Stress fuels depression by killing brain cells

Stress is harmful for mental and physical health most of us know this but a fact, hurled by a new study depicts it somewhat more horrifically. According to researchers, severe stress is enough to kill off new nerve cells in the brain, affecting an important part of the brain called, hippocampus, an area of the brain that processes learning, memory and emotion. Researchers believe that this very condition may increase a person’s vulnerability to depression, which is fast becoming a common problem these days. To monitor the affect of stress, researchers tracked some mice and found that in young rats, the stress of encountering aggressive, older rats didn’t stop the generation of new nerve cells in the hippocampus but it certainly prevented these new cells from surviving. This shows that how stress affects mental health negatively. However, the interesting thing of the study is that researchers are very enthusiastic about these findings, since they believe that this finding may help them digging out concrete solutions to fight mental disorders like depression, dementia, etc. Image credit Via: Earth Times

Omega-3 for depression?

Insufficient omega-3 may stir up depression and inflammation, a new U.S. study reveals. Before coming up with this finding researches at Ohio State University in Columbus focused on a group of 43 middle-aged to elderly men and women. Nearly half of these men and women were caregivers of spouses or people with dementia of Alzheimer’s disease. As per the findings of this study, participants with more omega-6 but with less omega-3 fatty acids were having more symptoms of depression and inflammation- a key factor for cardiovascular diseases. Mr. Martha Belury, who is an associate professor at the University, is right when he says that this study has shown even in people who did not take supplements, may be just a little bit more omega-3 could help reduce their markers for both stress and depression. It is worth mentioning that some previous studies have also touted omega-3 fatty acids good for fighting depression and inflammation. For instance: � Omega-3 Fatty Acid May Prevent Postpartum Depression � Omega-3 fatty acids may have therapeutic benefits in childhood depression However, this fact can also not be spurned away that some studies have come out strongly refuting such claims. Find out below: � Little Evidence Omega-3 Fights Depression: Study Considering these paradoxical studies, it is quite difficult to rely on a particular study but still we have a reason to vindicate omega-3 consumption, as there are many other benefits, which have strongly been linked to omega-3. So, one can, at least, hope to have those benefits from omega-3. Have a look at those benefits: � Omega-3 for Healthy Bones � Health Benefits of OMEGA 3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids � Omega 3 Fatty Acid Benefits Via: Earth Times

Broken heart could be deadly: Study

Broken heart has always been one of the favorite subjects for poets. However, experts warn that broken heart may shatter one’s life terribly. Actually, a study conducted by British researchers has unveiled that stress caused by bereavement affects regions of the brain that control learning, memory and emotion in such a way that it may destabilize the cardiac muscle of someone. Unfortunately, patients with heart disease are more susceptible to such situation. Throwing more light on this concept, researchers said: When we are under stress, these “higher regions” of the brain take part in a vicious circle of activity, which can trigger harmful rhythms. Through this finding, one thing is clear that bereavement, by stirring up irregular cardiac rhythms, may play havoc with somebody’s life. This was already known that stress mars cardiovascular health. However, the new study brings out the exact way in which stress work against heart. Moreover, several studies conducted earlier have also shown that how badly stress affects our health. Have a look at such studies: • The Effects of Stress on Your Body • The Health Effects of Stress and Increased Cortisol • Stress: A Health and Relationship Killer • Stress and Your Health – How Stress Affects Your Health Image Via: SMH

