Dr Thomas Stuttaford
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on: Friday, 09 May 2008 08:11
on: Friday, 09 May 2008 06:20
on: Friday, 09 May 2008 03:34
on: Thursday, 08 May 2008 23:23
on: Thursday, 08 May 2008 22:48
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Member Testimonials
QUOTE (Darken @ Mar 13 2008, 04:52 PM) *
Hi Everyone,
Let me first thank you all for your well wishes and offerings of support. Your comments, suggestions and support really did help me seek the proper help for my condition. If not for sincere comments like those from Soleil and Burgy who knows where I'd be. Angel brought me your comments while I was in the hospital and it really made my day.
For those who have been following this thread let me update you on what happend. I was in danger of being taken to the hospital against my will after Angel became involved. She made calls and had the abilty to do just that, yet gave me the space and time to prepare my life for this big change. On the day I was to make the call to the hospital I chose..everything seemed to go wrong and my planning and choices went up in smoke. I was in danger of going to a general hospital and that is something I was not prepared to accept. In the end my fears and panic were dismissed as I finally got the courage to call the hospital myself and they agreed to admit me that night.
Let me make this next part clear...my hospital stay was the most amazing experience of my life. After a night and day of severe anxiety because of where I was and some of the people that were in this ward, I realised many of the 35 people in the unit were just like me. My choice of hospitals was certainly the best decision I ever made as the structure of your help in this particular hospital is all up to you. Aside from seeing the Pdoc every morning the rest of my day was my choice. If I wanted to attend one of 13 groups I could, if I wanted to sit in my room all day I could do that too. I obviously opted for the groups and this being my first experience at all with something like that I found myself really enjoying the interaction and information being presented. At the end of the first day I was literally a totally different person as opposed to when I went in. This was not due to any medication, it was merely the stress free environment and the ability to control my life and help in the way I needed to. By the end of the third day I truly did not want to leave. No outside pressures, no work, no home stress just the tools and people to help me get straight again. This coupled with Angel's renewed support made me feel like I haven't felt in years. I spent a week in the hospital and really felt I was ready to leave when the time came...as it turned out I most certainly was not.
Let me briefly touch on meds. The Pdoc at first wanted to put me on Lexapro, I was not totally against that idea as I have seen many success stories on this very site (at least in the beginning). In the end though I did not feel a drug more geared for anxiety (which I do not have) was the best choice for me, nor did I want to deal with the side effects of SSRI's. After doing research and speaking to others on here I thought Wellbutrin might be a good start as it is a stimulant and may be better at treating just depression. The doctor listened to my concerns and agreed to begin with the WB. My first three days on this med were not good at all. They were concerned about seizures as I had an odd feeling in the front part of my head which developed into a killer headache for three days. I also had the blurred vision, dry mouth and a general uncomfortable 'physical' feeling. I discussed my concerns with the Pdoc and I agreed to give it time. After the third day the side affects disappeared and have not returned since. I did not knowingly experience the early 'kick' of this drug, although as I've said I felt incredible in the hospital....since getting out it seems to only help with a general feeling of a 'clear' head as opposed to the muddled mess I felt before. I am on the lower dose for the moment so perhaps if moved to the 300 mg I may find more benefits.
I will not post my experience after the hospital on this post as I really wanted to convey my appreciation for all of your support and also to let people know who were thinking of, or are fearful of going to the hospital that the help there is invaluable. I chose a specific Behavioral Health hospital and I would encourage anyone else to do the same, from talking to people in there who have been through many different 'wards' the BH hospital was much less structured and far more geared to help yourself, rather then push in on you. This was the perfect receipe for me. Also none of them looked down on the fact that I was suicidal and almost went through with it, instead they worked on making me feel safe both in the hospital and out.
Darken
(Darken) HOPELINE 1-800-SUICIDE
 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 Our DF Members
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Depression
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.
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 - 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.
Treatments for Depression
Clinical Depression is a common, real and treatable illness.
A flash video on 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 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-resistant depression (TRD) occurs when 4 or more adequate antidepressant treatments have not provided desired improvement.
Depression (major depression)
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
Depression: your questions answeredIs 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. Open Minds::Open Doors
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How to Take an Antidepressant Part 1
How to Take an Antidepressant Part 2 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 Did Bipolar Disorder Drive a Mother to Kill Her Child? On Oprah! Mental Health Parity News
NY Enacts Mental Parity Law Timothyslaw.org Parity On! When the Cure Is Not Worth the Cost Push for MH Parity Continues Suicide Prevention Llifeline
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Soldier suicides in Iraq up again
Mental health care needs among recent war veterans. Signs of Military members Depression Tacoma conference on mental health care for military veterans Marine's Suicide Marked The End Of One Man's War Army Beginning to Address Better MH Issues Soldiers struggle to find Therapists US Veterans Face High Suicide Risk - Study Armys Top Official Pushes MH Overhaul Army Official Urges Mental Health Reform Angry Veterans File Lawsuit VA’s Suicide Hot Line Begins Operations The stigma of mental illness: what shall we do? Depression May Play A Bigger Role In Readjustment Than Previously Thought In Troubled Vets Serving Those We Serve edclogo
 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 Link To Us
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