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on: Friday, 20 November 2009 20:12
on: Friday, 20 November 2009 18:54
on: Friday, 20 November 2009 18:32
on: Friday, 20 November 2009 17:49
on: Friday, 20 November 2009 14:23
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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.
Think you can help?
Do you have expertise in a particular area such as Psychology, graphic/web design, journalism, public relations, IT, (Web Geeks Needed!) or fund raising? We need your assistance volunteering for DF. We're always looking for additional forum and chat moderators as well, keeping DF the safe haven it has always been for our members. If you're interested, this would be a wonderful way of giving back to DF. Contact Forum Admin for more details.
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Stress
Articles about stress
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How to Deal with Your Children’s Anxieties Over Celebrating the Holidays with Separated or Divorced Parents. 
Holidays can be a time to anticipate with excitement and happiness,
or with anxiety and sadness, depending on what is happening in your
life and family. For children of separated and divorced parents, the
holidays are often a time of mixed emotions. The following are some
common feelings children have:
- Uncertainty about where they will be spending the holidays.
For children whose parents have separated since the previous holiday
season, they may not know where they will be spending Thanksgiving, the
first night of Chanukah, and/or Christmas. Some children do not want to
ask their parents about this, because they think it might upset their
parents to talk about it, or the children themselves may not want to
face the reality of how these holidays will be different from years
past.
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- By Lindsay
- Published 06/2/2009
- Stress

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Recognize The Signs And Symptoms Of Stress
Understanding Stress
Signs, Symptoms, Causes, and Effects
Modern
life is full of hassles, deadlines, frustrations, and demands. For many
people, stress is so commonplace that it has become a way of life.
Stress isn’t always bad. In small doses, it can help you perform under
pressure and motivate you to do your best. But when you’re constantly
running in emergency mode, your mind and body pay the price.
If
you frequently find yourself feeling frazzled and overwhelmed, it’s
time to take action to bring your nervous system back into balance. You
can protect yourself by learning how to recognize the signs and
symptoms of stress and taking steps to reduce its harmful effects.
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- By Forum Admin
- Published 05/11/2009
- Stress

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As the nation muddles through a great
recession, a new study suggests that if you lose your job, you’re at
greater risk for a slew of new health problems.
Even when people find a new job quickly, there is an increased risk of
developing a problem such as hypertension, heart disease, heart attack,
stroke or diabetes as a result of the job loss. The study suggests an
important mental health component often overlooked when a person loses
their job.
“In today’s economy, job loss can happen to anybody,” said Kate
Strully, who conducted the research as a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Health and Society scholar at the Harvard School of Public Health.
“We need to be aware of the health consequences of losing our jobs and
do what we can to alleviate the negative effects,” he added.
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Baby Steps To Surviving the Winter Holidays

What is it with the holidays? We're supposed to be happy, merry, and all too often, we're depressed, anxious, and stressed.
The pre-enlightened Scrooge had the right idea, we think. Bah, humbug,
we say! But if Scrooge can turn it around, why can't we? After all, are
any of us as hard a nut to crack as he?
The following are 10 suggestions on how to survive the period
between Thanksgiving and New Year's. Or how to turn around the holidays
- without any ghostly visitations.
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20 Twenty Quick Ways to Reduce Your Stress
Achieve calm in 60 seconds or less with foolproof tips Sure, an hour-long massage or a week-long vacation would do wonders
to ease your stress. But what can you do to chill out right now? Try
one of our mini–stress busters. They work wonders in a minute or less.
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- By Forum Admin
- Published 08/29/2008
- Stress

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Young & Stressed Out
Our over scheduled kids may be
doing it all -- from soccer and little league to music and language lessons --
but that's not the same as having it all, some experts say. Today's
overachieving youngsters may, in fact, be missing out on being children.
When it comes to childhood activities, more may well be less,
say some child psychologists -- less time for a child to develop friendships,
less time for the kind of self-reflection and daydreaming that helps a child
understand who he or she is, less time for just plain playing.
"Parents need always to keep in mind that playing time is just
as important, if not more important, than exposure to lots of different
experiences," says Anita Gurian, PhD, a child psychologist at New York
University's Child Study Center. "Kids are learning about the world in play time
or even when they are just hanging out, especially when they are younger. Those
are not frivolous things."
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- By Forum Admin
- Published 05/10/2008
- Stress

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ALEXANDRIA,
Va. (May 8, 2008)-Today's mother often juggles full-time employment,
household chores and parenting, but a growing number of women are
taking on yet another responsibility-caring for an aging loved one.
Next week, as Americans observe both Mother's Day and Mental Health Month,
Mental Health America encourages mothers to take the Mental Health
Connection Challenge by building their social support networks to help
cope with the stress of their demanding lives.
Of
the 22 million Americans caring for both children and parents or older
relatives, nearly two-thirds are women. In a survey of "Sandwich
Generation" mothers conducted by the National Association of Social
Workers (NASW) and the New York Academy of Medicine (NYAM), only 20
percent said they were "very happy," and almost 1 in 5 said it was
directly due to the stress of caring for both parents and children.

While
the demands of modern motherhood may seem overwhelming, it's important
for these women to protect their own health. Mental Health America
suggests five tips to help them cope:
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- By Forum Admin
- Published 02/4/2008
- Stress

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Health News
Feb 4, 2008, 10:49
Uncontrollable, unpredictable, and constant stress has far-reaching
consequences on our physical and mental health. Stress can begin in the
womb and recur throughout life. One of the pathological (abnormal)
consequences of stress is a learned helplessness that leads to the
hopelessness and helplessness of clinical depression, but, in addition,
many illnesses, such as chronic anxiety states, high blood pressure,
heart disease, and addictive disorders, to name a few, also seem to be
influenced by chronic or overwhelming stress.

Nature, however, has provided us with wonderful processes (mechanisms)
to cope with stressors through the HPA axis and the locus
coeruleus/sympathetic nervous system. Furthermore, research has shown
us the biological processes (mechanisms) that explain what we all
intuitively know is true--which is, that too much stress, particularly
when we cannot predict it or control its recurrence, is harmful to our
health.
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230 Users Online: 214 Guests 0 Anonymous 16 Visible: Forum Admin, Bird2E, rocketgirl, 1rw, solanum, arturo_camilla, iowa, itsjustastate, Drtobe, overtherainbow, backfromthebrink, catherine1971, UPANDOWN, Fatalwishes, ghsnead, butterfly658, |
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Andertoon
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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