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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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By kstours
April 3, 2007

Sex, Love, and SSRIs
Can Prozac keep you from falling—and staying—in love? How SSRIs are wreaking havoc on courtship.

By:Orli Van Mourik
Page 1 of 2
Megan and Neil had always been passionate about each other. Shy and unaccustomed to dating, they met on a group outing in high school where they spent the evening flirting. Megan still remembers the feeling of excitement that washed over her the first time they held hands. From that moment on, they "spent as much time together as two kids without driver's licenses can."
As they entered college, they were determined to stay together. But the move away from home was hard on Megan. Painfully homesick, she spent the beginning of her freshman year feeling uprooted, anxious, and disoriented. As the semester wore on, she fell into a deep depression.
Megan went on antidepressants and almost immediately felt steadier and more able to cope. But her relationship with Neil took a turn for the worse. After a few months, her ability to reach orgasm disappeared. Even though she knew that this was likely a side effect of her medication, Megan still couldn't shake the feeling that this was a sign of problems in the relationship. Frustrated, she began to retreat from Neil. Four years of intimacy quickly dissolved, and the couple parted ways.
Megan's experience isn't unusual. Doctors have been grappling with sexual dysfunction since SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) were introduced in the 1980s. Approximately 70 percent of people taking SSRIs suffer from sexual side effects. But these drugs may also compromise the ability to feel love.
Rutgers University anthropologist Helen Fisher, for one, believes SSRIs are wreaking havoc on human courtship. SSRIs alleviate depression by upping the levels of serotonin in the brain and curbing the production of the neurotransmitter dopamine. Unfortunately, dopamine is also responsible for the feelings of elation and ecstasy that accompany falling in love. By suppressing dopamine, Fisher argues, drugs like Prozac block your ability to have these feelings, thus making it harder to fall in love and stay in love.
This dopamine deficit affects people in a variety of ways, according to Fisher and her research partner, Virginia-based psychiatrist J. Andrew Thomson, Jr. Singles using antidepressants may have a harder time meeting people, because their natural sexual response is dampened. Some researchers believe desire was designed to help people select mates who are genetically suited to them. The spark that ignites on meeting someone new is telling you something: This might be your match. When you miss those signals, your odds of finding an appropriate mate decrease.
Even if you're one of the lucky ones who manage to find love while taking SSRIs, you still have some obstacles to overcome, says Fisher. Like Megan, you may lose the ability to orgasm, and this could cause long-term relationship issues. Orgasms trigger the release of the hormone oxytocin—one that has been linked with pair bonding. Indeed, those who fail to orgasm, thanks to SSRIs, may be at a distinct disadvantage when it comes to mating and bonding.
According to Fisher, the female orgasm is an important survival mechanism—it evolved to help women choose appropriate mates. The theory: If a man is patient and attentive enough to bring a woman to orgasm he's more likely to be a good partner and father. When women can't climax, they lose one of the most reliable means of filtering out unsuitable partners.

Not everyone agrees. Biologist Elisabeth Lloyd, author of The Case of the Female Orgasm, counters that orgasms aren't a survival mechanism at all; they're simply a happy accident. "The evidence goes against the idea that orgasms to assess the reliability of mates," says Lloyd. But Fisher thinks it's just a matter of time before the evolutionary purpose of female orgasms is confirmed. "Orgasm is an extremely powerful experience that people go out of their way to achieve. If it was entirely incidental, it would probably be selected out ," she says.
While Fisher recognizes that SSRIs have helped millions of people overcome debilitating depression, she believes that the drugs' benefits must be weighed against their risks. Once viewed as the last resort for people in acute emotional distress, Fisher believes that SSRIs are now being widely over-prescribed. "There are all kinds of people who need these drugs for very good reasons and they should take them," Fisher says. "But that doesn't mean they shouldn't be made aware of the risks." Fisher plans to launch a study examining the long-term impact of SSRIs on mating behavior.
So what about the people who must remain on SSRIs? For some patients, regaining desire is simply a matter of switching antidepressants. For others, lowering the drug's dosage may help. Also, drug holidays—physician-directed medication hiatuses—have proven effective. Thomson urges patients to be proactive and ask their doctors to work with them to find the right combination of drugs.
Megan worked closely with her psychiatrist to find a drug regimen that restored her desire and feelings of connection. She has since met and married a new man. However, her problems have not disappeared entirely. Megan still has moments when she mistakes a lack of sexual desire as an issue in her relationship. She's not alone, says Thomson. "Patients need to know that the sexual side effects can be subtle, or they may blame themselves or their relationship."

Copyright Sussex Publishers, LLC. 2006.

SOURCE: Psychology Today Online










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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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We would like to invite you to PM Forum Admin to share your story about your Depression or Mental Health issues as breaking the silence will help us to break open the stigma surrounding mental health that keeps people from getting the care that continues misunderstandings about those affected by mental health disorders.
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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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