People get more depressed after the age of 65, says an English study using data on older Australians.

It’s the first to show depressive symptoms continue to increase throughout old age, says lead researcher Dr Helena Chui from the University of Bradford.

“We are in a period of unprecedented success in terms of people living longer than ever and in greater numbers and we should be celebrating this but it seems that we are finding it hard to cope,” she said.

Both men and women reported increasingly more depressive symptoms as they aged, with women initially having more than men.

“However, men showed a faster rate of increase in symptoms so that the difference in the genders was reversed at around the age of 80,” the researchers said.

Levels of physical impairment, the onset of medical conditions and the approach of death all played a part in having the symptoms.

“It seems that we need to look carefully at the provision of adequate services to match these needs, particularly in the area of mental health support and pain management,” Dr Chui said.

“Social policies and ageing-friendly support structures, such as the provision of public transport and access to health care services are needed to target the ‘oldest-old’ adults as a whole.”

This article first appeared on ‘9 News’ on 16 November 2015. ]]> http://www.newsinmind.com/research/depression-increases-with-age-study/feed 0 http://www.newsinmind.com/research/bipolar-disorder-drug-for-adults-safe-for-children-study-finds http://www.newsinmind.com/research/bipolar-disorder-drug-for-adults-safe-for-children-study-finds#respond Tue, 13 Oct 2015 03:11:37 +0000 http://www.newsinmind.com/?p=7538 A new study, published in the Oct. 12 issue of Pediatrics, found that a bipolar drug usually prescribed to adults is also effective and safe for children to use on a short term basis.

Bipolar disorder is a mental illness that causes severe mood swings. The symptoms are often difficult to spot among children and teens because others mistake it for the normal ups and downs that every kid goes through. It is estimated that about 3.4 million American kids and teens experience the early onset of bipolar disorder, according to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

Current treatments for bipolar disorder include lithium and psychotherapy. However, lithium medication is often prescribed to adults only as mood stabilizers. While there are many studies on lithium use in adults, only a few tested its effectiveness and safety on children.

The participants were given a standard dose for the first four weeks before gradually increasing it to a maximum dose for the remaining weeks. The researchers assessed the participants’ moods using the standard tools used for bipolar disorder. They also listed the side effects of the drug on the participants.

The analysis showed that those who took lithium showed a significant improvement compared to those who were under the placebo. Almost half of them scored either “very much improved” or “much improved” compared to only 21 percent of those who were under the placebo. Some of the side effects include weight gain and reduced kidney and thyroid function, the authors wrote in a press release.

“Until this study, there was no data to support the use of lithium in the treatment of youth with bipolar disorder,” said Dr. Victor Fornari, director of child and adolescent psychiatry at Zucker Hillside Hospital in Glen Oaks, N.Y., to HealthDay News. “This study provides evidence to support the efficacy and benefit of lithium in the treatment of children with bipolar disorder in a manic state.”

The researchers plan to continue their study to determine whether lithium can be used on children long term.

This article first appeared on ‘HNGN’ on 12 October 2015.

The national survey of 5500 children aged 9 to 13 highlighted the significant gap in wellbeing between mainstream kids and those who have a disability, are Indigenous, are young carers or from poor backgrounds.

Thirty per cent of children fall into one or more of these marginalised groups, and they rate their health worse, are less happy at school and have lower levels of family cohesion than their peers. Children with a disability are the worst off overall.

“There is a lot of diversity in wellbeing among young Australian children,” Flinders University associate professor Gerry Redmond, who led the study, said. “We need to focus on why some children are doing a lot less well than others.”

The gap between marginalised and mainstream kids is particularly pronounced by the time they reach year 8.

The Government-funded Australian Child Wellbeing Project surveyed children in years 4, 6 and 8 from 180 schools. Students were asked about their family, living arrangements, school, health, friendship, material wellbeing and bullying. It is the first national survey of children in the middle years, and the findings will be presented at the Australian Social Policy Conference on Monday.

Overall, most children report high life satisfaction and are optimistic about their future. More than 90 per cent of children are in good health. Children nominated family as the most important factor for having a good life, followed by health and friends. Those with a big support network were healthier, more engaged with school and less likely to be bullied.

However, some children are struggling more than their peers. One in five kids report being bullied once a week, with year 4 students experiencing the highest levels of bullying. Bullying included being ignored, being teased, having lies told about them, and people ganging up on them.

