|
Log in
Donate To Depression Forums
Latest Forum Discussions
on: Wednesday, 20 August 2008 10:35
on: Wednesday, 20 August 2008 09:16
on: Wednesday, 20 August 2008 08:38
on: Wednesday, 20 August 2008 06:55
on: Wednesday, 20 August 2008 06:06
Search
Member Testimonials
QUOTE (scarletworld @ Nov 22 2007, 06:47 PM) *Don't know if anyone is around from way back when, when I was on all the time. I left to live life a little and now I'm back.I logged on here today for the first time in... ohhh, i dont know... almost a year? and it was just so comforting to even just SEE the site again. Back in the day, the kind people here probably literally saved my life... and I want to thank you all for that. nod.gifLots has changed for both the good and the bad and I want to share some of that here in the form of (hopefully) helpful advice to others which has also been a comfort to me even in hard times.So, how is everyone? smile.gif (scarletworld)
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
|
What Exactly Is Happening to My Body during a Panic Attack
|
Panic attacks are very uncomfortable, but they are not dangerous. They are produced by a firing of your body’s “fight or flight” response system, also known as the sympathetic nervous system. This response is supposed to happen when you are confronted by a lion or a bear. In fact, if you were confronted by a lion or a bear, you wouldn’t even notice you were having a panic attack, because you’d be more concerned about escaping. But because your body is firing off this response when there is not a lion or a bear around, your mind jumps to the false conclusion that you must be dying or going crazy. (Most people don’t know about panic attacks, so it makes sense that they would initially make this mistake).
Despite the intense discomfort, panic attacks are actually not harmful. In fact, during a panic attack you are at your peak ability to fight or run away. When you think about it, all of the panic attack symptoms make sense in this context. Your heart beats fast so you can pump more blood to your muscles and brain. You start breathing fast to you can get more oxygen to your muscles and brain. Your muscles tense up in preparation for you to use them. You start sweating to cool down your body. Your pupils dilate to get in more light, which can be perceived as spots in your vision. In addition, all of your non-essential organ systems power down so you can focus on running or fighting. In particular, your gastrointestinal system (throat, stomach, and intestines) powers down – which can lead to nausea, a choking sensation/lump in the throat (also known as globus), abdominal pains, constipation, and/or diarrhea. For a fair number of patients, these gastrointestinal symptoms, which are just side effects of powering down, are actually the main symptoms they experience during a panic attack.
All of this stuff is meant to get you ready to fight or run away. But if you don’t fight or run away, you will get even more symptoms which are still not harmful, but can be even more uncomfortable. For example, if you don’t use up your increased muscle tension, your body will start to shake. In addition, if you hyperventilate (breathe fast) for too long, without using up the extra oxygen, you will get rid of so much carbon dioxide that you will get tingling/numbness in the fingertips, a feeling of dizziness or lightheadedness, and the sensation of depersonalization (where your body feels like it’s not your own) or derealization (where the world seems like it’s not real). The hyperventilation is usually unnoticeable while you’re anxious because it can be quite subtle and takes a few minutes to build up. Of note, there is nothing actually dangerous about this hyperventilation or these symptoms. In fact, oyster hunters hyperventilate on purpose before they go underwater, because once they get the tingling/lightheaded symptoms, they can usually hold their breath for 2-5 minutes.
Oddly enough, when you measure the vital signs of a person who is actually having a panic attack, their heart rate and blood pressure do not change very much, despite the intense feelings. For example, their heart rate on average usually just rises by 5 beats per minute, and their blood pressure usually just rises 5 millimeters of mercury on average for both systolic and diastolic blood pressure. These are all relatively mild changes. So, your body is getting ready to fight or run away, and it feels like it’s fully active, but it’s actually not even nearly as active as if you fought or ran away for real.
Best wishes,
- Dr. Lindsay Kiriakos
Adult Anxiety Specialist
www.PanicMastery.com
|
|
 |
|
 |
Comments 
|
This Month In Pictures
Members Online
154 Users Online: 139 Guests 1 Anonymous 14 Visible: Rain Queen, polkapatrol, spencermarquardt, yendis, Always Trying, kirkwuk, gaugreg1x, Coop, happy days 08, Giz, Whitelily, mikki, heatherdn, dcbc, |
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
|