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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Q. What is wrong with me? I have what I think are anxiety problems.
About five years ago, I was diagnosed with ADD. I never experienced any
sort of trauma, that I can remember. I get this horrible feeling and it
builds up, until I start crying uncontrollably and hyperventilating.
I’m also abnormally shy. I feel that same sort of anxiety when I have
to talk to people, even people I’ve known for a long time. I don’t
usually look people in the eye when I speak. I feel very nervous about
a lot of things, and I’m tired of making any mistakes, big or small,
and people’s reactions to them. Please tell me, is it possible that I
have some sort of disorder?
Q: I raised my children as a single mom. I did the best I could, but
I’m sure I made a lot of mistakes. I feel I have made up for those
mistakes in the past several years. I am always there for my children.
My daughter is now 30 years old with two kids. She is separated and
living on her own. She is hateful, stressed, depressed, angry. She
yells at her small children constantly. She blames me for all that went
wrong in her life and treats me terribly. I have been dealing with this
for years, but it is getting worse.
My daughter has been diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder . They put her on Wellbutrin
several weeks ago. I am worried because she is drinking while taking
this medication. She gets out of control with her anger. I don’t know
what to do. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Clinical Psychologist’s Reply
A:
Children need to feel safe and loved. So, to the best of your ability, the more support you can offer them, the better.
"My Husband Does Not think Depression Is A Big Deal"
byBy Diana L. Walcutt, Ph.D.
Sept. 21, 2009 -- Q. I am having trouble letting the past go and forgiving. My husband
got addicted to pain pills and did a lot of hurtful stuff to me during
that time. Now I can not trust him and feel hurt about what he has done
to me. He goes on like nothing has happened and put it all behind him.
I am not sure if i need to seek a professional to talk to and if that
will help me. I do not have the money now to do so. I am on Effexor for
the depression part and for the most part it is working.
I also feel that I may be bipolar but am ashamed to say anything to my
doctor. Nor to my husband because he does not think depression is a big
deal. He just tells me to get over stuff and move on. I just do not
know how. I feel I am in a stuck in a bubble all by myself. I really
need help.
Jul 2 2009 - I am a 25 year old female that cant seem to be happy with
anything. My brother passed suddenly a year ago and that sort of
triggered a total collapse. I have been to an in-patient week long
therapy rehab, which helped while i was there but soon after i got out
i started feeling hopeless again.
I have totally changed my
life; i stopped bartending and started school again. Im doing well in
school, i have a wonderful boyfriend, and a great support group but
every waking second I hate my life. I dont understand the point, i dont
enjoy anything.
Q. I need help. I’m 16 years old and I am falling apart. I
have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, ptsd, depression, and
generalized anxiety disorder. My parents won’t bring me to a therapist
anymore and I can’t go to my phyciatrist because we don’t have to
money. My parents won’t listen to me when I say I have a problem. I
don’t want to die but I black out and hurt myself a lot and it just
keeps getting worse. I don’t think I’ll be able to control myself next
time something bad happens.
I won’t even get out of bed anymore unless my boyfriend wants me
to go somewhere but my problems have been affecting him so greatly
lately that I just feel guilty when I’m with him. I try to be happy, I
do but there’s this voice in my head and it just tells me everything
that’s wrong with me and tell’s me that I’m worthless and that I’d be
better off dead.
Q. After years of being treated for bipolar i may have been
misdiagnosed. I’ve been taking lithium for bipolar disorder for over 7
years and for the last 5 years have been on the lowest possible dose
that when i get my levels taken it shows a barely theraputic level.
From about 15yrs old to 17yrs old i suffered with depression and social
anxiety with no manic episodes whatsover. I was taking Zolaft and
Busbar but not religously at all. i would skip and than over medicate
myself while taking drugs and alchohal. During that time i had 1 major
manic episode that landed me in the hospital. Since then I’ve been on
lithium which the depression subsided after a year or so and I never
had a manic episode again. my doctor says he would like to try and
wean me off. He believes my original diagnosis of bipolar disorder may
have been mistaken for a mild mood disorder. I was both happy and
extremely frightened by his report. I would say the past 5 years of my
life I’ve never felt more emotionally stable and happy. However; what
if my doctor is wrong and i fall back into a major depression or have
an episode? I went through a lot of pain and treatment until i finally
got things right. Basically my question is what is the success rate
when a patient with bipolar disorder is taken off of their meds via
instruction and monitring of their doctor? Any feedback would be more
then appreciated as this is one of the hardest decisions i am facing in
my life.
A. I do not fully understand why your doctor wants you to come off
the medication when you seem to want to stay on it. You said that for
the last five years of your life you have “never felt more stable and
happy.” There may be other factors involved in why your doctor wants to
wean you off of the medication that you did not report in this letter.
Published: Saturday, February 28, 2009 at 1:00 a.m.
As a mental health professional, I am seeing more and more patients who are suffering from what I call "recession depression."
There
is no doubt that in recent weeks a new element has appeared in the
mental health field. People are worried about the recession, losing
value in homes and stocks and losing their jobs. The stress is new, but
the tools needed to cope are not.
Acceptance of circumstances
which are beyond our control, an organized wellness program, and
positive thinking habits are still the best defense against depression.
Here are a few coping tips that will help:
Learn
the basics of positive thinking or cognitive management. Our own
thoughts are a powerful tool for calming and self-soothing.
Create
a budget that allows you to spend less money than you earn. Get some
help with this if necessary; don't tell yourself it can't be done.
Q. I am 21 year old US
Air Force member, and I suspect that i have bipolar disorder. However I am
unable to get treatment or a diagnosis because a mental illness would classify
me as unfit for duty. Also after I get out I plan on getting a job in law enforcement,
another career that mental illnesses are a no go. I wanted to know if there was
a way to get treatment without getting this on recor, maybe an all natral
treament of somthing along those linesso that I can continue with my career
goals but still have some relief from the symptoms of said disorder.
A. Are you certain that if you attend mental health
treatment it would be reported? Can you say with certainty that getting
treatment bars you from a future career in law enforcement? Before you conclude
that you cannot seek traditional mental health treatments, I’d recommend verifying whether these
assertions are true.
Q. Hi, I’m sixteen years old and living as an expatriate in
Hong Kong Ever since I was about 12, I’ve been falling in and out of
phases where I’d get really down and stop eating, and used to depend my
emotional well being upon a boy. Yet now, I’m scared
because I know I’m getting too sad to function, and I can’t pull myself
together. I don’t have an appetite, I never do my homework anymore, I
can’t even wake up in the morning and feel like socializing with my
friends is impossible. Its as if I’m trying to float in the middle of
the sea, when its just so much easier to sink and die.
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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