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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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I still have my moments, but I have
candle-lit those dark depths now-
I’m A new man
I
registered with Depression Forums in 2006 but only posted there at my
worst times. When I went through my worst episode I realised I should
be here for life. Depression and anxiety are things which may stay with
you for life, and I see it as checking in and managing it to make your
life better. Depression Forums teaches you that there are other
people who are going through similar things, and sharing your input
with them is a vital tool in order to understand the illness.
I now
log into Depression Forums frequently to help the people out who are going
through similar things all the time, and also to see if there’s
anything which I could do to improve my own life.
Helping others with
what I could was a baby step towards recovery, no matter how much of an
impact you feel it will make. Posting in the “water cooler”, an
off-topic forum in DF, was another baby step I made in order to feel some
positive energy by conversing with others. Together, over time, those
baby steps combined to make a gigantic stride into a sunnier place for
which I conquered.
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View From The Other Side Of Depression
Looking back now I'm almost completely well
It's been a while since I last posted.
I was very depressed, suicidal & not responding to meds for almost 2 years.
With
the love of my family and wonderful support from the mental health
professionals who saved my life, I am now almost completely well.
This doesn't mean I don't have bad days, but the danger of me doing something disastrous has passed foe a while now.
Why am I posting this?
Just to say I realise now one thing I did not appreciate, I was unwell. Depression is an illness and not a fault.
I cannot even begin to understand how bad I was now, how hopeless it was. How endless.
But, there is an end to depression, it will lift. You will become well and whole again. I'm living proof.
I
have been working again and have even passed some long-standing exams.
If you said that to me 6 months ago, I would not have believed it.
The
only good thing, to come out is that I had to change my perceptions
& reactions to my world. This is still a learning process. I
appreciate my life and my world in a new way now.
Take care and thank you to everyone who supported me in these forums.
-jj
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Pink, red and white — classic colours for Valentine’s Day. But don’t
forget blue. According to the Canadian Mental Health Association,
feelings of sadness, inadequacy and loneliness are not uncommon both
during and after the build-up to February’s tribute to love and
romance. In fact, a European poll found that among the younger adults,
in particular, one in 10 felt depressed, insecure, inadequate or
unwanted on Valentine's Day. And more than 40% of those surveyed feel
negative or indifferent towards Feb. 14.
This phenomenon is similar to feelings that can emerge during the
December holiday season. In the case of both holiday periods,
commercialism, peer pressure and unrealistic expectations coupled with
a continuing lack of sunlight can reinforce negative moods.
While there is no definitive evidence that Valentine’s Day causes
depression, UK research suggests that a full three-quarters of suicide
attempts are put down to relationship problems. This isn’t surprising
when we know that not having a strong social support network is a risk
factor for someone already vulnerable to depression due to biological,
genetic and/or environmental factors. Social support goes beyond
romantic partners, but if it’s this domain that’s on your mind a lot
lately, below are ideas to get through the Valentine’s hoopla with your
mental health intact:
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January 30, 2008 at 8:34 AM EST
According
to new research published in the current issue of the journal Social
Science & Medicine, whether you're in Canada, Mexico or Malaysia,
most of us bottom out in our mid-40s, describing ourselves as unhappy
or even depressed.
But here's the good news: We bounce back and describe ourselves as happier in our 50s and 60s.
Crunching data collected from health and social well-being surveys
completed since 1972 by two million people in 80 countries, economist
Andrew Oswald of the University of Warwick in Britain found that
happiness follows a U pattern regardless of geography.
"You get this U shape with more or less whatever measure you have:
happiness or psychological health or lack of depression," Dr. Oswald
says. "Mental distress reaches a maximum in middle age."
And this is independent of gender, economic status and other
factors. "It's not caused by having children crying through the middle
of the night, divorces occurring after 20 years of marriage or anything
like that," he says. "It's way deeper than you might think."
(One mathematical analogy: Aging from 20 to 45 has an effect equal
to one-third the effect of being unemployed, Dr. Oswald says.) |
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Results surprise scientists.
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It's not clear which comes first—depression or rejection-sensitivity.
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A surprising relationship between depression and allergies.
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Some people might call you highly competitive. Some might call you superfit. But a growing number of doctors would label you something else: Depressed.
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People with chronic insomnia more likely to develop anxiety disorder symptoms.
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New studies reveal what goes on in the brain.
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This Month In Pictures
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Medical News
A Potpourri of Mental Health Articles
Mental Health Parity News
Suicide Prevention Llifeline
Our Soldiers & Veterans
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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