Depression Could Shorten Cancer Survival, Study Suggests

HealthDay – 2 hrs 57 mins ago WEDNESDAY, Aug. 1 (HealthDay News) -- Symptoms of depression are linked to shorter survival times among cancer patients, according to a new study.

The link may be attributed to abnormal stress hormone regulation and inflammatory gene expression, researchers from the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center reported in the Aug. 1 edition of PLoS ONE.

"Our findings, and those of others, suggest that mental health and social well-being can affect biological processes, which influence cancer-related outcomes," Lorenzo Cohen, a professor in the center's departments of general oncology and behavioral science, and director of the Integrative Medicine Program, said in a university news release.

The findings "also suggest that screening for mental health should be part of standard care because there are well-accepted ways of helping people manage distress, even in the face of a life-threatening illness," Cohen added.

In conducting the study, the researchers analyzed surveys completed over a five-year period by 217 patients newly diagnosed with kidney cancer that had spread. The participants answered questions about how religious and spiritual they were. They were also asked about their symptoms of depression, social support, quality of life and coping skills.

The patients also provided blood samples as well as five saliva samples daily for three days. The researchers used the saliva samples to track changes in the patients' levels of cortisol, a stress hormone that is usually high in the morning before dropping throughout the day.

At the time of the analysis, 64 percent of the patients had died. The average amount of time these patients survived after being diagnosed was 1.8 years.

Overall, the study revealed that 23 percent of patients were clinically depressed. Even after taking other disease-related risk factors into account, the investigators noted that depression was associated with shorter survival time. Moreover, the study showed that higher than usual cortisol levels throughout the day were also linked to shorter survival among the cancer patients.

Using tissue samples from 15 of the patients with the most significant symptoms of depression and 15 samples from the patients with the mildest forms of depression, the researchers then conducted whole-genome profiling to determine if the depression is linked to increased risk of death for cancer patients.

They found specific signaling pathways, which play a key role in regulating cell inflammation, were expressed at increased levels in patients with depression. The study authors concluded the link between patients' mental health and survival time is associated with inflammatory gene regulation.

"Our findings indicate that we're now able to understand some of the possible biological pathways that explain the association between depression and survival," Cohen noted.

The researchers noted that the study was limited by the fact that it's difficult to determine if patients' stress or symptoms of depression are influenced by other factors or were present before their cancer diagnosis. While the study uncovered an association between depression and cancer survival, it did not prove a cause-and-effect relationship.

More research is needed to investigate if the treatment of depression can improve survival time among cancer patients with mild, moderate or severe mood disorders, the authors added.

More information

The U.S. National Cancer Institute has more about cancer and depression.

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Even Mild Depression, Anxiety Hurts the Heart: Study

HealthDay – 2 mins 35 secs ago TUESDAY, July 31 (HealthDay News) -- Even mild depression or anxiety may raise your risk of dying from cardiovascular disease and other causes, according to British researchers.

And the greater the level of psychological distress, the higher the odds of death from heart disease, the researchers say.

"The fact that an increased risk of mortality was evident, even at low levels of psychological distress, should prompt research into whether treatment of these very common, minor symptoms can reduce this increased risk of death," said lead researcher Tom Russ, a clinical research fellow at the Alzheimer Scotland Dementia Research Center of the University of Edinburgh.

For the study, published online July 31 in BMJ, Russ and colleagues analyzed 10 studies of men and women enrolled in the Health Survey for England from 1994 to 2004. Data on more than 68,000 adults aged 35 and older was included overall.

Each study looked for connections between chronic psychological distress and the risk of dying from heart disease and other causes, including cancer.

Pooling data in this way is called a meta-analysis. In such a study, researchers look for common patterns across several studies.

Over eight years' follow-up, the researchers found even very mild depression or anxiety -- subclinical levels -- raised the risk of all-cause death, including cardiovascular disease, by 20 percent. Looking specifically at death from heart disease, mild psychological distress raised this risk 29 percent, the study found.

For the highest level of depression or anxiety, the risk of all-cause death rose 94 percent, the researchers found.

Risk of death from cancer was increased 9 percent in cases of very severe depression or anxiety, the investigators found. Lower levels of psychological distress were not associated with increased risk of cancer death.

An individual's actual risk of death remains small, however, and people shouldn't assume they are doomed to an early death if they suffer from a psychological disorder.

