Depression - Page 10 of 42

What Depression Does to The Brain’s ‘Disappointment Circuit’

Could there be a ‘dimmer switch’ for depression?

People who are depressed may have hyperactivity in a part of the brain known as ‘the disappointment circuit’, a study finds.

Scientists led by Professor Roberto Malinow of the University of California, San Diego, found what could amount to an antidote to feeling let-down.

The study focused on a part of the brain called the lateral habenula, which has been linked to the feeling of disappointment which follows from the absence of an expected reward.

Professor Roberto Malinow, who led the study, said:

“The idea that some people see the world as a glass half empty has a chemical basis in the brain.
What we have found is a process that may dampen the brain’s sensitivity to negative life events.”

The neuroscientists found that this area, unlike almost any other in the brain, produces neurotransmitters which both ramp up and damp down brain activity.

Dr Steven Shabel, the study’s first author, said:

“Our study is one of the first to rigorously document that inhibition can co-exist with excitation in a brain pathway.
In our case, that pathway is believed to signal disappointment.”

The study may help to explain why people experiencing depression tend to concentrate so much on negative events.

Depression has already been linked to hyperactivity in the lateral habenula in previous studies.

Until now, though, scientists have not understood how the brains of healthy individuals damp down activity in the so-called disappointment circuit.

Dr Shabel said:

“The take-home of this study is that inhibition in this pathway is coming from an unusual co-release of neurotransmitters into the habenula.
Our study suggests that one of the ways in which serotonin alleviates depression is by rebalancing the brain’s processing of negative life events vis-à-vis the balance of glutamate and GABA in the habenula.
We may now have a precise neurochemical explanation for why antidepressants make some people more resilient to negative experiences.”

The study was published in the journal Science (Shabel et al., 2014).

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Everyone ruminates from time-to-time, but what is the best mental distraction?

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9 Nutrients Which Should Be In Your Diet for Good Mental Health (M)

Nine nutrients that play a vital role in mental health.

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How High IQ Influences Your Mental Health

Along with fewer depression symptoms, it was also linked to better sleep.

Higher intelligence reduces the risk of mental health problems, including depression, research finds.

A higher IQ is linked to less self-reported depression symptoms, fewer sleep problems and better overall mental health.

The conclusions come from a study of 5,793 people who were followed for decades.

The results showed that those with higher IQ scores in their youth had better overall mental health when they were 50-years-old, compared to those with lower IQs.

Along with fewer depression symptoms, those with higher IQs also slept better in middle age.

The authors conclude that IQ may have a protective effect against depression in middle age:

“Higher pre-morbid intelligence was significantly associated with less depression, less sleep difficulty, and a better overall mental health status at age 50.
These results were similar to those found at age 40 and they suggest that higher intelligence in youth, in both men and women, may have a protective effect on mental health into middle age.”

However, people with higher IQs were more likely to have received a depression diagnosis by age 50.

This seems to contradict the finding that they self-reported lower symptoms of depression.

The researchers think it may be because intelligent people are more likely to recognise depression and get help for it.

They write that one possible reason is that:

“…people with higher intelligence may also have higher mental health literacy.
Those with higher intelligence might be more able to identify their symptoms of depression, which could motivate them to consult a doctor for diagnosis and advice; they might also be likely to have accurate reporting of such diagnoses in the health module.”

The study was published in the journal Intelligence (Wraw et al., 2018).

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The survey found that two-thirds would be 'concerned' about the performance of a co-worker with this issue.

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The Surprising Personality Trait Linked To Depression

The type of people who are more sensitive to negative emotions.

People who are more open to experience are at higher risk of depression.

People who are open to experience are more likely to be imaginative, sensitive to their feelings, intellectually curious and seekers of variety.

In particular, people who are into art and in touch with their emotions are more likely to experience depression.

It may be because artistic people are more sensitive.

The conclusion comes from a study of 143 people who were given tests of personality, focusing on the personality trait of openness to experience:

“Open individuals exhibit an increased awareness of, and receptiveness to, their feelings, thoughts, and impulses, as well as a need for variety, or a recurrent need to enlarge and examine experience.”

