Understanding mood in mental disorders

Recent advances in understanding maternal perinatal mood disorders

The study of perinatal mental health (mental health during pregnancy and postpartum) is a complex field of study that is of major importance both for the mental and physical health of new mothers and for the neurobehavioral development and long-term functioning of the children they bear. In this review, we cover the most recent additions to this rapidly evolving field. Notable advances include ...

Progress in understanding mood disorders: optogenetic dissection of neural circuits.

Major depression is characterized by a cluster of symptoms that includes hopelessness, low mood, feelings of worthlessness and inability to experience pleasure. The lifetime prevalence of major depression approaches 20%, yet current treatments are often inadequate both because of associated side effects and because they are ineffective for many people. In basic research, animal models are often...

Understanding mental disorders through Woody Allen's films.

Mood disorders--new definitions, treatment directions, and understanding.

T he is sue of The Ca na dian Jour nal of Psy chi a try that you have just opened is for the first time al most com pletely ded i cated to mood dis or ders—not sur pris ingly, per haps, because mood dis or ders have be come a ma jor chal lenge and inter est for both the prac tis ing cli ni cian and the ac a demic re searcher. An in creased life time risk for mood dis or ders has been reported f...

Neuroplasticity in mood disorders

Neuroimaging and neuropathological studies of major depressive disorder (MDD) and bipolar disorder (BD) have identified abnormalities of brain structure in areas of the prefrontal cortex, amygdala, striatum, hippocampus, parahippocampal gyrus, and raphe nucleus. These structural imaging abnormalities persist across illness episodes, and preliminary evidence suggests they may in some cases arise...