Bipolar disorder patients experiencing an episode of depression are more likely to switch into manic, mixed, or hypomanic states before recovery if they have a history of substance or alcohol use disorder, research shows. (Source: MedWire News - Psychiatry)MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

There are currently several disturbing phenomena in the field of suicidology: •Many papers are describing risk assessment and suggesting the need for high-risk patients to be hospitalized. •Emergency department (ED) staff are complaining about spending much of their time trying to find beds for patients. •Programs are claiming “crisis intervention” when, in fact, they only provide triage. (Source: Psychiatric Times)

More than one in four Americans suffer from a diagnosable psychiatric disorder at any given time, according to estimates from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). Over our lifetime nearly one half of us suffer from such disorders. Unfortunately, nearly two thirds of our behavioral and emotional problems are never diagnosed or treated, even though in many cases effective treatment is available. More than 80 percent of people with major depression, for example, benefit substantially from a combination of medication and counseling.When I served as editor in chief of Psychology Today , readers often asked me to direct them to screening tests for mental health problems. I looked for such tests on the Internet, which seemed the ideal tool for helping people find answers to questions a...

This study supports recent research that suggests vitamin D plays a greater role in the body than just keeping bones healthy. Vitamin D deficiency has been recently linked to a variety of non-bone related diseases including depression, autoimmune disorders, and now asthma... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

Conclusions: Our results demonstrate that the combination of C + A is more effective than that of ASA + A in inhibiting ADP-mediated platelet aggregation and expression of major platelet receptors after CABG. (Source: Clinical and Applied Thrombosis/Hemostasis)

A little worry is normal, but people who constantly worry about daily concerns, even when times are good, may have generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). GAD is excessive worry that lasts at least six months and disrupts daily activities, according to the March issue of Mayo Clinic Women's HealthSource. Typically starting during middle age and more common in older adults, GAD affects an estimated 4 to 7 percent of adults 65 and older and often goes hand in hand with depression or other anxiety disorders, such as phobias... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

(University of York) A major international conference next week will take a fresh perspective on one of the darkest episodes in English medieval history -- the mass suicide and murder of Jewish men, women and children in York in 1190. (Source: EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science)

(Stanford University Medical Center) Recently, brain researchers have gained a powerful new way to troubleshoot neural circuits associated with depression, Parkinson's disease and other conditions in small animals such as rats. They use an optogenetics technology, invented at Stanford University, that precisely turns select brain cells on or off with flashes of light. Although useful, the optogenetics tool set has been limited. (Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health)

Conclusions: The withdrawal of distalgesic has had positive benefits in terms of IDO presentations to hospital in Ireland and provides evidence supporting the restriction of availability of means as a prevention strategy for suicidal behaviour. (Source: BMC Clinical Pharmacology)

Many rural communities are experiencing an increase in their older adult population. Older adults who live in rural areas typically have fewer resources and poorer mental and physical health status than do their urban counterparts. Depression is the most prevalent mental health problem among older adults, and 80% of the cases are treatable. Unfortunately, for many rural elders, depressive disorders are widely under-recognized and often untreated or undertreated. Psychotherapy is illustrated with the case of a 65-year-old rural married man whose presenting complaint was depressive symptoms after a myocardial infarction and loss of ability to work. The case illustrates that respect for rural elderly clients' deeply held beliefs about gender and therapy, coupled with an understanding of their...

Conclusion Injection of SLS caused almost immediate local necrosis followed by eschar formation, sloughing and scarring of treated skin. Deep dermal and subcutaneous SLS is potentially useful as a chemical alternative to mulesing. (Source: Australian Veterinary Journal)MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

More than 19 million Americans suffer from depression yearly and women are twice as likely as men to experience a major depressive episode, according to a new report highlighting research reviewed by 35 internationally renowned experts from a variety of disciplines. (Source: About.com Mental Health)

Conclusions: According to epidemiological studies, the prevalence of depersonalization-derealization disorder is 1-2 %. We therefore conclude that F48.1 is severely underdiagnosed. Increased awareness for the detection of F48.1 and further health care research are urgently warranted. PMID: 20229493 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Zeitschrift fur Psychosomatische Medizin und Psychotherapie)

Conclusions: Nearly half of the patients with somatoform gastrointestinal disorders seen at a university centre exhibited high scores in anxiety and depression. A substantial fraction reported disturbed body perception and satisfaction with their own body image. These patients have not yet found their place between somatic medicine and psychotherapy: Although somatic und psychological symptoms coexist to a similar degree, patients tend to focus predominantly on their somatic complaints. PMID: 20229491 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Zeitschrift fur Psychosomatische Medizin und Psychotherapie)

Conclusion: Patients with pain-dominated somatoform disorders are substantially impaired in their quality of life. Because 31 % of the patients with such disorders have no additional comorbid psychic disorder and the existence of a comorbid psychic disorder impacts only the psychological domain of their health-related quality of life, the results appear to strongly support maintaining the diagnostic category of somatoform disorders in ICD-11 and DSM-V. They also support the grading of the severity of the somatization similar to the grading of depressive disorders. PMID: 20229488 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Zeitschrift fur Psychosomatische Medizin und Psychotherapie)

Conclusions. Overall, antidepressants were no more effective on headache intensity or frequency and analgesic use than placebo. Propranolol seemed to have negative effects on depression in TTH patients when compared with placebo or biofeedback. No evidence was found for the use of muscle relaxants alone or 5-HT receptor agonist. (Source: Family Practice)MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

I wish that the stepmothers in my practice could listen in on each other's conversations. If they could, they would see how common it is to feel the way that they do and they might not feel so alone and isolated. So, since I can't let them eavesdrop, I'm listing the most common complaints that I hear. Tune in for more details in the coming weeks.1) WHY DOES HE LET HIS KIDS WALK ALL OVER HIM?2) WHY DO MY NEEDS ALWAYS COME LAST IN THE FAMILY?3) WHY DOES HIS EX SEEM TO HAVE MORE SAY OVER THE VISITATION, SCHEDULING, AND FINANCES THAN I DO?4) WHY DO I HAVE TO BE SO CAREFUL ABOUT WHAT I SAY WHEN EVERYBODY ELSE GETS TO SAY WHATEVER THEY WANT?5) I'M A GOOD MOTHER AND A GOOD PERSON, SO HOW COME HE NEVER TAKES MY ADVICE WHEN I GIVE IT TO HIM? Dear readers,What would you add to this list? (Sourc...

Human Gene Therapy Mar 2010, Vol. 21, No. 3: 241-250. (Source: Human Gene Therapy)

Most of my friends in their 30's--women and men--fear that if they don't marry, they'll end up lonely. Or, worse: that they'll have failed in a highly public and widely accepted American personality test. This fear about the pain of living single is not quite hysteria, because it's rooted in data. Married people generally live longer and happier than others do. For instance, in 2007, the Office for National Statistics reported that single men between 30 and 60 die at a rate 2 ½ times the rate of married men. Single people are also more likely to suffer with alcoholism, depression, and various physical health problems than married people are. One possible reason for why married people are happier than unmarried ones is that our culture hasn't developed many institutions--other than marriag...

The recently posted draft of DSM5 makes a seemingly small suggestion that would profoundly impact how grief is handled by psychiatry. It would allow the diagnosis of Major Depression even if the person is grieving immediately after the loss of a loved one. Many people now considered to be experiencing a variation of normal grief would instead get a mental disorder label. (Source: Psychiatric Times)