Depression

As we’ve discussed before, post-partum depression affects women who have just given birth and find it difficult to relate and bond with their children, some even becoming so depressed that they want to harm the child. Doctors are usually late in the game in realizing that a woman is having such symptoms and thus treatment often starts too late to avoid the disease advancing to the more dangerous levels. But a new study in Switzerland may have a way to predict post-partum depression in women before it happens, so that it can be treated properly, although they say that more study still needs to be done. ...

Is it possible that how we remember past events may be an indicator that we may experience depression later on? That is what the scientists at Oxford University are studying. They reason that people with non-specific memories of negative and positive thoughts have trouble keeping the brain on an even emotional plane. When the brain can no longer make the proper references, it cannot determine on what kept the thoughts in balance, a balance that when out of flux can lead to trouble making decisions and depression. ...

The other day we reported on a study out of the Netherlands that talked about how depression can be helpful in some cases as a defense mechanism against life’s challenges, where they talked about how being depressed can make one re-evaluate their lives and in some cases grow from that experience, but only in mild or moderate cases.

A new study from the University of Basel in Switzerland takes this a step further and reasons that people who suffer from major depression make good decisions, once the decision is made, although that decision may take more time than someone who is not depressed. ...

Before I start, I just want to say that I do believe that there are varying levels of depression and while some may be a coping mechanism for life’s tribulations, there are people who suffer from major depression that requires medical intervention and therapy. It’s like the difference between pulling a muscle and ripping a tendon in your leg. One can be worked out with some self-massage and the other needs professional help. ...

In a large study of 15000 people by beyondblue, a non-profit organization in Australia that helps those with depression and anxiety, researchers noted that the attitude towards depressed workers has eased a bit and more people are willing to help, rather than to stigmatize their fellow workers. But there is still work to be done to stamp out the stigmatism in the workforce. ...

We’ve heard that depression is often hereditary, that if your mother or father have it, you are at an increased risk to get it, but now doctors have found a gene that is linked with major depression that may offer new hope and new treatments to many. ...