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It probably shouldn't come as a surprise but a high-status job means you are less likely to respond to treatment for depression. Could it be the stress, the tension, the high expectations of those around you? Up to a third of patients who receive drug treatment for depression do not respond to treatment.  Although there is a wealth of research showing that low social and economic status is associated with a greater risk of depression, there has been little work focusing on how occupational levels respond to treatment.  A group of international researchers from Belgium, Italy, Israel and Austria enlisted 654 working adults attending clinics for depression, and classified their work according to occupational level, according to newswise.com,  336 (51.4%) of whom held high occupational level jobs, 161 (24.6%) middle-level, and 157 (24%) low level. Around two-thirds of the patients were female (65.6%), which reflects the normal gender difference in reported de...

Can genes make you lonely ? Yes, if you're also prone to being neurotic and depressed, according to newswise.com. It turns out loneliness is a heritable trait, but no one gene is responsible.  And it may not be as bad as all that. Loneliness is linked to poor physical and mental health, and is an even more accurate predictor of early death than obesity, the web site reports. To better understand who is at risk, researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine conducted the first genome-wide association study for loneliness — as a life-long trait, not a temporary state. They discovered that risk for feeling lonely is partially due to genetics, but environment plays a bigger role. Just as physical pain alerts us to potential tissue damage and motivates us to take care of our physical bodies, loneliness — triggered by a discrepancy between an individual’s preferred and actual social relations — is part of a biological warning system that has evolv...

I'm guilty of this. I'm an overprotective (some might call it "intrusive") parent and now a new study is saying that parents like me could lead my son to be overly critical of himself. High levels of self-criticalness are linked to depression and anxiety Great.  I've tried so hard to be a good parent, given my late start, and now this.  Newswise.com reports that, in a five-year study on primary school children in Singapore, researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS) found that children with intrusive parents had a higher tendency to be overly critical of themselves and this tendency increased over the years. Children in the study who demonstrated high or increased levels of self-criticalness also reported elevated depression or anxiety symptoms. The study examined how maladaptive perfectionism - commonly known as the ‘bad’ form of perfectionism - develops in primary school children in Singapore. “When parents become intrusive i...

Unemployed? Desperate for a job?  Go to a therapist. Well, not really.  But a new study has found that people who use the cognitive skills often taught in therapy can help in landing a new job. Unemployed people were more likely to land a job if they used skills commonly taught as part of cognitive therapy for depression,according to newswise.com. These skills included identifying negative thoughts and countering them with more positive responses and planning enjoyable activities to improve mood. This study is the first to show that cognitive behavioral (CB) skills not only predict changes in depression symptoms, but also real-life functioning, says Daniel Strunk, co-author of the study and associate professor of psychology at The Ohio State University. Searching for a job is difficult in any circumstance, but it may be even more difficult for people who are depressed,” Strunk says. “But we found that there are specific skills that can help not only manage ...

My husband and I talk about this all the time, how some politicians think global warming (or the new PC term, climate change) is false. I know it may be hard to believe when it snows three times in April (and only once in all of January, February and March) but March was the 2nd or 3rd warmest ever and last year was the warmest ever, beating out 2014 by a hair.  2016 looks to end up even warmer. And if we keep going, Manhattan will be under several hundred feet of water in the next century.  But there's no such thing as climate change. Anyway, a new study has found that the threat of climate change has been found to be a key psychological and emotional stressor. According to newswise.com, consequences can range from minimal stress and distress to clinical disorders, such as anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress, and suicidal thoughts.  Messages from the media, as well as public communication about climate change, can affect perceptions of physical and s...

Your mobile phone.  It links you with friends, lets you know about events, even tells you the (bad) news that Trump's probably going to win the Republican nomination for president. But did you know using it can also cause lead to anxiety and depression?  According to newswise.com, a new study from the University of Illinois finds that addiction to, and not simply use of, mobile technology is linked to anxiety and depression in college-age students.  Researchers surveyed over 300 university students with questionnaires that addressed the students' mental health, amount of cellphone and Internet use, and motivations for turning to their electronic devices. Questions included: "Do you think that your academic or work performance has been negatively affected by your cellphone use?" and "Do you think that life without the Internet is boring, empty and sad?"  "People who self-described as having really addictive style behaviors toward the Inte...

I've known this for some time.  When I'm depressed, like this past week, when a friend's son, and a young man I taught journalism to, took his own life last week, and then when there was a bomb scare at my son's high school (and a job contract ended suddenly), I went to help at my church's after-school program and soon I was feeling better, surrounded by all the high-on-sugar (this was the Valentine's Day party day) and sweet, anyway, kids. Many of them come from low-income homes and they're hungry for loving contact.  Some parents work several works and aren't home too much, while others may be in jail (yes, sadly) or just not around.  But it does more for me than the kids when they come up to me and ask me to read with them, or they follow me like a little shadow.  Or they look really happy to see me. And now a new study confirms this. According to newswise.com, giving support—rather than receiving it—may have unique positive effects on key b...

