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on: Saturday, 07 November 2009 21:22
on: Saturday, 07 November 2009 21:00
on: Saturday, 07 November 2009 20:45
on: Saturday, 07 November 2009 18:44
on: Saturday, 07 November 2009 14:42
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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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need your assistance volunteering for DF. We're
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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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- By Lindsay
- Published 09/27/2009
- Latest News
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 Pretending Happiness?Rescuing women and men from the quicksand of difficult relationships.
By Harriet Lerner, Ph.D.
No
one aspires to be phony, or hang out in a relationship where they can't
be real. Surely no amount of pretending can substitute for connections
to caring people with whom you can deepen and refine the truths you
tell about yourself over time.
But it's also true that moping
around and feeling sorry for yourself-although it may be absolutely
necessary at a particular time-can lead to more of the same. And simply
smiling can help. Spiritual
leaders and peace activists, encourage us to smile often and notes that
the act of smiling relaxed the muscles of the face and has many
benefits. His work has inspired many people to smile as part of a
spiritual practice. Sometimes
I encourage my clients to engage in
creative acts of pretending, not to run from the truth, but rather to
discover new truths. Pretending joy or happiness can be a
self-fulfilling prophecy, helping us discover or enhance our capacity
for these positive feelings.
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- By Forum Admin
- Published 07/15/2009
- Latest News
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Happiness Unpacked: Positive Emotions Increase Life Satisfaction by Building Resilience Newswise — People who seed their life with frequent moments of
positive emotions increase their resilience against challenges,
according to a new study by a University of North Carolina at Chapel
Hill psychologist and colleagues.
The study, “Happiness Unpacked:
Positive Emotions Increase Life Satisfaction by Building Resilience,”
appears in the June issue of the bimonthly journal Emotion.
“This
study shows that if happiness is something you want out of life, then
focusing daily on the small moments and cultivating positive emotions
is the way to go,” said Barbara Fredrickson, Ph.D., Kenan Distinguished
Professor of Psychology in UNC’s College of Arts and Sciences and the
principal investigator of the Positive Emotions and Psychophysiology
Laboratory. “Those small moments let positive emotions blossom, and
that helps us become more open. That openness then helps us build
resources that can help us rebound better from adversity and stress,
ward off depression and continue to grow.”
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- By Lindsay
- Published 04/13/2009
- Latest News
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Late-life Anxiety Is Treatable with Cognitive Behavior Therapy;
Improves Mental Health
 Older adults with generalized anxiety disorder who received
cognitive behavior therapy had greater improvement on measures of
worry, depression and mental health than patients who received usual
care, according to a study in the April 8 issue of JAMA.
Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is common in late life, with
prevalence up to 7.3 percent in the community and 11.2 percent in
primary care. Late-life anxiety predicts increased physical disability,
memory difficulties and decreased quality of life, according to
background information in the article. Late-life anxiety is usually
treated with medication, but associated risks (e.g., falls, hip
fractures, memory problems) with some drugs and patient fears of
adverse effects limit their usefulness. Two previous studies suggested
benefits of cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) in primary care for
late-life GAD, but the studies were small and the conclusions were
limited. Older adults most often seek treatment for GAD in primary
care. |
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- By Lindsay
- Published 02/18/2009
- Latest News
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Youth Antisocial Behavior May Predict Teen
Depression
Typically, past behavior is considered to be a good predictor of future
behavior. However, new research indicates that may not be the case in
the development of depression, particularly among adolescent girls.
University
of Washington social scientists tracked first- and second-graders for
seven years and found that anti-social behavior among girls and anxiety
among both sexes predicted depression in early adolescence.
Surprisingly, early signs of depression were not predictive of
adolescent depression.
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- By Lindsay
- Published 02/4/2009
- Latest News
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Study Says:
Mental Illness Alone Is No Trigger for Violence
CHICAGO -- A new large study challenges the idea that mental illness alone is a leading cause of violence.
Researchers instead blame a combination of factors, specifically
substance abuse and a history of violent acts, that drives up the
danger when combined with mental illness in what they call an
"intricate link."
People with serious mental illness, without other big risk factors,
are no more violent than most people, according to the study of more
than 34,000 U.S. adults. The research was released Monday in Archives
of General Psychiatry.
