Save the karate for the kids. to stave off depression among the elderly, a new study proposes the practice of a gentler martial art—tai chi.

In a study published in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry study, UCLA researchers led by psychiatrist Helen Lavretsky reported treating 112 participants with major depression, ages 60 years and older, with the antidepressant escitalopram for four weeks. The 73 who responded well to the drug continued to receive it for 10 more weeks and were randomly assigned to two hours a week of health education or tai chi. All the respondents were evaluated for their anxiety, resilience, health-related quality of life, cognition, immune-system inflammation and levels of depression at the start of the study and four months later.

It turns out, not only does performing this ancient Chinese mind-body exercise while taking escitalopram help older adults reduce their depressive symptoms and achieve remission, it also improves quality of life, memory, cognition and overall energy levels. “This is the first study to demonstrate the benefits of tai chi in the management of late-life depression, and we were encouraged by the results,” said Lavretsky in a press statement. “With tai chi, we may be able to treat these conditions without exposing [patients] to additional medications.”

These results should come as good news to the over two million elderly Americans suffering from depression who are in much need of effective treatment. as the authors put it in their article:

Depression in older adults carries significant risk for decline in health functioning, morbidity, and mortality, including suicide. Despite the gains in the treatment of major depression, more than 60% of elderly patients treated for depression fail to achieve symptomatic remission and functional recovery with first-line pharmacotherapy. Older patients with depression are reported to have more physical illness and chronic pain; frailty; psychomotor retardation; or agitation, anxiety, cognitive impairment, anorexia, or weight loss than younger depressed adults… Treatments are needed that can complement and add to the benefit of pharmacotherapy, in order for depressed older adults to achieve remission, experience lower rates of residual depressive symptoms, and enjoy the benefits of decreased disability and improved social and health functioning.

More on Time.com:

Brain Changes May explain Driving Problems in the Elderly

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Treating Depression: How bright Light Can Help

Before I became pregnant with my first child, I suffered from major depression and mood swings. after having him (2 1/2 years ago) I have not had any symptoms of depression or mood swings. Has this happened to anyone else? Can your hormones get "in-check" after becoming pregnant?

Adrenals fatigue is basically a very common syndrome experienced by many but also one of those ailments that are most often disregarded. It is most of the times similar to just the average stress and exhaustion that an individual feels after a hard day’s work, but its duration is lengthened drastically lasting to a number of days, weeks, months or even years!

You might think that adrenals fatigue is only a mild situation, but if not properly treated it might lead to a more severe form of stress that could also end up in major depression and all those negative results that come with it.

Adrenals fatigue may come in different forms depending on the person’s stress tolerance level. Some may easily be stressed while others are very much adapted to stress or they may have utilized very good coping mechanisms. It is true that a little stress in our daily lives actually help us grow and enhances our skills but exposing ourselves to too much stress can also have a lot of disadvantages.

Common symptoms that were reported by several people having the syndrome are: easy fatigability, decreased level of concentration, weight gain especially on the midsection, decreased libido, depression, mood swings, and general disinterest to name a few. There are still a lot more symptoms of adrenals fatigue since as I have mentioned earlier that it usually present differently in various individuals.

You may at first experience difficulty in getting out of bed although you’ve had at least eight hours of sleep – that’s adrenals fatigue presenting to you in a form of extreme feelings of exhaustion despite rest. I am not saying that you should just skip your usual naps and not sleep because it does not resolve adrenals fatigue, in fact, you should rest in order to recharge your body. What you can do to revive your lost energy is actually to start gradual changes in your lifestyle such as diet and exercise.

Start with your caffeine intake. You should lessen your daily caffeine intake because not that it only keeps you awake at night, but it also constricts your blood vessels that would lead to palpitations and worst is hypertension. instead of coffee, just take water, fruit juices and teas. Moderate exercise will actually do wonders in your energy. Complemented with supplements found in the diet and pharmaceutically prepared multivitamins, you should be up and running in no time!

