depression •

Antidepressants Might Not Be Safe On Young Patients

June 9, 2016 By Tara Hamilton

Antidepressants might fuel depression.

(Mirror Daily, United States) – The latest study has shown that antidepressants might be linked to a harmful effect on children and teenagers. According to Dr. Andrea Cipriani, study author and associate professor in the department of psychiatry at the University of Oxford, doctors recommend psychotherapy as the first method of treatment, consisting of interpersonal therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy.

This is what children and teenagers with significant depressive disorders need. Statistics have shown that around 6 percent of teenagers between 13 to 18 years old, and 3 percent of children between 6 to 12 years old are affected every year by major depression. Furthermore, venlafaxine known as Effexor was associated with an increased risk of suicidal attempts and thoughts compared to five other antidepressants and placebo.

In addition to this, the researchers chose only fluoxetine, known as Prozac, out of 14 other antidepressants as more efficient in tackling depression than an inactive placebo in teenagers and children.

Back in 2004, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration understood how dangerous were antidepressants in children and adolescents. Therefore, the agency decided to develop a program called ‘black box warning’ in order to make people understand that they need to reduce the use of these drugs on their children, because of the increased risk of suicide attempts and suicidal thoughts.

Cipriani believes that the use of antidepressants should be carefully monitored by parents, particularly in the beginning of medication. There are still very few studies regarding the use of antidepressants in teenagers and children, therefore, the entire range of risks is still unknown to the public.

Plus, even if Prozac was established as a practical approach to children and teenagers, Cipriani stated that it should be used only in the case of young patients that do not have access to psychotherapy or showed no response to non-pharmacological interventions.

According to Dr. Peter Kramer, clinical professor emeritus of psychiatry and human behavior at Brown University, these types of drugs are not that dangerous for adults. However, when they are used on young patients, the story is different because these antidepressants proved to be not just riskier but also less efficient.

Worse, FDA warning had no success as the use of antidepressants increased among young patients starting from 2005 until 2012. Around 2 percent of the entire population of children and teenagers take these drugs because they suffer from the depressive disorder.

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Postpartum Depression Could Be Detected

March 25, 2016 By Ryan Harris Leave a Comment

Postpartum depression is a fairly common syndrome between young mothers.

(Mirror Daily, United States) – Postpartum depression is a real disorder that affects the lives of lots of mothers worldwide. But there was little known about the factors that trigger the mental health issue until now that is. According to a team of Belgian scientists, postpartum depression could be detected and mothers to be could start therapy before it becomes a serious issue.

Erica Jancelewitcz, a mother that struggled with the horrible mental health problem, declared that at first, she was afraid of telling anybody that something was wrong with her. The young, fresh mother, came home after giving birth and started to feel anxious and sad, not being able to sleep properly at night.

But she thought, as many other women probably do, that something is wrong with her. So she decided to live for five years with her ever changing emotions and deepened depression. Until one day when she gathered up the courage of telling her doctor how she felt.

That is when she first learned of the existence of postpartum depression. According to Jancelewitcz, she was never informed about the disorder while she was pregnant. Due to her lack of education on the subject, she was not able to seek proper treatment sooner, and she ended up suffering for quite some time.

And there may be many more women in her situation right now. But a team of Belgian researchers discovered that postpartum depression could be detected, thus improving the wellbeing of thousands of mothers to be.

According to their findings, women that show signs of having issues with their self-esteem, or that deal with mood swings during the last two trimesters are predisposed to developing postpartum depression.

They continue to say that doctors should start implementing psychological screening in their routine tests because when diagnosed early, postpartum depression is easier to manage.

The “Preventative Task Force” recently recommended that all pregnant women should get screened in the United States. And a mental health maternal therapist agrees with the government’s decision.

According to Beth Shelton, every woman just expects that everything will be perfect, a page ripped right out of a fairytale. That they will bring their newborn child home, and they will start a whole new, happy life.

But things are not always as we expect them to be. Lots of women end up not being tested, or even informed about postpartum depression. And this sort of thing happens because of a lack of awareness of the disorder, among both doctors and patients.

Image source: Pixabay

Rats Are Serious Depression Hazards

March 17, 2016 By Matthew Slotkin Leave a Comment

Rats are serious depression hazards and an underappreciated stressor.

(Mirror Daily, United States) – Rats are serious depression hazards, at least, that’s what researchers at John Hopkins believe. The ever-present rodents seem to affect the mental health of poor neighborhoods inhabitants more than the authorities first thought.

Rats are present in Baltimore almost all over town. And most people agree that they are disgusting and annoying and treat them like vermin that should be eradicated. But there are some people who actually get sad and anxious when they encounter the furry rodents.

Upon studying the response of several Baltimore inhabitants to the presence of rats, researchers from the Public Health Bloomberg School at John Hopkins concluded that rats are serious depression hazards.

According to the lead author of the study, Danielle German, a Department of Behavior, Society and Health assistant professor, inhabitants of poor neighborhoods are more likely to experience depression-like symptoms, anxiety and sadness when coming into contact with the rodents rather than disgust or annoyance.

The study reveals that rats are serious depression hazards and an underappreciated stressor for a particular part of the Baltimore community. Especially the neighborhoods that are considered to be populated by individuals with little to inexistent income sources.

When interviewing people from low-income communities, German and her team discovered that trash and rats were listed as the primary triggers of anxiety and health concerns. And the trash and rats were invoked as main stress factors by people who lived in neighborhoods affected by drug-dealing at street level, deteriorating and vacant housing and crime.

In order to get her results, German and her team interviewed 448 residents of said neighborhoods between 2010 and 2011. More than half of them claimed to see rats on a weekly basis; a third reported encountering them daily, and roughly thirteen percent declared living with them in the house.

According to the data provided by the researchers, more than 72 percent of the people who saw the rodents presence as being a concerning problem were more likely to battle depression or depression-like symptoms than those who lived in cleaner, rat-free neighborhoods.

But a couple of years have passed since German, and her team conducted the study, and in the meantime, the local authorities have begun implementing more efficient control measures. And since the inhabitants cited trash and rats, the most obvious choice consisted in the distribution of sturdier trash cans.

Sadie Gooch, a 70 years old resident of an affected neighborhood, is pleased with the garbage cans that she and her neighbors received. The lids are compact, and they don’t allow rats to get in there to search for shelter or food.

Not only are they a paramount of disease spreading and filth, but rats are serious depression hazards, too. That is why Baltimore authorities are working on new, better ways of exterminating the rodent population.

Image source: www.wikimedia.org

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