Some people in the study had never been depressed, some were depressed in the past and the remainder were currently experiencing depression.

The authors explained the results:

“Depressed participants (both current and past) scored significantly higher than nondepressed participants on the broad factor of Openness, as well as on both Openness to Aesthetics and Openness to Feelings.”

Sensitivity to the arts is probably linked to sensitivity to negative emotions, the authors write:

“It seems more likely that individuals who are attuned to beauty and the arts might be more sensitive, in general, and might therefore be more sensitive to, and affected by, negative events and stimuli.”

An appreciation of art and the experience of depression may be strongly linked:

“…the experience of depression may lead to an existential ”reexamination of the purpose of living,” and consequently bring the depressed individual “in touch with the mystery that lies at the heart of ‘tragic and timeless’ art”
[…]
Similarly, Ludwig (1994) suggested that the experience of depression (as well as other emotional problems) serves to fuel the writers “motivation for expression, . . . providing them with the basic ingredients for their art’.”

The study was published in the Journal of Personality Assessment (Wolfenstein & Trull, 1997).

Perfectionism Is Related To Higher Depression Risk — But It Can Be Reduced

How to reduce the damage done by this depressive personality trait.

The personality trait of perfectionism is linked to higher depression risk, a review of ten different studies finds.

People who are perfectionists are worried about making mistakes and they tend to be heavily critical of themselves.

They feel pressure from society to perform to a high standard and they think others are continually judging their performance.

When perfectionists fail to meet their lofty standards, they tend to get depressed.

Practicing self-acceptance or self-compassion is one of the best ways of dealing with perfectionist tendencies.

The conclusions come from research collecting together the results of 10 separate studies including 1,758 people.

The results showed that neuroticism, or ‘negative emotionality’ is the personality trait most strongly linked to depression.

However, being a perfectionist is associated with an additional risk.

The authors explain their results:

“In our meta-analysis of 10 longitudinal studies composed of undergraduate, community member, psychiatric patient, outpatient and medical student samples, neuroticism was the strongest predictor of change in depressive symptoms.
Even so, all seven perfectionism dimensions still predicted change in depressive symptoms beyond neuroticism.”

One aspect of perfectionism is feeling societal pressure.

The authors write:

“…socially prescribed perfectionism, concern over mistakes, doubts about actions, self-criticism, and perfectionistic attitudes add incrementally to understanding change in depressive symptoms beyond neuroticism.”

Perfectionism is problematic because high standards are so hard to reach consistently.

The authors write:

“…people high in perfectionistic concerns appear to think, feel and behave in ways that have depressogenic consequences [causing depression].
Such people believe others hold lofty expectations for them, and often feel incapable of living up to the perfection they perceive others demand.
They may agonize about perceived failures and have doubts about performance abilities because they experience their social world as judgmental, pressure-filled and unyielding.”

The study was published in the European Journal of Personality (Smith et al., 2016).

Vitamin B12 Deficiency: The Troubling Mental Signs You Shouldn’t Ignore

Taking a B12 supplement is one of the easiest ways to combat this problem. Adults need around 1.5 mcg per day.

Depression can be a sign of vitamin B12 deficiency, another study finds.

People with low levels of vitamin B12 are at a 50 percent higher risk of depression.

Around one-in-eight older adults in Ireland, where the study was carried out, have a vitamin B12 deficiency.

Many more people are not deficient but, nevertheless have low levels of vitamin B12.

Other signs of a prolonged vitamin B12 deficiency include memory issues, confusion, irritability, depression and even psychosis, which is starting to believe things that are not true.

Physical rather than mental symptoms of a vitamin B12 deficiency include headaches, fatigue, breathlessness and pale skin.

Taking a B12 supplement is one of the easiest ways to combat this problem.

Adults need around 1.5 mcg per day.

For those who have problems with absorption, regular shots may be required.

Usually, symptoms of a vitamin B12 deficiency will clear up with treatment over time.

