Scientists have identified a biomarker in human platelets that tracks the extent of depression in a new study.

The research called "A Novel Peripheral Biomarker for Depression and Antidepressant Response," has been published in Molecular Psychiatry.

The study aims at developing a blood test that provides a simple biochemical hallmark for depression and the efficacy of drug therapy in individual patients.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/covid-resulted-in-alarming-increase-in-depression-and-anxiety-cases-study-419355">Also read |&nbsp;Covid resulted in alarming increase in depression and anxiety cases: Study</a>

A spike in suicide rates worldwide has cast fresh light on the need for more effective treatments for major depression, with researchers saying it is a tricky development area that has largely been abandoned by big pharmaceutical companies.

The new research builds off of previous studies by several investigators that have shown that depression is consistent with decreased adenylyl cyclase in humans and animal models.

Adenylyl cyclase is a small molecule inside the cell that is made in response to neurotransmitters such as serotonin and epinephrine.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/greater-risk-of-postpartum-depression-in-women-exposed-to-harmful-chemicals-in-plastic-study-377008">Also read |&nbsp;Greater risk of postpartum depression in women exposed to harmful chemicals in plastic: Study</a>

According to the study's lead author Mark Rasenick from the University of Illinois Chicago, "When you are depressed, adenylyl cyclase is low. The reason adenylyl cyclase is attenuated is that the intermediary protein that allows the neurotransmitter to make the adenylyl cyclase, Gs alpha, is stuck in a cholesterol-rich matrix of the membrane, a lipid raft, where they don't work very well."

"What we have developed is a test that can not only indicate the presence of depression but it can also indicate therapeutic response with a single biomarker, and that is something that has not existed to date," said Rasenick, who is also a research career scientist at Jesse Brown VA Medical Center.

More than 4 percent of the world’s population lives with depression, and women, youth and the elderly are the most prone to its disabling effects as per the World Health Organization (WHO).

Global economic losses exceed $1 trillion a year, it said, referring to lost productivity due to apathy or lack of energy that lead to an inability to function at work or cope with daily life.

Rasenick explains that "Because platelets turn over in one week, you would see a change in people who were going to get better. You'd be able to see the biomarker that should presage successful treatment."

"About 30 per cent of people don't get better, their depression doesn't resolve. Perhaps, failure begets failure and both doctors and patients make the assumption that nothing is going to work," Rasenick said.&nbsp;

"Most depression is diagnosed in primary care doctor's offices where they don't have sophisticated screening. With this test, a doctor could say, 'Gee, they look like they are depressed, but their blood doesn't tell us they are. So, maybe we need to re-examine this.'"

(With inputs from agencies)

Scientists have identified a biomarker in human platelets that tracks the extent of depression in a new study. The research called "A Novel Peripheral Biomarker for Depression and Antidepressant Response," has been published in Molecular Psychiatry.

Scientists have identified a biomarker in human platelets that tracks the extent of depression in a new study. The research called "A Novel Peripheral Biomarker for Depression and Antidepressant Response," has been published in Molecular Psychiatry. The study aims at developing a blood test that provides a simple biochemical hallmark for depression and the efficacy of drug therapy in individual patients. Also read | Covid resulted in alarming increase in depression and anxiety cases: Study A spike in suicide rates worldwide has cast fresh light on the need for more effective treatments for major depression, with researchers saying it is a tricky development area that has largely been abandoned by big pharmaceutical companies. The new research builds off of previous studies by several investigators that have shown that depression is consistent with decreased adenylyl cyclase in humans and animal models. Adenylyl cyclase is a small molecule inside the cell that is made in response to neurotransmitters such as serotonin and epinephrine. Also read | Greater risk of postpartum depression in women exposed to harmful chemicals in plastic: Study According to the study's lead author Mark Rasenick from the University of Illinois Chicago, "When you are depressed, adenylyl cyclase is low. The reason adenylyl cyclase is attenuated is that the intermediary protein that allows the neurotransmitter to make the adenylyl cyclase, Gs alpha, is stuck in a cholesterol-rich matrix of the membrane, a lipid raft, where they don't work very well." "What we have developed is a test that can not only indicate the presence of depression but it can also indicate therapeutic response with a single biomarker, and that is something that has not existed to date," said Rasenick, who is also a research career scientist at Jesse Brown VA Medical Center. More than 4 percent of the world’s population lives with depression, and women, youth and the elderly are the most prone to its disabling effects as per the World Health Organization (WHO). Global economic losses exceed $1 trillion a year, it said, referring to lost productivity due to apathy or lack of energy that lead to an inability to function at work or cope with daily life. Rasenick explains that "Because platelets turn over in one week, you would see a change in people who were going to get better. You'd be able to see the biomarker that should presage successful treatment." "About 30 per cent of people don't get better, their depression doesn't resolve. Perhaps, failure begets failure and both doctors and patients make the assumption that nothing is going to work," Rasenick said. "Most depression is diagnosed in primary care doctor's offices where they don't have sophisticated screening. With this test, a doctor could say, 'Gee, they look like they are depressed, but their blood doesn't tell us they are. So, maybe we need to re-examine this.'" (With inputs from agencies)

Scientists identify biomarker in human platelets that tracks the extent of depression

According to a recent study, few antidepressants should be prescribed by doctors and for a shorter period of time. The research has been published in the `Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin Journal`. 
 
The use of antidepressants is also associated with a range of side effects, while the clinical trial data mostly doesn`t assess the outcomes that matter most to patients, said the authors. And there is no clinically relevant difference between these drugs and placebo on depression. 
 
While there might be a role for antidepressants among patients with severe depression, the cons may outweigh the pros in those with mild to moderate depression or in those whose symptoms don`t yet qualify as depression, they added.&nbsp; 
 
The prescribing of antidepressants, primarily the newer generation classes--selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs)--has risen steadily in England, with an estimated 7.8 million people issued at least one prescription in 2019-20. This is equivalent to an antidepressant prescribed to one in every six adults, with prescription rates 50 per cent higher among women.&nbsp; 
 
Much of the evidence for the effectiveness of antidepressants in adults came from placebo-controlled trials lasting just 6-12 weeks. And the results didn`t meet the threshold for a clinically important difference, said the authors. 
The findings in teenagers and children were even less convincing. Yet the number of 12 to 17 year-olds prescribed antidepressants more than doubled between 2005 and 2017, they added.What`s more, most of the studies didn`t include outcomes that matter most to patients, such as social functioning or quality of life, focusing instead only on symptom measures.Side effects are also common.&nbsp; 
 
Around 1 in 5 patients on SSRIs reported daytime sleepiness, dry mouth, profuse sweating, or weight gain; at least 1 in 4 reported sexual difficulties; and about 1 in 10 reported restlessness, muscle spasms or twitching, nausea, constipation, diarrhoea or dizziness. The prevalence of side effects may be even higher among those taking antidepressants for more than 3 years and included emotional numbness and mental `fogginess`. 
 
Patients trying to come off their treatment often experienced withdrawal symptoms: these can include anxiety, insomnia, depression, agitation and appetite changes, and can interfere with social functioning and professional life, particularly if treatment is stopped abruptly. 
 
"The recognition that withdrawal effects from antidepressants are more common, more long-lasting and more severe than previously recognized prompted the Royal College of Psychiatrists to issue a position paper, alerting prescribers to this issue, including the recommendation that patients be informed of this risk," noted the authors. 
Gradual dose tapering may best help patients to stop, said the authors, although "there is no guarantee that patients will avoid consequences such as long-lasting sexual side effects or persistent withdrawal symptoms even with a cautious taper," they wrote. 
 
But they pointed out, "The gradual reductions in the dose and the very small final doses required for pharmacologically informed tapering will necessitate the use of formulations of medication other than the commonly available tablet forms."&nbsp; 
 
Patients attempting to stop antidepressant use, particularly long term users, may very well need additional help, said the authors. But "there are currently no dedicated NHS services to support antidepressant de-prescribing," they added. 
 
They concluded, "There continues to be considerable uncertainty about the benefits of antidepressant use in the short- and long-term, particularly in regard to the lack of a clinically significant difference between antidepressant and placebo treatment. "In light of this uncertain balance of benefits and harms, we should re-visit the widespread--and growing--prescription of antidepressants," they added. 
 
They went on to say, "Increasing knowledge about the difficulty that some patients have in stopping antidepressants should lead to more cautious prescribing practice--with antidepressants given to fewer patients, for shorter periods of time."&nbsp;

According to a recent study, few antidepressants should be prescribed by doctors and for a shorter period of time. The research has been published in the `Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin Journal`.

According to a recent study, few antidepressants should be prescribed by doctors and for a shorter period of time. The research has been published in the `Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin Journal`. The use of antidepressants is also associated with a range of side effects, while the clinical trial data mostly doesn`t assess the outcomes that matter most to patients, said the authors. And there is no clinically relevant difference between these drugs and placebo on depression. While there might be a role for antidepressants among patients with severe depression, the cons may outweigh the pros in those with mild to moderate depression or in those whose symptoms don`t yet qualify as depression, they added. The prescribing of antidepressants, primarily the newer generation classes--selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs)--has risen steadily in England, with an estimated 7.8 million people issued at least one prescription in 2019-20. This is equivalent to an antidepressant prescribed to one in every six adults, with prescription rates 50 per cent higher among women. Much of the evidence for the effectiveness of antidepressants in adults came from placebo-controlled trials lasting just 6-12 weeks. And the results didn`t meet the threshold for a clinically important difference, said the authors. The findings in teenagers and children were even less convincing. Yet the number of 12 to 17 year-olds prescribed antidepressants more than doubled between 2005 and 2017, they added.What`s more, most of the studies didn`t include outcomes that matter most to patients, such as social functioning or quality of life, focusing instead only on symptom measures.Side effects are also common. Around 1 in 5 patients on SSRIs reported daytime sleepiness, dry mouth, profuse sweating, or weight gain; at least 1 in 4 reported sexual difficulties; and about 1 in 10 reported restlessness, muscle spasms or twitching, nausea, constipation, diarrhoea or dizziness. The prevalence of side effects may be even higher among those taking antidepressants for more than 3 years and included emotional numbness and mental `fogginess`. Patients trying to come off their treatment often experienced withdrawal symptoms: these can include anxiety, insomnia, depression, agitation and appetite changes, and can interfere with social functioning and professional life, particularly if treatment is stopped abruptly. "The recognition that withdrawal effects from antidepressants are more common, more long-lasting and more severe than previously recognized prompted the Royal College of Psychiatrists to issue a position paper, alerting prescribers to this issue, including the recommendation that patients be informed of this risk," noted the authors. Gradual dose tapering may best help patients to stop, said the authors, although "there is no guarantee that patients will avoid consequences such as long-lasting sexual side effects or persistent withdrawal symptoms even with a cautious taper," they wrote. But they pointed out, "The gradual reductions in the dose and the very small final doses required for pharmacologically informed tapering will necessitate the use of formulations of medication other than the commonly available tablet forms." Patients attempting to stop antidepressant use, particularly long term users, may very well need additional help, said the authors. But "there are currently no dedicated NHS services to support antidepressant de-prescribing," they added. They concluded, "There continues to be considerable uncertainty about the benefits of antidepressant use in the short- and long-term, particularly in regard to the lack of a clinically significant difference between antidepressant and placebo treatment. "In light of this uncertain balance of benefits and harms, we should re-visit the widespread--and growing--prescription of antidepressants," they added. They went on to say, "Increasing knowledge about the difficulty that some patients have in stopping antidepressants should lead to more cautious prescribing practice--with antidepressants given to fewer patients, for shorter periods of time."

Prescribe fewer antidepressants, for shorter period: Study

A recent cartoon in the French daily Le Monde featured a bedraggled man arriving at a doctor’s office for a COVID-19 vaccine. “I am here for the fifth shot because of the third wave,” he says. “Or vice versa.”

His bewilderment as France suffers its fifth wave of the pandemic, with cases of the delta variant rising sharply along with omicron anxiety, captured a mood of exhaustion and simmering anger across the world two years after the deadly virus began to spread in China.

Uncertainty bedevils plans. Panic spreads in an instant even if, as with the omicron variant, the extent of the threat is not yet known. Vaccines look like deliverance until they seem a little less than that. National responses diverge with no discernible logic. Anxiety and depression spread. So do loneliness and screen fatigue. The feeling grows that the COVID era will go on for years, like plagues of old.

Even in China, with no reported COVID deaths since January, some confess weariness with the measures that have kept them safe when so many others perished.

“I’m so tired of all these routines,” Chen Jun, 29, a tech company worker in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen, said the other day. He was forced to take three COVID-19 tests in June following an outbreak in the city, and then had to quarantine for 14 days. Thumbtacks he used to pin on a world map to trace his travels have stopped multiplying. “I’m starting to think we’ll never see an end to the pandemic.”

This sense of endlessness, accompanied by growing psychological distress leading to depression, was a recurrent theme in two dozen interviews conducted in Asia, Europe, Africa and the Americas. After two years of zigzagging policy and roller-coaster emotions, terrible loss and tantalizing false dawns, closing borders and intermittently shuttered schools, people’s resilience has dwindled.

That is sure to pose new challenges for leaders trying to protect their people and their economies. Will the weary obey new restrictions, or risk seeing family and friends after months of forced separation? The question of just how draconian leaders can be when people’s mental health has become so fragile appears to be a core quandary as the pandemic enters its third year.

“I know it will only get worse, it won’t stop, the pandemic will only turn more life-consuming,” said Natalia Shishkova, a teacher in Moscow. “It is all chaos, like a fantasy film. You watch all these apocalypse films and realize their writers were real prophets.”

Real progress in fighting the virus has been made. A year ago, vaccine rollouts were in their infancy. Today, about 47% of the world’s population is inoculated. If case numbers remain high, death rates have plunged. Yet life seems out of control.

The pandemic not only makes this month’s vacation or holiday celebrations seem uncertain, but also sometimes overwhelms understanding. How to assess the avalanche of statistics, opinions, warnings, closures, reopenings? What to make of the big business COVID-19 has become, with its vested interests? What to do about the glaring inequality in vaccine distribution? How to avert one’s gaze from the discarded masks that still dot streets, the pandemic’s perennial detritus?

Once linear, life now seems circular. Schools open. They close again. Travel becomes easier, only for new obstacles to arise. Sickness from COVID-19 subsides, to be replaced by long COVID and now indications that even those who have recovered from the virus might get reinfected with omicron. At the Paris laboratory of Maria Melchior, a French public health researcher who specializes in mental illness, in-person meetings had just been reinstated when, this week, she was told they would cease, with a return to Zoom gatherings.

“We no longer know when we will get back to normal,” Melchior said. And what is normal now? She paused. “Well, at least a life without masks.”

In Kenya, with infections declining in October, President Uhuru Kenyatta lifted a long-standing curfew. Bars filled. Musicians lined up concert dates, as they have in many parts of the world, where theaters and opera houses have reopened. Spirits rose.

