Depression Blog

When we see young children and adolescents, we often forget our worries for sometime. When we grow up, we always want to go back in time and live our life as kids because we never faced problems or tensions as kids. But the situations have changed. Surveys reveal that depression is now much seen in young children and adolescents as compared to grown ups. However, the reasons are not clear as yet. Depression in young people has the same symptoms as in adults. But young children often lack the understanding of the disease they face; they usually try to look for other means to shove out their discomfort.

If you have a young child at home, who appears sad, but is unable to express it in words, you must go for a doctor. The usual symptoms which indicate depression are lacking motivation and enthusiasm, fatigue, indecisiveness, no social interactions, irregular weight loss and gain, deterioration in performance, anger, sudden change in behavior patterns and mood swings.

If you do suspect depression in someone around you, all you have to do is to get him or her, counseled properly. Once the reasons for depression are found, an effective treatment can be started. Parents and teachers do hold a responsibility to notice such cases and get involved for the child’s betterment. Depression is nothing but a state of mind; however, if left uncured, it can turn into a serious illness.

Source: Buzzle

Obese people who are suffering from depression or anxiety preferably shed less weight after obesity surgery when compared to mentally healthy people.

This federally-funded medical study was presented at a meeting of bariatric surgeons on Thursday in San Diego.

Scientists discovered that, after 6 months of the gastric bypass surgery, the patients who have a history of depression or anxiety had shed an average 81 pounds. And Patients with no history of depression or anxiety was successful in shedding an average 86 pounds.

Doctors say that history of mental illness would not prevent patients, from undergoing the process.

A number of hospitals and insurers do screening of patients who want to undergo the surgery to confirm that if they are mentally fit for the operation and they can do changes in their lifestyle after that.

Gastric bypass is an operative process used to treat obesity, a condition which arises due to severe accumulation of excess weight in form of fatty tissue. The surgery is the surgical treatment of obesity, and it includes the gastric bypass procedures as one of several classes of operations. Gastric bypass surgery is usually for those people who are unable to attain a healthy weight through diets and exercise, they are severely overweight.

Image credit

Source

Regular physical exercise can be an effective alternative for medicines if you are suffering from depression. Spend a few minutes everyday in physical exercises and meditation. You won’t need to follow the medicated procedures.

Physical activity of the body adjusts brain chemistry leading to feelings of well being. Exercise also helps in tackling anxiety.

Depression is a chemical disorder, which alters the function of normal brain behavior. A depressed person sees no positive in anything. He lives a frustrated life. In extreme cases, depression might result in other diseases like Alzheimer’s or force the patient to suicide. But, physical exercise refreshes thoughts, mental set-up of the brain changes. Positive thoughts substitute the negative ones, leading to positive self-concept, more self-esteem and more positive moods.

Studies indicate that regular exercise may be as effective as other treatments like medication and counseling to relieve mental health problems such as depression. It is found that people who indulge themselves in some kind of physical exercise daily tend to have significantly less depression. Exercise regulates the mental metabolism and helps in developing positive thought, which are totally opposite to depression. According to the U.S. Surgeon General’s Report on Physical Activity and Public Health, physical exercise must form a regular feature of a person’s routine.

The MHDDAD or Georgia Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Addictive Diseases, treats its over 2,00,000 patients per year with a treatment plan that carries a plethora of physical exercises spanning from walking, jogging to gardening.

Physical exercise can significantly improve well being of the person. It can help provide a distraction from worries, tensions, stress and anxiety. Exercise enables to keep the body fit, helping in sound sleep, which is a must for a person afflicted with depression. On the whole, it can change the entire perspective of life for a person.

However, before endeavoring a serious exercise program, people with clinical depression should discuss it with their doctor.

Image

Via: The Weekly

According to NMH, in any given 1-year period, 9.5 percent of the population, or about 20.9 million American adults, suffer from a depressive illness. Depressive illnesses often interfere with normal functioning and cause pain and suffering not only to those who have a disorder, but also to those who care about them. Serious depression can destroy family life as well as the life of the ill person.

New research suggests the cod liver oil can put off depression. A study was conducted over twenty two thousand people to examine the effects of cod liver oil in their diet. It was found that people who took a spoonful of cod liver oil everyday were less depressed when compared to others who did not include cod-liver oil in their diet. It was also found that people experienced a decrease in the symptoms such as anxiety and sadness when they took cod liver oil for about 12 weeks.

