Comments on: 8 points on emergency preparedness for winter depression http://www.moritherapy.org/article/8-points-on-emergency-preparedness-for-winter-depression/ making lives better, making better lives Thu, 09 Feb 2012 10:02:52 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.3 By: In Between Meds, Searching for a Diagnosis, Richard Dadd, and Compassion for Your Self | JANE'S MENTAL HEALTH SOURCE PAGE http://www.moritherapy.org/article/8-points-on-emergency-preparedness-for-winter-depression/comment-page-1/#comment-757869 In Between Meds, Searching for a Diagnosis, Richard Dadd, and Compassion for Your Self | JANE'S MENTAL HEALTH SOURCE PAGE Fri, 27 Aug 2010 10:31:52 +0000 http://www.moritherapy.org/article/8-points-on-emergency-preparedness-for-winter-depression/#comment-757869 [...] was struck when reading Isabella‘s 8 points of “emergency preparedness for winter depression” by how big a part “human-to-human interaction” plays in staving off depression. Having [...] [...] was struck when reading Isabella‘s 8 points of “emergency preparedness for winter depression” by how big a part “human-to-human interaction” plays in staving off depression. Having [...]

]]> By: wayne http://www.moritherapy.org/article/8-points-on-emergency-preparedness-for-winter-depression/comment-page-1/#comment-268974 wayne Thu, 18 Oct 2007 17:24:52 +0000 http://www.moritherapy.org/article/8-points-on-emergency-preparedness-for-winter-depression/#comment-268974 winter seems so far away in many ways here in SE Pennsylvania. should be 61 on an average day and we are hitting 80 with good humidity. Thursdays have been my day to notice the difference. for the past 7 weeks I have been leaving at 6:30 to meet with my spirtitual director. Today the sun was barely up when I got to his office. It may be dark next week. My classroom has many lightstands for plants. If I have to be inside in the winter, it is a good place. winter seems so far away in many ways here in SE Pennsylvania. should be 61 on an average day and we are hitting 80 with good humidity. Thursdays have been my day to notice the difference. for the past 7 weeks I have been leaving at 6:30 to meet with my spirtitual director. Today the sun was barely up when I got to his office. It may be dark next week. My classroom has many lightstands for plants. If I have to be inside in the winter, it is a good place.