Then, the omicron variant hit. Even before any cases were reported there, Kenya’s leaders announced plans to bar unvaccinated people from offices and warned of new holiday-season restrictions.

Corrie Mwende, a communications specialist in Nairobi, said she had felt like “freedom was coming back” after a long period when “you could say it was like the end of the world.”

Today she is unsure her hope will be fulfilled.

Such hesitation is pervasive. The pandemic began with evasiveness from the great powers of the 21st century, first President Xi Jinping’s China and then President Donald Trump’s America. Trust was dented, time lost. Ever since, a cohesive global response has appeared elusive.

China has pursued a zero COVID policy, virtually shutting its borders and deploying mass-testing, snap lockdowns and high-tech contact tracing. At the other extreme, Russia, despite a high rate of deaths, has done little to restrict movement.

The 27-nation European Union is split over whether to make vaccines obligatory, and policies vary widely: soccer stadiums are empty again in Germany, where infection rates have surged, but full in France, where they have, too, but a presidential election looms in four months.

Britain, under Prime Minister Boris Johnson, has veered between herd immunity temptations and the kind of periodic restrictions now in force again to combat the omicron variant.

In Brazil, whose president, Jair Bolsonaro, has persistently minimized the pandemic’s threat, the death toll has plunged to fewer than 300 a day from 3,000 in April. Samba concerts are back in the streets. Fireworks, after some back-and-forth, will light the sky over Copacabana beach to mark the New Year — unless some new disaster strikes.

Maybe that will be omicron; maybe not. Some other variants have come and gone without driving the pandemic to terrifying new heights.

For now, every plan is a provisional plan.

Conspiracy theories abound, in part because the pandemic has enriched the wealthy as markets have soared, and punished those without investments.

Yakov Kochetkov, head of the Center for Cognitive Therapy in Moscow, said, “In Russia there has been a strong increase in mistrust of vaccines, even the term ‘pandemic’ itself. This greatly affects the psyche.”

Just this month, a 45-year-old man reported to view the pandemic as a conspiracy opened fire at a Russian government office and killed two people after being told to put on a mask.

Anna Shepel, a Russian therapist, has observed her patients’ “obsessive thoughts, obsessive actions, fear of getting infected, fear of touching anything in public places.”

Nevertheless, in a country with a deep vein of fatalism and stoicism, President Vladimir Putin has faced little criticism for his relatively lax response to the coronavirus.

In Italy, hit to devastating effect early in the pandemic, access to everything from movie theaters to offices has been strictly curtailed for anyone who does not have the “green pass” of the vaccinated. The government is promising a “semi-normal” Christmas without the need to resort to lockdowns. Still, the mood of the country is somber.

Massimiliano Valerii, the director general of CENSIS, a Rome-based research group, observed that the pandemic had exacerbated anxieties about the future. “The social ladder has been blocked, the mechanism for being able to improve one’s position in life,” he said.

David Lazzari, the president of Italy’s psychologists’ guild, said recent studies in Italy showed the incidence of anxiety and depression had doubled since the pandemic began. For those under 18, levels had reached 25%. “One in four,” he noted. “That’s very high.”

Among adolescents and young adults — stuck on their screens, often unable to date over the past two years, inundated with online friends but short of actual contact — anorexia and bulimia have spread, said Melchior, the French public health researcher who focuses on mental illness.

In France, she added, depression and anxiety are at about twice normal levels, in line with the Italian findings and a recent report by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

The surgeon general in the United States warned recently that young people are facing “devastating” mental health effects as a result of the pandemic and other challenges experienced by their generation.

Chanel Contos, 23, an Australian student in London who is uncertain whether she will be able to fly home this month, expressed acute frustration at having been told that “once we had adequate vaccines in the country you’re in, things would be OK.”

She asked a question frequently heard among her generation: “How much of our lives can we give up for this?”

Governments are acutely aware of this frustration. Nicolas Franck, a French psychiatrist, said, “We fell short initially, now we are in the phase of excess precaution.”

“People are so exhausted their greatest fear is not so much a new variant, but a new curfew,” he added.

China, through its extreme measures, has been determined to move on. But a sense of normalcy remains elusive, and the second anniversary of the day the first reported patient experienced symptoms in Wuhan did not pass without comment.

Hundreds of people posted messages on the social media account of Li Wenliang, a doctor in Wuhan who many consider a martyr for the official threats he received over his online attempts to warn friends — and by extension the world — of a strange new disease ravaging his hospital.

“I can’t believe that we have been wearing masks now for two years,” one commenter wrote. Another message reads: “Dr. Li, it’s been two years and the pandemic is not only still here but it’s getting more intense.”

Li’s account has become known as China’s “Wailing Wall” — a place where people grieve and seek solace for all that has been lost in a remote world.

A recent cartoon in the French daily Le Monde featured a bedraggled man arriving at a doctor’s office for a COVID-19 vaccine. “I am here for the fifth shot because of the third wave,” he says.

A recent cartoon in the French daily Le Monde featured a bedraggled man arriving at a doctor’s office for a COVID-19 vaccine. “I am here for the fifth shot because of the third wave,” he says. “Or vice versa.” His bewilderment as France suffers its fifth wave of the pandemic, with cases of the delta variant rising sharply along with omicron anxiety, captured a mood of exhaustion and simmering anger across the world two years after the deadly virus began to spread in China. Uncertainty bedevils plans. Panic spreads in an instant even if, as with the omicron variant, the extent of the threat is not yet known. Vaccines look like deliverance until they seem a little less than that. National responses diverge with no discernible logic. Anxiety and depression spread. So do loneliness and screen fatigue. The feeling grows that the COVID era will go on for years, like plagues of old. Even in China, with no reported COVID deaths since January, some confess weariness with the measures that have kept them safe when so many others perished. “I’m so tired of all these routines,” Chen Jun, 29, a tech company worker in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen, said the other day. He was forced to take three COVID-19 tests in June following an outbreak in the city, and then had to quarantine for 14 days. Thumbtacks he used to pin on a world map to trace his travels have stopped multiplying. “I’m starting to think we’ll never see an end to the pandemic.” This sense of endlessness, accompanied by growing psychological distress leading to depression, was a recurrent theme in two dozen interviews conducted in Asia, Europe, Africa and the Americas. After two years of zigzagging policy and roller-coaster emotions, terrible loss and tantalizing false dawns, closing borders and intermittently shuttered schools, people’s resilience has dwindled. That is sure to pose new challenges for leaders trying to protect their people and their economies. Will the weary obey new restrictions, or risk seeing family and friends after months of forced separation? The question of just how draconian leaders can be when people’s mental health has become so fragile appears to be a core quandary as the pandemic enters its third year. “I know it will only get worse, it won’t stop, the pandemic will only turn more life-consuming,” said Natalia Shishkova, a teacher in Moscow. “It is all chaos, like a fantasy film. You watch all these apocalypse films and realize their writers were real prophets.” Real progress in fighting the virus has been made. A year ago, vaccine rollouts were in their infancy. Today, about 47% of the world’s population is inoculated. If case numbers remain high, death rates have plunged. Yet life seems out of control. The pandemic not only makes this month’s vacation or holiday celebrations seem uncertain, but also sometimes overwhelms understanding. How to assess the avalanche of statistics, opinions, warnings, closures, reopenings? What to make of the big business COVID-19 has become, with its vested interests? What to do about the glaring inequality in vaccine distribution? How to avert one’s gaze from the discarded masks that still dot streets, the pandemic’s perennial detritus? Once linear, life now seems circular. Schools open. They close again. Travel becomes easier, only for new obstacles to arise. Sickness from COVID-19 subsides, to be replaced by long COVID and now indications that even those who have recovered from the virus might get reinfected with omicron. At the Paris laboratory of Maria Melchior, a French public health researcher who specializes in mental illness, in-person meetings had just been reinstated when, this week, she was told they would cease, with a return to Zoom gatherings. “We no longer know when we will get back to normal,” Melchior said. And what is normal now? She paused. “Well, at least a life without masks.” In Kenya, with infections declining in October, President Uhuru Kenyatta lifted a long-standing curfew. Bars filled. Musicians lined up concert dates, as they have in many parts of the world, where theaters and opera houses have reopened. Spirits rose. Then, the omicron variant hit. Even before any cases were reported there, Kenya’s leaders announced plans to bar unvaccinated people from offices and warned of new holiday-season restrictions. Corrie Mwende, a communications specialist in Nairobi, said she had felt like “freedom was coming back” after a long period when “you could say it was like the end of the world.” Today she is unsure her hope will be fulfilled. Such hesitation is pervasive. The pandemic began with evasiveness from the great powers of the 21st century, first President Xi Jinping’s China and then President Donald Trump’s America. Trust was dented, time lost. Ever since, a cohesive global response has appeared elusive. China has pursued a zero COVID policy, virtually shutting its borders and deploying mass-testing, snap lockdowns and high-tech contact tracing. At the other extreme, Russia, despite a high rate of deaths, has done little to restrict movement. The 27-nation European Union is split over whether to make vaccines obligatory, and policies vary widely: soccer stadiums are empty again in Germany, where infection rates have surged, but full in France, where they have, too, but a presidential election looms in four months. Britain, under Prime Minister Boris Johnson, has veered between herd immunity temptations and the kind of periodic restrictions now in force again to combat the omicron variant. In Brazil, whose president, Jair Bolsonaro, has persistently minimized the pandemic’s threat, the death toll has plunged to fewer than 300 a day from 3,000 in April. Samba concerts are back in the streets. Fireworks, after some back-and-forth, will light the sky over Copacabana beach to mark the New Year — unless some new disaster strikes. Maybe that will be omicron; maybe not. Some other variants have come and gone without driving the pandemic to terrifying new heights. For now, every plan is a provisional plan. Conspiracy theories abound, in part because the pandemic has enriched the wealthy as markets have soared, and punished those without investments. Yakov Kochetkov, head of the Center for Cognitive Therapy in Moscow, said, “In Russia there has been a strong increase in mistrust of vaccines, even the term ‘pandemic’ itself. This greatly affects the psyche.” Just this month, a 45-year-old man reported to view the pandemic as a conspiracy opened fire at a Russian government office and killed two people after being told to put on a mask. Anna Shepel, a Russian therapist, has observed her patients’ “obsessive thoughts, obsessive actions, fear of getting infected, fear of touching anything in public places.” Nevertheless, in a country with a deep vein of fatalism and stoicism, President Vladimir Putin has faced little criticism for his relatively lax response to the coronavirus. In Italy, hit to devastating effect early in the pandemic, access to everything from movie theaters to offices has been strictly curtailed for anyone who does not have the “green pass” of the vaccinated. The government is promising a “semi-normal” Christmas without the need to resort to lockdowns. Still, the mood of the country is somber. Massimiliano Valerii, the director general of CENSIS, a Rome-based research group, observed that the pandemic had exacerbated anxieties about the future. “The social ladder has been blocked, the mechanism for being able to improve one’s position in life,” he said. David Lazzari, the president of Italy’s psychologists’ guild, said recent studies in Italy showed the incidence of anxiety and depression had doubled since the pandemic began. For those under 18, levels had reached 25%. “One in four,” he noted. “That’s very high.” Among adolescents and young adults — stuck on their screens, often unable to date over the past two years, inundated with online friends but short of actual contact — anorexia and bulimia have spread, said Melchior, the French public health researcher who focuses on mental illness. In France, she added, depression and anxiety are at about twice normal levels, in line with the Italian findings and a recent report by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. The surgeon general in the United States warned recently that young people are facing “devastating” mental health effects as a result of the pandemic and other challenges experienced by their generation. Chanel Contos, 23, an Australian student in London who is uncertain whether she will be able to fly home this month, expressed acute frustration at having been told that “once we had adequate vaccines in the country you’re in, things would be OK.” She asked a question frequently heard among her generation: “How much of our lives can we give up for this?” Governments are acutely aware of this frustration. Nicolas Franck, a French psychiatrist, said, “We fell short initially, now we are in the phase of excess precaution.” “People are so exhausted their greatest fear is not so much a new variant, but a new curfew,” he added. China, through its extreme measures, has been determined to move on. But a sense of normalcy remains elusive, and the second anniversary of the day the first reported patient experienced symptoms in Wuhan did not pass without comment. Hundreds of people posted messages on the social media account of Li Wenliang, a doctor in Wuhan who many consider a martyr for the official threats he received over his online attempts to warn friends — and by extension the world — of a strange new disease ravaging his hospital. “I can’t believe that we have been wearing masks now for two years,” one commenter wrote. Another message reads: “Dr. Li, it’s been two years and the pandemic is not only still here but it’s getting more intense.” Li’s account has become known as China’s “Wailing Wall” — a place where people grieve and seek solace for all that has been lost in a remote world.

Across the world, Covid anxiety and depression take hold

A global study co-led by NUI Galway into causes of stroke has found that one in 11 survivors experienced a period of anger or upset in the one hour leading up to it. The research published in the European Heart Journal found that one in 20 patients had engaged in heavy physical exertion. 
 
The suspected triggers have been identified as part of the global INTERSTROKE study -- the largest research project of its kind, which analysed 13,462 cases of acute stroke, involving patients with a range of ethnic backgrounds in 32 countries, including Ireland. Stroke is a leading global cause of death or disability.&nbsp; 
 
Each year, approximately 7,500 Irish people have a stroke and around 2,000 of these people die. An estimated 30,000 people are living in Ireland with disabilities as a result of a stroke. Professor Andrew Smyth, Professor of Clinical Epidemiology at NUI Galway, Director of the HRB-Clinical Research Facility Galway and a Consultant Nephrologist at Galway University Hospitals, was one of the lead researchers. 
 
He said, "Stroke prevention is a priority for physicians, and despite advances, it remains difficult to predict when a stroke will occur. Many studies have focused on medium to long-term exposures, such as hypertension, obesity or smoking. Our study aimed to look at acute exposures that may act as triggers." 
 
The research analyzed patterns in patients who suffered an ischemic stroke -- the most common type of stroke, which occurs when a blood clot blocks or narrows an artery leading to the brain, and also intracerebral haemorrhage -- which is less common and involves bleeding within the brain tissue itself. 
 
Professor Smyth added, "We looked at two separate triggers. Our research found that anger or emotional upset was linked to an approximately 30 per cent increase in the risk of stroke during one hour after an episode -- with a greater increase if the patient did not have a history of depression. The odds were also greater for those with a lower level of education. 
 
"We also found that heavy physical exertion was linked to an approximately 60 per cent increase in risk is of intracerebral haemorrhage during the one hour after the episode of heavy exertion. There was a greater increase for women and less risk for those with a normal BMI," he said. 
 
The study also concluded that there was no increase with exposure to both triggers of anger and heavy physical exertion. Co-author of the paper, Dr Michelle Canavan, Consultant Stroke Physician at Galway University Hospitals, said "Our message is for people to practice mental and physical wellness at all ages. But it is also important for some people to avoid heavy physical exertion, particularly if they are high-risk of cardiovascular, while also adopting a healthy lifestyle of regular exercise. 
 
