What to do when you feel depressed?

Feeling depressed

Most people have occasional low moods ,but if you are depressed they become persistent. You may feel tearful and low, particularly in the morning; lack energy and confidence; and find it hard to concentrate or make decisions. Sleep problems and loss of sex drive and appetite are common .Depression is often a reaction to a life event such as bereavement ,or it may have no obvious cause .Lack of sunlight in winter makes some people feel sad, and 1 woman in 10 has depression after childbirth.

Make an appointment to see your doctor if you have feelings of depression that last longer than a week.

NATURAL REMEDIES
St John’s wort is a popular herbal remedy for mild depression. Taken as a tablet once a day,it appears to be as effective as some prescription antidepressants. Like prescribed drugs ,it can take some time to work.

CAUTION: Check with your doctor before taking St John’s wort. Don’t use it if you are already taking prescribed antidepressants or the contraceptive pill.
Essential fatty acids or EFAs, are obtained from foods and play an important part in forming healthy cells and nerve tissue. A group called omega-3 EFAs may also help to regulate hormones and brain chemicals that control mood, and can help to reduce symptoms of depression. You can boost levels of these EFAs by eating olive oil, walnuts, and oily fish, such as salmon and mackerel.

Boosting omega-3 EFAs
Make sure your diet includes 2 or 3 portions a week of oily fish, such as grilled mackerel.

What you can do yourself
There are several lifestyle changes and home treatments that can help you through a short period of feeling low, They will also support treatment given by your doctor.

* When you are depressed, even simple tasks may seem difficult. Set a small, achievable, pleasant goal for yourself each day, such as taking a walk around the block or having a special breakfast. Adopt the same approach if you feel you have an overwhelming list of problems Tackle only one problem at a time if necessary, break it down into smaller, achievable goals and work through them.

* If you have occasional sad or negative thoughts, distract yourself by listening to the radio or watching TV, which require little concentration.

* Try to avoid extra stress. If possible, postpone or delegate important decisions. Look rationally at the work you have to do; focus on essential tasks and sideline less important ones.

* Don’t bottle things up. You may find it a relief to share your feelings and emotions with sympathetic relatives or close friends. Talking about problems is not a sign of weakness.

* Try to eat regularly, even though you may not feel like it. Choose foods that you enjoy, but make sure you include plenty of vegetables, fruit, bread, pasta, rice, and potatoes. Have small portions if you don’t feel like eating large meals.

* Exercise helps you relax, improves sleep, and may reduce depression by releasing chemicals in the brain that improve mood. Just going for a walk or doing some gardening is beneficial. Everybody should be capable of taking some exercise, but if you have a medical condition (such as arthritis or a heart problem),check with your doctor first.

* Try the natural remedy St John’s wort to relieve low moods (see NATURAL REMEDIES)

* Include foods such as oily fish and olive oil in your diet to boost your levels of essential fatty acids, or EFAs (see NATURAL REMEDIES, left). These substances may help to combat depression.

* Cut down or stop drinking alcohol. Although it may appear to offer a “qiocl fix”, alcohol can contribute to depression and also affects your physical health.

* Stop using any recreational drugs, such as cannabis or ecstasy; they can have long-term effects that contribute to depression.

* If your sleep is disturbed, try reducing your caffeine intake, and avoid sleeping in the day.

* If you regularly feel tense and find it difficult to unwind, try practicing deep breathing exercises and muscle relaxation methods.

* If possible ,try to identify the cause of your depression. Defining your problem may help you to stop feeling guilty about your feelings an

d, with time, you may become able to deal with the underlying difficulty.

* If you are regularly depressed in the winter months ( a condition known as seasonal affective disorder, or SAD) you may benefit from light treatment.

PRACTICAL TIPS
Coping with SAD Symptoms of seasonal affective disorder usually develop as the days get shorter in autumn. You may feel sad, low, and tired, want to sleep more than you normally do, and have cravings for starchy or sugary foods, Increased exposure to natural light is thought to help SAD sufferers, so try the following tips.

* Try to get outdoors as much as possible on winter days. Even on dull, cloudy days you will benefit from exposure to natural light.

* Arrange work and home conditions so that you are exposed to as much natural light as possible. Work by a window if you can. Trim back trees and bushes around your home to let in light.

* If possible treat yourself to a short winter break in a sunny country.

* Some people find light therapy helpful. This is usually given using a special light box that emits a very bright light. Other devices simulate a natural dawn in the morning. Light boxes are usually expensive, so discuss what might be of value with your doctor you invest in equipment.

Using light therapy
You can carry out normal activities, such as reading, working, or eating, while staying close to the light box.
Seek further medical advice

Arrange to see your doctor if :

* Your depression is becoming more severe and/or lasts longer than 2 weeks

* You are taking prescribed antidepressant drugs and they are not having an effect within the time span suggested by your doctor.

New magnetic therapy to treat depression

London: Scientists have found a new magnetic therapy for depression which they claim could soon spell the end for brain-altering, anti-depressant drugs.

The NeuroStar TMS Therapy developed by researchers at the University of California Los Angeles works by beaming magnetic pulses through the skull that trigger small electrical charges that spark brain cells to fire.



Results from trials on more than 300 patients with severe depression showed that 58 per cent of them achieved a positive response while over a third (37 per cent) went into remission.

The study findings, presented at the annual meeting of the American Psychiatric Association, could be a potent new treatment, the researchers said.

"The improvements we observed show that non-drug therapy with NeuroStar TMS not only reduces the symptomatic suffering of patients, but lessens the disability of depression with important implications for these individuals` ability to return to functioning effectively at home, in the workplace, and in the community," study leader Dr Ian Cook was quoted as saying by the Daily Mail.

In the study, the participating patients filled in a health questionnaire before and after the treatment.

