, which is closely associated with [...]
9 Nov
Psychotherapy May Relieve Postpartum Depression
Online source: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/
By Joene Hendry
Tuesday, October 23, 2007 – NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Symptoms of postpartum depression appear to be reduced by any psychosocial therapy, with women opting for this treatment doing better than those who try to struggle through with no treatment at all, findings of a study review suggest.
Many women experience mild, [...]
7 Nov
Abilify Approved for Adolescents with Schizophrenia
Sanctioned for adults in 2002
By Scott Roberts
TUESDAY, Nov. 6, 2007 (HealthDay News) — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the Bristol-Myers Squibb antipsychotic drug Abilify (aripiprazole) for adolescents aged 13 to 17 diagnosed with schizophrenia, the company said Tuesday.
The FDA first approved the drug to treat schizophrenia in adults in November 2002. More [...]
6 Nov
Medicare Drug Plan Cost $32 Billion in 2006
Seniors filled 158 million more prescriptions after program’s launch, study found
By: Robert Preidt
THURSDAY, Nov. 1 (HealthDay News) — In 2006, introduction of the U.S. Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit increased the number of seniors’ prescriptions by 158 million, at a cost of $32 billion to Medicare, a new study concludes.
Reporting in the November/December issue [...]
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