Dealing with depression in a healthy way

Dealing With Depression – A General Understanding Dealing with depression starts by understanding its patterns and symptoms. Depression is described as an abnormal emotional state characterized by feelings of sadness, despair, and discouragement. Symptoms of depression are- loss of interest, thoughts of suicide, energy loss, feelings of worthlessness, and difficulties in concentrating. Depression is serious illness that requires sessions with a professional, along with medication and therapy. The American Academy of Family Physicians offers these suggestions for dealing with depression: 1.Create a routine in life. Set small daily goals and stick to them. 2.Exercise to counteract the lethargy of depression. The activity will make you feel better. 3.Rest and relax. You’ll feel better as a result and may then have some energy to do stuff. 4.Allow yourself to experience your feelings. If you need to cry, do so. If you are angry, find a safe way to express that anger a little at a time. 5.Get busy on activities you enjoyed before. Do not cut yourself off from family and friends. Attend events with others even if you do not feel like talking or going out. 6.Get support from friends and family. Your friends and family care deeply about you, so they’ll be happy to help if you ask. 7.Don’t drink alcohol or take any unprescribed drugs. Eat balanced nutritious meals. Cut down on the junk foods. 8.Challenge any negative self talk or messages that you may be giving yourself. Stick with what you know is true, is real, and is observable, rather that jumping to conclusions or making assumptions. Do not focus on the negative. Remember that, “only you can prevent forest fires” and only you can get yourself out of depression. Not drugs, psychotherapy, or sessions with a professional. Via : Chinadaily.com

45% of the office workers depressed, are you one of them?

When it comes to psychological problems then depression seems to be having the upper hand. And from vulnerability point of view, office workers seem to be the worst sufferers. Confirming this fact further, a new online survey, conducted by jobs website Job Korea of 1,036 office workers on Wednesday, unveiled that 44.6 per cent of the respondents accepted that they were depressed. Responsible factors behind depression (as this survey reveales): • Among 43.5 per cent of the employees, uncertain future with the company was the main cause behind depression. • Among 35.5 per cent of the workers, rank factor was responsible for depression. • Among 32 per cent of the workers, job-related responsibilities had kicked off depression. • 31 per cent of the workers held losing out of corporate incentives responsible for their depression. Actually, this much of rise in depression cases is restricted to not only few countries but to the whole world. As in America, about 1.8 to 3.6 per cent of the workers suffer from major depression and in case of Ireland too, it is estimated that one in every 14 workers is affected with depression. Here it is worth mentioning that depression is restricted not only to play havoc with our health but world-economy is also at its target Intrusion of depression, especially among the workforce of this world is quite a bad indication, especially for the world economy, as the rising tide of depression may once again pave way for the replication of ‘Great Depression’ by affecting working capabilities of the workers. Depression, especially at workplace affects workers’ productivity, ability, judgment, to work with others, and overall job performance. The incapacity to focus fully or make decisions may lead to costly mistakes or accidents. In addition, it has been proved that depressed individuals have high rates of absenteeism and are more likely to abuse alcohol and drugs, resulting in other problems on and off the job. Therefore, if we still look at depression considering it a personal problem then it would be a big slip-up, since in the present scenario, it is no longer a personal problem but a social as well as an economic problem. Keeping in view this thing it could be said that employers will have to make sure that the seeds of depression may sprout in their employees and this could be made possible by ensuring that workers get congenial working atmosphere, including some motivating factors as well. Image Source

Antidepressants help youths avoid suicide

Researchers now claim that dosing children with antidepressants are in fact, not dangerous. These studies had in fact resulted in the FDA ordered ‘black box’ warnings put on the antidepressants. Scientists at the University of Pittsburgh say the risk they found is lower than the one the FDA identified earlier. The agency warned the public about the drugs’ risks in young patients. Researchers mentioned in their report that having analyzed data on 5,310 children and teenagers from 27 studies, they have found that for every 100 kids treated with antidepressants, only about one additional child tends to suffer from suicidal tendencies. It has also been seen that in the study of antidepressants including Prozac, Paxil, Zoloft, Celexa, Lexapro, Effexor, Serzone and Remeron, there were no suicides reported. Dr. David Brent of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine says- The medications are safe and effective and should be considered as an important part of treatment. The benefits seem favorable compared to the small risk of suicidal thoughts and behavior. Experts highly recommend the use of antidepressants to treat anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorders and depression. The authors of the study say the medications are safe and effective and should be considered an important part of treatment. Still, it is advised that doctors must keep an eye on their patients who are on antidepressants. The study was funded by the National Institute of Mental Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. It appears in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Via : Washingtonpost.com

How can college administrations handle mental health?