The reason, scientists say that the content of omega-3 fatty acids in the brains could be skewed in people suffering from depression and giving them these supplements could help restore the imbalance.

Cod liver oil also helps pregnant woman avoid premature births and low birth weight, increases energy level and also helps fight heart disease, cancer, diabetes, arthritis and Alzheimer’s disease.

If you are not comfortable taking cod-liver oil, then you have other options to consider that are rich in omega-3. Walnuts, flax seeds, tofu, cauliflower, cabbage and canola oil are a few of them. Experts recommend that people consume 0.5g of omega-3 a day for optimum health - the equivalent of four meals a week of oily fish.

So, beat the blues by taking a tablespoon of cod liver oil every day and get on with life!

Image

Source

Violence and political turmoil are taking a toll on the Palestinians. A survey conducted by a West Bank consulting group found that 92 % of the Palestinians participants are under depression. The underlying cause is the region’s ongoing violence.

A report released by The Washington Times quoting the Near East Consulting poll revealed that there is a huge increase in people suffering from anxiety in Palestine. The latest study has found that there is a jump of more than 100 percent since November 2005 in the number of those suffering from depression linked to political turmoil.

Scholars like Jamil Rabah accuse the ongoing conflict between Hamas and Fatah to outwit each other in the power game and frequent military interference by the successive Israeli Governments as the main reason for creating mental torture for the citizens of the region. Violence and political uncertainty have torn off the social fabric and the consequence is fragmentation of the society. It is affecting people of every generation in Palestine.

The poll conducted by the Near East Consulting was based on the World Health Organization depression index and it took into consideration all the relevant criteria in political, social and economic field, covering around 801 Palestinian citizens.

Such a depression and psychological fear is adding more to the existing unrest in Palestine. The analysts have often found that such hopelessness as prevalent in the people in Palestine could only lead to more civil unrest and political violence. Even people are very much prone to falling into traps of terrorist networks.

Analyst Ibrahim Habib, said,

There is a high level of frustration. It is getting dangerous. There is not any value to life. A lot of People feel the [Palestinian] Authority is irrelevant.

Is it a failure of political system in Palestine or militantisation of politics there? Whatever be the reason the people of West Bank and Gaza are under severe psychological insecurity caused by continuous violence and acts of terrorism in the sacred land. The peace is a distant dream and the Holy Land is turning into the most disturbed region of the world.

Image

Via: Middleeasttimes

Relationship with your siblings as a child determines your vulnerability to depression. A recent study puts such men at risk of developing depression who had poor relationships with siblings during childhood, than those who got along better.

The study, Childhood Sibling Relationships as a Predictor of Major Depression in Adulthood, published in the American Journal of Psychiatry, emphasizes that it doesn’t mean that a poor childhood relationship with a brother or sister causes depression, but the two are strongly associated.

The study spans over 30 years and assessed 229 men who were being followed since they were 18 or 19 in 1939-42. The men were interviewed along with their parents and re interviewed when they were 25, 30 and 50, and the questionnaires have continued to interview to the present. Researchers lay the credit of their study to prospective design and long follow-up.

After gathering information from these questionnaires, experts came to know about the type of relation the men shared with their siblings as kids and adults. It was also taken into account whether any of the men had a family history of depression.

The study spotted 15% of the men, who had poor relationship with their mothers and the 16 % having a family history of depression suffered from the same later in life. But 26% were those who had poor or vicious relation with siblings, had episodes of major depression as adults.

The study cautions that all those prone to depression for poor relation with siblings were men, highlighting that the trouble fits if the person is a male. But, this is not to out rightly reject females from the study. It might be the case that males are more vulnerable to developing stress and depression for their relation to siblings than females.

However, the study is mum on whether depression causes harsh interactions among siblings, or whether vicious relationships are an early indication of depression, and also whether the two factors relate to each other to enhance the risk.

So, what are you waiting for? Develop a close, warm relationship with your siblings if want to evade trouble later on.

Image

Via: Nytimes.com

If you are some one who associates himself with depression and stress, this story is a must for you. Scientists have found that people who are easily stressed out or depressed are more prone to memory problems than those with sunnier temperament.

