Experimental Drug Works Quickly on Major Depression

WEDNESDAY, Sept. 4, 2019 -- Antidepressants typically take four to eight weeks to ease the debilitating symptoms of depression, but an early clinical trial found a new type of drug brought relief in just two weeks.

"SAGE-217, once fully developed, has potential to offer relatively quick and clinically meaningful alleviation of depressive symptoms in patients with moderate to severe major depressive disorder," said study author Dr. Handan Gunduz-Bruce, from Sage Therapeutics in Cambridge, Mass.

What Treatments Work Best to Prevent Suicide?

TUESDAY, Aug. 27, 2019 -- If you or someone you love is thinking about suicide, a new review points to effective treatments that can reduce suicide risk.

Some involve therapy -- cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) or dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) -- while others involve medication, such as ketamine (by infusion) or lithium.

For Heart Patients, CPAP Treatment May Ease Depression: Study

FRIDAY, Aug. 16, 2019 -- Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment of obstructive sleep apnea can ease depression in people with heart disease, according to a groundbreaking new study.

"Patients who have had a stroke or heart attack are prone to suffer from low mood and are two to three times more likely to develop clinical depression, which then further elevates their risk of future heart attacks and strokes," said senior author Doug McEvoy, a sleep researcher at Flinders University in Adelaide, Australia.

Could Dirty Air Spur a Rise in Serious Mental Illness?

TUESDAY, Aug. 20, 2019 -- As air quality declines, the prevalence of mental health conditions may rise, a large, new study suggests.

Looking at data on millions of people in the United States and Denmark, researchers found correlations between air pollution exposure and rates of certain psychiatric disorders. In both countries, poorer air quality was linked to a slightly heightened risk of bipolar disorder.

Depression, Alzheimer's Might Be Part of Same Process in Some Aging Brains: Study

MONDAY, Aug. 12, 2019 -- New research is untangling the complex relationship between symptoms of depression and losses in memory and thinking that often emerge together with Alzheimer's disease.

In fact, the new data suggests that "depression symptoms themselves may be among the early changes in the preclinical stages of dementia syndromes," explained study lead author Dr. Jennifer Gatchel. She works in the division of geriatric psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

Too Much Smartphone Time May Invite Host of Health Woes

TUESDAY, July 16, 2019 -- With most people never far from their cellphones, new research on college students finds that "problematic" use is tied to a variety of mental health problems, as well as lower grades and more sexual partners.

The study, which surveyed more than 3,400 students in the United States, also found that alcohol misuse was markedly higher in those with problematic smartphone use, compared to others.