<p>More than half of babies who are living in poverty are being reared by mothers with depression, according to new research.</p>

<p>And, having a mother who is depressed can lead to real problems for the child, according to researcher Olivia Golden, who along with her colleagues at Urban Institute wrote the paper.   "A mom who is too sad to get up in the morning won’t be able to take care of all of her child’s practical needs.  If she is not able to take joy in her child, talk baby talk, play with the child – those are features of parenting that brain development research has told us contribute to babies’ and toddlers’ successful development."</p>

<p>The authors also noted that the mother’s depression had an impact on how long the infants were breastfed, with babies of depressed mothers being breastfed for a shorter length of time.  In fact, 87% of the severely depressed mothers living in poverty breastfed their babies for four months or less.   The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends breastfeeding at least throughout the first year of life.</p>

<p>Unfortunately, depression in poverty-stricken mothers also often goes untreated, said the authors.   They found that only 30% of the mothers that they surveyed had spoken with a mental health professional within the past year.  With at least 70 percent not getting help, the problem is significant and "we should focus on closing that gap," said Golden.</p>

<p>Golden and her team point out, however, that there are many opportunities to help these mothers, who often have contact with social services programs such as food stamps and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC).  Health-care reform will also open up insurance to many such mothers who did not previously have coverage, say the researchers.</p>

<p>To learn more about the depression-poverty link and how it affects families, visit <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&zu=http://www.urban.org/">http://www.urban.org/</a>.</p><p style="background:#f5f3ef;border:1px solid #d5d0bf;clear:both;padding:.5em;"><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&zu=http://depression.about.com/b/2010/08/27/maternal-depression-poverty-linked.htm">Maternal Depression, Poverty Linked</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&zu=http://depression.about.com/">About.com Depression</a> on Friday, August 27th, 2010 at 05:22:05.</p><p><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&zu=http://depression.about.com/b/2010/08/27/maternal-depression-poverty-linked.htm">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&zu=http://depression.about.com/b/2010/08/27/maternal-depression-poverty-linked.htm#gB3">Comment</a> | <a href="http://depression.about.com/gi/pages/shareurl.htm?PG=http://depression.about.com/b/2010/08/27/maternal-depression-poverty-linked.htm&zItl=Maternal Depression, Poverty Linked">Email this</a></p>

<p>Women experiencing perimenopausal or menopausal depression may be helped by the drug Pristiq (desvenlafaxine), says a Virginia Commonwealth researcher who also serves as a consultant for Pfizer, the manufacturer of Pristiq.</p>

<p>According to researcher Susan G. Kornstein, M.D., a professor of psychiatry and obstetrics/gynecology at the VCU School of Medicine, her previous work has shown that women may respond differently to antidepressants than men do and they may also respond differently at various points in their lives, so, she felt it was important to determine if women respond differently during reproductive events, such as menopause.  "This is the first large study testing the effectiveness of an antidepressant specifically in peri-and postmenopausal women with depression," said Kornstein.</p>

<p>In her research, Kornstein compared the effectiveness and safety of this antidepressant to a placebo (inactive pill) in a double-blind trial.  The study enrolled 387 women who were either peri- or postmenopausal and who were diagnosed with major depression.  The women were then randomly placed in groups which received either a 100 mg or 200 mg daily dose of Pristiq or a placebo for the duration of the eight week trial.</p>

<p>The study found that women taking Pristiq showed significant improvement in their depression symptoms as measured by the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, with response rates of 58.6% for the Pristiq groups, compared to 38.2% for the placebo group.  The drug was also effective for both the periomenopausal and the postmenopausal women.</p>

<p>Pristiq works by increasing the amounts of serotonin and norepinephrine in the brain, both of which are substances which are thought to be involved in mood regulation.</p>

