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- Drops in SSRI prescription rates may coincide with increases in youth suicides
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September 19, 2007
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Science Update
A 2004 spike in suicide rates may have coincided with a drop in antidepressant prescriptions for youth, following warnings from U.S. and European regulatory agencies that the medications might trigger suicidal thoughts.
- New Technique Pinpoints Crossroads of Depression in Rat Brain
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August 2, 2007
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Science Update
NIMH-funded scientists have developed a new high-speed technique for imaging brain activity and used it to pinpoint a circuit signal in rats that may be at the crossroads of depression.
- Success or Failure of Antidepressant Citalopram Predicted by Gene Variation
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August 1, 2007
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Press Release
A variation in a gene called GRIK4 appears to make people with depression more likely to respond to the medication citalopram (Celexa) than are people without the variation, a study by NIMH has found.
- Faster-Acting Antidepressants Closer to Becoming a Reality
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July 24, 2007
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Press Release
A new study has revealed more about how the medication ketamine, when used experimentally for depression, relieves symptoms of the disorder in hours instead of the weeks or months it takes for current antidepressants to work.
- Gene Variants Linked to Suicidal Thoughts in Some Men Starting Antidepressant Treatment
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June 7, 2007
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Science Update
Some men who experience suicidal thoughts and behaviors after they first start taking antidepressant medications may be genetically predisposed to do so, according to the latest results from the NIMH-funded Sequenced Treatment Alternatives to Relieve Depression (STAR*D) study.
- In Second Try to Treat Depression, Cognitive Therapy Generally As Effective As Medication
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May 1, 2007
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Science Update
Switching to or adding cognitive therapy (CT) after a first unsuccessful attempt at treating depression with an antidepressant medication is generally as effective as switching to or adding another medication, but remission may take longer to achieve.
- Benefits of Antidepressants May Outweigh Risks for Kids
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April 17, 2007
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Science Update
The benefits of antidepressant medications likely outweigh their risks to children and adolescents with major depression and anxiety disorders, according to a new comprehensive review of pediatric trials conducted between 1988 and 2006. The study, partially funded by NIMH, was published in the April 18, 2007, issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
- Depression Risk Higher in Girls with Low Birth Weight
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March 9, 2007
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Science Update
irls’ risk for developing depression after puberty increased significantly if they had low birth weight, in a study funded in part by NIMH.
- African Americans, Black Caribbeans, and Whites Differ in Depression Risk, Treatment
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March 5, 2007
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Science Update
Although black Americans are less likely than whites to have a major depressive disorder (MDD), when they do, it tends to be more chronic and severe.
- Virtual-Reality Video Game Helps Link Depression to Specific Brain Area
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March 1, 2007
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Science Update
Scientists are using a virtual-reality, three-dimensional video game that challenges spatial memory as a new tool for assessing the link between depression and the hippocampus, the brain’s memory hub.
