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Hope Floats - Page 2

© John McManamy

the stress hormone cortisol, which is to mental tranquility what Saddam Hussein is to world peace. Four different companies now have a CRH drug in development. Three or four companies are also working on a substance P agonist (substance P is a neurotransmitter implicated in mood). Work is also being done on the glutamate system (glutamate is an excitatory amino acid that may be responsible for the loss of neurons in the brain), and in looking at how the growth or lack of growth of neurons can affect mood (some antidepressants increase neuron growth).

Just to show how fast things are moving, last month a new peptide was discovered that reduces anxiety (appropriately named stresscopin).

Lest we get carried away, one only has to recall the words of Dr Charney's boss, Steven Hyman MD, Director of the NIMH, speaking at last month's Fourth International Conference on Bipolar Disorder in Pittsburgh. "It is 2001," he told that gathering, "and there is not a good theory of mood regulation in the brain." But this time, speaking to the NAMI Conference, he sounded decisively more upbeat. Schizophrenia and bipolar are far more complicated than Alzheimer's (which medical science seems on the brink of solving), he acknowledged, yet "it is a time of optimism ... ultimately, we have hope."

Which seems to be an affirmation of our existence, at long last - that human voice on the other end of the line, the eye contact with the waiter, the "next" from behind the counter, the person in the door at long last spotting our open trick or treat bag ...

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The copyright of the article Hope Floats - Page 2 in Depression is owned by Kathy Brewis. Permission to republish Hope Floats - Page 2 in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.