Depression is commonly reported in people with Alzheimer’s disease and its precursor, mild cognitive impairment, with several studies suggesting having a history of major depression may nearly double your risk of developing dementia later in life. However, it has been unclear if depression is a symptom of the disease or a potential cause of the disease…
Alzheimer’s Reading Room

To study the relationship between Alzheimer’s and depression, researchers at Rush University Medical Center tracked symptoms of depression during the transition from no cognitive impairment to dementia and found that depressive symptoms show little change during the development and progression of Alzheimer’s disease. The study will be published in the July 6 issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

“Our study suggests that depression is truly a risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease,” said lead author Robert S. Wilson, PhD, senior neuropsychologist, Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center, and a professor in the Department of Behavioral Sciences at Rush. “If depression was an early sign of the disease, we would expect to see it increase prior to diagnosis and as the disease progresses. Our study found very little change.”
“Depression should not be viewed as an inevitable part of Alzheimer’s disease. If a patient with Alzheimer’s has depression, the depression should be treated,” said Wilson.

The study involved participants in the Chicago Health and Aging Project, a longitudinal study of risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease involving a population of older adults on Chicago’s south side. at three year intervals, the entire population completed a brief self-report measure of depressive symptoms and clinical evaluations for Alzheimer’s disease.

Initial analyses focused on a group of 357 individuals who developed Alzheimer’s disease during the course of the study. The study found a barely perceptible increase in depressive symptoms, a rate of 0.04 symptoms per year, during six to seven years of observation before the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease and no change during two to three years of observation after the diagnosis.

Because dementia may reduce the accuracy of self-report, in a subgroup of 340 participants, researchers conducted additional analyses of change in depressive symptoms by interviewing family, friends and other who were close to the study participants. Neither Alzheimer’s disease nor its precursor, mild cognitive impairment, was associated with change in depressive symptoms during a mean of three years of observation.

The results were consistent across all demographics. There was no evidence that sex, age, education or race modified the trajectory of depressive symptoms before or after Alzheimer’s disease was diagnosed.

“Here is this terrible disease that robs people of who they are and their ability to function and yet it doesn’t make them depressed,” said Wilson. “Alzheimer’s may disrupt the ability to have prolonged bouts of negative emotions, in much the same way it disrupts many other activities.”

The study authors suggest additional studies of patients with Alzheimer’s disease for longer periods to determine if depressive symptoms may eventually decrease as the disease becomes more severe.

In addition, researchers at Rush continue to look at why depression increases the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.

The study was supported by funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH)/ National Institute on Aging (NIA). Co-authors include G.M. Hoganson, BS; K.B. Rajan, PhD; L.L. Barnes, PhD; C.F. Mendes de Leon, PhD; and D.A. Evans, MD.

Alzheimer’s Disease — Advice and Insight

• What’s the Difference Between Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia?
• 60 Good Reasons to Subscribe to the Alzheimer’s Reading Room
• About the Alzheimer’s Reading Room
• Alzheimer’s Disease and the Five Stages of Grief
• What is Alzheimer’s? What are the eight Types of Dementia?
• Alzheimer’s Disease CareGiving — Insight and Advice (20 articles)
• Test your Memory for Alzheimer’s Disease (5 best self Assessment Tests)
• Alzheimer’s World — Trying to Reconnect with someone Suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease
• Worried About Alzheimer’s Disease — you Should Be
• Does the Combination of Aricept and Namenda Help Slow the Rate of Decline in Alzheimer’s Disease Patients
• Alzheimer’s Disease Statistics
• Is it Really Alzheimer’s Disease or Something Else?
• Ten Symptoms of Early Stage Alzheimer’s Disease
• Ten Tips for Communicating with an Alzheimer’s Disease Patients

Bob DeMarco is the Founder of the Alzheimer’s Reading Room and an Alzheimer’s caregiver. The blog contains more than 2,255 articles with more than 272,100 links on the Internet. Bob resides in Delray Beach, FL.

