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on: Friday, 08 August 2008 13:13
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QUOTE (heartbroken @ May 6 2008, 08:24 AM) *
Hi Everyone!
I just found this forum last night, I wish I had thought about searching for it sooner!
Anyway, I really find it so comforting.. Thank you!
See ya around the boards! (heartbroken)
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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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Postpartum Depression: A Risk for New Dads, Too
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Postpartum Depression: A Risk for New Dads, Too By Karen Pallarito
FRIDAY, June 8 (HealthDay News) -- Postpartum depression has gotten a softer face in recent years as celebrity mothers, such as Brooke Shields, who've experienced its devastating symptoms, have begun to share their personal stories.
Still hidden, though, are the identities of new fathers who have suffered in silence all these years.
Almost as many men as women suffer from this type of depression, according to researchers who examined data from more than 5,000 two-parent families. In all, about 14 percent of mothers and 10 percent of fathers showed signs of moderate or severe postpartum depression, according to the study, first reported in the August 2006 issue of the journal Pediatrics.
"The long-standing belief of many people, including physicians, has been that postpartum depression is due to hormone changes in women that take place after childbirth," said study leader James F. Paulson, an assistant professor of pediatrics, behavioral research and community health at Eastern Virginia Medical School's Center for Pediatric Research in Norfolk. "Obviously, fathers wouldn't be susceptible to changes of this nature and, probably because of this, haven't been a focus of study."
Janice Goodman, a psychiatric clinical nurse specialist and assistant professor at the MGH Institute of Health Professions, an affiliate of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, agrees that hormonal changes aren't the only plausible explanation.
"In both men and women, the huge life changes that go along with having a baby can contribute to depression," she said.
Postpartum depression can begin anytime after childbirth and can last up to a year, according to Mental Health America, formerly the National Mental Health Association. Symptoms often mirror those of any clinical depression, such as sadness, fatigue and hopelessness. A sufferer may experience drastic changes in mood and appetite, excessive preoccupation with a child's health, or intrusive thoughts of harming the baby.
While research suggests that hormonal changes may contribute to the onset of postpartum depression in women, "no definitive hormonal cause" has been identified, Paulson pointed out. Other factors suspected to play a role include history of depression, fatigue, marital discord, social support and financial support.
"Factors of this nature certainly can affect fathers, and they probably do in many families," he added.
For the study, parents completed questionnaires and were interviewed to determine whether they showed symptoms of depression. Researchers also probed parent-child interactions, such as reading, telling stories, and singing songs -- acts considered critically important for positive child development.
Depression in either parent was associated with reduced interaction, Paulson noted, and "fathers with greater levels of depression interacted with their child less."
Goodman said the research highlights a link between maternal and paternal postpartum depression (PPD), "such that men whose partners are distressed are at significantly higher risk of experiencing PPD themselves."
Yet postpartum paternal depression typically isn't on clinicians' radar, she conceded, and men often have less contact with health-care providers than women do.
However reluctant they may be to seek help, it's important for new dads who are experiencing symptoms of depression to see their primary-care provider or a mental-health specialist for evaluation and treatment, Goodman said.
"One important implication for clinicians is, if a woman is identified as depressed during the postpartum period, to ask the father how he's doing and to screen for depression in him," she added.
Copyright © 2007 HealthDay.
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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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