Depression

Stressed? Walk outdoor to boost spirit

Group nature walks are linked with significantly lower depression, less perceived stress and enhanced mental health and well-being, the findings showed.

stressed Walk outdoor to boost spirit

The researchers found that people who had recently experienced stressful life events like a serious illness, death of a loved one, marital separation or unemployment especially saw a mood boost after outdoor group walks.

“Walking is an inexpensive, low-risk and accessible form of exercise and it turns out that combined with nature and group settings, it may be a very powerful, under-utilized stress buster,” said senior study author Sara Warber, an associate professor at the University of Michigan in the US.

“Our findings suggest that something as simple as joining an outdoor walking group may not only improve someone’s daily positive emotions but may also contribute as a non-pharmacological approach to serious conditions like depression,” Warber added.

For the study, the researchers evaluated 1,991 participants from the Walking for Health programme in Britain.

The findings appeared in the journal Ecopsychology.

Source: zee news

Risky situations fuel anxiety among women

Risky situations in any setting increases anxiety among women, leading them to perform worse under stressed circumstances, finds a new study. Increased anxiety in risky settings is problematic for women because it may depress their ability to achieve.

Risky situations fuel anxiety among women

“Women have worse task performance than men in risky situations, even when they have the same ability in a non-risky setting,” said Susan. R. Fisk, a doctoral candidate in sociology at Stanford University.

In her study, Fisk relied on three experiments. The first experiment was conducted online among US adults aged 18 to 81 to determine whether risky workplace situations increased the anxiety of women and men.

After participants finished thinking and writing about their scenario, they took an anxiety test. Fisk found that when scenarios were framed in a risky way, women were more anxious than when the scenarios were framed in a non-risky way.

Women who received risky scenarios scored 13.6 percent higher on the anxiety test than those who received non-risky scenarios. In the experiment that used the verbal SAT questions, participants were given 20 questions to complete and were told that they could bet money on each answer, making the situation risky.

Women answered about 11 percent fewer questions than men in this risky situation involving betting. A similar effect was seen when using grades data from an undergraduate engineering course.

“People frequently encounter high-risk, high-reward situations in workplaces, and if women avoid these situations or perform more poorly in them because they are more anxious, they will reap fewer rewards than men,” Fisk said.

Furthermore, the research suggests that failure in a risky situation is more costly to women as it may reinforce or create self-doubt about their own competence.

Women’s anxiety and poorer performance in risky situations “may be an unexplored contributor to the dearth of women in positions of leadership and power, as success in these kinds of circumstances is often a precursor to career advancement and promotion”, researchers concluded.

Source: business standard

Young Kids Diagnosed with Depression Can’t Shake It Later, Study Says

New research shows it’s hard for young children to get past depression. Children diagnosed with depression in preschool are likely to continue to be depressed throughout adolescence, according to a new study.

Young-Kids-Diagnosed-with-Depression-Can’t-Shake-It-Later-Study-Says

Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis tracked 246 children ages 3-5 to ages 9-12 and found that depressed preschoolers are 2.5 times more likely to suffer from the condition in elementary and middle school, according to the study published in the July issue of The American Journal of Psychiatry.

At the beginning of the study, 74 of the children were diagnosed with depression. Six years later, 79 of the children from the larger group had clinical depression, and 51% of the 74 children originally diagnosed were still depressed. By contrast, only 25% of the 172 children who were initially not depressed went on to develop depression during elementary and middle school.

“It’s the same old bad news about depression; it is a chronic and recurrent disorder,” child psychiatrist Joan L. Luby, who directs Washington University’s Early Emotional Development Program, said in a statement. “But the good news is that if we can identify depression early, perhaps we have a window of opportunity to treat it more effectively and potentially change the trajectory of the illness so that it is less likely to be chronic and recurring.”

The researchers also identified some of the factors that put children at a higher risk of becoming depressed: Children with depressed mothers were more likely to become depressed themselves, and children who were diagnosed with a conduct disorder in preschool were more likely to become depressed by middle school (though significant maternal support mitigated the latter risk). But neither of these factors mattered as much as an early depression diagnosis.

