In a
ground-breaking legal case in the UK, a judge has ruled that a mother should not stand trial for the attempted murder of her baby, as the woman was suffering from severe post-natal depression at the time of the incident.
The mother of four had suffered from post-natal depression after the birth of each of her children, with the condition becoming steadily worse each time. After the birth of her fourth child, she had become so ill that she threw the six-week-old baby from a first floor hospital window.
On Monday, a judge decided that the mother had been too ill to realise what she was doing. This is an important case that shows how serious a problem post-natal depression can become.
Many mothers find it difficult to cope with the birth of a child, and the hard work and sleepless nights that follow. But post -natal depression is a serious mental illness, and one in ten mothers in the UK are affected by this condition to some degree. In some cases it has been classed as a form of post-traumatic stress disorder. But for many years the condition has been called the ‘baby blues' and been dismissed as a symptom of tiredness or a difficulty adjusting to the new responsibilities of parenthood.
Sarah Harding, singer with the pop group Girls Aloud, has spoken out this week against rumours that she is suffering from an eating disorder. The rumours were triggered by photographs of the singer's slim frame, but Harding insists that she "eats like a horse".
This is just the latest in a long line of rumours - some true, some false - about women in the public eye having eating disorders. Perhaps most famously, and certainly most tragically, was the case of singer Karen Carpenter who, after years of denying she suffered from Anorexia Nervosa, died in 1983 from a heart attack brought about by the condition. She was only 32. At the time of her death, she weighed just an astonishing 49Kg.
Pop stars, actresses, and other women in the public eye are admired as role models by young girls. They often want to emulate them in many ways, and while the celebrities themselves may be eating healthily, their slim figures can often lead young girls to take drastic measures to achieve the same look.
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Oct 05, 2008
Recognise the signs
As we get older, the difficult changes that many face - such as the death of a spouse or medical problems - can lead to depression, especially in those without a strong support system. But depression is not a normal or necessary part of ageing. In fact, most older people are satisfied with their lives despite the challenges of growing old.
Left alone, depression not only prevents older adults from enjoying life as they should, it also takes a heavy toll on health. But if you learn how to spot the signs of depression and find effective ways to help, you or your loved ones can remain happy and vibrant throughout the golden years.
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Oct 05, 2008
Recent television programs on BBC1 have highlighted the many traumas involving abortion, but especially those involving teenagers. Abortion-victim teenagers, are especially vulnerable because they are at a critical developmental period of their life. Even though teens are likely to be most deeply affected by abortions, they are also likely to be the least expressive about their doubts and pains. Instead of being encouraged to accept the consequences of their choices, and to mature through the responsibilities of parenthood, they are encouraged to progress their life through infantile destruction.
There is a myth that Post-Abortion Stress Syndrome or PASS does not really exist. Some people say "It is a myth made up by pro-lifers in an attempt to scare women, and to help in their fight to make abortion illegal". Yet, any woman who's experienced PASS doesn't need anyone to convince them it's real. Even though much of the mainstream world still does not acknowledge the existence of PASS, let us not forget that abortion itself has only been legal and widely-practised for twenty-odd years.
PASS is a term that describes the emotional and psychological consequences of abortion. To cope with the emotional pain that accompanies abortion, a woman often develops a set of defence mechanisms to justify her decision. They may include:
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Oct 05, 2008
Someone once said that the way to differentiate between great sadness and depression is that sadness relates to ‘real’ events, whereby depression is an overwhelming pressure pushing down on the top of your head. There is no doubt, however, that identifying depression in a loved one can be challenging because your loved one may not even be willing to acknowledge his or her symptoms of depression. It's important to recognise the early warning signs because this can lead to earlier diagnosis and treatment, with a greater chance of success. Once a person has sunk into a deep depression, suicidal thoughts may be more evident and it can be a lot harder effectively to treat the depression.
What changes should we look out for?
Some changes can be subtle but others will more clearly indicate your loved one has depression. Energy levels are a good indicator. These can change markedly when depression is present. Your loved one may be highly excitable and restless or may be quiet and sluggish.
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Oct 05, 2008
There are distinct categories of Depression which can exhibit marked differences in symptoms and behaviour. Below are 9 major types.
