Category: Mental Health

People with major depression who have not responded sufficiently to treatment with medications may benefit from transcranial magnetic stimulation.

Cognitive behavioral therapy may be an effective treatment option for people with seasonal affective disorder who do not respond to light therapy.

Light therapy is typically prescribed to treat seasonal affective disorder, but there are risks for certain people. Researchers are looking at making adjustments to the timing and duration of the therapy to try to reduce this risk.

A small study found that people with major depression who received one dose of ketamine experienced a significant improvement in mood, but the results will be of interest mainly to researchers, because of how ketamine acts on the brain.

Early research on the use of deep-brain stimulation for treatment of major depression or obsessive-compulsive disorder has led to establishment of a set of recommendations regarding its use.

Social anxiety disorder, whether generalized or specific, can be severe enough to affect a person’s ability to work or have a social life, but only about half those with the disorder get treatment.

Investigators found that taking an SSRI antidepressant during the last trimester of pregnancy did not significantly increase the risk of postpartum hemorrhage.

A survey of 26,000 college students, both undergraduate and graduate, found that about 10 percent had considered suicide in the previous year, but fewer than half of those had sought help or told anyone.

Women with a psychiatric disorder who become pregnant must consider any potential risk to the fetus caused by medications, as well as the possible risk of relapse caused by stopping medications.

Chronic depression is defined as lasting at least two years. Psychotherapy and treatment with an antidepressant may achieve remission, though long-term maintenance use of medication may be needed to prevent relapse.