Last few day have been full of the terrible episode of killings of by 23-year-old Virginia Tech student Cho Seung-Hui, this sparks an important debate in terms of mental health of students. A debate that should have come much earlier and maybe could have prevented the deadliest one-man shooting rampages in U.S. history. Cho Seung-Hui exhibited odd behavior but deciding if odd behavior adds up to mental illness, or presents a danger of suicide or violence against others, involves a network of factors. The Americans with Disabilities Act, which protects mentally ill people from discrimination, prevents campus officials from throwing someone out of school simply for being depressed or schizophrenic. If a student is clearly violating the campus’ code of conduct, however, suspension is an option Just last month, Virginia passed the nation’s first law banning public colleges and universities from punishing or kicking out students solely because they tried to commit suicide or seek mental health treatment. Previous killing and suicides have resulted in universities kicking students they suspected of being unstable off campus, either permanently or temporarily. However, these very students then sued the universities because they were kicked off the campus when they sought treatment for depression. Then again even if a student seeks counseling, federal privacy laws bar the counselor from sharing information with other university professionals unless the student makes a specific threat. So the danger that such a person poses remains real and present. No wonder many of the students were afraid to go to colleges after the shoot out. So what if you can identify the danger signs? What can you do beyond that? What we need here are definite means to identify people who may be under high stress and may be in trouble and then have rules that do not discriminate against them yet prevent them from being a danger to others. Mentors need to have a follow up system to check on such kids. Maybe as students, you can start by having more empathy for the person sitting next to you. America’s young people face a mental health crisis. College counseling, center directors report an increase in students with severe psychological problems. Children are overwhelmed with pressures of growing up, fitting in and getting ahead creating a horde of mental health problems. Some more attention needs to be focused on this grave issue. Read

Depression: An indication of Parkinson’s disease?

Believe it or not, if you are having symptoms of depression then it could be an indication of health-wreakening disease Parkinson’s in your life. A new study, conducted by a team of researchers, including Miguel Hernan at the American Academy of Neurology, came out unveiling this stark fact after they examined a database of over three million people in the United Kingdom. During the course of study, researchers identified about 1,052 people with Parkinson’s disease and matched them with 6,634 people without the disease. In addition, researchers also tried to find out whether people, taking antidepressants medications are more likely to develop Parkinson’s disease than people who are not taking the medications. Finally, they concluded that people, taking antidepressants were having two times chances of developing Parkinson’s disease than those who were without antidepressants. However, they made it clear that it didn’t mean that antidepressants cause Parkinson’s disease. In the words of Hernan: This should not be interpreted as evidence that antidepressants cause Parkinson’s disease. This finding is quite informative, as it has tried to bring out the link between depression and Parkinson’s disease quite differently. Still, it is worth mentioning this is not for the first time when any study has come out associating depression with Parkinson’s disease because studies conducted earlier have also done the same. Here are some of those studies: • Depression May Be Early Sign of Parkinson’s Disease • Pessimism and Anxiety Linked to Parkinson’s Image Via: Sawf

