|
Log in
Donate To Depression Forums
Latest Forum Discussions
on: Friday, 04 July 2008 18:41
on: Friday, 04 July 2008 18:16
on: Friday, 04 July 2008 17:59
on: Friday, 04 July 2008 17:53
on: Friday, 04 July 2008 17:44
Search
Member Testimonials
UOTE(GabrielleC @ Jun 22 2007, 05:04 PM) *Hello, This is GabrielleC, I just found this forum. I still feel a little lost, but it's exciting to find a forum with so many people who understand! Wow. I'm thrilled to have found this site! Thanks for it, for all the help and support I can see that you give. You mods are amazing... I don't believe you are paid to do this, eh? Well if I had my say you'd garner six figures, what you do is that important. So, thanks again!Now, I'm off to poke around and peek into some of the other threads here... hope I don't get lost... smile.gif (-GabrielleC)
HOPELINE 1-800-SUICIDE
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.
Our DF Members
|
Depression Can Increase Diabetes Risk
|
April 23, 2007 By Steven Reinberg
Depression appears to raise the odds for diabetes in older people, researchers report.
"Older adults who report high levels of depressive symptoms are more likely to develop diabetes over time than older adults who have lower depressive symptoms," said lead researcher Mercedes R. Carnethon, assistant professor of preventive medicine, at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University.
"We need to carefully evaluate older adults for depressive symptoms, and they need to be taken seriously because of the potential impact," she added.
However, whether treating depression reduces the risk for developing diabetes isn't known, Carnethon said.
Her team published the findings in the April 23 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.
In the study, Carnethon's group collected data on almost 4,700 people 65 years of age and older who were not diabetic when the study began in 1989.
Over the following 10 years, participants were evaluated for symptoms of depression linked to changes in mood, irritability, calorie intake, concentration and sleep.
The researchers scored symptoms of depression on a scale of zero to 30, with scores of eight or higher indicating high levels of symptoms. When the study began, the average symptom score was 4.5. In addition, one-fifth of the people had a score of eight or higher.
During the 10 years of follow-up, half the people saw their scores increase by at least five points. In all, 234 study participants developed diabetes. The rate of diabetes was higher among those with a score of eight or more compared with those whose scores were below eight, Carnethon's team found.
Carnethon believes the link between depression and diabetes has several causes.
"One is behavioral," she said. "Individuals who are depressed may be less likely to engage in healthy physical activities that would protect against the development of diabetes. They may be less likely to sleep well, have healthy diets, all of which are risk factors for developing diabetes," she said.
There could also be biological factors at play. These include increased levels of blood markers of inflammation, such as C-reactive protein, which has been linked to both diabetes and depression, Carnethon said.
Another expert said more research is needed.
"This paper extends earlier findings of a relationship between depressive symptoms and increased risk of developing diabetes, by demonstrating that individuals with worsening depression or with persistent depression are also at increased risk of developing diabetes," said Lana Watkins, an associate professor in the department of psychiatry at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C.
However, Watkins said the link remains unclear.
"In order to identify conclusively whether depression increases diabetes risk through excessive caloric consumption and/or through sedentary behavior, better measures of these two factors are needed," Watkins said.
Source: Yahoo HealthDay
|
|
 |
|
 |
Comments 
|
This Month In Pictures
Members Online
194 Users Online: 182 Guests 1 Anonymous 11 Visible: eunice, Isabeau, alex0000, sabrina_80, DarkTower, knutsford, Florry, mets1983, theguy, Ashen, ShadowDan, |
Medical News
Andertoon
A Potpourri of Mental Health Articles
Mental Health Parity News
Suicide Prevention Llifeline
Amazon Books
Our Soldiers & Veterans
edclogo
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
Link To Us
Please use the image below and the code provided to link back to us
|