This may be of assistance as you journey through my blog…
DEPRESSION
Problems and misfortunes are a part of life. Everyone experiences unhappiness, and many people may become depressed temporarily when things don’t go as they would like. Experiences of failure commonly result in temporary feelings of worthlessness and self-blame, while personal losses cause feelings of sadness, [...]
Archive for the ‘mental illness’ Category
19 Dec
UNDERSTANDING MENTAL ILLNESS
19 Dec
STIGMA: Definition
Source: YourDictionary.com
stigma (stig′mə)
noun pl. stigmas -·mas, stigmata stig·ma′ta (stig′mə tə; stig mät′ə, -mat′ə)
something that detracts from the character or reputation of a person, group, etc.; mark of disgrace or reproach
a mark, sign, etc. indicating that something is not considered normal or standard
Living with a mental illness is trying enough, yet we must also contend [...]
18 Dec
‘TIS THE SEASON
‘TIS THE HOLIDAY SEASON
I spent three Christmases in hospital; two I couldn’t even leave to go home for Christmas dinner. Difficult to accept for all concerned, but I was just too unwell and they felt I was a risk.
So, three or four others and me sat in a gloomy dining room and picked at our ‘turkey [...]
14 Dec
Long-Acting Zyprexa Approved
MONDAY, Dec. 14 (HealthDay News) — Zyprexa Relprevv (olanzapine), a long-acting version of the antipsychotic drug Zyprexa, has been approved to treat schizophrenia in adults, maker Eli Lilly said Monday.
The single injection lasts up to four weeks, the drug maker said in a news release. Clinical studies involving 2,054 people found Zyprexa Relprevv effective in [...]
13 Dec
Early Treatment of Hearing, Vision Helps in Schizophrenia
FRIDAY, Dec. 11 (HealthDay News) — Identifying sight and hearing problems in teens who are in the early stages of schizophrenia may help doctors fully restore those senses and lessen the impact of the devastating thought disorder, U.S. researchers say.
A new study found that problems in basic sensory processing abilities cause many of the more [...]
11 Dec
Antiepileptic Drugs Not Linked to Suicide Among Those With Bipolar Disorder
ScienceDaily (Dec. 10, 2009) — Despite government warnings about an increased risk of suicidal thoughts and actions while taking antiepileptic drugs, these medications do not appear to be associated with increased risk of suicide attempts in individuals with bipolar disorder, and may have a possible protective effect, according to a report in the December issue [...]
9 Dec
Most Antidepressants Miss Key Target
Most Antidepressants Miss Key Target of Clinical Depression, Study Finds
ScienceDaily (Dec. 9, 2009) — A key brain protein called monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A) — is highly elevated during clinical depression yet is unaffected by treatment with commonly used antidepressants, according to an important study published in the Archives of General Psychiatry. The study has important [...]
8 Dec
Antidepressant May Change Personality
Antidepressant May Change Personality While Relieving Symptoms
ScienceDaily (Dec. 7, 2009) — Individuals taking a medication to treat depression may experience changes in their personality separate from the alleviation of depressive symptoms, according to a report in the December issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Two personality traits, neuroticism and extraversion, have [...]
7 Dec
News coverage of antidepressants for kids uneven
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Dec 07, 2009 – Media coverage of the warnings on antidepressants and children’s risk of suicidal behavior often failed to give the public the whole story, according to a study published Monday.
The study, by researchers at the Yale University School of Public Health, concludes that many print and TV news [...]
7 Dec
Depression, peers top influences on youth violence
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Dec 07, 2009 – Kids who are depressed and have delinquents for friends may be the most likely to lash out violently at others, according to a new study in The Journal of Pediatrics.
The amount of time a youth spent watching violent TV or playing violent video games didn’t have [...]
2 Dec
New Safety Concern Related to Antipsychotic Treatment
ScienceDaily (Dec. 2, 2009) — Overall, antipsychotic medications are reasonably effective, and fairly well tolerated treatments for mood and psychotic disorders. However, treatment with a number of antipsychotic medications is associated with weight gain, and for some, hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia. In the current issue of Biological Psychiatry, published by Elsevier, researchers discuss this cluster of [...]
2 Dec
Fear of Anxiety May Lead to Depression
Some become so worried about what might happen that they develop other symptoms, researchers find
TUESDAY, Dec. 1 (HealthDay News) — Fear of anxiety may push “above-average” worriers into depression, a new study suggests.
“Anxiety sensitivity has been called a fear of fear,” study author Andres Viana, a graduate student in psychology at Penn State, said [...]
28 Nov
THREE WOMEN…and mental illness
I conducted ‘chats’ with these courageous women while an in-patient on the psychiatric floor of a medical hospital, recovering from depression in 2002. I was able to converse with each woman separately where they shared their stories.
