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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.
Our DF Members
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Colleges try to erase stigma over depression/mental illness
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Monday, October 24, 2005
BY GARRY LENTON
Of The Patriot-News
When University of Pennsylvania senior Kyle Ambrogi died by suicide this month, the Ivy League school reached out to its students.
It reminded them via e-mail that counseling and psychological services are available 24 hours a day. An administrator implored the student body to "look out for one another," said Phyllis Holtzman, executive director for communications at Penn.
"We're very mindful ... that this is a time to raise awareness," she said.
While acknowledging that mental-health programs on college campuses have improved, a consortium of national suicide-prevention groups, mental-health providers and advocates is calling on colleges and universities to do more to prevent suicide and take away the stigma attached to mental illness.
"There is a dire need for education for all young adults on where to turn when they hear their friends talking about suicide, or themselves," said Alison Malmon, president and executive director of Active Minds on Campus, a suicide-prevention program directed at college students.
Malmon, a former Penn student whose brother died by suicide in 2000 while on leave from Columbia University, said the stresses associated with college take a toll on some students, especially those suffering from diseases such as depression and schizophrenia. What is needed, she said, is to make students feel comfortable with seeking treatment and help others understand how mental diseases work, she said.
Malmon is participating in a nationwide campaign called "Avoid Majoring in Depression," spearheaded by the American Federation for Suicide Prevention, an advocacy group based in Washington, D.C.
"The real problem is that there are still so many kids who aren't getting help," said Dr. David Fassler of the American Psychiatric Association, who co-chairs the Presidential Health Task Force on Mental Health on College Campuses. "The majority of kids who commit suicide weren't even known to the health-services people on the college campuses."
Counselors keep busy
Suicide is the third-leading cause of death among college-age people, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Each year it kills about 2,500 people aged 20 to 24. A recent study indicates that the rate among college students is significantly lower than in the general population, but it still causes concerns among college administrators.
"Any given semester we have a handful of students we are watching," said Andy Sagar, one of two counselors for Elizabethown College's 1,800 students.
At Kutztown University in Berks County, students have access to The Counseling Center. Last year was a busy one for the center, said counselor and assistant professor of psychology Bruce Sharkin.
Sharkin, author of a soon-to-be-published guidebook for college and university faculty and staff on how to help students who are depressed or suicidal, said there is growing concern on college campuses about preventing suicide.
"We get a lot of students who have , but it stops at that level," he said.
Stress on college campuses is increasing, and Greg Stanson, vice president for student services at Lebanon Valley College in Annville Twp., expects the trend to continue. As it grows, he said, the suicide risk will grow with it.
"This will continue to be a real problem for colleges and society in general," he said.
Colleges attuned to needs
An informal survey of colleges in the Harrisburg region showed that all provide counseling services to students and training for staff and dormitory assistants on how to recognize the symptoms of depression and other conditions.
Dickinson College, with a student body of about 2,600, offers counseling services and 24-hour psychological services to students in crisis, said Christine Dugan, a spokeswoman for the school.
"We're constantly reviewing our methods ... and concurrently trying to provide an atmosphere where students struggling with these concerns can come forward," Dugan said.
Lebanon Valley College also provides training for staff and dorm assistants, and tries to emphasize awareness among its staff, Stanson said.
Similar services are offered by Elizabethtown, Franklin & Marshall College and Kutztown.
Stanson, who has been with LVC for 40 years, said taboos surrounding mental illness seem to be easing. More parents and students are telling college administrators about their mental-health treatments, he said.
Though the college is aggressive about addressing mental-health issues, more needs to be done to overcome the stigma attached to behavioral diseases because it prevents too many students from seeking help, Stanson said.
Elizabethtown's Sagar agreed.
A better understanding of mental illness is evident in the reduction of late-night emergencies that require counseling, he said. A better network, including access to a screening test on the college's Web site, means fewer students falling through the cracks, he said.
"I wouldn't say the stigma is gone from everybody's mind," Sagar said. "That's something that we still have to work at."
SOURCE: GARRY LENTON: 255-8264 or glenton@patriot-news.com
2005 The Patriot-News PennLive.com
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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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