The Alzheimer’s Action Plan  

The Art of Dementia Care

Original content Bob DeMarco, the Alzheimer’s Reading Room

To fight the health disorder, it should be properly recognized first. the patient comes to the primary care with his problems, which might be seemingly unrelated to the clear case of the clinical depression, and unfortunately, the recognition of depression success rate in primary care is statistically less than we would like it to be. For example, 50% of people with major depression, identified by independent screening in Great Britain, were not recognized as depressed by the primary physician. the recognition of depression is particularly difficult in certain patient groups such as the physically ill, or in certain cultures, when depression is not socially accepted diagnosis. Yes, in some cultures it is just “normal” to be sad, but clinical depression is much more than cultural specifics, or normal mood swings.
                                                                                                                                                       Depression is often Unrecognized and Undertreated
Numerous studies indicate that 30-70% of cases of major depression are undiagnosed or undertreated in primary care. while some observers note that physicians are more likely to identify severe depression and to miss only milder forms of the illness, recent studies clearly demonstrated that nearly half of the undetected patients with depression in primary care developed suicidal ideation and 53% continued to meet criteria for major depression one year after the index evaluation.                                Physician, patient, and system variables probably account for these disturbing findings. several theories have been offered, including health services issues, sociocultural barriers, poor consumer education, and insufficient physician knowledge level. Patient denial, cognitive impairment, lacking awareness of depressive symptoms, and inability to articulate symptoms compound the difficulties of detecting depression in primary care. Patient nonadherence, resistance to diagnosis, cultural factors, social forces, subtherapeutic dosages of antidepressants, and low insurance reimbursement rates lead to the inadequate treatment of depression. Many employment, health, disability, and life insurance practices discriminate against individuals with mental illness, thereby reinforcing stigma and adversely affecting their socioeconomic status.
Problems for Depression Recognition
There may be a number of possible reasons for a lack of recognition of depression within primary care, both related to the physicians and the patients. Generally these can be summarized as follows:
Patient factors

• Patients ignore depression in themselves;
• When depressed, older adults may complain less of depressed mood and present somatic symptoms which may not be identified by the clinician;
•  Physical co-morbidity may also make the interpretation of depressive symptoms difficult. Depressed patients may appear demented, and patients with early dementia may present with depression;
• Fear of the stigma of mental illness;
• Worry about side effects of medication;
• Blaming depression on circumstances, regarding it as ‘understandable’;
•  Older adults may misattribute symptoms of major depression for ‘old age’, ill health or grief;
• Although depression is more frequent in women, differential reporting of symptoms may lead to depression being under diagnosed in men;
• In some cultures, depression is not considered as socially acceptable disorder, causing patients to cover up the symptoms for the proper diagnostics.

Practitioner factors

• Primary care practitioners may lack the necessary skills or confidence to correctly diagnose late-life depression;
• Primary care physicians have been shown to view depression as a normal response to difficult circumstances, illnesses or life events and depression may be under diagnosed because of dissatisfaction with the types of treatment that can be offered, especially a lack of availability of psychological interventions;

•  Physicians typically have little time per patient.

Recommendations for Patients
Unfortunately those patients who go unrecognized and untreated after the primary care visit lose the advantage of starting the instant treatment and getting on track to the recovery.
Please, remember that it is your health and your well-being is on stack, and you should do everything possible to help your primary physician in its diagnosis.  Get ready for the conversation, perform several self-checks for depression, if you just suspect that you may have it. Remember, that it is a disorder as any others, and you may significantly improve the quality of your life by accepting it and starting the professional treatment.

Sources and Additional Information:euphix.org/object_document/o5838n27170.htmlThe Atlas of Depression by David S. Baldwinyork.ac.uk/inst/crd/EHC/ehc75.pdfnchph.org/caremodel/decisionsupport/5.7%20Assessment%20and%20Management%20of%20Depression%20in%20Primary%20Care%20Practice.docfampra.oxfordjournals.org/content/23/3/369.long

From depression to ulcers and anthrax infections, a handful of Maryland biotechs have been given the regulatory OK to either launch or resume clinical trials of their experimental treatments.

