Did I See What I Think I Saw?
ScienceDaily (Jan. 28, 2009) — Eyewitness testimony is a crucial part of many criminal trials even though research increasingly suggests that it may not be as accurate as we (and many lawyers) would like it to be. For example, if you witness a man in a blue sweater [...]
Archive for January, 2009
30 Jan
Are You Good At Recall?
30 Jan
Anxiety & Depression & Fertility Treatment
Fertility Treatment: Anxiety And Depression Do Not Affect Pregnancy And Treatment Cancellation Rates
ScienceDaily (Jan. 28, 2009) — Anxiety and depression before and during fertility treatment does not affect the likelihood of a woman becoming pregnant or of her cancelling her treatment, according to a new study.
Dr Bea Lintsen, a physician at the Department of Obstetrics [...]
29 Jan
Omega-3 Fatty Acids Ease Depressive Symptoms Related To Menopause
ScienceDaily (Jan. 28, 2009) — Omega-3 fatty acids ease psychological distress and depressive symptoms often suffered by menopausal and perimenopausal women, according to researchers at Université Laval’s Faculty of Medicine.
Their study, published in the February issue of The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, presents the first evidence that omega-3 supplements are effective for treating common [...]
29 Jan
Medications and the Elderly
Common Medication Associated With Cognitive Decline In Elderly
ScienceDaily (Jan. 28, 2009) — A study published in Journal of the American Geriatrics Society suggested that the use of certain medications in elderly populations may be associated with cognitive decline. The study examined the effects of exposure to anticholinergic medications, a type of drug used to treat [...]
24 Jan
Tanning no cure for seasonal depression
By Anne Harding
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Jan. 22, 2009 – People who suffer from winter depression known as “seasonal affective disorder” or SAD — or the less severe but more common “winter blues” — shouldn’t seek relief in a tanning bed or booth, a leading expert on light therapy warns.
SAD is often treated with [...]
23 Jan
Migraines and mood disorders may be connected
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Jan. 21, 2008 – Research suggests that people who suffer from migraine headaches are at increased risk of also suffering from mood and anxiety disorders.
“An expanding body of literature has shown that migraine headaches are associated with higher rates of mental disorders,” Dr. Jitender Sareen, of the University of Manitoba, [...]
23 Jan
Lexapro may ease anxiety in older adults: study
By Julie Steenhuysen
CHICAGO (Reuters) – Jan 20, 2008 – The popular antidepressant Lexapro showed promise at easing anxiety symptoms in older adults, but the effect was “modest” and would need to be studied further, U.S. researchers said on Tuesday.
They said antidepressants like Lexapro, made by Forest Laboratories Inc and known generically as escitalopram, may be [...]
19 Jan
Tinnitus causes: Could my antidepressant be the culprit?
Mayo Clinic psychiatrist Daniel Hall-Flavin, M.D., answers:
Ringing in the ears (tinnitus) can be caused by many medications, including antidepressants such as Zoloft. If your antidepressant causes tinnitus, switching to another medication may alleviate the problem.
Because there are many potential tinnitus causes — including aging, allergies, aspirin, certain infections, and certain autoimmune, neurological and psychiatric disorders — [...]
16 Jan
Mental Health Care and Foster Children
How Mental Health Care Affects Outcomes For Foster Children
ScienceDaily (Jan. 15, 2009) — Of the approximately half-million children and adolescents in foster care in the U.S., experts estimate that 42 to 60 percent of them have emotional and behavioral problems. Despite the prevalence of mental health problems among foster children, little is known about how [...]
16 Jan
Newer Antipsychotics Pose Cardiac Risk
Patients advised to avoid the drugs in some cases
WEDNESDAY, Jan. 14 (HealthDay News) – A new study warns that the second generation of antipsychotic drugs, used to treat conditions ranging from schizophrenia to anxiety, put patients at higher risk of sudden death due to cardiac arrest.
The odds of a heart problem are low, and specialists [...]
14 Jan
No Link With Asthma Med and Suicide
FDA says Singulair data do not suggest suicide link
By Ransdell Pierson
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Jan. 13, 2008 – U.S. regulators on Tuesday said their review of clinical trials does not suggest Merck & Co’s Singulair asthma drug or similar medicines cause suicide or suicidal thought, although the data were inadequate to draw a firm conclusion.
However, [...]
13 Jan
Vitamin D Is The ‘It’ Nutrient Of The Moment
ScienceDaily (Jan. 12, 2009) — Vitamin D is quickly becoming the “it” nutrient with health benefits for diseases, including cancer, osteoporosis, heart disease and now diabetes.