<p>The study was published in the <em>Journal of Clinical Psychiatry</em>.</p><p style="background:#f5f3ef;border:1px solid #d5d0bf;clear:both;padding:.5em;"><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&zu=http://depression.about.com/b/2010/08/26/menopausal-depression-helped-by-pristiq.htm">Menopausal Depression Helped by Pristiq</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&zu=http://depression.about.com/">About.com Depression</a> on Thursday, August 26th, 2010 at 03:16:49.</p><p><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&zu=http://depression.about.com/b/2010/08/26/menopausal-depression-helped-by-pristiq.htm">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&zu=http://depression.about.com/b/2010/08/26/menopausal-depression-helped-by-pristiq.htm#gB3">Comment</a> | <a href="http://depression.about.com/gi/pages/shareurl.htm?PG=http://depression.about.com/b/2010/08/26/menopausal-depression-helped-by-pristiq.htm&zItl=Menopausal Depression Helped by Pristiq">Email this</a></p>

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<p>Often we tend to think of domestic violence as something that happens to women. Investigators at the Group Health Center for Health Studies, however, say domestic violence against men is "under-studied and often hidden".</p>

<p>In a study published in the June 2008 <em>American Journal of Preventative Medicine</em>, the researchers presented data which contradicts five commonly held misconceptions about domestic violence against men:</p>

<ol>
<li><em><strong>Few men experience domestic violence.</strong></em> The truth is that it is more common than believed. When 400 randomly sampled men were interviewed by phone, lead researcher Dr. Robert J. Reid and his colleagues found that 5% had experienced domestic violence in the previous year, 10% in the past five years and 29% at some time during their lifetime. Domestic violence was defined as both physical abuse (slapping, hitting, kicking or forced sex) and non-physical abuse (threats, constant disparaging remarks or controlling behavior).</li>
<li><em><strong>Abuse of men has no serious effects.</strong></em> Even though women are more likely to be physically abused than men, the researchers found that men who were abused – even if the abuse was non-physical – suffered serious, long-term effects on their mental health. Depressive symptoms were nearly three times as common in older men who had experienced abuse than in those who had not.</li>
<li><em><strong>Abused men don’t stay with their abusers.</strong></em> Women, especially those who have children or are financially dependent upon their husbands, often stay in abusive relationships. The expectation held, however, is that men would be better able to leave their abusers. "We were surprised to find that most men in abusive relationships also stay, through multiple episodes, for years," said Dr. Reid.</li>
<li><em><strong>Domestic violence only affects the poor.</strong></em> Not so, say the researchers. Their study showed that people from all walks of life are affected. </li>
<li><em><strong>Ignoring it will make it go away.</strong></em><strong> </strong> Ignoring a problem does not make it go away, however, many men are ashamed to speak out about abuse because of society’s expectations that men are strong and in control. The researchers found that older men were less likely to speak out about their abuse than younger men.</li>
</ol>

<p>In a press release, the researchers made it clear that they did not want to downplay violence against women. "Our team is concerned about abuse of people: of women as well as men," said Dr. Reid. In fact, the men who were interviewed were asked the same questions that had been asked of women in a previous study about domestic violence against women.</p>

<p>If you are a man or woman who has been abused by the significant other in your life, help is a phone call away. You can reach the National Domestic Violence Hotline toll-free at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233).</p>

<p></p>

<p>_{Photo Credit: StockTrek / Getty Images}</p>

<p><br class="spacer_" /></p><p style="background:#f5f3ef;border:1px solid #d5d0bf;clear:both;padding:.5em;"><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&zu=http://depression.about.com/b/2010/08/20/battered-men-the-hidden-side-of-domestic-violence-2.htm">Battered Men: The Hidden Side of Domestic Violence</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&zu=http://depression.about.com/">About.com Depression</a> on Friday, August 20th, 2010 at 14:14:32.</p><p><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&zu=http://depression.about.com/b/2010/08/20/battered-men-the-hidden-side-of-domestic-violence-2.htm">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&zu=http://depression.about.com/b/2010/08/20/battered-men-the-hidden-side-of-domestic-violence-2.htm#gB3">Comment</a> | <a href="http://depression.about.com/gi/pages/shareurl.htm?PG=http://depression.about.com/b/2010/08/20/battered-men-the-hidden-side-of-domestic-violence-2.htm&zItl=Battered Men: The Hidden Side of Domestic Violence">Email this</a></p>