Category Archives: Depression

Economic Ups and Downs Drive Up and Down Suicide Numbers

April 27, 2011

There is a definitive connection between the economic environment and suicide rates it has been determined.

When the economy is going well incidents decrease, and whilst it is doing badly they increase.

This has been determined by a Centre for Disease Control and Prevention study that has just been published.

Stats Used

The study entitled Impact of Business Cycles on US Suicide Rates, 1928 -2007 took in key economic data pertaining to that 70 year period, and the cycles of boom and bust and suicide rise and fall that went along with them to conclude its findings.

It was determined by the study to seek out information also pertaining to the relationship between the ages of citizens, regarding the suicide rate in particular age brackets, coinciding with business cycles.

Prime Working Years

It was found that persons in the 25-64 year-old bracket i.e. prime working years, were most affected by business cycles with regard to their mental health.

Important Finding

The author of the study James Mercy PHD who is the acting director of CDC’s Injury Centres Division of Violence Prevention has declared that an important finding has been made with this research.

The research will now go on to be used for the development of policy, seeking to decrease the prevalence of suicide. James also noted how when the economy weakens, we now know that suicide will be more prevalent, this then gives us the impetus to ensure that additional suicide prevention measures are in place for a weakened economy.

Depression Time Boom Town

The main findings of the study were that in general the rate of suicide increases when there is a recession. This was determined through statistical analysis around the years of the Great Depression (1929-33) at the end of the New Deal (1937-38) and included the USA Double Dip Recession of (1980-82.)

So too it was found that the rate of suicide experienced a sharp drop during times where there was little economic hardship like the largest expansion period of the USA economy from (91-01.)

Largest Expansion

The Great Depression brought the largest expansion in suicide rates in USA history wherein the rate soared from 18 per 10,000 to 22.1 per 10,000. This was a massive 22% increase. The data demonstrated however, that the years of boom around the turn of the millennium had the lowest levels of suicide.

Age Change

The study also determined that amongst elderly groups (65-74 years and beyond but also including the middle aged to older groupings 55-64) these groupings saw the most significant decline in suicide rate levels during the period 1928-2007.

Impact on Self Worth

It was found that indeed economic problems can cause an impact to how people feel. It impacts how they are feeling about their future hopes. Economic downs play havoc with family and friends, combining to effect real negativity in the mindset. It can in effect disrupt the fabric of communities also.

How Data is to be Used

Feijun Luo PhD who is an economist in the Division of Violence Prevention, and also the key author of the study demonstrates how it is known that there is not just one reason behind suicide. A combination of a number of factors come together to illicit this negative response. He is positive however that there are a great many measures that can be applied to enact a change in these trends.

He pointed to the likes of prevention strategies and more of a focus on the making the individuals, families and neighbourhoods that are a part of wider communities capable of reducing the risk factor.

Social Support

These measures can include social support to those who have lost out as a result of economic malaise. Through offering counselling services to persons who have lost their jobs or their homes, change can be effected.

Protective Factors

So too a spirit of connectedness between individuals in communities can foster change. This can be done by formalising links to school and churches. The idea behind this is that the connectedness between people will put in place protective factors against suicidal behaviours and thoughts.

So too it is endeavoured that in the future there will be an increase in accessibility to services around prevention of suicide, like crisis centres. Those areas that are disproportionately affected by recession can be specifically targeted with prevention campaigns.

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Head Trauma Leads To Depression

April 27, 2011

Under extensive analysis it has been determined, that up to 30% of patients who enter hospital with a traumatic brain injury will suffer from depression in the wake of the injury.

For the study, already existing data about blunt force trauma from falls, assaults, sporting injuries and motor vehicle accidents was taken.

This report was conducted by (AHRQ) the Agency for Healthcare Research.

In the United States more than 1 million emergency room visits each year are down to blunt force trauma, a quarter of these will need to be hospitalised.

