Archives for December 2009

Even though the "Great Depression" was the overwhelming issue during the 1932-1933 time frame, other significant happenings warranted the headlines of the day.  Air conditioning and the electric razor were invented; the electric guitar changed music forever; the Mars Bar was introduced; Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly the Atlantic solo; the first drive-in movie theatre opened; and Hitler became dictatorial ruler in Germany. As for the week of December 28, 1932 through January 4, 1933:

ON THE NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL SCENE:  The Republic of China was having enough problems with a Japanese invasion, which resulted in the slaying of 11,000 soldiers and civilians. But an earthquake in Kansu killed an additional 70,000.  To add insult to injury, in Hanau 3,000 bandits were running amuck, looting and burning, with churches and missions being their prime targets.

In Canada, the whole country was buzzing over a proposed trade with Russia. An overabundance of both cattle and animal hides raised the possibility of exchanging 100,000 cattle and 7 million hides for petroleum products. There was no market at home for either.

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The term "depression" is commonly used to describe a temporary mood, when a person may feel sad or down. Ideas about what causes and constitutes depression have evolved over the centuries. Today, mental health professionals regard chronic and severe depression.

As a serious and often disabling condition that can significantly affect a person's work, family and school life, sleeping and eating habits, general health and ability to enjoy life.

Most of us feel depressed from time to time. This is generally linked to life changes like: Job loss, Physical problems, Relationships, Grief, Sorrow or Age

These kind of Depression are usually transitory and lifts when life go back to normal.  As mentioned on beyondblue.

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In a study of low-income minorities with poorly controlled diabetes, researchers found that antidepressant therapy was associated with improved long-term blood sugar control and reduced blood pressure.  Rates of depression in people with diabetes are double those in the general population, and even higher among minorities, who are more prone to worse blood sugar control, more diabetes complications, and more severe depression, the researchers point out. Yet few studies have focused on the effect of depression treatment among minorities with uncontrolled diabetes.

To investigate, Dr. Mayer B. Davidson and his colleagues at Charles Drew University in Los Angeles screened low-income patients attending a diabetes clinic for depression.  Ultimately, the study included 89 patients; 45 were randomly assigned to receive the antidepressant medication sertraline (sold as Zoloft) and 44 to a placebo. Everyone in the study also attended monthly diabetes group education programs.  Thirty-nine patients in each group were Hispanic, five were African American, and 1 in the sertraline group was listed as “other.”

According to the investigators, after six months, blood sugar levels had fallen significantly in the sertraline group. That is, hemoglobin A1C levels, a standard measure of long-term blood sugar control, fell 2.0 percent, from 10.0 percent at the outset to 8.0 percent at six months. In general, it's recommended that people with diabetes strive for an A1C level below 7.0 percent.

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Teenagers who smoke marijuana on a daily basis cause damage to their developing brains, making them more susceptible to depression and anxiety in adulthood, a new McGill University study suggests. The finding is particularly significant in the Canadian context, given previous research showing that more teens in this country consume cannabis than do adolescents in the United States or Europe.

"Just because marijuana is a plant doesn't mean it's harmless," said Gabriella Gobbi, one of the study's co-authors. "Our study demonstrated that the cannabinoid, when consumed daily during adolescence, can induce a permanent change in the brain."

Scientists at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre experimented on adolescent and adult lab rats. They discovered that when they exposed the rats for 20 days to cannabinoids — the active ingredient in marijuana — only the adolescent rats were adversely affected. This suggests that the adolescent brain — since it's still developing — is particularly vulnerable to chronic drug use.

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Treating depression may help people with diabetes get their blood sugar under control. In a study of low-income minorities with poorly controlled diabetes, researchers found that antidepressant therapy was associated with improved long-term blood sugar control and reduced blood pressure.

Rates of depression in people with diabetes are double those in the general population, and even higher among minorities, who are more prone to worse blood sugar control, more diabetes complications, and more severe depression, the researchers point out. Yet few studies have focused on the effect of depression treatment among minorities with uncontrolled diabetes. To investigate, Dr. Mayer B. Davidson and his colleagues at Charles Drew University in Los Angeles screened low-income patients attending a diabetes clinic for depression.

Ultimately, the study included 89 patients; 45 were randomly assigned to receive the antidepressant medication sertraline (sold as Zoloft) and 44 to a placebo. Everyone in the study also attended monthly diabetes group education programs. Thirty-nine patients in each group were Hispanic, five were African American, and 1 in the sertraline group was listed as "other."

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New figures show the use of medication to help people cope with their "blues" has soared by 57 per cent over the past 10 years.  And there are now more than four million prescriptions a year for "Happy Pills" such as Prozac - costing £36million.

Labour health spokesman Dr Richard Simpson said the NHS statistics - showing 9.7 per cent of the population aged over 15 is on drugs for depression - were "extremely worrying".

The MSP, a fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatry, said: "The SNP promised to stabilise the prescription of anti-depressants but they've FAILED and numbers continue to rise.

"But the daily use of drugs should be a last resort for all but severely affected patients. "We need to make much more use of alternative treatments, such as cognitive behavioural therapy, a form of counselling.

"We have fallen behind England, where an additional 3,000 therapists have been trained." Billy Watson, chief executive of the Scottish Association for Mental Health (SAMH), said: "These are difficult times and the recession is having a widely reported impact on the mental health of the nation.

"We believe the best way to support people with mental health problems is to provide prompt access to a wide range of treatments, including talking therapies and exercise.  "Unfortunately, people are still being prescribed anti-depressants because other options are not routinely available to GPs."  Mr Simpson added: "In at least one area, patients have had to wait up to 77 WEEKS for psychological therapies. "So it's no wonder GPs keep prescribing anti-depressants.