During each half-hour session the patient was placed under a treatment coil which is the size of a cupped hand. It sent a pulsed magnetic field an inch under the scalp to the prefrontal cortex, the ante cingulate cortex and the limbic system, which are the three areas of the brain thought to regulate mood.

The magnetic field is similar in strength to that created by an MRI machine and sparks off very small electrical currents within the brain. This stimulates neuron activity thought to provide relief from depression.

Anti-depressants are released into the blood, which can cause widespread physical side-effects such as hot flushes and nausea. However, supporters of Neurostar said because it`s a targeted therapy it only causes mild scalp pain.
After five weeks of NeuroStar treatment, the percentage of patients reporting extreme problems with anxiety and depression decreased by 42.2 per cent.

A previous study had found that the therapy was twice as effective as a placebo in reducing depressive symptoms.

Dr H Brent Sovason from Stanford University, said: "These data reinforce the clinical efficacy of TMS Therapy as a viable option for patients living with major depression who have not achieved or maintained symptom improvement with oral antidepressants.

"The most meaningful takeaway for patients is that TMS Therapy has the potential to make them feel better, in addition to potentially allowing them to experience a level of physical and social functionality they haven`t had with their depression."

Depression affects one in four people at some point of their lives. Treatments for this condition involve either medication or talking treatments such as cognitive behavioural therapy, or usually a combination of the two.

source: zeenews

Breathing problem during sleep linked to depression

Experiencing breathing problems while sleeping? Beware, it may raise your risk of depression, a new study has suggested.

And the risk of depression in women with sleep apnea- in which breathing becomes shallow or pauses briefly during sleep- is more than in men with such conditions, according to the study from researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

"Snorting, gasping or stopping breathing while asleep was associated with nearly all depression symptoms, including feeling hopeless and feeling like a failure," study researcher Anne Wheaton, an epidemiologist with the CDC, was quoted as saying by LiveScience.

"We expected persons with sleep-disordered breathing to report trouble sleeping or sleeping too much, or feeling tired and having little energy, but not the other symptoms."

Both depression and breathing problems during sleep are common, and both are underdiagnosed, the researchers said. Screening people who have for one disorder for the other could lead to better diagnosis and treatments, they said.

For their study, published in the journal Sleep, the team used data of 9,714 adults who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, which is an ongoing study conducted by the CDC.

Participants were considered to have depression based on their answers to a questionnaire asking about how often they experienced symptoms of depression. Six per cent of men and three per cent of women in the study had sleep apnea.

It was found that women with this condition were 5.2 times as likely to have depression, while men with sleep apnea were 2.4 times as likely to have depression.

The participants who had other breathing problems during sleep also had an increased risk of depression. However, the researchers found no increased likelihood of depression among people who snore.

The results held even after the researchers took into account other factors such as age, sex and weight, the researchers said.

The study found an association, not a cause-and-effect link. However, the researchers wrote that evidence from other research suggests that breathing problems during sleep may contribute to the development of depression.

For example, one previous study found a link between the severity of breathing problems during sleep and the odds of later developing depression. And other studies have shown that people who received treatment for sleep apnea showed improvement in their depression.

"Mental health professionals often ask about certain sleep problems, such as unrefreshing sleep and insomnia, but likely do not realise that [breathing problems during sleep] may have an impact on their patients' mental health," the researchers wrote in their conclusion.

Although exactly how the link might work is unclear, it could partly be explained by the fact that people with breathing problems experience sleep that is fragmented, or may have low levels of oxygen in the blood during sleep, they said.

source: indiatoday

Rhodiola-for Fighting Depression and Fatigue

Rhodiola is another herb with a pretty strong resume of published research documenting its ability to fight fatigue, improve reaction time, improve attention, and reduce stress. It’s a plant (also known as golden root and roseroot) that grows in cold and mountainous places, including the Arctic, the Central Asian and Rocky Mountains, the Alps, the Pyrenees, Scandinavia, Iceland, and other regions. In fact, in Russia it has been used for hundreds of years specifically to help cope with the harsh Siberian climate, and it is said to have been used by the Vikings as well.

Rhodiola is a valuable adaptagen. In one study, published in the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, rhodiola improved endurance exercise capacity. In another study, pubished in the Nordic Journal of Psychiatry, Aermenian researchers found that patients from eighteen to seventy years of age with mild to moderate depression improved significantly on measures of overall depression, insomnia, and emotional instability following doses of either 340 mg a day or 680 mg a day.

Other studies have shown pronounced anti-fatigue effects for the supplement. One particularly well-known study (from the Departmnet of Neurology at Yerevan State Medical University in Armenia) investigated the effect of low-dose treatment with rhodiola on fatigue in young, healthy physicians, working night duty. One group received a placebo and one group was given a standardized extract of rhodiola. The researchers wanted to see whether rhodiola supplementation would have any effect on total mental performance, so they used a measure calculated as the Fatigue Index, consisting of five different standardized tests for perception and cognitive function 9such as short-term memory and ability to concentrate).

Sure enough, they found a statistically significant improvement in the Fatigue Index for the rhodiola group, with no improvement shown in the group given the placebo. The Fatigue Index was also significantly improved in a group of 161 healthy cadets ages nineteen to twenty-one after a single dose of rhodiola was administered.

Want more? A 2000 double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized study-considered the gold standard in research designs – investigated the effect or rhodiola supplementation on forty foreign students during a stressful exam period. Russian researchers divided the students into two groups, and gave one group rhodiola and the other a placebo. The rhodiola group demonstrated significantly improved scores in physical fitness and mental fatigue. The rhodiola group also had significantly higher scores in a self-assessment of general well-being.

Rhodiola has low toxicity and extremely low occurrences of side effects. According to the Physicians Desk Reference for Herbal Medicines, most users find that it improves their mood, energy, and mental clarity. For that reason, you shouldn’t take it at night, because it can easily disrupt sleep.

