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on: Saturday, 30 August 2008 06:06
on: Saturday, 30 August 2008 02:40
on: Saturday, 30 August 2008 02:12
on: Saturday, 30 August 2008 01:30
on: Saturday, 30 August 2008 01:12
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Member Testimonials
QUOTE (Heavens_wept @ Jun 25 2008, 10:31 AM) *
Hey all ^_^
Names Adam, im a 16 year old male from South Wales, Uk.
i found this site through reaserching my medication i have been on for about a year now. Floroxitine (aka prozac), and i browsed around the website, i really like what you guys have going on here, its hard to find support anywhere.
Kudos to the person / people who run this site ^_^
Hope to see you all soon!
Take care
&
Blessings be.
~Adam (Heavens_wept )
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Depression & Mental Health FAQs
US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimated 40 million Americans living today will suffer from major depressive illness during their lives. Seasonal affective disorder is major depression that appears in the fall or winter and goes away in spring, thought to be caused by lack of sunlight.
Postpartum depression occurs within four weeks of a women giving childbirth. Most new mothers suffer from some form of the �baby blues.� Postpartum depression, by contrast, is major depression, thought to be triggered by changes in hormonal flows associated with childbirth. Catatonic depression is a rare form of major depression characterized by (at least two): Stupor, excessive motor activity, extreme negativism, peculiarities in voluntary movement, and repetition of other people's words or actions. - mcmanweb.com
Psychotic depression is a rare form of depression characterized by delusions or hallucinations, such as believing you are someone you are not and hearing voices.
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, approximately 18.8 million American adults, or about 9.5 percent of the US population age 18 and older in a given year, have a depressive disorder. Depression is a chronic illness that exacts a significant toll on
America's health and productivity. It affects more than 21 million
American children and adults annually and is the leading cause of
disability in the United States for individuals ages 15 to 44.
Lost productive time among U.S. workers due to depression is estimated
to be in excess of $31 billion per year. Depression frequently
co-occurs with a variety of medical illnesses such as heart disease,
cancer, and chronic pain and is associated with poorer health status
and prognosis. It is also the principal cause of the 30,000 suicides
in the U.S. each year. In 2004, suicide was the 11 th leading cause of death in the United States, third among individuals 15-24.
According to the World Health Organization, depression is presently on track to becoming the world's second-most disabling disease (after heart disease) by the year 2020. Depression is responsible for some $87 billion a year in lost productivity in the US (a conservative estimate), and according to Bank One, is responsible for most lost work days in its employees after pregnancy and childbirth. Additionally, one million people worldwide die by their own hand, most as a result of a mood disorder. Finally, the linkage between depression and a host of physical illnesses makes it arguably the world's greatest killer.
Research presented at the 56th Annual Conference of the Canadian
Psychiatric Association shows a marked link between bipolar disorder
and migraines. The odds of migraine in persons with bipolar disorder were 40% higher than the general population. Data
obtained from 36,984 people aged 15 and over, who screened positive for
manic or depressive episodes with migraine, were compared against those
who screened positive for mania but who didn�t suffer from migraines. Amongst
males, 14.9% of those with manic episodes were also diagnosed with
migraines compared with 5.8% of the general population. Amongst
females, 34.7% had both migraines and bipolar disorder compared with
14.7% who only had migraines.unquote.gif While the research was
skewed towards persons who were already diagnosed with bipolar
disorders, what does it mean for people who suffer from migraines but
who may have an undiagnosed bipolar disorder?
Migraines and headaches aren�t fully understood but the manifestations are very real and debilitating for their sufferers: Throbbing pain Nausea Heightened sensitivity to light or sound Seeing dots, wavy lines, flashing lights, or blind spots Difficulty with speech, sensation, or movement
An estimated 2.1 million
American adolescents have experienced major depression within the last
year, according to a new comprehensive government study. Researchers
surveyed more than 67,000 young people ages 12 to 17 and found that one
in 12 had suffered from serious depression in the previous year.Nearly
13 percent of girls had struggled with depression, compared to less
than 5 percent of boys. Odds of depression increased with age -- just 4
percent of 12-year-olds experienced depression but that climbed to 11
percent for older teens.