Children from marginalised groups were more likely to be bullied, and those with a disability the most bullied of all. The more often children are bullied, the more likely they are to miss school.

“I get the impression, talking to teachers, that this kind of non-physical bullying, like exclusion and telling tales, is extremely difficult to counter,” Professor Redmond said.

Sixty per cent of all children who were bullied reported two or more health issues, including frequent headaches, stomach aches, dizziness, feeling nervous, or having difficulty going to sleep. These complaints are often symptoms of stress.

A quarter of young people have a family member who has a disability, chronic illness, mental illness or drug or alcohol addiction. These young people experience significantly more health complaints than their peers.

“These health problems may be associated with worries about their family, and their direct caring responsibilities,” Professor Redmond said. “They’re worrying about these things that are normally seen as adult issues.”

Mainstream kids score an average life satisfaction of 85/100, while marginalised children score between 64 and 70. Similarly, mainstream children have a health score of 90/100, compared to marginalised kids, who score between 72 and 81.

Professor Redmond said his study provided the hard evidence policy-makers and schools need to act to better help these kids. “Young people in these groups are marginalised, but they actually comprise a large proportion of all young people,” he said.

“This should give policy-makers extra impetus to reduce the disadvantage they experience, and improve their lives.”

This article first appeared on ‘Brisbane Times’ on 25 September 2015.

Children of anxious parents are at an increased risk of developing anxiety, but that doesn’t have to be the case, according to new research by University of Connecticut Health psychiatrist Dr. Golda Ginsburg.

The study, published in The American Journal of Psychiatry, found family-based intervention works. Only nine percent of children who participated in a therapist-directed family intervention developed anxiety after one year, compared to 21 percent in a group that received written instruction, and 31 percent in the group that did not receive any therapy or written instruction.

“The finding underscores the vulnerability of offspring of anxious parents,” Ginsburg said. “If we can identify kids at risk, let’s try and prevent this.”

Anxiety tends to run in families, with up to 50 percent of children of anxious parents growing up to be anxious themselves, she noted.

“Anxiety and fear are protective and adaptive,” Ginsburg said. “But in anxious kids they may not be, because these children have thoughts about danger and threat when there really isn’t one.”

Both inborn temperament and life experiences play a role, she said. The more negative experiences a person has growing up, the greater the likelihood he or she will struggle with anxiety as an adult.

Most of the adults who participated in the study struggled in school and didn’t tell anyone. They didn’t raise their hands, or they got sick before exams. They might not have had any friends. As adults, their anxiety limits their activities and sometimes those of their family members.

During the study, some of the families participated in eight, hour-long sessions with a trained therapist over a period of two months. Others were just given a pamphlet that contained general information about anxiety disorders and treatments. Still others received nothing at all.

The families who participated in therapy were taught to identify the signs of anxiety and how to reduce it. They practiced problem-solving skills, and exercised safe exposures to whatever made their child anxious.

One of the ways to reduce anxiety is a reality check, according to Ginsburg, such as learning to recognize when a fear is healthy and worth paying attention to, like a growling dog, or unhealthy, like  a suspicion that the birthday cake is poisoned.

“We taught the kids how to identify scary thoughts, and how to change them,” Ginsburg said.

For example, if a child is afraid of cats and encounters one in the street, she can first identify the scary thought: “That cat is going to hurt me.” Then she can test that thought: “Is it likely that the cat will hurt me? No, the cat doesn’t look angry. It isn’t baring its teeth or hissing, it’s just sitting there. OK, I can walk past that cat and it won’t do anything.”

The researchers found that, in general, children who participated in the intervention had lower anxiety overall than children who did not participate in the intervention with their families.

The researchers now have received funding from the National Institutes of Health for a follow-up to see whether the effects are maintained over time.

Ginsburg said she wonders whether there would be value in providing regular mental health checkups for families. She added she is considering approaching insurers about offering this to families at risk, to see if it lowers their healthcare costs overall.

“I’d say we need to change our model of mental health to a checkup method — like going to the dentist every six months,” she said.

This article first appeared on ‘Psych Central’ on 28 September 2015.

The university announced Wednesday the arrival of child psychiatrist and researcher Paul Arnold, who specializes in childhood mental illness and childhood obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

As the new director of the Mathison Centre for Mental Health Research & Education, Dr. Arnold’s work will focus on the genetics and neurobiology of childhood OCD and related neuropsychiatric disorders.