If you want to try this herb, a good place to start is with 50 to 200 mg a day. And remember not to take it at night.

WORTH KNOWING
Because rhodiola does have an antidepressant effect, people with bipolar disorder shouldn’t use it. Like many other antidepressants, natural or pharmaceutical, rhodiola has the potential for inducing mania in people with bipolar disorder.

Effective tips to beat depression

Eat yourself happy
There are a number of foods that can help with depression. Eating a high carbohydrate (wholewheat) diet boosts the production of serotonin in the brain, making you feel more positive. Eating plenty of protein to increase amino acid intake has the same effect.

B-Eat depression
B vitamins, especially B12, B6 and folic acid, can help combat psychological disturbances, so if you’re suffering from depression a complete vitamin and mineral supplement containing these substances might help.

Canola can help
Some studies have shown that people who suffer from depression also have lower levels of the antioxidant vitamin E. Canola oil is rich in vitamin E so try substituting it for vegetable oil in cooking.

Oil away worries
Omega-3 has been shown to help depression by altering the way the brain functions and reducing negative thoughts. It is not known exactly how this works, but some scientists believe it makes the uptake of brain chemicals such as serotonin more efficient.

Go low-Gi
Too many fluctuations in your insulin levels can lead to mood swings and fatigue, and these will be much worse if you already suffer from depression. To combat these ups and downs eat carbohydrates with a low glycaemic index such as basmati rice, couscous, oats or brain.

Concentrate on carbs
People who suffer depression should steer clear of low-carb diets, even if they want to lose weight. Instead, eat wholegrain carbohydrates and swap unhealthy foods for salmon and mackerel, spinach, fresh peas, chickpeas, chicken and turkey.

Scoop a good mood
It’s official – children have known it for years, but scientists now admit that eating ice cream can actually make you feel better. Eating a spoonful of ice cream lights up the same pleasure centre in the brain as winning money. Unfortunately, eating more doesn’t give more pleasure and, as it’s high in fat, one spoonful is enough!

Boost mood with folate
Folate (also known as folic acid or vitamin B9) – found in many vegetables but most readily in the dark green, leafy varieties – is essential for the production of serotonin in the brain, which helps to regulate mood. Get happy with broccoli, spinach, kale and watercress. Some breakfast cereals are also fortified with folate/folic acid – check the label.

Get regular
Vitamin B6 plays an essential role in regulating brain chemicals, particularly when it comes to ensuring serotonin levels are high enough. Chicken and turkey are great sources of B6, which means they’re good food choices to help regulate moods.

Probiotics Help Alleviate Depression, Anxiety

Consuming probiotic-rich foods such as yogurt and dairy drinks have been shown to improve digestive health, but new research published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reveals probiotics may benefit brain health by significantly alleviating stress, anxiety and depression.

Researchers at the University College Cork examined the effect of feeding a lactic bacteria named Lactobacillus rhamnosus JB-1 in rats. They found rats that consumed the gut bacteria displayed significantly less behavior linked with stress, anxiety and depression compared to mice who did not consume the probiotic. Bacteria-fed mice also had significantly lower levels of the stress hormone corticosterone in response to stressful situations.

The researchers also showed that regular feeding with the Lactobacillus strain caused changes in the expression of receptors for the neurotransmitter GABA in the mouse brain, which is the first time that it has been demonstrated that potential probiotics have a direct effect on brain chemistry in normal situations. The authors also established that the vagus nerve is the main relay between the microbiome (bacteria in the gut) and the brain. This three way communication system is known as the microbiome-gut-brain axis and these findings highlight the important role of bacteria in the communication between the gut and the brain, and suggest that certain probiotic organisms may prove to be useful adjunct therapies in stress-related psychiatric disorders.

The findings support a recent study conducted at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center that concluded improving probiotic microflora in the intestines may be an important key to treating mental health conditions. The researchers found probiotics play a role in producing, absorbing, and transporting neurochemicals, such as serotonin, dopamine and nerve growth factor, which are essential for healthy brain and nerve function.

Sources: University College Cork: Probiotic bacteria lessens depression

Depression Increases Odds of Kidney Failure?

According to a new report, depression may lead to an increased risk of kidney failure.

As per the results of the study, which appeared in the March 10 issue of Clinical Journal of American Society of Nephrology, depression could be linked to a higher rate of acute kidney injury hospitalizations. In order to put together more accurate findings, certain conditions like inflammatory markers, heart disease and lifestyle factors like BMI, smoking, drinking and more were taken into account.

Researchers noted that depression was associated with a higher occurrence of chronic kidney disease at baseline. In fact, kidney problems were 20 percent more common in individuals who were suffering from depression than those who were not.

The leader of the study, Dr. Willem Kop had this to say on the findings:

"People with elevated depressive symptoms have a higher risk of subsequent adverse kidney disease outcomes. This is partially explained by other medical factors related to depression and kidney disease. But the association with depression was stronger in patients who were otherwise healthy compared to those who had co-existing medical disorders such as diabetes or heart disease."

While there is still a long way to go before establishing a firm and concrete line from depression to kidney problems, this study goes to show that there are some very serious possible physical ramifications to an unfortunate mental condition.

source: opposingviews

New Guidelines Address Exercise and Shock Therapy For Depression

We all know that unhealthy living or having an illness can make you feel down, but a new report from the Centers for Disease Control says these issues lead to clinical depression in a large number of Americans.

The organization underscored chronic conditions like obesity, heart disease, and diabetes as well as unhealthy lifestyle choices like smoking, physical inactivity, or binge drinking as causes of depressive disorder, which it says currently affects almost 10 percent of Americans. In addition, the CDC reported that about three percent of Americans experience major depression, meaning that for more than half the time they met eight criteria for depression, including "feeling down, depressed, or hopeless" or having "little interest or pleasure in doing things."