Source: TIME

Young Kids Diagnosed with Depression Can’t Shake It Later, Study Says

New research shows it’s hard for young children to get past depression. Children diagnosed with depression in preschool are likely to continue to be depressed throughout adolescence, according to a new study.

Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis tracked 246 children ages 3-5 to ages 9-12 and found that depressed preschoolers are 2.5 times more likely to suffer from the condition in elementary and middle school, according to the study published in the July issue of The American Journal of Psychiatry.

Young Kids Diagnosed with Depression Can’t Shake It Later, Study Says

At the beginning of the study, 74 of the children were diagnosed with depression. Six years later, 79 of the children from the larger group had clinical depression, and 51% of the 74 children originally diagnosed were still depressed. By contrast, only 25% of the 172 children who were initially not depressed went on to develop depression during elementary and middle school.

“It’s the same old bad news about depression; it is a chronic and recurrent disorder,” child psychiatrist Joan L. Luby, who directs Washington University’s Early Emotional Development Program, said in a statement. “But the good news is that if we can identify depression early, perhaps we have a window of opportunity to treat it more effectively and potentially change the trajectory of the illness so that it is less likely to be chronic and recurring.”

The researchers also identified some of the factors that put children at a higher risk of becoming depressed: Children with depressed mothers were more likely to become depressed themselves, and children who were diagnosed with a conduct disorder in preschool were more likely to become depressed by middle school (though significant maternal support mitigated the latter risk). But neither of these factors mattered as much as an early depression diagnosis.

Source: TIME

3D brain view may help treat Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s

3D brain view may help treat Alzheimer's Parkinson's

In a breakthrough that may help in developing drugs for Alzheimer’s and other neurological disorders, researchers have developed a 3D view of an important receptor in the brain.

This receptor allows us to learn and remember, and its dysfunction can result in a wide range of neurological diseases including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, schizophrenia and depression.

The unprecedented view gives scientists new insight into how the receptor – called the NMDA receptor – is structured.

And importantly, the new detailed view gives vital clues for developing drugs to combat neurological diseases and conditions.

“This is the most exciting moment of my career,” said Eric Gouaux, a senior scientist with Oregon Health and Science University in the US.

“The NMDA receptor is one of the most essential, and still sometimes mysterious, receptors in our brain. Now, with this work, we can see it in fascinating detail,” he said.

Receptors facilitate chemical and electrical signals between neurons in the brain allowing them to communicate with each other.

The NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartate) receptor facilitates neuron communication that is the foundation of memory, learning and thought.

Malfunction of the NMDA receptor occurs when it is increasingly or decreasingly active.

The NMDA receptor makeup includes receptor “subunits” – all of which have distinct properties and act in distinct ways in the brain, sometimes causing neurological problems.

Prior to Gouaux’s study, scientists had only a limited view of how those subtypes were arranged in the NMDA receptor complex and how they interacted to carry out specific functions within the brain and the central nervous system.

Gouaux’s team of scientists created a 3D model of the NMDA receptor through a process called X-ray crystallography.

“This new detailed view will be invaluable as we try to develop drugs that might work on specific subunits and therefore help fight or cure some of these neurological diseases and conditions,” Gouaux said.

“Seeing the structure in more detail can unlock some of its secrets and may help a lot of people,” he added.

The findings were published online in the journal Nature.

Source: Hindustan Times

Innovative new treatment for depression offers hope to patients

depression

Depression is a serious medical condition that affects millions of Americans — and nearly twice as many women as men.

Symptoms can include persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness and loss of interest in activities that were once pleasurable, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. Other symptoms include feelings of guilt or worthlessness, irritability, changes in appetite, increased fatigue, difficulty concentrating — even recurrent thoughts of suicide.

About 12 million American women suffer from depression each year, women like Debi Lee. The pastor and mother of three tells NBC Special Anchor Maria Shriver that she was first diagnosed in high school, but her condition became debilitating after the birth of her children.

“It’s a struggle,” said Lee. “There’s definitely a stigma still. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I should be able to control this.”

Although depression is treatable, most commonly with medications or counseling, many never seek help, often because they are too embarrassed or ashamed.