"We need a concerted effort and the commitment of extra resources to change Scotland's worrying reliance on them."  One group offering drug-free treatment is Glasgow's Centre For Confidence and Well-Being, which specialises in "Positive Psychology".

Chief executive Carol Craig said: "We've lost touch with values that create good, healthy lives. It's about having a job, having people you care about and can rely on.  "It's about exercise, learning, the small satisfactions you get out of life - like learning a musical instrument.  "It's NOT about sitting in front of the TV, looking at things you don't have."

But the Scottish Government was also slammed by Tory spokeswoman Mary Scanlon.  She said: "The SNP manifesto stated their aim to reduce the use of anti-depressants by 10 per cent by 2009.  "Yet since they took over in 2007, the use of the drugs has gone UP by 10 per cent.

"More than a third of all GP appointments stem from stress, anxiety and depression, so this increase in prescribing is very serious indeed. The SNP has failed on yet another manifesto commitment. The broken promises just keep on coming."  But Public Health Minister Shona Robison hit back, claiming that decisions to prescribe drugs were clinical matters for doctors alone.

She said that in many cases the drugs helped patients live normal lives instead of being 'disabled' by mental illness.  Ms Robison added: "Nevertheless, it is encouraging that the rate of increase in prescribing them has slowed significantly.  "At the same time, we have been working hard with NHS boards to improve access to non-drug treatments, such as talking therapies."

The US study was based on 136,293 women aged 50 to 79, who were followed for an average of six years.  Anti-depressant users were 45% more likely to have a stroke than women not taking the drugs.  The data, published in Archives of Internal Medicine, is taken from the Women's Health Initiative Study.

When overall death rates were examined, those on anti-depressants were found to have a 32% higher risk of death from all causes during the study than non-users.

The researchers stressed that the overall risk of a stroke was relatively small. Even for women on anti-depressants, it was less than one in 200 chance in any given year. However, they said that because so many women were taking anti-depressants the effect would be significant across the entire population.  It is not clear whether taking anti-depressants is solely responsible for the increased risk of a stroke.SHOME$

Depression itself is known to be a risk factor for cardiovascular problems.  The researchers tried to take this into account in their analysis of the data - but could not rule out the possibility that it influenced the final results.

The study found no difference in stroke risk between the two major classes of anti-depressants, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) or tricyclic anti-depressants (TCAs).  However, the SSRIs did appear to convey a higher risk of hemorrhagic stroke caused by a bleed in the brain.

Lead researcher Dr Sylvia Wassertheil-Smoller, of Albert Einstein College of Medicine, stressed that treatment for depression was important, and that women should not stop taking prescribed medication without first consulting their doctor.

She said: "You have to weigh the benefits that you get from these antidepressants against the small increase in risk that we found in this study." Known links The researchers said follow-up studies were needed before any firm conclusions could be drawn.

Dr Jordan Smoller, of Harvard Medical School, who also worked on the study, said: "We need to study this association more to determine exactly what it signifies." Joanne Murphy, for The Stroke Association stressed the study showed that overall risk for women taking anti-depressants was relatively small.

She said "We are already aware of links between depression and the risk of stroke and we are currently funding further studies to look into this.  "Everyone can help reduce their risk of stroke by making lifestyle changes, such as reducing their blood pressure, giving up smoking, reducing alcohol intake, improving their diet and getting plenty of exercise."

Ellen Mason, of the British Heart Foundation, said: "Severe depression can be debilitating and even fatal, so it is important to weigh up any small increase in the risk of stroke with the benefits of treating depression." Bridget O'Connell, from the mental health charity Mind, said antidepressants produced a range of side effects that affected people in different ways.

She said: "Many people can experience huge benefits from taking antidepressants and it's important they work with their GP to identify both the plus points and the drawbacks, and weigh up what treatment is best for them."

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s 2003 study, National Healthcare Quality Report, revealed very disturbing figures on depression. About 15 percent of the sufferers will eventually commit suicide.

Worse, in 2020, if little or nothing is done with this disorder, depression will be one of the leading causes of coronary heart diseases for both men and women. These statistics tell you one thing: you should do something about depression.

One of the best ways to start looking for solutions is to know the causes. What forces a person to feel so weak that he or she can actually think of taking his or her own life? You might be surprised to know about some of them.

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I fear that the Government's 10-year mental health strategy New Horizons, announced today, simply won't go far enough. We all want a better approach to mental health to help people with depression stay in work, improve employers' understanding of the condition and tackle the stigma that still remains with many mental illnesses.

The Government's strategy sounds great at first, focusing on six target areas with plans for prevention, early intervention and improving support for sufferers. But it still smacks of a cosmetic exercise, rather like applying a sticking plaster when surgery is what's really needed.

I am a keen advocate of promoting mental health. One in six people will suffer from depression at some time in their lives, and the World Health Organisation predicts it will be the single biggest health problem in 20 years.

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“Anxiety sensitivity has been called a fear of fear,” study author Andres Viana, a graduate student in psychology at Penn State, said in a news release. “Those with anxiety sensitivity are afraid of their anxiety because their interpretation is that something catastrophic is going to happen when their anxious sensations arise.”

Viana and colleagues analyzed questionnaires completed by 94 volunteers, average age 19, who were moderate to high worriers. The questionnaires assessed worry, generalized anxiety and depression. The responses showed that anxiety sensitivity significantly predicted depression symptoms. The researchers also found that two of the four issues that comprise anxiety sensitivity.

The “fear of cognitive dyscontrol” and the “fear of publically observable anxiety symptoms” -- specifically predicted depression symptoms. The two other issues -- the “fear of cardiovascular symptoms” and the “fear of respiratory symptoms” -- weren't significant predictors of depression.

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