Science News about Depression
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Science News about Depression
- Long-term Depression Treatment Leads to Sustained Recovery for Most Teens
- November 18, 2009 • Science Update
Long-term treatment of adolescents with major depression is associated with continuous and persistent improvement of depression symptoms in most cases, according to the most recent analysis of follow-up data from the NIMH-funded Treatment of Adolescents with Depression Study (TADS). The report, along with a commentary compiling the take-home messages of the study, was published in the October 2009 issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry. - NIH Encourages Depressed Moms to Seek Treatment for Themselves
- November 13, 2009 • Science Update
Numerous studies have suggested that depression runs in families. Children of depressed parents are 2–3 times as likely to develop depression as compared to children who do not have a family history of the disorder. Other studies have shown that remission of depression in mothers is associated with improvements in psychiatric symptoms in their children. Despite all signs encouraging mothers to prioritize their own mental health, many suffer from untreated depression while managing treatment for their children’s emotional or behavioral problems. - Telephone-based Depression Treatment Program Effective While Cost Efficient
- October 16, 2009 • Science Update
Patients who receive structured, telephone-based support to manage their depression gain significant benefits with only moderate increases in health care costs compared to those who receive usual care, according to an NIMH-funded analysis published in the October 2009 issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry. - New Approach to Reducing Suicide Attempts Among Depressed Teens
- September 29, 2009 • Science Update
A novel treatment approach that includes medication plus a newly developed type of psychotherapy that targets suicidal thinking and behavior shows promise in treating depressed adolescents who had recently attempted suicide, according to a treatment development and pilot study funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). The study, described in three articles, was published in the October 2009 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. - Combination Treatment for Psychotic Depression Holds Promise
- August 07, 2009 • Science Update
A combination of an atypical antipsychotic medication and an antidepressant known as a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) may be more effective in treating psychotic depression than an atypical antipsychotic alone, according to results from an NIMH-funded clinical study. - Brain Emotion Circuit Sparks as Teen Girls Size Up Peers
- July 15, 2009 • Press Release
What is going on in teenagers’ brains as their drive for peer approval begins to eclipse their family affiliations? Brain scans of teens sizing each other up reveal an emotion circuit activating more in girls as they grow older, but not in boys. The study by Daniel Pine, M.D., of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), part of National Institutes of Health, and colleagues, shows how emotion circuitry diverges in the male and female brain during a developmental stage in which girls are at increased risk for developing mood and anxiety disorders. - Much Touted “Depression Risk Gene” May Not Add to Risk After All
- June 16, 2009 • Press Release
Stressful life events are strongly associated with a person’s risk for major depression, but a certain gene variation long thought to increase risk in conjunction with stressful life events actually may have no effect, according to researchers funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), part of the National Institutes of Health. The study, published in the June 17, 2009, issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, challenges a widely accepted approach to studying risk factors for depression. - Re-shaping Negative Thoughts Shields At-Risk Teens from Depression
- June 09, 2009 • Science Update
At-risk teens exposed to a program that teaches them to counteract their unrealistic and overly negative thoughts experienced significantly less depression than their peers who received usual care, NIMH-funded researchers have found. However, the cognitive behavioral prevention program failed to similarly help adolescents prone to the mood disorder if their parents were currently depressed. - New NIMH Video Describes Depression, Importance of Treatment
- June 02, 2009 • Science Update
A new 4-minute video from the National Institute of Mental Health provides an overview for the general public on the symptoms, impact, and treatment of depression. The video is available for viewing by individuals or can be used by community groups or in health care offices to inform viewers about depression and its consequences, and the critical importance of seeking treatment. - Searching for Risk Factors of Suicidal Events During Antidepressant Treatment