Note: I was discharged earlier than any of these women; therefore at that point, a conclusion to each woman’s [...]
26 Nov
Some Meds Related to Falls Among Elderly
Sedatives, Mood-Altering Drugs Related to Falls Among Elderly: UBC Study
ScienceDaily (Nov. 24, 2009) — Falls among elderly people are significantly associated with several classes of drugs, including sedatives often prescribed as sleep aids and medications used to treat mood disorders, according to a study led by a University of British Columbia expert in pharmaceutical outcomes [...]
20 Nov
Bipolar Disorder: Depression Symptoms
The dramatic mood swings of bipolar disorder do not follow a set pattern. Depression does not always follow mania. A person may experience the same mood state several times — for weeks, months, even years at a time before experiencing a change in mood. Also, the severity of mood phases can differ from person to person.
The [...]
19 Nov
DISSOCIATIVE DISORDERS
Dissociative disorders are so-called because they are marked by a dissociation from or interruption of a person’s fundamental aspects of waking consciousness (such as one’s personal identity, one’s personal history, etc.). Dissociative disorders come in many forms, the most famous of which is dissociative identity disorder (formerly known as multiple personality disorder). All of the [...]
17 Nov
Depression as Deadly as Smoking?
Depression as Deadly as Smoking, Study Finds
ScienceDaily (Nov. 17, 2009) — A study by researchers at the University of Bergen, Norway, and the Institute of Psychiatry (IoP) at King’s College London has found that depression is as much of a risk factor for mortality as smoking.
Utilising a unique link between a survey of over 60,000 [...]
13 Nov
Smoking tied to suicide risk in bipolar disorder
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – November 11, 2009 – People with bipolar disorder who smoke appear to have a heightened risk of suicidal behavior — possibly because they are generally prone to impulsive acts, a new study suggests.
Bipolar disorder, also known as manic depression, is marked by dramatic swings in mood — ranging from episodes [...]
12 Nov
Is This As Good As Life Gets?
I used to ask myself, practically every day during my illness; is this it? What if I never get better? Does it get any better?
Sounds pessimistic, but my history of recurring hospital admissions and medications that were ineffective, coupled with suicide attempts and unrelenting depression, didn’t illustrate a positive picture. At separate hospital admissions, I [...]
12 Nov
Radical Medicine, Radical Treatment
Treatment for mental illness took a turn in the mid 1940’s with ECT (electroconvulsive therapy) and insulin shock therapy and the use of frontal lobotomy. In modern times, insulin shock therapy and lobotomies are viewed as being almost as barbaric as the Bedlam “treatments”. The effect of a lobotomy on an overly excitable patient often [...]
10 Nov
Depressed and Pregnant? Flu Shot May Be Needed
MONDAY, Nov. 9 (HealthDay News) — Pregnant women who are depressed may suffer severe symptoms if they catch seasonal flu, a new study suggests.
Ohio State University researchers assessed depressive symptoms and took blood samples from 22 pregnant women before they received a seasonal flu shot. Those with significant symptoms of depression had a stronger inflammatory [...]
8 Nov
Hunting For The Prozac Gene
ScienceDaily (Nov. 7, 2009) — Prozac works wonders for some depressed people, but not for others. In some cases, patients derive little benefit and at worst, it can lead to bizarre hallucinations and fits of rage. Researchers and doctors remain puzzled as to what causes the wide range of reaction to Prozac and similar antidepressants.
The [...]
5 Nov
Depression May Blur Memory of Aches and Pains
Expert suggests having people write down symptoms as they occur
TUESDAY, Nov. 3 (HealthDay News) — Depressed people tend to report more physical symptoms than they actually experience, a new study finds.
The study involved 109 women who completed questionnaires designed to assess their levels of neuroticism and depression. For the next three weeks, they kept daily [...]
5 Nov
SITTING IN JUDGMENT
Who am I to judge someone? Who are they to judge me?
Dictionary: Judgment: the ability to judge, makes a decision, or form an opinion objectively, authoritatively, and wisely, esp. in matters affecting action; good sense; discretion: a man of sound judgment.
Stigma: a mark of disgrace or infamy; a stain or reproach, as on one’s reputation; [...]
4 Nov
Deep Brain Stimulation Gives Hope For Very Severe Depression
ScienceDaily (Nov. 3, 2009) — Thanks to a new method, there is a reason for hope for patients with very severe depression. Physicians at the University Clinics of Bonn and Cologne have treated ten patients with deep brain stimulation. This involved implanting electrodes in the patients’ nucleus accumbens. This centre has a key role in [...]
What you thought...