Divorce and parenting

A large U.S. study by researchers at the University of Alberta compared parenting practices in 208 divorced households to those in 4,796 intact ones. The study looked at three different measures of parenting behaviour - nurturing, consistent and punitive parenting - and found no differences between divorced and stably married parents either before or after a divorce had occured.

You can find out more about this study at

http://psychcentral.com/news/2007/12/11/parenting-skills-intact-after-divorce/1641.html

Birth weight and depression

A long-term study of people's mental health by researchers at Cambridge University and the Medical Research Council has found that events very early in people's lives can have effects on their mental health years later. The forty-year study focused on anxiety and depression and found that those with poorer mental health over time were more likely to be smaller at birth and tended to reach developmental milestones later than those with good mental health. The differences with regards to early development were apparent not only for those with severe problems with their mental health but also for those with mild to moderate symptoms of depression and anxiety over time. The study supports a proposed 'fetal programming' model for depression which suggests that prenatal stress may result in permanent maladaptive changes to the developing child's brain.

You can read more about this research at

http://psychcentral.com/news/2007/12/11/understanding-mood-and-anxiety-disorders/1643.html

Spiritual interventions : how effective are they ?

The term spirituality refers to transcendent experiences with, and understandings about, God or other forces in the universe while 'religious' refers to an institutional system of beliefs, values and activities based on spiritual creeds. People can be neither, one or the other or both but both concepts have consistently been found to have an impact on people's mental health and religious or spiritual interventions have become more common in psychotherapy. A review of 31 studies of spiritual therapies carried out between 1984 and 2005 found that spiritual therapies could be effective for individuals with depression, anxiety, stress and eating disorders.

Smith, Timothy B., Bartz, Jeremy and Richards, P. Scott - Outcomes of religious and spiritual adaptations to psychotherapy : a meta-analytic review Psychotherapy Research November 2007, 17(6), 643-655

Dementia and euthanasia

A survey of 725 people in London and the South East has found that in the face of severe dementia less than 40% of people would wish to be resuscitated after a heart attack, nearly three-quarters wanted to be allowed to die passively and almost 60% agreed with euthanasia. People were more likely to be in favour of life-sustaining treatments for their partner than for themselves but less likely to be in favour of euthanasia for their partners than themselves. White people were significantly more likely to refuse life-sustaining treatment and to agree to euthanasia compared to Black and Asian people.

Williams, Nia - Public attitudes to life-sustaining treatments and euthanasia in dementia International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry December 2007, 22(12), 1229-1234

Benzodiazepines and cognition

Despite advice to keep the duration of treatment short benzodiazepines are often prescribed for long periods of time, particularly in older people. Many people think benzodiazepines have a negative effect on people's cognition although the evidence from the research so far is inconclusive. A study of 2,105 people over 62 in Holland looked at people's benzodiazepine usage and tested their memory, intelligence and cognitive functioning over a 9-year period. At the end of the study the researchers found that benzodiazepines had a small, but statistically significant negative effect on people's long-term cognitive functioning.

Bierman, E. J.M. ... [et al] - The effect of chronic benzodiazepine use on cognitive functioning in older persons: good, bad or indifferent ? International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry December 2007, 22(12), 1194-1200

Depression and diabetes

Depression is common among people with diabetes and can contribute to people not taking medicines, not following prescribed diets and an overall reduction in the quality of life for people with the condition. A five-year study of depression among primary-care patients in New York, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh found that depressed people with diabetes who received more resources for depression were half as likely to die over the course of the study than those who had recieved no help for their depression.

You can find out more about this study at

http://psychcentral.com/news/2007/11/28/depression-care-for-diabetics-2/1588.html

Genes, gender and depression

Two studies of the interactions between genes, gender, stress and depression have shown that the relationships between these different factors are more complex than many newspaper reports would suggest. Researchers looked at two groups of people one who had had deprived childhoods (suffered stress early in life) and the other who were caregivers (suffered stress later in life). They examined levels of stress and depression and related them to a variation in a gene that regulates levels of serotonin, a brain chemical known to be linked to depression. The researchers found that women with the 'short' version of the gene were more likely to suffer from depression when they were stressed whereas for men it was the 'long' version of the gene which placed them more at risk. The effect of the stress was consistent regardless of whether it occured early or late in life. The researchers suggested that those people with the gene variation ('short' in women 'long' in men) that increased the risk of stress-related depression and who are in stressful situations could benefit from preventive measures such as positive social support or training in stress-coping skills to prevent them from becoming depressed.

