Bang! What goes on in people's brains when they get a shock

Psychologists at the University of Alabama in Birmingham have been startling people in an attempt to help those with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). They used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to measure what went on in people's brains when they heard a loud, unexpected burst of static. When the participants heard the sound there was an increase in activity in the frontal lobes of their brains. The amount of activity in this part of the brain predicted the physiological stress (sweaty palms and racing hearts) experienced by the participants. When the participants expected the sound there was much less activity in this part of the brain. The scientists hope that the discovery of which part of the brain is activated when people are shocked might allow them to develop treatments for PTSD.

You can find out more about this research at

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091110141844.htm

Muscle strength and Alzheimer's

Older people with weaker muscles could be at a greater risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. Researchers from Rush University Medical Center at Chicago started following 970 older adults who had an average age of 80 at the start of the study. They were tested for a number of different things including cognitive function and muscle strength. Three-and-a-half years later 138 of the sample had developed Alzheimer's. Those with the highest levels of strength at the start of the study were 61% less likely to develop Alzheimer's than those with the weakest muscles and this was true even when body-mass index and physical activity was taken into account. The researchers thought that this could be because damage to mitochondria - which produce energy for cells - can affect cognition and muscle strength or because the decreased muscle strength could be due to stroke or other central-nervous system disorders which also play a part in causing Alzheimer's.

You can find out more about this research at

http://www.mentalhelp.net/poc/view_doc.php?type=news&id=123557&cn=231

Depression and stroke

Researchers at the University of Toronto have been reviewing 56 studies into stroke and depression covering a total of 75,000 people. They found that a third of people developed depression after a stroke and that women were more at risk than men. The researchers pointed out that depression is often seen as a natural reaction to stroke whereas most people do not develop it and it can be treated. This is important as the study also found that post-stroke depression was associated with greater disability, reduced quality of life and an increased risk of death.

You can find out more about this research at

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091110210509.htm

Diagnosing autism in the blink of an eye

Autism affects an estimated 1 in 150 children but there are still no objective medical tests to diagnose it. Researchers at the University of Missouri have been looking at the way children's pupils respond to light. Pupils dilate (widen) when it is dark so more light reaches the retina and contract in bright light to prevent damage. The researchers found that the autistic children's pupils responded significantly more slowly than other children's and a test of pupil reaction time was 92.5% accurate in separating children from autism from other children.

You can find out more about this research at

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091110202855.htm

Avatars and amiability

People who play online role-playing games often assume an avatar - a virtual body that may or may not look like them. New research from the University of Texas at Austin suggests that the avatars people choose to assume could actually effect their behaviour. Participants in the study were randomly given avatars with dark or white cloaks, doctor's coats or Ku Klux Klan uniforms or a transparent avatar. They were then given tasks in the virtual world including writing a story about a picture, playing a video game and deciding how to deal with people who broke the rules. Participants who wore a dark cloak or a KKK uniform - remember the participants did not choose their avatars - consistently demonstrated more negative and antisocial behaviour.

You can find out more about this research at

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091110211037.htm

Homocysteine and Alzheimer's disease

Middle-aged women with high levels of homocysteine in their bloodstream could be at more risk of developing Alzheimer's. Homocysteine is an amino acid that is important for the body's metabolism but too much of it can damage blood vessels and increase the risk of blood clots. Swedish scientists started following 1,500 women aged between 38 and 60 at the end of the 1960s. They took blood samples and can now compare the levels of different substances in people's blood with who went on to develop Alzheimer's later. The study - a Ph.D. thesis at the University of Gothenburg - found that those women with the highest levels of homocysteine had twice the risk of developing Alzheimer's as those with the lowest levels.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091106095638.htm

Torture, head injuries and mental illness

Hardly surprisingly many people who have suffered torture develop mental-health problems later and new research suggests that head injuries experienced while being tortured might also contribute to the development of mental illness. Researchers from Harvard University compared 42 Vietnamese immigrants who had been tortured in 're-education' camps with 15 Vietnamese immigrants who had not been detained. Those detainees with a history of head injury were more likely to have symptoms of depression and - when their brains were scanned - had significant reductions in the frontal and temporal lobes of their cerebral cortex. Those whose head injuries had been more severe had greater changes to their brains and more severe depression symptoms. Although those people with head injuries were at no greater risk of PTSD their symptoms were more severe.

You can find out more about this research at

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091106145304.htm

Antidepressants and premature delivery

A study of over 3,000 women by researchers at the University of Washington, the University of Michigan and Michigan State University has found that using antidepressants during pregnancy could increase the risk of premature delivery. The study found that medication use and depression was strongly linked to delivery before 35 weeks gestation. However, in the women who had depression symptoms but who were not taking medication there was no increased risk of preterm delivery suggesting that it was the medication not the depression leading to premature birth.