With the incidence of depression increasing, it is not surprising that the American Psychiatric Association on Friday released the first update to its physician guidelines on treating major depression in a decade. Some of its recommendations are pretty unexpected. To see some highlights on how to treat depression, including the organization's beliefs on exercise and shock therapy, read more.

* Shock therapy by passing electric current through the brain can be very effective for extreme cases of depression. The organization also offered magnetic therapy on nerves in the brain as a potential option for those with recurring major episodes.

* Maintenance treatment by staying on antidepressants "indefinitely" can benefit those who have recurring episodes of depression.

* Exercise such as aerobics or resistance training can provide modest improvements in mood.

* Talking therapy works best for those with mild or moderate depression, but in serious cases may not be as effective as medication.

* Depression during pregnancy can lead to preterm delivery, so pregnant patients should discuss whether or not to remain on medication or whether to use talking therapy with their doctors.

The APA said the report was based on published research and reviewed by an independent panel for any industry bias.

SOURCE: fitsugar

Meditation can induce long-lasting changes in brain function

Richard Davidson believes mental exercise will be as important as physical exercise by 2050.

Richard Davidson, one of the world's top brain scientists, believes mental exercise, specifically meditation, can literally change our minds.

Our data shows mental practice can induce long-lasting changes in the brain, " said Davidson, professor of psychology and psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

His startling scientific research on the impact of meditation on brain function has implications that go beyond the physical.

Buddhist monks believe mental attributes and positive emotions such as compassion, loving, kindness and empathy are skills that can be cultivated.

And science is beginning to back that up.

Davidson started meditating in 1974, when he was a PhD student at Harvard. Back then, meditation was seen as a somewhat faddish eastern import right up there with the dashiki and the Jesus sandal.

"The culture at the time was not so receptive," Davidson said, "nor were the scientific methods so well-developed."

It was when he met the Dalai Lama in 1992 that he "decided to come out of the closet with my interest in meditation."

He became excited about the possibility of applying rigorous scientific study to the practice of meditation.

"I made a commitment to do my best to take the tools we have so well honed in studying fear and anxiety and apply them to kindness and compassion."

Davidson began an ongoing study of the brains of Buddhist monks, the so- called "Olympians" of meditation, each of whom had accomplished at least 10,000 hours of meditation.

"The work was framed within the research on neuro-plasticity, the understanding that the brain is built to change in response to experience," Davidson said.

Just as an injured brain can adapt by mapping out new neuron pathways to accomplish tasks, "brain circuits (for) regulation of emotion and attention are malleable by the environment and are potential targets of training," he said.

Using functional Magnetic Resonance Imagery (fMRI), Davidson showed that compassion meditation, even in short-term practitioners, induced significant changes in patterns of functional activity in the brain.

"The most important thing is hard-nosed evidence," Davidson said. "We were able to measure the results through experiments we did."

Davidson, who has published his findings on meditation in the world's most prestigious science journals, believes that even the so-called "happiness set- point" of a person's brain can be altered for the better.

The potential applications include non-pharmacological interventions or supplemental treatment for depression, as well as behavioral and stress- related issues.

Davidson hopes to convince educators to include meditation training as part of core curriculum in Grades K-12.

"It's very clear that disruptive behaviour - bullying, ADD - dramatically affect learning and have led to progressive declines in North American institutes," he said.

Daniel Goleman, author of Emotional Intelligence, also began meditating while in college and is a proponent of mindfulness, a form of secular meditation.

Goleman said in an interview: "Mindfulness seems to strengthen an array of neurons in the left prefrontal cortex, which inhibits the stress reaction driven by the amygdala, that triggers the cascade of stress hormones in the fight or flight response."

Regular practice is key. "It's exactly like building up a muscle. What you begin to notice as you strengthen it is the absence of the negative state."

By cultivating the mindfulness muscle, Goleman believes we will develop greater emotional intelligence. We can become more self-aware, better at handling distressing emotions, and more empathetic, a combination that creates greater social effectiveness.

"Meditation is both calming and focusing, which are two essential elements for well-being," Goleman said.

Dr. Adrianne Ross is a Vancouver mindfulness and meditation leader who first turned to the practice when she experienced a serious illness.

She has practiced meditation in different forms for more than 30 years, studied with mindfulness expert Jon Kabat-Zinn and taught the practice for more than a decade.

"The mindfulness program is for people who aren't sure they're interested in Buddhism, but want to learn to meditate," Ross said.

"It helps you to be able to live more fully and more effectively, so you're causing less harm to yourself and the people around you and you're happier."

Mindfulness can be practiced while driving, or standing in line at the bank, Ross said, but it is not a panacea.

"Some people have depression that comes back. Some of us have the chemistry or life experience that make (difficult) thoughts come, but it can help us work with the thoughts," Ross said.

"Some people have severe illness. It won't make the illness go away, but helps them live a full life.

Ross has seen patients become happier and more accepting, in spite of difficult circumstances.

It begins with "learning to be with the breath," Ross said. Bringing focus to the breath and body. You don't try to eliminate your thoughts, but focus with "loving kindness" and watch your habitual thoughts - the ones that might hijack you emotionally.

"You learn to recognize my mind is really spinning right now, you're aware of what it's doing, you're not lost in what's happening. Then if your mind is not going in a useful direction you have a choice."

Davidson, who still meditates regularly, said he doesn't measure his own brain systematically. He doesn't have to. "My practice has given me a kind of equanimity and balance," he said.

"It may be a period of time, but by 2050 I believe mental exercise will be understood as being as important as physical exercise."

Vancouver Sun

SOURCE: canada.com

Diet rich in processed food raises the risk of depression

Eating a diet high in processed food increases the risk of depression, research suggests.

What is more, people who ate plenty of vegetables, fruit and fish actually had a lower risk of depression, the University College London team found.

Data on diet among 3,500 middle-aged civil servants was compared with depression five years later, the British Journal of Psychiatry reported.

