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on: Friday, 08 August 2008 13:52
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QUOTE (Trekgirl @ Mar 6 2008, 08:55 AM) *
Again thank you all SO MUCH!! Without you guys today, I would be a MESS!!! I am very blessed to have such kind and caring people in my life!!
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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.
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New Support for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
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Oct. 19, 2005 -- Cognitive behavioral therapy helps children and teens suffering from anxiety disorders.
That's the judgment of a Cochrane review, widely considered the gold-standard rating system for medical treatments. Cochrane reviews evaluate whether clinical studies provide enough first-rate evidence to say a treatment truly works.
Cognitive behavioral therapy -- or CBT -- is a brief form of psychotherapy. Using specific, step-by-step techniques, it teaches patients skill sets that allow them to change the ways they think and act.
CBT treatments for anxiety, for example, teach patients skills to help them deal with anxiety-provoking situations. Patients are then gradually exposed -- either in imagination or in real life -- to the things that make them anxious or fearful.
Psychiatrist Anthony James, MD, senior lecturer at the University of Oxford in England, and colleagues analyzed 13 clinical studies of CBT in children and teens with mild-to-moderate anxiety disorders. The results:
* 56% of children and teens got better, vs. 28% of kids in untreated groups.
* Children and teens treated with CBT averaged 58% fewer symptoms of anxiety.
* Three kids must be treated with CBT to cure one case of anxiety disorder.
"Cognitive-behavioral therapy does work for children with anxiety disorders," James tells WebMD. "It probably compares favorably with the effects of drug treatment. CBT probably should be offered as a first-line treatment where therapists are available to deliver it."
James says the studies offer "robust" support for CBT as a treatment for pediatric anxiety. He gets no argument from Jennifer Hagman, MD, associate professor of psychiatry with the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center and co-director of the eating disorders treatment program at The Children's Hospital, Denver.
"Fifty percent improvement in symptoms is really pretty good," Hagman says. "In clinical practice, patients do very well with goal-oriented therapy that teaches specific skills. And the outcomes are very strong in the studies where a consistent approach is used."
While CBT clearly benefits patients, James warns that it is not a cure-all.
Read More...
"There is no panacea," he says. "Cognitive behavioral therapy is a collaborative treatment that does appear to work in all of its various formats. But there is still room for improvement. A good percentage of patients do not improve. That may be the group for whom combined CBT and drug therapy is most effective."
Hagman points to recent clinical trials suggesting that, at least for some patients, CBT can be more effective when combined with medicationCBT can be more effective when combined with medication.
Best When Parents Involved
Does your child suffer from an anxiety disorder? Children with anxiety problems may or may not act like anxious adults.
"Kids are more likely to have physical symptoms from anxiety disorders," Hagman says. "They have stomachaches or headaches; sometimes with vomiting or diarrhea. But they can look very worried, very stressed, and can have panic syndromes just as adults do."
Before jumping to the conclusion that your child has an anxiety disorder, Hagman advises parents to consider the child's developmental stage.
"A 2-year-old who won't get in the car because of separation anxiety is different from an 8-year-old who can't get into the car because he panics and has trouble breathing," she says. "If a child is afraid of a snake, that is normal. If a child is afraid to walk down the block because he or she is afraid of seeing a snake, that is a problem."
CBT helps. But parents can't expect simply to drop their child off at the therapist's office and expect results.
"Parents should be part of every session in some way," Hagman says. "If the child is under 12, parents need to be present for every appointment. In the teen years, we'll have some appointments with just the child. But you want the parent to learn to help the child use these new skills. That is real important. The ideal is the kid and the parents learn how to do this on their own, and the therapist is just directing them on how to use these skills properly."
SOURCES: James, A. "Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Anxiety Disorders in Children and Adolescents," The Cochrane Collaboration, 2005. Anthony James, MD, senior lecturer, University of Oxford, England. Jennifer Hagman, MD, associate professor of psychiatry, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center; co-director, eating disorders treatment program, The Children's Hospital, Denver.
2005 WebMD Inc.
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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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