Risk Factor

The study co author Oscar Guillamondegui M.D at Vanderbilt’s Division of Surgical Critical Care and Trauma, sees brain injury as a major risk factor for depression. This is in the long and the short term, with the co author also stating that his findings have determined that it is 30% right across the board, whether it is five years five months or five weeks after the accident.

It has been found by him that there is a very real risk of developing depression for anyone who has received a blunt force trauma to the head.

Medication

The reason why this analysis of data and study is important is that to date researchers and doctors have been looking to answer the question, if there are any medications that can be used to treat depression for those who have experienced brain injury.

To date there were only two studies of treatment for these persons conducted.  Many in the medical profession feel that it is not acceptable that given the number of traumatic brain injuries occurring in battle, and in civilian life that there is so little known about treating depression in these people.

Underreporting

The authors of the study reckon that there is an underreporting of traumatic brain injury, as many do not go to the emergency room when they assume they have just suffered a mild injury. It is families and friends the doctors point out, who are being relied on in this instance to see the changes demonstrated in demeanour after such an event.

Other Effects

It is not only depression that can be caused as a direct result of head trauma. A severe blow to the head can influence the mood of the individual in many ways. So too it can cause behaviour problems. Often depression as a result of a blunt force trauma to the skull is confused with loss of self esteem or frustration, yet these are merely symptoms of the condition.

Whiplash

It is not only when the head itself is hit hard that this depression has been observed. It can also occur when there is a strike of the brain against the inside of the skull. One of the main factors where this kind of strike is observed is during car accidents, when the occupant receives what is known as whiplash.

There is a severe problem with underreporting in this area, leading many not to link the later emergence of depression to the earlier head trauma.

Mood

Other mood changes that have been observed in these individuals as a result of head trauma were increases in irritability, so too it was likely that they would become increasingly aggressive. Panic attacks and an inability to control feelings are two other outcomes of a severe blunt force trauma to the head.

Elongated Recovery

Whilst the scars may heal, and the broken bones of injury mend, the onslaught of depression can be longer lasting than any of the physical repercussions. It is important that this is understood by the patient, and that treatment for the depression is sought out when the condition manifests.

Thankfully now that this information is out there, doctors will be informed to warn patients of the risks of developing depression after they have been in an accident where there was a blow inflicted to the skull.

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Mood Disturbed by TV and Computers in the Bedroom

April 26, 2011

Light is a very powerful drug, or so it has been concluded by new research that determines it is indeed bad for your mental well being to leave the TV on while you rest, the same is true for computers or even your fancy phone. In effect doing this will put you at risk from suffering from depression, or if you are depressed it will be of zero benefit towards your recovery.

The research to this end has been conducted using hamsters, but it combines with other research that was conducted with humans and animals, this research has concluded that for all creatures of this ilk exposure even to a low level of light can lead to a plethora of ailments.

The health consequences are inclusive of some cancers, disorders pertaining to sleep and even weight gain.

Dark Shades

The author of the study one Tracy Bedrosian, a doctoral student of neuroscience at The Ohio State University in Columbus said, “We’ve set up a link between exposure to light at night with depression in these animals, If it does apply to humans, people might want to think about getting dark shades, not leaving the TV on all night long, and making sure to give themselves darkness when they go to sleep.”

Cause Unknown

Whilst it is evident that the numbers now suffering from depression has seen a steady growth in recent decades, it has been difficult for doctors to really pin point any one definitive reason for the increase. It has been suspected however that light disturbance may be one of these reasons.

It seems natural to follow on that this may be one of the problems behind the surge given that people have become increasingly exposed to different sources of light not natural in origin, over the past century. There is the constant whirring of computers in bedrooms and people are increasingly tending to fall asleep without turning off the TV.

Night Shift

It has been determined through investigation also that those who are earning their living working night shifts are far more likely to suffer from a sleep disorder than those who do not, and gain rest when they should be getting that rest as dictated by nature.

Hamsters

The test was conducted using 16 hamsters in all to find this link between depression and light. The Ohio state University researchers placed all of the animals under bright lights for 16 hours a day. Half of these hamsters were then allowed to experience true darkness whilst the other 8 were exposed to light that would be consistent with the glow of the television in a darkened room.

