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QUOTE (livingwithBPD @ Jan 15 2009, 10:30 AM) * Thanks Trace, it goes like wise when you need someone there for you. That why I like this forum since no one here judges me like other forums.
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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 11th 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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Depression
  • Bereavement
    • When someone close to us dies, it can sometimes feel as if we'll never get over the loss. As much as death is a part of life for everyone, it is also one of the most difficult things to cope with. But getting through grief and being able to move on with life is essential to our mental health and well-being. Fortunately, there are reasonably predictable stages of grief.
  • Depression and Suicide
    • The Bleakness of Depression
    "The bleakness of the landscape is unimaginable. It is as friendless and alien as a Dali painting. Ordinary concerns, such as work or friends, have no place here. Futility muffles thought; time elongates cruelly. Who is to blame for this situation? Those with depression think it must be them. Pointlessness and self-loathing govern them. So the natural final step is suicide. People with depression don�t kill themselves to frighten an errant boyfriend. They kill themselves because it is the obvious and right thing to do at that point. It is the only positive step they can think of."
    -Kay McKall
    an Ipswich (UK) general practitioner
    and consumer with depression,
    writing in the British Medical Journal
    (NAMI Advocate, winter 2002)

    Untreated depression is the #1 cause of suicide. Depression IS treatable.
    Suicide IS preventable.

  • Depression FAQ's
    • Depression FAQ - Part I II & III
    What is depression?
    This FAQ is intended to give you an introductory overview of depression provided by McMan's Depression and Bipolar Website. The FAQ is divided into three parts.
  • Postpartum Depression
    • Postpartum depression is caused by changes in hormones and can run in families. Women with severe premenstrual syndrome are more likely to suffer from postpartum depression. Mild or moderate depression, either postpartum or otherwise, can be treated with medication or with psychotherapy, or, particularly for women with severe cases, a combination of the two. Women who have postpartum depression love their children but may be convinced that they're not able to be good mothers
  • Substance Abuse
    • Substance abuse refers to the overindulgence in and dependence on a psychoactive leading to effects that are detrimental to the individual's physical health or mental health, or the welfare of others.
    The disorder is characterized by a pattern of continued pathological use of a medication, non-medically indicated drug or toxin, eg: alcohol, that results in repeated adverse social consequences related to drug use, such as failure to meet work, family, or school obligations, interpersonal conflicts, or legal problems. There are on-going debates as to the exact distinctions between substance abuse and substance dependence, but current practice standard distinguishes between the two by defining substance dependence in terms of physiological and behavioral symptoms of substance use, and substance abuse in terms of the social consequences of substance use.

    Substance abuse may lead to addiction or substance dependence. Medically, physiologic dependence requires the development of tolerance leading to withdrawal symptoms. Both abuse and dependence are distinct from addiction which involves a compulsion to continue using the substance despite the negative consequences, and may or may not involve chemical dependency. Dependence almost always implies abuse, but abuse frequently occurs without dependence, particularly when an individual first begins to abuse a substance. Dependence involves physiological processes while substance abuse reflects a complex interaction between the individual, the abused substance and society.
  • Treatment Resestant Depression
    • Treatment-resistant depression (TRD) occurs when 4 or more adequate antidepressant treatments have not provided desired improvement.
  • Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)

    • If you notice periods of depression that seem to accompany seasonal changes during the year, you may suffer from seasonal affective disorder (SAD). This condition is characterized by recurrent episodes of depression – usually in late fall and winter – alternating with periods of normal or high mood the rest of the year.

    Most people with SAD are women whose illness typically begins in their twenties, although men also report SAD of similar severity and have increasingly sought treatment. SAD can also occur in children and adolescents, in which case the syndrome is first suspected by parents and teachers. Many people with SAD report at least one close relative with a psychiatric condition, most frequently a severe depressive disorder (55 percent) or alcohol abuse (34 percent).

Beyond Serotonin

By Forum Admin
New research is challenging the assumption that the world's most common mental ailment is just a chemical imbalance in the brain.

