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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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Is there a relationship between panic attacks and depression?
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Well, the short answer is YES… Here are the details:
In the first place, chronic panic disorder can easily cause depression. This is most likely to occur in people who are exhausted from the chronic anxiety that can come with panic disorder, and also people who have developed agoraphobia (i.e. the avoidance of activities due to a fear of panic attacks) to such an extent that it is forcing them to retreat / hibernate from life (i.e. not going to work, not socializing with friends, no longer driving or leaving the house because of a fear of panic attacks). When panic disorder is clearly causing depression, patients often report that the panic and/or agoraphobia gets worst FIRST, then the depression comes later. They are also likely to report that if I could make their panic and / or agoraphobia go away, then they would no longer be depressed. Such patients would probably benefit from focusing on their panic disorder first rather then their depression per se (unless the depression is so bad that they are having serious thoughts of ending their life).
Very intense depression can sometimes trigger panic attacks. For a large percentage of people, depression and a least some level of anxiety come hand in hand. When the anxiety is intense, this kind of depression is sometimes referred to as an “agitated” depression. If the anxiety component of the depression is strong enough, it can definitely lead to anxiety attacks (i.e. where you can’t stop worrying about the problems in your life) but can also sometimes (more rarely) trigger panic attacks (i.e. intense episodes where you feel like you are dying or going crazy right then and there). Patients who have panic attacks triggered by depression reported that their depression got worst FIRST and that they never have panic attacks unless they are depressed. They would most likely benefit from a treatment that focuses on their depression first.
One final possibility: some people have both panic disorder and depression independent of each other. In other words, they sometimes have panic attacks when they are NOT depressed, and they also sometimes experienced depression when they were NOT having regular panic attacks or agoraphobia. In this situation, the panic can trigger a depression AND the depression can trigger panic (i.e. for most people with panic disorder, any significant change, whether it’s depression, a cold, lack of sleep, or a hangover, can trigger panic because they are so sensitive to their bodies). In these situations, it is best to start with treatment that addresses whichever problem seems the most intense right now. Luckily a number of medications (i.e. SSRI’s, if started at a LOW dose so as not to trigger panic) and / or psychotherapies (i.e. such as cognitive behavioral therapy) work well for both panic disorder and depression.
I hope this information was helpful. Good luck in your fight against panic disorder and/or depression.
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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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