Here's an interesting thought.  Happiness spreads, but depression doesn't. According to a new study, having friends who suffer from depression doesn’t affect the mental health of others. Research led by the University of Warwick found that just the fact of having friends can help teenagers recover from depression or even avoid becoming depressed in the first instance, newswise.com reports. The findings are the result of a study of the way teenagers in a group of US high schools influenced each others’ moods. The academics used a mathematical model to establish if depression spreads from friend to friend. “Depression is a major public health concern worldwide," says professor Frances Griffiths, head of social science and systems in health at Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick. "But the good news is we’ve found that a healthy mood among friends is linked with a significantly reduced risk of developing and increased chance of recovering from ...

Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could pick out the kids who are going to be depressed later in life before they do something everyone regrets?  In California alone, 12 children between the ages of 5 and 14 committed suicide in 2012.  Even one is too many. But now scientists have found that we might be able to predict this deadly outcome just by looking in our children's eyes. Really?  Yes.  But maybe not in the way you would think, I'm lucky.  My teenager seems pretty happy-to-lucky.  While he's pretty intense (a teacher once called him "cerebral) and lives a lot in his head, he's still grounded enough to be on a local championship soccer team (and to smash the ball around on our front lawn with numerous friends).  But I know that can change in a flash. What researchers have found is that how much a child’s pupil dilates in response to seeing an emotional image can predict his or her risk of depression over the next two years, according to ...

OK.  Here's a new therapy.  Don't look for people who are angry at you. Sounds pretty simple but we now know that people who pay a lot of attention to angry faces may be more prone to depression . Up to 80 percent of individuals with a past history of depression will get depressed again in the future. However, little is known about the specific factors that put these people at risk. New research suggests that it may be due to the things you pay attention to in your life.  I guess we're talking the cup half-full or half-empty.  It makes perfect sense to me that if we're more attuned to negative things (angry faces), we're probably already more pessimistic.  And I guess those who are pessimistic are more likely to be depressed. Researchers at Binghamton University recruited 160 women — 60 with a past history of depression, 100 with no history of depression. They showed each woman a series of two faces, one with a neutral expression and the other w...

Now I'm really depressed. A new study finds that job authority increases depression in women, and decreases them in men. Can't we ever catch a break?! “Women with job authority — the ability to hire, fire, and influence pay — have significantly more symptoms of depression than women without this power,” said Tetyana Pudrovska, an assistant professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Texas at Austin and the lead author of the study, at newswise.com. “In contrast, men with job authority have fewer symptoms of depression than men without such power.” I guess I could see why.  Women -- or at least I -- agonize over difficult decisions like having to tell someone they're not performing, or firing them.  I won't say men do it without even thinking about it, but I bet it's quite different for them. Maybe it's because we tend to have the empathic skills (or are too sensitive?). According to Pudrovska, women without job authority ...

How about this? A new study has found that depression may actually be a form of an infectious disease. Major depressive disorder (MDD) should be re-conceptualized as an infectious disease, according to Turhan Canli, PhD, Associate Professor of Psychology and Radiology at Stony Brook University. Dr.Canli suggests that major depression may result from parasitic, bacterial, or viral infection and has done experiments that illustrate possible pathways by which these microorganisms could contribute to the etiology of MDD.. MDD remains highly prevalent disease with some 15 to 20 percent of the population experiencing MDD at some point. Recurrence is common, and pharmacological treatments have not changed. Because the causal aspects of the disease are not clearly defined, research to find causes remains paramount to help improve treatments, according to newswise.com. Here's why he thinks so: first, he points out that patients with MDD exhibit illness behavior such as lo...

We've always been told to get out and get some fresh air.  But did you know that walking can stave off depression? According to newswise.com, a new study has found that nature group walks lead to improved health. Now, I've never been a big fan of groups.  I've always enjoyed solo endeavors, especially in any kind of athletics (could that be because I'm a complete klutz?).  I've run for years, only once or twice with others (the only time my husband and I went running, he took off like a shot; later he said he's just always competitive -- we've never run together again!).  One of the places I most enjoyed running was in a wooded park near our condo before we had a child.  I ran in this quiet, eerie place for over 10 years (only requiring one stitch in my knee, after a stumble).  I got through many family fights, estrangements, work disasters and trying for years to have our child, running through the peaceful stillness of those beautiful slowly changin...

