Could Botox injections actually be the newest form of treatment for serious depression? According to a recent study in Dermatologic Surgery, the official journal of the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery (ASDS), the answer may very well be yes.

In the extremely small "pilot" study, ten female patients suffering from ongoing major depression were given five Botox injections in their frown muscles (located between the eyebrows and above the bridge of the nose). The effect? They were physically unable to frown. Lead researcher Dr. Eric Finzi's train of thought goes as follows:

“I think there is direct feedback between the facial frown muscles and the depression center of the brain,” Finzi tells WebMD. “If you can prevent the negative signals that occur when someone frowns, the brain interprets this as meaning that things are better.”

So, does having your face frozen into position really make you a happier camper? Apparently so. After two months of treatment, self-reported surveys indicated that nine of the 10 patients were no longer depressed, and the tenth had experienced improvements in mood, although she was still depressed. Dr. Finzi (that's M.D. and Ph.D, folks) views this as obvious success - after all, seven of the women had unsuccessfully used antidepressants and four had previously undergone psychotherapy - and as evidence for further studies into the botox/depression connection.

Others are far more skeptical. Dr. David Goldbloom, senior medical adviser for education and public affairs at Toronto's Centre for Addiction and Mental Health explained to the Canadian Press:

"Even people who quote - look fabulous - unquote can experience depression. And the idea that a cosmetic approach to a psychological and psychiatric problem is touted as a solution, while it may be appealing to some people, strikes me as only a skin-deep solution."

It seems to me as though Dr. Goldbloom may be missing the point. Rather than use Botox to improve physical appearance (the way most individuals use it to reduce signs of aging), Dr. Finzi is only altering their ability to frown. At the same time, I just don't know how I feel about endorsing a "treatment" that limits an individual's natural facial expressions. Something about that just screams creepy. In any case, I doubt this is the last time we will hear about potential alternative uses for Botox - though it brings an odd new meaning to REM's song, "Shiny happy people."