Temping and mental health

People doing temporary work or on fixed-term contracts could be at an increased risk of mental-health problems. Researchers at McGill University in Montreal used information from a national survey which followed people born between 1957 and 1964. They found that people in temporary work reported more symptoms of depression and psychological distress. It is estimated that 4.1% of people in the U.S. workforce - around 5.7 million people - are in such temporary work.

You can find out more about this research at

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090810104933.htm

Young People in Focus

U.K. charity Young People in Focus (formerly the Trust for the Study of Adolescence) has been researching the mental health of young people. It found that young people in custody were eight to ten times more likely than their peers to commit suicide and three times as likely to have a mental-health problem. For all those between 15 and 24 suicide was the second most common cause of death after road-traffic accidents.

You can download the full text of this research and visit the Young People in Focus web site at

http://www.studyofadolescence.org.uk/

Psychopaths often violate social norms, are manipulative, impulsive and sensation-seeking and appear to feel no empathy or remorse. Previous studies have found that the amygdala - a part of the brain that processes emotions - and the orbitofrontal cortex (which handles impulses and decision-making) are structurally and functionally different in psychopaths. Researchers from the Institute of Psychiatry in London used brain-scanning technology to compare the brains of nine criminal psychopaths (who had been convicted of a variety of offences including murder and rape) with nine normal, law-abiding people. They found that the connections between the amygdala and the orbitofrontal cortex were much weaker in the psychopaths. It is not known whether the brain differences are present from birth or whether they develop throughout the psychopaths' lives. More studies are needed but the psychopaths are not the most amenable of participants in research.

You can find out more about this study at

http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE5764NI20090810?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews&sp=true

Optimism and health: it pays to look on the bright side of life

A study of 97,000 women between the ages of 50 and 79 by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh has found that those with an optimistic outlook are less likely to develop heart disease. Over the eight years of the study those with generally optimistic dispositions were 14% less likely to die, 9% less likely to develop coronary heart disease and 30% less likely to die of heart complications. Women with high scores on a measure of "cynical hostility" had higher risks of dying. The optimistic women were less likely to smoke, be obese or sedentary and had lower rates of high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol. However, even when these factors were taken into account there was still a positive effect for optimism and of course it could be the case that optimism is what motivates people to adopt healthier behaviour in the first place.

You can find out more about this research at

http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE5795CA20090810?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews&sp=true

Depression and bulimia: which comes first?

Research has shown that eating disorders and depression often go together in girls and women. One study found that 46% of inpatients with bulimia also had depression. However, it is not known whether depression causes bulimia, bulimia causes depression or if the relationship works both ways. Researchers from Southern Methodist University in Dallas studied 496 adolescents over an eight-year period. They found that depression predicted bulimia and bulimia predicted depression i.e. the relationship worked both ways. However, the relationship was weak in both directions suggesting there might be a third factor behind the link.

Presnell, Katherine ... [et al] - Depression and eating pathology: prospective reciprocal relations in adolescents Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy July-August 2009, 16(4), 357-365

Emotional intelligence and anorexia

Emotional intelligence relates to the abilities of knowing one's emotions, managing them, motivating oneself, recognizing emotions in others and handling relationships. There are now thought to be quite strong links between how people manage their emotions and eating disorders but little is known about the relationship between emotional intelligence and eating problems. Researchers from the Institute of Psychiatry in London and King's College London studied this issue in 40 women; 20 of them had eating disorders and 20 of them formed an unaffected control group. The women were presented with 36 photos showing only people's eyes and had to pick, from four words, one which matched what the person was thinking or feeling. The women also filled out a questionnaire designed to measure how well they were able to regulate their emotions. The women with anorexia were significantly worse at working out what people were thinking from their eyes and at regulating their emotions. The worse people were at recognising others' moods the worse they were at regulating their own emotions and vice versa.

