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 can go away and you won't always feel like you do
now!
I joined this forum looking for help and advice which I
found in abundance but I also wanted someone to tell me that there is light at
the end of the tunnel and that depressive feelings can be reduced or go away
completely. I hope that my story can give some advice but also let people know
there is light at the end of the tunnel.
Hi! My name is Anthony. I'm not posting this for any
particular reason, just what ever you want to add or take away. I just want to
share some of my experiences with depression. Just a little about me and how
I'm dealing with it.
I'm 24, single and never had a girlfriend. I'm currently completing a science
degree, while dealing with depression and anxiety for the past year. I've been
seeing a doctor and taking part in cognitive behaviour therapy. It’s only the
past couple of days, that I've started taking medication (citalopram). Last
September is when I really got sick. I was tired all the time, really down,
would just stare, cold, numb, and dizzy. It was really an unknown time for me;
I didn't understand what was happening. I started developing thoughts to hurt
myself.
My parents and family are really supportive, even though they find
it hard to understand. I took a reduced course load then and saw my Dr., pretty
much weekly and did CBT for most of the year. After a while, the depression got
a lot better.
But around Christmas, I had anxiety almost constantly and the
depression set in again. But it is not as intense. I guess sometime around
spring. I was having more good periods than bad. But the depression/anxiety
would still set in from time to time. Sometimes I can have long good periods,
but the bad ones comes and goes from time to time. I'm back at school now for
the fall semester. I'm doing great, but lately having problems with constant
anxiety. A couple days ago, I decided to try some medication from my doctor. He
put me on citalopram. I'm hoping that will smooth things out a little better.
So far I've had no depression episodes, only anxiety and no side effects...
Here are something that I found useful, over the past year. Just something I
pick up, either from therapy, reading, this forum anywhere really. I'm very
interested in positive psychology. I try to live my life by that as much as
possible. I'm pretty much open about my depression and had more good
experiences than bad talking about it.
Hello, I am finally willing to open up about my experiences with
depression. I know it gives me hope and comfort reading others stories
and I hope to help whoever I can. so here goes... I am a 31 year old
mother of two, happily married, got a great job, a wonderful mother and
father, a brother whom I am close to, and have a great life in general.
May 7, 2009 at 12:00 AM EDT --
"It's a shame about your job," my friend says.
"Yes," I say. "But what can you do? In this economy lots of people are getting laid off."
We both nod and sigh a little. The part about the economy is true.
The part about my job is a lie. I've been lying to a lot of people
lately.
The truth is that I wasn't laid off from my job. I've been sick, too
sick to work. I struggled through most of the winter to make it through
those long, dark days at my desk, but eventually I had to quit before
the end of a six-month contract. It wasn't a choice. I simply couldn't
keep going.
So why didn't I just tell my friend this? Surely he would be
supportive. Why would I lie to someone I've known for more than 10
years? Because the thing I'm sick with usually doesn't generate the same
level of sympathy and understanding as other illnesses, even though
it's far more common than most people imagine. Simply put, I'm depressed. Clinical depression, major depressive
disorder, severe depression; there are several names for what's going
on inside my head.
ophilia123 lives in Toronto and is a member of Depression Forums
Most of you, in fact maybe all of you, will not remember me. It’s been
nearly two years since I last posted here. I believe that’s long past
due for an update to the people who helped me so much, even though they
didn’t even know me!
I’m 19 years old now, still young and very happy to be back on track
with my life. It’s hard for me to write about the past two years of my
life, because even now I have a hard time accepting that I wasn’t to
blame. I’ll start where I left off. The last time I posted, I was on my
way to my aunts house after being kicked out of my house and losing my
baby. In the year and a half following that, I experienced a downward
spiral of abuse, self-hate, addiction, and severe destructive
relationships. Happily, I’m not here to talk about those things, I’m here to thank you
all, because without the people here who sent me such kind mails,
thought about me in my hardest hour, or simply listened, I really don’t
think I would have made it to where I stand today. When I finally went to a real counselor last year, I heard time and time again that the first step towards healing is to accept yourself as someone who deserves to be alive. This is what I struggled with the most in my journey towards healing.
