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MAGNETIC SEIZURE THERAPY
A brand new type of treatment for major depressive disorders which, it's hoped, could in time replace electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), is being trialled. Magnetic Seizure Therapy, or MST, uses strong magnetic fields instead of electricity to produce seizures.

The first trials of MST suggest that patients recover from the treatment much more quickly than from ECT. Claudia Hammond visited the Whitchurch Hospital in Cardiff, one of the centres at forefront of global research into MST, where Consultant Psychiatrist Dr George Kirov showed her the Magnetic Seizure Therapy machine.

DEBT AND MENTAL HEALTH
People in debt have two to three times the rate of depression, three times the rate of psychosis and double the rate of alcohol dependence, compared with other members of the general public. It’s well-established that debt can make a pre-existing mental health problem worse, but new research suggests that the link between debt and mental disorder is so powerful that debt might actually be causing mental illness.

Professor Rachel Jenkins, Director of the World Health Organisation Collaborating Centre and Professor of Epidemiology and International Mental Health at the Institute of Psychiatry in London tells Claudia about the findings of this research. And Chris Fitch, a Research Fellow from the Royal College of Psychiatrists, tells Claudia about moves to encourage one hundred thousand health and social care professionals to remember to take into account the financial circumstances of their patients.

A GOOD CRY?
Having a good cry usually does make most people feel better, but new research from Holland has found that for people with depression, crying doesn’t seem to bring the same benefits. In the world rankings for tears – American women and men top the charts, while Bulgarian men and Icelandic and Romanian women claim to barely shed a tear. Jon Rottenberg from the University of South Florida, who conducted the research, tells Claudia whether having a good cry really is good for you.