Archives for August 2007

Child maltreatment includes emotional abuse, physical neglect, sexual abuse, and non-accidental physical injury. The possibility of abuse should be investigated if a child shows a number of these symptoms, or any of them to a marked degree:

Physical Neglect is the withholding of, or failure to provide a child with, the basic necessities of life: clothing, food, medical care, education, attention to hygiene, or adequate supervision.

Some signs of child neglect:

People who live in damp, moldy homes may be prone to depression, a new study suggests.The possible link was uncovered in an analysis of mold and health conditions in several cities in eastern and western Europe. And it could one day lead to the addition of emotional problems to the list of health woes caused by mold, the study authors said.But, the researchers cautioned, it's still too soon to tell if exposure to mold is directly related to depression, or whether an already depressed person might simply relinquish control of their surroundings to the degree that mold may develop."There is some preliminary evidence which suggests that high levels of exposure to mold may lead to depression," said study lead author Edmond D. Shenassa, an assistant professor of community health at Brown University School of Medicine."But it's not a certainty," he stressed. "We have found an association between mold and risk of depression, but we have more work to do to see if this is causal situation."The study results are published in the October issue of the American Journal of Public Health.Molds are ubiquitous and toxic microscopic organisms called fungi that come in a variety of species numbering in the tens -- or even hundreds -- of thousands. Mold spores -- spread through air, water or insects -- are found year-round both indoors and out, and survive and multiply most readily in warm, damp, shady, and humid conditions, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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                            Insomnia And Depression Are Linked:
Research has shown that insomnia is actually a risk factor for depression. Studies indicate that people with insomnia  who get for their sleep problems had a lower incidence of major depression a year later then those who had left their insomnia untreated. One of the aspects of depression is feeling powerless over your life. Feeling unable to manage your sleep only add to that feeling. In addition people who are taking stimulating anti-depressants as part of their treatment for depression may have trouble falling or staying asleep. In some cases another type of antidepressant with sedating properties can be added at night.

It is one of the most natural actions in the world - a mother scoops up a baby to hold and comfort it in her arms. But, according to new research, cradling could help identify stress that may lead to postnatal depression.New mothers who cradle their infants on the right side of their body may be displaying signs of "extreme stress". The findings build on previous research showing that most mothers prefer to hold their baby to their left, regardless of whether they are left- or right-handed.The study suggests there is a correlation between the minority who hold a baby on the right and a greater likelihood that they are experiencing stress beyond the levels natural in new parents.The researchers say the finding could provide a new way to tackle postnatal depression, suffered by at least one in 10 new mothers. They conclude: "Studying non-verbal cues such as baby-cradling could help doctors and health visitors identify which mothers need extra professional support before it gets too late."

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Depression can be easily cured with anti depression medicines. Though a bit costly, a person’s mental health should not be compromised at the cost of money. Though, finding and antidepressant drug is not an easy task because all people have different reasons for depression and so the medication varies from person to person. It can’t be said with assurance that how effective a particular medicine will be on a person. Besides medication other treatments that can be used to cure depression include psychotherapy, integrated therapy, electro convulsion therapy and the therapy with light .Behavior talk and interpersonal talk are another field which are proving to be effective in treating depression.

Before starting with any anti depressant medication one should consult a reputed doctor and find the nature of the depression like clinical depression or maniac depression. You should make sure that the medication you are going to take is the best suited to your kind of depression. The most effective are the ones that are of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors then the ones that are tricyclics. The other popular variant is the monoamine oxidase inhibitors or MAOIs. Some of them need to be taken with water while some of them need to be chewed. Depending on the severity of depression the doctor might mix up a few medicines The dosage also should be lowered or increased depending upon the need and keeping the side effects as low as possible. One of the most common side effects is nausea and dizziness while in some cases the person might even start to gain weight. Some other side effects can be a dry mouth feeling thirsty almost all the time, have a constipation problem most of the times and having problem digesting food. Blurred vision is another side effect which might occur when you stop taking the medication or you might even feel headaches on changing the dosage of the medicines. A person might also start feeling like an insomniac.

So people need to educate themselves before starting with the medication, and besides taking medication we should try and follow a regular exercise and meditation routine. The best part is that people are becoming more aware of the problem and starting to treat it as soon as possible.

                             Depression Linked To Impotence In Diabetic Men:
In addition to well known physical causes such as cholesterol and nerve problems depression can lead to impotence in diabetic men. Men and women who have diabetes for many years often experience various types of sexual dysfunction causes include high blood pressure, hardening of the arteries and a type of nerve damage called autonomic neuropathy. New researchers in Italy and at the University of California report that depression is also a leading risk factor for the erectile dysfunction in diabetic men. The scientists asked 670 men with type 2 diabetes to fill out a questionnaire every 6 months for 3 years. During the study 192 of the volunteers developed erectile dysfunction the men with few depressive symptoms and good control of glucose had the lowest rate of impotence as compared to them men who many depressive symptoms and were on insulin therapy were 3 times more likely to suffer erectile dysfunction. The researchers concluded psychological as well as physical problems could contribute to erectile dysfunction and that interventions could address many of these factors.

Also called: Clinical depression, Dysthymic disorder, Major depressive disorder, Unipolar depression

Depression is a serious medical illness that involves the brain. It's more than just a feeling of being "down in the dumps" or "blue" for a few days. If you are one of the more than 20 million people in the United States who have depression, the feelings do not go away. They persist and interfere with your everyday life. Symptoms can include

    * Sadness
    * Loss of interest or pleasure in activities you used to enjoy
    * Change in weight
    * Difficulty sleeping or oversleeping
    * Energy loss
    * Feelings of worthlessness
    * Thoughts of death or suicide

Depression can run in families, and usually starts between the ages of 15 and 30. It is much more common in women. Women can also get postpartum depression after the birth of a baby. Some people get seasonal affective disorder in the winter. Depression is one part of bipolar disorder.There are effective treatments for depression, including antidepressants and talk therapy. Most people do best by using both.

