Mental Health stuff from the week 4-10/6/12

A neurological link has been made between connections in the brain and the depressive behaviour of self-loathing and apparently unjustified feelings of guilt - a phenomenon i am depressedly familiar with!
"Our research provides the first brain mechanism that could explain the classical observation by Freud that depression is distinguished from normal sadness by proneness to exaggerated feelings of guilt or self-blame."
http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-brain-scans-freud-guilt-key.html
http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-depression-linked-temporofrontolimbic-coupling.html

Working conditinos in the US military forces are so dire that the 154 suicides of active-duty soldiers in the first 155 days fo the year far outstrips the number killed in action!
"Among explanations, studies have pointed to combat exposure, post-traumatic stress, misuse of prescription medications and personal financial problems. Army data suggest soldiers with multiple combat tours are at greater risk of committing suicide, although a substantial proportion of Army suicides are committed by soldiers who never deployed."
http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-suicides-surging-troops.html

Many newspaper reports have erroneously reported this study by saying "exercise does not help with depression".
It does not. On a personal note, however, my experiences with dysthymic depression have not been eased by exercise, so i suspect it might help with some, and not with others. Basically, exercise is not a panacea for people with persistently low mood.
http://www.nhs.uk/news/2012/06june/Pages/exercise-may-not-ease-depression.aspx
http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-uk-physical-aids-depression-additional.html

The stigma of mental illness is causing adolescents to go untreated, which, in the case of depression, is surely just going to make the problem worse.
http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-adolescents-root-stigma-mental-illness.html
As this study clearly states, depressed adolescents have a tendency to reach for drugs to make them feel better.
http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-depression-treatment-adolescent-drug-abuse.html

Stress impedes cognitive development
http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-stress-brain-early-years.html

The economic difficulties that have been forced upon the Greek people by euro-american capitalist economics is apparently causing an increase in depression across the country
http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-side-effect-crisis-greece-mental.html

'Special K' could relieve depression
No, not Kelloggs cereals - ketamine. Bear in mind that this at trial stage, so it could easily be found to have nasty side-effects.
http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-special-relieve-depression.html

Anxious girls' brains work harder than their girl or boy peers.
It's pretty much known that women experience more anxiety than men, although i would be cautious in labelling it a 'disorder'. A problem, if too great, yes, but a disorder? Unhelpful terminology.
It seems girls are prone to undermine their efforts by noticing their failings more than others. This is a symptom of depression, too. My own case as an example, these two phenomena do tend to overlap.
http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-anxious-girls-brains-harder.html

Researchers studying stroke patients have found a strong association between impairments in a network of the brain involved in emotional regulation and the severity of post-stroke depression
http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-post-stroke-depression-linked-functional-brain.html

A global study by the UN has found that mental illness is a common consequence of premature birth
http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-link-premature-births-severe-mental.html

An antidepressant that is believed to work on pain by increasing neurotransmitters that interrupt pain signals to the brain might also help relieve painful tingling feelings caused by chemotherapy
http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-antidepressant-relieve-pain-chemotherapy.html