The team said the study was the first to look at the UK diet and depression.

They split the participants into two types of diet - those who ate a diet largely based on whole foods, which includes lots of fruit, vegetables and fish, and those who ate a mainly processed food diet, such as sweetened desserts, fried food, processed meat, refined grains and high-fat dairy products.

After accounting for factors such as gender, age, education, physical activity, smoking habits and chronic diseases, they found a significant difference in future depression risk with the different diets.

Those who ate the most whole foods had a 26% lower risk of future depression than those who at the least whole foods.

By contrast people with a diet high in processed food had a 58% higher risk of depression than those who ate very few processed foods.

Mediterranean diet

Although the researchers cannot totally rule out the possibility that people with depression may eat a less healthy diet they believe it is unlikely to be the reason for the findings because there was no association with diet and previous diagnosis of depression.

Study author Dr Archana Singh-Manoux pointed out there is a chance the finding could be explained by a lifestyle factor they had not accounted for.

"There was a paper showing a Mediterranean diet was associated with a lower risk of depression but the problem with that is if you live in Britain the likelihood of you eating a Mediterranean diet is not very high.

"So we wanted to look at bit differently at the link between diet and mental health."

It is not yet clear why some foods may protect against or increase the risk of depression but scientists think there may be a link with inflammation as with conditions such as heart disease.

Dr Andrew McCulloch, chief executive of the Mental Health Foundation, said: "This study adds to an existing body of solid research that shows the strong links between what we eat and our mental health.

"Major studies like this are crucial because they hold the key to us better understanding mental illness."

He added people's diets were becoming increasingly unhealthy.

"The UK population is consuming less nutritious, fresh produce and more saturated fats and sugars.

"We are particularly concerned about those who cannot access fresh produce easily or live in areas where there are a high number of fast food restaurants and takeaways."

Margaret Edwards, head of strategy at the mental health charity SANE, said: "Physical and mental health are closely related, so we should not be too surprised by these results, but we hope there will be further research which may help us to understand more fully the relationship between diet and mental health."

source: bbc news

How To Get Rid Of Anexity Disorder

Coping with anxiety can be difficult, and watching what you eat may play a role in making you feel better. Although food can't cure an anxiety disorder, eating a balanced diet and limiting or avoiding certain foods may help you feel better and improve your mood. It can also help you maintain a steady energy level throughout the day.

Try these steps:

* Eat frequent small meals. This will help stabilize your blood sugar throughout the day.

* Increase your intake of carbohydrates (starches). Carbohydrate-rich meals and snacks are thought to increase the amount of serotonin in your brain, which has a calming effect. Eat foods rich in complex carbohydrates (such as whole grains), and eat fewer simple carbohydrates (sugars).

* Drink plenty of water. Even mild dehydration can affect your mood.

* Limit or avoid alcohol. The immediate effect of alcohol may be calming for most people. But as alcohol is metabolized by your body, it can cause anxiety-like symptoms.

* Limit or avoid caffeine. Caffeine is a stimulant that can make you feel jittery and nervous and interfere with sleep.

* Pay attention to food sensitivities. In some people, certain foods or food additives can cause adverse reactions, including moodiness — which can lead to irritability or anxiety. Foods that commonly cause reactions include wheat, corn, soy, dairy, eggs, nuts and shellfish.

* Eat some foods that contain tryptophan. Tryptophan helps your brain produce chemicals that improve mood and have a relaxing effect. Milk, bananas, oats, soy, poultry, cheese, nuts, peanut butter and sesame seeds are good sources of tryptophan.

While changes to your diet may make some difference in your anxiety level, you may need treatment such as medication or counseling (psychotherapy) — especially if your anxiety is severe or interferes with your day-to-day activities or enjoyment of life.

source: mayoclinic

New Biological link between stress, anxiety and depression discovered

London: A team of researchers at The University of Western Ontario has identified the biological link between stress, anxiety and depression.

By identifying the connecting mechanism in the brain, this new research shows exactly how stress and anxiety could lead to depression.

The study also reveals a small molecule inhibitor, which could provide a new and better way to treat anxiety, depression and other related disorders.

Study's lead author Stephen Ferguson and colleagues used a behavioural mouse model and a series of molecular experiments to reveal the connection pathway and to test the new inhibitor.

"Our findings suggest there may be an entire new generation drugs and drug targets that can be used to selectively target depression, and therefore treat it more effectively. We've gone from mechanism to mouse, and the next step is to see whether or not we can take the inhibitor we developed, and turn it into a pharmaceutical agent," said Ferguson.

The linking mechanism in the study involves the interaction between corticotropin releasing factor receptor 1 (CRFR1) and specific types of serotonin receptors (5-HTRs).

While no one has been able to connect these two receptors on a molecular level, the study reveals that CRFR1 works to increase the number of 5-HTRs on cell surfaces in the brain, which can cause abnormal brain signaling.

Since CRFR1 activation leads to anxiety in response to stress, and 5-HTRs lead to depression, the research shows how stress, anxiety and depression pathways connect through distinct processes in the brain.

Most importantly, the inhibitor developed by the Ferguson lab blocks 5-HTRs in the pathway to combat anxious behaviour, and potentially depression, in mice.

While major depressive disorder often occurs together with anxiety disorder in patients, the causes for both are strongly linked to stressful experiences. Stressful experiences can also make the symptoms of anxiety and depression more severe.

By discovering and then blocking a pathway responsible for the link between stress, anxiety and depression, Ferguson not only provides the first biological evidence for a connection, but he also pioneers the development of a potential drug for more effective treatment.

The findings are published online in the journal of Nature Neuroscience in April 2010.

source: dna

Electromagnetic Brain Stimulation May Help Depression

A new alternative for depressed individuals who don't respond or tolerate antidepressant medication could to be on the horizon.