After 8 weeks it was found that those who were forced to withstand the low level light in conjunction with their 16 hours a day light outline scored lower in a number of mood tests. The results were made public at the Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in San Diego.

Less Enjoyment

The signs of mood are difficult to determine in animals but the hamsters drank 20% less sugar water than the group who were permitted a rest phase in absolute darkness. This lack of drinking it is suggested by the scientists is confirmation that the hamsters just weren’t getting the same enjoyment out of the things they used to enjoy, what you may recognise as a symptom of depression.

It was even noted that the low level light exposed hamsters actually gave up their swimming activities more readily than the other group also. Scans of the brains of the hamsters revealed a stark difference in the hippocampus region of the brain between the two groups.

Brain Images

The group who had the extra light had fewer of the hair like growths (dendric spines) growing in this region of the mind, indicative that there was not as much communication going on between the nerve cells pertaining to this region. This very same low density of hair like growths of the hippocampus has been observed in humans suffering from major depression.

Hormone

An explanation has been offered by the researches as to why this may be the case. It is they say in a hormone called melatonin. Once we are in a state of darkness production of this hormone heightens in the body, this hormone has broad influence on us. It has antioxidant qualities, it promotes a dropping off into sleep, it allows for other hormones to be released in a controlled fashion, and indeed it is a regulatory hormone for the circadian rhythms.

The wrong amount of this hormone can be released even after experiencing a small volume of ambient light at night time, so too what is produced might come to us when it is not needed, which can lead to many problems for the human as well as the animal. This is according to Phyllis Zee, director of the Sleep Disorders Program at Northwestern University in Chicago. Other studies have also implicated that problems are created in the body pertaining to mood disorders sleep disturbance and diabetes as a result of misappropriation of this hormone.

Powerful Drug

“They’re all somehow related, and perhaps melatonin helps explain why there is this very strong relationship between depression, sleep, and circadian rhythms, as well as obesity and metabolism. Light affects so many biological systems, light is a very powerful drug for the brain.”

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Second-hand Smoke may Affect Kids’ Mental Health

April 26, 2011

A new study has suggested that not only is breathing in second hand smoke bad for your physical well being, but your mental health also.  The study has forged a connection between taking in second hand smoke and the developments of behaviour disorders like ADHD.

Kids of mothers who failed to give up smoking during the pregnancy were also found to be more likely to suffer as a result according to the new study.

Behaviour Effect Unknown

Whilst it has been known for a long time that it was a cause of heart problems and breathing issues it was not known to have a direct effect of behaviour until now.

Dr. Bruce Lanphear, head of the Cincinnati Children’s Environmental Health Centre said, “It’s time for us to begin to prevent children’s exposure to (second-hand smoke) if we are serious about preventing these diseases,” He went on to state, “We have sufficient evidence to prevent many of these diseases, but we don’t.” This doctor was not involved in the study itself.

Nationally Representative Sample

Involved in the study however, was lead study author Frank Bandiera of the University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine. He studied, and determined the link by amassing a very large range of individuals for the study, managing to attain a nationally representative sample for this study of the link between the inhalation of second hand smoke and mental health.

The youths used in the study were close to 3000 people aged 8-15.

The level of cotinine in the body was measured. Cotinine is what forms as a by-product of nicotine breakdown. The level of the substance in each youth’s blood was measured to determine if the child had been exposed to second hand smoke.

In the instances where there were very high levels of the substance in the body, it was determined that the child themselves were smokers, as a result they were removed from the study to stay rigid in its attempting to deal exclusively with the second hand smoke issue.

From here interviews were conducted with all participants to determine if there was a manifestation of a mental or a behavioural disorder.

Male V’s Female

When factors such as age and race were taken into account it was found that males were more likely to suffer from ADHD if they had been exposed. They were also likely to show signs of anxiety, depression and control disorder than those who had not been exposed. On the female side it was found that they were only more likely to suffer from ADHD or anxiety.

