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on: Friday, 16 May 2008 08:47
on: Friday, 16 May 2008 08:10
on: Friday, 16 May 2008 05:09
on: Friday, 16 May 2008 04:47
on: Friday, 16 May 2008 03:52
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QUOTE (stuguinea @ Nov 28 2007, 09:09 PM) *
DF is a wonderful site that I stumbled upon during one of my greatest bouts of depression. Considering the large number of topics and threads available on the site I believe there is something for everyone here. In many cases I considered DF my therapist. The warm, inviting community provides a safe place to discuss your innermost thoughts (regardless how disturbing you think they may be) without fear of being judged or labeled. The community is understanding and the advice provided by the moderators and members is very good.
I have told others who I know are suffering from depression about this great website. What is disappointing is that when I try to illicit feedback from them about the site, they reply they have not had time to look at it. I tell them that they do not realize what a valuable resource this is. I believe all therapists should direct their patients to this website in order to ease their suffering. Unfortunately my therapists have never heard of it when I mention the name. At first they seem curious but nothing is ever mentioned after the initial conservation.
Great website. Very thankful it is available.
(QUOTE (stuguinea @ Nov 28 2007, 09:09 PM) *)
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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
Our DF Members
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Migraines Can Signal Psychiatric Woes in Returning Iraq Vets
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THURSDAY, May 3 (HealthDay News) -- Almost one in every five U.S. soldiers returning from Iraq is being diagnosed with migraines, and this group has nearly double the risk for depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and other psychiatric troubles, a new study finds.
"Any health-care provider who is evaluating a combat veteran for headaches should perform a mental health screen to ensure that comorbid psychiatric conditions are being identified and treated," said study author Maj. Jay C. Erickson, M.D., a neurologist at Madigan Army Medical Center at Fort Lewis, in Tacoma, Wash.
Erickson's team is scheduled to present its findings Thursday at the American Academy of Neurology annual meeting, in Boston.
Links between anxiety, depression and migraine are not new, experts said.
"In fact, I published an article way back in 1967 on headaches and depression," said Dr. Seymour Diamond, a migraine specialist who is executive chairman of the National Headache Foundation. "Migraine definitely can be linked to psychiatric morbidity."
However, Erickson's study is unique. Not only is it the first such study conducted in a military population, "it is also the first study to look at the link between migraine and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)," Erickson said.
In the study, Erickson's team analyzed questionnaires filled out by almost 2,200 U.S. Army soldiers within 90 days of their return from a year of combat duty in Iraq. Most of the veterans "did have significant exposure to combat situations" while serving in Iraq, Erickson noted.
According to the researchers, 19 percent of the veterans were found to suffer from migraine headaches, 32 percent tested positive for depression, 22 percent met the standard for PTSD, and 13 percent tested positive for anxiety.
Half of the soldiers who suffered from migraines were also clinically depressed, compared to just 27 percent of those without the painful headaches, the researchers reported. And 39 percent of migraine sufferers were also deemed to have PTSD, compared to just 18 percent of soldiers without migraines. Anxiety disorders were also higher among migraine-prone veterans (22 percent) compared to those without the headaches (10 percent).
The numbers for depression "are in the same range as has been seen in the general population," Erickson said. Comparisons are tougher when it comes to the PTSD-migraine link, he said, "because I don't think that that has ever been examined in a non-military population."
It's also difficult to assess whether the pain of migraine helps trigger depression and anxiety in returning soldiers, or whether these types of psychological ills help spur migraines.
"The study design did not allow us to determine the sequence of events," Erickson explained. However, he noted that "some studies that have been done in the general population suggest that it may be a bi-directional relationship."
Diamond agreed. "For example, if migraines are not controlled properly, they would most likely bring on depression," he said. On the other hand, anxiety "is a frequent trigger for migraine," he said.
Whatever their cause, most migraines can be curbed or controlled, according to Diamond. "However, the National Headache Foundation did a study and found that there are so many sufferers who haven't had proper treatment," he said. "This is a reminder that there are medicines out there both to prevent and treat the acute attack."
Erickson believes the new findings should serve as a wake-up call to military and civilian doctors to look a bit further whenever they spot migraines in a patient, because those headaches could point to psychological troubles, as well.
"That's the main recommendation here," he said.
Source: National Institute of Health
Copyright (c) 2007 ScoutNews, LLC. All rights reserved.
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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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