]]> By: Fausto Intilla http://www.moritherapy.org/article/8-points-on-emergency-preparedness-for-winter-depression/comment-page-1/#comment-268447 Fausto Intilla Thu, 18 Oct 2007 11:36:16 +0000 http://www.moritherapy.org/article/8-points-on-emergency-preparedness-for-winter-depression/#comment-268447 Science Daily — Brain imaging has revealed a breakdown in normal patterns of emotional processing that impairs the ability of people with clinical depression to suppress negative emotional states. Efforts by depressed patients to suppress their feelings when viewing emotionally negative images enhanced activity in several brain areas, including the amygdala, known to play a role in generating emotion, according to a report in the August 15 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience. "Identifying areas in the nervous system that correlate to pathological mood states is one of the pressing questions in mental illness today," says Carol Tamminga, MD, of the University of Texas Southwest Medical Center. Tamminga was not involved in the study. Tom Johnstone, PhD, of the University of Wisconsin, and colleagues there and at Tufts University studied 21 adults diagnosed with major depressive disorder and 18 healthy subjects of comparable ages. Participants were asked to view a series of emotionally positive and negative images and then indicate their reaction to each one. Four seconds after the presentation of each picture, participants were asked either to increase their emotional response (for example, imagining a loved one experiencing what was depicted in the image), to decrease it, or simply to continue watching the image. During the test, a functional magnetic resonance imaging scanner detected changes in neural activity. Johnstone and his colleagues also recorded levels of emotional excitement by measuring pupil dilation. The data showed distinctive patterns of activity in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VMPFC) and the right prefrontal cortex (PFC), areas that regulate the emotional output generated from the amygdala. The VMPFC is compromised in depression, likely because of the inappropriate engagement of right PFC circuitry in depressed individuals. "These findings underscore the importance of emotional regulation deficits in depression," says Johnstone. "They also suggest targets for therapeutic intervention." According to previous research, normal interaction between the amygdala and the VMPFC may underlie the proper adaptation of levels of the stress hormone cortisol on a daily basis. These levels do not vary as widely in people with major depressive disorder; future research may now be able to clarify the mechanism that underlies this aspect of depression. It could also examine the possibility of using measurements of activity in the amygdala to predict the effectiveness of treatments for depression such as cognitive behavioral therapy. The work was supported by the National Institute of Mental Health, part of the National Institutes of Health, and Wyeth-Ayerst Pharmaceuticals. Note: This story has been adapted from material provided by Society for Neuroscience. Fausto Intilla www.oloscience.com Science Daily — Brain imaging has revealed a breakdown in normal patterns of emotional processing that impairs the ability of people with clinical depression to suppress negative emotional states. Efforts by depressed patients to suppress their feelings when viewing emotionally negative images enhanced activity in several brain areas, including the amygdala, known to play a role in generating emotion, according to a report in the August 15 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience.
“Identifying areas in the nervous system that correlate to pathological mood states is one of the pressing questions in mental illness today,” says Carol Tamminga, MD, of the University of Texas Southwest Medical Center. Tamminga was not involved in the study.
Tom Johnstone, PhD, of the University of Wisconsin, and colleagues there and at Tufts University studied 21 adults diagnosed with major depressive disorder and 18 healthy subjects of comparable ages. Participants were asked to view a series of emotionally positive and negative images and then indicate their reaction to each one. Four seconds after the presentation of each picture, participants were asked either to increase their emotional response (for example, imagining a loved one experiencing what was depicted in the image), to decrease it, or simply to continue watching the image.
During the test, a functional magnetic resonance imaging scanner detected changes in neural activity. Johnstone and his colleagues also recorded levels of emotional excitement by measuring pupil dilation.
The data showed distinctive patterns of activity in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VMPFC) and the right prefrontal cortex (PFC), areas that regulate the emotional output generated from the amygdala. The VMPFC is compromised in depression, likely because of the inappropriate engagement of right PFC circuitry in depressed individuals.
“These findings underscore the importance of emotional regulation deficits in depression,” says Johnstone. “They also suggest targets for therapeutic intervention.”
According to previous research, normal interaction between the amygdala and the VMPFC may underlie the proper adaptation of levels of the stress hormone cortisol on a daily basis. These levels do not vary as widely in people with major depressive disorder; future research may now be able to clarify the mechanism that underlies this aspect of depression. It could also examine the possibility of using measurements of activity in the amygdala to predict the effectiveness of treatments for depression such as cognitive behavioral therapy.
The work was supported by the National Institute of Mental Health, part of the National Institutes of Health, and Wyeth-Ayerst Pharmaceuticals.
Note: This story has been adapted from material provided by Society for Neuroscience.

Fausto Intilla
http://www.oloscience.com

]]> By: Myrthe http://www.moritherapy.org/article/8-points-on-emergency-preparedness-for-winter-depression/comment-page-1/#comment-266120 Myrthe Wed, 17 Oct 2007 07:43:32 +0000 http://www.moritherapy.org/article/8-points-on-emergency-preparedness-for-winter-depression/#comment-266120 Thank you, Isabella! This is a very timely reminder for me as I do suffer from SAD. I recently moved to a new apartment, within walking distance of my work (about a 45 min walk) and I am trying to build the habit of walking to work, because I like the exercise and also to try to avoid / lessen the winter depression in the coming months The advice about interaction with people is also a good one for me to remember, as I tend to retreat into my own apartment a lot more. Fortunately, this doesn't last more than two days (the weekend), but still. Though, I also know that from time to time I need to give in to this need for seclusion and I just stay home reading, writing, doing things in the house. Thank you, Isabella! This is a very timely reminder for me as I do suffer from SAD. I recently moved to a new apartment, within walking distance of my work (about a 45 min walk) and I am trying to build the habit of walking to work, because I like the exercise and also to try to avoid / lessen the winter depression in the coming months

The advice about interaction with people is also a good one for me to remember, as I tend to retreat into my own apartment a lot more. Fortunately, this doesn’t last more than two days (the weekend), but still. Though, I also know that from time to time I need to give in to this need for seclusion and I just stay home reading, writing, doing things in the house.

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