We tend to think of vaccines as preventing traditional infectious diseases like measles or viruses like the flu. But what if one could get a shot to prevent drug users from getting high?

New research on an anti-cocaine vaccine shows that such a shot reduced cocaine use in 38 percent of people vaccinated with it. While that figure may not sound significant -- far from full abstinence -- it's an important finding in what will likely be a long road of research toward a vaccine.

The study done by Yale researchers and funded by the National Institutes of Health appears in the latest issue of the journal Archives of General Psychiatry . It examines cocaine addiction from a purely medical standpoint. Like vaccines that fight infectious diseases, an inoculation against cocaine stimulates the body to produce antibodies, the study states. The antibodies bind themselves to cocaine molecules in the blood and prevent them from allow the drug to enter into the brain. Fascinating.

The study randomly assigned 115 people to receive the cocaine vaccine or a placebo over 12 weeks. Since a minority of people developed antibodies, researchers think a booster shot might help increase the response.

Continue reading "Cocaine vaccine shows promise in reducing addiction" »

Posted by Kelly Brewington at 12:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
Categories: Mental health
        

Earlier, I blogged about a report on children as young as 3 being diagnosed with depression. Well, another mental health study this week is sparking lots of discussion: the number of Americans taking antidepressants increased from about 6 percent in 1996 to 10 percent in 2005, or from 13 million to about 27 million people.

Meanwhile, the number of people being treated with antidepressants who also sought help from a therapist declined. Researchers think high out-of-pocket costs and insurance barriers could be to blame. The paper's lead researcher said he worries that patients who only receive medication may be not be getting enough help.

The study, of nearly 50,000 people, which appears in the latest issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry, found the use increased in adults and children alike. Racial and ethnic minorities, however, were less likely to take antidepressants, an example of broader disparities in mental health treatment, researchers said. 

The authors think the rise is likely due to a number of factors including: an increase in the incidence of major depression and more drugs flooding the market to treat it, campaigns promoting better mental health care and a lessening stigma attached to mental illness and antidepressants. 

Continue reading "More mental health news: antidepressant use doubles" »

Posted by Kelly Brewington at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Mental health
        

In recent years, childhood depression has received a lot of attention as researchers have tried to unravel how the disorder affects kids. But little is known about if, and how, depression strikes very young children. A new study suggests that children as young as 3 can be diagnosed with depression and that the disorder is often a chronic condition.

The study, which appears in the August issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry, is sure to raise eyebrows among people who question if children that young are emotionally mature enough to be depressed. The study's authors say that despite skepticism, a growing body of research suggests that depression does exist among preschoolers and they launched the study to better understand it.

The authors studied 306 children 3 to 6 years old, including 75 of them diagnosed with depression, and evaluated them for up to two years. Preschoolers with depression at the beginning of the study were four times more likely to have depression 12 or 24 months later  than children who were not depressed at the study's start. 

Continue reading "Depression in preschoolers" »

Posted by Kelly Brewington at 7:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Mental health, Pediatrics