Depression News & Features

Psilocybin mushrooms, federally illegal since 1968, have been used for centuries for spiritual and medical purposes.

Researchers wanted to find out more about why some children have significant traumatic stress symptoms in the days and weeks after a trauma and while others do not, and importantly -- why some recover well without treatment, while others go on to have more persistent problems.

The treatments included electroconvulsive therapy, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), magnetic seizure therapy, and transcranial direct current stimulation.

Researchers found that the supplements taken by study subjects worked no better than a placebo in helping ward off depression.

Sold as Spravato, the fast-acting drug becomes the first new type of medicine approved in years against an illness that plagues millions of Americans.

If the drug, Spravato, is approved, only patients who have failed at least two other antidepressants will be eligible for a prescription, and it will be given only in certified treatment centers, not sent home.

For years, doctors have debated the safety of the acne drug most commonly known as Accutane, but new research suggests the medication does not boost depression risk among its users.

Researchers found that compared with women who worked a standard 40-hour week, those who were on the clock 55 hours or more typically reported more depression symptoms.

Despite the panel's approval, two of five key studies of esketamine failed to meet their primary goals. When taking esketamine, some patients experienced sedation, blood pressure spikes and dissociation (feeling disconnected from surroundings) within two hours of taking the drug, CNN reported.

Researchers found that people with depression showed differences in specific groups of gut bacteria. And those with higher concentrations of certain other gut bugs generally reported better mental well-being.

People with moderate-to-severe depression saw significant improvement in their mood after electrical stimulation of a brain region called the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), a small study suggests.

Some study subjects who took ezogabine (Potiga) saw a 45 percent reduction in depression and an increase in their ability to feel pleasure, as well as an increase in resilience and the capacity to recover from extremes of trauma and stress, researchers report.

Swimmer Michael Phelps, who earned more gold medals than any other Olympian, has also know the depths of depression and anxiety. His mission today is to help people realize they’re not alone in their own mental health struggles.

When used for long periods by people who have both PTSD and COPD, benzodiazepine drugs such as Valium, Xanax and Ativan are tied to more than double the risk of suicide, according to new research.

Using sophisticated software, researchers scanned social media posts and detected depression months before it was apparent on clinical screening tests, according to a recent study.

Among more than 67,000 students surveyed, over 20 percent said they experienced stressful events in the last year that were strongly associated with mental health problems, including harming themselves and suicidal thoughts or attempts, according to a new study in the journal Depression and Anxiety.

Exercise Can Chase Away the Blues, to a Point By Robert PreidtHealthDay Reporter THURSDAY, Aug. 9, 2018 (HealthDay News) -- Exercise is good for your mental health, as long as you don't overdo it, researchers say.An analysis of data from 1.2 million people in the United States found they reported 3.4 days a month of poor mental health on average. But those who were physically active had 1.5 fewer "down" days a month than those who were not active.Being active for 45 minutes three to five times a week was associated with the biggest benefit. Exercise had

A number of trials have tested the supplement against depression, too, but with mixed results, said Dr. Natalie Rasgon, co-senior researcher on the new study.

A new study -- based on surveys in 15 countries – finds that employees struggling with depression take less time off work if they have supportive managers.

If you're fit in middle age, you might be guarding against not only depression as a senior,  but also dying from heart disease if you do develop depression, a new study suggests.

About 15 percent of adults are thought to use five or more prescription medications simultaneously, the researchers said in background notes.

Andy Spade said the couple had lived apart for the last 10 months, but there were no plans to divorce. Their daughter, Frances Beatrix, was with her father the night of her mother's death, The Times reported.

The researchers found that for every 10 percent increase in unpleasant social media experiences, the risk of developing symptoms of depression rose by 20 percent.

In the study, patients who used any of a dozen common antidepressants were 21 percent more likely than others to put on an extra 5 to 8 pounds, the study authors said.

Diagnosis rates in 2016 varied by as much as 300 percent between states, from a high of 6.4 percent in Rhode Island to lows of 2.1 percent in Hawaii and 3.2 percent in Nevada.