You can find out more about this study at

http://psychcentral.com/news/2007/11/30/genetics-place-women-at-risk-for-depression/1595.html

Brain activity and anorexia

A comparison of brain functioning between anorexic and normal-weight women has found differences in functioning between the two groups that could help to shed light on the development of the condition. Participants in the study were asked to guess whether a flashing question mark on a screen represented a number higher or lower than five. Correct guesses were rewarded with $2 while incorrect guesses forfeited $1. At the same time the women's brain activity was monitored. In the healthy women the brain region responsible for emotional responses, the anterior ventral striatum, showed strong differences between winning and losing, while the same regions in the anorexic women showed much less response. However, the caudate regions of the brains of the anorexic women, a region which deals with outcome and planning, were more active, suggesting that they were more focused on the consequences of their choices. The healthy women responded to wins and losses by living in the moment and moving on to the next task while the anorexic women tried to find strategies within the game and were more concerned about making mistakes. This fits in with previous research which shows that anorexics tend to worry about the future and be more perfectionist than other people.

You can find out more about this research at

http://psychcentral.com/news/2007/12/03/new-insights-on-anorexia/1603.html

Parkinson's and mental-health problems

A study of 1,850 relatives of people with Parkinson's disease in Minnesota, U.S. has found that they are at an increased risk of developing depression and anxiety disorders. Previous studies have shown that relatives of patients with Parkinson's disease have an increased risk of developing the condition themselves, and of cognitive impairment and dementia, but their risk of developing other psychiatric disorders was unknown. The study looked at brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, sons and daughters of people with Parkinson's disease and used medical records to obtain information about mental-health problems.

You can find out more about the study at

http://psychcentral.com/news/2007/12/04/mental-disorders-among-parkinsons-family-members/1609.html

Binge drinking and the metabolic syndrome

The term metabolic syndrome describes a cluster of metabolic risk factors that increase the chances of developing heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes including obesity, high triglycerides, low HDL cholesterol, high blood pressure and high fasting glucose. A study of 2,800 people in Western New York looked at the links between people's drinking patterns and their risk of developing metabolic syndrome. The researchers found two main patterns of drinking. 'Early peakers' were characterized by early and heavy drinking followed by a sharp reduction in alcohol intake. 'Stable drinkers' were characterized by more modest consumption spread over a longer period of life. Even though 'early peakers' were on average ten years younger they had a modestly higher risk of developing metabolic syndrome. 'Early peakers' generally began drinking earlier than 'stable drinkers' but drank for fewer years, less frequently and consumed less volume of alcohol over their lifetimes. The study raises yet more concerns over the long-term effects of binge drinking by teenagers and young adults.

You can find out more about this research at

http://psychcentral.com/news/2007/11/21/youthful-binging-has-long-term-consequences/1568.html

Transcranial magnetic stimulation

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a non-invasive technique that excites neurons in the brain by magnetic pulses introduced through the scalp. It has generally mild side effects and is well tolerated by patients. Research studies on smaller groups of patients have been inconclusive as to its benefits but the first large-scale, multi-centre, double-blind, sham-controlled study of TMS carried out by researchers at Rush University Medical Centre in the U.S. has found that TMS was twice as effective as a 'sham' procedure. The study's author said "these results indicate that TMS provides a novel and attractive treatment option for patients with major depression who have not responded to conventional antidepressant medications".

