Depression Blog

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.

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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.

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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

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

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

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Via: SMH

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

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.

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Via: Earth Times

Girl babies born underweight, means weighting less than 2,500 grams, are more prone to depression, especially when they enter the ambit of teenage. A new study reveals after going through an intensive study, which tracked about 1,420 boys and girls, ages 9 to 16.

According to this study, girls born underweight among them 38.1 per cent experienced at least one episode of depression between the ages of 13 to 16. While the percentage of depression-struck girls, born normal weight was just 8.4 per cent. Interestingly, association between underweight-born boys and depression was no as firm as was in the boys. Uncovering the importance of this study Elizabeth Jane Costello of Duke University Medical School in Durham, N.C., and her colleagues remarked:

The findings suggest that pediatricians and parents of girls who were of low birth weight should pay close attention to their mental health as they enter puberty.

It means that pregnant moms should take special care of their unborn babies; otherwise, on entering teenage they may also be engulfed by the spate of depression, which is already thrashing the whole world.

Via: In The News

Stress has always been linked to poor health but perhaps this is for the first time that any study has come out uncovering negative effects of stress on kids’ brain so comprehensibly.

In this new study by the U.S. scientists, it was found that mental health of the children suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD might turn worse following damage to hippocampus, which my result in behavioral problems, memory loss, anxiety, etc. Further, the same study states that kids undergoing the phase of PTSD also contain higher level of cortisol in their blood, which has been found pernicious for hippocampal in studies conducted on animals.

Through this study, it becomes quite clear that how harmful stress could be for kids. Moreover, we can keep a blind eye to the fact that in the recent years, like adults, kids too are finding themselves encircled by stress disorders, which is really an alarming bell for the society. For better understanding, find out how harmful stress or PTSD could be:-

• PTSD and Physical Health

• Study: PTSD Effects Sensitivity to Pain

• The Health Effects of Stress and Increased Cortisol

• Your Body - How Stress Affects Health

• Stress affects us in many ways

• How Stress Affects Your Immune System and More

• Stress and Your Health

Image credit: CHP

Via: BBC

If depression has turned out to be your life companion then try to get rid of it as soon as possible because it may trigger the development of blood vessel plaques, known as atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis is a condition, which experts believe may put you at increased risk of heart attack, stroke and several other cardiovascular health problems.

Researchers brought out this idea after a long study of three years, during which they evaluated the contribution of depression, anxiety, and anger to atherosclerosis among 324 men and women between 50 and 70 years old.

Briefing about these findings investigators concluded:

Our results indicate that depression, but perhaps not anxiety and hostility/anger, may be involved in the initiation and/or progression of atherosclerosis.

This is really a serious issue that has been undraped through this study, which clearly shows that how dangerous depression could be. Still, we can’t deny the fact that this is not the first study to show that depression is linked to bad health since previous studies have well promulgated this fact. Here is a look:-

1. How Depression Affects the Workplace

2. Cognitive functions in depressive disorders

3. Depression Can Make Your Bones Brittle!

4. Anger, Depression, Hostility and Anxiety Leads to Heart Diseases!

5. Stressed Moms May Slower Baby’s Growth In the Womb!

Via: Daily Times