The Great Depression was a dramatic, worldwide economic downturn beginning in some countries as early as 1928. The beginning of the Great Depression in the United States is associated with the stock market crash on October 29, 1929, known as Black Tuesday. The depression had devastating effects in both the industrialized countries and those which exported raw materials. International trade declined sharply, as did personal incomes, tax revenues, prices and profits. Cities all around the world were hit hard, especially those dependent on heavy industry. Construction was virtually halted in many countries. Farming and rural areas suffered as crop prices fell by 40 to 60 percent.[1] Mining and logging areas had perhaps the most striking blow because the demand fell sharply and there were few employment alternatives.The Great Depression ended at different times in different countries; for subsequent history see Home front during World War II. The majority of countries set up relief programs, and most underwent some sort of political upheaval, pushing them to the left or right. Liberal democracy was weakened and on the defensive, as dictators such as Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin and Benito Mussolini made major gains, which helped set the stage for World War II in 1939.

                                Children of Alcoholics:
Imagine a house in which a child feels that the walls and floors are constantly moving and shaking would anyone be at peace in such a setting. For the children of alcoholics life can feel much this way and it is estimated that at least 7 million children in America alone have alcoholic parents. Common characteristics of care takers and parents that accompany any alcoholism –such as denial, dishonesty, selfishness, fear and lack of consideration –have profound and direct effects on children. In this environment self-esteem is not able to develop normally, and the emotional energy required to live with an alcoholic parent steals from the magic of childhood. These children instead learn to create walls and barriers to honest expression and to resist sharing their emotion and developing trust. Such road blocks cause children to shut down their own awareness of how they feel, affecting relationships with peers, relatives and other adults. Children are lost confused and full of self-doubt as they receive mixed messages from parents who are not behaving consistently or honestly. Children who speak up about the problem are often met with ridicule many times their observations, opinions and insights are not acknowledged at all because immense denial is in operation about the use of alcohol and all of the destructive behaviors associated with it, children gradually disavow what they feel and loose touch with their own sense of what feels right and true. They deny their own freedom because they become used to the dysfunction of constricted feelings and to restrictive ways of solving problems and conflicts.
Common emotional problems:
(1) Depression: Children of alcoholic parents may be at a greater risk of developing a mood disorder, or they may develop depression that results from the helpless and isolation they feel at home. It is particularly both genetics and circumstances that create severe depression in children.
(2) Guilt, Shame, self-blame and embarrassment: Children exposed to the destructive forces created by alcoholic’s parents tend to blame themselves for the problems at an early age. This creates the difficult cycle of codependency throughout childhood and adult life in the child feels responsible for the family chaos and tries to fix and rescue the disabled parents. This pattern runs so deep that children and adolescents may choose destructive and abusive relationships that do not meet healthy needs. The child of alcoholic remains locked in the past and often there is an immense conscious or unconscious desire on their part to take of others and to try to fix other peoples problems. Such kids are often “parentified” that is they are very mature responsible on the outside but from the inside they feel rage, and resentment about disrupted boundaries, and inappropriate expectations many kids have difficulty asking for help from outside partners or asking play mates to come home with them. They dread having to reveal “Terrible untold secrets at home”.
(3) Anger: Is often directly at the parent who is not alcoholic for the child blames the sober parent early on for not stepping in, stopping violence or bouts of drinking or seeking help from the family, yet it is vital to realize that the non-alcoholic parent also participates in the cycle of alcoholism by enabling and allowing the alcoholic parent to continue such behavior.
(4) Anxiety: Children face very deep levels of anxiety, panic and feelings of dread because something is never quite right in the home this insecurity and uncertainty fuel a constant tension within children. Genetics may also play a major role here; children of alcoholics are at greater risk for developing anxiety and panic disorder.
(5) Confusion: The ongoing in ability of parents to perform functions consistently at home leads children to feelings of confusion, particularly when bedtime, mealtimes and other structure activities are constantly changing. These are part of the mixed messages children receive which lead them to their own self-doubt about what is healthy and what is not?

Too many people are being diagnosed with depression when all they really are is unhappy, says Australian psychiatrist Professor Gordon Parker.In an article in the British Medical Journal, Parker claims that the current threshold for what is considered clinical depression is too low.Parker conducted a study which included 242 teachers who were followed for a period of fifteen years. During that time, more than three-quarters of them were found to meet the criteria for clinical depression. These criteria include having a "low mood'' for more than two weeks combined with appetite change, sleep disturbance, drop in libido and fatigue.Parker says that having such a low threshold for diagnosing clinical depression creates the risk of taking the normal ups and downs of living and treating them as an illness. He argues that treating these individuals will not be effective because there is nothing wrong with them.I tend to agree with the professor's statement. Occasionally feeling sad in response to your circumstances is a normal part of living. Emotional pain can be a signal that we need to make some changes in our lives. If you touch a hot pan and get burned, do you take a painkiller to deaden the pain or do you learn from your mistake and use a potholder next time? By medicalizing normal emotions we take the emphasis off finding solutions for our problems and put it on taking a pill so we don't feel bad anymore. Taking a pill might be easier, but is it the most sensible approach?