"The global INTERSTROKE study was co-led by Professor Martin O'Donnell, Professor of Neurovascular Medicine at NUI Galway, and Consultant Stroke Physician at Galway University Hospitals, in collaboration with Prof Salim Yusuf of the Population Health Research Institute of McMaster University and Hamilton Health Sciences, Canada." 
 
Some of the best ways to prevent stroke are to maintain a healthy lifestyle, treat high blood pressure and not smoke, but our research also shows other events such as an episode of anger or upset or a period of heavy physical exertion independently increase the short-term risk" Prof O'Donnell said. 
 
"We would emphasize that a brief episode of heavy physical exertion is different to getting regular physical activity, which reduces the long-term risk of stroke," Prof O'Donnell concluded.

A global study co-led by NUI Galway into causes of stroke has found that one in 11 survivors experienced a period of anger or upset in the one hour leading up to it.

A global study co-led by NUI Galway into causes of stroke has found that one in 11 survivors experienced a period of anger or upset in the one hour leading up to it. The research published in the European Heart Journal found that one in 20 patients had engaged in heavy physical exertion. The suspected triggers have been identified as part of the global INTERSTROKE study -- the largest research project of its kind, which analysed 13,462 cases of acute stroke, involving patients with a range of ethnic backgrounds in 32 countries, including Ireland. Stroke is a leading global cause of death or disability. Each year, approximately 7,500 Irish people have a stroke and around 2,000 of these people die. An estimated 30,000 people are living in Ireland with disabilities as a result of a stroke. Professor Andrew Smyth, Professor of Clinical Epidemiology at NUI Galway, Director of the HRB-Clinical Research Facility Galway and a Consultant Nephrologist at Galway University Hospitals, was one of the lead researchers. He said, "Stroke prevention is a priority for physicians, and despite advances, it remains difficult to predict when a stroke will occur. Many studies have focused on medium to long-term exposures, such as hypertension, obesity or smoking. Our study aimed to look at acute exposures that may act as triggers." The research analyzed patterns in patients who suffered an ischemic stroke -- the most common type of stroke, which occurs when a blood clot blocks or narrows an artery leading to the brain, and also intracerebral haemorrhage -- which is less common and involves bleeding within the brain tissue itself. Professor Smyth added, "We looked at two separate triggers. Our research found that anger or emotional upset was linked to an approximately 30 per cent increase in the risk of stroke during one hour after an episode -- with a greater increase if the patient did not have a history of depression. The odds were also greater for those with a lower level of education. "We also found that heavy physical exertion was linked to an approximately 60 per cent increase in risk is of intracerebral haemorrhage during the one hour after the episode of heavy exertion. There was a greater increase for women and less risk for those with a normal BMI," he said. The study also concluded that there was no increase with exposure to both triggers of anger and heavy physical exertion. Co-author of the paper, Dr Michelle Canavan, Consultant Stroke Physician at Galway University Hospitals, said "Our message is for people to practice mental and physical wellness at all ages. But it is also important for some people to avoid heavy physical exertion, particularly if they are high-risk of cardiovascular, while also adopting a healthy lifestyle of regular exercise. "The global INTERSTROKE study was co-led by Professor Martin O'Donnell, Professor of Neurovascular Medicine at NUI Galway, and Consultant Stroke Physician at Galway University Hospitals, in collaboration with Prof Salim Yusuf of the Population Health Research Institute of McMaster University and Hamilton Health Sciences, Canada." Some of the best ways to prevent stroke are to maintain a healthy lifestyle, treat high blood pressure and not smoke, but our research also shows other events such as an episode of anger or upset or a period of heavy physical exertion independently increase the short-term risk" Prof O'Donnell said. "We would emphasize that a brief episode of heavy physical exertion is different to getting regular physical activity, which reduces the long-term risk of stroke," Prof O'Donnell concluded.

Stroke may be triggered by anger, emotional upset, heavy physical exertion: Study

In what is being called a 'scientific breakthrough', researchers have found that blood-tests can confirm depression & match patients with precise medicines to overcome it. How does this work? Palki Sharma explains.

Gravitas: 'Blood Tests' can confirm depression claims new study

In what can be called a ray of hope, a blood test, which uses RNA markers, seems to be offering help in identifying the issue among people, who have mood disorders, such as depression. It could be a breakthrough in the diagnosis of mental health conditions. &nbsp;

In April, a team of the Indiana University School of Medicine in the US launched the blood test. It seems to have claimed it to be psychiatry’s first-ever biological answer to diagnose a mood disorder. &nbsp;

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Dr Alexander Niculescu, a psychiatrist and geneticist, who led the research, said, “Our study shows that it is possible to have a blood test for depression and bipolar disorder, that have clinical utility, can distinguish between the two, and match people to the right medications.” &nbsp; &nbsp;

“This avoids years of trials and error, hospitalisations and side-effects,” added Niculescu.

The study seems to have delved into the biological basis of mood disorders. It has developed a tool to distinguish which type of mood disorder a person has, depression or bipolar disorder. &nbsp;&nbsp;

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To develop the test, Niculescu’s team drew on its 15 years of research into how psychiatry relates to blood gene expression biomarkers, measurable indicators of a biological state in the form of RNA, DNA, proteins or other molecules. &nbsp;&nbsp;

The blood tests, which have been developed by Dr Niculescu and his team, are now available as CLIA tests for physicians to order, through a company set up by Niculescu and others in the field. &nbsp;&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

In what can be called a ray of hope, a blood test, which uses RNA markers, seems to be offering help in identifying the issue among people, who have mood disorders, such as depression.

In what can be called a ray of hope, a blood test, which uses RNA markers, seems to be offering help in identifying the issue among people, who have mood disorders, such as depression. It could be a breakthrough in the diagnosis of mental health conditions. In April, a team of the Indiana University School of Medicine in the US launched the blood test. It seems to have claimed it to be psychiatry’s first-ever biological answer to diagnose a mood disorder. Also Read | COVID-19: Omicron has high number of mutations compared to Delta, shows first image Dr Alexander Niculescu, a psychiatrist and geneticist, who led the research, said, “Our study shows that it is possible to have a blood test for depression and bipolar disorder, that have clinical utility, can distinguish between the two, and match people to the right medications.” “This avoids years of trials and error, hospitalisations and side-effects,” added Niculescu. The study seems to have delved into the biological basis of mood disorders. It has developed a tool to distinguish which type of mood disorder a person has, depression or bipolar disorder. Also Read: Watch | This super jelly can survive being run over by a car To develop the test, Niculescu’s team drew on its 15 years of research into how psychiatry relates to blood gene expression biomarkers, measurable indicators of a biological state in the form of RNA, DNA, proteins or other molecules. The blood tests, which have been developed by Dr Niculescu and his team, are now available as CLIA tests for physicians to order, through a company set up by Niculescu and others in the field. (With inputs from agencies)

Ray of hope? Blood test looks to identify disorder in people suffering with mental health issues

Justin Bieber and Hailey Baldwin have recently revealed that their marriage of three years has come with its set of challenges. The two opened up about the issues they faced in the marriages earlier and how it made them stronger in an episode of the new podcast 'In Good Faith with Chelsea &amp; Judah Smith'. 
 
"We always had so many conversations about, 'What were our goals? Where did we want to end up at a certain age?'&nbsp;" Baldwin said.&nbsp; 
 
"We always talked about wanting to be married and be young, and have a young family, and have kids young." 
Baldwin and Bieber, who married in September 2018, have long been open about their desire to grow their family; in the documentary 'Justin Bieber: Our World', the singer said the pair would ideally start trying for a baby at the end of 2021. 
 
Though the couple`s relationship remains strong, Bieber admitted that it hasn`t always been easy, especially because he was still working through mental health struggles around the time of their wedding. 
 
"I had experienced so many things in my life. So many milestones and travelled the world and seen everywhere in the world. And I just got to a place where I was lonely, and I just didn`t want to do it all alone," he said on the podcast. 
 
The singer added, "I realized there was some serious healing I needed to go through in order to get to a place where I could be in a healthy, serious relationship because I had a lot of trauma and scars. So I just committed to working on those things and getting healthy." 
 
Bieber sought treatment for his mental health in early 2019 and spoke publicly about the depression he faced two years earlier in the midst of his Purpose world tour, which ultimately led him to call it off. 
 
Though he and Baldwin had first split in 2016, they rekindled their romance in 2018 and were engaged that July. 
"Luckily, Hailey accepted me as I was," Bieber said. "Even when we got married, there was still a lot of damage and hurt that I still needed to work through, but you've seen my heart through it all." 
 
Baldwin, for her part, never wavered, telling the podcast that she was all in, no matter what twists and turns the world threw their way.

"I was in it. I made a decision. I know for a fact that I've loved this person for a very long time and now would not be the time to give up on him. I just wouldn't do that to him," she said. 
 
"Imagine abandoning somebody in the middle of the worst time of their life, potentially. I`m not that type of person. So I was going to stick it out no matter what the outcome was going to be," Baldwin added. 
&nbsp;

Justin Bieber and Hailey Baldwin have recently revealed that their marriage of three years has come with its set of challenges. The two opened up about the issues they faced in the marriages earlier and how it made them stronger in an episode of the new podcast 'In Good Faith with Chelsea & Judah Smith'.

Justin Bieber and Hailey Baldwin have recently revealed that their marriage of three years has come with its set of challenges. The two opened up about the issues they faced in the marriages earlier and how it made them stronger in an episode of the new podcast 'In Good Faith with Chelsea & Judah Smith'. "We always had so many conversations about, 'What were our goals? Where did we want to end up at a certain age?' " Baldwin said. "We always talked about wanting to be married and be young, and have a young family, and have kids young." Baldwin and Bieber, who married in September 2018, have long been open about their desire to grow their family; in the documentary 'Justin Bieber: Our World', the singer said the pair would ideally start trying for a baby at the end of 2021. Though the couple`s relationship remains strong, Bieber admitted that it hasn`t always been easy, especially because he was still working through mental health struggles around the time of their wedding. "I had experienced so many things in my life. So many milestones and travelled the world and seen everywhere in the world. And I just got to a place where I was lonely, and I just didn`t want to do it all alone," he said on the podcast. The singer added, "I realized there was some serious healing I needed to go through in order to get to a place where I could be in a healthy, serious relationship because I had a lot of trauma and scars. So I just committed to working on those things and getting healthy." Bieber sought treatment for his mental health in early 2019 and spoke publicly about the depression he faced two years earlier in the midst of his Purpose world tour, which ultimately led him to call it off. Though he and Baldwin had first split in 2016, they rekindled their romance in 2018 and were engaged that July. "Luckily, Hailey accepted me as I was," Bieber said. "Even when we got married, there was still a lot of damage and hurt that I still needed to work through, but you've seen my heart through it all." Baldwin, for her part, never wavered, telling the podcast that she was all in, no matter what twists and turns the world threw their way. "I was in it. I made a decision. I know for a fact that I've loved this person for a very long time and now would not be the time to give up on him. I just wouldn't do that to him," she said. "Imagine abandoning somebody in the middle of the worst time of their life, potentially. I`m not that type of person. So I was going to stick it out no matter what the outcome was going to be," Baldwin added.

Justin Bieber, Hailey Baldwin open up about keeping marriage strong amid struggles

A new survey has revealed that over a third of people in UK farming could be suffering from depression. There have been reports of high levels of anxiety, particularly in women.

Stress is being attributed to reasons like financial pressure, physical pain, the COVID-19 pandemic, regulations and bad weather.

The survey by the University of Exeter and the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution (RABI) came as pig farmers have been reporting distress at having to kill their animals due to a shortage of abattoir workers.

As a part of the survey, the researchers spoke to 15,000 people involved in farming in the UK. The survey was carried out before the shortage of abattoir workers became a major problem in the UK.&nbsp;

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It found that specialist pig farmers were reporting the highest number of stress factors and rates of depression across all areas of farming.

However, people in cereals and general cropping reported fewer causes of stress. About 70 per cent were not experiencing depression.

The rise in extreme weather is a cause of major concern as 44 per cent of people are calling it a matter of significant worry.

Isolation and long hours have also contributed in poor well-being. Younger people have reported higher levels of loneliness than across the general population.

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Stephanie Berkeley from the Farm Safety Foundation was quoted by the BBC as saying, "Mental health in agriculture is the elephant in the room. No-one really wants to talk about loneliness, anxiety or suicide but it's there. This report has emphasised the need for the whole farming community to tackle the issue and encourage farmers to take notice, open up and talk to each other."

The findings have revealed that taking time off for a break or leisure is not an option for many farmers. Nearly one-third of respondents said that they hardly ever get time to leave the farm.

A new survey has revealed that over a third of people in UK farming could be suffering from depression. There have been reports of high levels of anxiety, particularly in women.

A new survey has revealed that over a third of people in UK farming could be suffering from depression. There have been reports of high levels of anxiety, particularly in women. Stress is being attributed to reasons like financial pressure, physical pain, the COVID-19 pandemic, regulations and bad weather. The survey by the University of Exeter and the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution (RABI) came as pig farmers have been reporting distress at having to kill their animals due to a shortage of abattoir workers. As a part of the survey, the researchers spoke to 15,000 people involved in farming in the UK. The survey was carried out before the shortage of abattoir workers became a major problem in the UK. Also read | NASA's Lucy mission to begin voyage to Trojan asteroids It found that specialist pig farmers were reporting the highest number of stress factors and rates of depression across all areas of farming. However, people in cereals and general cropping reported fewer causes of stress. About 70 per cent were not experiencing depression. The rise in extreme weather is a cause of major concern as 44 per cent of people are calling it a matter of significant worry. Isolation and long hours have also contributed in poor well-being. Younger people have reported higher levels of loneliness than across the general population. Also read | 'Love is in the Bin:' British artist Banksy's half-shredded picture sells for record $25 million Stephanie Berkeley from the Farm Safety Foundation was quoted by the BBC as saying, "Mental health in agriculture is the elephant in the room. No-one really wants to talk about loneliness, anxiety or suicide but it's there. This report has emphasised the need for the whole farming community to tackle the issue and encourage farmers to take notice, open up and talk to each other." The findings have revealed that taking time off for a break or leisure is not an option for many farmers. Nearly one-third of respondents said that they hardly ever get time to leave the farm.

UK: One third of farmers could be depressed, reveals survey

Dealing with depression is difficult, often people battling depression refrain from stepping out of their homes. But a gym in Australia has come up with a special programme to deal with mental illness.

Australia: Hobart gym announces free membership to beat depression

Coronavirus has not only been affecting the physical health of infected people but has also been bringing a downward spiral in the mental health of people.

Cases of depression and anxiety increased by more than a quarter in just the first year of the coronavirus pandemic, i.e. 2020.

A study has revealed that there were at least 52 million new cases of people suffering from depression and nearly 76 million new cases of anxiety in 2020.

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The study was conducted globally and experts concluded that there has been a 28 and 26 per cent of increase in the two mental health disorders respectively.