Neuralstem reported that the Food and Drug Administration has approved its investigational new drug application to launch a phase 1a safety trial of its experimental small-molecule compound to treat major depression.

The compound, NSI-189, was discovered by Neuralstem, a Rockville biotech that also focuses on stem cell treatments for nervous system disorders such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

The new product works by stimulating new neuron growth in the brain's hippocampus, which may be involved in depression and other ailments, such as Alzheimer's disease, according to a Neuralstem statement.

"Today's antidepressants are based on a theory of serotonin deficiency," said Karl Johe, the company's chairman and chief scientific officer, in the statement. "a new theory is emerging that chronic stress can lead to hippocampal atrophy and eventually to depression. NSI-189 appears to help the brain repair itself, generating new neurons and protecting against damage. this neurogenic approach is completely novel in the treatment of CNS diseases."

NSI-189 showed promising results in mice, the company said.

The treatment is a new tack for the biotech, according to CEO Richard Garr.

"In addition to our ongoing programs in cell therapeutics, we are now advancing a new class of orally administered drugs that recruit endogenous neural stem cells," Garr said in the statement. "NSI-189 is the first in this class."

The trial will test a single oral dose of NSI-189 in healthy patients. If its safety endpoints are met, the trial will move to a second phase, testing the safety of daily escalating doses for 28 days in depressed patients. The company expects the entire phase 1 trial to run about a year.

Another Rockville biotech, Sequella, also filed an investigational new drug application with the FDA and received permission to start a phase 2 trial of SQ109 to treat duodenal ulcers caused by the helicobacter pylori bacterium.

"H. pylori is a highly infectious pathogen that causes 95 percent of duodenal and 85 percent of gastric ulcers, and is implicated in most gastric cancers," CEO Carol a. Nacy said in a statement. "we are quite pleased with the clinical development of SQ109 as we progress through phase 2 trials for tuberculosis and look forward to achieving similar success against H. pylori."

The new phase 2 study is based on results from phase 1 studies of SQ109 for treating tuberculosis. it will be conducted at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.

"H. pylori is an important human pathogen and the cause of gastric cancer. Worldwide, increasing antibiotic resistance has resulted in a marked reduction in the ability to cure the infection, and new drugs are urgently needed," David Y. Graham, who will help conduct the study, said in the statement.

about 14.5 million Americans have ulcers, according to federal data cited by Sequella. a new drug that simplifies the current regimen of three or four drugs could generate more than $500 million in annual sales, the company said.

Meanwhile, Annapolis biodefense company PharmAthene announced that it has received FDA clearance to resume clinical testing of its candidate to treat anthrax infections.

The FDA had partially suspended the testing program about a year ago after the company reported two adverse reactions in the four subjects who were dosed in a phase 1 clinical trial.

"We're very pleased to resume clinical testing of Valortim," said Thomas Fuerst, senior vice president and chief scientific officer, in a statement. "The accumulating data suggest that Valortim may have unique characteristics, which could position it as a leading candidate for future procurement in the nation's biodefense stockpile. a presumed different mechanism of action, relative to other anthrax monoclonal antibodies and encouraging efficacy data in animal studies at low doses, suggest that Valortim may offer important advantages in the treatment of symptomatic anthrax infection."

PharmAthene plans to begin a phase 1 dose-escalation study of Valortim within several weeks, Fuerst said. Valortim is a fully human anti-toxin monoclonal antibody being developed to prevent and treat inhalational anthrax.

Another Rockville biotech, Novavax, reported that the FDA has lifted its hold on the company's phase 1 clinical trial to study a new vaccine candidate to prevent respiratory syncytial virus infection. last month, Novavax reported that the FDA had a question about the candidate's chemistry, manufacturing and controls, a matter that has been resolved.