- May 29, 2009 • Science Update
A new set of analyses of the NIMH-funded Treatment for Adolescents with Depression Study (TADS) were conducted to better understand what may predict the development of suicidal events during treatment. The analyses, which were published in the May 2009 issue of the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, showed that youths with suicidal thoughts and more severe depression prior to treatment were at higher risk for suicidal events while undergoing treatment. - Thinning Tissue in Right Half of Brain Signals Increased Risk of Inherited Depression
- May 08, 2009 • Science Update
In cases of familial depression, changes in tissue thickness in key brain structures in the right half of the brain may increase a person’s risk for developing depression, according to NIMH-funded researchers. Similar changes in the left half of the brain were linked to the severity of a person’s existing depression or anxiety symptoms. Based on their findings, the researchers proposed a possible mechanism for how these brain changes affect depression risk in the April 14, 2009, issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. - Key Molecule in Inflammation-Related Depression Confirmed
- March 20, 2009 • Science Update
Scientists have confirmed the role of an immune-activated enzyme in causing inflammation-related depression-like symptoms in mice. - Premature Birth Risk Higher for Pregnant Women Taking SSRIs or Suffering from Untreated Depression
- March 19, 2009 • Science Update
Untreated major depression, as well as the use of antidepressant medications, may increase the risk for premature (preterm) birth, but the risk of other problems in fetuses such as breathing, gastrointestinal, or motor problems, may not be increased, according to a study of pregnant women published online ahead of print March 15, 2009, in the American Journal of Psychiatry. - Expert Panel Addresses High Rates of Smoking in People with Psychiatric Disorders
- February 18, 2009 • Science Update
Numerous biological, psychological, and social factors are likely to play a role in the high rates of smoking in people with psychiatric disorders, according to the report of an expert panel convened by the National Institute of Mental Health. The report reviews current literature and identifies research needed to clarify these factors and their interactions, and to improve treatment aimed at reducing the rates of illness and mortality from smoking in this population. - Suicidal Thinking May Be Predicted Among Certain Teens with Depression
- February 17, 2009 • Science Update
Certain circumstances may predict suicidal thinking or behavior among teens with treatment-resistant major depression who are undergoing second-step treatment, according to an analysis of data from an NIMH-funded study. The study was published online ahead of print February 17, 2009, in the American Journal of Psychiatry. - Getting Closer to Personalized Treatment for Teens with Treatment-resistant Depression
- February 11, 2009 • Science Update
Some teens with treatment-resistant depression are more likely than others to get well during a second treatment attempt of combination therapy, but various factors can hamper their recovery, according to an NIMH-funded study published online ahead of print February 4, 2009, in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. - Adolescents with Depression Not Harmed in Studies Using Placebo
- January 15, 2009 • Science Update
Teens with depression who initially are randomly assigned to placebo treatment (inactive pill) during a trial are no more likely to experience harm or have a diminished response to subsequent active treatments than teens who are initially randomized to active treatment, according to an analysis of data from the NIMH-funded Treatment for Adolescents with Depression Study (TADS). - Depression Relapse Less Likely Among Teens Who Receive CBT After Medication Therapy
- December 05, 2008 • Science Update
Adolescents with major depression who received cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) after responding to an antidepressant were less likely to experience a relapse or recurrence of symptoms compared to teens who did not receive CBT, according to a small, NIMH-funded pilot study published in the December 2008 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. - Anxious and Depressed Teens and Adults: Same Version of Mood Gene, Different Brain Reactions
- December 02, 2008 • Science Update
An NIMH study using brain imaging shows that some anxious and depressed adolescents react differently from adult patients when looking at frightening faces. - Millisecond Brain Signals Predict Response to Fast-Acting Antidepressant
- October 02, 2008 • Press Release
Images of the brain's fastest signals reveal an electromagnetic marker that predicts a patient's response to a fast-acting antidepressant, researchers have discovered. - Emotion-Regulating Circuit Weakened in Borderline Personality Disorder