“Depression is really a physical illness,” said Dr. Andrew Leuchter, a psychiatrist at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at University of California, Los Angeles.

It’s a disorder that even can be seen in brain scans, with images clearly showing the difference between a normal functioning brain and the brain of someone suffering from depression.

“When you show this image to a person who’s struggling with depression and you show them that their brain looks different than the quote so-called healthy person, what’s their reaction?” Shriver asked.

“It’s commonly one of relief,” Leuchter said.

Now, Dr. Leuchter says there’s an innovative new treatment called synchronized transcranial magnetic stimulation, or sTMS, that may have the potential to provide relief. Dr. Leuchter, a consultant and stockholder in the company behind sTMS, says it syncs to each patient’s brain, then stimulates it with low levels of magnetic energy, 30 minutes a day for several weeks.

“And when that happens, normal moods can start to come back,” said Dr. Leuchter.

His unpublished study of 120 patients found the treatment significantly decreased depression in some patients, compared to the placebo. The treatment is currently being studied, but not yet approved for the public.

Dr. Matthew Rudorfer, associate director of treatment research for the National Institute of Mental Health, said sTMS “represents an exciting advance for people who don’t want to take medications, can’t take medications, or who do not respond to medications.”

Currently under FDA review, sTMS treatment is not yet approved for the public but might one day offer hope for patients with depression, such as Lee, who would like to be medication-free.

“It made me feel normal,” she said.

Source: today

Raise your confidence and reduce anxiety in 2 minutes

depression

If you are nervous or anxious before important events,under a lot of stress or fearful, agitated etc… you probably have a problem with you’re levels of testosterone and cortisol. These two hormones are essential for your feelings and actions in stressful situations.

Testosterone has a strong anti-aging effect . He turns fat into muscle , keeps skin taut , increases bone density , gives us a positive mood , and enhances the ability to handle stress.

Testosterone is known as personality hormone. He gives us motivation , a sense of power, confidence, and heightened sexual energy. When we have a sufficient amount of testosterone in the blood we are ready to risk more and live our lives without delays.

On the other side,cortisol hormone has opposite effects and its secreted during physical and mental stress and greatly provokes anxiety in people making them impossible to operate efficiently.

When you have an important event usually testosterone level decreases and cortisol levels increase as a result of stress or pressure.It may be a first date,speech in front of many people, exam or any other important yet stressful event for you .

Imagine that you have a way to change this situation to your advantage and gain important confidence by lifting the level of testosterone and simultaneously reduce cortisol levels and in two minutes.

Source: Secretly healthy

Mood swings: 5 quick ways to brighten up your day

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There are many times when you just lose your temper, or feel depressed, or just feel a sudden burst of different emotions rushing through you simultaneously. Well, no need to feel embarrassed or awkward about your sudden mood swings. No matter what the reason is, there are ways to bring your mood swings under control. Take a look at some of them.

A balanced diet

Proper food intake is a great solution for mood swings. Take a healthy diet that will not only keep you fit, but also allow you to balance your mood. Choose green vegetables, salads, and fruits as part of your diet. It covers all the necessary minerals, vitamins (A, C, E) and nutrients which are essential for a body. Stay away from complex carbohydrates and processed foods, and also limit your caffeine intake. Have green tea or herbal tea to rejuvenate yourself, instead of consuming the regular tea and coffee.

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Work out
A great workout not only keeps you fit, but also helps in triggering the “happy hormones” in your body. If you are not able to do any heavy exercises, then join yoga camps or simply dance! Choose an exercise routine that is comfortable, and save at least 30 minutes daily, for fitness. A simple walk in the garden, accompanied with some deep breathing exercises, can work wonders too.

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Sound sleep
A woman has a lot of responsibilities to handle, and to fulfill them efficiently, it is important to get enough sleep. Insufficient sleep causes irritation and headaches. At least, 7 to 8 hours of sleep is essential, so plan your daily routine accordingly.

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Drink Water
Water cleanses your body, and gives you energy. At times, when you feel completely exhausted, two glasses of water with some glucose can be really refreshing. Caffeine and alcohol intake can cause mood swings, and so, should be avoided completely. These can be replaced with some juice or healthy soups. Also, water is your best friend if you wish to enjoy gorgeous skin and a healthy body.