The noninvasive treatment stimulates the brain with a pulsing electromagnet.

The new study is the first industry-independent, multi-site, randomized, tightly controlled trial of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (RTMS) to discover significant antidepressant effects in a subgroup of patients.

Active RTMS treatment accounted for remissions in 14 percent of antidepressant-resistant patients actively treated, compared to about 5 percent for a simulated treatment.

"Although RTMS treatment has not yet lived up to early hopes that it might replace more invasive therapies, this study suggests that the treatment may be effective in at least some treatment-resistant patients," said Thomas R. Insel, M.D., director of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), part of the National Institutes of Health, which funded the study.

Researchers from Columbia University, the University of Washington, and Emory University report on their findings in the May 2009 issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry.

"This study should help settle the debate about whether RTMS works for depression," said Dr. Mark George of the Medical University of South Carolina, who led the research team.

"We can now follow up clues suggesting ways to improve its effectiveness, and hopefully further develop a potential new class of stimulation treatments for other brain disorders."

The treatment aims to jumpstart underactive mood-regulating circuitry by targeting the top left front part of the brain with an electromagnetic coil that emits 3,000 pulses over a 37-minute session.

It can be safely administered in a doctor's office with few side effects – unlike more invasive brain stimulation treatments, such as electroconvulsive therapy (ECT).

Following a decade and a half of studies yielding mixed results, the FDA cleared an rTMS device for treatment of mildly treatment-resistant depression in 2008, based on data submitted by the manufacturer.

The field has been awaiting the results of the NIMH-funded multi-site trial to provide more definitive evidence of efficacy.

Lack of a convincing simulation control treatment that mimics transient tapping and twitching sensations produced by the magnet weakened confidence in findings of some previous rTMS studies.

To address these concerns, the new study sought to blind patients, treaters and raters with a simulation control treatment that produced the same head-tapping sensation and scalp twitching as the active treatment.

A metal insert below the magnet blocked the magnetic field from entering the brain, while electrodes touching the scalp delivered the tapping sensation. This simulation was so convincing that even the treaters could not confidently guess the randomization above chance level, according to the researchers.

A sample of 190 patients who had previously failed to respond to antidepressant medications received at least three weeks of randomized, controlled magnetic stimulations on weekdays for three weeks, with the rTMS magnet aimed at their brain's left prefrontal cortex. Those who showed improvement received up to an additional three weeks of such blinded treatment.

Thirteen (14 percent) of 92 patients who received the active treatment achieved remission, compared to 5 (about five percent) of 98 patients who received the simulation treatment. Patients who received active rTMS were significantly more likely to reach remission, particularly if they had been moderately, rather than severely, treatment resistant.

The remission rate climbed to nearly 30 percent in an open-label phase of this study in which there was no simulation control. George said this is comparable to rates seen in the STAR*D medication studies.

However, the researchers note that "the overall number of remitters and responders was less than one would like with a treatment that requires daily intervention for three weeks or more, even with a benign side effect profile."

Patients who responded to active treatment received up to three weeks of additional blinded, controlled rTMS until they achieved remission or stopped showing a meaningful response – so the number of responders did not differ significantly from the number of remitters.

These patients who remitted then received a combination of medications intended to help maintain the treatment effect. Despite failing to respond to medications in the past, most remained in remission for several months.

Study participants who failed to improve during the blinded phase entered a course of open-label rTMS. Among those who had been in the active rTMS group, 30 percent achieved remission during this second phase.

This suggests that some patients might require as many as five to six weeks of daily rTMS treatment, according to George. Most patients who remitted required three to five weeks of treatment.

source: reuters

Magnetic brain stimulation fights depression

A daily dose of electricity delivered to a specific part of the brain can lift depression, new research confirms, even for people who've already tried multiple antidepressants to no avail.

While there's evidence that this technique, known as transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), helps depressed people get better-and the US Food and Drug Administration has approved TMS for this purpose-many skeptics have questioned whether it really works, notes Dr. Mark S. George of the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, the lead author of the new study.

The biggest issue with studies so far, he explained, has been that it's tough to fake the sound and sensation of the real device in order to run a gold standard clinical trial in which some people get the treatment, and others get a sham treatment, no one knowing which.

But George and his team say they've solved that problem by developing a dummy device that clicks in a similar way to the real thing and causes a person's eye muscles to twitch, just like real a TMS device.

In the May issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry, George and his colleagues report the results of their 190-patient study, the most rigorous investigation of TMS for depression so far. The researchers randomly assigned participants to receive 37.5 minutes of TMS delivered to a part of the brain region that plays a role in emotion, or 37.5 minutes of sham TMS, once a day for three weeks.

After three weeks, 14 percent of patients in the real TMS group had recovered from their depression, compared to 5 percent of the sham TMS group; people who had the real treatment were four times as likely to get better as those who got the fake treatment.

Based on the results, George and his team say, it would be necessary to treat 12 depressed patients with TMS in order to have one patient recover.

Eighty-eight percent of the study participants completed the first phase of the trial. Patients in both groups were equally likely to report side effects, which included headache, discomfort at the TMS site, and eye twitching.

In a second phase of the study, all patients were given the real TMS treatment. Thirty percent of the patients in the second phase recovered from depression.

How long the treatment should last is not yet clear. "It's very muddy now exactly how long we need to treat patients," George said. "It looks as if from this trial you at least need to try three weeks and maybe even six weeks before you would give up."

Patients who got better were prescribed venlafaxine - marketed as Effexor -- and a small dose of lithium, noted George, a combination that's been shown to help people stay well after their depression has remitted. George said he and his colleagues would like to study whether giving people TMS intermittently instead of putting them on antidepressants would produce equally durable effects.

TMS works by producing an electrical current that can pass through the skull and into the target area of the brain. George said he believes the approach works by "resetting" electrical activity and restoring normal mood regulation.