- October 02, 2008 • Science Update
Differences in the working tissue of the brain, called grey matter, have been linked to impaired functioning of an emotion-regulating circuit in patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD). - Serotonin Neurons Critical for Mouse Postpartum Maternal Behavior, Pup Survival
- August 29, 2008 • Science Update
Mood disorders, including postpartum depression, have long been treated with antidepressants that enhance the mood-regulating brain chemical messenger serotonin. - Depression Patients’ Brain Circuitry Makes Them Vulnerable to Relapse
- August 01, 2008 • Science Update
Using brain imaging, NIMH researchers have produced direct evidence that people prone to depression -- even when they're feeling well -- have abnormal mood-regulating brain circuitry. - Mechanism for Postpartum Depression Found in Mice
- July 30, 2008 • Press Release
Researchers have pinpointed a mechanism in the brains of mice that could explain why some human mothers become depressed following childbirth. - Errant Stress/Immune Indicators Detected in Depression-Prone Women’s Sweat
- July 29, 2008 • Science Update
An experimental skin patch test detected abnormal levels of markers for immune function and stress in the sweat of women with histories of depression, NIMH researchers say. - Mice Expressing Human Genes Bred to Help Unravel Mental Disorders
- June 26, 2008 • Science Update
New mouse strains engineered to express human genes related to mental disorders are being developed under a recently-launched grant program from NIMH’s Division of Neuroscience and Basic Behavioral Science. - Preventive Treatment May Help Head Off Depression Following a Stroke
- May 28, 2008 • Science Update
For the first time, researchers show that preventive treatment with an antidepressant medication or talk therapy can significantly reduce the risk or delay the start of depression following an acute stroke, according to a study funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), part of the National Institutes of Health. These findings differ from past studies attempting to prevent poststroke depression. The study appears in the May 28, 2008, issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. - Medication-only Therapy and Combination Therapy Both Cost Effective for Treating Teens with Depression
- May 12, 2008 • Science Update
Treating depressed teenagers with either the antidepressant fluoxetine (Prozac) or a combination of fluoxetine and psychotherapy can be cost effective, according to a recent economic analysis of the NIMH-funded Treatment for Adolescents with Depression Study (TADS). The study was published online ahead of print April 15, 2008, in the American Journal of Psychiatry. - Studies Identify Subtle Genetic Changes’ Risk for Mental Disorders; May Lead to Targets for New, Better, Therapies
- May 05, 2008 • Science Update
WASHINGTON, DC, May 5 — Epigenetics — the examination of how environmental factors like diet, stress, and post-natal maternal behavior can change gene function without altering DNA sequence — plays a major role in depression and in the actions of antidepressant medications. New studies in the field are revealing new molecular targets for better therapies for depression, scientists say. - Human Brain Appears “Hard-Wired” for Hierarchy
- April 23, 2008 • Press Release
Human imaging studies have for the first time identified brain circuitry associated with social status, according to researchers at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) of the National Institutes of Health. They found that different brain areas are activated when a person moves up or down in a pecking order – or simply views perceived social superiors or inferiors. Circuitry activated by important events responded to a potential change in hierarchical status as much as it did to winning money. - Journal Highlights Effectiveness of Research Based Psychotherapies for Youth
- April 15, 2008 • Science Update
Reviews of the current research on psychosocial and behavioral therapies, or psychotherapies, for children and adolescents found a number of "well established" and "probably efficacious" treatments for many mental disorders. For example, six were "probably efficacious" for anxiety disorders, and two were "well established" for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), according to scientists funded by NIMH and the National Institute on Drug Abuse, divisions of the National Institutes of Health. - Maintenance Treatment Crucial for Teens’ Recovery from Depression
- April 08, 2008 • Science Update
Long-term maintenance treatment is likely to sustain improvement and prevent recurrence among adolescents with major depression, according to an NIMH-funded study published in the April 2008 issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry. - Paying More for Prescriptions May Limit Seniors’ Access to Antidepressants