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Help from sun gods!
The sun might be an enemy for your skin at times, but it is certainly a great doctor for your mood swings. Some amount of exposure to the sun is good to get rid of depression and other negative feelings. Enjoy 15 minutes of walk in sun light to lighten up your mood. Always wear your sunscreen before you go out. Enjoy your walk in the early morning hours when the sun is not too harsh.

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These simple ways can definitely help you get your mood swings under control, especially during the time of your menstrual cycle.

Source: yahoo lifestyle

8 Foods That Fight Depression

depression

Can Your Food Affect Your Mood?

Looking for a new weapon in the fight against depression? These foods have shown a lot of promise as alternative depression treatments.

A number of lifestyle factors can contribute to depression, but one that’s often overlooked is what you put in your mouth. “Diet plays a huge role in depression,” says Shawn Talbott, PhD, a nutritional biochemist and author of Vigor: 7 Days to Unlimited Energy, Focus, and Well-Being.

Do you crave sweet, salty, and fatty foods when you’re feeling blue? You’re not alone. But, says Dr. Talbot, “If we eat better foods like lean proteins, whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables, and fish, we short-circuit the junk food cravings and have higher energy levels and sharper mental focus.” Should you add these good-mood foods to your diet?

The Diet and Depression Connection. Dr. Andrew Weil shares the key nutrient you should to eat to boost your mood.

Walnuts for Depression
When eaten in moderation, most nuts are a good source of heart-healthy monounsaturated fats as well as protein. But walnuts get the edge when it comes to lessening the symptoms of depression because they also are one of the richest plant-based sources of omega-3 fatty acids. “The omega-3s in walnuts support overall brain health,” says Robin H-C.

Fatty Fish for Depression
When it comes to omega-3 fatty acids, no food source is better than fatty fish like mackerel, bluefish, wild salmon, and tuna, says Talbott. He adds that the fatty acids found in these fish not only have specific brain-boosting properties to fight depression, but also are good for overall health as well. They improve circulation and reduce inflammation and your overall risk of heart disease.

Low-Fat Dairy for Depression
Skim milk, yogurt, low-fat cheeses, and other dairy products are rich in calcium, vitamin D, and protein. These are great for your body for many reasons, including fighting depression. “Low-fat dairy is the richest dietary source of two powerhouse nutrients, calcium and vitamin D, as well as specific peptides (proteins) that induce a sense of well-being and relaxation,” says Talbott.

Whole Grains for Depression
When looking for foods that fight depression, focus on the healthy, high-fiber carbohydrates found in whole grains and you can feel good and do your body good at the same time. “Complex carbohydrates are wonderful foods to improve mood quickly,” says Debbie Mandel, a stress management expert and author of Addicted to Stress. “Whole grains, brown rice, oatmeal, sweet potatoes, and whole wheat pasta are all good choices. They help the body release serotonin.”

Green Tea for Depression
Researchers know that green tea is an incredibly rich source of antioxidants, but its depression-fighting properties can be traced to an amino acid known as theanine, says Talbott. “Theanine is an amino acid naturally found in tea leaves that provides an anti-stress relaxation benefit to tea drinkers,” he adds. “The presence of theanine in green tea is thought to be responsible for the observation that caffeine intake in coffee drinkers (who aren’t getting theanine) is more apt to result in tension as opposed to the ‘relaxed alertness’ more common to tea drinkers.”

Turmeric for Depression
If you’re feeling depressed, this bold spice found in many Indian and Asian curry dishes is a great way to boost your mood, among other benefits. “Turmeric can indeed be considered one of the ‘spices of life’ because of its profound anti-inflammatory activity,” says Talbott. “Famously used in spicy Indian and Thai dishes, turmeric contains the active compounds turmerones and curcuminods, which have been associated with a wide range of health benefits.”

Dark Chocolate for Depression
Can chocolate be considered among the foods that fight depression? Current thinking is that the dark variety really can help boost your mood. “Dark chocolate helps to release serotonin and relaxes the blood vessels of the cardiovascular system,” says Mandel. Just remember that dark chocolate is incredibly calorie-dense, with about 150 calories per ounce, so eat just one small piece at a time.