Something similar is likely happening, he added, with electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), or what is sometimes referred to as "electroshock treatment." Sixty to 70 percent of depressed people who undergo ECT, in which electrodes placed on the front of the brain induce a convulsion while the patient is anesthetized, will recover.

George said he hopes that by better understanding where TMS should be delivered and by figuring out the best dose and duration of treatment, success rates closer to those of ECT might be achieved. "I'm optimistic that it's pointing us in a path of understanding how to interact with the brain in a non-invasive way to get people well."

SOURCE: Archives of General Psychiatry, May 2010, Reuters.

How dark chocolates are linked with emotional stress

Dark chocolate has been shown to ease emotional stress in recent studies. However, in yet another study researchers are now saying that people who are depressed eat more chocolate than people who are not.

The latest in a long line of studies on chocolate indicates that people who were depressed ate an average of 8.4 servings of chocolate per month, compared with 5.4 servings among those who were not.

In the study, a serving was considered to be one small bar, or 1 ounce of chocolate.

The study, conducted by Dr. Natalie Rose of the UC Davis and UC San Diego, and her colleagues, looked at the relationship between chocolate and mood among 931 women and men who were not using antidepressants.

The one question the study did not answer is why people who are depressed eat chocolate. However, this does not seem to be something one needs to have a scientific degree to answer: most people perk up at the mention of chocolate, never mind eating it. Perhaps it's the therapeutic value of chocolate that gives a lift to those who are suffering from depression.

The authors of the study countered that theory by stating that chocolate actually makes people depressed. Although chocolate can be uplifting to one's mood, the benefits are fleeting. The initial rush from eating chocolate may leave people feeling even lower after the brief euphoria has passed.

Of course, there will be another study to study that.

All of these studies on chocolate are quite contradictory. One study indicates that chocolate lowers risk of heart attack, strokes. Yet another indicates that dark chocolate eases emotional stress. If we put all of the studies together, we'll be eating chocolate to ease our emotional stress and celebrating with chocolate to cut the risk of a heart attack, only to become depressed because we ate too much chocolate.

There is no medical advice given in this column, but perhaps the best suggestion might be "everything in moderation."

Craving chocolate after reading this? There is no medical study needed to state that you can find great chocolate here in Rhode Island:

Sweenor's Chocolates (Wakefield, Cranston and Charlestown, RI)

The Chocolate Delicacy (East Greenwich, RI)

The Bakery Boutique (Smithfield, RI)

source: examiner

Beat Postnatal Depression with Physical Therapy Exercise

For some women, the joy of having a baby is marred by postnatal depression, a form of clinical depression that can occur immediately after giving birth or even weeks to months later. Researchers have found that the risk of postnatal depression can be reduced in new mothers who participate in group physical therapy exercise.

The National Women’s Health Information Center notes that 13 percent of pregnant women and new mothers experience depression. Although the exact causes are not known, it is generally believed that the significant change in hormone levels (e.g., progesterone, estrogen, thyroid hormones) that occur after delivery play a large role.

Other factors may be involved, including feeling overwhelmed with a new infant, lack of sleep, stress, unrealistic need to be a perfect mother, lack of free time, and feeling less attractive. Women who are also experiencing financial problems, lack of family or other social support, difficulties with their marriage or partner, other health problems, or who have a history of depression are also at risk for postnatal depression.

It is well established that exercise can improve mood and that in new mothers, it can reduce symptoms of postnatal depression. What has not been studied, however, is the impact of group physical therapy exercise on new mothers to both help prevent postnatal depression and improve their ability to care for their new infant.

This approach was evaluated in a new study conducted by researchers from the University of Melbourne in Australia. A total of 161 new mothers were randomly assigned to participate in a Mother & Baby (M&B) program, an education only group, or to a control group (no intervention). The intervention part of the study lasted eight weeks.

The 62 women in the M&B group engaged in 1 hour of exercise with their infants once a week. The activity was facilitated by a women’s health physical therapist and was accompanied by 30 minutes of parenting education provided by health care professionals. The education-only group consisted of 73 women, and 26 women were assigned to the control group.

The women were evaluated using two scales: the Positive Affect Balance Scale and the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. They also answered questions about how much exercise they had done each week during the study.

The women in the M&B group had significant improvement in depressive symptoms and well-being scores compared with the women in the education-only group, and these benefits extended for a full month beyond the end of the study. The investigators determined that the risk for postnatal depression by the end of the study was reduced by 50 percent as a result of the physical therapy exercise.

Mary P. Galea, BappSci, BA, PhD, professor of clinical physiotherapy in the School of Physiotherapy at the University of Melbourne, noted that new mothers go through many physical and emotional changes. She and her research team found that participation in a group physical therapy exercise program “can help mothers who may be at risk for PND [postnatal depression] improve their well-being and enable them to better care for their children.”

SOURCES:
American Physical Therapy Association
National Women’s Health Information Center
emaxhealth

Perfect healthy diet to prevent depression permanently

Driving away depression with the right diet

Foods have a major influence on almost every part of the human body including the brain.Constant snacking on nutrient- deprived junk food is the major cause of depression.If you are clinically diagnosed as suffering from depression, you need to see a physician.

Along with that you could try out the following recommendations:

• Avoid wheat and wheat products in your diet. The gluten in wheat is implicated in depression.

• Eat more carbohydrates Foods rich in carbohydrates like rice, potatoes, pastas and bread, idlis, pulses, helps to build up brain chemicals such as serotonin. It affects mood and is often lacking in depressed people. High levels of serotonin elevate moods and promote a feeling of well-being and satiety. Those suffering from mild depression tend to feel more calm and mellow after eating carbohydrate rich food.

• Avoid alcohol as it precipitates hypoglycemia and causes further depression.

• Avoid deep fried foods as they get digested slowly. They also prevent the digestion of other foods and lead to sluggishness, depression and lack of mental alertness.

