A United States Air Force suicide prevention program is associated with reduced suicide rates among Air Force personnel during times in which the program was rigorously implemented and monitored, according to an National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)-funded study published online ahead of print May 13, 2010, in the American Journal of Public Health. The […]
The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) is a brief psychological screening instrument designed to measure symptoms of depression in primary care settings. Like the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Inventory, Big Five Inventory, and Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale previously reviewed, the PHQ-9 is available to healthcare providers completely free of charge. Pfizer Inc., the legal copyright […]
Highly variable sleep schedules predict an elevated risk for suicide independent of depression in actively suicidal young adults, according to a research abstract that will be presented in San Antonio, Texas, at SLEEP 2010, the 24th annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies LLC. Results indicate that a sample of actively suicidal undergraduate students […]
A unique program for patients with depression has resulted in two and a half years without a single suicide from Henry Ford’s patient population. The program, chronicled in an article in this week’s issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, was created by the Behavioral Health Services division of Henry Ford Health System […]
While antidepressant medications have proven to be beneficial in helping people overcome major depression, it has long been known that a small subset of individuals taking these drugs can actually experience a worsening of mood, and even thoughts of suicide. No clinical test currently exists to make this determination, and only time – usually weeks […]
The American Psychiatric Association’s proposed diagnostic criteria for the fifth edition of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) include a new suicide assessment tool, developed to help clinicians better identify individuals at risk for suicide. A new risk syndromes category, which would include two new diagnoses: psychosis risk syndrome and minor neurocognitive disorder, […]
A study in the January 1, 2010 issue of the journal Sleep found that adolescents with bedtimes that were set earlier by parents were significantly less likely to suffer from depression and to think about committing suicide, suggesting that earlier bedtimes could have a protective effect by lengthening sleep duration and increasing the likelihood of […]
Brain stimulation therapies have received increased attention as of late. These treatments involve activating or touching the brain directly with electricity, magnets, or implants to treat depression and other disorders. One type of brain stimulation, Cranial Electrotherapy Stimulation (CES), was previously detailed in “What is CES?” Part 1 and Part 2. BMED Report even created […]
Recent Comments