"Death was now a daily presence, blowing over me in cold gusts. Mysteriously and in ways that are totally remote from normal experience, the gray drizzle of horror induced by depression takes on the quality of physical pain. But it is not an immediately identifiable pain, like that of a broken limb. It may be more accurate to say that despair, owing to some evil trick played upon the sick brain by the inhabiting psyche, comes to resemble the diabolical discomfort of being imprisoned in a fiercely overheated room. And because no breeze stirs this caldron, because there is no escape from the smothering confinement, it is entirely natural that the victim begins to think ceaselessly of oblivion." —William Styron

Melancholy is a fertile muse. No sooner had William Styron become the poet laureate of depression after describing his bout with madness in Darkness Visible when all manner of confessions followed. Mike Wallace. Art Buchwald. Dick Cavett lined up to disclose their own struggles with the disabling disorder. It quickly became acceptable, even chic, to publicly confide vulnerability to depression.
At the same time, the world was being made safe for depression, or at least public revelations of it, by another development, the 1988 advent of the so-called SSRIs—Prozac, Paxil and related drugs believed to specifically combat depression by beefing up serotonin and other neurotransmitters that ferry signals between nerve cells. The wild success of psychiatrist Peter D. Kramer's thoughtful Listening to Prozac generated not only new respect for the effectiveness of Prozac but new appreciation of the disorder it was intended to treat.

Real Men. Real Depression.

By Forum Admin
Depression is a serious but treatable medical condition — a brain disease — that can strike anyone, including men.  In America alone, more than 6 million men have depression each year.

Whether you're a company executive, a construction worker, a writer, a police officer, or a student; whether you are rich or poor; surrounded by loved ones or alone; you are not immune to depression. Some factors, however, such as family history, undue stress, the loss of a loved one, or serious illnesses can make you more vulnerable. If left untreated, depression can lead to personal, family, and financial difficulties. With appropriate diagnosis and treatment, however, most people recover. The darkness disappears, hope for the future returns, and energy and interest in life becomes stronger than ever.

Woman And Depression - A Pdf Brochure

By Lindsay

Women and Depression

In any given year, 10 to 14 million people experience a clinical depression; women 18 to 45 years of age account for the largest proportion of this group. Clinical depression is a serious medical illness that is much more than temporarily feeling sad or blue. It involves disturbances in mood, concentration, sleep, activity level, interests, appetite, and social behavior. Clinical depression can develop in anyone, regardless of race, culture, social class, age, or gender. However, across virtually all cultures and socioeconomic classes, women are more likely than men are to experience depression.

Depression (major depression)

By Forum Admin

Introduction



 
Depression is one of the most common health conditions in the world. Depression isn't a weakness, nor is it something that you can simply "snap out of." Depression, formally called major depression, major depressive disorder or clinical depression, is a medical illness that involves the mind and body. It affects how you think and behave and can cause a variety of emotional and physical problems. You may not be able to go about your usual daily activities, and depression may make you feel as if life just isn't worth living anymore.

Depression: your questions answered - Dr Thomas Stuttaford

By Lindsay

Depression: your questions answered

Dr Thomas Stuttaford

Is depression being used to diagnose too many people?

Depression is the description of a symptom that has many potential causes, each of which must be analysed before a true diagnosis can be reached. To say that a person’s troubles are the result of depression doesn’t tell the whole story. The term is used too often and as a diagnosis without any qualification it is to all intents and purposes useless.

Don’t many doctors tell a patient that they are suffering from depression and also include it on their medical certificates?

Yes. But it is hoped that when a doctor uses the term depression to describe someone’s psychiatric problems it is only as shorthand. It may be that they have already described the type of depression that their patient is suffering from and to put it all on a certificate would be impossibly cumbersome. Shorthand may also be deliberately vague so as to preserve the patient’s confidentiality. Work is making you mentally ill

Are there other organisations and professions that use the term depression in such an ill-defined way as doctors?