Whilst a link has been proven, the number of children affected within the selected group was quit low, with only 7% of the children having enough of the symptoms pertaining to ADHD in order to be diagnosed with it. Of the kids only 15 had depression and just 9 showed signs of an anxiety disorder.

Research Difficulties

One acknowledgement made is that there is a difficulty in trying to separate damage done by second hand smoke, and damage done by smoking, whilst the child is in the womb. The authors have noted that there is more research necessitated to determine just how kids’ brains could be affected by second hand smoke.

Whilst they admit that the study does not prove beyond doubt that there is a direct relationship, it should still give a push to parents not to subject their children to second hand smoke. The research did however come online with the backing of further research that denotes how the exposure caused poor mental health in about 900 young people.

It would be a ‘surprise’ if there was no link between the two said one of the study authors. With the Attorney General predicting that up to 60% of children are exposed, the authors pushed that smoking needs to be banned in all public places.

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Chronic Illness Link Found with Depression that Remains Untreated

April 26, 2011

It is emerging as a result of new research, that one’s mental health is not the only thing affected by depression. In the University of California a new study has been conducted, and a report commissioned which says;

There is a link between depression and chronic illness due to a premature aging of immune cells

Predisposed to Illness

Lead author of the study Owen Wolkowitz M.D who is also a professor of psychiatry at UCSF said, “As if feeling depressed is not bad enough, we are finding that long-term depression may be associated with damage to cells in the body, and this may predispose patients to certain physical diseases.”

It has been determined that’s this premature aging of immune cells predisposes individuals to potential chronic illnesses. He also states that there is a lot more to depression than feeling blue.

Telomeres Our “Life Clock”

Research is showing that if a person is suffering from a major depressive disorder it can result in a shortening of the telomeres, which are sections of DNA attached to the end of chromosomes. This is particularly relevant in the immune cells having the resultant effect of premature aging. Consequently those individuals who are depressed may be at higher risk of suffering from diabetes, dementia, or even stroke. The study was first published in the journal PLoS one.

Premature Death

The reason the telomeres are so important is that they seal off, protecting those chromosomes at the end of the strand. In a way and they are a biological clock which controls the life of the cell. If these are shortened, then naturally a prediction is possible that there will be an early onset of one or many illnesses, leading to consequent premature mortality.

In effect telomeres are at catalogue of our inherent human longevity. The imbalance causes free radicals and antioxidant imbalance. Cumulative exposure of the individual towards biochemical stresses increases the chance of physical disease occurring. Co-author Elissa Epel, Ph.D., an associate professor in the UCSF, notes that, “While this finding itself might seem depressing, there is yet good news: Many lifestyle factors like exercise and aspects of diet have been linked to longer telomeres.”

The study itself

For the study itself, 18 individuals who had been diagnosed with a major depressive disorder were observed. The length of the telomeres in their bodies, were measured against those possessed by 17 healthy persons. In effect, whilst overall there was little difference between the lengths in the two groups, it was found that in nine of the unhealthy subjects there was a major difference in telomere length. This represented about seven years of accelerated aging of the cell.

Negative Environment

The results as noted by the authors conclude that the shortening of our telomeres when we are suffering from severe depression, creates a negative environment in the body where cell death is promoted through heightened exposure to biochemical stressors, and subsequent increased likelihood of falling foul to a physical illness.

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Put Your Hands Up, Nothing Bad Can Happen

March 29, 2011

When we are a child, and we do something wrong there is such a great deal of emphasis placed on the getting away with it. We’ve been naughty, we know that we’ve done a bad thing, but the desire not to reap the consequences is overwhelming. We will lie through our teeth to avoid taking ownership and responsibility for what we normally knew was a blatant disregard for the rules.

I remember eating a warm apple pie, about half the thing with my bare hands, I can still remember the sticky apple sauce being licked off my probably bacteria covered hands. Just like someone else’s piece of chocolate or chips always tasted better than when we had an entire bag to ourselves, there was a sinful delight in the taste, but a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach when my mother was baying for blood.