Harrison, Amy ... [et al] - Emotion recognition and regulation in anorexia nervosa Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy July-August 2009, 16(4), 348-356

Overweight, adolescence and antipsychotics

It is estimated that 16% of children and adolescents in the U.S. are obese. Antipsychotic agents can lead to weight gain and an increase in the health problems associated with it and researchers from the University of Texas looked into this issue in a sample of 49 adolescents. The children had an average age of 13 and were treated for - on average - 27 days. Half of them took olanzapine and the other half took risperidone. The study found that both groups showed a significant increase in body-mass-index. Seven of the children taking olanzapine and four of the children taking risperidone became overweight or at risk of overweight over the course of their treatment. Those children taking olanzapine also showed a significant increase in their risk factors for diabetes and the metabolic syndrome.

Khan, Rais A., Mican, Lisa M. and Suehs, Brandon T. - Effects of olanzapine and risperidone on metabolic factors in children and adolescents: a retrospective evaluation Journal of Psychiatric Practice July 2009, 15(4), 320-328

Testosterone and depression

People with depression often have low levels of testosterone. Researchers from West Virginia University reviewed seven studies into the use of testosterone for depression which covered a total of 364 people. They found that testosterone significantly improved people's depression symptoms, particularly if they suffered from low testosterone or HIV/AIDS. Testosterone gel was found to be more effective than intramuscular injection.

Zarrouf, Fahd Aziz ... [et al] - Testosterone and depression: systematic review and meta-analysis Journal of Psychiatric Practice July 2009, 15(4), 289-305

How binge eating alters the brain

Overconsumption of fatty, sugary foods can lead to changes in brain receptors. Researchers at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine found that continuous eating or binge-eating of foods high in fat and sugar altered opioid receptor levels in an area of the brain that controls food intake. Opioids are a family of chemicals with actions similar to those of morphine - they occur naturally in the brain and have been linked to feelings of pleasure and euphoria.

You can find out more about this research at

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090727102024.htm

New gene linked to Alzheimer's

People with a gene called ApoE-4 are three to eight times as likely to develop Alzheimer's disease. Researchers from the University of California, Irvine have now found another gene that they believe is linked to the condition. The researchers found that a harmful form of the gene TOMM40 appears twice as often in people with Alzheimer's disease as in people without the condition. Having the harmful form of TOMM40 and ApoE-4 significantly increased people's susceptibility to Alzheimer's.

You can find out more about this research at

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090806201916.htm

Is group therapy the way forward for anxiety disorders? Maybe not.

It is thought that between 15-25% of people have an anxiety disorder at some point during their lives. Anxiety disorder sufferers are often treated in groups despite their being a limited evidence base for this. They often use relaxation, cognitive-behavioural techniques and the group process. In 1990 a taught, anxiety-management package for groups using cognitive behaviour therapy called Stress Control was developed that can be given to 60 people at a time and the early trials of this have shown it to be effective. Researchers from Cardiff University studied 73 people with anxiety disorders. The participants were divided into three groups. One group received the Stress Control package in an evening class, one group attended an anxiety-management group and a control group was put on a waiting list. There was no significant long-term effect for either anxiety-management or Stress Control. Being depressed at the start of the study was associated with a poorer outcome at the end of it.

Kitchiner, Neil J. ... [et al] - A randomized controlled trial comparing an adult education class using cognitive behavioural therapy ("stress control"), anxiety management group treatment and a waiting list for anxiety disorders Journal of Mental Health August 2009, 18(4), 307-315

Counting the cost of childhood mental-health problems

Little is known about the long-term economic consequences of child and adolescent mental-health problems. There has been some research into the long-term costs of conduct disorder but few long-term studies into the costs of other conditions. Researchers from the Institute of Psychiatry in London and the University of Manchester studied 178 young adults. 129 had deliberately poisoned themselves in adolescence and the other 49 formed a control group for comparison purposes. Compared to the control group the self-poisoners used more service-provided accomodation, special education and hospital services, incurred greater criminal justice costs and received more social-security benefits. Higher costs in the self-poisoning group were significantly associated with conduct disorder, hopelessness, previous suicide attempts, being male and being in care prior to the self-poisoning event.

