Published: October 8, 2008
Saint Johns Wart flowers
The herbal medicine St. John’s Wort appears to work just as well as some prescribed antidepressants for treating patients with major depression, a new review finds. However, patients in German-speaking countries might experience the best benefits.
While there is public interest in the United States about whether St. John’s wort adequately treats depression, in some countries, like Germany, doctors commonly prescribe it for mild symptoms. Authors of the review found that studies with German patients did, in fact, have the best results. [continue reading…]
Published: October 4, 2008
A simple Emotional Intelligence (EI) test could be used to predict a person’s risk of developing depression, according to new research from Swinburne University of Technology.
In the lead up the Mental Health Week the study, which demonstrates the relationship between low EI and depression, has been published in the European Journal of Psychiatry. [continue reading…]
Published: October 2, 2008
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A new method, based on clinical staging, has been suggested to identify depression at early stages and is described in the current issue of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics.
Depressive disorders are common and associated risks include the onset of secondary disorders, substance use disorders, impairment in social and occupational functioning, and an increase in suicidality. As the onset often occurs in youth, there is a clear imperative for early identification and intervention to ameliorate, if not prevent, associated distress. An extensive search of relevant databases and an ancestry search was undertaken. There is a limited but growing body of literature on this topic that is discussed in relation to a clinical staging model, which may prove to be a useful framework for identifying where an individual lies along the continuum of the course of a depressive illness thus allowing interventions to be matched for that stage. The identification of a subsyndromal and prodromal stage of depressive disorders provides early intervention opportunities. It is argued that a clinical staging heuristic may increase the number of those treated early, which may in turn delay or prevent onset, reduce severity, or prevent progression in the course of depressive disorders.
Source:Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics,Hetrick,S.E.; Parker,A.G; Hickie,I.B.; Purcell,R.; Yung,A.R.; McGorry,P.D. Early Identification and Intervention in Depressive Disorders: Towards a Clinical Staging Model. Psychother Psychosom 2008;77:263-270
Published: October 1, 2008
Link to video
A film about depression by a first-time director has won a clutch of awards at film festivals, and praise from the Samaritans charity.
Mike Rymer made ‘Sick’, a 15-minute short, after discovering that one in four people in the UK experience mental illness during their lives.
Samaritans, the mental health charity, advised Rymer, 29, on the script and is backing the film. The charity’s PR manager, Mike Cobb, said it was a powerful depiction of how people are affected by mental health issues.
“It is a compelling and moving work that will resonate with its audiences,” he said. “The film represents a journey that Samaritans volunteers know only too well.”
As well as directing the film, Rymer wrote the screenplay about the troubled relationship between a father and daughter, who have both had depression. Link to read the rest of this article
Link to video
Source: The Guardian
