Category: Depression

2 Personality Traits Linked To Negative Thoughts

The best strategy for getting rid of negative thoughts.

The best strategy for getting rid of negative thoughts.

People high in neuroticism are more likely to experience negative thoughts, research finds.

In addition, being introverted is linked to spontaneously remembering more negative life events.

Together, both personality traits — neuroticism and introversion — are linked to depression and anxiety.

On the other hand, people with stable emotions who are more extraverted are at lower risk of depression and anxiety.

Neuroticism and introversion are two of the ‘big 5’ personality traits, that also include agreeableness, conscientiousness and openness to experience.

The study included 71 people who were given personality tests and asked to recall some personal memories.

Dr Florin Dolcos, study co-author, explained:

“We’re looking at traits that are associated with the way that people process the emotional world and the way that they respond to it.

We wanted to look not only at how personality traits might influence what and how people remember, but also to examine how that impacts their (subsequent) emotional state.”

The results showed that both men and women who were more introverted tended to recall more negative memories.

Neurotic women had a tendency to repeatedly return to the same memories, the study revealed.

Psychologists call this rumination.

Dr Dolcos explained:

“Depressed people recollect those negative memories and as a result they feel sad.

And as a result of feeling sad, the tendency is to have more negative memories recollected.

It’s a kind of a vicious circle.”

Neurotic men, though, recalled a higher proportion of negative memories.

Getting rid of negative thoughts

To get rid of negative thoughts, people use a variety of strategies.

For women, trying to suppress negative thoughts did not work, as they returned stronger than before.

(See: the problem with thought suppression.)

Men who made an effort to think differently about their memories — what psychologists call ‘reappraisal’ — recalled more positive memories.

Suppression was not linked to any differences for men.

One of the best ways of getting rid of negative thoughts is using flexible emotional control strategies.

The study was published in the journal Emotion (Denkova et al., 2012).

The Best Treatment For Severe Depression (S)

In each year, almost 7% of Americans have an episode of major depressive disorder.

In each year, almost 7% of Americans have an episode of major depressive disorder.

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The Neural Link Between Depression And Sleep Identified (S)

Why 75% of depressed people also report sleep problems like insomnia or difficulties falling asleep.

Why 75% of depressed people also report sleep problems like insomnia or difficulties falling asleep.

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The Drugs That May Treat Depression By Restructuring The Brain (S)

The findings could help with new treatments for depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and addictions.

The findings could help with new treatments for depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and addictions.

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This 3-Minute Treatment For Major Depression Is Effective, Research Finds

Almost half the people in the study found their symptoms reduced and 32% had complete remission.

Almost half the people in the study found their symptoms reduced and 32% had complete remission.

Major depression can be effectively treated in just three minutes at a time with brain stimulation, new research shows.

Treatment-resistant depression does not respond to antidepressants.

Up to around 40% of people may have this type of depression.

However, studies have shown a type of brain stimulation called repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) can be helpful.

Previously, these sessions took 37.5 minutes each, but new research suggests just three minutes of a different type of brain stimulation can be just as effective.

Intermittent theta burst stimulation, or iTBS, mimics the natural electrical rhythms in the brain.

Dr Daniel Blumberger, the study’s lead author, said:

“The main impact of this study is that the number of people who are able to be treated using theta burst stimulation compared to the standard form of rTMS can be increased by three to four fold.”

For the study, people with treatment-resistant depression were either given the longer or the shorter treatment for five days a week over six weeks.

The results showed that almost half the people in the study found that iTBS reduced their symptoms and 32% had complete remission.

The figures for rTMS were similar, but the iTBS is quicker.

One of the patients, Shelley Hofer, 43, who has had treatment-resistant depression for most of her life, said:

“rTMS has changed my life in so many ways.

I really wish it had been around a long time ago because I believe it would have been my go-to treatment.

In my personal opinion, I feel rTMS could improve the lives of so many people who are still struggling to find the answers to their own mental illness.”

The study was published in the journal The Lancet (Blumberger et al., 2018).

The Diet That Reduces Depression Risk

People eating this diet felt more positive and were more likely to be flourishing.

People eating this diet felt more positive and were more likely to be flourishing.

Eating raw fruits and vegetables is linked to better mental health, new research finds.

People eating raw fruit and veg were at lower risk of depression and more likely to be flourishing and feeling positive about life.

Raw bananas and apples were particularly beneficial, along with ‘salad fixings’.

Just over 6 servings of raw fruit and vegetables provided the maximum benefit to mental health.

Cooked, canned or processed fruits and vegetables were not linked to the same boost.

Dr Tamlin Conner, who led the research, said:

“Our research has highlighted that the consumption of fruit and vegetables in their ‘unmodified’ state is more strongly associated with better mental health compared to cooked/canned/processed fruit and vegetables.”

The ten best foods for mental health were:

  1. carrots,
  2. bananas,
  3. apples,
  4. dark leafy greens such as spinach,
  5. grapefruit,
  6. lettuce,
  7. citrus fruits,
  8. fresh berries,
  9. cucumber,
  10. and kiwifruit.

The study surveyed over 400 people in the US and New Zealand about their dietary habits and mental health.

Young people aged 18 to 25 were chosen for the study as this age range is typically at highest risk for mental health problems.

Dr Connor explained the results:

“Controlling for the covariates, raw fruit and vegetable consumption predicted lower levels of mental illness symptomology, such as depression, and improved levels of psychological wellbeing including positive mood, life satisfaction and flourishing.

These mental health benefits were significantly reduced for cooked, canned, and processed fruits and vegetables.

This research is increasingly vital as lifestyle approaches such as dietary change may provide an accessible, safe, and adjuvant approach to improving mental health.”

The study was published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology (Brookie et al., 2018).

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