Byford, Sarah ... [et al] - Lifetime and current costs of supporting young adults who deliberately poisoned themselves in childhood and adolescence Journal of Mental Health August 2009, 18(4), 297-306

Mercury, depression and shellfish

Although common in Western countries depression appears to be virtually absent in countries where people eat a lot of fish. This is thought to be due to Omega-3 fatty acid in seafood. Researchers from the University of Bristol studied the effects of seafood consumption on prenatal depression in a sample of 9,960 pregnant women. Compared with pregnant women who ate 3 or more servings of seafood per week those who ate no seafood were about 50% more likely to report depression. Depression during pregnancy is harmful to both mother and child, however, pregnant women are currently warned to limit seafood consumption due to its mercury content.

You can find out more about this research at

http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE56T6EZ20090730?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews

Cholesterol and Alzheimer's disease

High cholesterol in middle age significantly increases the risk of Alzheimer's disease and other types of dementia in old age. Researchers from the Kaiser Permanente health organization in Oakland, California studied 9,844 men and women whose cholesterol levels were measured between the ages of 40 and 45. 30 years later the participants' medical records were reviewed. 469 of them had Alzheimer's disease and 127 had vascular dementia, another form of dementia caused by clogged blood vessels and other conditions affecting blood supply to the brain. The study found that in people with high cholesterol the risk of developing Alzheimer's was 57% higher. Even people with only 'borderline' higher cholesterol had a 50% higher chance of vascular dementia. It is thought that nearly 100 million Americans have either high or borderline cholesterol.

You can find out more about this research at

http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE57447520090805?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews&sp=true

PTSD and childbirth

Most men now accompany their partner in childbirth but there has been little research into what - if any - psychological impact this might have on them. Researchers from the University of Sheffield and Derbyshire Children's Hospital studied 199 men whose partners had recently given birth. They collected details about the mens' background and psychological state and their partners' pregnancy, labour and delivery within three days of the birth. Six weeks later they filled out another questionnaire measuring their levels of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety and depression. None of the men reported significant symptoms of all three aspects of PTSD (intrusive thoughts, avoidance and hyper-arousal) although 12% of them reported some of the symptoms of which the most common was hyper-arousal. PTSD symptoms were predicted by a tendency towards anxiety, having fewer children, the pregnancy being unplanned, being present at the actual delivery and feeling less confident about coping, less prepared and more distressed during the process of childbirth. 8% of the men had clinically-significant depression symptoms and 7% had clinically-significant anxiety; both these symptoms were also predicted by a tendency towards anxiety.

Bradley, Rachel, Slade, Pauline and Leviston, Angela - Low rates of PTSD in men attending childbirth: a preliminary study British Journal of Clinical Psychology September 2008, 47(3), 295-302

Social anxiety and social rejection

An important feature of social anxiety disorder (SAD) is the fear of being negatively evaluated in social situations. Cognitive therapy works by disputing the idea that people with social anxiety are being evaluated negatively but there is growing evidence that socially-anxious people do bring out negative reactions in others. They have been judged by independent raters as less likeable and less comfortable to be around, less friendly, assertive, relaxed and attractive, moodier, more sensitive to demands, more self-pitying and lacking meaning in life. So why do socially anxious people - who are usually desperate to be liked - come across so negatively? It is thought that some of the strategies used by socially-anxious people, such as avoiding eye contact so as not to see others' negative reactions; giving short answers to questions so as not to say anything foolish, or giving long answers so as not to appear boring can backfire leading to socially-anxious people being perceived as socially-inept. There is also the theory that the negativity felt by socially-anxious people might rub off on those they socialize with. It has also been found that socially-anxious people are felt to be somehow less like the people they talk to; something important as people tend to prefer those they see as being similar to themselves. Researchers from the University of Maastricht in the Netherlands studied 90 people; 63 of whom had SAD. The participants were monitored as they held a five-minute getting-to-know-you conversation with another person who was also part of the research team and who rated their social performance. The conversations were videoed and shown to other people who rated their own negative emotions towards the participants, how similar they felt to them and how much they would want to meet them again. The results confirmed the theory that the people with social anxiety were more likely to be rejected, evoked significantly more negative emotions and received lower social-performance ratings. The negative emotions created by the people with social anxiety had a stronger effect on whether people thought they were similar to them or not than their social behaviour. A lower feeling of similarity and higher negative emotions on the part of the observers were in turn associated with social rejection of the people with social anxiety.