A recent review article published by researchers from Loyola University Chicago Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing concluded that adequate intake of vitamin D may prevent or delay the onset of [...]
13 Jan
Saliva Test For Autism
Toward a long-sought saliva test for Autism
ScienceDaily (Jan. 12, 2009) — Researchers in Italy are reporting discovery of abnormal proteins in the saliva of autism patients that could eventually provide a clue for the molecular basis of this severe developmental disorder and could be used as a biomarker for a subgroup of patients with autism [...]
12 Jan
Depression treatment for children: What works?
Mayo Clinic pediatrician Jay Hoecker, M.D. answers:
Many years ago, doctors didn’t believe that children could experience depression. But mental health experts now know that depression is as common in children as it is in adults.
For children, depression treatment may include psychotherapy either alone or in combination with antidepressant medication. Although opinions vary about which depression [...]
12 Jan
Triggering Triggers
Triggers can pop up just about anywhere. Just when you think that you have tackled an issue, whether it is dealing with a traumatic experience or re-living memories in a condition called (PTSD), post-traumatic stress disorder; triggers are there.
For me, I have been through therapy, and experienced the tough therapy road dealing with PTSD. A [...]
11 Jan
Protein That Protects Against Alzheimer’s?
ScienceDaily (Jan. 10, 2009) — Research on the mechanisms involved in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, stroke, dementia, Parkinson’s and multiple sclerosis, to name a few, has taken a step forward thanks to the work of biological sciences Ph.D. student Sonia Do Carmo, supervised by Professor Éric Rassart of the Université du Québec à Montreal [...]
10 Jan
Antipsychotics for Alzheimer’s up death risk: study
LONDON (Reuters) – Jan. 08, 2008 – Antipsychotic drugs prescribed to treat aggression in older Alzheimer’s patients appear to significantly raise their risk of dying prematurely, British researchers said Friday.
The results from the first long-term study on the effect of the medicines on people with Alzheimer’s highlights the need to seek less harmful treatments for [...]
10 Jan
Older Women Who Are More Physically Fit Have Better Cognitive Function
ScienceDaily (Jan. 8, 2009) — New research by Marc Poulin, PhD, DPhil, finds that being physically fit helps the brain function at the top of its game. An Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research Senior Scholar, Poulin finds that physical activity benefits blood flow in the brain, and, as a result, cognitive abilities.
“Being sedentary is [...]
10 Jan
Preventing Teenage Depression
Recognizing Children’s Successes In All Areas May Prevent Teenage Depression
ScienceDaily (Jan. 8, 2009) — Students’ successes in the first grade can affect more than their future report cards. In a new study, University of Missouri researchers found links among students’ weak academic performance in the first grade, self-perceptions in the sixth grade, and depression symptoms [...]
9 Jan
Eating Disorders & Male Athletes
Eating disorders may be rising among male athletes
By Anne Harding
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Jan. 08, 2009 – More and more male athletes are developing unhealthy eating behaviors after seeing the competitive advantage a leaner physique can bring, a sports medicine doctor warns in a new report.
Recent deaths among wrestlers have raised awareness of eating [...]
9 Jan
Childhood Trauma And Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Risk Biologically Linked
ScienceDaily (Jan. 7, 2009) — Childhood trauma is a potent risk factor for development of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), according to a study by researchers at Emory University School of Medicine and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Results of the study confirm that childhood trauma, particularly emotional maltreatment and sexual abuse, is associated [...]
8 Jan
‘Aint Depression the Pits
Well, it’s been 4 ½ months that I’ve been off work on disability for depression, and I’m deemed healthy enough now to return. I’m lucky, I have a psychiatrist who worked with me on the decision of when to return, asking me if I wanted to in mid February or early March. I went with [...]
8 Jan
Depression & Poverty
Depression may underlie “transmission” of poverty
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Jan. 07, 2008 – Children from poor families are more likely than their peers to be depressed as teenagers, with effects that can ultimately make it harder to climb out from poverty, a new study suggests.
The study, which followed nearly 500 Iowa families for a [...]
7 Jan
Why Smokers Struggle To Quit, New Findings
ScienceDaily (Jan. 5, 2009) — Just seeing someone smoke can trigger smokers to abandon their nascent efforts to kick the habit, according to new research conducted at Duke University Medical Center.
Brain scans taken during normal smoking activity and 24 hours after quitting show there is a marked increase in a particular kind of brain activity [...]
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