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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 11th 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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Study: Antidepressants Offer No Help for Bipolar Disorder

By kstours
Study: Antidepressants Offer No Help for Bipolar Disorder

(The New York Times News Service) -- Patients seeking treatment for bipolar disorder depression are as likely to get relief from sugar pills as they are from widely used antidepressants, according to a new study.

The findings, which appear in this week's New England Journal of Medicine, are sure to confound therapy, researchers say.

"Bipolar depression is notoriously difficult to treat," said David Miklowitz, professor of psychology and psychiatry at the University of Colorado-Boulder, and an investigator on the study.

This study, Miklowitz said, "helps us find what does and does not work."

In the largest study of its kind, researchers at the University of Colorado and sites across the country gave patients Paxil, Wellbutrin or a sugar pill.

During the study, all 366 participants took a mood stabilizer, which is commonly prescribed for those with bipolar disorder.

Neither the patients nor the researchers knew whether they were taking one of the two antidepressants or a placebo.

After 26 weeks, 24 percent of those taking antidepressants recovered from their depression and had no major symptoms for at least eight weeks.

Among those who took a sugar pill, 27 percent stayed well for eight weeks or more.

The study by Dr. Gary S. Sachs of Massachusetts General Hospital, is part of a seven-year, $26.8 million research project to examine the condition once known as manic-depressive illness.

During the study, funded by the National Institutes of Health, investigators at 22 sites across the country enrolled 4,361 participants. Researchers expect more results to be published soon.

About 10 million Americans suffer from bipolar disorder, characterized by extreme mood swings from elation and manic activity to incapacitating depression, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

Treating bipolar disorder with antidepressants has been controversial, because some therapists worry the drugs destabilize patients, said Dr. Michael H. Allen, co-director of the mood disorders program at Colorado's medical school and study investigator.

"Part of the problem is that there have not been very good alternatives," Allen said.

"In the absence of other choices, people have used antidepressants, and in fact some people do very well on them," he said.

Lacey Berumen, executive director of Colorado's office of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, said this study should not put that issue to rest.

"I think it's unfortunate that they limited it to only two medications," Berumen said.

Allen said the findings should encourage new therapies.

"This may help spur better use of mood stabilizers and research into better alternatives," such as antipsychotic drugs, he said.

"It's a challenging disease," Allen said. "It's fairly easy to treat the mania and that is what's been studied most, but actually, people spend more time depressed."

Copyright 2007 The New York Times News Service. All rights reserved.

Source: Aetna InteliHealth; March 29, 2007

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UT Southwestern Researchers Find Antidepressants Need New Nerve Cells To Be Effective
Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have discovered in mice that the brain must create new nerve cells for either exercise or antidepressants to reduce depression-like behavior. In addition, the researchers found that antidepressants and exercise use the same biochemical pathway to exert their effects. These results might help explain some unknown mechanisms of antidepressants and provide a new direction for developing drugs to treat depression, said Dr.

Distinguishing A Bad Mood From Depression In Teenagers, From The Harvard Mental Health Letter
The teenage years are a time of emotional highs and lows. So how do you distinguish normal teenage mood swings and rebellion from actual depression? The September 2008 issue of the Harvard Mental Health Letter highlights some ways to tell. Although depression can occur at any age, it affects teens more than younger children. Depressive symptoms may start appearing around age 13, and often peaks between 16 and 24.




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VYVANSE(R) Now Available In U.S. Pharmacies Nationwide In Six Dosage Strengths - ADHD
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Chronic Stress Alters Our Genetic Immune Response
Most people would agree that stress increases your risk for illness and this is particularly true for severe long-term stresses, such as caring for a family member with a chronic medical illness. However, we still have a relatively limited understanding of exactly how stress contributes to the risk for illness.

New Evidence On Addiction To Medicines Diazepam Has Effect On Nerve Cells In The Brain Reward System
Addictions to medicines and drugs are thought to develop over a relatively long period of time. The process involves both structural and functional changes in brain nerve cells that are still poorly understood. However, a single drug or alcohol dose is sufficient to generate an initial stage of addiction.




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Gene Abnormalities Implicated In Bipolar Disorder - Sodium, Calcium Imbalances Linked To Manic Depressive Episodes
The largest genetic analysis of its kind to date for bipolar disorder has implicated machinery involved in the balance of sodium and calcium in brain cells. Researchers supported in part by the National Institute of Mental Health, part of the National Institutes of Health, found an association between the disorder and variation in two genes that make components of channels that manage the flow of the elements into and out of cells, including neurons.

Astonishing 52 Percent Of Newly Diagnosed Bipolar Disorder Patients Receive Antidepressant Drugs In First-Line Treatment
Decision Resources, one of the world's leading research and advisory firms focusing on pharmaceutical and healthcare issues, finds that an astonishing 52.3 percent of newly diagnosed bipolar disorder patients are prescribed antidepressant drugs first line. The new report entitled Treatment Algorithms in Bipolar Disorder finds that this high preponderance of early-line antidepressant use stems from primary care physician prescribing.




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Canadian Mental Health Association, National Proudly Announces Award-winners At Annual Conference In Nova Scotia
Commemorating 100 years of the mental health movement in Canada, this year's annual national conference Making Waves for Change was hosted by the Nova Scotia Division of the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) in Halifax on Friday, August 22 and Saturday, August 23, 2008.

'Get Connected' On Campus
Starting college can be both exciting and stressful. You're juggling classes, living on your own for the first time and figuring out what you want out of life. It's no surprise that many freshmen feel overwhelmed. In fact, American College Testing (ACT) estimates that 1 in 4 college students drop out before completing their sophomore year. One way to fight stress and feel at home in your new surroundings is to connect to other students and the larger campus community.




Psychology / Psychiatry News From Medical News Today
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'Get Connected' On Campus
Starting college can be both exciting and stressful. You're juggling classes, living on your own for the first time and figuring out what you want out of life. It's no surprise that many freshmen feel overwhelmed. In fact, American College Testing (ACT) estimates that 1 in 4 college students drop out before completing their sophomore year. One way to fight stress and feel at home in your new surroundings is to connect to other students and the larger campus community.

The Addicted Brain May Be Protected By Cocaine-Induced Brain Plasticity
A new study has unraveled some of the mysteries of the cocaine-addicted brain and may pave the way for the design of more effective treatments for drug addiction. The research, published by Cell Press in the August 28 issue of the journal Neuron, identifies specific brain mechanisms that underlie addiction-related structural changes in the brain and provides surprising insight into how these changes may actually defend the brain during excessive drug use.




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Anti-Psychotic Drug Use In The Elderly Increases Despite Drug Safety Warnings
Three regulatory warnings of serious adverse events slowed the growth of use of atypical antipsychotic drugs among elderly patients with dementia, but they did not reduce the overall prescription rate of these drugs, found a research analysis of prescription drug claims data in Ontario. The rate of use of these drugs actually increased 20% from the month prior to the first warning in September 2002 to the end of the study period in February 2007.

Development Of Schizophrenia And Acute Maternal Stress During Pregnancy Linked
Pregnant women who endure the psychological stress of being in a war zone are more likely to give birth to a child who develops schizophrenia. Research published in the open access journal BMC Psychiatry supports a growing body of literature that attributes maternal exposure to severe stress during the early months of pregnancy to an increased susceptibility to schizophrenia in the offspring. According to lead author Dolores Malaspina M.D., M.Sc.P.H.




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New Evidence On Addiction To Medicines Diazepam Has Effect On Nerve Cells In The Brain Reward System
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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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