Dimmer switches .  You know, those great things you can turn down to make the room more romantic.  Or bring up so your far-sighted old eyes can read the newspaper. Well, our brains have one, too, it turns out.  According to a new study, scientists have discovered a "dimmer switch" for mood disorders. Researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have identified a control mechanism for an area of the brain that processes sensory and emotive information that humans experience as “disappointment," newswise com. reports. This discovery may effectively mean there's a neurochemical antidote for feeling let-down. “The idea that some people see the world as a glass half-empty has a chemical basis in the brain,” newswise quotes senior author Roberto Malinow, MD, PhD, professor in the Department of Neurosciences and neurobiology section of the Division of Biological Sciences. “What we have found is a process that may dampen the brain’s ...

It probably shouldn't come as a surprise but people who were abused as children find they're happier if they stay in the present moment, rather than reliving their past or looking off into the future. It's called mindfulness and it works for everyone. According to newswise.com, adults who were abused or neglected as children are known to have poorer health, but adults who tend to focus on and accept their reactions to the present moment—or are mindful—report having better health, regardless of their childhood adversity. Mindfulness is all the rage today.  It's what you learn in yoga.  It's what courses are trying to teach doctors to do, or maybe, I should say be.  It's all about living in the moment, right now.  Because it's the only time you have. I remember when I was first diagnosed with cancer thinking far, far ahead to the treatments I'd have to have.  First, surgery.  Then, radiation.  Then, surgery again.  But I had to get through e...

You really wanted to get out and do that run this morning but oh, that bed was so warm and cozy. Don't blame yourself.  Blame your brain. A new study has found that an area of the brain could control a person’s motivation to exercise and participate in other rewarding activities – potentially leading to improved treatments for depression.  Scientists have discovered that a tiny region of the brain – the dorsal medial habenula – controls the desire to exercise in mice. The structure of the habenula is similar in humans and rodents and functions similarly in both species in mood regulation and motivation. “Changes in physical activity and the inability to enjoy rewarding or pleasurable experiences are two hallmarks of major depression,” Dr. Eric Turner , a principal investigator in Seattle Children’s Research Institute’s Center for Integrative Brain Research ,Turner said at newswise.com. “But the brain pathways responsible for exercise motivation have not been wel...

Depressed? Don't exercise much?  Have high blood pressure?  A new study has found that, even if you're just18, your memory could start failing.  Even worse, it may put you at higher risk for Alzheimer's later in life. UCLA researchers and the Gallup organization polled more than 18,000 people about their memory and a variety of lifestyle and health factors previously shown to increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, according to newswise.com. They found that many of these risk factors increased the likelihood of self-perceived memory complaints across all adult age groups. If you have high blood pressure , you're at even greater risk. New research suggests that high blood pressure in middle age plays a critical role in whether blood pressure in old age may affect memory and thinking. Risk factors in the population studied -- people ages 18-99 -- included depression, lower education levels, physical inactivity, high blood pressure, diabetes, o...

Bullying hurts enough when it's happening.  But a new study has found that its effects last well into adulthood. According to newswise.com, bullying may have long-term health consequences. Bullied children may experience chronic, systemic inflammation that persists into adulthood, while bullies may actually reap health benefits of increasing their social status through bullying, according to researchers at Duke Medicine. How depressing is that.   “Our findings look at the biological consequences of bullying, and by studying a marker of inflammation, provide a potential mechanism for how this social interaction can affect later health functioning,” the Web site quotes William E. Copeland, Ph.D., associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Duke University School of Medicine and the study’s lead author. Is it all in the head?  Researchers think not. Earlier studies have suggested that victims of childhood bullying suffer social and emotional cons...

Big surprise.  Being married can make you more likely to get depressed . All I wanted, when I met my husband, was to get married.  (It only took 10 years.)  But once we were, I didn't like it quite as much.  For one thing, I now had a mother-in-law.  And for another, it seemed so, well, permanent. I can remember driving home from work one day and thinking, well, I've made it through a month. A new study has found that m arital stress may make people more vulnerable to depression, according to a recent study by University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers and their colleagues, newswise.com reports. I suppose it's a no-brainer but people who experience chronic marital stress are less able to savor positive experiences, a hallmark of depression, the Web sie notes. They are also more likely to report other depressive symptoms. “This is not an obvious consequence, if you will, of marital stress, but it’s one I think is extraordinarily important because of the...

This may shock you (as it did me).  But most crimes are not committed by mentally ill people. According to a new study   of crimes committed by people with serious mental disorders, only 7.5 percent were directly related to symptoms of mental illness, newswise.com reports. Of course, it's the horrific crimes that are perpetrated by the mentally ill that we hear about, I suppose. But r esearchers who analyzed 429 crimes committed by 143 offenders with three major types of mental illness found that 3 percent of their crimes were directly related to symptoms of major depression, 4 percent to symptoms of schizophrenia disorders and 10 percent to symptoms of bipolar disorder. “When we hear about crimes committed by people with mental illness, they tend to be big headline-making crimes so they get stuck in people’s heads,” the Web site quotes lead researcher Jillian Peterson, PhD. “The vast majority of people with mental illness are not violent, not criminal and not dangerous...