Needless to say, the countries which have been worst hit by the deadly coronavirus have seen the most increase in mental health disorders.

"Our findings highlight an urgent need to strengthen mental health systems in order to address the growing burden of major depressive disorder and&nbsp;anxiety&nbsp;disorders worldwide," said lead study author Damian Santomauro, from the University of Queensland's School of Public Health. "Meeting the added demand for mental health services due to COVID-19 will be challenging, but taking no action should not be an option."

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Data from North America, Europe and East Asia showed that if the pandemic had not taken place, the world may have recorded nearly 190 million cases of depression. However, a total of 246 million cases were recorded in 20202 due to COVID-19.

Similar is the case in anxiety disorders where 298 million cases were predicted sans Covid but the pandemic resulted in 374 million anxiety cases globally.

In addition to an increase in mental health disorders, the study also revealed that women around the globe have faced problem in a disproportionate manner. This can be a result of existing inequal opportunities in the health and social sectors.

"The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated many existing inequalities, and social determinants of mental health disorders, and the underpinning mechanisms to improve mental health in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic globally," said Alize Ferrari, from the University of Queensland.&nbsp;"It is crucial that policymakers take underlying factors such as these into account as part of measures to strengthen mental health services."

Coronavirus has not only been affecting the physical health of infected people but has also been bringing a downward spiral in the mental health of people. Cases of depression and anxiety increased by more than a quarter in just the first year of the coronavirus pandemic, i.

Coronavirus has not only been affecting the physical health of infected people but has also been bringing a downward spiral in the mental health of people. Cases of depression and anxiety increased by more than a quarter in just the first year of the coronavirus pandemic, i.e. 2020. A study has revealed that there were at least 52 million new cases of people suffering from depression and nearly 76 million new cases of anxiety in 2020. Also read | Iceland suspends use of Moderna's Covid vaccine due to heart-inflammation fears The study was conducted globally and experts concluded that there has been a 28 and 26 per cent of increase in the two mental health disorders respectively. Needless to say, the countries which have been worst hit by the deadly coronavirus have seen the most increase in mental health disorders. "Our findings highlight an urgent need to strengthen mental health systems in order to address the growing burden of major depressive disorder and anxiety disorders worldwide," said lead study author Damian Santomauro, from the University of Queensland's School of Public Health. "Meeting the added demand for mental health services due to COVID-19 will be challenging, but taking no action should not be an option." Also read | Study suggests that Alzheimer's and COVID-19 share genetic risk factor Data from North America, Europe and East Asia showed that if the pandemic had not taken place, the world may have recorded nearly 190 million cases of depression. However, a total of 246 million cases were recorded in 20202 due to COVID-19. Similar is the case in anxiety disorders where 298 million cases were predicted sans Covid but the pandemic resulted in 374 million anxiety cases globally. In addition to an increase in mental health disorders, the study also revealed that women around the globe have faced problem in a disproportionate manner. This can be a result of existing inequal opportunities in the health and social sectors. "The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated many existing inequalities, and social determinants of mental health disorders, and the underpinning mechanisms to improve mental health in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic globally," said Alize Ferrari, from the University of Queensland. "It is crucial that policymakers take underlying factors such as these into account as part of measures to strengthen mental health services."

Covid resulted in alarming increase in depression and anxiety cases: Study

In a “stunning” breakthrough for people suffering from often untreatable mental illnesses, researchers have successfully treated a woman suffering from severe depression.

They achieved this by using an experimental brain implant.&nbsp;The device interrupts patterns of brain activity linked with depression by automatically delivering stimulation via small electrical pulses deep inside the brain.

She was able to laugh spontaneously for the first time in five years since she underwent the therapy, said Sarah, 36, the patient.

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In spite of the fact that the therapy has only been tested on one patient, the success is considered significant. However, it is only suitable for patients with serious illnesses.

These results are the first demonstration that symptoms of mental illness can be identified reliably and that the brain networks involved in producing these symptoms can be manipulated to get the patient back on track.

The project's lead researcher, Katherine Scangos of UCSF, said that before this, in psychiatry they've been unable to perform such type of personalized therapy.&nbsp;She added that the success of this study marks an amazing advance in the understanding of brain function that contributes to mental illness.

Tens of thousands of patients with Parkinson's disease and epilepsy have been treated with deep brain stimulation (DBS) over the past two decades.&nbsp;Several depression trials, however, have failed.&nbsp;

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A major challenge to research on depression and DBS is that depression is not seen in a single area of the brain, but rather&nbsp;several interconnected ones. This too can differ from person to person.

Sarah's neurosurgeon, Prof Edward Chang of UCSF, says that they are beginning to understand how mood is regulated in the brain as a network.

The latest advance came about as a result of a meticulous, individualized approach. An initial week-long phase of the study involved Sarah recording her mood on a tablet and a temporary brain implant recording her activities.

Through a machine learning algorithm, the researchers identified a telltale pattern of activity in the amygdala region associated with Sarah's lowest points.

By trial and error, the scientists discovered that a tiny dose of electricity could immediately and profoundly affect a closely connected brain region, the ventral striatum.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/greater-risk-of-postpartum-depression-in-women-exposed-to-harmful-chemicals-in-plastic-study-377008">Greater risk of postpartum depression in women exposed to harmful chemicals in plastic: Study</a>

As Sarah describes it; for a moment, she felt her depression as a distant nightmare when she first experienced stimulation.&nbsp;Besides a subtle sense of alertness and positivity, Sarah said there was no sensation associated with the electrical pulse.

After this, in the second round, minimally invasive surgery was performed, implanting a permanent device, which&nbsp;is an adaptation of one normally used to treat epilepsy.&nbsp;Known as the NeuroPace RNS System, it costs about $35,000.

Scangos noted that treating symptoms in the moment, as they arise, is a whole new way to treat even the most difficult cases of depression. Additionally, she hopes the work will eradicate the stigma associated with depression.

In a “stunning” breakthrough for people suffering from often untreatable mental illnesses, researchers have successfully treated a woman suffering from severe depression.

In a “stunning” breakthrough for people suffering from often untreatable mental illnesses, researchers have successfully treated a woman suffering from severe depression. They achieved this by using an experimental brain implant. The device interrupts patterns of brain activity linked with depression by automatically delivering stimulation via small electrical pulses deep inside the brain. She was able to laugh spontaneously for the first time in five years since she underwent the therapy, said Sarah, 36, the patient. Also read | Morning people may be at lower risk of depression than night owls In spite of the fact that the therapy has only been tested on one patient, the success is considered significant. However, it is only suitable for patients with serious illnesses. These results are the first demonstration that symptoms of mental illness can be identified reliably and that the brain networks involved in producing these symptoms can be manipulated to get the patient back on track. The project's lead researcher, Katherine Scangos of UCSF, said that before this, in psychiatry they've been unable to perform such type of personalized therapy. She added that the success of this study marks an amazing advance in the understanding of brain function that contributes to mental illness. Tens of thousands of patients with Parkinson's disease and epilepsy have been treated with deep brain stimulation (DBS) over the past two decades. Several depression trials, however, have failed. Also read | US lawmakers grill Facebook over teen mental health A major challenge to research on depression and DBS is that depression is not seen in a single area of the brain, but rather several interconnected ones. This too can differ from person to person. Sarah's neurosurgeon, Prof Edward Chang of UCSF, says that they are beginning to understand how mood is regulated in the brain as a network. The latest advance came about as a result of a meticulous, individualized approach. An initial week-long phase of the study involved Sarah recording her mood on a tablet and a temporary brain implant recording her activities. Through a machine learning algorithm, the researchers identified a telltale pattern of activity in the amygdala region associated with Sarah's lowest points. By trial and error, the scientists discovered that a tiny dose of electricity could immediately and profoundly affect a closely connected brain region, the ventral striatum. Also read | Greater risk of postpartum depression in women exposed to harmful chemicals in plastic: Study As Sarah describes it; for a moment, she felt her depression as a distant nightmare when she first experienced stimulation. Besides a subtle sense of alertness and positivity, Sarah said there was no sensation associated with the electrical pulse. After this, in the second round, minimally invasive surgery was performed, implanting a permanent device, which is an adaptation of one normally used to treat epilepsy. Known as the NeuroPace RNS System, it costs about $35,000. Scangos noted that treating symptoms in the moment, as they arise, is a whole new way to treat even the most difficult cases of depression. Additionally, she hopes the work will eradicate the stigma associated with depression.

'Pacemaker for brain': Woman’s depression treated by electrical brain implant

Even in the 21st century when mental health is an important topic of conversation in almost all circles, suicide is still considered to be a punishable crime in 20 countries.<o:p></o:p>

Research has revealed that at least 20 countries consider suicide a crime which is punishable in form of three years of prison and financial fine of thousands of pounds.<o:p></o:p>

Several countries can legally prosecute children for attempted suicide. Many countries in this list have made suicide punishable under the Sharia Law. In Nigeria, even children of the age of seven can be arrested and prosecuted for suicide.

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"Criminalisation of suicide is counterproductive, it does not deter people from taking their own lives," said Sarah Kline, co-founder of United for Global Mental&nbsp;Health.&nbsp;"It does deter people from seeking help in a moment of acute crisis and it can prevent people receiving the support they need for their mental health."<o:p></o:p>

A suicide survivor from Pakistan also came forward to report the harshness she had received from local police. "I felt guilty and stupid for attempting suicide," she was quoted by the Guardian. "Plus what made it worse was the way the police dealt with it. They humiliated my dad just so they could get money out of him. [The police officer’s] words were: 'Either your daughter is going to jail or you are.'"<o:p></o:p>

Experts believe that if such measures continue people suffering from mental health issues will become more hesitant in opening up about their problems and will not seek help. Due to the same fear, the Cayman Islands decriminalsied suicide in December 2020. The decision was taken after a campaign revealed that only five per cent of children and young people were seeking help, due to the fear of getting penalised.<o:p></o:p>

The study has revealed that more people having been dying as a result of suicide in comparison to Malaria, breast cancer or HIV.

<o:p></o:p>

If you or someone you know wants help for mental well being, don't hesitate to talk to a professional. Aasra (Mumbai) 022-27546669, 98204 66726, Sneha (Chennai) 044-24640050, Sumaitri (Delhi) 011-23389090, Cooj (Goa) 0832- 2252525, Jeevan (Jamshedpur) 065-76453841, Pratheeksha (Kochi) 048-42448830, Maithri (Kochi) 0484-2540530, Roshni (Hyderabad) 040-66202000, Lifeline 033-64643267 (Kolkata), Parivarthan (Bangalore) +91 76766 02602

WION is not associated with any of these organisations and does not make any recommendations.

Even in the 21st century when mental health is an important topic of conversation in almost all circles, suicide is still considered to be a punishable crime in 20 countries.

Even in the 21st century when mental health is an important topic of conversation in almost all circles, suicide is still considered to be a punishable crime in 20 countries. Research has revealed that at least 20 countries consider suicide a crime which is punishable in form of three years of prison and financial fine of thousands of pounds. Several countries can legally prosecute children for attempted suicide. Many countries in this list have made suicide punishable under the Sharia Law. In Nigeria, even children of the age of seven can be arrested and prosecuted for suicide. Also read | French women under the age of 25 to be given free contraception: Government "Criminalisation of suicide is counterproductive, it does not deter people from taking their own lives," said Sarah Kline, co-founder of United for Global Mental Health. "It does deter people from seeking help in a moment of acute crisis and it can prevent people receiving the support they need for their mental health." A suicide survivor from Pakistan also came forward to report the harshness she had received from local police. "I felt guilty and stupid for attempting suicide," she was quoted by the Guardian. "Plus what made it worse was the way the police dealt with it. They humiliated my dad just so they could get money out of him. [The police officer’s] words were: 'Either your daughter is going to jail or you are.'" Experts believe that if such measures continue people suffering from mental health issues will become more hesitant in opening up about their problems and will not seek help. Due to the same fear, the Cayman Islands decriminalsied suicide in December 2020. The decision was taken after a campaign revealed that only five per cent of children and young people were seeking help, due to the fear of getting penalised. The study has revealed that more people having been dying as a result of suicide in comparison to Malaria, breast cancer or HIV. If you or someone you know wants help for mental well being, don't hesitate to talk to a professional. Aasra (Mumbai) 022-27546669, 98204 66726, Sneha (Chennai) 044-24640050, Sumaitri (Delhi) 011-23389090, Cooj (Goa) 0832- 2252525, Jeevan (Jamshedpur) 065-76453841, Pratheeksha (Kochi) 048-42448830, Maithri (Kochi) 0484-2540530, Roshni (Hyderabad) 040-66202000, Lifeline 033-64643267 (Kolkata), Parivarthan (Bangalore) +91 76766 02602 WION is not associated with any of these organisations and does not make any recommendations.

Suicide is still a crime in at least 20 countries worldwide: Research

A group of scientists have claimed that more exposure to air pollution would directly lead to increased mental health issues.<o:p></o:p>

The research was conducted on nearly 13,000 people living in London. After carefully studying the data, experts found out that there is an 18 per cent increase in the risk of people needing medical treatment in hospitals and 32 per cent increase in the risk of people requiring community-based treatment if there is even a small increase in exposure to nitrogen dioxide.

Also read |&nbsp;<a data-ctorig="https://www.wionews.com/science/prolonged-exposure-to-air-pollution-can-cause-anosmia-study-388567" data-cturl="https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-element-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;q=https://www.wionews.com/science/prolonged-exposure-to-air-pollution-can-cause-anosmia-study-388567&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=2ahUKEwj046-QrtHyAhVDzDgGHRRXCUQQFjABegQIBhAC&amp;usg=AOvVaw2cNwgMt2lZIKntqIVA5lnQ" dir="ltr" href="https://www.wionews.com/science/prolonged-exposure-to-air-pollution-can-cause-anosmia-study-388567" target="_blank">Prolonged exposure to air&nbsp;pollution&nbsp;can cause 'anosmia': Study</a>

<o:p></o:p>

"Air pollution is modifiable, and on a big scale as well, reducing population-level exposure,"&nbsp;said Joanne Newbury, of the University of Bristol, part of the research team. "We know there are interventions that can be used, such as expanding low-emission zones.&nbsp;Mental health&nbsp;interventions at the individual level are actually quite difficult."<o:p></o:p>

This study can be assumed to be relevant for majority of the developed cities in first world countries, especially those dealing with increased air pollution.<o:p></o:p>

Experts studied the frequency of hospital admissions and people visiting community doctors and compared it with increase in air pollution level. Small increases in air pollution can lead to severe increase in depression and anxiety levels, especially in developed countries.