There were five children in my family which gave plenty of room for maneuver for the buck to be passed on, and I can still remember other members of my family getting the blame for things that I had done wrong. This is when you have done something wrong however, that is when the avoidance of owning up and admitting something poses such a dilemma, I still fail to see now that I am much longer in the tooth though, why so many of us have an issue with seeking to help depression in themselves, by owning up to the fact that there is a problem.

It is not like they have done something wrong to suffer from the ailment, it is not like they have lived their life in such a way that they have gotten so much good at the expense of others. It is not like they have spent the last ten years f their lives executing children and now as a consequence are impeded in their functioning with the onslaught of The Big D.

To help depression, we first need to admit in ourselves that there is a problem. It is only through admitting this as a fact that we can even hope to move onto the next area of dealing with it. From admitting it in ourselves we can then move forward to admit it to someone else, be that a stranger, or someone close to us. Problems are often insurmountable when we go it alone, but the problem only gets worse when we fail to make an admission. I’m certain if right off the bat I had shown my sticky fingers to my mum having felt the bad feeling in the pit of my stomach, and realised that the only way to rid myself of that feeling was to go forward and throw those hands right up, had I done that I’m sure there wouldn’t have been as many slaps to my bottom, there may not even have been none.

Taking ownership for our transgressions is promoted as a positive thing from early childhood by good parents the world over. It is a lesson hopefully learned and in an employment situation, when I have been the cause of broken toilet seats or photocopiers I have been quick to raise my hand as a result. Now I’m not going to get a slap on the bottom, but in this environment there is a severe risk attached to not taking ownership and eventually being found out. The repercussions however for throwing your hands up and seeking to help depression in yourself are never negative, why so would so many people fail to just throw them up and reap nothing but reward?

The stimulus that drives us each day is the searching for the positive, instead of admitting you have done wrong, which almost guarantees a punishment, admitting that there is a problem or issue in yourself guarantees reward. I think people need to look a little closer at the mathematics of that before they leave their hands in their pockets, and discontent themselves to leave their chin scraping the ground.

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Winter Activity Helps Avoid Winter Blues

March 29, 2011

It has been noted by some of the leading experts in the field of mental health, that winter exercise has benefits. The benefits are multiplied if the exercise taken is outdoors.

The experts have noted that exercise of this nature manages in a way to ease some of the symptoms of depression, as it aids in the release of the brain chemicals directly related to the raising of mood. These mood raising chemicals are maximised in our bodies when we are exposed to sunlight.

This activity also has a secondary knock on benefit, that is that exercise impacts weight gain through calorie burning which occurs at a higher rate in cold weather than in warmth. The exercise itself also gets us away from the home, taking our mind off the cravings and indeed suppresses our cravings for sweet carbohydrates and starchy food types that occur in wintertime.

Not only this but exercise builds up on our muscle tone, and improves on our stamina. Anything from a walk to a heart thumping ski, makes for good winter exercise. The National Institute of Health in The United States found that up to seven in ten individuals experience the winter blues in some shape or form

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Eating Well Can Stave off Depression (Fish oil)

March 29, 2011

Recent studies have proven that something as easy to change as your diet, the very fuel you put into your body can affect not only your physical, but your mental health too.

The research has noted that what we eat determines our mood, our immune system and our weight. It was noted amongst those studied that by and large in western society we eat unhealthy foods. The advice that comes with the research makes for interesting reading. The scientists advising that if someone you love or you yourself are suffering from depression, then the figuring out of a healthy eating plan along with a trained nutritionist can go a long way to improving the mental well being of the individual.

The research came with a number of tips for those unhealthy eaters.

The first point of advice being; just to eat. Yes not eating is as destructive to our mental well being as is eating badly. When you do not eat you are depriving your body of the nutrients and vitamins that are essential to its upkeep. Not eating will lead to disorders and deficiencies. The disorders it leads to include depression.