Antidepressants gaining popularity, at the cost of health

Use of antidepressants is fast becoming a common thing, especially for the Australians with more and more people turning prone to mental health problems. A report from Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) come out exposing this darker facet the Australians’ health. According to this report: • The number of antidepressants prescriptions increased 2.2 per cent per year between 2000-01 and 2005-06. • The use of antipsychotics increased just in a year about 6.8 per cent while this increase was 4.6 per cent for antidepressants. • Where in 2000-01 doctors prescribed about 9.8 million antidepressants while this figure reached 12.3 million in 2005-06. • Just in a single year use of antipsychotic increased from 1.3 million scripts to 1.8 million. • More people in Tasmania and South Australia were seeking for mental health medication while the use of mental health medication was comparatively lower in the Northern Territory and the Australia Capital Territory. • One in two Australians seeking help each year. • About 190,000 people were treated in a hospital emergency department for a mental illness during 2004-05. Facts, looming out of this report paint quite a gloomy picture of Australians’ mental health. However, it is worth mentioning that this is not for the first time when upsetting picture of Australians’ mental health has come to the fore, because earlier too experts have pointed that Australia’s mental health system is in distress. And if we look at this problem in wider term then we can say that the issue of worsening mental health is worrying not only the Australians but the entire globe. Following points bring out this picture very clearly: • The mental health of New Zealanders is getting worse • Mental health fears in China • Mental health care system in New Orleans is growing worse These facts indirectly show that people’s dependence on antidepressants is skyrocketing not only in Australia but also around the world. This is a harsh reality that hundreds of millions of people worldwide are affected by mental, behavioral, neurological and substance use disorders. Proving this stark fact further an estimate in 2002 by the World Health Organization shows that 154 million people globally suffer from depression and 25 million people from schizophrenia; 91 million people are affected by alcohol use disorders and 15 million by drug use disorders. And due to this very reason a majority of such people stoop for using these antidepressants, which is quite a bad thing because there are many side effects that antidepressants have been linked to. Following is the list of those side effects: • Dry mouth • Urinary retention • Blurred vision • Constipation • Sedation (can interfere with driving or operating machinery) • Sleep disruption • Weight gain • Headache • Nausea • Gastrointestinal disturbance/diarrhea • Abdominal pain • Inability to achieve an erection • Inability to achieve an orgasm (men and women) • Loss of libido • Agitation • Anxiety This shows that too much dependence on antidepressants may no doubt, help curing bad mental health but several side effects as mentioned above may also flock with it. Image Via: News

Depression: Depressing the world economy

Cutthroat competition, rise and fall in the business sphere are not the only threats that the world-economy is constantly grappling with but depression is also foraying into its foundation. Proving this fact further, a new study unveils that depression costs $10b a year. This conclusion is based on the facts that came out during an analysis of about 90,000 workers at 60 of the nation’s biggest firms. Study’s fact: At a glance: • One in 20 employees was at very high risk of a mental health disorder. • Women were comparatively more vulnerable to mental health disorders than men. • An unwell man costs an average of about $8500 a year. • While unwell woman costs about $2300 in a year. • Mental health disorder results in $9.6 million productivity loss, nationwide. • Only 20 per cent of the employees with mental health disorders were receiving treatment. • 5.6 per cent of men and 6 per cent of women were at very high risk of having a mental health disorder. • People required to work more than 60 hours a week were at greatest risk. • Those who were suffering mental illness cost their company more, about $25,000 a year. These figures bring to light quite a gloomy picture of the mental health situation, prevailing in Australia. In addition, they also confirm the fact that Australian economy is severely being targeted by the phobia called, depression. However, it is worth mentioning that Australia is not the only country where working class is grappling with depression or other mental disorders, but there are many other countries, where depression rate, especially among the working class is fast burgeoning. And the direct implication of this depression in workplace is befalling on the productivity of the employees. According to an estimate, there are about 400 million people with disabling neuro-psychiatric condition, among which depression alone is expected to become the second highest cause of death worldwide after coronary artery disease. Looking at the present scenario it could be asserted that countries like America, UK, Australia, and China are comparatively more vulnerable to depression, which indirectly shows that threat to the economies of these countries is comparatively greater. It is quite unfortunate that a major chunk of people, suffering from depression do not having access to drugs and treatments that are essential to restore mental health, as states a report by WHO. According to this report, only about 18% of patients with mental health disorders get correct and specific treatment. Putting more light on the worldwide situation of depression the same report estimates that annually, about 33.4 million people suffer from severe depression, which is quite a serious issue. Looking at the rising tide of depression cases and its impact on the world economy, it could be asserted that taking hard measures to check this rise in depression is must as it will not only help ensuring our victory on the health front but on economic front too by checking the decline in the productivity of the workforce, which is being imperiled by the phobia called, depression. Via: Border Mail