Study: Depression Overdiagnosed, Overtreated

BALTIMORE, MD (CBS) – New research shows that most people diagnosed with depression do not actually meet the criteria for the illness.

Researchers at Johns Hopkins University’s Bloomberg School of Public Health looked at a sample of 5,639 people from across the country that had been diagnosed with depression in a non-hospital setting between 2009 and 2010.

Participants in the studywere then re-evaluated during a face-to-face interview to see if they met the criteria for Major [...]

STUDY: Stress and depression ‘shrink brain’

Severe depression and chronic stress can shrink the brain by blocking the formation of new nerve connections, a study has shown.

The effect disrupts circuits associated with mental functioning and emotion.

It could explain why people with major depressive disorder (MDD) suffer from concentration and memory loss, as well as blunted emotional responses.

Several genes involved in building synapses, the connection points between brain cells, were suppressed in people with MDD, scientists found.

This [...]

GlaxoSmithKline fined $3 BILLION after pleading guilty to America’s biggest ever healthcare fraud

GlaxoSmithKline Plc has agreed to plead guilty to misdemeanor criminal charges and pay $3 billion to settle the largest case of healthcare fraud in U.S. history.

The Justice Department says the company plead guilty to promoting two popular drugs for unapproved uses and to failing to report important safety data about a diabetes drug to the Food and Drug Administration.

Prosecutors say GSK encouraged use of Paxil for children although it was [...]

Researchers Developing Smartphone Tech That Detects Depression

The Verizon iPhone. (Credit: CBS)

CHICAGO (CBS) — Researchers at Northwestern University are developing a smart phone that can sense whether you’re falling victim to depression.

As WBBM Newsradio’s Regine Schlesinger reports, psychologist David Mohr has been adapting phones as a virtual therapist for patients prone to depression.

LISTEN: WBBM Newsradio’s Regine Schlesinger reports

 

“We’re trying to develop individual algorithms for each user that can determine specific states, so their location where they are, their activity, their [...]

Returning Adopted Kids: Unthinkable?

Return unused portion for refund. It’s the traditional safety net when a product fails to please or perform.

But should returns be allowed for adopted children?

The Tulsa World reports that parents Melissa and Tony Wescott want to return their 11 year-old adopted son to state custody because they say he had severe behavioral problems not disclosed prior to his 2007 adoption, including reactive detachment disorder, disruptive behavior [...]

David Rosenberg On Perception Versus Reality

We have already broadly discussed the recent euphoria in the market which especially in the Nasdaq has hit 5 year+ extremes. And as always in times of such irrational exuberance, the disconnect between perception and reality is truly astounding. David Rosenberg presents his views on the latest developments in the market’s ongoing fight with manic-depressive disorder.

PERCEPTION VERSUS REALITY

I have been a secular bond bull [...]