<o:p>Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/study-says-ocean-surface-climates-may-disappear-by-2100-408799">Study says ocean surface climates may disappear by 2100</a></o:p>

The study also pointed out that increased dirty air is related to increased number of suicide cases, and children who grow up in polluted areas face the danger of developing mental disorders.<o:p></o:p>

Additionally, increased air pollution can also decrease intelligence level and cause more cases of dementia.<o:p></o:p>

Researchers have suggested that even a small reduction in even one pollutant alone could lead to a decrease in mental health related illness.<o:p></o:p>

"Identifying modifiable risk factors for illness severity and relapse could inform early intervention efforts and reduce the human suffering and high economic costs caused by long-term chronic mental illness," the researchers said.<o:p></o:p>

A group of scientists have claimed that more exposure to air pollution would directly lead to increased mental health issues. The research was conducted on nearly 13,000 people living in London.

A group of scientists have claimed that more exposure to air pollution would directly lead to increased mental health issues. The research was conducted on nearly 13,000 people living in London. After carefully studying the data, experts found out that there is an 18 per cent increase in the risk of people needing medical treatment in hospitals and 32 per cent increase in the risk of people requiring community-based treatment if there is even a small increase in exposure to nitrogen dioxide. Also read | Prolonged exposure to air pollution can cause 'anosmia': Study "Air pollution is modifiable, and on a big scale as well, reducing population-level exposure," said Joanne Newbury, of the University of Bristol, part of the research team. "We know there are interventions that can be used, such as expanding low-emission zones. Mental health interventions at the individual level are actually quite difficult." This study can be assumed to be relevant for majority of the developed cities in first world countries, especially those dealing with increased air pollution. Experts studied the frequency of hospital admissions and people visiting community doctors and compared it with increase in air pollution level. Small increases in air pollution can lead to severe increase in depression and anxiety levels, especially in developed countries. Also read | Study says ocean surface climates may disappear by 2100 The study also pointed out that increased dirty air is related to increased number of suicide cases, and children who grow up in polluted areas face the danger of developing mental disorders. Additionally, increased air pollution can also decrease intelligence level and cause more cases of dementia. Researchers have suggested that even a small reduction in even one pollutant alone could lead to a decrease in mental health related illness. "Identifying modifiable risk factors for illness severity and relapse could inform early intervention efforts and reduce the human suffering and high economic costs caused by long-term chronic mental illness," the researchers said.

Air pollution leads to increased mental illness and decreases intelligence: Study

An Ariana Grande fan who suffered depression since the blast at the US singer's concert in Manchester, UK, has been found dead in her bedroom.

Eve Aston, 20, had&nbsp;experienced depression after attending the Manchester Arena concert in 2017, where an explosion killed 23 people including the suicide bomber.

It is unclear what caused her death, but her family said she had trouble sleeping and was sensitive to loud noises since the concert.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/sixth-day-of-greek-fires-blaze-ravages-evia-island-like-a-horror-movie-404258">Sixth day of Greek fires: Blaze ravages Evia island 'like a horror movie'</a>

The family is raising funds for her funeral after her father discovered her dead in Finchfield, Wolverhampton, last month.&nbsp;

Funding on the GoFundMe page has raised £5,625, exceeding its target of £4,500, with people contributing these funds for the heartbroken family.

In an interview with the Birmingham Mail,&nbsp;&nbsp;Aston&nbsp;said that her daughter had always been outgoing and had plenty of friends, but that she suffered PTSD after attending the concert at Manchester Arena, where she was on the other side&nbsp;of the venue away from where the bomb went off. She returned to the site to lay flowers in memory of the 22 victims.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/chinas-herd-of-wandering-elephants-finally-on-their-way-back-home-404259">China’s herd of wandering elephants finally on their way back home</a>

Eve was interested in cars, but due to depression, she had had difficulty launching a career. Recent weeks had brought her back to "her old self" although she had lost a lot of weight.

There were multiple opportunities to identify the suicide bomber, Salman Abedi, as a security threat, according to the recent inquiry into the police and security response to the Manchester Arena attack.

A mother of one of the victims has pushed for the introduction of "Martyn's law", which requires venues and local authorities to have plans in place to deal with terrorist attacks.&nbsp;Currently, the government is consulting on whether or not this should become a legal requirement.

An Ariana Grande fan who suffered depression since the blast at the US singer's concert in Manchester, UK, has been found dead in her bedroom. Eve Aston, 20, had experienced depression after attending the Manchester Arena concert in 2017, where an explosion killed 23 people including the suicide bomber.

An Ariana Grande fan who suffered depression since the blast at the US singer's concert in Manchester, UK, has been found dead in her bedroom. Eve Aston, 20, had experienced depression after attending the Manchester Arena concert in 2017, where an explosion killed 23 people including the suicide bomber. It is unclear what caused her death, but her family said she had trouble sleeping and was sensitive to loud noises since the concert. Also read | Sixth day of Greek fires: Blaze ravages Evia island 'like a horror movie' The family is raising funds for her funeral after her father discovered her dead in Finchfield, Wolverhampton, last month. Funding on the GoFundMe page has raised £5,625, exceeding its target of £4,500, with people contributing these funds for the heartbroken family. In an interview with the Birmingham Mail, Aston said that her daughter had always been outgoing and had plenty of friends, but that she suffered PTSD after attending the concert at Manchester Arena, where she was on the other side of the venue away from where the bomb went off. She returned to the site to lay flowers in memory of the 22 victims. Also read | China’s herd of wandering elephants finally on their way back home Eve was interested in cars, but due to depression, she had had difficulty launching a career. Recent weeks had brought her back to "her old self" although she had lost a lot of weight. There were multiple opportunities to identify the suicide bomber, Salman Abedi, as a security threat, according to the recent inquiry into the police and security response to the Manchester Arena attack. A mother of one of the victims has pushed for the introduction of "Martyn's law", which requires venues and local authorities to have plans in place to deal with terrorist attacks. Currently, the government is consulting on whether or not this should become a legal requirement.

Survivor of Ariana Grande concert attack found dead

After sensationally pulling out of the women's team final at the Olympics, US gymnast <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/tokyo-olympics-simone-biles-withdraws-from-womens-gymnastics-team-all-around-final-400973">Simone Biles</a>, 24, said she needed to focus on her mental health.

"I just think mental health is more prevalent now in sports and it's not just like we have to set everything aside, we also have to focus on ourselves," the four-time Olympic gold medallist said.

Biles scored 13.766 which was her lowest Olympic score as she mistimed her opening vault.&nbsp;

She was led away as onlookers looked stunned at her sudden disappearance. USA Gymnastics said she had pulled out over unspecified medical issues, however, Biles confirmed she had to tackle mental health in order to emerge stronger.

"At the end of the day, we're human too so we have to protect our mind and our body rather than just go out there and do what the world wants us to do," the champion gymnast said.

Biles began crying after the stunning disappointment flanked by teammates,&nbsp;she said: "I just don't trust myself as much as I used to. I feel like I am also not having as much fun. That just hurts my heart that doing what I love has been taken."

Russian Olympic Committee took advantage of the confusion in the US camp to claim the gold medal as the United States won silver and Britain took bronze.

It is unclear whether Biles who is the world and Olympic all-around champion will take further part in the mega event&nbsp;as USA Gymnastics said: "She will be assessed daily to determine medical clearance for future competitions."

The day ended in shock as Japan's tennis sensation <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/tokyo-olympics-my-attitude-wasnt-great-says-japans-tennis-star-naomi-osaka-after-shock-exit-400938">Naomi Osaka</a> lost to Marketa Vondrousova just days after she lit the Olympic cauldron at the grand opening ceremony as the host country hoped she would win the gold, but the tennis star declared that her "attitude wasn't great".

Osaka had skipped Wimbledon last month to spend more time with her friends and family ahead of the Olympics.

She&nbsp;had withdrawn from French Open amid a row over press conferences after she was fined $15,000 by the organizers. She later said mental health issues needed to be addressed while declaring that she suffered “long bouts of depression” since the 2018 US Open final.

(With inputs from Agencies)&nbsp;

After sensationally pulling out of the women's team final at the Olympics, US gymnast Simone Biles, 24, said she needed to focus on her mental health. "I just think mental health is more prevalent now in sports and it's not just like we have to set everything aside, we also have to focus on ourselves," the four-time Olympic gold medallist said.

After sensationally pulling out of the women's team final at the Olympics, US gymnast Simone Biles, 24, said she needed to focus on her mental health. "I just think mental health is more prevalent now in sports and it's not just like we have to set everything aside, we also have to focus on ourselves," the four-time Olympic gold medallist said. Biles scored 13.766 which was her lowest Olympic score as she mistimed her opening vault. She was led away as onlookers looked stunned at her sudden disappearance. USA Gymnastics said she had pulled out over unspecified medical issues, however, Biles confirmed she had to tackle mental health in order to emerge stronger. "At the end of the day, we're human too so we have to protect our mind and our body rather than just go out there and do what the world wants us to do," the champion gymnast said. Biles began crying after the stunning disappointment flanked by teammates, she said: "I just don't trust myself as much as I used to. I feel like I am also not having as much fun. That just hurts my heart that doing what I love has been taken." Russian Olympic Committee took advantage of the confusion in the US camp to claim the gold medal as the United States won silver and Britain took bronze. It is unclear whether Biles who is the world and Olympic all-around champion will take further part in the mega event as USA Gymnastics said: "She will be assessed daily to determine medical clearance for future competitions." The day ended in shock as Japan's tennis sensation Naomi Osaka lost to Marketa Vondrousova just days after she lit the Olympic cauldron at the grand opening ceremony as the host country hoped she would win the gold, but the tennis star declared that her "attitude wasn't great". Osaka had skipped Wimbledon last month to spend more time with her friends and family ahead of the Olympics. She had withdrawn from French Open amid a row over press conferences after she was fined $15,000 by the organizers. She later said mental health issues needed to be addressed while declaring that she suffered “long bouts of depression” since the 2018 US Open final. (With inputs from Agencies)

Olympics: We are human too, mental health more prevalent now, says US gymnast Simone Biles after pulling out

If you are a morning person, you may be at reduced risk for major depression, a new study suggests.

Several studies of the body’s circadian sleep-wake cycle have shown that being an early bird is associated with a lower risk for depression. But those studies were observational so could not prove cause and effect.

For example, people who are early birds may have other health or lifestyle behaviours that reduce their risk for depression — they may have a healthier diet, for example, exercise more or have fewer health conditions, such as chronic pain, that are associated with depression. All these factors, and many others, could explain the decreased risk for depression, and not the fact of being an early bird. Moreover, depression itself causes sleep disturbances, so it could be that depression is a cause of being a night owl, rather than the other way around.

The new study, however, offers more compelling evidence that going to bed early and waking early may, in itself, provide protection against depression, independent of other factors. The study, published in JAMA Psychiatry, uses a research method called Mendelian randomisation that helps pinpoint the cause of what may be a cause-and-effect relationship.

With Mendelian randomisation, researchers can compare large groups of people based on genetic variants that are independent of other health or behavioural characteristics — in this case, the tendency to being a night owl or a morning person, inherited traits that are randomly allocated during our development in the womb. More than 340 genetic variants associated with circadian sleep rhythm have been identified, and the researchers can compare large groups of people with the genetic variants for being a morning person with groups that lack them. Nature has, in essence, set up the randomised experiment for them.

For the study, the scientists used two genetic databases of more than 800,000 adults to do a Mendelian randomisation study of circadian rhythm and the risk for depression. They not only had genetic data, but also data on diagnoses of major depression and information on when people went to bed and woke up, collected with both self-reports and sleep laboratory records, which the researchers used to track the midpoint of sleep, a helpful scientific measure of someone’s sleep tendencies. A morning person who tended to go to bed at 10 and wake up at 6, for example, would have a sleep midpoint of 2 am.

They found that in people with the genetic variants for being an early bird, for every hour earlier the sleep midpoint, there was a 23% lower risk of major depression.

Dr&nbsp;Till Roenneberg, an expert in chronobiology who was not involved in the research, said a shortcoming of the study was that the scientists had no data on when these people had to rise for work or other obligations. Even with Mendelian randomisation, he said, they cannot account for the fact that late types often need to go to work too early, which in itself may contribute to depression.

“They’ve drawn the right conclusions from their data,” he said, “but life is more complicated than that.”

If you are a night owl, will changing your habits alleviate depression or decrease the risk for developing it? Not necessarily, said the lead author, Dr&nbsp;Iyas Daghlas, a resident physician at the University of California, San Francisco. The study, he said, looks at large groups of people, not individuals.

“This data tells us that certain trends in society” — such as using smartphones and other blue light devices at night, which make us go to sleep later — “may be having an effect on the level of depression in the population,” he said. “These results do not say that if you go to sleep earlier, you’ll get rid of depression. Discovering which intervention in which populations will be effective — that has to be left to clinical trials.”

Still, he said, “While our data doesn’t tell us where the sweet spot is, I would say that if you’re an evening person, especially one who has to wake up early, advancing your bedtime about an hour or so is a safe intervention that might be helpful for your mental health.”

If you are a morning person, you may be at reduced risk for major depression, a new study suggests. Several studies of the body’s circadian sleep-wake cycle have shown that being an early bird is associated with a lower risk for depression.

If you are a morning person, you may be at reduced risk for major depression, a new study suggests. Several studies of the body’s circadian sleep-wake cycle have shown that being an early bird is associated with a lower risk for depression. But those studies were observational so could not prove cause and effect. For example, people who are early birds may have other health or lifestyle behaviours that reduce their risk for depression — they may have a healthier diet, for example, exercise more or have fewer health conditions, such as chronic pain, that are associated with depression. All these factors, and many others, could explain the decreased risk for depression, and not the fact of being an early bird. Moreover, depression itself causes sleep disturbances, so it could be that depression is a cause of being a night owl, rather than the other way around. The new study, however, offers more compelling evidence that going to bed early and waking early may, in itself, provide protection against depression, independent of other factors. The study, published in JAMA Psychiatry, uses a research method called Mendelian randomisation that helps pinpoint the cause of what may be a cause-and-effect relationship. With Mendelian randomisation, researchers can compare large groups of people based on genetic variants that are independent of other health or behavioural characteristics — in this case, the tendency to being a night owl or a morning person, inherited traits that are randomly allocated during our development in the womb. More than 340 genetic variants associated with circadian sleep rhythm have been identified, and the researchers can compare large groups of people with the genetic variants for being a morning person with groups that lack them. Nature has, in essence, set up the randomised experiment for them. For the study, the scientists used two genetic databases of more than 800,000 adults to do a Mendelian randomisation study of circadian rhythm and the risk for depression. They not only had genetic data, but also data on diagnoses of major depression and information on when people went to bed and woke up, collected with both self-reports and sleep laboratory records, which the researchers used to track the midpoint of sleep, a helpful scientific measure of someone’s sleep tendencies. A morning person who tended to go to bed at 10 and wake up at 6, for example, would have a sleep midpoint of 2 am. They found that in people with the genetic variants for being an early bird, for every hour earlier the sleep midpoint, there was a 23% lower risk of major depression. Dr Till Roenneberg, an expert in chronobiology who was not involved in the research, said a shortcoming of the study was that the scientists had no data on when these people had to rise for work or other obligations. Even with Mendelian randomisation, he said, they cannot account for the fact that late types often need to go to work too early, which in itself may contribute to depression. “They’ve drawn the right conclusions from their data,” he said, “but life is more complicated than that.” If you are a night owl, will changing your habits alleviate depression or decrease the risk for developing it? Not necessarily, said the lead author, Dr Iyas Daghlas, a resident physician at the University of California, San Francisco. The study, he said, looks at large groups of people, not individuals. “This data tells us that certain trends in society” — such as using smartphones and other blue light devices at night, which make us go to sleep later — “may be having an effect on the level of depression in the population,” he said. “These results do not say that if you go to sleep earlier, you’ll get rid of depression. Discovering which intervention in which populations will be effective — that has to be left to clinical trials.” Still, he said, “While our data doesn’t tell us where the sweet spot is, I would say that if you’re an evening person, especially one who has to wake up early, advancing your bedtime about an hour or so is a safe intervention that might be helpful for your mental health.”