Yes. Unfortunately coroners, social workers, the police and the media all use the label depression loosely. Frequently there are reports in the papers that someone is suffering from depression without any attempt made to describe what type of depression it is. If this has resulted in suicide, homicide, divorce or job loss it is not only misleading but can be very disturbing to someone else who has a condition in which one of the symptoms is being depressed but can easily be treated.

The words below belong to author William Styron, and they describe his first episode of major depression.

By Forum Admin
The experience belongs to millions.

Open Minds::Open Doors

By Lindsay
A Mental Health Video
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Medical News
Depression News From Medical News Today
Latest Depression News From Medical News Today.

Loneliness Among Older People, Study
Professor Bo Malmberg and Professor Gerdt Sundström at the School of Health Sciences in Jönköping, Sweden have studied loneliness among older people. A common stereotype about older people is that loneliness is typical for older women, rather than for older men. One problem with this stereotype is that feelings of loneliness are not particularly common among either men or women in the Nordic countries.

Work With Tiny Worm Could Point To New Treatments For Human Brain Disorders
Although the tiny roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans has only 302 neurons in its entire nervous system, studies of this simple animal have significantly advanced our understanding of human brain function because it shares many genes and neurochemical signaling molecules with humans. Now MIT researchers have found novel C. elegans neurochemical receptors, the discovery of which could lead to new therapeutic targets for psychiatric disorders if similar receptors are found in humans.




ADHD News From Medical News Today
Latest ADHD News From Medical News Today.

VYVANSE CII Provided Significant Efficacy At 14 Hours After Administration In Adults With ADHD In An Adult Simulated Workplace Environment
Shire plc (LSE: SHP, NASDAQ: SHPGY), the global specialty biopharmaceutical company, announced results from a Phase 3b study that found VYVANSE® (lisdexamfetamine dimesylate) CII demonstrated significant efficacy at 14 hours after administration during a simulated workplace environment study in adults with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

New Goal To Get More People With Learning Disabilities Into Work, UK
People with a learning disability will be helped into paid jobs to close the employment gap, Jonathan Shaw, Minister for Disabled People and Phil Hope, Minister for Care Services pledged today. The goal is set out in the new cross-government Learning Disability Employment Strategy, published today. The strategy sets out a vision to increase the number of real jobs for people with learning disabilities with appropriate support being provided.




Anxiety / Stress News From Medical News Today
Latest Anxiety / Stress News From Medical News Today.

More Loneliness, Anxiety Experienced By Overweight Kids, MU Study Finds
As childhood obesity rates continue to increase, experts agree that more information is needed about the implications of being overweight as a step toward reversing current trends. Now, a new University of Missouri study has found that overweight children, especially girls, show signs of the negative consequences of being overweight as early as kindergarten.

What Is Psychotherapy? What Are The Benefits Of Psychotherapy?
Psychotherapy consists of a series of techniques for treating mental health, emotional and some psychiatric disorders. Psychotherapy helps the patient understand what helps them feel positive or anxious, as well as accepting their strong and weak points. If people can identify their feelings and ways of thinking they become better at coping with difficult situations. According to Medilexicon's




Bipolar News From Medical News Today
Latest Bipolar News From Medical News Today.

Schizophrenia And Bipolar Disorder Share Genetic Roots
A trio of genome-wide studies - collectively the largest to date - has pinpointed a vast array of genetic variation that cumulatively may account for at least one third of the genetic risk for schizophrenia. One of the studies traced schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, in part, to the same chromosomal neighborhoods. "These new results recommend a fresh look at our diagnostic categories," said Thomas R. Insel, M.D.

A Combination Of Common Genetic Variations Can Lead To Schizophrenia
A multi-national group of investigators, including a scientist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, has discovered that nearly a third of the genetic basis of schizophrenia may be attributed to the cumulative actions of thousands of common genetic variants. The effects of each of these genetic changes, innocuous on its own, add up to a significant risk for developing both schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.




Mental Health News From Medical News Today
Latest Mental Health News From Medical News Today.

