Fathers With Depression - Who Might Benefit From Screening?

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Main Category: Depression
Article Date: 28 Feb 2012 - 9:00 PST

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A follow-up study by NYU School of Medicine investigators reveals that, even though several research papers demonstrate the numerous negative impact maternal depression and depressive symptoms have on the development and health of children, there is a severe lack of information regarding depressive symptoms in fathers. The study was published in the February 23rd online edition of Maternal and Child Health Journal. 

In late 2011, a study led by Michael Weitzman, M.D., professor of Pediatrics and Environmental Medicine, and his colleagues identified, for the first time ever, that children with fathers who had depressive symptoms, had increased rates of mental health problems. They found that:

• 25% of children with both a mother and a father with depressive symptoms had evidence of behavioral or emotional problems.
• 20% of children whose mother had depressive symptoms.
• 15% of children whose father had depressive symptoms.
• And 6% of children whose mother and father had no depressive symptoms.

Weitzman, explained: 

“While the finding of increased rates of mental health problems among children whose fathers had depressive symptoms was not surprising in our earlier study, the fact that no prior large scale studies had investigated this issue is truly remarkable, as is the finding that one out of every four children with both a mother and a father with symptoms of depression have mental health problems.”

According to Weitzman, the findings underlined: 

”..the urgent need to recognize the roles of fathers in the lives of children and families in clinical and public policy formulation and implementation, to further explore ways in which the mental health of fathers influence the health and function of our nation’s children, and to structure our health and human services so as to identify and effectively treat fathers who are depressed or suffering from other mental health problems. A first step is to identify which of our nation’s fathers are at increased risk for depression, which is the main reason that we undertook the current study.”

Using a large and nationally representative sample of 7,247 households in the USA (in which mothers, fathers and children lived), the current study is the first to examine the characteristics of fathers that are independently linked to increased rates of symptoms of depression. The researchers found that 6% of all fathers had scores which indicated they had depressive symptoms. 

In order to identify factors independently associated with increased rates of father’s depressive symptoms, the researchers used previously widely used measures of mothers’, fathers’ and children’s physical and mental health, and several other family and child characteristics, such as race, child age, educational attainment, maternal and paternal age, and marital status. 

The team found the following factors independently linked to higher rates of father’s depressive symptoms:

• Living in poverty - 1.5 times as common as not living in poverty
• Paternal unemployment - 6.50 times as common
• Living with a child with special health care needs - 1.4 times as common
• Poor paternal physical health - 3.31 times as common
• Living with a mother with depressive symptoms - 5.75 times as common

Even though the results of being poor, having a child with special care needs and living with a mother with depressive symptoms are not unexpected, researchers have now discovered that the strongest predictor of depressive symptoms is actually a father’s unemployment. This unique finding has a severe impact on children’s health and development, in particular in times of extreme high unemployment rates. 

Dr. Weitzman, said: 

“The findings reported in the current paper demonstrate factors that could help` identify fathers who might benefit from clinical screening for depression, and we believe the results are particularly salient given the current financial crisis and concurrent increase in unemployment in the USA. 

Also of serious concern, is the fact that living with a mother who herself has depressive symptoms is associated with almost as large an increased rate of paternal depressive symptoms as is paternal unemployment. Fathers play profoundly important roles in the lives of children and families, and are all too often forgotten in our efforts to help children. These new findings, we hope, will be useful to much needed efforts to develop strategies to identify and treat the very large number of fathers with depression.”

Co-authors of the study include David G. Rosenthal, BA, Nicole Learned, BA, Ying Hua Liu, MD, MPH and Michael Weitzman, MD, Department of Pediatrics, all of the NYU School of Medicine. 

Written by Grace Rattue 
Copyright: Medical News Today

www.medicalnewstoday.com

Introducing Bipolar Depression

Bipolar Disorder, and Society’s Response

The New York Times

Published: January 26, 2012

To the Editor:

Re “My So-Called Bipolar Life,” by Jamie Stiehm (Op-Ed, Jan. 18):

Stories of bipolar disorder, like Ms. Stiehm’s, resonate with the public and the media. This year, the television series “Homeland” won a Golden Globe award for best TV drama. Two years ago, “Next to Normal,” a play about a mother with bipolar disorder, won the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

Untreated, bipolar disorder can lead to wildly euphoric and manic behavior as well as depressive, suicidal phases. These behaviors not only fascinate but also repel; fear of mental illness leads to debilitating stigma for the mentally ill.

