|
Log in
Donate To Depression Forums
Latest Forum Discussions
on: Sunday, 20 July 2008 10:20
on: Sunday, 20 July 2008 09:14
on: Sunday, 20 July 2008 08:38
on: Sunday, 20 July 2008 02:54
on: Saturday, 19 July 2008 20:16
Search
Member Testimonials
QUOTE (laralee @ Feb 17 2008, 05:15 PM) *
{{{{{{{{ }}}}}}}}}}}} to everyone here. This truly is a remarkable place. A place to laugh and a place to cry.
From the bottom of my heart..................................
Thank You Everyone
hearts.gif hugs.gif (laralee)
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
|
A Faster Class Of Antidepressants
|
September 11, 2007
Science Daily — Studies with rats have revealed the potential in an entirely new class of antidepressants that take effect after only days of treatment versus the weeks required for current drugs. The researchers said that they hope their findings will spur development of such new antidepressant drugs so that clinical testing can begin quickly.
Depression can be treated by enhancing the action of the neurotransmitter serotonin in the brain. Such neurotransmitters are the chemical signals that one neuron launches at another to trigger a nerve impulse in the target neuron. The most widely used antidepressants--called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)--work by inhibiting recycling of serotonin after a nerve impulse, increasing its concentration in the connections between neurons.
However, a different class of drugs exists that directly enhances nerve impulses of serotonin neurons. In their experiments, Lucas and colleagues tested in rats the effects of two such "serotonin receptor agonist" compounds, called RS 67333 and prucalopride, that target serotonin type-4 receptors.
In initial experiments, they compared the two drugs with the widely used SSRI citalopram in a test of the effectiveness of these drugs on a measure of antidepressant activity in rats. In this test, rats are forced to swim, and the time it takes for them to give up and become immobile is determined. Both of the serotonin receptor agonists strongly reduced this time of immobility, indicating an antidepressant action.
In further studies, the researchers found that only three days of treatment with the serotonin receptor agonists induced antidepressant-related changes in the brains of the animals that were only achieved after weeks of treatment with SSRIs. For example, the serotonin receptor agonists triggered changes in neuronal activity associated with antidepressant properties and also enhanced generation of new brain cells in the hippocampus--a beneficial effect of SSRIs on depression.
The researchers also found that the serotonin receptor agonists quickly and effectively alleviated symptoms of chronic depression in the rats. In one such rat model of chronic depression, mild stress has been shown to reduce intake of sugar water--a behavior alleviated by weeks of treatment with SSRIs. The researchers found that one of the serotonin receptor agonists took effect after only three days and appeared to completely alleviate the symptom after a week.
"Overall, the results presented here show a clear potential for agonists as putative antidepressants with a rapid onset of action," wrote the researchers. "According to the different experimental models studied, they may act four to seven times more rapidly than classical and possibly with greater efficacy. Presently, RS 67333 and prucalopride are virtually the only available selective agonists that are able to cross the blood-brain barrier; we hope that this study may contribute to the development of new compounds, so that clinical trials can be conducted in the near future," they wrote. Guillaume Lucas and colleagues published their findings in the September 6, 2007 issue of the journal Neuron, published by Cell Press.
Source: Science Daily
|
|
 |
|
 |
Comments 
|
This Month In Pictures
Members Online
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
|