Study Identifies New Target for Treatment of Depression

New Study seeks to identify the specific strain (out of 14) that serves as a modulator of serotonin receptors.  As Julia Castello, a graduate student at CUNY says, “Identifying new targets broadens our understanding about the cause of depression as well as the mechanism of action of antidepressants.”  Read more here.

Leveraging Smartphones in Patient Care

Interesting article published by two doctors considering the potential impact of smartphones to help monitor information relevant to mental illness.  Smart phones have become ubiquitous in Western society and are increasingly penetrating developing spaces so there is a lot of potential to exploit the extensive reach of this technology.  Read the article here.

Dual Diagnosis: Why Substance Abuse Worsens Your Mental Health

Blog posted by experts from the Cleveland Clinic briefs the different factors that lead to high rates of ‘co-occurrence’, ie instances of both mental illness and substance abuse.  It also clearly points out that though the problems associated with both can be overwhelming due to their overlapping, interwoven and mutually reinforcing tendencies, there are plenty of options to help treat the illness.  Read the blog here.

Floating Away Your Anxiety and Stress

This new treatment seeks to combat stress and anxiety-as well as related symptoms such as increased blood pressure and racing mental activity-by allowing patients to float in extremely salinated water for around an hour at a time.  The treatment is still in its testing phases but has proven to be an attractive alternative to medication for many suffering from PTSD, injured athletes, and those suffering from chronic pain and anxiety.  Read the NPR article here.

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