The virus can cause lower respiratory infections, sometimes resulting in infant deaths and illness in the elderly. Novavax has tested the vaccine, based on its virus like-particle technology, in cotton rats.

"this is a significant accomplishment and represents the second major internally discovered vaccine program based on our core platform technologies," CEO Rahul Singhvi said in a statement.

a Gaithersburg biotech, GenVec, also is developing a vaccine for the disease. it recently reported encouraging preclinical proof-of-concept findings of its vaccine program from studies in multiple animal models.

"these data are promising and show that a vaccine utilizing our technology has significant potential to prevent" respiratory syncytial virus, said Jason Gall, senior research director at the Gaithersburg biotech, in a statement. "currently, there is no approved RSV vaccine and we are excited to be moving toward filling the need for a safe and effective RSV vaccine."

Respiratory syncytial virus causes lower respiratory infections in infants and young children. Infections typically produce cold-like symptoms, but can result in severe lower respiratory tract infections, causing up to 130,000 pediatric hospitalizations per year in the U.S., according to GenVec information.

In other Maryland bioscience industry news:

MedImmune of Gaithersburg, the biologics division of AstraZeneca of London, has entered into a license and collaboration deal with Evotec of Hamburg, Germany, to develop a diabetes treatment.

The work will focus on regenerating insulin-producing beta cells, according to an Evotec statement. MedImmune will have exclusive access to research programs.

Evotec will receive an upfront payment of $6.6 million, with payments potentially reaching $335.9 million, if certain milestones are achieved and sales royalties are realized.

United BioSource, a contract research organization in Bethesda and wholly owned subsidiary of Medco Health Solutions, has acquired Total Healthcare Group of London, an international consultancy with clients in the biopharmaceutical industry.

Total Healthcare, along with United BioSource's value strategy and research services, will be led by the London company's founder, Robert Hollamby, who has been named senior vice president at United.

"Demonstrating value and providing evidence-based research that allows stakeholders in the health care market to make important economic decisions surrounding biopharmaceuticals and devices is crucial in the market place," said UBC President Mark Clein. "UBC helps clients respond effectively to the evolving health care environment by researching, communicating, and demonstrating value in medicines.

"The addition of [Total Healthcare] significantly expands our capabilities and geographic reach and allows us to launch a comprehensive practice that we expect to be a leader in the global biopharmaceutical industry," said Mark Clein, president of United BioSource, in a statement.

Medco of Franklin Lakes, N.J., which provides pharmacy benefits management services, acquired United BioSource in September for $730 million in cash. Medco reported a third-quarter profit of $371.5 million on revenues of $16.32 billion.

Osiris Therapeutics of Columbia, which develops stem cell treatments, settled its patent infringement suit against Orthofix of Lewisville, Texas, according to an Orthofix statement.

Osiris and the licensee for its patented treatment, NuVasive of San Diego, sued Orthofix in U.S. District Court in New Jersey in April, claiming patent infringement. NuVasive paid Osiris $85 million for the license to the treatment, which can be used to repair defective bones, according to the suit.

Orthofix reported that it would record a fourth-quarter charge of $2 million related to the settlement, but said other terms were confidential.

Micromet of Bethesda reported that 21 adult patients with minimal residual disease positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia who were treated by its lead candidate, blinatumomab, in a phase 2 trial experienced prolonged remissions.

Blinatumomab is the first of a new class of agents called BiTE antibodies, designed to harness the body's T cells to kill cancer cells, according to Micromet.

Of 20 evaluable patients, 16 achieved a complete molecular response, all within the first cycle of treatment, the company reported.

"Nine of the patients received an allogeneic stem cell transplant, a toxic procedure that typically carries a high short-term risk of mortality," the company said. "Notably, all nine transplanted patients were alive 100 days following the transplant."

Micromet also reported encouraging results from a phase 1 trial of blinatumomab to treat relapsed non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Blinatumomab continues to produce "a high response rate and duration of response in a number of different [non-Hodgkin's lymphoma] subtypes."