- April 02, 2008 • Science Update
New cost-sharing policies may prevent some older adults diagnosed with depression from filling new antidepressant prescriptions, according to an analysis published in the April 2008 issue of Psychiatric Services. - State Survey Finds FDA “Black Box” Warning Correlates with Curtailed Antidepressant Prescriptions
- March 14, 2008 • Science Update
After the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a “black box” warning on antidepressant medications, Nebraskan doctors began prescribing fewer antidepressant medications to children and teens and referring more patients to specialists, according to a state survey. The study, which involved NIMH-funded researchers, was published in the February 2008 issue of the Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology. - One Gene Overrides Another to Prevent Brain Changes that Foster Depression
- March 12, 2008 • Science Update
For what appears to be the first time in humans, scientists have detected an interaction between genes that may help prevent brain changes that increase vulnerability to depression. - Teens with Treatment-resistant Depression More Likely to Get Better with Switch to Combination Therapy
- February 26, 2008 • Press Release
Teens with difficult-to-treat depression who do not respond to a first antidepressant medication are more likely to get well if they switch to another antidepressant medication and add psychotherapy rather than just switching to another antidepressant, according to a large, multi-site trial funded by the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). The results of the Treatment of SSRI-resistant Depression in Adolescents (TORDIA) trial were published February 27, 2008, in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). - Co-occurring Anxiety Complicates Treatment Response for Those with Major Depression
- February 25, 2008 • Science Update
People with major depression accompanied by high levels of anxiety are significantly less likely to benefit from antidepressant medication than those without anxiety, according to a study based on data from the NIMH-funded Sequenced Treatment Alternatives to Relieve Depression (STAR*D) study. The study was published online ahead of print in January 2008, in the American Journal of Psychiatry. - Primary Care Doctors May Overlook Elderly Patients’ Mental Health
- February 25, 2008 • Science Update
Doctors spend little time discussing mental health issues with their older patients and rarely refer them to a mental health specialist even if they show symptoms of severe depression, according to an NIMH-funded study published December 2007 in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. - Genetic Variation May Influence Response to Depression Treatment
- February 20, 2008 • Science Update
Variations in a gene known as TREK1 may explain some forms of treatment-resistant major depression, according to a new study analyzing genetic data from the NIMH-funded Sequenced Treatment Alternatives to Relieve Depression (STAR*D) trial. The study was published online February 20, 2008, in Neuropsychopharmacology. - Team Care for Depressed Older Adults Cuts Overall Medical Costs
- February 14, 2008 • Science Update
A team approach to depression treatment for older adults, already shown to be effective, is also less expensive than usual care, according to an NIMH-funded study published February 2008 in the American Journal of Managed Care. - Tomorrow’s Antidepressants: Skip the Serotonin Boost?
- February 14, 2008 • Science Update
New research adds to evidence of potentially better molecular targets in the brain to treat depression and other mental disorders, according to NIMH-funded scientists. - Gene Variants Protect Against Adult Depression Triggered by Childhood Stress
- February 04, 2008 • Press Release
Certain variations in a gene that helps regulate response to stress tend to protect adults who were abused in childhood from developing depression, according to new research funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), part of the National Institutes of Health. Adults who had been abused but didn’t have the variations in the gene had twice the symptoms of moderate to severe depression, compared to those with the protective variations. - Mood Disorders Predict Later Substance Abuse Problems
- January 09, 2008 • Science Update
People with manic symptoms and bipolar disorder type II are at significant risk of later developing an alcohol abuse or dependence problem, a long-term study conducted in Switzerland confirms. The study was published in the January 2008 issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry. - Hurricane Katrina Survivors Lack Access to Mental Health Services
- December 17, 2007 • Science Update