Morning people may be at lower risk of depression than night owls

Have you been feeling extremely stressed lately? Scientists believe you could be at high&nbsp;risk of developing “broken heart syndrome”.

Formally known as “takotsubo cardiomyopathy”, the syndrome causes weakening of heart’s pumping chamber. First identified in 1990 in Japan, the syndrome is mistaken for cardiac arrests due to similar symptoms.

What did scientists find?

Scientists recently found two high stress molecules responsible for causing the broken heart syndrome, which mostly affects women after menopause and is caused in the aftermath of sever stress and loss.

Besides imitating the symptoms of a heart attack, the syndrome poses risks of similar complications. The worst part? Doctors are unsure what causes it. But it seems likely that a broken heart drives the ailment. High levels of stress causes by loss of a loved one, accidents, natural disasters and even events like weddings could be causing a loss of movement in the heart wall, which accelerates the failure of the organ.

The molecules linked to depression, stress and anxiety, called&nbsp;microRNA-16 and microRNA-26a were detected in patients with broken heart syndrome.

How did they find it?

To understand the link, the researchers exposed cells from human hearts and rat hearts to both the molecules. The scientists wrote in Cardiovascular Research that both sets of hearts were consequentially more sensitive to adrenaline after being exposed to this molecules.

Dr Liam Couch, the lead study author from Imperial College London told The Guardian that among patients with broken heart syndrome, the upper portion of the heart beats more while the lower part stops beating.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/science/us-studying-cases-of-heart-inflammation-among-youngsters-who-received-covid-jabs-386840" hreflang="en">US studying cases of heart inflammation among youngsters who received Covid jabs</a>

The findings claim that long-term stress&nbsp; caused by sudden shock could cause broken heart syndrome among people. Even then, diagnosing takotsubo among patients is difficult. In the long-term, the study could shed light on groups that have a higher chance of developing the syndrome and ways in which it can be avoided and managed.

Some scientists even think that drugs which effectively block the heartbreaking molecules could prevent escalation of the condition.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/science/now-a-3d-heart-scan-to-fast-track-diagnosis-of-heart-disease-382728" hreflang="en">Now, a 3D heart scan to fast-track diagnosis of heart disease</a>

Have you been feeling extremely stressed lately? Scientists believe you could be at high risk of developing “broken heart syndrome”. Formally known as “takotsubo cardiomyopathy”, the syndrome causes weakening of heart’s pumping chamber.

Have you been feeling extremely stressed lately? Scientists believe you could be at high risk of developing “broken heart syndrome”. Formally known as “takotsubo cardiomyopathy”, the syndrome causes weakening of heart’s pumping chamber. First identified in 1990 in Japan, the syndrome is mistaken for cardiac arrests due to similar symptoms. What did scientists find? Scientists recently found two high stress molecules responsible for causing the broken heart syndrome, which mostly affects women after menopause and is caused in the aftermath of sever stress and loss. Besides imitating the symptoms of a heart attack, the syndrome poses risks of similar complications. The worst part? Doctors are unsure what causes it. But it seems likely that a broken heart drives the ailment. High levels of stress causes by loss of a loved one, accidents, natural disasters and even events like weddings could be causing a loss of movement in the heart wall, which accelerates the failure of the organ. The molecules linked to depression, stress and anxiety, called microRNA-16 and microRNA-26a were detected in patients with broken heart syndrome. How did they find it? To understand the link, the researchers exposed cells from human hearts and rat hearts to both the molecules. The scientists wrote in Cardiovascular Research that both sets of hearts were consequentially more sensitive to adrenaline after being exposed to this molecules. Dr Liam Couch, the lead study author from Imperial College London told The Guardian that among patients with broken heart syndrome, the upper portion of the heart beats more while the lower part stops beating. Also read: US studying cases of heart inflammation among youngsters who received Covid jabs The findings claim that long-term stress caused by sudden shock could cause broken heart syndrome among people. Even then, diagnosing takotsubo among patients is difficult. In the long-term, the study could shed light on groups that have a higher chance of developing the syndrome and ways in which it can be avoided and managed. Some scientists even think that drugs which effectively block the heartbreaking molecules could prevent escalation of the condition. Also read: Now, a 3D heart scan to fast-track diagnosis of heart disease

Feeling stressed? You could be at high risk of developing 'broken heart syndrome'

A recent study has revealed that higher rates of mental illness are witnessed in children and young individuals, growing up amid heavy traffic-related air pollution. The symptoms generally come to light, by the time these individuals reach the age of 18.

Childhood exposure to nitrogen oxides and particulate matter and the development of mental disorders such as anxiety and depression are linked.

Watch |

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-air-pollution-is-causing-miscarriages-359301/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

These are the findings of a 25-year-long joint British/American study. The study was conducted on 2,039 children from England and Wales, all twins, born in 1994 and 1995. An assessment of their mental health was done at 18.

The authors of this study conclude that "the results collectively suggest that youths persistently exposed to moderate levels of nitrogen oxide air pollution may experience greater overall liability to psychiatric illness by young adulthood," said a report in The Guardian.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/air-pollution-in-india-led-to-17-million-deaths-in-2019-study-351871">Air pollution in India led to 1.7 million deaths in 2019: Study</a>

According to them, the connection between air pollution and the risk of mental illness is "modest" but real. "Individual, family and neighbourhood influences on mental health", such as poverty and/or a family history of mental disorder don't seem to affect this association.

"This study has demonstrated that children growing up in our biggest cities face a greater risk of mental illness due to higher levels of traffic,"&nbsp;said, the study’s co-author, Dr Helen Fisher. "While we might like to think of our towns and cities as green and open spaces, it's clear that there is a hidden danger that many will not have even considered."

The mental health evaluation of participants at the age of 18 was done via an assessment of symptoms for ten of the most common psychiatric disorders, such as anxiety, ADHD, and alcohol dependence. This was then used to calculate something known as the psychopathology factor or p-factor, which is a measure of their mental health. Participants with a higher p-factor score displayed more symptoms.

Participants with the highest exposure to nitrogen oxides scored 2.62 points higher p-factor score than their peers in the bottom three quartiles. While those with the most particulate matter exposure scored 2.04 points more.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/air-pollution-may-result-in-irreversible-blindness-study-says-359752">Air pollution may result in irreversible blindness, study says</a>

"We know from research that our mental health is determined by the lives we lead, the environments we’re in and our experiences from our early years onwards. A child’s mental health is influenced by many factors, including their home, school, community and neighbourhood," said, Andy Bell, deputy chief executive of the Centre for Mental Health think tank.

"We know that poverty, racism, trauma and exclusion are major risks to mental health.&nbsp;Today’s research shows, our physical environment matters too, and making places safer, cleaner and healthier to live in will have lifelong benefits," he added.&nbsp;

According to&nbsp;World Health Organization data, worldwide nine out of ten people are exposed to high pollution levels. Various studies&nbsp;identify pollution as one of the major contributing, aggravating factors for poor heart and lung health and ailments of the central nervous system and risk of mental illness.&nbsp;

While the study does show an interrelation between pollution, traffic fumes and mental ill-health, according to Kevin McConway, emeritus professor of applied statistics at the Open University, "what they can’t do is to show that it’s the high air pollution that actually causes the poorer mental health."

A recent study has revealed that higher rates of mental illness are witnessed in children and young individuals, growing up amid heavy traffic-related air pollution.

A recent study has revealed that higher rates of mental illness are witnessed in children and young individuals, growing up amid heavy traffic-related air pollution. The symptoms generally come to light, by the time these individuals reach the age of 18. Childhood exposure to nitrogen oxides and particulate matter and the development of mental disorders such as anxiety and depression are linked. Watch | These are the findings of a 25-year-long joint British/American study. The study was conducted on 2,039 children from England and Wales, all twins, born in 1994 and 1995. An assessment of their mental health was done at 18. The authors of this study conclude that "the results collectively suggest that youths persistently exposed to moderate levels of nitrogen oxide air pollution may experience greater overall liability to psychiatric illness by young adulthood," said a report in The Guardian. Also read | Air pollution in India led to 1.7 million deaths in 2019: Study According to them, the connection between air pollution and the risk of mental illness is "modest" but real. "Individual, family and neighbourhood influences on mental health", such as poverty and/or a family history of mental disorder don't seem to affect this association. "This study has demonstrated that children growing up in our biggest cities face a greater risk of mental illness due to higher levels of traffic," said, the study’s co-author, Dr Helen Fisher. "While we might like to think of our towns and cities as green and open spaces, it's clear that there is a hidden danger that many will not have even considered." The mental health evaluation of participants at the age of 18 was done via an assessment of symptoms for ten of the most common psychiatric disorders, such as anxiety, ADHD, and alcohol dependence. This was then used to calculate something known as the psychopathology factor or p-factor, which is a measure of their mental health. Participants with a higher p-factor score displayed more symptoms. Participants with the highest exposure to nitrogen oxides scored 2.62 points higher p-factor score than their peers in the bottom three quartiles. While those with the most particulate matter exposure scored 2.04 points more. Also read | Air pollution may result in irreversible blindness, study says "We know from research that our mental health is determined by the lives we lead, the environments we’re in and our experiences from our early years onwards. A child’s mental health is influenced by many factors, including their home, school, community and neighbourhood," said, Andy Bell, deputy chief executive of the Centre for Mental Health think tank. "We know that poverty, racism, trauma and exclusion are major risks to mental health. Today’s research shows, our physical environment matters too, and making places safer, cleaner and healthier to live in will have lifelong benefits," he added. According to World Health Organization data, worldwide nine out of ten people are exposed to high pollution levels. Various studies identify pollution as one of the major contributing, aggravating factors for poor heart and lung health and ailments of the central nervous system and risk of mental illness. While the study does show an interrelation between pollution, traffic fumes and mental ill-health, according to Kevin McConway, emeritus professor of applied statistics at the Open University, "what they can’t do is to show that it’s the high air pollution that actually causes the poorer mental health."

Continuous exposure to pollution can cause mental illness in children: Study

A novel study has found that there is a higher risk of experiencing postpartum depression by women who are exposed to endocrine-disrupting chemicals commonly found in plastics, during pregnancy.

The findings of the study were published in the Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.

The study also found that these harmful chemicals may influence hormonal shifts during pregnancy.

Postpartum depression is a serious and common psychiatric disorder that affects up to one&nbsp;in five&nbsp;childbearing women. The cause of postpartum depression is not well understood, but hormonal changes during pregnancy have been found to be an important factor.

Harmful chemicals such as bisphenols and phthalates that are found in plastics and personal care products are known to affect sex hormones.

"We found that phthalate exposure was associated with lower progesterone levels during pregnancy and a greater likelihood of developing postpartum depression," said study author Melanie Jacobson, Ph.D., M.P.H. of the NYU Langone Medical Center in New York.

Jacobson added, "This research is important because phthalates are so prevalent in the environment that they are detectable in nearly all pregnant women in the United States. If these chemicals can affect prenatal hormone levels and subsequently postpartum depression, reducing exposure to these types of chemicals could be a plausible avenue for preventing postpartum depression."

The researchers measured the levels of bisphenols and phthalates in urine samples and sex hormones in blood samples from 139 pregnant women. They assessed these women at four months postpartum using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and found women with higher levels of phthalates in their urine were more likely to develop postpartum depression.

The women also had lower levels of progesterone, a hormone that plays an important role in the menstrual cycle, in maintaining the early stages of pregnancy and in modulating mood.

"These results need to be interpreted with caution as this is the first study to examine these chemicals in relation to postpartum depression and our sample size was small," Jacobson concluded.

&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

A novel study has found that there is a higher risk of experiencing postpartum depression by women who are exposed to endocrine-disrupting chemicals commonly found in plastics, during pregnancy.

A novel study has found that there is a higher risk of experiencing postpartum depression by women who are exposed to endocrine-disrupting chemicals commonly found in plastics, during pregnancy. The findings of the study were published in the Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. The study also found that these harmful chemicals may influence hormonal shifts during pregnancy. Postpartum depression is a serious and common psychiatric disorder that affects up to one in five childbearing women. The cause of postpartum depression is not well understood, but hormonal changes during pregnancy have been found to be an important factor. Harmful chemicals such as bisphenols and phthalates that are found in plastics and personal care products are known to affect sex hormones. "We found that phthalate exposure was associated with lower progesterone levels during pregnancy and a greater likelihood of developing postpartum depression," said study author Melanie Jacobson, Ph.D., M.P.H. of the NYU Langone Medical Center in New York. Jacobson added, "This research is important because phthalates are so prevalent in the environment that they are detectable in nearly all pregnant women in the United States. If these chemicals can affect prenatal hormone levels and subsequently postpartum depression, reducing exposure to these types of chemicals could be a plausible avenue for preventing postpartum depression." The researchers measured the levels of bisphenols and phthalates in urine samples and sex hormones in blood samples from 139 pregnant women. They assessed these women at four months postpartum using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and found women with higher levels of phthalates in their urine were more likely to develop postpartum depression. The women also had lower levels of progesterone, a hormone that plays an important role in the menstrual cycle, in maintaining the early stages of pregnancy and in modulating mood. "These results need to be interpreted with caution as this is the first study to examine these chemicals in relation to postpartum depression and our sample size was small," Jacobson concluded. (With inputs from agencies)

Greater risk of postpartum depression in women exposed to harmful chemicals in plastic: Study

GravitasPlus | Most celebrities hide their struggles with mental health, most families mistake depression for introversion, most workplaces judge you for taking a day off for mental health, most people are uncomfortable with the idea of visiting a counsellor. We lose 800,000 people to mental health issues every year. Palki Sharma asks- why aren't we talking about it?

Gravitas Plus: A silent Pandemic

&nbsp;A recent survey on college students sheds light on the surge in prevalence of depression&nbsp;and anxiety in young people, and now reaching its highest levels. 
 
The study of nearly 33,000 college students across the country reveals the prevalence of depression and anxiety in young people continues to increase, now reaching its highest levels, a sign of the mounting stress factors due to the COVID-19 pandemic, political unrest, and systemic racism and inequality. "Half of the students in fall 2020 screened positive for depression and/or anxiety," said Sarah Ketchen Lipson, a Boston University mental health researcher and a co-principal investigator of the nationwide survey published on February 11, 2021, which was administered online during the fall 2020 semester through the Healthy Minds Network. 
 
