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QUOTE (hbircharo @ Jan 1 2008, 03:17 AM) * I been a member of this Depression forum for a year and it has help me in more way then one. Thanks to the staff for your vision and hard work. Thanks to everyone for being so supportive, and the wonderful advice, and for a "safe haven" to vent out problems and to find different ways of finding a solution to those problems. I was advised by my therapist to find a support group...I went home and Googled for depression forums and your site come up first. I read for awhile to get comfortable and like the environment that I joined the DF family. Posting on DF has been an important part of my recovery. My therapist and I had to revise my individual plan today, she asked how I am doing on control my depression? I answered her by saying that I read and reply to topics on your site to find the courage to guidance on how to approach my depression for that day. I am so greatful that I have joined a caring and great website. Very thankful it is available. I thank all the moderators for their great work!
(QUOTE (hbircharo @ Jan 1 2008, 03:17 AM) *)
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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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Stigma Still Shadows Psychiatric Care

By Lindsay


02.27.06, 12:00 AM ET
MONDAY, Feb. 27 (HealthDay News) -- A new analysis finds Americans conflicted when it comes to psychiatric drugs: Most think they would work well, but they still wouldn't use them.

While people increasingly understand mental illness, have sympathy for it and appreciate advances in its treatment, the stigma associated with taking antidepressants and psychiatric drugs remains high, according to a new report from researchers at the Indiana Consortium for Mental Health Services Research at Indiana University, Bloomington. The report was funded, in part, by the National Institute of Mental Health.

"Even though people verbalize the notion that they are accepting of psychological disorders of all kinds, there is this residual feeling that a psychological disorder is a character flaw," said Dr. Charles Goodstein, a psychoanalyst and clinical professor of psychiatry at New York University School of Medicine.

This stigma means that, for many, "not using means they never had such a flaw at all," he said.

In the study, the Indiana team reviewed data from the 1998 Surgeon General's Social Survey of 1,400 Americans. They found that:

* Approximately two-thirds said psychiatric drugs do help people with mental health woes deal with day-to-day anxiety, control their symptoms, and improve family relationships;
* Just 56 percent said they would be willing to take medication to alleviate panic attacks;
* 41 percent would do so if they were diagnosed with depression;
* And only about a third would be willing to take them for personal troubles or stress.

Why the reluctance to take psychiatric drugs, when most would have little qualms about taking a drug to ease a physical malady?

"I think they are afraid of what is going to happen to them, which for most people is undo caution," said sociologist Bernice A. Pescosolido, director of the consortium. "They've been primed by the media about what might happen in the first two weeks, when some people have a risk for suicide." She noted that psychiatric medications must not be taken unless the patient is being monitored closely by a doctor experienced and qualified in their use.

There is reason for concern, added Goodstein.

"Sometimes the drugs are prescribed excessively or for some type of performance enhancement, and they do have side effects," he said. "They should not be taken in casual ways. Too often patients get them from practitioners just because they have samples around."

People may also shy away from psychiatric drugs because they think they will face stigma from others, Pescosolido said. She recounted the story of a friend who, following her divorce, took her fifth grader for therapy. After the boy's doctor prescribed him an antidepressant, he said, "That's it! I can't run for president."

Much depends on whether a patient trusts the doctor who prescribed the drugs, Pescolido said. About seven of 10 Americans reported trusting their own physician, but six of 10 were skeptical of doctors in general, suspecting them of taking unnecessary risks, charging for unnecessary services, performing unnecessary surgeries and not acting in their patients' best interests.

And though many of the new generation SSRI antidepressantsm such as Prozac, Paxil and Zoloft, are part of long-term therapy, 47 percent of respondents said psychiatric medications should be discontinued once symptoms go away.

"There is a real link in the public mind between mental illness and 'dangerousness,' and that is what is fueling the stigma," said Pescosolido. "Americans have become more sophisticated and knowledgeable about mental illness, and everybody assumed the stigma was going away. We can't accept that."

The report will be published online Tuesday by the Indiana Consortium for Mental Health Services Research.

More information

For more on mental health and mental disorders, visit the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health.

Comments

Depression Forums would like to hear from you!
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.
Depression Forums would like to hear from you!
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.
There is nothing better than to speak out, tell your story get the word out!
Together, we can help ourselves and others. Your stories would appear right here on DF's Portal.
Please PM Forum Admin for more information or to submit your story.
Sincerely,
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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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