The majority of Hurricane Katrina survivors who developed mental disorders after the disaster are not receiving the mental health services they need, and many who were receiving mental health care prior to the hurricane were not able to continue with treatment, according to an NIMH-funded study published online ahead of print December 17, 2007, in the American Journal of Psychiatry. - Depression Linked to Bone-Thinning in Premenopausal Women
- November 26, 2007 • Press Release
Premenopausal women with even mild depression have less bone mass than do their nondepressed peers, a study funded in part by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), shows. - Depression’s Flip Side Shares its Circuitry
- November 14, 2007 • Science Update
Humans tend to be overly optimistic about the future, sometimes underestimating risks and making unrealistic plans, notes NIMH grantee Elizabeth Phelps, Ph.D., New York University. - Depressed Adolescents Respond Best to Combination Treatment
- October 01, 2007 • Press Release
A combination of psychotherapy and antidepressant medication appears to be the most effective treatment for adolescents with major depressive disorder—more than medication alone or psychotherapy alone, according to results from a major clinical trial funded by the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). - Mental Disorders Account for Large Percentage of Adult Role Disability
- October 01, 2007 • Science Update
An NIMH-funded study finds that more than half of U.S. adults have a mental or physical condition that prevents them from working or conducting their usual duties (e.g., role disability) for several days each year, and a large portion of those days can be attributed to mental disorders. - Scientists May Have Found Long-Pursued Binding Site for Antidepressants
- September 28, 2007 • Science Update
NIMH-funded scientists have a major new clue as to where the long-pursued binding site for commonly used antidepressants – potentially the site that triggers the medications’ effects – may be on brain cells. - Genes Linked to Suicidal Thinking During Antidepressant Treatment
- September 27, 2007 • Press Release
Specific variations in two genes are linked to suicidal thinking that sometimes occurs in people taking the most commonly prescribed class of antidepressants, according to a large study led by scientists at the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). - Workplace Depression Screening, Outreach and Enhanced Treatment Improves Productivity, Lowers Employer Costs
- September 26, 2007 • Press Release
Enhanced and systematic efforts to identify and treat depression in the workplace significantly improves employee health and productivity, likely leading to lower costs overall for the employer, according to a study published September 26, 2007, in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). - Drops in SSRI prescription rates may coincide with increases in youth suicides
- September 19, 2007 • Science Update
A 2004 spike in suicide rates may have coincided with a drop in antidepressant prescriptions for youth, following warnings from U.S and European regulatory agencies that the medications might trigger suicidal thoughts. - New Technique Pinpoints Crossroads of Depression in Rat Brain
- August 02, 2007 • Science Update
NIMH-funded scientists have developed a new high-speed technique for imaging brain activity and used it to pinpoint a circuit signal in rats that may be at the crossroads of depression — a possible "final common pathway" where different causes of, and treatments for, the disorder appear to converge. - Success or Failure of Antidepressant Citalopram Predicted by Gene Variation
- August 01, 2007 • Press Release
A variation in a gene called GRIK4 appears to make people with depression more likely to respond to the medication citalopram (Celexa) than are people without the variation, a study by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), part of the National Institutes of Health, has found. - Faster-Acting Antidepressants Closer to Becoming a Reality
- July 24, 2007 • Press Release
A new study has revealed more about how the medication ketamine, when used experimentally for depression, relieves symptoms of the disorder in hours instead of the weeks or months it takes for current antidepressants to work. - Gene Variants Linked to Suicidal Thoughts in Some Men Starting Antidepressant Treatment
- June 07, 2007 • Science Update
Some men who experience suicidal thoughts and behaviors after they first start taking antidepressant medications may be genetically predisposed to do so, according to the latest results from the NIMH-funded Sequenced Treatment Alternatives to Relieve Depression (STAR*D) study - In Second Try to Treat Depression, Cognitive Therapy Generally As Effective As Medication
- May 01, 2007 • Science Update
Switching to or adding cognitive therapy (CT) after a first unsuccessful attempt at treating depression with an antidepressant medication is generally as effective as switching to or adding another medication, but remission may take longer to achieve - Benefits of Antidepressants May Outweigh Risks for Kids
