Teenage girls are more prone to depression because their hormones affect blood flow to the brain

• Scientists at University of Pennsylvania found puberty marks change in blood flow to the brain with girls seeing a higher blood flow than boys
• Females are known to be at higher risk of depression and anxiety
• New study found parts of the brain with highest difference in blood flow were parts associated with higher cognitive functions
• Area affected involves emotions and regulates control of social situations
• Researchers say it could explain why females are more prone to depression

Teenage girls could be more prone to depression and anxiety disorders because they experience greater blood flow to the brain, a new study has found.

The sex hormone oestrogen drives more blood to the heads of young women compared to men - and that could explain disparities in psychiatric disorders.

Blood flow is known to be higher in adult women than men, but a study now shows it is markedly different during adolescence when teenagers are going through puberty.

Professor Theodore Satterthwaite, of the University of Pennsylvania, said: 'In general, females have a higher prevalence of anxiety and depression and in males higher prevalence of schizophrenia.

Scientists at the University of Pennsylvania say greater blood flow to the brain in adolescent girls could explain why females are more likely to suffer depression and anxiety disorders

'The parts of the brain that saw the highest difference of blood flow were in parts of the brain associated with higher cognitive functions.'

He added the area affected was important as it involves 'emotions and regulates and controls social situations'.

Professor Satterthwaite and his colleagues used MRI scans to analyse the development of brain blood flow in 922 young people aged between eight and 22 to find out when such sex changes emerge.

Previous studies have shown brain blood flow falls during adolescence. But by about the age of 15 it began to decline more rapidly in males than in females, and by late puberty it rose in females but continued to decline in the males.

The results published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences suggest the gender difference may originate during puberty, and may have implications for understanding psychiatric disorders that often manifest later.

The psychiatrists added: 'Puberty is the defining biological process of adolescent development, yet its effects on fundamental properties of brain physiology such as cerebral blood flow have never been investigated.'

The study found the areas of a girl's brain that saw the highest increase in blood flow was that which deals with emotions and controls social situations

It is the first time to the researchers' knowledge that such different patterns of development have been linked to the effects of puberty.

Prof Satterthwaite said: 'These results may have important implications for neuropsychiatric disorders with adolescent onset and strong gender disparities such as mood disorders, anxiety disorders and schizophrenia.'

Sex differences in brain structure are well documented and are increasingly tied to developmental effects related to puberty.

In particular, several studies have found puberty in females and rising oestrogen is related to increased grey matter in structures such as the hippocampus.

Added Prof Satterthwaite: 'The present results have potential relevance to a wide range of psychiatric disorders that often manifest following puberty and have marked sex disparities including depression, anxiety disorders and schizophrenia.'

He added that future research could test whether increased brain blood flow in girls after puberty may be linked to the greater risk for mood and anxiety disorders, and a lower risk of schizophrenia.

Boys are twice as likely to develop schizophrenia which is linked to the male sex hormone testosterone.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2639701/Teenage-girls-prone-depression-hormones-affect-blood-flow-brain.html

One in five women say they are anxious most of the time

• 22 per cent admit being preoccupied with everyday worries, poll says
• In 2009 just 12 per cent of women said they felt frightened or anxious
• Survey was carried out by the Mental Health Foundation charity
• Nearly half of all people say they get more anxious than they used to

More than one in five women say they suffer from anxiety most or all of the time – almost double the number five years ago.

Some 22 per cent admit being preoccupied with everyday worries such as money and the welfare of loved ones.

The figure has soared since 2009, when just 12 per cent of women said they felt frightened or anxious, a survey by the Mental Health Foundation reveals.

More than one in five women say they suffer from anxiety most or all of the time - almost double the number five years ago

The charity’s Living With Anxiety report highlights a rise in sufferers across both sexes, with nearly half of people saying they get more anxious than they used to.

Almost one in five (19 per cent) of  the 2,300 people polled by YouGov said they feel anxious a lot or all the time,  citing money, finance and debt as their  top concerns.