Who cares if the Red Sox win the World Series? The story of Jimmy Piersall is an even better drama.
Piersall was one of the best
outfielders of the 1950s and 60s—that was the opinion of the late great
Ted Williams. He started playing professional ball at age 18 and
reached the majors at 20, one of the youngest players in the game.
He played 17 seasons, most
notably with the Boston Red Sox, the Cleveland Indians, and New York
Mets. He won two Golden Glove awards and twice was selected for major
league baseball’s All-Star Team. His career statistics include a
batting average of .272, 104 home runs, 591 runs batted in, and a
fielding average of .997.
He is retired now, living outside Chicago. He isn’t in the Baseball Hall of Fame, but he is included on NAMI’s “Famous People” poster, which honors “people whose mental illnesses have enriched our lives.”
“Probably the best thing that
ever happened to me was going nuts,” he says. Whoever heard of Jimmy
Piersall until that happened?”
His mental illness—bipolar disorder—played out publicly at a time when mental illness was usually kept hidden.
Marya Hornbacher remembers her "endless nights" as a child as young
as 4, when she says she first began to show symptoms of bipolar
disorder.
"Bam! At 5, 6 o'clock I'm off, I'm ready to roll. And the world is
shutting down around me and I'm getting more and more frantic because
nobody wants to talk," Hornbacher recalls with a laugh, "and nobody
else wants to go to the moon that afternoon and nobody else wants to go
ice skating in the woods, you know, at 4 a.m."
"Spider-Man" actress Kirsten Dunst is finally opening up about her stint at the Cirque Lodge rehab center in Utah early this year, saying she sought treatment for depression and not drug or alcohol abuse.
Dunst, 26, told E! Online that she decided to talk about her problem to end the rumors.
"There's
been a lot of misrepresentation about what is going on in my life, and
it's been very painful for my friends and family," she told the Web
site. "Depression is pretty serious and should not be gossiped about."
Tony
Jurich knows how precarious life can be, especially for an adolescent.
The professor of family studies and human services at Kansas State
University tells this story:
A young man came into his office, brought by terrified parents who heard the teen muttering about killing himself.
Suicidal adolescents often occupy the worn black leather couch where
the young man slumped. Jurich has been a therapist specializing in
youth suicide for 36 years. He has not lost one.
The forlorn young man was not to be consoled.
With gentle nudges honed from years of experience and research, Jurich
drew out the young man's story -- girlfriend gone and life spiraling
out of control. His only spark of interest came from cars and, well,
why would he need a car with no girlfriend and no place to go.
"If your car was broken, what would you do?" Jurich asked.
"Fix it," came the answer.
"What if the problem was the battery? Would you get a new battery or throw out the car?" the counselor asked.
"Oh, Dr. J., I wouldn't throw out the car!" the young man answered,
looking at Jurich as if he had suddenly sprouted a second head.
The professor paused. The young man stared. Suddenly, the teenager
nodded. Of course. Why throw away your whole life if only part of it
was broken.
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - His mother suffered dark depressions and
tried to dominate his life. His sister and daughter had severe mental
problems, his father and wife died young and a beloved uncle committed
suicide in his arms.
So what did Peter Mark Roget, the creator of Roget's Thesaurus, do
to handle all the pain, grief, sorrow, affliction, woe, bitterness,
unhappiness and misery in a life that lasted over 90 years?
He made lists.
The 19th century British scientist made lists of words, creating
synonyms for all occasions that ultimately helped make life easier for
term paper writers, crossword puzzle lovers and anyone looking for the
answer to the age-old question: "What's another word for ..."
And according to a new biography, making his lists saved Roget's
life and by keeping him from succumbing to the depression and misery of
those around him.
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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There is nothing better than to speak out, tell your story and get the word out! There is hope! Together, we can help ourselves and others.
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