An active ingredient in treating mild depression

Study supports findings that exercise can help beat the blues and might reduce need for medication.

This fall, we ran a series of articles called Healthwatch that examined the latest medical studies making the news. The series provoked a lot of discussion, and readers asked for more, so medical journalist Evra Taylor Levy and emergency physician Eddy Lang are back, helping to make sense of sometimes contradictory medical research. Healthwatch runs every other week as a regular Gazette feature. The writers invite you to join them in their online forum. See details on Page D3.

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It's no secret that the holidays and transition into a new year spell depression for many people experiencing loneliness, difficult life events or loss. With this, our end-of-the-year edition of Healthwatch, we bring you an uplifting study that looks at a way of beating some kinds of depression without medication.
Worldwide, depression is the leading cause of years lived with disability. During their lifetime, about five to 12 per cent of men and 10 to 25 per cent of women will have at least one major depressive episode. Interestingly, mood disorders often begin in adolescence, making early diagnosis especially important to offset years of unhappy, impaired living. Additionally, Canadian winters mean reduced sunlight and shorter days, which have been implicated in an increased prevalence of depression at this time of the year.

Symptoms of depression

It has been reported that half of the people who have clinical depression don't know it, so recognizing its symptoms is essential and the first step toward treatment. While not a complete list, symptoms include: persistent sadness; pessimism; feelings of guilt; loss of interest and pleasure in activities; helplessness or hopelessness; difficulty concentrating; insomnia or oversleeping; apathy; anxiety; thoughts of suicide or death.

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