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- Maintenance Treatment Crucial for Teens’ Recovery from Depression
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April 8, 2008
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Science Update
Long-term maintenance treatment is likely to sustain improvement and prevent recurrence among adolescents with major depression, according to an NIMH-funded study.
- Paying More for Prescriptions May Limit Seniors’ Access to Antidepressants
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April 2, 2008
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Science Update
New cost-sharing policies may prevent some older adults diagnosed with depression from filling new antidepressant prescriptions.
- State Survey Finds FDA “Black Box” Warning Correlates with Curtailed Antidepressant Prescriptions
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March 14, 2008
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Science Update
After the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a “black box” warning on antidepressant medications, Nebraskan doctors began prescribing fewer antidepressant medications to children and teens and referring more patients to specialists, according to a state survey.
- One Gene Overrides Another to Prevent Brain Changes that Foster Depression
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March 12, 2008
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Science Update
A variation on one gene affects how much of the brain chemical serotonin is available to brain cells. This variation is thought to raise the risk of depression in people who carry it. But NIMH scientists found that a variation in another gene, which produces brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) – a substance that enables growth and health of brain cells – appears to prevent or offset the changes generated by the depression-fostering variant.
- Teens with Treatment-resistant Depression More Likely to Get Better with Switch to Combination Therapy
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February 26, 2008
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Press Release
Teens with difficult-to-treat depression who do not respond to a first antidepressant medication are more likely to get well if they switch to another antidepressant medication and add psychotherapy rather than just switching to another antidepressant.
- Primary Care Doctors May Overlook Elderly Patients’ Mental Health
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February 25, 2008
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Science Update
Doctors spend little time discussing mental health issues with their older patients and rarely refer them to a mental health specialist even if they show symptoms of severe depression.
- Co-occurring Anxiety Complicates Treatment Response for Those with Major Depression
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February 25, 2008
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Science Update
People with major depression accompanied by high levels of anxiety are significantly less likely to benefit from antidepressant medication than those without anxiety, according to a study based on data from the NIMH-funded Sequenced Treatment Alternatives to Relieve Depression (STAR*D) study.
- Genetic Variation May Influence Response to Depression Treatment
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February 20, 2008
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Science Update
Variations in a gene known as TREK1 may explain some forms of treatment-resistant major depression, according to a new study analyzing genetic data.
- Tomorrow’s Antidepressants: Skip the Serotonin Boost?
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February 14, 2008
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Science Update
Even when serotonin levels stayed low, scientists were able to correct abnormal, mental-illness-like behaviors in mice by blocking an enzyme called GSK3ß. The finding adds evidence that molecular targets other than serotonin may lead to better and faster medications for some mental illnesses.
- Team Care for Depressed Older Adults Cuts Overall Medical Costs
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February 14, 2008
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Science Update
A team approach to depression treatment for older adults, already shown to be effective, is also less expensive than usual care.
