Depression

The treatment could hold significant potential for major depressive disorder

A recent study reveals a significant number of patients with psychiatric histories experience emergency visits after starting glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) medications, raising safety concerns.

Because mothers are already at risk of depression postpartum, health care professionals must properly counsel mothers on hormonal contraceptives.

The authors suggest future research should consider inflammation and the gut as potential therapeutic targets improve depression in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD).

Duloxetine offers treatment for various neuro-psychiatric and pain disorders in patients who have difficulty swallowing.

The demands of the pharmacy profession—long hours, high stress, and emotional strain—can take a toll on pharmacists’ well-being.

Despite these findings, navacaprant was generally well-tolerated and safe in patients with major depressive disorder.

Esketamine targets glutamate, the most abundant neurotransmitters in the brain.

Depression and cardiovascular disease are often linked, with research showing inflammation is common for the 2 disease states.

Female adolescents were at an increased risk of experiencing depression and anxiety symptoms compared with males.

The addition of samidorphan can support the antipsychotic efficacy of olanzapine while mitigating associated weight gain.

Postpartum depression (PPD) rates also had notable increases in those with class I and class II/III obesity.

The findings show robust connections between symptoms, with variations in depression scores directly or indirectly influence fatigue and other symptoms.

Pharmacogenomic testing can help identify patients' genetic profiles, revealing why certain drugs may be less effective or cause adverse effects.

Video chatting, texting, watching videos, and playing video games were activities most commonly associated with depressive symptoms in adolescents.

According to the authors, being able to identify mood disturbances through passive digital biomarker data can be promising in next-generation predictive, personalized mental health diagnostics.

Using the term "pseudodementia" contributes to the mismanagement and mistreatment of the disease.

Additionally, the authors are concerned by the lack of increase in depressive or anxiety diagnoses, indicating potential barriers to care.

The authors urge that screening, prevention, and treatment of anxiety and depression should be important health care priorities for youth who have chronic pain.

Zuranolone enhances health care providers’ ability to address the complex needs of patients with PPD, offering new hope for rapid and sustained relief from depressive symptoms.

Patients with MDD may also seek complementary or alternative therapies in the form of dietary supplements which might be perceived by patients to be natural and safer than medicinal agents.

The findings also demonstrate that body dysmorphic disorder is also associated with high levels of comorbid psychopathology, risk, and psychosocial impairment.

However, the cost of zuranolone makes it challenging to access and justify, given study results comparing it with brexanolone.

The authors note that the oral, at-home treatment can be a better alternative for patients by reducing inconveniences that come with the injectable and nasal administration methods.

The American College of Clinical Gynecology recommends consideration of brexanolone or zuranolone in postpartum patients with onset of moderate-to-severe perinatal depression in the third trimester or within 4 weeks postpartum.

The findings suggest that exploring gender identity is a normal part of adolescent development for some youths.

Perinatal depression increases the risk of cardiovascular disease in women.

At ASHP Pharmacy Futures 2024, Mei T. Liu, PharmD, BCPP, highlights the global prevalence and multifaceted nature of depression, its bidirectional relationship with medical conditions, and the need for diverse, evidence-based treatment options.

The investigators are optimistic that the data can establish stress-related pathways while revealing potential therapeutic options for patients with major depressive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Experts emphasize the importance of awareness when using social media and make suggestions on how to combat the spread of misinformation and conspiracy theories.