You can find out more about this research at

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091029211543.htm

Is it depression or is it Alzheimer's? Why multi-tasking could hold the answer

The early symptoms of Alzheimer's disease can often be mistaken for those of depression. As a result of this many people with early Alzheimer's often go undiagnosed and miss out on treatment. Researchers from the University of Edinburgh compared the multi-tasking ability of 89 Alzheimer's patients, people suffering from long-term depression, and healthy elderly people with no memory impairment. They found that the people with Alzheimer's performed significantly worse than the other two groups suggesting that tests of the ability to do more than one thing at once could be a useful way of telling apart people with Alzheimer's from people with depression.

You can find out more about this research at

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/6525302/Multi-tasking-could-help-differentiate-depression-and-early-Alzheimers.html

10 Common myths about bipolar disorder

Adrienne Carlson has compiled a list of 10 common myths about bipolar disorder with lots of useful information aimed at combating some of the stigma around the condition. The myths are:

1. Bipolar disorder is merely mood swings
2. Manic episodes are characterized by extreme happiness
3. Bipolar shifts happen very quickly
4. It is OK to quit taking medication during manic episodes
5. Bipolar disorder is very rare
6. Bipolar disorder is not an illness
7. People with bipolar disorder are inherently unstable or violent
8. Most people with bipolar disorder are women
9. Prolonged drug abuse can eventually lead to bipolar disorder
10. People with bipolar disorder cannot hold down jobs

You can find out more about these issues on Adrienne's blog at

http://www.x-raytechschools.org/10-common-myths-about-bipolar-disorder/

How long is a piece of string? And what does it tell us about body image in eating disorders?

A distorted body image is thought to play a part in anorexia and bulimia. Researchers from the Medical University in Berlin compared 129 teenage girls with eating disorders to a control group of 354 girls of a similar age. The two groups were asked to indicate what they thought the circumference of their arms, thighs and waists were, then measured to see what their actual dimensions were. The control group overestimated their body circumferences by 8-16% whereas the participants with eating disorders overestimated their body circumferences by 30%. The biggest difference in estimates were between the estimates for thigh and waist circumference. There was no significant difference in the degree of overestimation between the participants with anorexia and those with bulimia.

Schneider, Nora ... [et al] - Comparison of body size estimation in adolescents with different types of eating disorders European Eating Disorders Review November-December 2009, 17(6), 468-475

Acceptance and commitment therapy and eating disorders

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a new approach that combines traditional cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) with an emphasis on mindfulness (non-judgemental living in the present) and an acceptance of events and factors that cannot be changed. ACT differs from CBT in that while CBT seeks to modify people's beliefs about events ACT encourages people to accept their feelings about what has happened but not to let these feelings about what has happened but not to let them interfere with their behaviour or stop them from reaching their goals. Researchers from Dartmouth Medical School in New Hampshire, the University of California, San Diego and the University of Minnesota tried using ACT on three patients who already had a history of intensive treatment for their condition. After 17-19 weeks of twice-weekly treatments with ACT all the women experienced a clinically-significant improvement on at least some measures and none of them had go worse or lost weight even after a year.

Berman, M.I., Boutelle, K.N. and Crow, S. J. - A case series investigating Acceptance and Commitment Therapy as a treatment for previously treated, unremitted patients with anorexia nervosa European Eating Disorders Review November-December 2009, 17(6), 426-434

Social support and PTSD in children

Children are often exposed to traumatic events such as illness or car accidents. It is thought that 40% of children exposed to trauma go on to develop acute stress disorder which can be a precursor to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Current theories about PTSD in adults emphasise the importance of negative appraisals of events in causing the development of the condition, with people who feel themselves to be vulnerable or the world to be unsafe being more at risk of developing PTSD. Social support from friends and family is thought to protect against the development of PTSD as friends and family can challenge negative beliefs, help to find solutions and encourage constructive behaviour. Researchers from Flinders University looked to see whether these theories were true in children in a study of 97 people aged between 7 and 17 who had been admitted to A&E departments. The study found that negative beliefs about the accident were strongly linked to both acute stress and depression symptoms. Social support helped to reduce negative beliefs and to prevent depression but did not stop the children from developing acute stress.

Ellis, Alicia A., Nixon, Reginald D.V. and Williamson, Paul - The effects of social support and negative appraisals on acute stress symptoms and depression in children and adolescents British Journal of Clinical Psychology November 2009, 48(4), 347-361

Caregivers, sleep and stress

In the U.K. nearly seven million people provide help for a sick, disabled or elderly person and in the U.S. more than 44 million people have been identified as caregivers. Researchers from the University of Birmingham looked into the links between the burden of caring for someone and depression and anxiety in a sample of 393 caregivers. They found that the strain and burden of caregiving were linked to depression and anxiety both at the time and five years later. The quality of sleep was found to be an important factor in the link between caregiver stress and depression and anxiety.