You can find out more about this study at

http://psychcentral.com/news/2007/11/26/magnetic-stimulation-for-depression/1573.html

Social anxiety and drinking

College students often drink heavily but it is not always the most confident people who are the heaviest drinkers. In fact research has found that it is often the most socially anxious students who drink the most. Researchers at the University of Cincinnati in the U.S. launched a pilot programme using motivational interviewing and behavioural therapy to help socially-anxious students curb tendencies that could lead on to hazardous drinking. At the end of the programme students reported a significant reduction in number of drinks consumed and in bouts of heavy drinking. They also reported that they were less fearful about being judged negatively by their peers and felt more confident about turning down a drink around people who were drinking.

You can read more about this research at

http://psychcentral.com/news/2007/11/27/social-anxiety-presages-alcohol-abuse-in-college/1579.html

Alzheimer's drugs do not delay onset

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is the term used to describe the condition where people have memory problems that are more severe than those normally seen in others of their age but who otherwise have no symptoms of dementia. It is believed that people with MCI are at high risk of developing Alzheimer's disease and sometimes drugs called cholesterinase inhibitors - donepezil, rivastigmine and galantamine - are given to people with MCI in an attempt to stop them developing full-blown Alzheimer's. However, an Italian review of studies into the effects of cholesterinase inhibitors has found that they do not seem to delay the onset of dementia.

You can read more about this research at

http://medicine.plosjournals.org/perlserv/?request=get-document&doi=10.1371/journal.pmed.0040338

Depression and bone density

Depression has been linked to a number of physical illnesses in particular cardiovascular disorders. Now, a study by the National Institute of Mental Health in America has found that depression can also lead to a reduction in bone mass in pre-menopausal women. The study had 133 participants, between the ages of 21 and 45 and compared bone mass in those women who had depression with those who were not depressed. 17% of depressed women had bone thinning in a part of the hip called the femoral neck compared to only 2% of other women. Low bone mass in the lower back was found in 20% of depressed women but in only 9% of non-depressed women. Blood and urine samples also showed that the depressed women had imbalances in immune-system substances , including those that produce inflammation. One of these substances IL-6 is known to promote bone loss.

You can read more about this research at

http://psychcentral.com/news/2007/11/27/depression-linked-with-reduced-bone-mass/1582.html

Insight and schizophrenia

Drug and psychological treatments can significantly reduce symptoms in schizophrenia but the condition remains very difficult to treat compared to other mental-health problems. The long-term course of schizophrenia is frequently characterized by reduced social and occupational functioning, loss of independent living, impaired quality of life, substance abuse and an increased risk of suicidal and violent behaviour. Many clinicians believe that poor insight is partially responsible for the negative prognoses of many schizophrenia patients. Insight has been defined as the awareness of having a mental disorder and of its symptoms and implications and has been shown to be at least partly lacking in approximately 50% of schizophrenia patients. There are concerns that it affects patients' adherence to treatment as they either ascribe their symptoms to other causes or refuse to accept that they are ill at all. A review of studies into insight in schizophrenia has found that insight is associated with adherence during treatment although the link between insight and long-term adherence to medication is less clear. Insight was linked to better long-term functioning but also an increased risk of depression as patients were more aware of the nature and magnitude of their problems.

Lincoln, Tania M., Lullmann, Eva and Rief, Winfried - Correlates and long-term consequences of poor insight in patients with schizophrenia : a systematic review Schizophrenia Bulletin November 2007, 33(6), 1324-1342

Modafinil for schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is considered the most important cause of chronic psychiatric disability. In recent years the cognitive and motivational impairment seen in schizophrenia have been determined to be one of the main causes of the profound and persistent disability typically produced by the disorder. Although the psychotic symptoms of schizophrenia may improve following treatment a range of cognitive deficits will often persist and the disability resulting from them has recently been considered to have a greater impact on long-term functioning than delusions and hallucinations. Recently a drug called modafinil has emerged as a possible drug to improve cognition in schizophrenia. It was initially prescribed to reduce the fatigue and sedation induced by antipsychotic medication but a review of studies into the drug shows that it may lead to better executive functioning and attention performance in patients with schizophrenia. The drugs effectiveness is affected by the patients' current levels of cognitive functioning, genetic make-up and the other drugs that they are taking at the time allowing for future treatment to be targeted at those most likely to benefit.