Emergent BioSolutions of Rockville reported positive data from a phase 1 dose escalation study of TRU-016, its candidate to treat chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

"Based on favorable results observed to date, Emergent and our development partner Abbott are in the process of initiating additional combination studies of TRU-016" in chronic lymphocytic leukemia and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, said W. James Jackson, chief scientific officer at Emergent, in a statement.

Rexahn Pharmaceuticals has won a U.S. patent for its method of using beta-lactam compounds to enhance cognitive function and treat cognitive disorders such as dementia, amnesia and Altzheimer's disease.

The patent "further broadens our [central nervous system]-related portfolio and strengthens our intellectual property position with potential treatments for neurodegeneration," President Rick Soni said in a statement.

Champions Biotechnology of Baltimore was selected by Teva Pharmaceutical Industries of Israel to provide its technology to test Teva's novel anti-angiogenic compound for treating cancer.

such compounds are designed to work by blocking the tumor's blood supply, according to a joint statement. Champions will use its platform to test the effectiveness of Teva's compound in various cancer indications to help in clinical development.

"The use of our highly predictive Champions Tumorgraft platform will provide Teva with the data necessary for critical drug development decisions and help focus and accelerate the development program for this compound," said Elizabeth Bruckheimer, vice president of scientific operations with Champions, in the statement.

VIRxSYS of Gaithersburg reported positive results from a study of the simian version of its HIV vaccine candidate in monkeys with highly pathogenic simian immunodeficiency virus.

The immunized animals showed sustained viral load reduction, preservation of the immune system and increased survival compared to controls, the company said in a statement.

"If successfully translated to humans, our results would indicate that the therapeutic vaccine VRX1273 has the potential to lower levels of circulating virus, diminish its damage to the immune system and improve the lives of individuals living with HIV," Franck Lemiale, the company's senior director of vaccines and immunology, said in the statement.

RegeneRx Biopharmaceuticals reported receiving a Mexican patent for using its thymosin beta 4 and related products to prevent or heal damage from a heart attack.

RegeneRx has similar patents pending in several countries, including the U.S., the Rockville biotech said in a statement.

an adjuvant developed by Profectus Biosciences has significantly boosted the efficacy of an experimental DNA vaccine to prevent HIV infection, according to the Baltimore company.

In a phase clinical human trial, the Genevax IL-12 pDNA adjuvant produced response rates and magnitude of responses "significantly higher than those seen previously with other DNA vaccine trials," the company reported at the annual HIV Vaccine Trials Network Conference last month in Seattle.

In the trial, 48 healthy, HIV-negative volunteers were vaccinated to assess the safety and levels of immune responses generated by an experimental HIV DNA vaccine — Pennvax-B, provided by Inovio Pharmaceuticals — delivered with or without the Profectus BioSciences adjuvant. The multi-center study is sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

"we thank NIAID for supporting the clinical trials … and for the award of the $32 [million] … contract that has supported 60 percent of the research, development and manufacturing costs of the Profectus HIV DNA vaccine and Genevax IL-12 program, while the remainder of the cost has been provided through a contribution-in-kind," John Eldridge, chief scientific officer, said in a statement.

Akonni Biosystems, a Frederick diagnostics company, has raised $912,598 of a new $8 million equity offering, according to its filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

In March, Akonni raised $5 million of a $6.3 million debt offering. The company also recently won three grants totaling almost $4 million from the National Institutes of Health and National Institute of Justice.

The company also reported winning a $150,000 phase 1 National Science Foundation grant to investigate the feasibility of developing a lab-on-a-film microarray device that could be manufactured in a reel-to-reel format.

"The benefit of this manufacturing approach is that lab-on-a-film microarray production and assembly can be automated at very high speeds, resulting in 10- to 100-fold savings in costs," Christopher Cooney, director of engineering, said in a statement.

The PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative, a Bethesda nonprofit, has launched a new collaboration with Merck and the New York University Langone Medical Center to help develop a new vaccine.

