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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.
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Med & Health News
Med & Health News
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Seasonal affective disorder (SAD)
Seasonal affective disorder (also called SAD) is a type of depression
that occurs at the same time every year. If you're like most people
with seasonal affective disorder, your symptoms start in the fall and
may continue into the winter months, sapping your energy and making you
feel moody. Less often, seasonal affective disorder causes depression
in the spring or early summer.
Don't brush off that yearly feeling as simply a case of the "winter
blues" or a seasonal funk that you have to tough out on your own — you
may have seasonal affective disorder. Treatment for seasonal affective
disorder includes light therapy (phototherapy), psychotherapy and
medications. Addressing the problem can help you keep your mood and
motivation steady throughout the year.
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- By Lindsay
- Published 09/27/2009
- Med & Health News
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Dogs Are Wonderful Stress Relievers
Canine Friends to the End
Sep 21 2009 -- Dogs are great stress
relievers for their human companions. Although this has been recognized
by individual dog owners for millennia, the scientific evidence about
the psychological benefits of having a dog around first confirmed about
30 years ago when a psychologist, Alan Beck of Purdue University and a
psychiatrist, Aaron Katcher of the University of Pennsylvania, measured
what happens physically when a person pets a friendly and familiar dog.
They found that the person's blood pressure lowered, his heart rate
slowed, breathing became more regular and muscle tension relaxed-all
signs of reduced stress. A
recent study published in the Journal
of Psychosomatic Medicine not only confirmed these effects, but showed
changes in blood chemistry demonstrating a lower amount of
stress-related hormones such as cortisol. These effects seem to be
automatic, they do not
require any conscious efforts or training on the part of the stressed
individual. Perhaps most amazingly, these positive psychological
effects are achieved faster-after only five to 24 minutes of
interacting with a dog-than the result from taking most
stress-relieving drugs . Compare this to some of the Prozac-type drugs
used to deal with stress and depression, which alter the levels of the
neurotransmitter serotonin in the body but can take weeks to show any
positive effects.
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Leisure Time Plus Activities Boosts Mood & Improves Your Health
July 28, 2009 -- Taking
time for leisure activities apart from the demands of work and other
responsibilities helps people function better physically and mentally.
In fact, the more time spent doing different types of enjoyable
activities, the better a person’s health tends to be, according to a
new study.“People who are engaged in multiple enjoyable
activities are better off physically and psychologically,” said study
co-author Karen A. Matthews, Ph.D. She is a professor of psychiatry,
epidemiology and psychology at the University of Pittsburgh School of
Medicine.
.For
the study, 1,400 adults reported how often they participated in a
variety of leisure activities, including spending time unwinding,
visiting friends or family, going on vacation, going to clubs or
religious activities or playing sports.
Adults with higher
scores — indicating the most time spent in different leisure activities
— had lower blood pressure, waist circumference, body mass index and
cortisol measurements, all markers of good health.
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- By Lindsay
- Published 08/6/2009
- Med & Health News
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The Benefits of Physical Activity on
Improving Mood DisordersJust Taking Regular Walks —Can Improve Your Mood Significantly
 May 2009 - Feeling
a little down in the dumps? It turns out that a modest exercise program
— even just taking regular walks — can improve your mood significantly.
“There has been some about whether exercise is helpful for
mood, but it turns out that it is,” says Dr. Michael C. Miller, member
of the Department of Psychiatry at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
and Editor-in-Chief of the Harvard Mental Health Letter.
“For
some people, especially those who are really committed to daily
exercise, it’s almost equivalent to taking an antidepressant,” he says.
“The problem is that it is a lot easier to take an antidepressant than
to pursue a regular exercise regimen.”
For that reason, Dr.
Miller recommends people who want to boost their mood by exercising
pick a program that is relatively easy and enjoyable for them. The goal
is to find something you can imagine doing in the months, or even the
years, ahead! For many people, that is regular walks.
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The Benefits of Physical Activity on
Improving Mood Disorders Chalk up another benefit to being active, as even meager levels of
physical activity can improve the mood of people with serious mental
illnesses (SMI) such as bipolar disorder, major depression and schizophrenia. The
new study from Indiana University both reinforces earlier findings that
people with SMI demonstrate low levels of physical activity and
supports the consideration of physical activity as a regular part of
psychiatric rehabilitation. “We found a positive association
between physical activity level and positive mood when low to moderate
levels of physical activity are considered,” said study author Bryan
McCormick, associate professor in IU’s Department of Recreation, Park
and Tourism Studies. “Physical activity interventions that
require lower levels of exertion might be more conducive to improving
transitory mood, or the ups and downs people with SMI experience
throughout the day.”
