A growing number of researchers and psychiatrists are calling for a comeback for shock therapy. The treatment, which largely fell out of fashion after negative portrayals in Hollywood films and elsewhere in popular culture, should be considered a viable, effective treatment for some mental health conditions, the scientists said. Read more here.
Is Shock Therapy Being Underutilized in Treating Depression?
DNA Tests Can Take Some of the Guesswork Out of Treating Depression
Today, most psychiatrists rely on their education and experience to choose which of the dozens of FDA-approved antidepressants is likely to work best for a particular patient. But human biology (and especially the brain) is complex. So often, it’s not until a doctor’s second (or third or fourth…) “guess” that they land on a medication that’s effective. Now, psychiatrists can use something far more concrete to guide their antidepressant decisions: a patient’s DNA. Read more here.
A Depression Drug That Researchers Have Called ‘The Most Important Discovery in Half a Century’ Just Got a Big Lift
Ketamine, which has been called “the most important discovery in half a century,” just got a step closer to becoming the first new depression drug in 35 years. Johnson & Johnson, one of the pharmaceutical companies pursuing the drug’s fast-acting antidepressant qualities, presented some promising new research on Saturday that could raise the drug’s profile as a potential treatment for the condition. Read more here.
Running From The Pain
Clinical studies show that regular aerobic exercise is effective as antidepressants in reducing mild to moderate depression. In fact, exercise causes the same structural changes to the brain as antidepressants do and is a treatment option that is not recommended enough and is underutilized in the United States. Read more here.
Getting the Inside Dope on Ketamine’s Mysterious Ability to Rapidly Relieve Depression
Ketamine has been called the biggest thing to happen to psychiatry in 50 years, due to its uniquely rapid and sustained antidepressant effects. However, although there are multiple theories, researchers do not quite know how ketamine combats depression. It is therefore hoped that new research has uncovered a mechanism that may, in part, explain ketamine’s antidepressant properties. Read about it here.
Trump Administration Weighs Mental Health Coverage Option
In response to the outcry following the Florida School Shootings, the Trump Administration is exploring expanding inpatient mental health treatment using medicaid funds. Read more here.
Trump Said Mental Illness Leads to Gun Violence. Here’s Why Doctors Disagree
Obviously part of a huge debate across the country right now, mental illness has been unfairly scapegoated as the chief reason for gun violence in America. In this article doctors point out that, while additional recognition and resources for treating mental illness are welcome, the health epidemic resulting from deaths and injuries inflicted by assault weapons is staggering and cannot be alleviated by “treating mental illness.” Read the article here.
No Longer Taboo: Americans Embrace Testing, Treatment for Mental Illnesses
Connecting Patients to the drug that best fits their genetic makeup-a discipline called pharmacogenetics-is gaining in popularity, including amongst those suffering from mental illness. Recent research suggests that 2 in 3 Americans suffering from mental illness are interested in taking a genetic test to determine their best treatment plan. Read more here.
20 Shades of Sadness: Why Do We Get Depressed?
In answer to the question, ‘can we improve the success rates of treatment for depression?’ Dr. Azab answers with a ‘definite yes.’ She believes correctly and thoroughly diagnosing the interrelated yet distinct causes of depression is the key first step in doing so. Read more here.
Staying Awake: The Surprisingly Effective Way to Treat Depression
Interesting article that looks into the nature of sleep as well as the nature of depression, and their relationship. Treatment rests on the hypothesis that sleep deprivation has the opposite effect on people suffering from mental illness than it does on those who are healthy. Read more here.
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