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Wellbeing: a guide to happiness
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 Wellbeing: a guide to happiness What's
so good about CBT?
Harry Potter author J K Rowling revealed last week that she recovered
from serious depression with the help of cognitive behavioural therapy
(CBT). This "talking therapy" is now widely used to help people with a
range of mental health problems. 
What is CBT?
It is a way of discussing how you think about yourself, other people
and the world generally (the cognitive part) and how this affects how
you feel and what you do (the behaviour bit). It can help you change
these things, which can improve your symptoms. Importantly, unlike some
other talking treatments, it focuses on "now" and how to improve the
way you're currently thinking and feeling, rather than looking back at
causes of distress in the past.
Who benefits from it?
The Royal College of Psychiatrists says CBT is "as effective as
antidepressants for many types of depression" and "one of the most
effective treatments for conditions where anxiety or depression is
the main problem". CBT can reportedly help alleviate many conditions,
including anxiety, depression, phobias, obsessive compulsive disorder,
schizophrenia and bulimia.
How does it work?
It involves breaking your thought patterns and behaviour down into
smaller bits to help you understand how they're connected. Broadly
speaking, these parts are: a situation, thoughts, emotions, physical
feelings and actions.
Give an example.
OK: you've had a bad day, so you go shopping. As you walk down the
road, you pass someone you know who, apparently, ignores you. How do
you react? There are unhelpful ways, which will tend to make you feel
worse, and helpful ways. In the first scenario, your first thought
might be: "He ignored me - he obviously doesn't like me." Then negative
emotions would follow: feelings of sadness and rejection. They might in
turn lead to physical symptoms such as feeling sick and low on energy.
All that would influence your behaviour.
You have no actual evidence that the person doesn't like you. But
you've ended up feeling bad about yourself and behaving unhelpfully.
What would be the helpful reaction?
You could start by thinking: "He looks a bit wrapped up in himself. I
wonder if something's wrong?" You would be concerned, in a friendly
way, but have no adverse physical feeling. You would continue your
shopping trip, making a mental note to get in touch to make sure your
acquaintance was OK. That in turn would give you the chance to correct
any lingering misconceptions you might have - and you'd probably feel
better about yourself.
And that's it?
Well, it's not quite as simple as that. If you're thinking negatively,
your thoughts, emotions and actions can start to reinforce each other,
and your behaviour can even prompt new situations that leave you
feeling worse. Ultimately, as the Royal College points out, "you can
start to believe quite unrealistic (and unpleasant) things about
yourself". When we are distressed, it explains, we are more likely to
jump to conclusions and interpret things in extreme and unhelpful ways.
CBT helps you see the individual parts of the process and change them.
So how is it done?
Either individually or in groups,
or even with books or a computer programme. For more information on CBT, start at www.mind.org.uk/information .
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Depression & Mental Health FAQs 2
What is Clinical Depression? Clinical
depression can affect your body, mood, thoughts, and behavior. It can
change your eating habits, how you feel and think about things, your
ability to work and study, and how you interact with people. Clinical
depression is not a passing mood, a sign of personal weakness or a
condition that can be willed away. Clinically depressed people cannot
"pull themselves together" and get better. Depression can be
successfully treated by a mental health professional or certain health
care providers. With the right treatment, 80 percent of those who seek
help get better. And many people begin to feel better in just a few
weeks.
Depression a Big Factor in Poor Health World Health Organization Finds Depression Often Goes Untreated By Salynn Boyles WebMD Medical News Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD Sept.
6, 2007 -- Depression has a greater impact on overall health than
arthritis, diabetes, angina, and asthma, but it all too often goes
unrecognized and untreated, a report from the World Health Organization
(WHO) suggests. more... Depression a Big Factor in Poor Health
For Additional Information About Depression Write To: The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)6001 Executive Boulevard, Room 8184, MSC 9663 Bethesda, MD 20892-9663
For free brochures on depression and its treatment call: 1-800-421-4211. or visit: http://www.nimh.nih.gov
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