As these stories demonstrate, the entertainment industry, like the media, can play an important role in increasing public awareness of mental disorders, enabling our society to better understand and diminish the stigma associated with mental illness.

JEFFREY A. LIEBERMAN
New York, Jan. 19, 2012

The writer is chairman of the department of psychiatry at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.

To the Editor:

I was glad to read Jamie Stiehm’s article, which shines a spotlight on recovery from mental illness. Glad, that is, until nearly the end, where Ms. Stiehm calls electroconvulsive therapy “extremely effective.” In reality, E.C.T. can cause permanent amnesia and permanent deficits in cognitive abilities. The Food and Drug Administration continues to classify E.C.T. equipment in its high-risk Class III category — which comprises only 10 percent of medical devices — despite repeated pressure from E.C.T. equipment makers to reclassify it into the lower-risk Class II.

According to Mental Health America, some researchers recommend that E.C.T. be used only as a last resort because of its risks. Many people believe that they have been helped by E.C.T., so we do not promote a ban, only the opportunity for truly informed consent so that people can weigh the risks and potential benefits before agreeing to the procedure.

SUSAN ROGERS
Director, National Mental Health
Consumers’ Self-Help Clearinghouse
Philadelphia, Jan. 18, 2012

To the Editor:

Jamie Stiehm correctly states that electroconvulsive therapy is a very effective antidepressant treatment. Many people fail to understand that severe depression (either unipolar or bipolar) is a serious medical illness; when the patient is suicidal, it may be a medical emergency.

E.C.T. works when antidepressant medications don’t, and it works more quickly. Modern E.C.T. has evolved into a safe and comfortable procedure that can be done on an outpatient basis. Thanks to Ms. Stiehm for helping destigmatize not only bipolar disorder but also E.C.T.

CHARLES H. KELLNER
Director, E.C.T. Service
Mount Sinai Medical Center
New York, Jan. 18, 2012

Medication helps some with mild depression

Published January 27, 2012 

Reuters

People with mild depression may benefit from taking antidepressants, suggests a new analysis of past studies that compared symptoms in people on the drugs to those given drug-free placebo pills.

Some earlier reports had suggested that antidepressants generally only improve mood in people with severe depression.

But that might be because those studies weren’t precise enough to pick up on smaller changes in symptoms that can still make a difference for people with milder forms of the disease, researchers said.

“I think there’s a valid concern… that if someone has not-that-severe depression that hasn’t lasted that long, maybe it will get better itself or with therapy,” said Dr. David Hellerstein, from the New York State Psychiatric Institute and Columbia University, who worked on the study.

Still, he said the question of whether or not to prescribe medication shouldn’t necessarily come down to how severe the depression is, but how long symptoms have lasted.

People with “transient depression” that will improve with diet or exercise or after a few weeks of therapy “shouldn’t be taking the risk of being on meds,” he told Reuters Health.

“But people who have more persistent depression should be evaluated for treatment and medicine should be one of the options,” even when the depression is more modest.

Hellerstein and his colleagues collected data from six studies done at the state’s psychiatric institute between 1985 and 2000. Those included 825 people with non-severe, long-lasting depression enrolled in trials that compared symptoms with antidepressant treatment versus a placebo.

In three of the six studies, patients taking an antidepressant improved more on a widely-used scale of depression symptoms and severity than those taking a placebo, and in four studies, a higher percentage of patients taking antidepressants went into remission, meaning they were no longer considered to have clinically-significant depression.

Depending on the particular drug and study, the researchers calculated that between three and eight people with non-severe depression would have to be treated with an antidepressant for one to benefit substantially from it.

That, they wrote in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, is “a range considered by researchers as sufficiently robust to recommend treatment.”

The drugs tested in those studies included Prozac, as well as older and now less-popular medications known as monoamine oxidase inhibitors and tricyclic and tetracyclic antidepressants. It’s hard to know how well the findings would apply for newer antidepressants, the researchers said.

The results don’t mean that everyone with mild depression should be on an antidepressant, a psychiatrist not involved in the study pointed out.

“People with these milder depressions also respond well to counseling and psychotherapy and can respond well to exercise,” said Dr. Michael Thase, from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in Philadelphia.

“This is basically saying, these antidepressants aren’t that good, and you should also consider other treatment options and don’t just focus on the thing that’s the easiest,” he told Reuters Health.

The researchers said that some combination of antidepressants and talk therapy is considered most effective in depression treatment, but getting therapy is often more expensive and time-consuming than medication.

Talk therapy can run $100 or more per session, while generic brands of antidepressants usually cost about $20 per month. Drugs may come with side effects, including insomnia and stomach aches, but they’re usually minor, according to Hellerstein.