What Is Psychotherapy? What Are The Benefits Of Psychotherapy?
Psychotherapy consists of a series of techniques for treating mental health, emotional and some psychiatric disorders. Psychotherapy helps the patient understand what helps them feel positive or anxious, as well as accepting their strong and weak points. If people can identify their feelings and ways of thinking they become better at coping with difficult situations. According to Medilexicon's

FDA Adds Strong Warnings To Anti-Smoking Drug Labels
"The Food and Drug Administration announced (Wednesday) that it is requiring the smoking-cessation drugs Chantix and Zyban to carry the strongest type of safety warning possible to alert patients that the medications can cause serious mental health problems, including depression and suicide," the Washington Post reports (Stein, 7/1).




Psychology / Psychiatry News From Medical News Today
Latest Psychology / Psychiatry News From Medical News Today.

More Loneliness, Anxiety Experienced By Overweight Kids, MU Study Finds
As childhood obesity rates continue to increase, experts agree that more information is needed about the implications of being overweight as a step toward reversing current trends. Now, a new University of Missouri study has found that overweight children, especially girls, show signs of the negative consequences of being overweight as early as kindergarten.

Sexist Jokes Favor The Mental Mechanisms That Justify Violence Against Women
Sexist jokes (and all the variants of this kind of humour) favour the mental mechanisms which urge to violence and battering against women in individuals with macho attitudes.




Schizophrenia News From Medical News Today
Latest Schizophrenia News From Medical News Today.

Work With Tiny Worm Could Point To New Treatments For Human Brain Disorders
Although the tiny roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans has only 302 neurons in its entire nervous system, studies of this simple animal have significantly advanced our understanding of human brain function because it shares many genes and neurochemical signaling molecules with humans. Now MIT researchers have found novel C. elegans neurochemical receptors, the discovery of which could lead to new therapeutic targets for psychiatric disorders if similar receptors are found in humans.

Schizophrenia And Bipolar Disorder Share Genetic Roots
A trio of genome-wide studies - collectively the largest to date - has pinpointed a vast array of genetic variation that cumulatively may account for at least one third of the genetic risk for schizophrenia. One of the studies traced schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, in part, to the same chromosomal neighborhoods. "These new results recommend a fresh look at our diagnostic categories," said Thomas R. Insel, M.D.




Sleep / Sleep Disorders / Insomnia News From Medical News Today
Latest Sleep / Sleep Disorders / Insomnia News From Medical News Today.

Sleep Duration Associated With Variations In Levels Of Inflammatory Markers In Women
A study in the July 1 issue of the journal SLEEP demonstrates that levels of inflammatory markers varied significantly with self-reported sleep duration in women but not men. The study found that both interleukin-6 (IL-6) and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) levels varied with sleep duration in women following multiple adjustments for a number of confounding factors.

A Link Between The Circadian Rhythm And Salt Balance
New research, conducted by Charles Wingo and his colleagues, at the University of Florida, Gainsville, suggests a link between the circadian rhythm and control of sodium (salt) levels in mice. The hormone aldosterone regulates levels of sodium in the blood and thereby helps control blood pressure.
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A Potpourri of Mental Health Articles
How to Take an Antidepressant Part 1

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Ways to fight the winter blues

What if one therapy could help ward off addiction, depression, stress and even Alzheimer's, all the while keeping you slim and feeling great?

In the interest of fairness to one and all

Dr. Paul Donohue - Highs and lows of bipolar disorder

Abused Children Face Depression Risk as Adults

Omega-3 for bipolar disorder - Restoring the balance

Study suggests interplay of gene, stress can predict depression

One of 2007’s hottest food additives will be: omega-3.

Study Questions 'Off-Label' Use of Antipsychotics

A sweet drink twice a day might help people beat the blues.

Talking To Doctors

Depression May Be World's Most Disabling Disease

FDA antidepressant warnings;
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Depression May Play A Bigger Role In Readjustment Than Previously Thought In Troubled Vets

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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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