- April 17, 2007 • Science Update
The benefits of antidepressant medications likely outweigh their risks to children and adolescents with major depression and anxiety disorders, according to a new comprehensive review of pediatric trials conducted between 1988 and 2006. The study, partially funded by NIMH, was published in the April 18, 2007, issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. - Depression Risk Higher in Girls with Low Birth Weight
- March 09, 2007 • Science Update
Girls’ risk for developing depression after puberty increased significantly if they had low birth weight, in a study funded in part by NIMH. Yet low birth weight didn’t appear to be just one more risk factor for depression. Rather, it seemed to increase the risk effects of other adversities. - African Americans, Black Caribbeans, and Whites Differ in Depression Risk, Treatment
- March 05, 2007 • Science Update
Although black Americans are less likely than whites to have a major depressive disorder (MDD), when they do, it tends to be more chronic and severe. - Virtual-Reality Video Game Helps Link Depression to Specific Brain Area
- March 01, 2007 • Science Update
Scientists are using a virtual-reality, three-dimensional video game that challenges spatial memory as a new tool for assessing the link between depression and the hippocampus, the brain’s memory hub. - History of Childhood Abuse or Neglect Increases Risk of Major Depression
- January 03, 2007 • Science Update
People who were abused or neglected as children have increased risk of major depression, which often begins in childhood and has lingering effects as they mature, according to a study funded by NIMH. - Landmark Council Session Spotlights “Real World” Trials
- December 21, 2006 • Science Update
Principal investigators of NIMH's four large-scale clinical trials presented study results and their implications at the National Advisory Mental Health Council meeting on September 15, 2006. - Benefits to Employers Outweigh Enhanced Depression-Care Costs
- December 04, 2006 • Press Release
It may be in society’s and employers’ best interests to offer programs that actively seek out and treat depression in the workforce, suggests an analysis funded by NIMH. - New NIMH Research Strives to Understand How Antidepressants May Be Associated with Suicidal Thoughts and Actions
- November 13, 2006 • Science Update
The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), part of the National Institutes of Health, is funding five new research projects that will shed light on antidepressant medications, notably selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), and their association with suicidal thoughts and actions. - Odds of Beating Depression Diminish as Additional Treatment Strategies are Needed
- November 01, 2006 • Science Update
An overall assessment of the nation's largest real-world study of treatment-resistant depression suggests that a patient with persistent depression can get well after trying several treatment strategies, but his or her odds of beating the depression diminish as additional treatment strategies are needed. - NIMH Researchers Discover Medication’s Antidepressant Potential
- October 02, 2006 • Science Update
A commonly used sedative and motion-sickness treatment shows promise as a fast-acting antidepressant, according to a study conducted by researchers at NIMH. - Bipolar Disorder Exacts Twice Depression’s Toll in Workplace, Productivity Lags Even After Mood Lifts
- September 01, 2006 • Press Release
Bipolar disorder costs twice as much in lost productivity as major depressive disorder, an NIMH funded study has found. - Subsequent Treatment Strategies for Persistent Depression Yield Modest Results
- September 01, 2006 • Science Update
Patients with treatment-resistant depression had a modest chance of becoming symptom-free when they tried different treatment strategies after two or three failed treatments, according to results from the nation's largest real-world study of depression. - Experimental Medication Kicks Depression in Hours Instead of Weeks
- August 07, 2006 • Press Release
People with treatment—resistant depression experienced symptom relief in as little as two hours with a single intravenous dose of ketamine, a medication usually used in higher doses as an anesthetic in humans and animals, in a preliminary study. - Obesity Linked with Mood and Anxiety Disorders
- July 03, 2006 • Science Update
Results of an NIMH-funded study show that nearly one out of four cases of obesity is associated with a mood or anxiety disorder, but the causal relationship and complex interplay between the two is still unclear. - Switching to a Third Antidepressant Medication May Prove Helpful to Some with Treatment-Resistant Depression
- July 01, 2006 • Science Update
