Posted by: Uticopa in Untagged on
Nov 05, 2008
Mind-body connections: Is there a link between depression and diabetes?
Studies have shown that there may be a definite link between depression and diabetes.
It was found that people suffering from both diabetes and depression were more likely to be older, female and from ethnic minorities. Also included in the risk group were those who didn't exercise, were overweight or obese, and those who had a history of high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke. Additionally at risk were those who were poorer, less educated, and the unmarried. They also had the highest death rates; people without diabetes and depression had the lowest.
Posted by: Uticopa in Untagged on
Nov 05, 2008
For many years insomnia was viewed as a symptom of depression, but this is no longer the case. Insomnia is now known to be a major risk factor for depression – a complete about-turn to our understanding.
What is insomnia?
Insomnia refers to sleep difficulties and this can take many different forms such as:
Posted by: Uticopa in Untagged on
Nov 05, 2008
Diagnosing depression in the elderly
Before being diagnosed with depression, elderly adults should be screened for common health issues that can affect mood. These include:
• Hormonal imbalances
• Thyroid problems
• Vitamin B12 deficiency
• Other nutritional deficiencies
• Electrolyte imbalances or dehydration
Posted by: Uticopa in Untagged on
Nov 05, 2008
A new study has found that genetics not only has a major role in depression, but it actually plays a bigger role in depression for women than it does for men. Researchers often study identical twins raised apart because this is the best way to find out whether a disorder is caused primarily by genes or environmental factors. Some recent studies, when analysed together, found that genetic factors accounted for 42% of depression in women, against only 29% for men.
Certainly, most of us have noticed in everyday life that women tend to have more mood swings than men. In the past this has always been put down to the fact that women have different types of brain activity than men. Men’s brains have two distinct sides, favouring concentration on one particular topic at a time. Maybe this is why women have found that it’s not a good idea to interrupt a man when he is concentrating hard on a project. Conversely, women’s brains tend to be more interweaved, continual cross-referencing happening all the time. Maybe this occurred over the centuries due to a woman’s role in needing to ‘rock the baby and stir the custard at the same time’!
But, what have genes to do with depression anyway? Depression is caused by sad events in your life, isn’t it?
Posted by: Uticopa in Untagged on
Nov 02, 2008
Famous personalities who have struggled against depression include Winston Churchill, Princess Diana, Jim Carrey, Leo Tolstoy, Harrison Ford and Boris Yeltsin.
All exhibited similar traits. They were intelligent, articulate individuals, raised in ‘normal’ families and benefiting from the love and support of those around them. None were reclusive hermits, many held firm religious convictions, yet they all still suffered from the seriousness of clinical depression.
Just consider the suffering of Princess Diana, for example. Despite the fact that she cried out her troubles out loud on our television screens and in our daily newspapers, did anyone really listen? Despite the fact that she desperately wanted others to love her – as evidenced by her immense charity work around the world – her depression manifested itself in many ways, including bulimia.
Posted by: Uticopa in Untagged on
Nov 02, 2008
In today’s competitive society there has been an increasing incidence of what is termed Existential Depression in school-children – something which can lead to thoughts of suicide.
Existential Depression is particularly common among gifted children. The most common reasons given for such children wanting to end their lives were: feelings of personal worthlessness, feelings of isolation and loneliness, pressure to achieve, and fear of failure. The most common time for teens to commit suicide is the 'after-school' period but many teens mask their feelings for fear of ridicule amongst their peers.
What depressive symptoms and disorders are linked to adolescent suicide?
Posted by: Uticopa in Untagged on
Nov 02, 2008
A drug to stop smoking linked to depression and suicide
Champix, a wonder drug prescribed to nearly 400,000 people in the UK to help them give up nicotine has been linked to severe depression and suicidal thoughts. Launched two years ago, scientists and researchers claimed Champix (known clinically as Varenicline) was more effective than alternative therapies in helping people give up smoking. Across the world, nine million people are said to use the drug which mimics the effects of nicotine to help reduce the desire to smoke and aids nicotine withdrawal. However, stories are now emerging in the media about people who are taking the drug suffering with depression while some people are attempting to take their own life, and succeeding.
In Britain alone, 3,000 people have complained about the drug’s effects with nearly 300 reporting suicidal thoughts. Ten people taking the drug have killed themselves.
Posted by: Uticopa in Untagged on
Nov 02, 2008
Diagnosis of depression in physical illness
There is no doubt that clinical depression is a painful and debilitating condition that often occurs in association with severe physical illness, but how to diagnose it in these circumstances?
The biological symptoms of depression include anorexia, weight loss, sleep disturbance, lethargy and psychomotor retardation; however, all of these may equally be due to the physical illness. A useful guide is the three main symptoms that help to differentiate depression from non-depression in medical patients: depressed mood, morning depression and hopelessness.
Posted by: Uticopa in depression on
Oct 31, 2008
You can't pick up a newspaper, switch on the TV or radio, or even go online without hearing or seeing more bad news about the credit crunch. Thousands of people are losing jobs, and many more are bogged down in debts they are finding it hard to pay off. After years of banks and financial institutions throwing money at us, we are finally paying the price. And it is making a lot of us very unhappy.
Only yesterday, a new thread was started on our forum discussing the difficulties people are coping with unemployment and mounting debts in this time of crisis. The worries and stresses of not having a job or being unable to pay bills can quickly lead to depression and other mental health problems. With no end in sight for this period of recession, are we in danger of becoming a nations of depressives?
I certainly hope not, and the whole purpose of this website is to help people all over the UK who are dealing with issues that effect their mental health. If you are having difficulty coping with financial problems or job loss, there is help available. It is easy to let pride take over and try to shoulder all of your burden alone, but this is very unhealthy in the long term. Discussing your situation with friends and family can help but, as much as they care for you, they also have their own interests at heart. Sometimes it is more effective to speak to an unbiased and objective person who is prepared to listen to your problems and help you through them with no agenda of their own. If you feel you would benefit from discussing your worries with someone like this, we can help you to find a therapist in your local area.
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.