Source: woman post

Depression treatment technique uses new helmet therapy

depression treatment

A helmet that delivers electro-magnetic impulses to the brain has shown promise in treating people with depression, Danish researchers have said.

About 30% of those with the condition fail to respond to medication or psychological counselling. The new device targets malfunctioning blood cells in the brain.

In clinical trials two-thirds who used it reported that their symptoms had disappeared, and improvements in mood were noticeable within a week. The helmet was tested on 65 patients with treatment-resistant depression.

The trials were conducted by the Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine at Copenhagen University and the Psychiatric Centre at Hillerod in North Zealand.

Patients also continued taking their regular anti-depressant medication for the eight weeks of the trial.

‘It’s amazing’
“They were feeling well, they were functioning well, they could start work,” said Birgit Straaso, chief doctor at Hillerod.

“The helmet is amazing,” said Annemette Ovlisen, a graphic artist who suffered recurrent depression for 16 years and a participant in the Hillerod trials.

“It’s like the fog lifts. It was like somebody hit the reset button.”

The device contains seven coils that deliver a dose of Transcranial Pulsating Electro Magnetic Fields (T-PEMF) to brain tissues.

The pulses are so minute that the patient cannot detect any sensation, and the only side effect so far is occasional “tiny” nausea that immediately disappears after treatment.

Prof Steen Dissing, of Copenhagen’s Faculty of Health Sciences is the helmet’s principal architect. He said: “The device mimics electrical fields in the brain, and triggers the body’s own healing mechanism.”

The pulses activate capillaries in the brain, which form new blood vessels and secrete growth hormones. “We think it works so well because we have imitated the electrical signalling that goes on in the brain and we figured out that this signalling communicates with the blood vessels,” said Prof Dissing.

“And blood vessels do communicate with blood tissue. And we found that communication pathway.” In the trial, whose results were published this month in the journal Acta Neuropsychiatrica, 34 patients received half an hour of T-PEMF once a day, and 31 had two 30-minute doses.

The treatment had the additional benefit of enabling patients to improve their tolerance of the anti-depression medicine, researchers found.

They are currently seeking permission from the European Union to market the helmet within six months to a year, and said the potential demand was enormous.

Depression rates rising
According to the World Health Organization, more than 350 million people are suffering from depression and the number is rising, especially amongst the elderly, where one in five succumb.

At its worst, depression leads to suicide and one million take their own lives each year.

Raj Persaud, a consultant psychiatrist in the UK, said: “It is an exciting and important development as it shows that this treatment works at an acceptable level of efficacy and has low side effects.”

A similar treatment – Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) – had also been shown to be an effective treatment for depression, but no more so than taking anti-depressants, he said.

“Pregnant women and breast-feeding mothers who may not want to take an anti-depressant may find this treatment more acceptable.

“This uses and administers less electrical power than TMS, another reason why it’s theoretically interesting, and it’s self-administered, which TMS is not.

“However, most health services will be reluctant try this new treatment because they will not want the additional costs and would prefer to stick to anti-depressants.

“This is a mistake in my view, as with depression the more possible effective treatments you can offer, the better. “Only roughly one-third of people get better with anti-depressants, so having other treatments to try like this is a good thing.

“These treatments will be unpopular with health services because as well as initial start-up costs, there is training of technicians and clinicians.”

ECT replacement
Prof Dissing believes the helmet could ultimately replace controversial electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), which has been used to treat the most severe forms of depression since the 1940s.

ECT patients are sedated before being strapped to a stretcher and subjected to a dose of current that generates an epileptic fit lasting 20 to 50 seconds.

Some psychiatrists regard ECT as a life-saver, while detractors deplore side effects such as memory loss, and in some extreme cases, personality changes. The Danish helmet employs completely different technology to ECT and should not be compared, says Prof Dissing.

Colleagues at Odense University are so impressed with his invention that they will conduct an experiment in May to determine whether T-PEMF can have a positive impact on the degenerative Parkinson’s Disease.

It is hoped patients will see an improvement in symptoms such as limb stiffness and tremors.

Source: BBC news