Dr. Glyn Lewis, a professor of psychiatric epidemiology at the University of Bristol in England and author of an accompanying journal editorial, said evidence linking stress to heart disease continues to mount.

"If we can reduce the psychological impact, then this should reduce the biological response," he said. But how to accomplish that remains a puzzle.

A type of psychological treatment called cognitive behavioral therapy is designed to help people change the way they respond to potentially stressful events, Lewis said. Cognitive behavioral therapy teaches patients to change their thinking about situations and to react less emotionally.

"This might help people with

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Computer game aims to zap teen depression

"Long viewed as a contributing factor in teenage isolation, computer games are now being used to treat adolescent depression in an innovative New Zealand programme. (AFP Photo/Patrik Stollarz)" title

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Failed IVF attempt tied to depression, anxiety

Reuters – 1 hr 40 mins ago NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Women who are stressed and anxious before in vitro fertilization (IVF) are no less likely to have a baby, new research suggests. But if the treatment fails, it may take a toll on their mental health.

In two separate studies in the journal Fertility and Sterility, researchers found women with anxiety or depression symptoms were just as likely as others to become pregnant.

One study focused on women undergoing IVF and the other followed women trying to conceive naturally.

"Our findings are consistent with the most recent research," said Lauri A. Pasch, a clinical psychologist at the University of California, San Francisco Center for Reproductive Health, and the lead researcher on the IVF study.

Based on that body of research, she told Reuters Health, "I think we can safely say to women,

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Anxiety, Depression May Raise Stroke Risk

HealthDay – 4 hrs ago MONDAY, June 18 (HealthDay News) --People suffering from anxiety, depression, sleeplessness or other forms of psychological distress are at greater risk of death from a stroke, according to a new study.

Researchers from University College London pointed out that psychological distress affects about 15 percent to 20 percent of the general population. Previous research has linked these common mental conditions with coronary artery disease, but an association with stroke and other cardiovascular diseases has not been established, they said.

The researchers examined information from a study of 68,652 adults who participated in the Health Survey for England. The vast majority of participants were white, 45 percent were men and the average was about 55.

Nearly 15 percent of the people questioned said they were affected by psychological distress, most of them women. Those who reported having psychological distress also tended to be younger, smokers and taking medication for high blood pressure. They also tended to have lower incomes, the researchers added.

After following the participants for an average of about eight years, the study's authors found 2,367 deaths from ischemic heart disease (blocked artery), stroke and other cardiovascular problems.

The study was published June 18 in CMAJ.

"Psychological distress was associated with death from cardiovascular disease, and the relation remained consistent for specific disease outcomes, including ischemic heart disease and cerebrovascular disease," Dr. Mark Hamer, of the college department of epidemiology and public health, and his co-authors said in a journal news release. "We saw an association between psychological distress and risk of cerebrovascular disease among our participants, all of whom had been free from cardiovascular disease at baseline. This association was similar in size to the association between psychological distress and ischemic heart disease in the same group."

The researchers concluded that questionnaires could help doctors screen their patients for common mental illnesses, which could reduce their risk of death from heart disease and stroke.

More information

The U.S. National Institutes of Health provides more information on the causes of stroke.

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Obesity, Depression Blamed for Daytime Sleepiness 'Epidemic'

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Sleepwalking Linked to Depression and OCD

This story comes from the Yahoo! Contributor Network, where individuals publish their unique perspectives on some of the world’s most popular websites.Do you have a story to tell? Become a Yahoo! contributor A new study published on Monday found that almost a third of American adults have sleepwalked at least once in their lives. Some 3.6 percent are actually prone to doing so fairly regularly, a statistic that translates into some 8.5 million people, according to a report by MSNBC.

What are the details of the study and how was it conducted?

USA Today reported that the study, which was conducted through the Stanford University School of Medicine, involved gathering information on some 19,136 American adults spread out across 15 different states. Participants were asked to complete phone surveys that delved into each individual's sleep habits, overall health, any current medications that they were taking, and whether or not they had a history of mental disorders.

What did the study find?

That the incidence of sleepwalking among adults is much higher than previously believed. While nearly 30 percent of those surveyed said that they had sleepwalked only once over the course of their lifetime or very infrequently, 3.6 percent acknowledged that they had sleepwalked at least once in the past year. 2.6 percent of those surveyed said that they had sleepwalked as many as 12 times in that interval.

There is apparently no difference between genders regarding this phenomenon. Researchers report that men and women were equally likely to have sleepwalked, and equally likely to do so frequently.