Still, people on antidepressants should be followed closely by a doctor to see how they’re responding to treatment, he said.

Several of the authors of the current study reported having received funding for other research projects from drug companies that make antidepressants.

One recent study found that some depressed people on the antidepressant Cymbalta did worse than the comparison placebo group, but the majority got some benefit.

“I believe the basic finding that drugs are more effective than placebo,” Thase said.

But, “The benefits of antidepressants may not be that dramatic in patients with milder depressions for whom many other (non-drug) strategies can also be considered.”

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/01/27/medication-helps-some-with-mild-depression/#ixzz1kfp5LwjM

Working 11 hours a day may be linked with depression

Working 11 or more hours a day was associated with a 2.3- to 2.5-fold increased risk of having a major depressive episode compared with those who worked a standard seven- to eight-hour day, a study finds (Matt York / Associated Press)

Study looks at deep brain stimulation in bipolar patients

By Randy Dotinga, HealthDay

(Source: USA Today)

Lack of Vitamin D Linked to Depression

A new study has found that that levels of vitamin D are low among people with depression. The discovery found low vitamin D levels were associated with depressive symptoms, particularly those with a history of depression, so primary care patients with a history of depression may be an important target for assessing vitamin D levels.

 Higher vitamin D levels are linked with a significantly decreased risk of depression, especially among those with a history of depression, U.S. researchers say.

Senior author Dr. E. Sherwood Brown, professor of psychiatry at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas and colleagues at the Cooper Center Longitudinal Study said low levels of vitamin D already are associated with a number of health woes from cardiovascular diseases to neurological ailments.

The researchers examined the results of almost 12,600 study participants from late 2006 to late 2010. Brown and colleagues from the Cooper Institute found higher vitamin D levels were associated with a significantly decreased risk of current depression, particularly among people with a prior history of depression.

The study, published in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings, found low vitamin D levels were associated with depressive symptoms, particularly those with a history of depression, so primary care patients with a history of depression may be an important target for assessing vitamin D levels.

However, the study did not address whether increasing vitamin D levels reduced depressive symptoms, Brown said.

The scientists have not determined the exact relationship — whether low vitamin D contributes to symptoms of depression, whether depression itself contributes to lower vitamin D levels, or chemically how that happens, Brown said. However, vitamin D may affect neurotransmitters, inflammatory markers and other factors, which could help explain the relationship with depression, Brown said.
 


 

© 2012 United Press International under contract with YellowBrix. All rights reserved. 

(Source: sci-tech-today.com)

Signs and symptoms of Depression in males & How to overcome It?

Males do get depressed some times together with the commonest indication of depression in males are discussed below. Before we turn to symptoms of depression of males, contact us about depression in males. In the united states alone, 5 million men undergo depression per annum. While depression that face men and women have same signs, the complaints may be vastly different. Depression will cause sadness and reduction in affinity for activities once enjoyed. Now, learn about around the most widespread signs and symptoms of depression in males.

Fatigue: One of the main indication of depression in males is fatigue. Men and women, when depressed undertake several emotional and physical changes. Additionally, their physical movements, speech and way of thinking cuts. Thus fatigue takes the highest spot in signs of depression of males.

Alter in Sleeping Pattern: On the list of tell tale symptoms of depression that face men and some women, stands out as the abrupt alteration in sleeping pattern. They have an inclination to fall asleep excessively, or too less. Comparable to fatigue, sleep issues are high when under depression and takes a subsequent spot in the set of symptoms of depression in men.

Joint pains: One more common problem for depression – aches and pain, allowing it to be into the third right this list of symptoms of depression that face men. Women and men with depression deal with backaches, stomach disorders, constipation, reduction in appetite, etc.

Mood Swings: Mood swings are pretty common one of the many warning signs of depression that face men. Those who are depressed often get angry or irritated sooner, remain sad longer time and experience swift changes in moods. This can be one of the main grounds for worry and quite a few important among warning signs of depression in males.

Difficulty with Concentration: When depressed, men are more likely to lose astounding to focus and that’s exactly throught as one of the main indications of depression that face men.

Stress: Stress will be the leading of a lot culprits and as well, one of the important symptoms of depression of males.

Anxiety: Anxiety is in addition just about the most common symptoms of depression in males.

Substance Abuse and Addiction: One of the several tell tale symptoms of depression in men business women, is substance addiction and abuse. Brought on depressed, tend to take solace in smoking, drinking as well as other hard drugs. Abuse and addiction numerous common indication of depression that face men.