The survey further reveals that 83 per cent of students said their mental health had negatively impacted their academic performance within the past month, and that two-thirds of college students are struggling with loneliness and feeling isolated--an all-time high prevalence that reflects the toll of the pandemic and the social distancing necessary to control it. 
 
Lipson, a BU School of Public Health assistant professor of health law, policy, and management, said the survey`s findings underscore the need for university teaching staff and faculty to put mechanisms in place that can accommodate students` mental health needs."Faculty need to be flexible with deadlines and remind students that their talent is not solely demonstrated by their ability to get a top grade during one challenging semester," Lipson said.She added that instructors can protect students` mental health by having class assignments due at 5 pm, rather than midnight or 9 am, times that Lipson said can encourage students to go to bed later and lose valuable sleep to meet those deadlines. 
 
Especially in smaller classroom settings, where a student`s absence may be more noticeable than in larger lectures, instructors who notice someone missing classes should reach out to that student directly to ask how they are doing."Even in larger classes, where 1:1 outreach is more difficult, instructors can send class-wide emails reinforcing the idea that they care about their students not just as learners but as people, and circulating information about campus resources for mental health and wellness," Lipson said.And, crucially, she said, instructors must bear in mind that the burden of mental health is not the same across all student demographics. "Students of colour and low-income students are more likely to be grieving the loss of a loved one due to COVID," Lipson said. They are also "more likely to be facing financial stress." All of these factors can negatively impact mental health and academic performance in "profound ways," she said. 
 
At a higher level within colleges and universities, Lipson said, administrators should focus on providing students with mental health services that emphasise prevention, coping, and resilience. The fall 2020 survey data revealed a significant "treatment gap," meaning that many students who screen positive for depression or anxiety are not receiving mental health services."Often students will only seek help when they find themselves in a mental health crisis, requiring more urgent resources," Lipson said. "But how can we create systems to foster wellness before they reach that point?" 
 
She has a suggestion: "All students should receive mental health education, ideally as part of the required curriculum."It`s also important to note, she said, that rising mental health challenges are not unique to the college setting--instead, the survey findings are consistent with a broader trend of declining mental health in adolescents and young adults. "I think mental health is getting worse [across the US population], and on top of that we are now gathering more data on these trends than ever before," Lipson said. "We know mental health stigma is going down, and that`s one of the biggest reasons we are able to collect better data. People are being more open, having more dialogue about it, and we`re able to better identify that people are struggling. 
 
"The worsening mental health of Americans, more broadly, Lipson said, could be due to a confluence of factors: the pandemic, the impact of social media, and shifting societal values that are becoming more extrinsically motivated (a successful career, making more money, getting more followers and likes), rather than intrinsically motivated (being a good member of the community).The crushing weight of historic financial pressures is an added burden. "Student debt is so stressful," Lipson said. "You`re more predisposed to experiencing anxiety the more debt you have. 
 
And research indicates that suicidality is directly connected to financial well-being."With more than 22 million young people enrolled in US colleges and universities, "and with the traditional college years of life coinciding with the age of onset for lifetime mental illnesses," Lipson stresses that higher education is a crucial setting where prevention and treatment can make a difference.One potential bright spot from the survey was that the stigma around mental health continues to fade. 
 
The results reveal that 94 per cent of students say that they wouldn`t judge someone for seeking out help for mental health, which Lipson said is an indicator that also correlates with those students being likely to seek out help themselves during a personal crisis (although, paradoxically, almost half of the students say they perceive that others may think more poorly of them if they did seek help)."We`re harsher on ourselves and more critical of ourselves than we are with other people--we call that perceived versus personal stigma," Lipson said. 
 
"Students need to realise, your peers are not judging you."

A recent survey on college students sheds light on the surge in prevalence of depression and anxiety in young people, and now reaching its highest levels. The study of nearly 33,000 college students across the country reveals the prevalence of depression and anxiety in young people continues to increase, now reaching its highest levels, a sign of the mounting stress factors due to the COVID-19 pandemic, political unrest, and systemic racism and inequality.

A recent survey on college students sheds light on the surge in prevalence of depression and anxiety in young people, and now reaching its highest levels. The study of nearly 33,000 college students across the country reveals the prevalence of depression and anxiety in young people continues to increase, now reaching its highest levels, a sign of the mounting stress factors due to the COVID-19 pandemic, political unrest, and systemic racism and inequality. "Half of the students in fall 2020 screened positive for depression and/or anxiety," said Sarah Ketchen Lipson, a Boston University mental health researcher and a co-principal investigator of the nationwide survey published on February 11, 2021, which was administered online during the fall 2020 semester through the Healthy Minds Network. The survey further reveals that 83 per cent of students said their mental health had negatively impacted their academic performance within the past month, and that two-thirds of college students are struggling with loneliness and feeling isolated--an all-time high prevalence that reflects the toll of the pandemic and the social distancing necessary to control it. Lipson, a BU School of Public Health assistant professor of health law, policy, and management, said the survey`s findings underscore the need for university teaching staff and faculty to put mechanisms in place that can accommodate students` mental health needs."Faculty need to be flexible with deadlines and remind students that their talent is not solely demonstrated by their ability to get a top grade during one challenging semester," Lipson said.She added that instructors can protect students` mental health by having class assignments due at 5 pm, rather than midnight or 9 am, times that Lipson said can encourage students to go to bed later and lose valuable sleep to meet those deadlines. Especially in smaller classroom settings, where a student`s absence may be more noticeable than in larger lectures, instructors who notice someone missing classes should reach out to that student directly to ask how they are doing."Even in larger classes, where 1:1 outreach is more difficult, instructors can send class-wide emails reinforcing the idea that they care about their students not just as learners but as people, and circulating information about campus resources for mental health and wellness," Lipson said.And, crucially, she said, instructors must bear in mind that the burden of mental health is not the same across all student demographics. "Students of colour and low-income students are more likely to be grieving the loss of a loved one due to COVID," Lipson said. They are also "more likely to be facing financial stress." All of these factors can negatively impact mental health and academic performance in "profound ways," she said. At a higher level within colleges and universities, Lipson said, administrators should focus on providing students with mental health services that emphasise prevention, coping, and resilience. The fall 2020 survey data revealed a significant "treatment gap," meaning that many students who screen positive for depression or anxiety are not receiving mental health services."Often students will only seek help when they find themselves in a mental health crisis, requiring more urgent resources," Lipson said. "But how can we create systems to foster wellness before they reach that point?" She has a suggestion: "All students should receive mental health education, ideally as part of the required curriculum."It`s also important to note, she said, that rising mental health challenges are not unique to the college setting--instead, the survey findings are consistent with a broader trend of declining mental health in adolescents and young adults. "I think mental health is getting worse [across the US population], and on top of that we are now gathering more data on these trends than ever before," Lipson said. "We know mental health stigma is going down, and that`s one of the biggest reasons we are able to collect better data. People are being more open, having more dialogue about it, and we`re able to better identify that people are struggling. "The worsening mental health of Americans, more broadly, Lipson said, could be due to a confluence of factors: the pandemic, the impact of social media, and shifting societal values that are becoming more extrinsically motivated (a successful career, making more money, getting more followers and likes), rather than intrinsically motivated (being a good member of the community).The crushing weight of historic financial pressures is an added burden. "Student debt is so stressful," Lipson said. "You`re more predisposed to experiencing anxiety the more debt you have. And research indicates that suicidality is directly connected to financial well-being."With more than 22 million young people enrolled in US colleges and universities, "and with the traditional college years of life coinciding with the age of onset for lifetime mental illnesses," Lipson stresses that higher education is a crucial setting where prevention and treatment can make a difference.One potential bright spot from the survey was that the stigma around mental health continues to fade. The results reveal that 94 per cent of students say that they wouldn`t judge someone for seeking out help for mental health, which Lipson said is an indicator that also correlates with those students being likely to seek out help themselves during a personal crisis (although, paradoxically, almost half of the students say they perceive that others may think more poorly of them if they did seek help)."We`re harsher on ourselves and more critical of ourselves than we are with other people--we call that perceived versus personal stigma," Lipson said. "Students need to realise, your peers are not judging you."

What increases depression, anxiety and loneliness in college students?

Depression and weight problems often go hand in hand - it`s a vicious cycle you need to know about! A study of 58,745 patients` data revealed that people with obesity had a 55 percent increased risk of developing depression over time, and the depressed persons had a 58 percent increased risk of obesity. Forty-three percent of adults with depression already have obesity and women numbering more in this group than men, as found by a national survey. 
 
The suicide ideation in women with a waist circumference of over 105cm is three times more than the women with that below 82.5cm. The mental state, when obesity joins the party, is weakened by two real and debilitating attacks that run parallelly. One attack is physiological - inside the body. Obesity causes joint pain, diabetes, blood pressure etc., which are also the risk factors for depression. Additionally, excessive body fat causes chronic inflammation in the brain that leads to mood and psychiatric disorders. 
 
The other is from outside - the social stigma - how society treats people with obesity. 18.7% to 38% of people with obesity reported experiencing obesity stigma from their educators, employers, health professionals, the media, friends, and family in a WHO (World Health Organization) study. Obesity stigma is associated with increased depression, anxiety and decreased self-esteem. It can also lead to disordered eating, avoidance of physical activity, and avoidance of medical care.Will Weight Loss Improve The Mood Or Improving The Mood Help Weight-Loss? It`s not an `either-or` question say some experts. For example, dieting alone may worsen mood, particularly when it causes a pattern of repeated dieting failure. Conversely, the most common pharmacological treatments for depression have the side effect of weight gain . However, obesity seems to resist physical exercises more than depression. A study found that healthy-weight persons walked per day an average of 11,586 steps, non-depressed obesity patients did 7283 steps, and the depressed obesity patients, 6177 steps . 
 
Hence the expert advice is to jointly address obesity and depression. If you are on medications for depressions, don`t skip your tablets in pursuit of weight-loss.The next step would be to understand obesity well.What exactly is obesity? Obesity is not just a cosmetic condition as popularly perceived. It`s a complex, progressive and multifactorial disease that needs expert medical help to treat, just like clinical depression does. Obesity is measured by BMI (Body Mass Index), which is a measure of your weight in relation to your height.World Health Organization (WHO) considers a BMI more than 30 as Class 1 obesity. BMI above 35 is Class II- serious obesity and BMI above 40 is class III- severe obesity. 
 
The Indian figures are 2.5 lower than these options For Lasting Obesity Solutions For Patients With Low SpiritsMost patients with obesity who have tried diet and exercise, have had some initial success, only to regain the weight. This is not due to their lack of willpower or the wrong diet. There is documented observation that even for a non-depressed obesity patient with a BMI greater than 35, the chances of reaching a normal body weight for a lasting period of time with diet and exercise alone is less than 1 percent. 
 
Minimally invasive bariatric weight-loss surgery might be an option if your BMI is above 32.5 with depression or any other obesity-related co-morbidity; or if your BMI is more than 37.5 without any obesity-related co-morbidity . A study of 11,687 bariatric surgery patients with at least one psychiatric disorder found that a) their excess weight-loss was similar to those with no known mental health disorders, b) Quality of life improvement by 28 percent to 32 per cent was as same, and c) among patients with depression, use of anti-depressant medication dropped by about 20 percent one year after surgery and remained at that level after three years of follow-up .Now-a-days due to COVID-19, many Bariatric Surgeons offer online consultations. One could book an appointment at a center of one`s choice, and discuss the obesity issues with the expert doctor from the convenience of one`s home. 
 
Obesity can be treated with lasting results in patients with depression. The time to act against it is NOW!Disclaimer: This article is sponsored by J&amp;J in public interest. The views and opinions expressed in the article by participating doctors are based on their independent professional judgement. J&amp;J (P) Ltd, BCCL and its group publications disclaim any liability for the accuracy or consequences flowing from adherence to their expert views.This story is provided by Mediawire. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/Mediawire)

Depression and weight problems often go hand in hand - it`s a vicious cycle you need to know about! A study of 58,745 patients` data revealed that people with obesity had a 55 percent increased risk of developing depression over time, and the depressed persons had a 58 percent increased risk of obesity.

Depression and weight problems often go hand in hand - it`s a vicious cycle you need to know about! A study of 58,745 patients` data revealed that people with obesity had a 55 percent increased risk of developing depression over time, and the depressed persons had a 58 percent increased risk of obesity. Forty-three percent of adults with depression already have obesity and women numbering more in this group than men, as found by a national survey. The suicide ideation in women with a waist circumference of over 105cm is three times more than the women with that below 82.5cm. The mental state, when obesity joins the party, is weakened by two real and debilitating attacks that run parallelly. One attack is physiological - inside the body. Obesity causes joint pain, diabetes, blood pressure etc., which are also the risk factors for depression. Additionally, excessive body fat causes chronic inflammation in the brain that leads to mood and psychiatric disorders. The other is from outside - the social stigma - how society treats people with obesity. 18.7% to 38% of people with obesity reported experiencing obesity stigma from their educators, employers, health professionals, the media, friends, and family in a WHO (World Health Organization) study. Obesity stigma is associated with increased depression, anxiety and decreased self-esteem. It can also lead to disordered eating, avoidance of physical activity, and avoidance of medical care.Will Weight Loss Improve The Mood Or Improving The Mood Help Weight-Loss? It`s not an `either-or` question say some experts. For example, dieting alone may worsen mood, particularly when it causes a pattern of repeated dieting failure. Conversely, the most common pharmacological treatments for depression have the side effect of weight gain . However, obesity seems to resist physical exercises more than depression. A study found that healthy-weight persons walked per day an average of 11,586 steps, non-depressed obesity patients did 7283 steps, and the depressed obesity patients, 6177 steps . Hence the expert advice is to jointly address obesity and depression. If you are on medications for depressions, don`t skip your tablets in pursuit of weight-loss.The next step would be to understand obesity well.What exactly is obesity? Obesity is not just a cosmetic condition as popularly perceived. It`s a complex, progressive and multifactorial disease that needs expert medical help to treat, just like clinical depression does. Obesity is measured by BMI (Body Mass Index), which is a measure of your weight in relation to your height.World Health Organization (WHO) considers a BMI more than 30 as Class 1 obesity. BMI above 35 is Class II- serious obesity and BMI above 40 is class III- severe obesity. The Indian figures are 2.5 lower than these options For Lasting Obesity Solutions For Patients With Low SpiritsMost patients with obesity who have tried diet and exercise, have had some initial success, only to regain the weight. This is not due to their lack of willpower or the wrong diet. There is documented observation that even for a non-depressed obesity patient with a BMI greater than 35, the chances of reaching a normal body weight for a lasting period of time with diet and exercise alone is less than 1 percent. Minimally invasive bariatric weight-loss surgery might be an option if your BMI is above 32.5 with depression or any other obesity-related co-morbidity; or if your BMI is more than 37.5 without any obesity-related co-morbidity . A study of 11,687 bariatric surgery patients with at least one psychiatric disorder found that a) their excess weight-loss was similar to those with no known mental health disorders, b) Quality of life improvement by 28 percent to 32 per cent was as same, and c) among patients with depression, use of anti-depressant medication dropped by about 20 percent one year after surgery and remained at that level after three years of follow-up .Now-a-days due to COVID-19, many Bariatric Surgeons offer online consultations. One could book an appointment at a center of one`s choice, and discuss the obesity issues with the expert doctor from the convenience of one`s home. Obesity can be treated with lasting results in patients with depression. The time to act against it is NOW!Disclaimer: This article is sponsored by J&J in public interest. The views and opinions expressed in the article by participating doctors are based on their independent professional judgement. J&J (P) Ltd, BCCL and its group publications disclaim any liability for the accuracy or consequences flowing from adherence to their expert views.This story is provided by Mediawire. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/Mediawire)

Obesity and depression feed off each other: Study

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in lockdowns all over the world, and they have come at a considerable cost to mental health. Restrictions have led to significant increase in symptoms of depression & anxiety among students of France. WION brings you a report.