Did the researchers gain any insight into what causes sleepwalking?

Not conclusively. Reuters reported, however, that they did discover certain traits or occurrences that appeared to make it more likely that a person would sleepwalk. People who already suffer from sleep disorders, such as sleep apnea or insomnia, were more likely to report having sleepwalked. Certain mental disorders appeared to increase the likelihood that a person would sleepwalk as well, particularly depression or obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

In addition, there appeared to be a connection between certain medications and an increased risk that a person will sleepwalk, according to WebMD. Specifically, medications used to treat depression and OCD, particularly selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors such as Paxil, Zoloft or Lexapro, were shown to increase that risk. Previous research has also indicated a link between prescription sleeping pills and a higher risk that a person will sleepwalk.

Are there any medical issues or dangers related to sleepwalking?

Scientists aren't sure if sleepwalking actually causes a person permanent or long-term harm, although some have pointed out that there are risks and detriments to habitually not getting enough sleep. A person who is sleepwalking can injure themselves more immediately, however, by bumping into objects or falling.

Vanessa Evans is a musician and freelance writer based in Michigan, with a lifelong interest in health and nutrition issues.

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Use of Ecstasy, Speed by Teens Tied to Later Depression

HealthDay – 29 mins ago WEDNESDAY, April 18 (HealthDay News) -- Teens who use the party drugs ecstasy (MDMA) and speed (methamphetamine and/or amphetamine) appear to face a notably higher risk of depression afterward, new Canadian research suggests.

Interviews and mental health assessments conducted among nearly 3,900 10th-grade residents of Quebec revealed that, compared to non-users, adolescents who acknowledged taking either speed or ecstasy had a 60 percent to 70 percent greater risk of experiencing telltale signs of depression a year after their last recorded use.

What's more, those who said they had tried both speed and ecstasy showed double the risk for depressive symptoms, when compared to non-users.

Nevertheless, study co-author Jean-Sebastien Fallu, an associate professor in the school of educational psychology at the University of Montreal, cautioned that his team cannot draw a specific cause-and-effect line between such recreational drug use and depression.

"But researchers have advanced two possible mechanisms," he said. "That these drugs have a neurotoxic affect on serotonin

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Blood Test Can ID Teen Depression, Study Says

Blood tests have long been the diagnostic standard for diagnosing teenage diseases, such as mono and diabetes. Now researchers have developed a blood test that can diagnose depression in teens, a step they hope will lead to a better way to identify the disorder in young people.

Currently, diagnosing depression depends entirely on a patient's willingness to report symptoms -- and a doctor's ability to interpret them. For teens, the diagnosis is particularly challenging, given the natural emotional ups and downs of adolescence.

"Teenagers are extraordinarily vulnerable to depression," said Eva Redei, author of the study and a professor of psychiatry and behavioral medicine at the Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago. "And there are no objective, biological measures for evaluating them for depression."

In the study, published today in the journal Translational Psychiatry, Redei and her team developed a test that looks for markers in the blood of teens with major depressive disorder. By studying rats that had genetic and environmental predispositions for depression, the researchers were able to pinpoint 26 markers of major depression.

They looked for these markers in the blood of 28 human teenagers, ages 15 to 19, half with depression and half without. They found that 11 of the markers showed up in the depressed teens but not in teens without depression.

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Mike Wallace's Battle With Depression and Suicide

At his lowest and most desperate, a bottle of pills and a suicide note seemed like the only answer for the legendary journalist Mike Wallace.

While the CBS 60 Minutes correspondent could make some of the most powerful leaders in the world sweat with nervousness, Wallace will also be remembered as a voice and face for those who have suffered in silence with depression and other mental illnesses.

During a candid interview with psychiatrist Dr. Jeffrey Borenstein in 2009, Wallace said his first major bout of depression was triggered in 1984 after U.S. Army General William C. Westmoreland sued Wallace for libel. Westmoreland was featured in the CBS documentary, “The Uncounted Enemy: A Vietnam Deception,” in 1982, and Wallace was the chief correspondent for the investigative report.

“I was on trial for my life,” Wallace told Borenstein.

The public humiliation and questions of integrity made him feel “dead inside,” Wallace wrote in January 2002 in an article for Guideposts. He couldn’t eat, couldn’t sleep and took sleeping pills in an attempt to get some shuteye. Even after revealing to a family doctor that he worried about his mental state, Wallace said the doctor told him, “You’re a tough guy. You’ll get through it.”