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
People who live in cold, northern climates or areas of the world where long periods of darkness are the norm will recognise this SAD syndrome only too well. But, equally, there are patients everywhere who suffer from SAD each time the sun goes down, but feel better in daylight. Typical symptoms: altered sleep patterns, with overall increased amount of sleep, difficulty getting out of bed in the morning, increased lethargy and fatigue, apathy, sadness and/or irritability, increased appetite, carbohydrate craving and weight gain, and decreased physical activity.
Winter's reduction in daylight hours, or the normal blackness of night, desynchronizes the body clock and disturbs the circadian rhythms. It is usually treated by morning exposure to bright artificial light. By providing appropriately timed light exposure, the body's circadian rhythms become resynchronized and the symptoms of SAD resolve.
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Oct 05, 2008
Give truthful answers to the following, scoring: 0 (not at all); 1 (sometimes); 2 (a lot of the time); 3 (yes, all the time).
1. I have no energy and constantly feel tired
2. I have trouble sleeping / or I stay in bed all the time
3. I don’t feel like doing very much or have no pleasure in doing things
4. I am very down and miserable
5. I lost my appetite or I am eating a lot more than normal
6. I am feeling quite low and lacking motivation – I feel like I am a failure
7. I can’t keep my attention on anything for long, can’t concentrate on reading or even watching TV.
8. I am visibly more lethargic and / or I am noticeably more restless and agitated than normal.
How did you get on?
If you scored 0 – 8
This is low. Your score indicates that you have no symptoms linked with depression, so you can cross this off your worry-list! However, it’s always good to know how to reduce the risk of becoming depressed.
Posted by: Uticopa in Untagged on
Oct 05, 2008
A new series begins today on the subject of Depression. Find out all you need to know by following our exclusive articles, each tackling one aspect.
Much has been written in the media lately about the increasing incidence of depression – surely a sign of the stresses and strains of modern life. But, how do we know if we actually have it?
One of the biggest challenges facing mental health specialists in addressing depression is accurately diagnosing it in the first place. This is because depression can present vague and confusing symptoms so it is easy to see why a diagnosis can be missed. A depressed person might present a variety of non-specific physical and emotional symptoms and a doctor must be very thorough to determine a correct diagnosis of depression. In addition, the difficulty in accurate diagnosis is further compounded by the fact that many medical problems share the same symptoms of depression and in fact, some of these may directly be causing the depression.
Posted by: Uticopa in mental health, addiction on
Sep 22, 2008
The Get Well Scheme was an experimental scheme run out of two centres in Northern Ireland that enabled GP's to refer patients to complimentary therapists with the NHS picking up the tab. The aim was to show that not only can those who have come to rely on long term prescription drug use to manage their conditions reduce their dependency through these therapies, but that the scheme could even save the NHS money.
The use of prescription drugs to manage conditions can be costly and result in countless further medical risks such as addiction, reliance and side effects (however small the risk factor is). The Get Well Scheme looked into the use of such therapies as acupuncture, homoeopathy, chiropractic, aromatherapy and reflexology. The recent BBC One documentary (shown in Northern Ireland) charted the progress of the scheme and showed some very positive stories of success.
The scheme was attempting to prove that the NHS should be offering its patients access to these alternatives to prescription drugs for their better health and for the benefit of the NHS budget.
In a recent speech at The Guardian Public Services Summit, Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg underlined his belief that the Government was failing the public by putting too much emphasis on medication and not enough on mental health options. He said "Britain has become the true Prozac Nation. I believe this trend has gone too far. This was in response to research his party had carried out that revealed that, for some psychotherapy and counselling services, patients currently have to wait up to two years before they are seen.
Mr Clegg blames the lack of an adequate mental health service offering as one of the major contributions towards the rise in the number of prescription medications being sold in Britain today. A startling 31 million prescription drugs such as Prozac were issued in England alone in 2006. Whilst Mr Clegg acknowledges the role medication plays in alleviating the symptoms of many conditions, he feels that this should not become the default medical solution to all conditions. He vowed to invest in mental health services to reduce long waiting times that could put some people off the treatment and make others wait for an uncomfortable amount of time for care that could change their lives dramatically.
A Department of Health spokesperson said that that over the next three years the Government would be investing and additional £170m into psychological therapies to help those who need it most. Such a long wait to meet with a mental health professional is not only dangerous for some patients and conditions, but as many mental health issues are progressive, by the time they are seen they will require a far longer period of therapy to achieve the same results.