Dr Eamon Laird, the study’s first author, said that food fortification is one option:

“There is a growing momentum to introduce a mandatory food fortification policy of B-vitamins in Europe and the UK, especially since mandatory food fortification with folic acid in the US has showed positive results, with folate deficiency or low status rates of just 1.2% in those aged 60 years and older.”

The results come from an Irish study that followed almost 4,000 people across four years.

While a vitamin B12 deficiency was linked to depression, there was no connection with a folate deficiency.

Professor Rose Anne Kenny, study co-author, said:

“Given the rise in loneliness and depression in older adults after the onset of COVID-19 restrictions, this study highlights the importance of increasing B12 intake or supplementation to help mitigate against potential risk factors of depression in older adults. “

The study was published in the British Journal of Nutrition (Laird et al., 2021).

This Personality Trait Predicts Depression 1 Year In Advance

The parts of the brain linked to this trait were shrunken in people with depression vulnerability.

Displaying a lack of trust in others is an early sign of depression.

People who find it hard to trust — which is, after all, at the heart of social relations — are at a higher risk of developing major depressive disorder.

And neuroscientists have found that the part of the brain that processes trust-based information is shrunken in people with depression vulnerability.

Indeed, this change in the brain can predict the onset of depression one year in advance.

Trust requires a leap of faith

The conclusions come from a neuroimaging study that examined the gray matter volume of over 500 people in Japan.

Dr Alan S. R. Fermin, the study’s first author, explained the motivation:

“Our question was: Can we use social personality information to predict the development of mental disorders, such as depression?
Having tools that help identify early signs of mental disorders could accelerate medical or other therapeutical interventions.”

Being able to trust others is crucial, but it requires an expectation that others comply with social norms.

Unfortunately, the world is full of evidence that people are not trustworthy: there is gossip, bullying, harassment and violence in many places.

So, trust requires a leap of faith.

People who find it difficult to take this leap can become isolated and develop depression.

Dr Fermin said:

“In our study, we not only replicated the association between low trust and depression but also demonstrated that brain regions associated with trust were also associated with the degree of depressive symptoms one year in advance.
Overall, we found that the brains of lower trusters showed reduced gray matter volume in brain regions involved in social cognition.
Also, we found that this gray matter volume reduction among low trusters was similar to the brain of actual depressive patients.
Thus, even though our participants hadn’t received any diagnosis of depression, their brains were already showing signs of depression.”

Reduced gray matter volume

The brain scans revealed that people with high levels of depression symptoms and low levels of trust had reduced gray matter volume in a whole series of regions.

These regions are involved in how we control our emotions and predict other people’s mental states.

It is not yet known what causes these brain regions to shrink.

Dr Fermin said:

“We hope that our findings could support the development of institutional and social policies to increase social trust—for example, at work, school, or public space—and prevent the development of mental disorders.”

The study was published in the journal Scientific Reports (Fermin et al., 2022).

The Personality Trait Linked To Lower Depression Risk

Some people’s personalities naturally have greater resistance to mental health problems.

Extraverts are less likely to suffer from depression, anxiety or any other form of mental health problem, research finds.

Extraverts tend to enjoy other people’s company, are often full of energy and tend to be talkative.

Other people give extraverts energy and they have a tendency to feel bored when alone.

The conclusions come from a study of 441 people in Finland who were given tests of personality, depression and anxiety.

The study also found that people who are neurotic are more likely to suffer from depression and anxiety.

The study’s authors write:

“…the personality dimension neuroticism is strongly associated with depressive and anxiety symptoms, and the personality dimension intraversion is moderately associated with depressive symptoms among participants in this urban general population.”

Neuroticism, the authors explain, is:

“…characterized by proneness to anxiety, emotional instability, and self-consciousness, whereas extraversion involves positive emotionality, energy, and dominance.”

People who are both neurotic and introverted are at higher risk of depression and anxiety.

However, those who have stable personalities and who are extraverted are less likely to experience depression and anxiety.

The study was published in the journal Depression and Anxiety (Jylhä et al., 2006).