When Wallace’s wife Mary asked whether her husband could be suffering from clinical depression, the doctor reportedly told the couple, “Forget the word depression because that’ll be bad for your image.”

But depression consumed him. Wallace described his rock bottom point, when he attempted suicide. “‘I have to get out of here,’ so I took a bunch of sleeping pills, wrote a note and ate them, and as a result, I fell asleep,” he said.

Mary found him unconscious in bed  around 3 a.m. Doctors were able to pump his stomach and revive the journalist before undergoing psychological treatment.

In Guidepost, Wallace wrote of his life post-suicide. “Before the new year, I was admitted to the hospital, ‘suffering from exhaustion,’ a CBS spokesman announced.”

Talk therapy and antidepressant medications pulled Wallace through the severe bout of depression in the mid-1980s. While he admittedly had suffered a few more episodes since then, treatments allowed for better coping methods in the years after his suicide attempt.

When asked what advice he had for those suffering from depression, Wallace said, find a “good psychiatrist.”

“You’re not a nutcase if you want to go see a psychiatrist.”

About 17 million Americans will suffer from depression at some point in their lives and according to the World Health Organization, about 5.8 percent of men and 9.5 percent of women worldwide will experience a depressive episode in any given year. Symptoms of depression include changes in sleep and appetite, inability to enjoy oneself and thoughts of hurting oneself.

Wallace acknowledged that the stigma of mental illness left many people, including himself, undiagnosed and untreated. While awareness and advocacy has curbed some of that taboo, there is still work to be done to remedy such perception.

“Until very recently, individuals in positions of power, influence, and authority went to great lengths to hide their mental illness, such as depression, out of fear that the stigma associated with the illness might negatively impact their careers,” said Dr. Amir Afkhami, assistant professor of psychiatry and behavior sciences at George Washington University. “However the illness also allowed Wallace to have a familiarity with despair that allowed him to have empathy and a deep sense of connection with victims of injustice.  This came across in his interviews during his tenure on 60 minutes and his work as a producer.”

Experts say any time a public figure like  Wallace opens up a discussion about mental illness, it makes it easier for others who may be suffering in silence from the disease.

“What Mike Wallace did by his willingness to talk about his depressive illness was extraordinary,” said Dr. Carol Bernstein, associate professor psychiatry at New York University School of Medicine. “That kind of openness with something that is usually shunned avoided and stigmatized in our society was very brave and courageous of him.

If more people of his stature came out and were willing to talk about these disorder, it would go a far way in helping to get past the stigma of this disease,” said Bernstein.

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Fast Food Intake Associated with Risk for Depression

Whatever fats you eat are likely to wind up as structural components of your brain cells.  A new study followed 8,964 people who had never experienced depression, for six years to see the impact of fast food on developing depression.  Those who ate the most junk food had a 51percent higher risk for developing depression for the first time.  The moral of the story is that a brain made of potato chips is not likely to function very well.

The study is important because 10 percent of people in the U.S. are now taking brain drugs for their mood issues.  It appears that a fast food diet is a major cause of this problem.  Such food lacks omega-3 oils like DHA Docosahexaenoic acid Essential omega 3 fatty acid integral to the health of all cell membranes, nerve and brain function. Must be gotten through the diet via cold water oceanic fish or some very limited plant sources or taken as a supplement. and further aggravates the deficiency by boosting up the amount of junky fat.  Such diets also lack B vitamins, magnesium, and plant and fruit polyphenols antioxidant shown to affect cell-to-cell signaling, receptor sensitivity, inflammatory enzyme activity or gene regulation. Found in many different fruits, vegetables, red wine, grains, honey, and legumes. that are needed for normal brain function.

Good nutrition is fundamental for a healthy brain.  This long-term study proves the point.  Showing up at your favorite fast food restaurant is a testament to the validity of Pavlov’s dog experiments.  Fast food companies use a wide variety of chemical stimulants to create brain addiction and brand loyalty.  It appears that what they are really creating is a population of depressed people.

