The longer people follow this diet, the more depressed they are.
Depression symptoms are affected by how you listen to music.
Depression symptoms are affected by how you listen to music.
Listening to sad music in a group and talking about sad things makes people feel more depressed, research finds.
Talking in this way in a group about sad things is more common among younger people.
However, listening to inspiring music in a group and talking about life and music makes people feel less depressed.
Dr Sandra Garrido, the study’s first author, said:
“Behaviors relating to music use fall into distinct patterns, reflecting either healthy or unhealthy thought processes.
These results reveal important information about how people with depression use music.”
So music can be used positively to feel better and it can also be used negatively to feel worse.
Unfortunately, some people are particularly poor at coping with with obstacles and negative emotions, as the study’s authors explain:
“People with generally maladaptive coping styles tend to report negative outcomes from both listening to music alone and from group interactions around music.
It appears that this occurs because such people are more likely to engage in ruminating with music – using music both to intensify negative affect and to focus on negative thoughts and memories.
Rumination involves going over and over negative events and emotions in the mind, trying to work out the causes and effects.
Some people seem to have an automatic preference for engaging in rumination.
This kind of preference is usually linked to more depression symptoms.
Dr Garrido said:
“While young people with tendencies to depression who are a part of social groups may be perceived as receiving valuable social support, our results here suggest that the positive impacts of such group interactions depend on the types of processes that are taking place in the group.
Susceptible individuals with a predilection for rumination may be most likely to suffer negative outcomes from group rumination, with social feedback deepening and exacerbating negative thoughts and feelings.
However, group interactions that provide social support or opportunities for processing of emotions in a constructive way have a much higher likelihood of being positive.”
The study was published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology (Garrido et al., 2017).
Depression frequently recurs but therapy and drugs are not the only answers.
Depression frequently recurs but therapy and drugs are not the only answers.
Seeking out social relationships may help people to recover from depression.
Building a social support system helps people stay depression-free.
In addition, people who find activities they enjoy recover better from depression.
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By contrast, people who are aggressive loners are at a heightened risk of depression recurrence, research finds. Those who do not seek out social relationships find it harder to recover from depression.
Aggression can also make it difficult to for these type of people to heal.
Dr Jackie Gollan, the study’s first author, said:
“Depression is a recurrent disease for a lot of people just like cancer.
People who receive cognitive behavioral psychotherapy for depression tend to feel less depressed when they complete it.
However, other factors in their lives beyond their mood need to be identified if we are to help them stay well.
We need to consider who people are and how they interact with others to understand how patients remain nondepressed.”
Somewhere between 50% and 80% of people successfully treated with therapy experience a relapse within two years.
Dr Gollan explained how moderate dependency on others may help people recover:
“Low dependency increases risk for relapse while moderate dependency encourages recovered patients to seek out social relationships that may function, over time, to reduce relapse risk.”
The research followed 78 people whose depression was successfully treated with therapy and followed them over two years.
44% of people relapsed, but people with no social support system were most at risk.
Dr Gollan explained that more aggressive people were also more likely to relapse…
“…perhaps because they don’t make good friends and turn off people.
In their professional careers they have channeled aggression in productive, socially acceptable ways to their advantage and use people to their advantage.
They also are pathologically independent and independence may be a risk factor if you have depression.”
Dr Gollan said finding enjoyment was the key to recovery:
“We need to focus on how the activities feel.
We don’t know why, but it is becoming clear that people are less at risk for relapse when they do things they enjoy rather than working on overcoming their negative thinking patterns.
The treatment should be tailor-made to the depressed patient.”
The study was presented at the annual meeting of the Association for Advancement of Behavior Therapy in Toronto in 1999 (Gollan & Jacobson, 1999).
The surprising effect of these drugs on your heart, kidneys, lungs and liver.
The surprising effect of these drugs on your heart, kidneys, lungs and liver.
Taking antidepressants is linked to a 33% higher risk of death, new research finds.
The risk of a cardiovascular ‘event’ (strokes and heart attacks) was also 14% higher for those taking antidepressants.
This research used data from hundreds of thousands of people collected from many different studies.
Dr Paul Andrews, who led the study, said:
“We are very concerned by these results.
They suggest that we shouldn’t be taking antidepressant drugs without understanding precisely how they interact with the body.”
It is well-known that antidepressants change mood by affecting levels of the neurotransmitter, serotonin.
What is less well-known is that serotonin is also used in the heart, kidney, lungs and liver — indeed all the major organs.
Potentially, the drug could stop the major organs working properly.
Family doctors often prescribe antidepressants on the assumption that they are safe.
However, Ms Marta Maslej, the study’s first author, said:
“Our findings are important because they undermine this assumption.
I think people would be much less willing to take these drugs if they were aware how little is known about their impact outside of the brain, and that what we do know points to an increased risk of death.”
Dr Benoit Mulsant, study co-author and practicing psychiatrist, said we need to know more about how the drugs work:
“I prescribe antidepressants even though I do not know if they are more harmful than helpful in the long-term.