His research has the potential to predict risk factors and target treatment for mental illness. He is also establishing the first lab in Alberta to focus on the genetic origins of childhood mental disorders

Studies have indicated that up to 60 per cent of disorders can be attributed to genetic factors, while the remaining 40 per cent are due to a child’s environment or lifestyle, Arnold said.

And while it’s still unclear whether childhood mental illness is on the rise, or just the awareness of it, Arnold says it’s important parents be aware of its prevalence, treatment options and developing better coping strategies for children living in an increasingly stressful world.

“Young children can’t often explain why it is they’re feeling a certain way, or exhibiting certain behaviours,” Arnold said.

“But parents need to know that these conditions are treatable, even at a very young age, and coping strategies can be created in a supportive environment.”

Anxiety can often be identified in children who are exhibiting more fear and stress about certain situations than their peer group, he said. For instance, while it’s completely normal for a young child to feel anxious during the first few days, even weeks, of school, it may not be normal to still feel stressed into October and November.

Stress in children can also be exhibited in obsessive-compulsive disorders. Repetitive habits and obsessions like constant hand-washing or phobias over germs can be seen in young kids in the same way they’re seen in youths and adults.

But OCD may be exhibited differently in younger kids, Arnold added, like repeating a certain task during play or seeking out unreasonable perfection at school, like when drawing a picture, printing a letter or building a block tower.

“Parents need to know that if their child’s anxiety is getting in the way of their everyday life, they can get treatment,” Arnold said.

“There are a number of cognitive behavioural therapies where we can treat these disorders. We may take the child into a stress situation, but we would help them through that with support.”

Arnold will be available to help treat patients at the Alberta Children’s Hospital, with a specialty in the assessment and treatment of children with OCD.

His research program is supported by the seven-year, provincially-funded Alberta Innovates’ Health Solutions Translational Health Chair in Child and Youth Mental Health.

Ed McCauley, vice-president of research at the U of C, said Arnold’s excellence in the field of childhood psychiatric disorders will fortify the strengths of the school’s existing brain and mental health research team.

The Mathison Centre is focused on understanding the causes of mental illness, brain mechanisms, risk factors and treatments of mental disorders, with special emphasis on youth populations.

Researchers from Queen’s University discovered evidence of emotional load-sharing between partners in a close relationship. In the study, Ph.D. candidate Jessica Lougheed, found that a strong relationship with a loved one can help ease stress when placed in difficult situations.

In the study, Lougheed and co-authors measured the stress levels of 66 adolescent girls during a spontaneous speech task. Before the speech performance, the participants and their mothers rated the quality of their relationship.

During the speeches, researchers tracked the participants’ level of stress via galvanic skin response (measuring the level of skin perspiration). To account for the effect of physical rather than purely emotional closeness, the participants’ mothers were instructed either to hold or not hold their daughters’ hand.

The researchers found that physical closeness allowed the participants to manage their stress more efficiently, regardless of how close the mother-daughter pair reported being.

However, when physical contact was removed from the equation, only the participants who reported higher relationship quality showed signs of load-sharing.

“Our results suggest that we are better equipped to overcome challenging situations when we are closer — either physically or in terms of how we feel in our relationships — to people we trust,” said Lougheed.

“We were somewhat surprised to find that mothers’ stress did not vary by physical closeness,” Lougheed said. “After all, it can be stressful for parents to watch their children perform, but being able to offer physical comfort might have lessened the mothers’ stress.

“Thus, emotional load-sharing in this context was not a function of the mothers’ stress level, and we expect that it occurred instead through the daughters’ perceptions of how stressful it was to give a speech. That is, higher physical and/or relationship closeness helped the daughters feel like they could overcome the challenging situation.”

The findings are important as they suggest physical contact can overcome some difficulties associated with relatively low relationship quality, or that being in a high-quality relationship is helpful for managing emotions in the same way as the physical comfort of a loved one.

Researchers warn, however, that the study was a very specific instance with unique characteristics.

Specifically, Lougheed said the general level of relationship quality was relatively high in their sample, and that physical contact may function very differently in distressed families.

She also cautioned against generalizing these results to other partnerships — such as a relationship between romantic partners, platonic friends, and other family members — and suggest that more research be done to determine the effect of socioeconomic status and gender, among other factors.

The study appears in the journal Emotion.

This article first appeared on ‘Psych Central’ on 15 September 2015.