Depression in the news

Re-capture is running a photography project giving young people the chance to capture what recovery from an eating disorder means to them, while empowering and inspiring other young people who might be suffering from an eating disorder.

The project is being run to mark Eating Disorder Awareness Week, which takes place on the 20th-26th February 2012.  We would like to invite young people aged 14 to 25 to submit a photograph representing recovery, along with a short explanation of why it illustrates recovery to you.  

This week is the first Scottish Bipolar Awareness Week raising awareness of bipolar disorder in Scotland. The week is run by Bipolar Scotland

Bipolar Scotland is a Third Sector organisation based in Paisley who provide support to anyone affected by bipolar disorder in Scotland.

A new two day Creating a Happier Life course is running in Glasgow on 27th and 28th August.  It combines Neuro-lingusitic Programming (NLP), positive psychology, neuro science, alternative therapies and more. The course is lead by qualified NLP practitioner Kim McLeod of Stress the Positive. Click here to find out more and book a place.

Painting with light, a journey out of darkness
 

Lorraine Nicholson, author of the Journey Home is holding an exhibition of her work at Stirling University. It's a 6 week exhibition and is being launched this Sunday 24th July.  

Research by women's campaign group Platform 51 found that one in three women in England and Wales has taken anti-depressants during their lifetime

Platform 51, formerly the YWCA,  polled 2,000 women. Of these a third (33%) of women have taken antidepressants at some point in their lives and nearly half (48%) of women polled currently on antidepressants have been on them for five years or more.

Many people have used online messaging such as Facebook and MSN messanger. Now an American study has looked at whether online messaging works to support people with depression. It found that levels of depression were reduced for people on antidepressants who were given follow ups using online messaging.

The study, published in the July issue of the Journal of General Internal Medicine randomised 208 people who were starting taking antidepressants for depression. They either received the usual primary care treatment or primary care supported by online care management.

Depression amongst sportsmen has been a topic of some debate recently. The case of the England cricketer Michael Yardy who had to return home from the Cricket World Cup because of his depression brought the issue to the fore. Unfortunately the reaction of Geoffrey Boycott (who joked that Yardy’s depression may be as a result of his below par bowling performance) showed that there is still a real ignorance in the world of sport toward a very serious, and increasingly common problem.

New research suggests that eating poor food can put you in a low mood. Scientists have found a link between consuming harmful trans-fats and an increased risk of depression. However, olive oil and healthier polyunsaturated fats appear to have the opposite effect and seem to help people keep cheerful.

Researchers say this may demonstrate why southern Europeans tend to be less depressed than northerners. Mediterranean diets are rich in healthy ingredients such as fish, fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as olive oil.