Inflammation and depression: new insights into sex differences in adolescents

Illustration set of 9 different faces of all sexes and races . Also available in other sets.

Sophie Fairweather explores a recent paper which suggests that the inflammatory cytokines IL-2 and IL-6 are associated with both the risk of developing depression, and with depression severity, although this relationship is modified by sex.

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Shorter sleep and depression: what role do our genes play?

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Nick Donnelly discusses how one’s genetic predisposition to shorter sleep is associated with the onset of depression in older adults.

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Are psychological interventions effective in preventing relapse and recurrence in depression?

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Andrea Cipriani is back, this time writing with Rosario Aronica to summarise an individual patient data meta-analysis on the use of psychological interventions for preventing relapse in depression.

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Keep on movin’… Even small doses of physical activity can lower our risk of depression

A senior man preparing a two-handed basketball shoot.  Isolated on white.

Elli Kypraiou considers a systematic review published in JAMA Psychiatry, which suggests that relatively small doses of physical activity were associated with substantially lower risks of depression.

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(Brain) sex matters

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Paris Lalousis reviews a recent study that looks into the differences in brain connectivity between males and females, which suggests a potential sex-based divergence in the neurobiological underpinnings of psychiatric disorders.

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From mother to child: the role of racism and trauma in the intergenerational transmission of depression

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Lisa Lloyd and Krupa Sheth summarise a study investigating the role of racism and trauma on the intergenerational transmission of depression between Black mothers and their children.

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Anti-inflammatory treatments for youth depression: promising but not yet implementable

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Céline Wessa reports on a recent systematic review of pharmacological anti-inflammatory treatment in children and adolescents with depressive symptoms, which has some promising results.

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Risk factors for depression relapse while on long-term maintenance antidepressant treatment

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In her debut blog, Asha Ladwa discusses a secondary analysis of data from the ANTLER trial, which investigated the clinical factors associated with relapse in primary care patients on long-term maintenance antidepressants.

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From parent to child: understanding the risk of anxiety in families affected by mood disorders

Close up faces in row, diverse women smile looking at camera, little cute girl, her adult mother, mature grandmother and old great-grandmother portraits. Multi-generational family, heredity, offspring

Aslihan Baser summarises a systematic review and meta-analysis investigating the risk for developing anxiety disorders in children whose parents experience mood disorders.

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Brain-body health please: new research supports integrated physical and mental health care

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Athina Aruldass finds that management of serious neuropsychiatric disorders should acknowledge the importance of poor physical health and target restoration of both brain and body function.

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