Depression: New Causes, New Treatments

People who experience depression are usually more focused on treating the condition than finding its cause. But new research is beginning to shed light on both the triggers for depression and how to alleviate it.
Depression affects one in 10 Americans at some point in their lives, and the number of patients diagnosed with depression goes up by about 20 percent each year. The World Health Organization says it is the top cause of disability worldwide, and that five to seven percent of people on Earth experience a major depressive episode in a given year.
As science evolves and more people speak out about the issue, we’re finding that depression has more root causes than anyone suspected.
Read More: Meditation's Effects Similar to Pills for Depression »

Cause: Concussions

A new study in the Journal of Adolescent Health recommends that doctors screen teens with a history of concussion, as they are three times more likely to suffer from depression. Researchers evaluated data from 36,000 adolescents; of them, 2.7 percent had a concussion and 3.4 percent experienced depression.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1.6 to 3.8 million sports- and recreation-related concussions occur each year in the U.S. Moreover, a mild brain injury occurs every 21 seconds, so screenings are crucial.

Cause: Chronic Stress

A research team at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem found that changes in one type of brain cell, called microglia, indicate depressive symptoms brought on by exposure to chronic stress. Microglia make up about 10 percent of brain cells and represent the immune system in the brain. They are also involved in physiological processes that have nothing to do with infection or injury—such as the body’s response to stress, research has shown.

The Israeli researchers were able to demonstrate in animals that compounds which alter the function of microglia make efficient drugs. The findings were published in Molecular Psychiatry.
Raz Yirmiya, a professor at the university, said the research shows that disturbances in microglia cells play a role in causing psychopathology in general and depression in particular.
“They may be able to help people get symptom relief faster,” said Amy Morin, a therapist from Maine, who said this could be great news for people who are experiencing a loss of day-to-day function due to depression.
“Waiting four to six weeks to see if an anti-depressant is working can be fatal for people who experience suicidal ideation as part of their depression,” she added.
See Why Emergency Rooms May Be the Wrong Solution for the Mentally Ill »

Cause: Immune Cells

Other research also indicates that immune cells outside of the brain can play a role in the development of depression.
Scientists at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai found that rodents with high levels of the circulating pro-inflammatory immune chemical known as interleukin-6 were more vulnerable to symptoms of depression. This suggests that differences in the peripheral immune system can affect a person's mental state.
Learn More: Newly Discovered ‘Teen Gene’ May Help Doctors Combat Mental Illness »

Cause: Inactivity

The December issue of the Canadian Journal of Cardiology included a report showing that people who were inactive after cardiac surgery had as much as a 40 percent greater risk of depression.
The researchers recommend that doctors screen heart patients for depression and level of physical activity to minimize symptoms. Patients should also remain as active as possible after surgery.

Treatment: Psychobiotics

Research into depression treatments is also advancing rapidly.

In an article in Biological Psychiatry, Timothy Dinan and his colleagues at University College Cork in Ireland discuss the concept of psychobiotics. These are live organisms taken like probiotics to help treat psychiatric illnesses.

Dinan and his team examined a study on the benefits of B. infantis, a specific probiotic. They found that it normalized rats’ behavior and previously abnormal immune response. Some psychobiotics have anti-inflammatory effects, which is beneficial because depression and stress are exacerbated by inflammation in the body.
“We need to be careful not to reduce all depression to a purely biological level,” noted Eileen Kennedy-Moore, a psychologist and co-author of Smart Parenting for Smart Kids. “People can have marvelously healthy guts but still need to work on communicating better with their spouse, coping with their child's tantrums, making time for friends, managing office politics, or finding meaningful and satisfying work.”
Read More: Therapy Provides 'Critical Breakthrough' for Depressed Insomniacs »
Morin agreed that the development could be a game-changer.
“Although it sounds a little like a science fiction movie, the research on psychobiotics is showing some interesting results,” Morin said. “It could prove to open up a lot of new possible treatment options for people suffering from depression.”

Treatment: Pharmacogenomics

Mona Shattell, a registered nurse and professor at DePaul University specializing in mental health, said that new research on genetics and psychopharmacology—called pharmacogenomics—can help doctors determine which medication works best to treat an individual patient's depression. This would do away with the “trial and error” method currently used, which involves testing different medications that can take weeks to have an effect.
“It can't be overstated…providers who can better target—that is, choose the right drug the first time—will improve the quality of life for persons experiencing debilitating depression,” she said, adding that it could also have a positive impact on those experiencing despair and suicidal thoughts.
Source:http://www.healthline.com/health-news/mental-new-causes-of-and-treatments-for-depression-011314#3

How to predict who will suffer the most from stress

---

More than 23 per cent of Canadians report being stressed or very stressed on most days. While chronic stress increases the risk of poor mental and physical health, not everyone is affected the same way. Some cope well, but for others -- especially those most likely to sweat the small stuff -- chronic stress can be harmful.

Thankfully, new research from Concordia University has found a way to identify those most susceptible to stress. That's a huge help for healthcare professionals working to stop stress before it gets out of control.
The proof is in the pulse
In a paper recently published in the journal Stress, Concordia psychology professor Jean-Philippe Gouin followed 76 university students during periods of lower stress at the beginning of term and higher stress during the exam period. He found that, although all students experience similar challenges during finals, only some of them develop significant distress.
With the help of Concordia colleague Sonya Deschênes and Michel Dugas from the Université du Québec en Outaouais, Gouin recorded participants' heart rate variability while they were relaxing and while they were thinking about things they tend to worry about most. They also tracked participants' moods at a time of low stress early in the semester and at a time of high stress right before exams.
They found that those who exhibited a less variable heartbeat when they started worrying were more likely to be highly stressed later on, when faced with finals.
Gouin, who holds a Canada Research Chair in Chronic Stress and Health, explains: "At rest, a more variable heartbeat is a good thing. It shows that your parasympathetic nervous system is hard at work. That's the system that's responsible for the 'rest-and-digest' state of being -- the opposite of 'fight-or-flight.' The rest-and-digest phase puts you in a calm state that allows you to conserve and replenish your energy."
Real threat or misplaced worry?
"When you're facing a real threat in your life, a regular heartbeat helps you deal with the situation. If you encounter a lion in the jungle, you want your heartbeat to stay at consistently high levels so that you can run away as fast as you can," says Gouin. "But if your body shows the same reaction when you worry about something that may or may not happen -- like failing an exam -- then you might be more susceptible to stress.
"By pinpointing those in the general population who are most vulnerable to stress, we can intervene before they hit the breaking point -- and hopefully prevent the negative consequences of stress by doing so. That's why it's important to have an objective diagnostic tool like this one."

Source:  http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/09/140930132724.htm