I am worried that in some patients they could be, and psychiatrists in 50 years will wonder why we did not do more to find out.”
For people with pre-existing cardiovascular disease, though, the antidepressants were not harmful, probably because they have a blood-thinning effect.
However, for those otherwise in good cardiovascular health, the antidepressants were harmful, the research suggests.
The study was published in the journal Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics (Maslej et al., 2017).
Depression and anxiety risk much higher in some people using social media.
Depression and anxiety risk much higher in some people using social media.
Using over seven different social media platforms is linked to a tripling in depression risk, psychological research finds.
The study asked about the 11 most popular social media platforms: Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Google Plus, Instagram, Snapchat, Reddit, Tumblr, Pinterest, Vine and LinkedIn.
Those who used between 7 and 11 of these, had 3.1 times the depression risk.
They also had 3.3 times the risk of having high levels of anxiety symptoms.
Professor Brian A. Primack, who led the study, said:
“This association is strong enough that clinicians could consider asking their patients with depression and anxiety about multiple platform use and counseling them that this use may be related to their symptoms.
While we can’t tell from this study whether depressed and anxious people seek out multiple platforms or whether something about using multiple platforms can lead to depression and anxiety, in either case the results are potentially valuable.”
There are a number of ways in which using multiple platforms might lead to depression and anxiety, the authors argue:
Professor Primack said:
“It may be that people who suffer from symptoms of depression or anxiety, or both, tend to subsequently use a broader range of social media outlets.
For example, they may be searching out multiple avenues for a setting that feels comfortable and accepting.
However, it could also be that trying to maintain a presence on multiple platforms may actually lead to depression and anxiety.
More research will be needed to tease that apart.”
The results come from a 2014 survey of 1,787 US adults aged between 19 and 32.
The study was published in the journal Computers in Human Behavior (Primack et al., 2017).
Studies have tested different types of yoga, including hatha and Bikram.
Studies have tested different types of yoga, including hatha and Bikram.
Yoga is an effective way to help treat depression, multiple studies suggest.
The ancient practice helps to reduce the symptoms.
It can even help with treatment-resistant depression: the most serious type.
Multiple studies have found that various different forms of yoga can be beneficial, including hatha yoga and Bikram yoga.
Many of these studies were recently discussed at the 125th Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association in Washington, DC..
Dr Lindsey Hopkins, who chaired a session on yoga at the convention, said:
“Yoga has become increasingly popular in the West, and many new yoga practitioners cite stress-reduction and other mental health concerns as their primary reason for practicing.
But the empirical research on yoga lags behind its popularity as a first-line approach to mental health.”
Dr Hopkins has looked at the effect of hatha yoga on depression.
Hatha yoga focuses on physical exercises, breathing and meditation.
Another study of Bikram yoga — also known as heated or hot yoga — also found it reduced the symptoms of depression.
Hot yoga is so-called as it is done in a room heated to around 100°F (almost 40°C).
Bikram yoga was also linked to improvements in optimism, physical functioning and cognitive abilities.
Dr Maren Nyer, an author of this study, explained they found a dose-response effect:
“The more the participants attended yoga classes, the lower their depressive symptoms at the end of the study.”
Studies have even suggested yoga can help with ‘treatment-resistant’ depression.
Dr Nina Vollbehr, author of one, said:
“These studies suggest that yoga-based interventions have promise for depressed mood and that they are feasible for patients with chronic, treatment-resistant depression.”
Dr Hopkins concluded:
“At this time, we can only recommend yoga as a complementary approach, likely most effective in conjunction with standard approaches delivered by a licensed therapist,” she said. “Clearly, yoga is not a cure-all. However, based on empirical evidence, there seems to be a lot of potential.”
The studies were presented at the 125th Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association.
Brain scans reveal how men and women react differently to depression.
Brain scans reveal how men and women react differently to depression.
Woman are much more susceptible to depression than men.
At age 15, girls are twice as likely as boys to be experiencing depression.
This could be down to hormonal fluctuations, body image issues, genetic factors or other causes.
Men, though, are more likely to suffer persistent depression.
And for women, depression tends to go in cycles.
Brain scans of adolescents in a new study have found different responses at this young age.
For the research, 106 adolescents with depression had their brains scanned while they looked at happy, sad or neutral words.
The results showed the brains of boys and girls responded in different ways, particularly in the supramarginal gyrus and posterior cingulate.
Both areas have previously been linked to depression.
Dr Jie-Yu Chuang, the study’s first author, said:
“Our finding suggests that early in adolescence, depression might affect the brain differently between boys and girls.
Sex-specific treatment and prevention strategies for depression should be considered early in adolescence.
Hopefully, these early interventions could alter the disease trajectory before things get worse.”
These early signs in adolescence could be the first indications of the different ways the sexes experience depression.
Dr Chuang said:
“Men are more liable to suffer from persistent depression, whereas in women depression tends to be more episodic.
Compared with women, depressed men are also more likely to suffer serious consequences from their depression, such as substance abuse and suicide.”
