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QUOTE (firefighter1 @ Jun 19 2008, 07:29 AM) * I would first like to say that I'm a first time poster. I would also like to thank the creator for such a great community of people and knowledge.
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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 11th 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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SSRIs linked to increased fracture risk in older adults.

By kstours
Antidepressants May Increase Fracture Risk
Drugmaker Says Cause-Effect Isn't Proven

By Kathleen Doheny

Jan. 22, 2007 -- Daily use of certain antidepressants doubles the risk of bone fractures in adults 50 and older, a new study shows.

"Other studies have pointed to this , but our study confirms it," says David Goltzman, MD, one of the study's authors. Goltzman is director of the Centre for Bone and Periodontal Research at McGill University in Montreal.
The antidepressants studied are a class known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs. It includes such drugs as Prozac and Paxil.
Low levels of the brain chemical serotonin are associated with depression, and the drugs are thought to work by making serotonin more available.

SSRIs and Fracture Risk

Goltzman and his colleagues evaluated 5,008 adults 50 and older; the average age was 65.

They followed them for more than five years to see if they experienced "fragility" fractures -- the type suffered from relatively minor traumas such as falling out of bed.

Daily use of SSRIs was reported by 137 participants.
Even after the researchers adjusted for factors known to increase the risk of fractures -- such as falls, low bone density, and physical inactivity -- the adults on SSRI antidepressants had twice the risk of fracture than those not on such antidepressants.

X-rays confirmed the self-reports of fracture.

"In the SSRI group, there were 18 X-ray confirmed fragility fractures out of 137 people, or 13.5%," says Goltzman.

"In the non-user group, there were 317 X-ray confirmed fragility fractures out of 4,871 people, or 6.5%," Goltzman says.

Five SSRIs were used by study participants; besides Prozac and Paxil, they used Celexa, Luvox, and Zoloft.

How SSRIs May Boost Fracture Risk

The antidepressants may boost risk of fracture, Goltzman says, because of their effect on bone physiology. Serotonin recently has been found to be important in bone physiology.

One animal study, for instance, found that "if you alter the ability of the bone to use serotonin, you will get a reduction in bone density," Goltzman says.

Pharmaceutical Company Weighs In

The study does not prove cause and effect, says Amy Sousa, spokesman for Eli Lilly and Company, the maker of Prozac.

"The current Prozac product label lists 'osteoporosis' as an adverse event occurring on a rare basis -- less than 1 in 10,000 patients, based upon data from clinical trials," she says.

Goltzman's study is a small one, she adds.

Funding for the study was provided by a variety of sources, including Eli Lilly Canada, other pharmaceutical companies, and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.

Practical Application

Those over 50 should simply be aware of the link, Goltzman says, and perhaps get a bone density test if they are thinking of going on SSRIs.
"If you are over 50, and your doctor prescribes an SSRI, go have a bone density test first, especially if you have had a fracture from a minor trauma," he says. "I would not tell a patient not to take SSRIs."

Paying attention to other lifestyle measures known to reduce fracture risk, such as staying active, getting enough vitamin D and calcium, not smoking, and not drinking alcohol to excess, is also important, Goltzman says.

More research is needed, says Robert P. Heaney, MD, a professor at Creighton University in Omaha, Neb., and a long-time osteoporosis researcher. "Depression itself is related to fracture risk," he says.
The study findings, Heaney agrees, do not suggest people should stop taking SSRIs if their doctor has decided the drugs can help them battle depression.

Depression is especially common among older adults, Goltzman notes, affecting about 10% of older people.

Goltzman's study appears in the Jan. 22 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.

© 2007 WebMD, Inc. All rights reserved.

Source: WebMD Medical News

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Mental illness affects one in seventeen Americans. However, in this country alone, funding for mental health
facilities is dropping drastically and the care for the mentally disabled.
When the people who need those facilities have no where to go, they end up overcrowding emergency rooms.
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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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