Morein-Zamir, Sharon, Turner, Danielle C. and Sahakian, Barbara J. - A review of the effects of modafinil on cognition in schizophrenia Schizophrenia Bulletin November 2007, 33(6), 1298-1306

ADHD : drug use soars

A study of the prescribing patterns of child psychiatrists and paediatricians at East Kent Hospitals NHS Trust has shown that drug prescribing for children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has soared by 26% in a year. The study found a 22.9% increase in stimulant prescriptions and a 40.1% increase in the prescription of non-stimulant (atomoxetine) drugs between 2005 and 2006. The increase in prescriptions reported in the Kent Journal of Mental Health comes despite recent U.S. research suggesting that drugs are no better than therapy for ADHD in the long term.

Childhood mental-health problems and criminality

There is a high prevalence of mental illness among people involved with the juvenile and criminal justice systems but there is less information about which psychiatric disorders in childhood lead on to law-breaking later. A U.S. study of 1,420 children aged 9, 11 and 13 followed them up to the age of 16 to see whether they developed any mental-health problems and up to the age of 21 to see whether they got into trouble with the law. By the end of the study 31% of the sample had one or more adult criminal charges. Overall 51.4% of male young offenders and 43.6% of female offenders had a history of childhood mental-health problems. 20.6% of the crime attributed to young women and 15.3% of the crime attributed to young men was linked to childhood mental-health problems. Severe and/or violent offences were predicted by the presence of both an emotional and a behavioural disorder during childhood.

Copeland, William E. - Childhood psychiatric disorders and young adult crime : a prospective, population-based study American Journal of Psychiatry November 2007 164(11), 1668-1675

Seasonal depression and cognition

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a mood disorder in which people's depression has a clear, seasonal pattern, usually coming on in the winter months. It is though to affect at least 5% of the population and between 60 and 90% of sufferers are women. It shares many of the symptoms of non-seasonal depression such as depressed, despairing or irritable mood, loss of interest in life, feelings of worthlessness, excessive or inappropriate guilt, low self-esteem, indecisiveness, diminished ability to think or concentrate and inability to experience pleasure. However, while conventional depression usually produces loss of appetite, weight loss and insomnia, seasonal depression usually leads to craving for carbohydrates, weight gain and sleepiness. Depression can also affect people's thinking leading to deficits in verbal fluency, visual search, psychomotor speed, attention and working memory but it is not known if seasonal depression has a similar effect on people's cognitive powers. A U.S. study of 93 people found that SAD was highly prevalent (28%) compared to 8.6% for conventional depression. More women than men were affected by SAD and both SAD and depression were associated with higher rates of cognition problems in comparison to people with no affective symptoms.

Sullivan, Brianna and Payne, Tabitha W. - Affective disorders and cognitive failures : a comparison of seasonal and nonseasonal depression American Journal of Psychiatry November 2007, 164(11), 1663-1667

In case of emergency fill glass - drinking and the emergency services in Norway

Policemen and ambulancemen are often perceived to have a high prevalence of excessive alcohol consumption although there is little actual proof of this. It is thought that the male dominance of both professions, the fact that the work is organised on shift patterns and the high levels of stress involved cause an increased rate of drinking. A survey of 2,372 police and 1,096 ambulance staff in Norway found that they drank much less than their Australian counterparts and at about the same level as Norwegian doctors. 17.7% of policemen and 16.6% of ambulancemen were heavy drinkers compared to 9.1% of policewomen and 7.4% of ambulancewomen. Personnel who were male, younger and had higher levels of neuroticism had higher rates of alcohol problems. Drinking to cope was associated with higher levels of alcohol problems but was found to moderate the effect of depersonalization (e.g. a cynical and distant attitude toward one's work and the people with whom one works) and gender.

Sterud, T. ... [et al] - Occupational stress and alcohol use : a study of two nationwide samples of operational police and ambulance personnel in Norway Journal of Studies on Alchohol and Drugs November 2007, 68(6), 896-904