MONDAY, Dec. 14 (HealthDay News) — Zyprexa Relprevv (olanzapine), a long-acting version of the antipsychotic drug Zyprexa, has been approved to treat schizophrenia in adults, maker Eli Lilly said Monday.
The single injection lasts up to four weeks, the drug maker said in a news release. Clinical studies involving 2,054 people found Zyprexa Relprevv effective in [...]
Archive for the ‘mental health’ Category
14 Dec
Long-Acting Zyprexa Approved
13 Dec
How to Attack Holiday Stress Head-On
SATURDAY, Dec. 12 (HealthDay News) — With pressures from the economic hard times, dysfunctional families and countless other factors, the holidays can contribute to emotional stress and depression.
But there are ways to cope with the various scenarios that people experience at this time of year, according to Dr. Laura Miller, director of women’s mental health [...]
11 Dec
Antiepileptic Drugs Not Linked to Suicide Among Those With Bipolar Disorder
ScienceDaily (Dec. 10, 2009) — Despite government warnings about an increased risk of suicidal thoughts and actions while taking antiepileptic drugs, these medications do not appear to be associated with increased risk of suicide attempts in individuals with bipolar disorder, and may have a possible protective effect, according to a report in the December issue [...]
9 Dec
Most Antidepressants Miss Key Target
Most Antidepressants Miss Key Target of Clinical Depression, Study Finds
ScienceDaily (Dec. 9, 2009) — A key brain protein called monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A) — is highly elevated during clinical depression yet is unaffected by treatment with commonly used antidepressants, according to an important study published in the Archives of General Psychiatry. The study has important [...]
9 Dec
UNDERSTANDING MENTAL ILLNESS
This may be of assistance as you journey through my blog…
DEPRESSION
Problems and misfortunes are a part of life. Everyone experiences unhappiness, and many people may become depressed temporarily when things don’t go as they would like. Experiences of failure commonly result in temporary feelings of worthlessness and self-blame, while personal losses cause feelings of sadness, [...]
8 Dec
Antidepressant May Change Personality
Antidepressant May Change Personality While Relieving Symptoms
ScienceDaily (Dec. 7, 2009) — Individuals taking a medication to treat depression may experience changes in their personality separate from the alleviation of depressive symptoms, according to a report in the December issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Two personality traits, neuroticism and extraversion, have [...]
7 Dec
News coverage of antidepressants for kids uneven
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Dec 07, 2009 – Media coverage of the warnings on antidepressants and children’s risk of suicidal behavior often failed to give the public the whole story, according to a study published Monday.
The study, by researchers at the Yale University School of Public Health, concludes that many print and TV news [...]
1 Dec
Alcoholism treatment: Can diet aid recovery?
Mayo Clinic psychiatrist Daniel Hall-Flavin, M.D. answers:
Because people with alcoholism tend to eat poorly, a common-sense approach to good nutrition is an important part of alcoholism treatment. But there’s no credible scientific evidence that any specific nutritional approach is a cure for alcoholism or even a critical part of the recovery process.
Alcoholism is a complex [...]
30 Nov
Autism treatment works in kids as young as 18 mos.
CHICAGO (AP) - Monday, November 30, 2009 – The first rigorous study of behavior treatment in autistic children as young as 18 months found two years of therapy can vastly improve symptoms, often resulting in a milder diagnosis.
The study was small — just 48 children evaluated at the University of Washington — but the results were [...]
30 Nov
Cutting Costs On Prescription Drugs
Dispensing Prescription Drugs in 3-Month Supplies Reduces Drug Costs by a Third
ScienceDaily (Nov. 28, 2009) — Purchasing prescription drugs in a three-month supply rather than a one-month supply has long been regarded as a way to reduce the cost of drugs for patients and third-party payers. New research from the University of Chicago quantifies the [...]
25 Nov
Early Relationships Influence Teen Pain and Depression
ScienceDaily (Nov. 25, 2009) — Angst could be more than a rite of passage for insecure teenagers, according to a study published in the Journal of Pain. Researchers from the Université de Montréal, Sainte-Justine University Hospital Center and McGill University have discovered that insecure adolescents experience more intense pain in the form of frequent headaches, [...]
13 Nov
Stroke Puts Stress on Spousal Relationship
Patient/caregiver roles often take the place of a partnership, researchers say
TUESDAY, Nov. 10 (HealthDay News) — Although many wedding vows include the phrase “in sickness and in health,” a stroke can put that promise to the test by causing major relationship problems for married couples, according to British researchers.
