New Atlas

Health & Wellbeing Audio available

New meta-study suggests testosterone therapy helps relieve depression in men

Rich Haridy November 14, 2018

A meta-analysis of 27 existing studies has concluded that testosterone treatment seems to be effective in reducing depressive symptoms in men. While a relationship between testosterone and depression has been hypothesized for years, experts suggest more specific and rigorous trials are still needed.

A meta-study has confirmed testosterone may be helpful in treating depression in men, however experts are ...

Health & Wellbeing Audio available

Study finds too much social media is making us feel lonely and depressed

Rich Haridy November 12, 2018

An interesting new study from the University of Pennsylvania has demonstrated the first causal connection between social media use and feelings of depression and loneliness. The findings claim that decreasing one’s social media use can lead to significant improvements in personal well-being.

Limiting social media use to just 30 minutes per day reduced reported feelings of depression and ...

Medical

Brain activity monitoring reveals a potential biomarker for depression

Nick Lavars November 8, 2018

New research has added to our understanding of depression by highlighting how certain brain activity may be linked to certain moods, raising the prospect of a biological signature that could one day be used as an indicator of the illness and help those devising new therapies to treat it.

New research has revealed a potential biological signature for depression

Medical

Psychedelic psilocybin therapy for depression granted Breakthrough Therapy status by FDA

Rich Haridy October 24, 2018

The FDA has given psilocybin therapy for treatment-resistant depression a Breakthrough Therapy status. This classification suggests the treatment has demonstrated significant potential in early clinical evidence, allowing the FDA to assist and expedite subsequent development and review processes.

Granting of Breakthrough Therapy status allows the FDA to expedite research and review of psilocybin-based treatments ...

Science

AI better than humans at predicting outcomes for those at risk of psychosis and depression

Rich Haridy September 26, 2018

A study has revealed a machine-learning algorithm can effectively predict the social outcomes of patients with depression or psychosis better than human experts. The research found the AI outperformed clinician predictions when estimating a patient’s social functioning up to a year in the future.

A machine learning has model effectively predicted social outcomes up to one year in the future

Health & Wellbeing Audio available

Neural network can detect depression in everyday conversation

James Holloway September 6, 2018

In a new paper, researchers at MIT have detailed a neural network capable of detecting depression. Unlike previous methods using machine learning, MIT's neural net doesn't require the subject to answer specific questions – it can make an assessment based on everyday conversation, or even text.

The neural network can detect depression in both text and speech

Medical

Ketamine's opioid-like qualities raise addiction fears for experimental depression treatments

Nick Lavars August 29, 2018

Ketamine has become the subject of intense research in recent years, as scientists hunt for new and improved treatments for depression. A new study has highlighted some worrying parallels between ketamine and opioids, raising red flags about the potentially addictive qualities of the drug.

In treating depression with ketamine, might we be giving rise to a new breed of opioid ...

Science

The neuroscience of pessimism: Why some people always focus on the negative

Rich Haridy August 9, 2018

Are you a glass half full or a glass half empty kind of person? Some people inherently focus on the negative when faced with a decision-making situation and new research from a team of MIT neuroscientists has identified exactly what region of the brain may be inducing these pessimistic decisions.

New research may have homed in on the precise brain region that causes pessimistic decision making

Medical

First study of ketamine for treating adolescent depression yields successful results

Rich Haridy August 1, 2018

Over the last 15 years, ketamine has undergone a resurgence in medicine for its remarkable effects treating major depression. Now a team of researchers has completed the first study of the drug in adolescents, revealing strong remission rates for those subjects with treatment-resistant depression.

While plenty of studies have been conducted on using ketamine to treat depression in adults, there ...

Health & Wellbeing

Nutritional supplement may succeed where antidepressants fail

Ben Coxworth July 31, 2018

Depression can be a frustrating illness, as sufferers often have to try numerous types of medication before finding one that works – if any work for them at all, that is. There could be new hope, however, in the form of an existing off-the-shelf product.

A new study indicates that clinically depressed people have lower blood levels of a chemical known ...