Critical Brain Chemical Plays Role in Severe Depression Mood DisordersBy Promises Behavioral HealthMarch 3, 2010The next advance in treating major depression may relate to a group of brain chemicals that are involved in virtually all our brain activity, according to a study published today in Biological Psychiatry. The study is co-authored by Drs. Andrea J. Levinson and Zafiris J. Daskalakis of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH).…
Obesity Associated with Risk of Depression and Vice-Versa Mood DisordersBy Promises Behavioral HealthMarch 3, 2010Obesity appears to be associated with an increased risk of depression, and depression also appears associated with an increased risk of developing obesity, according to a meta-analysis of previously published studies in the March issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Video Games that Include Exercise May Help Older Adults with Depression Mood DisordersBy Promises Behavioral HealthMarch 1, 2010Research at the Sam and Rose Stein Institute for Research on Aging at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine suggests a novel route to improving the symptoms of subsyndromal depression (SSD) in seniors through the regular use of “exergames,” or entertaining video games that combine game play with exercise.
Alterations in Brain’s Reward System Related to ADHD News and ResearchBy Promises Behavioral HealthFebruary 25, 2010Until now, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) was related to alterations in the brain affecting attention and cognitive processes. Researchers at Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona and the Vall d’Hebron University Hospital have now discovered anomalies in the brain’s reward system related to the neural circuits of motivation and gratification.
Stress and Depression Trigger Obesity in Girls News and ResearchBy Promises Behavioral HealthFebruary 24, 2010Researchers have found that depression raises stress hormone levels in adolescent boys and girls but may lead to obesity only in girls. Early treatment of depression could help reduce stress and control obesity, which is a major health issue.
Fruit Fly Tongue Could Answer Questions about Obesity in Humans News and ResearchBy Promises Behavioral HealthFebruary 23, 2010The tiny tongue of a fruit fly could provide big answers to questions about human eating habits, possibly even leading to new ways to treat obesity, according to a study from a team of Texas A&M University researchers. Paul Hardin, who holds the rank of Distinguished Professor of Biology, along with colleagues Abhishek Chatterjee, Shintaro…
Husbands’ Anti-Social Behaviors Increase Wives’ Symptoms of Depression Mood DisordersBy Promises Behavioral HealthFebruary 23, 2010In the United States, nearly 10 percent of the population suffers from a depressive disorder, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. While the causes of depression vary, a new study at the University of Missouri reveals that marital hostility is a contributing factor. MU researcher, Christine Proulx, found that husbands’ hostile and anti-social…
Tiger Woods Sheds Light on Sex Addiction News and ResearchBy Promises Behavioral HealthFebruary 19, 2010Tiger Woods’ admission that he is undergoing therapy after having adulterous affairs has focused attention on the issue of sex addiction, a condition some experts say is becoming much more common. Reuters reports that sex addiction is a controversial concept not currently recognized as an official diagnosis in the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical…
Happy Emotions Protect Against Heart Failure News and ResearchBy Promises Behavioral HealthFebruary 19, 2010People who are usually happy, enthusiastic and content are less likely to develop heart disease than those who tend not to be happy, according to a major new study published February 17. The authors believe that the study, published in the Europe’s leading cardiology journal, The European Heart Journal, is the first to show such an…
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Improves Sleep of Patients with Chronic Pain News and ResearchBy Promises Behavioral HealthFebruary 17, 2010Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia significantly improved sleep for patients with chronic neck or back pain and also reduced the extent to which pain interfered with their daily functioning, according to a study by University of Rochester Medical Center researchers. The study, published online by the journal Sleep Medicine, demonstrates that a behavioral intervention can help…