The University of Ulster study included 16 [...]
12 Nov
Radical Medicine, Radical Treatment
Treatment for mental illness took a turn in the mid 1940’s with ECT (electroconvulsive therapy) and insulin shock therapy and the use of frontal lobotomy. In modern times, insulin shock therapy and lobotomies are viewed as being almost as barbaric as the Bedlam “treatments”. The effect of a lobotomy on an overly excitable patient often [...]
11 Nov
Emotions Increase Or Decrease Pain, Say Researchers
ScienceDaily (Nov. 11, 2009) — Getting a flu shot this fall? Canadians scientists have found that focusing on a pretty image could alleviate the sting of that vaccine. According to a new Université de Montréal study, published in the latest edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), negative and positive emotions [...]
11 Nov
Women, Depression & Stroke
Women More Likely Than Men To Suffer Depression After Stroke
ScienceDaily (Nov. 11, 2009) — Depression occurs in as many as one-third of patients after a stroke, and women are at somewhat higher risk, according to a large new review of studies. Post-stroke depression is associated with greater disability, reduced quality of life and an increased [...]
10 Nov
Depressed and Pregnant? Flu Shot May Be Needed
MONDAY, Nov. 9 (HealthDay News) — Pregnant women who are depressed may suffer severe symptoms if they catch seasonal flu, a new study suggests.
Ohio State University researchers assessed depressive symptoms and took blood samples from 22 pregnant women before they received a seasonal flu shot. Those with significant symptoms of depression had a stronger inflammatory [...]
8 Nov
Hunting For The Prozac Gene
ScienceDaily (Nov. 7, 2009) — Prozac works wonders for some depressed people, but not for others. In some cases, patients derive little benefit and at worst, it can lead to bizarre hallucinations and fits of rage. Researchers and doctors remain puzzled as to what causes the wide range of reaction to Prozac and similar antidepressants.
The [...]
4 Nov
Deep Brain Stimulation Gives Hope For Very Severe Depression
ScienceDaily (Nov. 3, 2009) — Thanks to a new method, there is a reason for hope for patients with very severe depression. Physicians at the University Clinics of Bonn and Cologne have treated ten patients with deep brain stimulation. This involved implanting electrodes in the patients’ nucleus accumbens. This centre has a key role in [...]
30 Oct
Depersonalization Disorder: A Feeling of Being ‘Outside’ Your Body
What causes depersonalization disorder? How is it treated?
Mayo Clinic psychiatrist Daniel Hall-Flavin, M.D., answers:
Depersonalization — a feeling of unreality or of being “outside” your body — can be a syndrome or a symptom of another mental disorder. It’s often associated with anxiety and stress.
When you feel anxious or stressed out, you may breathe [...]
27 Oct
Phone Counseling for Depression Rings With Promise
TUESDAY, Oct. 27 (HealthDay News) — An intensive telephone counseling program for people with depression offers substantial benefits at moderate cost, U.S. researchers say.
They studied 600 people who were randomly assigned to one of three types of care for their depression. One group received telephone care management, which included five outreach calls for monitoring, support, [...]
27 Oct
Depression Often Goes Untreated in Working Moms
TUESDAY, Oct. 27 (HealthDay News) — More than 65 percent of U.S. mothers with depression don’t receive adequate treatment, a new study has found.
Black, Hispanic and other minority mothers are least likely to receive adequate treatment. Mothers with health insurance are three times more likely to receive adequate treatment than those without insurance, wrote the [...]
17 Oct
Depression and Children
Know the Facts:
~~ As many as one in every 33 children may have depression.
~~ Once a young person has experienced a major depression, he or she is at risk of developing another depression within the next 5 years.
~~ Children under stress, who experience loss, or who have attention, learning or conduct disorders are at a [...]
16 Oct
Antidepressant; Suicidal Thoughts in Men
Popular Antidepressant Associated With A Dramatic Increase In Suicidal Thoughts Amongst Men, Study Finds
ScienceDaily (Oct. 15, 2009) — Nortriptyline has been found to cause a ten-fold increase in suicidal thoughts in men when compared to its competitor escitalopram. These findings are published in the open access journal BMC Medicine.
The research was carried out by Dr. [...]
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