But the most startling finding is among the 1,200 women taking part in the poll.

Some 22 per cent said they felt anxious nearly all (5 per cent) or a lot (17 per cent) of the time, compared with 15 per cent of men. And 52 per cent of women said they get more frightened or anxious than they used to, compared with 43 per cent five years ago.

Money worries were cited as the main causes of anxiety for 48 per cent of women, with the welfare of loved ones and children coming second for 44 per cent.

In 2009, finance (55 per cent) and the death of loved ones (55 per cent) were equally cited as the main trigger factors. Around a quarter of women say they would be embarrassed to tell anyone they felt anxious. The charity is now launching a major campaign – coinciding with Mental Health Awareness Week – to raise understanding of anxiety and its potential effect on mental and emotional wellbeing.

'MINDFULNESS' CURED MY ANXIETY, SAYS TORY MP TRACEY CROUCH

Tracey Crouch said the stress-relief sessions, which are based on Buddhist meditation techniques, helped her through a 'low period' in her life

A Tory MP has described how courses in ‘mindfulness’ helped cure her anxiety. 

Tracey Crouch said the stress-relief sessions, which are based on Buddhist meditation techniques, helped her through a ‘low period’ in her life. 

The member for Chatham and Aylesford says more than 70 MPs and peers have now signed up to take part in the fashionable courses over the coming weeks.

And she wants GPs to consider prescribing the therapy rather than handing out so many anti-depressants. 

Mindfulness could also be used in schools to help children concentrate and even help soldiers overcome post-traumatic stress disorder, she said.

Speaking on Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour, Miss Crouch, 38, said her family doctor suggested she went on a course last year instead of relying on medication.

She added: ‘Last year 53million  prescriptions for antidepressants were written and I think we need to look at alternative ways of coping with anxiety and stress.’ 

She said the stigma around mental health meant it was still hard to admit needing help.

However, the NHS is now sending more patients on mindfulness courses and an all-party parliamentary group will be launched this month to look at how the government can make use of it.

Mindfulness, pioneered in the US in the 1970s, encourages practitioners to slow down and ‘inhabit the moment’ rather than worrying about  the past or the future. 

Hollywood stars Meg Ryan and Goldie Hawn are said to be fans of the technique, which uses breathing exercises and stretching as well as meditation.

Although anxiety is a natural emotion, it can lead to disorders such as panic, phobias and obsessive behaviours, says the report.

Many find solace in potentially harmful coping strategies, with a quarter comfort eating and nearly one in five ‘hiding away from the world’. More than a quarter think anxiety is a sign of not being able to cope and 29 per cent say they would be embarrassed to admit to it.

As a result, only 7 per cent overall go to a GP about anxiety – although almost a third of women say they would do so.

More than half (57 per cent) of people wish they could be less anxious – up from 17 per cent five years ago.

Jenny Edwards, of the Mental Health Foundation, described the findings as ‘stark’. She said: ‘Women often are the ones who juggle the family finances and try to make ends meet in hard times. We know women often put themselves last when they have to cut back on life’s little luxuries, or even essentials.’

Women also tend to shoulder most of the burden for caring, which can add to daily worries, she said. TV presenter Anna Williamson, 32, has suffered from generalised anxiety disorder and panic disorder for the past decade but has urged sufferers to seek out ‘talking therapies’. She said: ‘I know only too well the feelings of dread, the severe panic attacks and the irrational thinking that go hand in hand with anxiety.’ NHS figures recently revealed that a third of all hospital admissions for anxiety are women over 60.

Last year a total of 8,720 patients were treated in hospital for anxiety – 2,440 of whom were women over the age of 60. Other figures show that women make up nearly two thirds of patients seeking treatment for depression – with a 7.5 per cent rise in prescriptions for medication in a year.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2625816/One-five-women-say-anxious-time-Number-worried-money-loved-ones-doubles-just-five-years.html