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on: Friday, 16 May 2008 08:47
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QUOTE(azncollegegurl21 @ Sep 15 2007, 07:57 AM)Hi. I use to come here and post all the time when I was going through a really rough time. Not sure if anyone remembers me or not, haven't been here in a long time. Thanks to the people who helped me when I was down and thanks for this site! (-azncollegegurl21)
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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
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Suicide Warning Cut Antidepressant Use
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Jan. 7, 2008 -- Warnings about suicide risk in youths taking antidepressants
have affected the use of those drugs.
New research shows that antidepressant use by kids and teens fell nearly 10% annually
after the drugs got a "black box" warning -- the FDA's sternest warning
-- about youth suicide risk.
That news is based on data from Medco, one of the largest pharmacy benefit
managers in the U.S. The data included more than 2 million people.
The researchers analyzed antidepressant use by children aged 6-17 and adults
before, during, and after FDA warnings on antidepressants and youth suicide
risk came out in 2003 and 2004.
From May 1, 2002 to June 19, 2003 -- before any warnings were put in place
-- antidepressant use by youths rose by 36%.
On June 19, 2003, the FDA recommended that the antidepressant Paxil not be used to treat depressed children and
teens. From then until October 2004 youth Paxil use dropped by 44% and youth
use of all antidepressants dipped by about 1% per year.
In October 2004, the FDA established its black box warning about suicide
risk in youths taking any antidepressant. That warning also noted that children
and adults taking antidepressants should be watched closely for increased
suicidal thinking and behavior, note the researchers.
From October 2004 until the end of 2005, youth antidepressant use dropped by
about 10% per year.
The trends throughout the study were stronger in kids and teens than in
adults.
"It is reassuring that the pattern of changes in treatment, which were
modest in size and greatest for treatment of youth, were broadly consistent
with the FDA warnings and the scientific literature," write the
researchers.
They included Mark Olfson, MD, MPH, of the New York State Psychiatric
Institute and Columbia University.
The study, published in the Archives of General Psychiatry, doesn't
cover antidepressant use following the FDA's
May 2007 recommendation to update the drugs' black box labels to include
young adults aged 18-24.
SOURCES: Olfson, M. Archives of General Psychiatry, January 2008; vol
65: pp 94-101. WebMD Medical News: "New Antidepressant Suicide
Warning." News release, JAMA/Archives.
By
Miranda Hitti
WebMD Medical News
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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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