Voncken, Marisol J. ... [et al] - Social rejection in social anxiety disorder: the role of performance deficits, evoked negative emotions and dissimilarity British Journal of Clinical Psychology November 2008, 47(4), 439-450

Mental activity keeps Alzheimer's at bay - but only temporarily

Keeping mentally active in old age can delay the onset of dementia. Researchers from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York studied people taking part in the Bronx Aging Study which has been monitoring 488 people since the early 1980s. At the start of the study the participants (none of whom had dementia at the time) were asked about their education and how often they read, wrote, did crossword puzzles, played card or board games, took part in group discussions or played music. The more mentally-active people were the later the onset of their mental decline. People who were in the most-mentally-active quarter of the sample started their mental decline an average of 1.29 years later than people in the least-active quarter. However, mental activity did not prevent people from developing Alzheimer's and the more mentally-active people went downhill quicker once they started showing symptoms of the disease.

http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE5725JU20090803?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews&pageNumber=1&virtualBrandChannel=0

Veterans with PTSD and mental-health problems less healthy

A study by researchers at the Veterans Affairs Medical Centre in San Francisco looked into the links between mental-health problems and unhealthy lifestyles among servicemen and women involved in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The study included over 300,000 veterans; 88% of them were male and their average age was 31. Around a quarter of the sample had PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder); among those suffering from PTSD half had depression, more than a quarter suffered from anxiety and around a fifth drank too much. The veterans with PTSD were also twice as likely to smoke and were at increased risk of having high blood pressure and being obese. The veterans with mental-health problems other than PTSD were also more likely to have some or all of these health problems.

You can find out more about this research at

http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE5736SM20090804?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews

Antidepressant use doubles in the U.S.

The use of antidepressants in the U.S. doubled between 1996 and 2005. About 6% of people (13 million) took the pills in 1996 and this rose to 10% (27m) in 2005. There were significant increases in all demographic groups apart from African-Americans. Not only are more Americans taking the drugs the people that take them are taking more. More than 164million prescriptions were written in 2008, totalling $9.6bn in U.S. sales. Paroxetine and fluoxetine were the most commonly prescribed drugs. People taking antidepressants were more likely to be prescribed antipsychotics as well than they were in 1996. The researchers, Dr Mark Olson of Columbia University and Steven Marcus of the University of Pennsylvania thought that the increase could be due to the fact that there is now less stigma about admitting to being depressed although they noted that the increase in antidepressant use had not halted a rise in suicides among middle-aged people.

Predicting who gets PTSD

Survivors of common traumatic events such as road-traffic accidents, assaults and occupational injury experience a range of emotional reactions which can cause distress and dysfunction. For most people these reactions are temporary but a minority of people can go on to develop anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Early intervention can help but it is impossible to treat everyone who might go on to develop problems. Researchers from Sheffield University studied 823 patients attending an emergency department following accidental injury. They filled out a questionnaire at the time and were assessed again 1 and 3 months later. The researchers found that a previous history of mental-health problems, a high score for neuroticism and having PTSD symptoms after a month all predicted adverse outcomes at 3 months.

Mason, S. ... [et al] - The development of a clinically useful tool for predicting the development of psychological disorder following injury British Journal of Clinical Psychology March 2009, 48(1), 31-45