Depression Archive

Results have been discouraging for Alzheimer's disease, but they may help stroke patients in a variety of ways.

Alzheimer's disease and the depression that often affects people starting at about age 65 can easily be mistaken for one another. Depression can cause dementia-like deficits in memory and other mental functions, and Alzheimer's disease can cause depressive-like apathy and withdrawal.

Pain, anxiety, and depression often coincide because the parts of the brain and nervous system that handle sensations and touch interact with those that regulate emotions and stress.

Hypertension on the rise. One-quarter to one-third of U.S. adults — between 60 million and 70 million Americans — have high blood pressure (also known as hypertension). Less than half of them manage to keep their blood pressure under control with diet, exercise, medication, stress reduction, and other strategies (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the federal Medical Expenditure Panel Survey).

Exercise and HDL. Physical activity boosts protective HDL more in some people than others. Why? Research suggests that exercise affects the function of several genes that influence HDL (Circulation: Cardiovascular Genetics, February 2011). Variants of these genes from person to person could explain why some people have larger increases in HDL in response to exercise than others.

Besides hot flashes and extra-heavy periods, what else might the menopausal transition have in store for you? Possibly major depression, according to findings from the Study of Women's Health Across the Nation (SWAN), a multi-ethnic study of women's health at midlife. Perimenopause begins several years before menopause (the end of menstruation) and ends a year after the last menstrual period. During this transition, ovarian hormones are in flux, resulting in irregular periods and sometimes vasomotor symptoms (hot flashes and night sweats). Many women also report depressive symptoms, but it's unclear whether women are at increased risk for major depression at this time — and if so, whether hormones play a role. The SWAN findings suggest that perimenopause and early postmenopause are a high-risk time for major depression — and the risk is independent of hormone levels and hot flashes. Results were published online in Psychological Medicine (Feb. 9, 2011).

The study. Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh tracked the development of major depression through menopause in 221 women (144 white and 77 black) who were premenopausal when the study began. At the start of the study and annually for the next 10 years, the women provided extensive health data and blood samples (for measuring levels of estrogen, follicle-stimulating hormone, and testosterone). They were interviewed about past depression and evaluated regularly for major depressive symptoms. The researchers also collected information on vasomotor symptoms, negative life events, and menopausal status.

The effect of tears and three other tales of woe.

We expect babies and children to cry, but House Speaker John Boehner's well-chronicled weepiness is a reminder that adults (including menfolk) shed plenty of tears, too. Grief, personal conflict, and feelings of inadequacy are among the main reasons, but grown-ups also fill buckets at weddings, graduations, and reunions because they are so happy. Having a good cry every now and then may not be a bad idea. But crying too easily — or for no apparent reason — can be a symptom of brain damage from a neurological condition like amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's disease) or multiple strokes.

It may be okay for prevention. But eating fish is a better strategy than gulping pills.

Fish oil has been flying high as a supplement for the past few years. It has garnered a reputation as an easy way to protect the heart, ease inflammation, improve mental health, and lengthen life. Such claims are one reason why Americans spend more than $1 billion a year on over-the-counter fish oil, and why food companies are adding it to milk, yogurt, cereal, chocolate, cookies, juice, and hundreds of other foods.

Takotsubo cardiomyopathy, also called broken-heart syndrome, is a weakening of the left ventricle that is usually the result of severe stress. Its symptoms resemble those of a heart attack, and treatment is usually the same as that for heart failure.

People who have been taking antidepressants for some time may wish to stop taking them due to unpleasant side effects. This can be accomplished, but it is best to taper the dosage slowly and be aware of the potential for discontinuation symptoms.

In time for National Depression Screening Day (October 7, 2010) and Mental Illness Awareness Week (October 3-9, 2010), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published survey data on depressed mood in the United States. The report summarizes responses to a standardized questionnaire administered in 2006 and 2008. The researchers asked 235,067 adults about […]