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Also noteworthy, women with PTSD diagnosis or sub-threshold PTSD had significantly more severe depression symptoms than women in the study who didn't report experiencing trauma. Every woman who was recruited had symptoms of depression. "There are many women who are affected by shooting and gang violence in these neighborhoods," said first author Sunghyun Hong, a research assistant at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. "These women are often overlooked. With this study, we were able to shine a light on this high prevalence of trauma exposure and PTSD diagnosis among the underserved population." This is one of very few studies to explicitly examine the impact that living in a disadvantaged neighborhood has on PTSD symptoms. The study was published Dec. 7 in the  Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities  (pdf of study available for free download at this link). The traumatic experiences reported in the study were often violent or sex...

That is one of the findings being presented today, Monday 12 December 2016, to the annual conference of the British Psychological Society's Division of Sport and Exercise Psychology in Cardiff by Professor Juergen Beckmann from the Technical University of Munich. In his research on burnout and depression , Professor Beckmann and his team surveyed 162 elite and 199 junior elite athletes in two cross-sectional studies. They also conducted a longitudinal study of 85 junior athletes, surveying them three times over the course of a year. These three studies were complemented by a qualitative study, in which 134 elite athletes were interviewed about perceived causes of their experienced stress, drop-out intentions and depressive symptoms. The two cross-sectional studies found that sport-specific stress combined with insufficient time for recovery was associated with symptoms of depression. They also found that athletes in individual sports showed significantly higher scores for d...

The researchers were able to demonstrate the following effects in the mouse model: 1.) stimulation of the immune system , comparable with a viral infection in the pregnant mother, results in diminished maternal behaviour towards her offspring after birth. 2.) this results in the tendency for offspring to develop depression and 3.) that daughters in their turn are less maternal towards their own offspring, even if they suffer no infection, so that the next generation is also more likely to develop depression. "We were therefore able to show that there is a transgenerational effect and that epigenetic changes occur in the brain," explains Daniela Pollak, who, together with her team, is generally concerned with identifying the neurobiological bases of psychiatric illnesses, particularly depression and anxiety disorders. Although epigenetic changes do not involve any change in the actual DNA sequence of the individual in question, changes due to external influences --...

A toddler sporting a tool that measures electrical exercise within the mind chooses between doorways on a pc display. Selecting one door wins factors whereas the opposite leads to a lack of factors. Washington College researchers have discovered that the brains of youngsters with despair do not react as robustly to success within the sport. Their blunted reward response is a marker of scientific despair. Credit score: Robert Boston For a lot of kids, December usually is linked to presents and pleasure, however when a younger little one would not appear all that enthused about getting presents, it could possibly be an indication that one thing is improper. Measuring mind waves, researchers at Washington College Faculty of Medication in St. Louis have discovered that clinically depressed kids do not reply to rewards the identical manner as different kids do. Earlier analysis from the identical group of scientists discovered diminished skill to expertise pleasure ...

That's according to new research from a team at Colorado State University seeking scientific clarity on how cannabis -- particularly chronic, heavy use -- affects neurological activity, including the processing of emotions. Researchers led by Lucy Troup, assistant professor in the Department of Psychology , have published a study in  PeerJ describing their findings from an in-depth, questionnaire-based analysis of 178 college-aged, legal users of cannabis. Recreational cannabis became legal in Colorado in 2014. Since then, seven other states have enacted legalization for recreational use, while many others allow medical use. "One thing we wanted to focus on was the significance of Colorado, the first state to legalize recreational cannabis, and its own unique population and use that occurs here," Troup said. Through the study, which was based solely upon self-reported use of the drug, the researchers sought to draw correlations between depressive or anxious sympto...

A study has found that cancer patients suffering depression have decreased amounts of brain-derived neurotophic factor (BDNF) in their blood. Low levels make people less responsive to cancer drugs and less tolerant of their side-effects. Lead author Yufeng Wu, head of oncology , department of internal medicine, Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Henan Cancer Hospital, Zhengzhou, China, said: "It's crucial doctors pay more attention to the mood and emotional state of patients. "Depression can reduce the effects of chemotherapy and BDNF plays an important role in this process." Low mood is common among cancer patients, especially the terminally ill. BDNF is essential for healthy brain function and low levels have already been linked with mental illness. This study aimed to discover how depression influenced outcomes for people with advanced lung cancer. Researchers recruited 186 newly diagnosed patients receiving chemotherapy. To assess their s...

A team led by Benjamin Nephew, assistant professor at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, studied adult female rats exposed to early life chronic social stress (ECSS). Using an ECSS model that was established in Nephew's previous research on postpartum depression and anxiety, the female rats in the test group were exposed to social stress in their first two weeks of life as pups, while the control group was not exposed to social stress. Previous studies looking at animal models of depression and anxiety have focused primarily on males. The current research can provide important insight into the development of these psychiatric disorders in females. When the rats reached adulthood (65-90 days old), functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was administered to measure resting state functional connectivity -- the fluctuation in activity in different regions of the brain. Analysis of the imaging from the ECSS group showed broad changes in activity in ar...

In contrast with the whole time spent on social media, use of a number of platforms is extra strongly related to melancholy and nervousness amongst younger adults. Credit score: Tim Betler/UPMC In contrast with the whole time spent on social media, use of a number of platforms is extra strongly related to melancholy and nervousness amongst younger adults, the College of Pittsburgh Middle for Analysis on Media, Expertise and Well being (CRMTH) present in a nationwide survey. The evaluation, revealed on-line and scheduled for the April print concern of the journal  Computer systems in Human Conduct , confirmed that individuals who report utilizing seven to 11 social media platforms had greater than 3 times the danger of melancholy and nervousness than their friends who use zero to 2 platforms, even after adjusting for the whole time spent on social media total. "This affiliation is robust sufficient that clinicians may contemplate asking their sufferers with ...

The practitioners are lay health workers known as community "Grandmothers," trained to listen to and support patients living with anxiety, depression and other common mental disorders. But the impact, measured in a ground-breaking study, shows that this innovative approach holds the potential to significantly improve the lives of millions of people with moderate and severe mental health problems in countries where access to treatment is limited or nonexistent. Funded by the Government of Canada through Grand Challenges Canada, the randomised controlled trial was conducted by the University of Zimbabwe, the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and King's College London. The study is published today in  JAMA. Six months after undergoing six weekly "problem solving therapy" sessions on the Friendship Benches, participants showed significant differences in severity of depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts based on locally validated question...

Using a nationwide insurance database, the researchers identified 10.3 million patients who filed insurance claims for opioid prescriptions between 2004 and 2013. The study looked at whether pre-existing psychiatric and behavioral conditions and use of psychoactive medications were predictors of later opioid use. "We found that pre-existing psychiatric and behavioral conditions and psychoactive medications were associated with subsequent claims for prescription opioids," write Patrick D. Quinn, PhD, of Indiana University, Bloomington, and colleagues. The association appears stronger for long-term opioid use, and especially for patients with a previous history of substance use disorders. The results also suggest that some outcomes viewed as harmful outcomes of opioid use -- substance use disorders, depression, suicidal or self-injuring behavior, and motor vehicle crashes -- are also  predictors  of which patients are at risk of long-term use of prescription opioids. I...