Dr Chuang hopes to conduct a larger study in the future:
“I think it would be great to conduct a large longitudinal study addressing sex differences in depression from adolescence to adulthood.”
The study was published in the journal Frontiers in Psychiatry (Chuang et al., 2017).
The supplement starts to take effect after only two weeks, the researchers found.
The supplement starts to take effect after only two weeks, the researchers found.
Over-the-counter magnesium is a safe and effective way to treat mild to moderate depression, a new study suggests.
The mineral magnesium has already been linked to lower inflammation and improvements in depression.
Now a new randomised controlled trial has tested the effects of magnesium chloride supplements compared with no treatment.
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For the research, half of 126 people with mild to moderate depression were given 248mg of magnesium chloride per day for six weeks.
After just two weeks, some positive effects of the supplement could be seen.
Those taking magnesium had clinically significant improvements over the six weeks.
People did not have any problems taking magnesium and there were no differences based on sex, age, whether people were also taking antidepressants, or other factors.
More than half of the people in the study said they would continue to take magnesium to help them with their depression.
Ms Emily Tarleton, the study’s first author, said:
“This is the first randomized clinical trial looking at the effect of magnesium supplementation on symptoms of depression in U.S. adults.
The results are very encouraging, given the great need for additional treatment options for depression, and our finding that magnesium supplementation provides a safe, fast and inexpensive approach to controlling depressive symptoms.”
Ms Tarleton says that the next stage is to move on to larger populations to see if the results can be replicated.
While many more studies have investigated antidepressant medications, there is also much evidence of their side-effects.
A survey of people taking antidepressants has found higher than expected levels of emotional numbness, sexual problems and even suicidal thoughts associated with the medication.
Of the 20 adverse effects to antidepressants that people were questioned about:
The study was published in the journal PLOS ONE (Tarleton et al., 2017).
The procedure doesn’t require anaesthesia or sedation, taking around 40 minutes per session.
The procedure doesn’t require anaesthesia or sedation, taking around 40 minutes per session.
Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is an effective long-term treatment for depression, research finds.
TMS involves stimulating the brain using magnetic fields.
Magnetic pulses are directed towards the left prefrontal cortex, to stimulate areas of the brain linked to depression.
The pulses help to excite neurons at the site of stimulation and in other connected areas of the brain.
The magnetic pulses are similar to those used for MRI brain scans.
TMS has been cleared by the US Food and Drug Administration since 2008.
However, this is one of the first studies to look at its long-term effect.
Professor Philip G. Janicak, who led the study, said:
“This is the only prospective, maintenance, follow-up study which assesses the durability of acute TMS benefit in patients with major depression.”
Magnetic brain stimulation is a lot less scary than it sounds.
It doesn’t require anaesthesia or sedation, taking around 40 minutes per session.
People typically have it daily over 4 to 6 weeks.
Professor Janicak, who led the study, said:
“The results of the follow-up study further support TMS as a viable treatment option for patients with major depression who have not responded to conventional antidepressant medications.
After acute response to TMS, a standardized regimen of antidepressant medication maintained the acute benefit in the majority of patients over a six-month period.”
The study was published in the journal Brain Stimulation (Janicak et al., 2010).
Network brain image from Shutterstock
A walk around the park will work, but this could be more fun!
A walk around the park will work, but this could be more fun!
A form of rock climbing called ‘bouldering’ is an effective treatment for depression symptoms, new research finds.
Bouldering involves climbing walls or rocks to a moderate height with no ropes or harnesses.
The study was inspired by German hospitals, some of which have started using climbing as a treatment for depression.
People in the study — most of whom were new to rock climbing — were split into two groups.
Those in the rock climbing group did three hours of bouldering each week for eight weeks.
Ms Eva-Maria Stelzer, one of the study’s authors, explained:
“Bouldering, in many ways, is a positive physical activity.
There are different routes for your physical activity level, and there’s a social aspect along with the feeling of an immediate accomplishment when bouldering.”
The study’s results showed that bouldering reduced the severity of depression by one grade.
For example, if people started the study with ‘moderate’ depression, after eight weeks their depression had reduced to ‘mild’, on average.
Those in the control group felt little change in their depression levels.
Dr Katharina Luttenberger, study co-author, said:
“Patients enjoyed the bouldering sessions and told us that they benefited greatly.
Since rumination is one of the biggest problems for depressed individuals, we had the idea that bouldering could be a good intervention for that.
[For bouldering ] You have to be mindful and focused on the moment.It does not leave much room to let your mind wonder on things that may be going on in your life — you have to focus on not falling.
Bouldering not only has strong mental components, but it is accessible at different levels so that people of all levels of physical health are able to participate,
Clearly rock climbing is not for everyone, said Dr Luttenberger:
“I’d always encourage patients to do the sport they like — may it be climbing or something else — as sport is a wonderful possibility to prevent all possible sorts of illnesses, mental and physical.”
The study was presented at the 29th annual Association for Psychological Science Convention, in Boston.
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