• Most people who are depressed, develop a sweet tooth. Sugar gives you an instant mood lift but this is quickly followed by fatigue and depression.

• Exercise is an excellent antidote for depression.Vigorous exercise makes your brain produce endorphins, which causes a natural ‘high’ and fight depression.

• Listen to some music, it is a powerful mood elevator.

• A healthy intake of vitamins and minerals is important for anyone who wants to get rid of depression. Research shows that if you are deficient in thiamine and riboflavin (B1 & B2) it may lead to depression. Low level of folic acid and zinc are found in depressed people. Vitamin B seems to have a particularly beneficial effect on depression. Certain minerals like calcium and magnesium have a beneficial and calming effect on stressed individuals. The mineral chromium normalizes sugar metabolism and prevents hypoglycemia and bouts of depression.

• Exposure to sunlight or just bright light helps the body to regulate its production of melatonin, which is a hormone responsible for preventing depression.

• Keep yourself occupied, take adequate rest and think positive. It can help you fight depression better. An optimistic attitude makes people happier and in turn healthier.

Exercise Can Quiet Anxiety That Comes With Illness

People suffering from anxiety can find some relief through regular exercise, University of Georgia researchers report.

Anxiety frequently accompanies chronic illnesses such as diabetes and heart disease, and the constant strain can interfere with treatment for those conditions, the researchers say. "While we might expect symptoms of anxiety to be elevated among individuals coping with a chronic medical condition, symptoms may be unrecognized or untreated," said Matthew Herring, a doctoral student in the department of kinesiology and the study's lead author.

Though the role of exercise in alleviating depression symptoms has been well-studied, the impact on anxiety symptoms has received comparatively little attention. "The findings of our review add to the growing body of evidence that physical activities such as walking or weight lifting may be low-cost, effective treatments to help alleviate anxiety symptoms among patients," Herring said.

For the study, published Feb. 22 in the Archives of Internal Medicine, Herring's team reviewed 40 trials that included 2,914 people with various medical conditions, including heart disease, multiple sclerosis, cancer and chronic pain from arthritis. In 90 percent of the studies, people assigned an exercise program had fewer symptoms of anxiety -- including feelings of worry, apprehension and nervousness -- than did those not assigned to exercise, the researchers found.

In fact, regular exercise was shown to reduce anxiety symptoms by 20 percent. "Even though the majority of these patient groups did not have extremely elevated anxiety symptom scores at the beginning of exercise training, anxiety symptoms were still reduced," Herring said.

Exercising for 30 minutes was more effective in reducing anxiety than shorter periods of exercise, the study found. However, exercise programs that lasted three to 12 weeks were more effective than programs that ran more than 12 weeks, the researchers noted.

"Results showed that patients were more likely to adhere to, or stick with, shorter duration exercise programs, which might account for larger anxiety reductions compared to longer program durations," Herring said. "Stated another way, better participation rates likely will result in greater anxiety reductions."

Tracie Rogers, a sport and exercise psychologist and spokeswoman for the American Council on Exercise, said that regular physical activity doesn't just make us feel better but has "measurable results in reducing anxiety."

"Exercise not only influences your physical health for the better but also your mental health," she said.

And people already getting treatment for anxiety would still benefit from exercise, she said. "For people who are dealing with clinical anxiety who are in therapy or on anti-anxiety medication, it is extremely beneficial for them to be involved in an exercise program," Rogers said. "It has real anxiety-reducing effects, just like those drugs do."

Unwanted side effects keep some people from taking anxiety medications, Rogers said. "Exercise is a real good alternative to that," she said.

source: palmbeachpost

Stress, Anxiety Can Up Risk of Depression in Pregnancy

Stress, history of depression, lack of social support and unintended pregnancy are among the major factors that contribute to increased risk of depression in pregnant women, a new study shows.

Other important factors are maternal anxiety, domestic violence and having public insurance coverage, said the University of Michigan researchers, who reviewed 159 studies conducted between 1980 and 2008.

The study appears in the January issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology.

Depression, which occurs in about 12.7 percent of pregnant women, can cause problems for mothers and babies, including pre-term delivery, preeclampsia, sleep disturbances and disrupted mother-infant bonding.

It's important for physicians to know how to identify depression in pregnant women, said the study authors, who noted that not all women who test positive on depression screening tests have or will develop clinical depression.

"We are hoping that [health-care] providers can use the presence or absence of risk factors such as those identified in our study to enhance their assessments for depression in addition to the information they obtain from the screening test," study author Dr. Christie A. Lancaster, a clinical lecturer in the obstetrics and gynecology department at U-M, said in a news release.

source: palmbeachpost

Causes, Prevention of Tense, Fear and Depression

Some people face problems of fear and depression. Whenever a problem comes in life, They become so depressed and tense. They also cry for hours and try to run away from that problem instead of solving it.

Negative thoughts and feelings can make some people feel like giving up and it is important to realize that these negative views are part of depression and generally do not accurately reflect the actual situation. You should remember that negative thinking fades as treatment begins to take effect. For the meantime,

The following may help you:

• Try to express your feelings, either to friends, using art or writing a journal to help release some negative feelings.

• Consume healthy foods and make time to get enough rest to help physically promote improvement in mood.

• Take note that you do not set difficult goals for yourself as well as take on a great deal of responsibility.

• Break large tasks into small ones, set your priorities, and do what you can when you can.

• Remember to not expect too much from yourself too soon because this will only increase feelings of failure.

• Try to be with other people because it is usually better than being alone.

• Try to participate in activities that can make you feel better.

• You might try exercising mildly, or going to a movie or a ball game, as well as participating in religious or social activities.

• Do not rush or overdo it and do not get upset if your mood is not greatly improved right away because feeling better takes time.

• Remember, do not accept your negative thinking because it is part of the depression and will disappear as the depression responds to treatment.