Depressed Jane

African-American patients with acute myocardial infarction (MI) and previously treated depression that persists at their MI hospitalization have an increased risk of post-MI death, according to Emory researcher Susmita Parashar, MD, MPH. Parashar, a member of the cardiology division, Emory University School of Medicine, presented findings Nov. 12 at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions conference in New Orleans.

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Short term counselling followed by a modest cut in work hours may help reduce emotional exhaustion (burnout) and sick leave in doctors, according to a study published on bmj.com today. It is well known that doctors have higher rates of depression and suicide than the general population and are less likely to seek help.

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Brain cells can adopt a new chemical code in response to cues from the outside world, scientists working with tadpoles at the University of California, San Diego report in the journal Nature this week. The discovery opens the possibility that brain chemistry could be selectively altered by stimulating specific circuits to remedy low levels of neural chemicals that underlie some human ailments. Dark tadpoles don pale camouflage when exposed to bright light.

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Two studies presented today at the 8th International Forum on Mood and Anxiety Disorders (IFMAD) in Vienna demonstrated that once-daily SEROQUEL XRTM (quetiapine fumarate extended release tablets) provided significant symptom relief for elderly patients (>65 years of age) with major depressive disorder (MDD) and generalised anxiety disorder (GAD).

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A Johns Hopkins cardiologist well known for his studies on the links between depression and heart attack says there is not nearly enough evidence yet to support a recent call by the American Heart Association (AHA) to begin routine screening of millions of Americans for depression. Roy Ziegelstein, M.D.

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New research suggests that patients with chronic pain are more prone than others are to consider suicide. The increased risk remained even when study authors took the possible influence of mental illness into account. “This is further evidence that we need to be aware of the heightened risk for suicide in those with chronic pain,” said Mark Ilgen, lead study author.

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Depression can cause diabetes patients to suffer from higher glucose levels over time compared to those who are not depressed, finds a study of older veterans with the disease. “Our study shows that depression is a major and important comorbidity in people with type 2 diabetes,” said study co-author Leonard Egede, M.D., from the Center for Health Disparities Research at the Medical University of South Carolina.

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Babies who receive incubator care after birth are two to three times less likely to suffer depression as adults according to a new study published in the journal Pyschiatry Research. The surprising discovery was made by scientists from the Université de Montréal and Sainte Justine Hospital Research Center in collaboration with researchers from McGill University, the Douglas Hospital Research Centre and the Institute of Psychiatry at King’s College in the U.K.

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Scientists at the University of Liverpool have developed a therapy programme to treat depression in women in developing countries. Although depression is a major health problem world-wide, experts say its impact is greatest in developing countries where 80% of the population live. Often there are no resources available to treat sufferers.

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Depression is common among individuals on dialysis for kidney disease, but behavioral therapy can significantly improve their quality of life, according to a paper presented at the American Society of Nephrology’s 41st Annual Meeting and Scientific Exposition in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Many patients with kidney disease must sit through hemodialysis – the process of removing blood, purifying it, and returning it to the body – for several hours, multiple times per week.

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