The group will evaluate an approach targeting a novel part of a major surface protein — the circumsporozoite protein — on the malaria parasite, according to a joint statement. by blocking a critical function of the protein, researchers hope to prevent the parasite from entering the liver.

"With the availability of a first-generation malaria vaccine on the horizon, we are ramping up our efforts to seek out and invest in scientific approaches for malaria vaccines that could potentially be even more effective and protect more people," said Christian Loucq, director of the Malaria Vaccine Initiative, in the statement. "we are very pleased that one of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies and a major academic medical center have committed to testing a promising new way to defend children against malaria."

Malaria kills almost 900,000 people annually, mostly children younger than 5 in sub-Saharan Africa, according to the group.

By admin on August 22, 2010 under Depression

Depression is a very real and treatable illness. Depression is just about the loneliest experience in the world. Depressed people, who are often poor communicators place more demands on a marriage with their greater need for caring and support and end up in unhappier marriages. Depression affects teenagers, pensioners and everyone in between; married people, single people, rich and poor. clinical depression affects 15% of the population, and a third of all women. Sometimes people become depressed for what seems like a good reason – maybe they lost their job or a close friend passed away – but with clinical depression there doesn’t necessarily have to be a reason for how you feel. Depressive disorders come in different forms, just as is the case with other illnesses such as heart disease. Major depression is manifested by a combination of symptoms (see symptom list) that interfere with the ability to work, study, sleep, eat, and enjoy once pleasurable activities. such a disabling episode of depression may occur only once but more commonly occurs several times in a lifetime. a less severe type of depression, dysthymia, involves long-term, chronic symptoms that do not disable, but keep one from functioning well or from feeling good.

Depression can coexist with other illnesses. Seasonal affective disorder may point to an atavistic link with behaviour in hibernation. In some families, depressive disorders seem to occur generation after generation; however, they can also occur in people with no family history of these illnesses. many people with dysthymia also experience major depressive episodes at some time in their lives. Depression has been found to occur at a higher rate among people who have other serious illnesses such as heart disease, stroke, cancer, HIV, diabetes, and Parkinson’s. Depression can increase the risks for developing coronary artery disease, HIV, asthma, and some other medical illnesses. many people just don’t realize that depression can cause so many problems or so much pain. another type of depression is bipolar disorder, also called manic-depressive illness. Not nearly as prevalent as other forms of depressive disorders, bipolar disorder is characterized by cycling mood changes: severe highs (mania) and lows (depression). Furthermore, it can increase the morbidity (illness) and mortality (death) from these conditions. Teens who were confused about their orientation were also more prone to suicide. among these teens, boys were 3.4 times more likely and girls were 2.5 times more likely than teens to attempt suicide at least once in the past year.

Depression may occur only once in a person’s life. Social conditions like poverty, homelessness, and community violence can make it more likely for people to become depressed. Two hallmarks of depression — symptoms key to establishing are Loss of interest in normal daily activities. Depressed mood. you feel sad, helpless or hopeless, and may have crying spells. Depression symptoms are characterized not only by negative thoughts, moods, and behaviors, but also by specific changes in bodily functions (for example, irregular eating, sleeping, crying spells, and decreased libido). Sometimes the mood switches are dramatic and rapid, but most often they are gradual. Other symptoms of other psychological problems, such as anxiety, panic attacks, obsessions or phobias, which mask the depression. Women experience depression about twice as often as men.1 many hormonal factors may contribute to the increased rate of depression in women particularly such factors as menstrual cycle changes, pregnancy, miscarriage, postpartum period, pre-menopause, and menopause. Treatment may also include psychotherapy, which may help you cope with ongoing problems that may trigger or contribute to depression. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, such as fluoxetine (Prozac, Sarafem), paroxetine (Paxil), sertraline (Zoloft), citalopram (Celexa) and escitalopram (Lexapro), as the first-line treatment for depression because they have fewer serious side effects.