Those getting easily anxious or depressed are 40 times more likely to develop mild memory loss that is in-between between normal aging and dementia. Not only such people lose cognition, but also show signs related to development of Alzheimer’s disease. Scientists warn that chronic distress is related to the first clinical manifestation of Alzheimer’s disease.

And those with mild cognitive impairment have some trouble detecting things, but they do not have considerable disability.

1,256 people totally free of mental problems volunteered for the study that spanned 12 years. After the stipulated time period, it was found that 482 of them developed mild cognitive impairment.

The study revealed that chronic stress might damage parts of the brain responsible for responding to stress. It could open up new ways to approach the strategy to delay the symptoms of this malady.

It is better to keep your stress and tensions at bay, else that day isn’t far when your brain would give in to one of the worst brain diseases, Alzheimer’s. One can always overcome stress by exposing the body to physical exercises and meditation. Earlier studies have found that mediation promotes brain memory.

Image

Via: MSN

A study by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development has found that an increasing amount of sickness leave is due to depression or stress.

The study finds that mental illness is now the second largest reason for UK workers. Staff personnel with depression were said to take an average of 30 days off a year. Those under stress were reported to be away for 21 days.

The study states that it is the public sector workers who are more likely to take time off work because of mental illness. And among them, the problem is more prevalent among older staff.

The CIPD in its report said the latest findings would worry the government more, in light of a huge surge in the figure of people with mental health problems claiming their incapacity benefits.

This research shows how important it is for managers and HR practitioners to be aware of the signs of mental ill health so that they can take action early and provide support before the individual’s condition deteriorates to the point they go off on long-term sick leave,

said Ben Willmott, CIPD employee relations adviser.

Government should provide tax incentives to persuade more corporations to offer occupational health services to the staff, so that they work more closely with employers to spot opportunities for phased return-to-work for those affected with less demanding or reduced hours roles.

Image

Via:BBC

According to a recent survey, Britons spend more than five years of their total life worrying. This means for 27 days a year, Britons find themselves amidst worries.

The survey conducted on 2000 Britons, by advice web site ReallyWorried.com, stressed that the major causes for anxiety for Britons was personal health, followed by financial issues and increasing crime. Certain other reasons include Cost of living, Terrorism, children’s future, National Health Service, Gun knife culture, Global warming and Pensions.

The survey revealed that it is the young people in their late teens who find themselves worried the most. Astonishingly, 10 per cent of the youth of Britain spend 12 hours a day stressing, and the cause of anxiety being getting on the property ladder rather than sexual, educational or environmental fears.

The fairer sex worries more over the fear of their partners having affairs. On the contrary, men are more preoccupied with anxiety relating to sex, either a lack of it or their performance.

The research shows that most people in Britain are really worried — whether it’s about something monumental like their partner is cheating on them or something relatively simple to sort out such as getting to grips with technology,

said Richard Rubin, founder of ReallyWorried.com.

Worry is a harbinger for depression and that is why maximum cases related to depression are reported from the European countries.

Image

Via:DnaIndia

The biggest fear of students basically very good and average ones is the exam result. For some, expectations are high, while for others fear of failure rules the roost even before the results come out, the stress shows on the faces of such students. But once, the result is declared, it can be quite a tough time for some. Every year the announcement of CBSE results brings with it distressing stories of students ending up their own lives.

Seventeen-year-old Kanpur student Pawan Verma shot himself with his father’s revolver. Because being a fairly good student, he couldn’t deal with the disappointment of failing his class XII CBSE exams.

Punia, a class 12th student, says,

These score mean a lot to me and my career depends on this.

Parents and society pressurises, marks is all we care for,

says another student Mehek.

Experts say some amount of nervousness is normal in every exam. But when it comes to board exams stress levels shoot up and which might lead to depression.

Child Psychiatrist Dr Amit Sen says,

There is a trend where kids come and if not handled well can lead to serious consequence.

India has one of the highest rates of teenager suicides, stress being the main culprit. But, one must not lose heart and be under stress because that would further complicate matters.

Parents must discuss with their children, the highs and lows of examination. And must never underestimate their kids. A sense of motivation is required on the part of the parents so that no child loses his life for stress of not doing up to the mark in exams. One must relax, be optimistic and keep the faith in oneself. Because nothing can beat a self-confident person.

Image

Via:Ibnlive