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- By Lindsay
- Published 02/6/2009
- Med & Health News
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Ways to Make Yourself Stronger in 2009
 Exercise Plus More, Does Help Depression
Stay in touch—networking
has never been easier. Email is becoming obsolete among the teens and
twenties crowd. Communicating through online network sites such as Depression Forums Blog,
MySpace and Facebook is the ever growing choice of the younger
generation. Linkedin, ActiveRain, and other topic specific blog sites
are ways to be socially connected to friends, family and colleagues.
Choose to build stronger relationships by staying in touch with the
people you care about.
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Women Vs. Men: Handling Economic Stress
Kiri Blakeley, 01.12.09,
5:30 PM ET
Last
week's suicide of Chicago real estate auctions mogul Steven Good is the
latest instance of what could be termed "econocide"--suicide due to the
poor economy. While Good, who shot himself, did not leave a note
indicating his motivation, his death comes a month after he made
comments about the collapse of the real estate industry at a business
conference.
Good's suicide follows that of Kirk Stephenson, a financier who
jumped in front of a train in England after his private equity firm
suffered losses; French financier Rene-Thierry Magnon de la
Villehuchet, who slit his wrists after losing $1 billion in the Bernard
Madoff scheme; and German billionaire Adolf Merckle, who threw himself
in front of a train after massive investment losses.
These tragic figures had something in common besides economic hard times: They were all men.
In 2005, the latest statistics offered by the U.S. Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, 25,907 men killed themselves, versus
6,730 women. A big part of this discrepancy is that men use much more
successful methods of suicide. Each of the four moguls who took their
lives did so in a decisive fashion. "Men take far more permanent
measures," says Manhattan psychotherapist Jonathan Alpert, who counsels
many Wall Streeters and their families. "Women might make gestures that
are not as strong, that are more a cry for help or attention." Last
week's suicide of Chicago real estate auctions mogul Steven Good is the
latest instance of what could be termed "econocide"--suicide due to the
poor economy.
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The Comorbity Between Depression And Pain
ScienceDaily (Nov. 5, 2008)
— The brains of individuals with major depressive disorder appear to
react more strongly when anticipating pain and also display altered
functioning of the neural network that modifies pain sensitivity,
according to a new report. 
"Chronic pain and depression are common and often overlapping
syndromes," the authors write as background information in the article.
Recurring or chronic pain occurs in more than 75 percent of patients
with depression, and between 30 percent and 60 percent of patients with
chronic pain report symptoms of depression "Understanding the
neurobiological basis of this relationship is important because the
presence of comorbid pain contributes significantly to poorer outcomes
and increased cost of treatment in major depressive disorder."
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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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- By Lindsay
- Published 11/2/2008
- Med & Health News
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Women Facing Economic Stress - Coping Strategies Do Help
"Since everyone reacts differently to stress, a key to maintaining good
health during distressing times is to know your own warning signs".
Oct 31, 2008 -You couldn't ignore the news if you tried. The economic crisis is
all over magazines, newspapers and television news programs. So, it's
no wonder people are feeling anxious and stressed out.
But women may be reacting more strongly than men. A recent survey from
the American Psychological Association (APA) called "Stress in America"
says women are expressing fear about the current financial situation
more than men. Women are also reporting physical and psychological
symptoms, including sleep disturbances, headaches, mood swings and
changes in appetite, in higher numbers than men.
"Women are sometimes more aware of the stress they are feeling," says
Stephanie Smith, Psy.D., public education coordinator for the APA and a
licensed clinical psychologist in Erie, Colo. "They are often more
willing to talk about it and admit to the struggles they are having."
Women also tend to be the primary caretakers for most families, which
in times of economic crisis, can add to the burden. "Women have many
roles to play in life. They are often the primary caregivers for
children and the older generations [aging parents], as well as workers
in industry," Smith said. All of this responsibility can add up to a
lot of stress, especially when families are being squeezed financially.
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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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