Harvard Mental Health Letter articles from February 2008

Harvard Mental Health Letter archives from February 2008

Recognizing and treating depression in the elderly.(Disease/Disorder overview)(Clinical report)
February 1, 2008... Why it's so hard to diagnose; issues to consider when deciding about treatment. Depression is sometimes viewed as a normal part of aging. It shouldn't be. Rates of depression vary widely, depending on elderly individuals' overall health...

Tamoxifen investigated as mania treatment.(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... Although tamoxifen is best known as a hormonal treatment for breast cancer, a pilot study indicates that it may also be useful in treating acute mania in patients with bipolar disorder. Tamoxifen works mainly by inhibiting estrogen, but...

Research raises questions about long-acting antipsychotics.(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... When a person with psychosis has trouble complying with a medication regimen, one option offered is an injection of a long-acting antipsychotic. Previous studies concluded that such injections increase the likelihood of treatment adherence. ...

SSRIs may increase risk of gastrointestinal bleeding.(selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... A meta-analysis of four observational studies enrolling 153,000 patients taking selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) found that these medications, taken alone or in combination with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs),...

Unmet mental health needs.(Survey)
February 1, 2008... An analysis of a 17-country mental health survey conducted by the World Health Organization (WHO) indicates that many people who need services are not receiving them. The problem is most pronounced in developing nations, but it exists even in...

Cognitive behavioral therapy improves outcomes in depressed adolescents.
February 1, 2008... Antidepressants now carry warnings that the drugs may increase the risk of suicidal thinking and behavior in patients ages 18 and under, making physicians reluctant to prescribe them for this age group and generating an ongoing and sometimes...

Brain function and political attitudes a[euro]" political science or science fiction?
February 1, 2008... You're receiving this issue of the Harvard Mental Health Letter with the presidential primary season in full swing. Timely, then, is a discussion of a study published in October 2007 in Nature Neuroscience, which provided evidence of what many...