Erection problems (ED): Among the most important causes for impotence and obvious indications of depression that face men include ED. When depressed, males do do not have interest, or capable of singing well sleeping. That’s one reason ED is generally considered more from a psychological problem.

Other symptoms of depression in men include inability to get a call, having suicidal thoughts, feeling helpless or hopeless, losing affinity for life, being reckless and dejection. Depression is usually a problem that is treated properly, to not have unpleasant occurrences. Self-help alone will not be sufficient to face depression. Any time you notice these symptoms of depression that face men, you need to rise and get things arranged, without further delay.

Signs Of Depression In Men

Post Published: 09 January 2012
Author: StobbsMentis522
Found in section: Health and Fitness

Deep Brain Stimulation for Major Depression: Miracle therapy or just another treatment?

By Scicurious | January 9, 2012 |  

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Depression Common in Celiac Disease

The negative impact of celiac disease in women reaches far beyond the small intestine, with effects on many aspects of physical and emotional functioning, survey results showed.

In celiac disease, ingested gluten can damage the surface villi and impede nutrient absorption, but 37% of women with the condition met the clinical threshold for depression on the 20-item Center for Disease Studies Depression Scale, according to Joshua M. Smyth, PhD, of Pennsylvania State University in University Park, and colleagues.

Moreover, 22% also met the criteria for disordered eating assessed on a 29-item questionnaire, the researchers reported online in Chronic Illness.

Action Points  

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• A survey found that the negative impact of celiac disease in women reaches far beyond the small intestine, with effects on many aspects of physical and emotional functioning.



• Note that 22% of the celiac disease patients also met the criteria for disordered eating.

Following a gluten-free diet is the usual recommended treatment for celiac disease, however, because of the near ubiquity of gluten in common foods, many patients with the immune disorder have difficulty keeping to their diet.

And even those who do adhere to the diet can remain symptomatic, which can interfere with normal functioning and lead to psychological difficulties.

In particular, previous case reports suggested that the focus on food required for the gluten-free diet can become excessive in women, as manifest in bulimia and anorexia.

To more fully characterize the effects of celiac disease on women’s emotional and psychological well being, Smyth and colleagues recruited 177 women with the disorder for a Web-based survey of disease characteristics, diet, functioning, and psychiatric symptoms.

They found that the average level of adherence to the diet was high, with mean scores of 4.47 out of a maximum of five.

Higher adherence to the gluten-free diet was associated with increases in vitality (r=0.17,P<0.05), better emotional role function and health (r=0.23, P<0.01), and decreased stress (r=−0.25, P<0.01) and less depression (r=−0.28, P<0.01).

“It is perhaps the case that individuals with celiac disease are relieved of emotional distress through their avoidance of gluten (i.e., knowing that they are following recommendations from their doctors may provide peace of mind), rather than through the diet’s direct physical effects,” Smyth and colleagues observed.

But adherence also was linked with excessive concerns about food consumption, particularly as it affected weight (r=−0.20, P<0.05) and shape (r=−0.17, P<0.05), the researchers found.

Worse celiac symptoms were associated with poorer physical functioning and mental health (P<0.001 for both).

Correlations also were seen between different areas of psychiatric functioning, such as depression and stress (r=0.54, P<0.001), as well as stress and eating concerns (r=0.85,P<0.001).

The average level of depressive symptoms was 14.93, with a cutoff for clinical depression of 16.

The 65 women whose depression scores were at or above the cutoff had worse celiac symptoms (P<0.001), greater stress (P<0.001), lower dietary adherence (P<0.05), and worse quality of life for both physical and emotional domains (P<0.001 for both).

In addition, the 39 women whose scores on disordered eating measures were “clinically meaningful” had worse celiac symptoms (P<0.05), more stress (P<0.001), depression (P<0.001) and poorer mental health (P<0.001).

“The presence of disordered eating symptoms in the present sample indicates that attending to the risk for extreme thoughts and behaviors related to eating and shape is a large area of opportunity for improving quality of life in women with celiac disease,” the researchers stated.

The study confirmed that women with celiac disease are at risk for psychiatric distress, implying that screening may be useful and that psychosocial support may be an important aspect to overall care for these patients, they observed.

Limitations of the study include the small sample size and the possibility of self-selection.

The authors reported no funding and no financial conflicts.

Primary source: Chronic Illness
Source reference:
Arigo D, et al “Psychiatric comorbidities in women with celiac disease” Chron Ill 2011; DOI: 10.1177/1742395311417639.