Depression Information, News and Support
(HealthDay News) -- It is often assumed that the schoolyard is where bullies go to make other kids miserable, but a new study suggests that classrooms are another popular site.
The study, presented recently at the American Public Health Association's annual meeting in Philadelphia, is based on survey results from more than 10,000 middle-school students who anonymously answered questions online.
Posted: Nov 16, 2009
tags: bullying
Female soldiers and others serving in dangerous roles behind the front lines in Iraq and Afghanistan have long complained it was hard to prove their combat experience when applying for disability for post-traumatic stress disorder.
That could soon change.
The Veterans Affairs Department has proposed reducing the paperwork required for veterans to show their experience caused combat-related stress. Even just the fear of hostile action would be sufficient, as long as a VA psychologist or psychiatrist agreed.
The VA says the change would streamline claims and recognize the "inherently stressful nature" of war service. The agency is accepting comment until Oct. 23.
Posted: Oct 14, 2009
(HealthDay News) -- Mildly depressed teenagers are more likely to have major depression, anxiety disorders and eating disorders as adults, a new study suggests.
In 1983, researchers interviewed 755 teenagers who were about age 16 about mood, anxiety and eating disorders, disruptive behaviors and substance abuse.
Posted: Sep 04, 2009
tags: teenagers, teenagers and depression, teens and depression
Genetics researchers have yet to pinpoint a specific gene or genes for depression. But researchers do know that people with depression in their family are more vulnerable to the condition. This is most likely due to both genetic factors — and the struggle of having a depressed family member. As scientists work to figure out the genetics of the illness, families and therapists are figuring out ways to cope.
Untreated depression can be "a family calamity," says Dr. William Beardslee, a professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and longstanding researcher of the effects of severe parental mental illness on children. Nearly 16 million children under the age of 18 are living with an adult who had a bout of major depression in the last year, according to a recent report from the National Academy of Sciences.
Posted: Aug 31, 2009
tags: depression, depression and family
(Reuters Health) – A lack of sunshine may cloud memory and other thinking or "cognitive" functions in some people with depression, a new study hints.
There is a well-known association between sunlight exposure and mood, the clearest example being seasonal affective disorder (SAD) -- a form of depression in which symptoms shift with the seasons, usually arising in the late fall and winter and improving in sunnier months.
But little is known about whether sunshine can affect thinking and memory.
Posted: Aug 27, 2009
This work by Wing of Madness Inc. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.