We've improved! Welcome to the redesigned Phys.org. We hope you like it.

Please feel free to contact us with any questions or feedback.

Sign In Register Nanotechnology Physics Space & Earth Electronics Technology Chemistry Biology Medicine & Health Other Sciences HomeMedicine & HealthPsychology & PsychiatryNovember 29, 2010 Biological changes in suicidal patients Nov 29, 2010 Depressed and suicidal individuals have low levels of the stress hormone cortisol in their blood and saliva. They also have substances in their spinal fluid that suggest there is increased inflammation in the brain. These findings could help to develop new methods for diagnosing and treating suicidal patients. Ads by Google Negotiations & Influence - NUS Executive Program for Leaders & Senior managers. 5 days, Singapore - executive-education.nus.edu Doctor Daniel Lindqvist from the Psychoimmunology Unit at Lund University, Sweden, is presenting these results in his PhD thesis. He is part of a research group led by Dr Lena Brundin, which sees inflammation in the brain as a strong contributory factor to depression. This is a new theory that challenges the prevalent view that depression is only due to a lack of the substances serotonin and noradrenaline. "However, current serotonin-based medication cures far from all of the patients treated. We believe that inflammation is the first step in the development of depression and that this in turn affects serotonin and noradrenaline", says Daniel Lindqvist. One of the articles in his thesis shows that suicidal patients had unusually high levels of inflammation-related substances (cytokines) in their spinal fluid. The levels were highest in patients who had been diagnosed with major depression or who had made violent suicide attempts, e.g. attempting to hang themselves. The research group at the Division of Psychiatry in Lund is now getting ready to conduct a treatment study based on its theory. Depressed patients will be treated with antiinflammatory medication in the hope that their symptoms will be reduced. The researchers believe that the cause of the inflammation that sets off the process could vary. It could be serious influenza, or an auto-immune disease such as rheumatism, or a

serious allergy that leads to inflammation in the body. A certain genetic vulnerability is probably also required, i.e. certain gene variants that make some people more sensitive than others. Other studies in Daniel Lindqvist's thesis show that patients with depression and a serious intention of committing suicide had low levels of the stress hormone cortisol in their blood. The cortisol levels were also low in saliva samples from individuals several years after a suicide attempt. This has been interpreted to mean that the depressed patients' mental suffering led to a sort of 'breakdown' in the stress system, resulting in low levels of stress hormones. "It is easy to take and analyse blood and saliva samples. Cortisol and inflammation substances could therefore be used as markers for suicide risk and depth of depression", says Daniel Lindqvist. Provided by Lund University view popular 5 /5 (1 vote)

Featured Popular Most shared Researchers use Moore's Law to calculate that life began before Earth existed Apr 18, 2013 101 Small in size, big on power: New microbatteries the most powerful yet Apr 16, 2013 44 Astrophysicists find five-planet system with most Earth-like exoplanet yet Apr 18, 2013 27 Physicists set new record for quantum teleportation with matter qubits Apr 16, 2013 14 New coating could enable major boost in solar-cell efficiency Apr 18, 2013 14 Phys.org on facebook TopSend Feedback Related Stories Symptoms of depression in obese children linked to elevated cortisol Jun 11, 2009 A new study connects abnormalities of the "stress" hormone cortisol with symptoms of depression in obese children, and confirms that obesity and depression often occur together, even in children. Young adults not at risk of suicidal behavior from antidepressants Jul 06, 2007 Antidepressants lower the risk of suicide attempt in adults with depression, according to a study published in the July issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry. The researchers also found that the lower risk held true f ... Stress hormone, depression trigger obesity in girls Feb 22, 2010 (PhysOrg.com) -- Depression raises stress hormone levels in adolescent boys and girls but may lead to obesity only in girls, according to researchers. Early treatment of depression could help reduce stress and control obesity ...

Ads by Google Finger Numbness Causes - Find out what cause Finger numbness Simple safe solution wear at night - TherapyGloves.com/numbfingers.html Private Drug Rehab Center - Drug Rehab Facility in Thailand - Effective Program, 4 Weeks $5,995 - drugrehabasia.com Ask Tech Support Online - Tech Support Will Answer You Now! Questions Answered Every 9 Seconds. - Gmail.JustAnswer.com User comments Commenting is closed for this article. More news stories Particular DNA changes linked with prostate cancer development and lethality A new analysis has found that the loss or amplification of particular DNA regions contributes to the development of prostate cancer, and that patients with two of these DNA changes have a high likelihood of dying from the ... After age 18, asthma care deteriorates It is widely accepted that medical insurance helps older adults with chronic health problems to receive better care. But what about young adults between the ages of 18 and 25, a demographic that also tends to have the lowest ... Change diet, exercise habits at same time for best results, study says Most people know that the way to stay healthy is to exercise and eat right, but millions of Americans struggle to meet those goals, or even decide which to change first. Now, researchers at the Stanford University School ... Lost your keys? Your cat? The brain can rapidly mobilize a search party A contact lens on the bathroom floor, an escaped hamster in the backyard, a car key in a bed of gravel: How are we able to focus so sharply to find that proverbial needle in a haystack? Scientists at the University ... Embryonic stem cell transplant restores memory, learning in mice For the first time, human embryonic stem cells have been transformed into nerve cells that helped mice regain the ability to learn and remember. A study at the University of Wisconsin-Madison is the first ... Former Google CEO shares vision in tech treatise Some illuminating books already have been written about Google's catalytic role in a technological upheaval that is redefining the way people work, play, learn, shop and communicate. Until now, though, there ... Rocket that will carry cargo ship test launched (Update) A company contracted by NASA to deliver supplies to the International Space Station successfully launched a rocket on Sunday in a test of its ability to send a cargo ship aloft. Discovery upends model for how dividing cells monitor equal distribution of their chromosomes

Ludwig researchers Arshad Desai and Christopher Campbell, a post-doctoral fellow in his laboratory, were conducting an experiment to parse the molecular details of cell division about three years ago, when they engineered ... Late 20th century was warmest in 1,400 years Earth was cooling until the end of the 19th century and a hundred years later, the planet's surface was on average warmer than at any time in the previous 1,400 years, according to climate records presented ... Two-photon microscopy: New research may help drastically reduce cost of powerful microscope technique (Phys.org) A dye-based imaging technique known as two-photon microscopy can produce pictures of active neural structures in much finer detail than functional magnetic resonance imaging, or fMRI, but it ... Top Home Medical Xpress Search Help What's new About us ontact / FAQ Partners PhysOrg Account Sponsored Account Newsletter RSS feeds Feature Stories Weblog & Reports Podcasts Archive iPhone iPad Apps Blackberry App Android App & Widget Amazon Kindle PDA version

Privacy Policy Terms of Use Phys.org 2003-2013