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Link between fast food and depression confirmed

ScienceDaily (Mar. 30, 2012) — A new study along the same lines as its predecessors shows how eating fast food is linked to a greater risk of suffering from depression. This study has been published in the Public Health Nutrition journal

See Also:Health & MedicineNutritionMental Health ResearchDiet and Weight LossMind & BrainMental HealthDepressionDieting and Weight ControlLiving WellReferenceOily fishSouth Beach dietEating disorderFast food

According to a recent study headed by scientists from the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and the University of Granada, eating commercial baked goods (fairy cakes, croissants, doughnuts, etc.) and fast food (hamburgers, hotdogs and pizza) is linked to depression.

Published in the Public Health Nutrition journal, the results reveal that consumers of fast food, compared to those who eat little or none, are 51% more likely to develop depression.

Furthermore, a dose-response relationship was observed. In other words this means that "the more fast food you consume, the greater the risk of depression," explains Almudena Sánchez-Villegas, lead author of the study.

The study demonstrates that those participants who eat the most fast food and commercial baked goods are more likely to be single, less active and have poor dietary habits, which include eating less fruit, nuts, fish, vegetables and olive oil. Smoking and working more than 45 hours per week are other prevalent characteristics of this group.

A long-term study

With regard to the consumption of commercial baked goods, the results are equally conclusive. "Even eating small quantities is linked to a significantly higher chance of developing depression," as the university researcher from the Canary Islands points out.

The study sample belonged to the SUN Project (University of Navarra Diet and Lifestyle Tracking Program). It consisted of 8,964 participants that had never been diagnosed with depression or taken antidepressants. They were assessed for an average of six months, and 493 were diagnosed with depression or started to take antidepressants.

This new data supports the results of the SUN project in 2011, which were published in the PLoS One journal. The project recorded 657 new cases of depression out of the 12,059 people analysed over more than six months. A 42% increase in the risk associated with fast food was found, which is lower than that found in the current study.

Sánchez-Villegas concludes that "although more studies are necessary, the intake of this type of food should be controlled because of its implications on both health (obesity, cardiovascular diseases) and mental well-being."

The impact of diet on mental health

Depression affects 121 million people worldwide. This figure makes it one of the main global causes of disability-adjusted life year. Further still, in countries with low and medium income it is the leading cause.

However, little is known about the role that diet plays in developing depressive disorders. Previous studies suggest that certain nutrients have a preventative role. These include group B vitamins, omega-3 fatty acids and olive oil. Furthermore, a healthy diet such as that enjoyed in the Mediterranean has been linked to a lower risk of developing depression.

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Obstructive Sleep Apnea May Be Linked to Depression

HealthDay – 1 hr 17 mins ago FRIDAY, March 30 (HealthDay News) -- There appears to be a link between the common sleep disorder known as obstructive sleep apnea and major depression, a new study suggests.

In people with obstructive sleep apnea, soft tissue in the back of the throat blocks the upper airway during sleep. This results in pauses in breathing and other sleep symptoms such as snorting, gasping and snoring.

In the new study, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention researchers surveyed about 9,700 American adults and found that 6 percent of the men and 3 percent of the women said they had been diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea.

The CDC team found that symptoms of the sleep disorder were associated with many depression symptoms, including feeling like a failure and feeling hopeless. This association was not affected by factors such as weight, age, sex or race, they noted.

There was no link noted between regular snoring and depression, however, the researchers pointed out in the report, published in the April issue of the journal Sleep.

"We expected persons with sleep-disordered breathing to report trouble sleeping or sleeping too much, or feeling tired and having little energy, but not the other symptoms," such as hopelessness, lead study author Anne Wheaton, a CDC epidemiologist, said in a news release from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.

Although the study uncovered an association between obstructive sleep apnea and depression, it did not prove a cause-and-effect relationship.

More information

The American Academy of Family Physicians has more about sleep apnea.

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Oregano Oil for Depression

In November 2010 I explained how researchers had demonstrated that oregano could boost dopamine levels, in turn helping a person have a better mood and motivational drive.  A new study along these same lines has found that oregano can boost serotonin levels as well.  Low serotonin and dopamine are two common findings in individuals struggling with mood.

Oregano was actually shown to act on three key neurotransmitter systems (serotonin, dopamine, and noradrenaline).  It was found to inhibit reuptake of these neurotransmiiters, thereby leaving more of them available in nerve synapses for better nerve transmission.  In this animal study not only was the neurotransmiiter status boosted, but there was also direct behavioral improvement demonstrating the anti-depressant effect.

The researchers concluded that oregano “may be effective in enhancing mental well-being in humans.”  Oregano is a powerful natural immune support compound with a mood enhancing twist.

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