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- By Lindsay
- Published 01/25/2009
- Latest News
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Relieving Childhood Anxiety; Improves Balance
Saturday, Jan 24 --
Many of the 40 million American adults who suffer from anxiety disorders also have problems with balance.
As increasing numbers of children are diagnosed with anxiety,
researchers have discovered that the link between balance and anxiety
can be assessed at an early age and that something can be done about it
before it becomes a problem.
Dr. Orit Bart at Tel Aviv University’s School of Health Professions,
and her colleagues, have found that a simple course of physical
treatment for balance problems can also resolve anxiety issues in
children. Her work offers new hope for normal social and emotional
development for children with both disorders.
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- By Lindsay
- Published 12/16/2008
- Latest News
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Children Of Divorce - Coping With The Holidays
Linda Ranson Jacobs, of DivorceCare: Surviving the
Holidays experts, shares wise and practical advice on how to help your
children through the holidays.Q: Why is the interruption of routines so difficult for a child?
Linda: One thing that makes the holidays difficult
for children is the interruption of routines and rituals. Routines lend
themselves to a sense of security, and everyone knows that routines go
out the window during the holiday times. Please try to keep the
routines the same as before, as much as you can. When things have to
change, let your child know: “Things are going to be a little bit
different today. We’re going to do such and such.” Routines, rituals
and traditions are very important to children.
Q: Why is it important to keep some of the same routines for kids during the holidays?
Linda: Many times during the holidays as parents we
want to protect our children, so we try to make everything different,
and sometimes that’s a mistake. Sometimes it’s okay to keep things the
same. Children feel security in routines and traditions, so sit down,
talk to the children and ask them what they want to change, but let
them know you still want to keep some things the same. Go with the flow
of what your children want to do. And any change you make, you need to
feel comfortable with, too, because if you don’t feel comfortable,
that’s going to impact the children.
Q: Why are Thanksgiving and Christmas so stressful to children of divorce?
Linda: With all the rushing around at the
holidays—parties, church, concerts, plays, shopping—you still have to
work, and you get stressed out. Think of the child. They feel the
stress both in your family and in your ex’s family. They have double
whammies of stress. Children do get very stressed out during the
holidays.
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ScienceDaily (Nov. 11, 2006)
— People who get scared when they experience a pounding heart, sweaty
palms or dizziness -- even if the cause is something as mundane as
stress, exercise or caffeine -- are more likely to develop a clinical
case of anxiety or panic disorder, according to a Florida State
University researcher in Tallahassee, Fla. 
While other researchers have proposed a connection between this
so-called "anxiety sensitivity" and a range of anxiety problems, the
study by FSU psychology professors N. Brad Schmidt and Jon Maner and
University of Vermont Professor Michael Zvolensky provides the first
evidence that anxiety sensitivity is a risk factor in the development
of anxiety disorders. The study will be published in the December issue
of the Journal of Psychiatric Research.
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- By Forum Admin
- Published 11/8/2008
- Latest News
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Healing the Mental Wounds of War
They
are wounds you can’t see. Thousands of our veterans return every day
from Iraq and Afghanistan with psychological, invisible wounds that are
just as real as physical injuries. They affect their daily lives and
cause anxiety, pain, and suffering for veterans and their families.
These
veterans must then wage another battle here at home to obtain proper
treatment and care from the government and deal with the stigma and
difficulties of mental heath problems. Nearly one in five combat
veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan suffer from Post Traumatic Stress
Disorder (PTSD), putting them at higher risk for suicide. The number of
suicides among veterans of those wars may exceed the combat death toll
because of inadequate mental health care. The Veterans Affairs
Department estimates that 18 veterans commit suicide each day.
That’s a national tragedy. But we can help veterans triumph over these problems and win them the help and attention they deserve.
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Childhood Anxiety Disorders - Three Effective Treatments
Oct. 31, 2008)
— Treatment that combines a certain type of psychotherapy with an
antidepressant medication is most likely to help children with anxiety
disorders, but each of the treatments alone is also effective,
according to a new study funded by the National Institutes of Health's
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).
"Anxiety disorders are among the most common mental disorders
affecting children and adolescents. Untreated anxiety can undermine a
child's success in school, jeopardize his or her relationships with
family, and inhibit social functioning," said NIMH Director Thomas R.
Insel, M.D. "This study provides strong evidence and reassurance to
parents that a well-designed, two-pronged treatment approach is the
gold standard, while a single line of treatment is still effective." 
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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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