The next wave of results from the nation's largest real-world study of treatment-resistant depressionshows that patients had a moderate chance of becoming symptom-free when they switched to a third antidepressant medication, following two previously unsuccessful medication attempts. - Adult Children of Depressed Parents Have Higher Risk of Mental and Physical Illness
- June 21, 2006 • Science Update
As children of depressed parents enter adulthood, they continue to suffer greater risk of mental disorders and begin to report more physical illnesses than grown-up children of non-depressed parents. - Intermittent Explosive Disorder Affects up to 16 Million Americans
- June 05, 2006 • Press Release
A little-known mental disorder marked by episodes of unwarranted anger is more common than previously thought, a study funded by NIMH has found. - Depression Rates Are Lower in Children Whose Mothers Are Successfully Treated
- May 09, 2006 • Science Update
When women treated for depression become symptom-free, their children are less likely to be diagnosed with depression, according to a study published in the March 22/29 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. - Properly Timed Light, Melatonin Lift Winter Depression by Syncing Rhythms
- May 01, 2006 • Science Update
Most Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) symptoms stem from daily body rhythms that have gone out-of-sync with the sun, a NIMH-funded study has found. - New Strategies Help Depressed Patients Become Symptom-Free
- March 23, 2006 • Press Release
Results of the nation’s largest depression study show that one in three depressed patients who previously did not achieve remission using an antidepressant became symptom-free with the help of an additional medication and one in four achieved remission after switching to a different antidepressant. - Maintenance Treatment Prevents Recurrence in Older Adults with Single-Episode Depression
- March 16, 2006 • Press Release
People age 70 and older who continued taking the antidepressant that helped them to initially recover from their first episode of depression were 60 percent less likely to experience a new episode of depression over a two-year study period than those who stopped taking the medication, according to a study funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), part of the National Institutes of Health. - Gene Influences Antidepressant Response
- March 15, 2006 • Press Release
Whether depressed patients will respond to an antidepressant depends, in part, on which version of a gene they inherit, a study led by scientists at NIH has discovered. Having two copies of one version of a gene that codes for a component of the brain’s mood―regulating system increased the odds of a favorable response to an antidepressant by up to 18 percent, compared to having two copies of the other, more common version. - Depression Model Leaves Mice with Molecular Scar
- February 27, 2006 • Press Release
In addition to triggering a depression-like social withdrawal syndrome, repeated defeat by dominant animals leaves a mouse with an enduring “molecular scar” in its brain that could help to explain why depression is so difficult to cure, suggest researchers funded by NIMH. - Stopping Antidepressant Use While Pregnant May Pose Risks
- February 01, 2006 • Science Update
Pregnant women who discontinue antidepressant medications may significantly increase their risk of relapse during pregnancy, a new NIMH-funded study has found. - Initial Results Help Clinicians Identify Patients with Treatment-Resistant Depression
- January 06, 2006 • Press Release
Initial results of the nation’s largest clinical trial for depression have helped clinicians to track “real world” patients who became symptom-free and to identify those who were resistant to the initial treatment. - Nobelist Discovers Antidepressant Protein in Mouse Brain
- January 06, 2006 • Press Release
A protein that seems to be pivotal in lifting depression has been discovered by a Nobel Laureate researcher funded by NIMH. - NIMH Expands Public Health Education Effort To Reach Latino Men With Depression
- October 07, 2005 • Press Release
The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), part of the National Institutes of Health, today is launching a new effort in the Real Men Real Depression campaign — Spanish-language materials to inform the Latino community about depression and to encourage men who are depressed to seek help. - PTSD, Depression Epidemic Among Cambodian Immigrants
- August 02, 2005 • Press Release
More than two decades after they fled the Khmer Rouge reign of terror, most Cambodian refugees who resettled in the United States remain traumatized, a study funded by the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) has found. - Depression Gene May Weaken Mood-Regulating Circuit
- May 09, 2005 • Press Release
A brain scan study suggests that a suspect gene may increase susceptibility to anxiety and depression by weakening a circuit for processing negative emotion. - Actor-Patients´ Requests for Medications Boost Prescribing for Depression
- April 27, 2005 • Press Release