France: Depression rate among youths increased due to COVID-19 lockdowns

New Yorkers these days are infusing positivity while battling the coronavirus pandemic. They are dancing and throwing away their anxiety

Infusing positivity while battling the coronavirus pandemic

The low pressure over the Arabian Sea intensified into a depression on Saturday but is moving away from the Indian coast and no adverse weather is likely over the west coast.

The Cyclone Warning Division of the IMD said in a statement: "Yesterday's well marked low pressure area over eastcentral Arabian Sea off north Maharashtra coast moved west-northwestwards, concentrated into a depression."

It is very likely to move nearly westwards during the next 48 hours and weaken gradually thereafter.&nbsp;

"As the system is very likely to move away from the Indian coast no adverse weather associated with this system is likely over the west coast of India," the statement added.

The IMD has, however, cautioned fishermen from venturing into the central and north Arabian Sea.

It said light to moderate rainfall at a few places is very likely over coastal districts of Saurashtra and Kutch during next 24 hours.

Sea conditions will be rough to very rough over east-central and adjoining northeast Arabian Sea on October 17 and over central and northwest Arabian Sea on October 18.

The cyclonic circulation had hit the Andhra Pradesh coast earlier this week as a deep depression bringing heavy rains over Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Goa and leaving a trail of destruction.&nbsp;

(with inputs)

The low pressure over the Arabian Sea intensified into a depression on Saturday but is moving away from the Indian coast and no adverse weather is likely over the west coast.

The low pressure over the Arabian Sea intensified into a depression on Saturday but is moving away from the Indian coast and no adverse weather is likely over the west coast. The Cyclone Warning Division of the IMD said in a statement: "Yesterday's well marked low pressure area over eastcentral Arabian Sea off north Maharashtra coast moved west-northwestwards, concentrated into a depression." It is very likely to move nearly westwards during the next 48 hours and weaken gradually thereafter. "As the system is very likely to move away from the Indian coast no adverse weather associated with this system is likely over the west coast of India," the statement added. The IMD has, however, cautioned fishermen from venturing into the central and north Arabian Sea. It said light to moderate rainfall at a few places is very likely over coastal districts of Saurashtra and Kutch during next 24 hours. Sea conditions will be rough to very rough over east-central and adjoining northeast Arabian Sea on October 17 and over central and northwest Arabian Sea on October 18. The cyclonic circulation had hit the Andhra Pradesh coast earlier this week as a deep depression bringing heavy rains over Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Goa and leaving a trail of destruction. (with inputs)

Low pressure over Arabian Sea intensifies into depression, IMD says

Stress and depression intensified in the United States along with the rate of the coronavirus infection among its citizens, according to a study published in the journal Science Advances.

The study of more than 6,500 people found that several factors may have worsened people's stress.

According to researchers, the biggest risk for symptoms of depression was a pre-existing mental health diagnosis prior the pandemic.

Concerns about contracting the disease outweighed concerns about pandemic-related disruptions in daily life, researchers said in a study published on Friday.

Employment also had a big impact, with those who lost their jobs suffering most.

The data also suggested that individuals who continued working during this early phase of the pandemic were less depressed than individuals who were not working, even though they were at greater risk for contracting the virus.

Those "remaining employed as an 'essential' worker may have given new meaning to respondents' work that reduced their risk for depression."

Researchers said another factor in pandemic-related stress is how often participants were exposed to conflicting information from the news and social media.

Stress and depression intensified in the United States along with the rate of the coronavirus infection among its citizens, according to a study published in the journal Science Advances.

Stress and depression intensified in the United States along with the rate of the coronavirus infection among its citizens, according to a study published in the journal Science Advances. The study of more than 6,500 people found that several factors may have worsened people's stress. According to researchers, the biggest risk for symptoms of depression was a pre-existing mental health diagnosis prior the pandemic. Concerns about contracting the disease outweighed concerns about pandemic-related disruptions in daily life, researchers said in a study published on Friday. Employment also had a big impact, with those who lost their jobs suffering most. The data also suggested that individuals who continued working during this early phase of the pandemic were less depressed than individuals who were not working, even though they were at greater risk for contracting the virus. Those "remaining employed as an 'essential' worker may have given new meaning to respondents' work that reduced their risk for depression." Researchers said another factor in pandemic-related stress is how often participants were exposed to conflicting information from the news and social media.

Study find links between coronavirus pandemic and mental health

Former First Lady Michelle Obama states racial inequality amidst the difficulties of the coronavirus pandemic has left her sense that she has “some form of low-grade depression.” Watch report.

COVID-19, Racial unrest has Michelle Obama feeling low, Suffering from Low-Grade Depression

Former First Lady Michelle Obama said she is suffering from "low-grade depression" from coronavirus quarantine, racial strife in the United States and the "hypocrisy" of the Trump administration. Obama made the remarks in the latest episode of "The Michelle Obama Podcast" released on Spotify on Wednesday.

"I'm waking up in the middle of the night because I'm worrying about something or there's a heaviness," the 56-year-old former First Lady said. "I try to make sure I get a workout in, although there have been periods throughout this quarantine, where I just have felt too low," she said.

Obama said she has been going through "those emotional highs and lows that I think everybody feels, where you just don't feel yourself...These are not, they are not fulfilling times, spiritually," she said. "I know that I am dealing with some form of low-grade depression. Not just because of the quarantine, but because of the racial strife, and just seeing this administration, watching the hypocrisy of it, day in and day out, is dispiriting."

Michelle Obama and Barack Obama, America's first black president, took up residence in Washington after he left the White House in January 2017.

She also said it is "exhausting" to be "waking up to yet another story of a black man or a black person somehow being dehumanized, or hurt, or killed, or falsely accused of something...And it has led to a weight that I haven't felt in my life, in a while," she said.

Obama said it was important to remember that "we've been through tough times in this nation" before.

"We are in a unique moment in history," she said. "We are living through something that no one in our lifetimes has lived through."

Former First Lady Michelle Obama said she is suffering from "low-grade depression" from coronavirus quarantine, racial strife in the United States and the "hypocrisy" of the Trump administration.

Former First Lady Michelle Obama said she is suffering from "low-grade depression" from coronavirus quarantine, racial strife in the United States and the "hypocrisy" of the Trump administration. Obama made the remarks in the latest episode of "The Michelle Obama Podcast" released on Spotify on Wednesday. "I'm waking up in the middle of the night because I'm worrying about something or there's a heaviness," the 56-year-old former First Lady said. "I try to make sure I get a workout in, although there have been periods throughout this quarantine, where I just have felt too low," she said. Obama said she has been going through "those emotional highs and lows that I think everybody feels, where you just don't feel yourself...These are not, they are not fulfilling times, spiritually," she said. "I know that I am dealing with some form of low-grade depression. Not just because of the quarantine, but because of the racial strife, and just seeing this administration, watching the hypocrisy of it, day in and day out, is dispiriting." Michelle Obama and Barack Obama, America's first black president, took up residence in Washington after he left the White House in January 2017. She also said it is "exhausting" to be "waking up to yet another story of a black man or a black person somehow being dehumanized, or hurt, or killed, or falsely accused of something...And it has led to a weight that I haven't felt in my life, in a while," she said. Obama said it was important to remember that "we've been through tough times in this nation" before. "We are in a unique moment in history," she said. "We are living through something that no one in our lifetimes has lived through."

Michelle Obama says she is suffering from 'low-grade depression'

According to UK's National Institute for Health and Care Excellence(NICE), painkillers such as aspirin, ibuprofen and paracetamol do more than good.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/health-and-wellness/genetics-act-as-basis-for-anxiety-study-273326">Also Read:&nbsp;Genetics foundation of anxiety and depression: Study</a>

The report urged doctors not to prescribe the drug to those who have been suffering from chronic pain.

The report said that there is "no evidence" that the drug made any difference to the patient's health while adding it could cause an addiction to the drug.&nbsp;

The NICE report stated that at least one third to half of the UK population suffered from chronic pain which led to depression. However, it asked doctors not to give patients aspirin or ibuprofen.

The report said that although some antidepressants can be considered but other drugs such as corticosteroid, &nbsp;antipsychotics, gabapentinoids, ketamine should be administered to patients suffering from chronic pain.

NICE further claimed that it was "inappropriate" for doctors to give normal painkillers to patients. The report claimed that the painkillers showed no sighs it made any difference to the patient's "quality of life, pain or psychological distress".

The committee asserted that "not commenting on these medicines could result in their continued use in practice, which would be inappropriate given the lack of evidence and possible harms, so they recommended against the use of these treatments."

The report recommended exercise, psychological therapy and even acupuncture can help resolve pain while it not just improved quality of life but also reduced pain among patients in several case studies. &nbsp;

The draft report published on Monday is under public consideration until August 14. 
&nbsp;

According to UK's National Institute for Health and Care Excellence(NICE), painkillers such as aspirin, ibuprofen and paracetamol do more than good. Also Read: Genetics foundation of anxiety and depression: Study The report urged doctors not to prescribe the drug to those who have been suffering from chronic pain.

According to UK's National Institute for Health and Care Excellence(NICE), painkillers such as aspirin, ibuprofen and paracetamol do more than good. Also Read: Genetics foundation of anxiety and depression: Study The report urged doctors not to prescribe the drug to those who have been suffering from chronic pain. The report said that there is "no evidence" that the drug made any difference to the patient's health while adding it could cause an addiction to the drug. The NICE report stated that at least one third to half of the UK population suffered from chronic pain which led to depression. However, it asked doctors not to give patients aspirin or ibuprofen. The report said that although some antidepressants can be considered but other drugs such as corticosteroid, antipsychotics, gabapentinoids, ketamine should be administered to patients suffering from chronic pain. NICE further claimed that it was "inappropriate" for doctors to give normal painkillers to patients. The report claimed that the painkillers showed no sighs it made any difference to the patient's "quality of life, pain or psychological distress". The committee asserted that "not commenting on these medicines could result in their continued use in practice, which would be inappropriate given the lack of evidence and possible harms, so they recommended against the use of these treatments." The report recommended exercise, psychological therapy and even acupuncture can help resolve pain while it not just improved quality of life but also reduced pain among patients in several case studies. The draft report published on Monday is under public consideration until August 14.

Do not administer aspirin, ibuprofen and paracetamol for chronic pain, urges new UK health report to doctors

The researchers of Dalhousie University have come up with a new app that can detect mental conditions like anxiety and depression based on how you use your phone.&nbsp;

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/googles-sundar-pichai-reveals-companys-new-plans-to-detect-earthquakes-early-314415" hreflang="en">Google's Sundar Pichai reveals company's new plans to detect earthquakes early</a>

The app is called PROSIT and includes tracking features like exercise, sleep, call frequency, message histories and music tastes. An emotionally charged state can be detected with your typing speed and the force you use.&nbsp;

The App will also ask the users to record a 90-second audio clip to talk about their best and exciting part of the week. They (users) will be asked to self-report their feelings on a five-point scale.

PROSIT is currently is under the testing stage where about 300 people are using this app. Half among the users are patients.&nbsp;

Privacy concerns have hit the users a lot of times and the developers are well aware of it. To tackle this issue, the use of app requires a signed consent and the data will be stored in a secure location.&nbsp;

PROSIT does not provide a complete analysis of one's mental health but could prove useful for the psychologists track and better understand their patients’ development outside of sessions.&nbsp;

The world has witnessed a rise in mental health issues due to the coronavirus pandemic. The researchers from the University College London (UCL) in the UK found that one in four people hospitalised with COVID-19 may experience delirium during their illness.

The post-recovery effects of COVID-19 are not yet known, so long-term risks such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), chronic fatigue, depression, and anxiety are based on SARS and MERS studies, which may or may not apply to COVID-19 as well.

The researchers of Dalhousie University have come up with a new app that can detect mental conditions like anxiety and depression based on how you use your phone.

The researchers of Dalhousie University have come up with a new app that can detect mental conditions like anxiety and depression based on how you use your phone. Also read: Google's Sundar Pichai reveals company's new plans to detect earthquakes early The app is called PROSIT and includes tracking features like exercise, sleep, call frequency, message histories and music tastes. An emotionally charged state can be detected with your typing speed and the force you use. The App will also ask the users to record a 90-second audio clip to talk about their best and exciting part of the week. They (users) will be asked to self-report their feelings on a five-point scale. PROSIT is currently is under the testing stage where about 300 people are using this app. Half among the users are patients. Privacy concerns have hit the users a lot of times and the developers are well aware of it. To tackle this issue, the use of app requires a signed consent and the data will be stored in a secure location. PROSIT does not provide a complete analysis of one's mental health but could prove useful for the psychologists track and better understand their patients’ development outside of sessions. The world has witnessed a rise in mental health issues due to the coronavirus pandemic. The researchers from the University College London (UCL) in the UK found that one in four people hospitalised with COVID-19 may experience delirium during their illness. The post-recovery effects of COVID-19 are not yet known, so long-term risks such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), chronic fatigue, depression, and anxiety are based on SARS and MERS studies, which may or may not apply to COVID-19 as well.

Researchers develop PROSIT app that tracks mental health by studying phone usage

Depression: The shadow pandemic, a WION Wideangle special Indian actor Sushant Singh Rajput's death has sparked a huge outpouring of grief on social media, but soon the conversation turned to the issue of depression, a common mental disorder Globally, more than 264 million people of all ages suffer from depression. It can change the way you feel, think, and handle daily activities. Experts believe that the Coronavirus pandemic will also trigger a mental health crisis. The Indian Psychiatry reports that the number of mental health cases – including anxiety and depression – has risen 20 percent since the lockdown was first announced. In this episode of WION Wideangle, we tell you how to recognise the signs of clinical depression and get the help that you or your loved ones may need.

Depression: The shadow pandemic, a WION Wideangle special

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