At the opposite end of the spectrum when we eat too much we are affecting our mental as well as our physical health. If what we are ingesting is composed mainly of processed or fatty foods then illness can ensue. Illness is a precursor to depression in many ways. It has been noted by some researchers that taking in a subnormal amount of essential fatty acids exacerbate the problem.

These essential fats are contained in flax seeds and fish.

The scientists advise eating cold water fish on a bi-weekly basis. Oils should not be ignored along with dark green leafy vegetables and grains. If you are a heavy drinker then they advise the changing of this habit also, for the betterment of mental health.

Whilst the scientists admit that diet alone may not be enough, it is a definite part of the battle against depression covered. Living a healthier lifestyle is the approach that they advise. It seems absurd, but we may be eating foods that we are allergic to without our knowing, and even these it appears can lead to the onset of illness and with that depression. An allergist can help you out here if you feel that things are just not right.

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Problem Solving Activities Useful in Depression Combat

March 29, 2011

New Research from The United States has determined that problem solving therapy is of value to older people in the treatment of depression. It is the older community who are more likely to use a range of medications to deal with different ailments. Resultantly depression is most difficult to treat in this sector.

New ways are needed and more importantly non medicinal forms of treatment. The US study took in a plethora of persons who were in excess of 60 years-of-age. All of the individuals in the study were suffering from major forms of depression. The therapies of problem solving were honed and tailored specifically for older people before the therapy commenced. Each individual received a random assignment of 12 weekly sessions of the therapy.

The random assignments were towards problem solving therapy or supportive therapy. There was an assessment made of the individuals throughout, at intervals of three weeks a piece. 221 individuals took part in the study, there were very exacting criteria to become a part of the study and the 221 number came down from a total of 653 original respondents.

It was found that in the opening phase there was little difference between the outcomes for the elderly participants from the two different treatment types. This was up to the six week point, after this however impacts began to show.

At the week nine and twelve assessment the problem solving therapy showed that the reduction on symptom severity was greatly enhanced by this method of therapy. There was better rate of response and the remission rate (i.e. preliminary curing) was shown to be higher in the problem solving group than in the supportive therapy group. At week 9 the response rate in the supportive therapy group were 47% and 29% whereas the figures from the other grouping demonstrated a fifth in higher responses and remissions. This pattern continued into the twelfth week and the end phase.

The results are seen to determine that there is a definite effectiveness in problem solving therapy in getting remission within an older audience from depression, particularly with regards to major depression. There is a clinical value also in the findings of the study according to the lead researchers who believe that it introduces a credible alternative means of treatment. The expert also highlighted that older people are more likely to be pharmaceutical resistant than other patients.

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Smokers Run Greater Depression Risk

March 29, 2011

New Navarra University research has concluded that there is a 41% higher risk of depression for those who smoke. This is taken in comparison against those who do not smoke, the info was taken in as the observance of a study which questioned 8,556 respondents.

The large scale study was conducted with the assistance of University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. Assistance was also given by the Harvard School of Public Health. This was the first time that a study had found a link between and a direct relationship between smoking tobacco and this mental illness.

Professor Almudena Sanchez- Villegas was the report’s main author, with the research taking place over a period of six years. The respondents were all university graduates with an average age of 42 years. Director of the research project Miguel Angel Martinez-Gonzalez stated, “Over the course of the tracking and data collection stage, 190 smokers who initially did not present depression were diagnosed with this disease by a doctor. In addition, 65 who were not diagnosed indicated that they were taking antidepressants during this period,”

He pointed to environmental disposition and genetics as a shedding of light on this particular relationship. He also stated however that, “These increase the probability that the tobacco habit is retained, and that the user will suffer depression as an independent issue.”

It was uncovered by the research that when individuals give up tobacco it reduces their risk of suffering from depression. In the study those who had given up more than a year previously had an even lesser chance of developing depression than those who had never smoked. There was a correlation between smoking and less physical activity also made by the study, with exercise known to be one of the key ingredients to keep depression at bay.

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