Phillips, Anna C. ... [et al] - Symptoms of depression in non-routine caregivers: the role of caregiver strain and burden British Journal of Clinical Psychology November 2009, 48(4), 335-346

What service users think about ECT

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is an effective treatment for major depression, mania and catatonia yet it is sometimes seen as authoritarian and inhumane, has a bad image and some patient groups oppose it. Researchers from the Royal College of Psychiatrists and Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust surveyed 389 people who had had ECT focusing on the consent process and side effects of the treatment. They found that almost half of the sample reported memory loss after ECT. Overall, the consent process was seen as adequate although there were concerns about the provision of written information, discussion about alternatives to ECT and the consequences of not having it. 72% of the sample said that ECT had improved their condition.

Rayner, Lauren ... [et al] - The patient perspective of the consent process and side effects of electroconvulsive therapy Journal of Mental Health October 2009, 18(5), 379-388

Yoga and mental health

Women with eating disorders may lack body awareness including having a reduced awareness of basic body signals such as hunger and fullness, energy levels and fatigue. They can also lack awareness of their moods so that instead of being recognised and dealt with strong feelings of anger, anxiety, depression, loneliness and even happiness can lead to either restricted eating or a binge. Yoga improves physical and emotional awareness, reduces depression and anxiety and improves people's self confidence and self control. Researchers from the University of Hartford in Connecticut studied the effect of yoga on five women taking part in a six-day yoga workshop. They found that it improved mood, psychological adjustment, physical and emotional awareness and eating-disorder symptoms.

Lourdes, P. Dale ... [et al] - Yoga workshop impacts psychological functioning and mood of women with self-reported history of eating disorders Eating Disorders October-December 2009, 17(5), 422-434

Supported housing for eating disorders

Some people with eating disorders receive treatment as day patients at hospital. They spend 7-12 hours a day on site receiving supervised meals, group and individual psychotherapy and nutrition counselling. However, this good work can be undone if patients go back to an unsupportive or even harmful living environment. One way around this could be through the use of supported housing which is already used to help people with schizophrenia and drug addiction. Supported housing aims to settle people back into the community and help them to lead fulfilling and satisfying lives. People in supported housing often receive counselling to improve their problem-solving skills, support groups and transport to appointments. Researchers from the University of Rochester compared 16 women receiving day-hospital treatment and living in supported housing to 19 women who were just receiving day-hospital treatment. After allowing for age, how long the women had had their eating disorder and how long they had been in hospital the women in supported housing were found to show 'numerous improvements' compared to the other women.

Tantillo, Mary ... [et al] - Combining supported housing and partial hospitalization to improve eating disorder symptoms, perceived health status, and health related quality of life for women with eating disorders Eating Disorders October-December 2009, 17(5), 385-399

Motivational interviewing gets thumbs up from researchers

Motivational interviewing aims to help people explore and deal with their mixed feelings about changing their behaviour and to increase their motivation to make positive changes. It has become increasingly popular over the last decade and is used in psychotherapy, medicine, treating addictions and public health. Brad Lundahl from the University of Utah and Brian L. Burke from Fort Lewis College reviewed a number of studies into the effectiveness of motivational interviewing and found that it was significantly better than not treating people at all and as effective as other methods of treatment at helping people overcome drug problems and reduce risky behaviour. Group motivational interviewing was found to be less effective than one-to-one interviewing.

Lundahl, Brad and Burke, Brian L. - The effectiveness and applicability of motivational interviewing: a practice-friendly review of four meta-analyses Journal of Clinical Psychology November 2009, 65(11), 1232-1245

The sleep surveyors

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have been conducting a huge survey of people's sleep. 403,981 people took part in the survey across all 50 states. Nearly 70% of people said that they had on bad night's sleep a month. Black people (13%) were most likely to say they never got enough sleep. 12% of women and 10% of men complained of an ongoing lack of sleep. West Virginia was the most sleep-deprived state with 19% of people being poor sleepers while North Dakota had the best sleepers with only 7% being affected.

You can find out more about this research at

http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE5A24OD20091103?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews

Why some people get PTSD and others don't

It is thought that between 40-70% of Americans have experienced traumatic events yet only about 8% go on to develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) over the course of their lifetimes. Researchers from Yale University studied 1,252 people aged from 17 to 79 who had experienced adversity in their childhood and/or as an adult. People who had experienced adverse events in both adulthood and childhood were much more likely (29%) to develop PTSD than people who had 'only' experienced adversity in one part of their life (9.9%). A gene called 5-HTTLPR was also found to influence whether people developed PTSD or not but it was only found to increase in people who had had a double dose (in childhood and as an adult) of trauma.

You can find out more about this research at

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102171409.htm