Researchers funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), part of the National Institutes of Health, have found that requests from patients for medications have a "profound effect" on physicians prescribing for major depression and adjustment disorder. - Rat Brain’s Executive Hub Quells Alarm Center if Stress is Controllable
- February 11, 2005 • Press Release
Treatments for mood and anxiety disorders are thought to work, in part, by helping patients control the stresses in their lives. - Mutant Gene Linked to Treatment-Resistant Depression
- December 13, 2004 • Science Update
A mutant gene that starves the brain of serotonin, a mood-regulating chemical messenger, has been discovered and found to be 10 times more prevalent in depressed patients than in control subjects, report researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI). - Combination Treatment Most Effective in Adolescents with Depression
- August 17, 2004 • Press Release
A clinical trial of 439 adolescents with major depression has found a combination of medication and psychotherapy to be the most effective treatment. - Depression Traced to Overactive Brain Circuit
- August 02, 2004 • Press Release
Press Release August 2, 2004 Depression Traced to Overactive Brain Circuit A brain imaging study by the NIH's National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) has found that an emotion-regulating brain circuit is overactive in people prone to depression — even when they are not depressed. - “Care Managers” Help Depressed Elderly Reduce Suicidal Thoughts
- March 02, 2004 • Press Release
Press Release March 2, 2004 “Care Managers” Help Depressed Elderly Reduce Suicidal Thoughts An intervention that includes staffing doctors' offices with depression care managers helps depressed elderly patients reduce suicidal thoughts, a study funded by NIH's National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) has found. - Mental Illness Genetics Among Science’s Top “Breakthroughs“ for 2003
- December 22, 2003 • Press Release
Research on the genetics of mental illness, most of it NIMH-funded and much of it in the Institute’s own laboratories, was named the #2 scientific "breakthrough of the year" by Science magazine in its December l9, 2003, issue. - Creation of New Neurons Critical to Antidepressant Action in Mice
- August 07, 2003 • Press Release
Blocking the formation of neurons in the hippocampus blocks the behavioral effects of antidepressants in mice, say researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). - Gene More Than Doubles Risk Of Depression Following Life Stresses
- July 17, 2003 • Press Release
Among people who suffered multiple stressful life events over 5 years, 43 percent with one version of a gene developed depression, compared to only 17 percent with another version of the gene, say researchers funded, in part, by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). - NIMH Awards $22.6 Million for Center for Collaborative Research on Mental Disorders
- July 01, 2003 • Press Release
The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) has funded a five-year, $22.6 million Center for Collaborative Genetic Studies on Mental Disorders at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. - Medication and Psychotherapy Treat Depression in Low-Income Minority Women
- July 01, 2003 • Press Release
Treatment with medication or psychotherapy reduced depressive symptoms in women from minority populations, according to research funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). - NIMH Launches First Public Health Education Campaign To Reach Men With Depression
- April 01, 2003 • Press Release
The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), one of the National Institutes of Health, today announced the launch of the first national campaign to raise awareness that depression is a major public health problem affecting an estimated 6 million men annually. - Treatment for Minor Depression
- March 21, 2003 • Press Release
In a new approach to research on minor depression, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has launched a four-year study to determine the safety and effectiveness of St. John's wort, a common herbal supplement, and citalopram, a standard antidepressant, compared to placebo. - Placebo, Antidepressant May Lift Depression Via Common Mechanism
- May 01, 2002 • Press Release
Whether it's a widely prescribed medication or a placebo, a successful treatment for depression must trigger a common pattern of brain activity changes, suggests a team of researchers funded by the National Institute of Mental Health. - NIMH Awards Howard University $6.5 Million
- January 25, 2002 • Press Release
Howard University Hospital Department of Psychiatry in the College of Medicine (HUCM) has been awarded $6.5 million from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) for a five-year project to implement and develop research studies pertaining to mood and anxiety disorders.
