Posts Tagged ‘mental disorders’

Depression synonymous With Old Age

Monday, March 15th, 2010

Depression in older adults is a serious problem that is often under diagnosed. This is because it often co-occurs with other serious illnesses and elderly people may be less willing to talk about feelings of sadness and hopelessness. The exact causes of depression in the elderly are unknown, but it may result from factors such as environment and family history. Fortunately, even in its most severe form, depression is highly treatable.

Some individuals erroneously believe that depression is a normal part of being elderly, which is completely untrue. Depression is not normal for people of any age. Elderly people with depression have a chemical imbalance in their brain. And that chemical imbalance is extremely common and highly treatable. Once an older person seeks treatment, other problems may arise.

As many as 40% of older people taking antidepressants quit or repeatedly miss doses because of side effects, memory problems, or difficulty keeping track of complicated drug regimens. For example, older adults are sometimes more sensitive to side effects of antidepressants. These drugs also may not mix well with medication they take for other illnesses.

Since many older individuals face these illnesses as well as various social and economic difficulties, health care providers may mistakenly conclude that depression is a normal consequence of these problems – an attitude which is more often than not shared by patients themselves. When an elderly person no longer feels engaged or occupied , when they tend to stop enjoying life for longer than two weeks, it’s time to seek medical help.

If you notice yourself or a loved one beginning to have problems functioning or carrying out regular routines, that is when the problem has moved beyond normal depression toward a diagnosis of clinical depression. In any given one-year period, almost 10 percent of the population suffers from depression. The economic cost of the disorder is high, but the cost in human suffering cannot be estimated.

While scientists are still searching for depression causes, they do know that a number of factors can increase a person’s chances of developing it. Depression often interferes with normal functioning and can cause pain and suffering, not only to those who have it, but also to those who care about them. These are known as depression risk factors. Risk factors are not the same as causes of depression. But one of the most important questions remain about why more women have depression than men.

There are a variety of antidepressant medications and psychotherapies for depression treatment. Some people with milder forms of depression may do well with psychotherapy alone. In fact, we still do not know if depression is truly less common among men or if men are just less likely than women to recognize, acknowledge, and seek help for it.While they do increase the chances of developing the illness, they do not guarantee that a person will develop it. People with moderate to severe depression most often benefit from medication. Most people do best with a combination treatment plan.

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Children Also Suffer From Depression!

Monday, March 15th, 2010

Yes. Childhood depression is different from the normal “blues” and everyday emotions that occur as a child develops. Just because a child seems depressed or sad, does not necessarily mean they have depression. But if these symptoms become persistent, disruptive, and interfere with social activities, interests, schoolwork and family life, it may indicate that he or she has the medical illness called depression. Keep in mind that while depression is a serious illness, it is also a treatable one.

In the last twenty years alone has depression in children, been taken very seriously. The child suffering from depression may pretend to be sick, refuse to go to school, cling to a parent, or worry that the parent may fall ill and die. Older children may sulk, get into trouble at school, be negative, grouchy and feel misunderstood.

Sadly, these disorders often go unnoticed by families and physicians alike. Symptoms of depressive disorders in young people often are viewed as normal mood swings typical of a particular developmental stage. In addition, health care professionals may be reluctant to prematurely “label” a young person with a mental illness diagnosis. Yet early diagnosis and treatment of depression are critical to healthy emotional, social and behavioral development.

In addition, children and young adolescents with depression may have difficulty in properly identifying and describing their internal emotional or mood states. For example, instead of communicating how bad they feel, they may act out and be irritable toward others, which may be interpreted simply as misbehavior or disobedience. Research has found that parents are even less likely to identify major depression in their adolescents than are the adolescents themselves.

Early medical studies focused on “masked” depression, where a child’s depressed mood was evidenced by acting out or angry behavior. While this does occur, particularly in younger children, many children display sadness or low mood similar to adults who are depressed. The symptoms of depression in children vary. It is often undiagnosed and untreated because they are dismissed as normal emotional and psychological changes that occur during growth. The primary symptoms of depression revolve around sadness, a feeling of hopelessness, and mood changes.

In children ages 3 through 5, the most common emotional signs of depression are sadness, a detached or far away look, displays of anger and aggression, a timid or fearful appearance, shyness, a spacey look, moodiness and irritability. Young children who are depressed may have physical symptoms that are unexplainable such as headaches, stomach aches, cramps, nausea, failure to thrive, wetting the bed, asthma, tiredness, difficulties getting to sleep, and nightmares. They may display aggressive behaviors, such as hitting or fighting, or may suddenly start lying or stealing.

Adolescents are more likely to verbalize their negative beliefs about themselves than are younger children. The depressed adolescent may express the perception that they are not liked or accepted by their peers and they are unloved by their family. They may perceive that they are unable to fit in with their peers. This may be associated with self-derogatory thoughts and verbalization regarding their intelligence, physical appearance, or attractiveness to others. While the recovery rate from a single episode of major depression in children and adolescents is quite high, episodes are likely to recur. In addition, youth with dysthymia disorder are at risk for developing major depression. Prompt identification and treatment of depression can reduce its duration and severity and associated functional impairment.

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What Are the Sleep Apnea Masks?

Sunday, March 14th, 2010

The condition known as apnea is a sleeping disorder that affects hundreds of thousands of people throughout the country. There are a number of treatments available for this disorder; one of the most commonly prescribed is sleep apnea masks or CPAP.

Sleep apnea can be a serious condition as it is characterized through the difficulty a specific individual has with their breathing while they sleep. It is caused by muscles located in the airway which relax too much, leading to a blockage and a loss of the ability to breathe; this in turn causes a depletion in the oxygen levels in the blood flow and triggers a chemical response in the brain causing the person to wake up and swallow air.

Positive airway pressure is now often the method used to treat sleep apnea. If compressed air is forced down the throat then the muscles will not relax to a degree in which they cause a blockage. The compressed air is administered to the individual through a mask that is worn on the face. The first sleep apnea masks did not have the best design; they were very uncomfortable and cumbersome, as well as noisy, and they often caused severe throat dryness and even nosebleeds. The newer models have a much better design that is comfortable and incorporates a humidifier to alleviate the dryness.

Sleep apnea masks generally are available in three different forms. There are full face masks, nose masks, and partial face masks. These are connected to air tanks or similar devices which will pump and feed the compressed air into the mask.

When wearing an apnea mask it is important to make sure that it is a good fit, otherwise the purpose will be defeated. The straps need to be neither too tight nor too loose. If they are loose then the air will escape from around the sides, but if they are affixed too tightly then they will cause discomfort leading to difficulty in sleeping. Most are manufactured out of a hard plastic shell and a soft silicone seal.

To get the best fitting mask you will need to consult your doctor or health care provider. Before giving you a prescription they will conduct a number of tests and ask questions concerning your lifestyle so as to make sure that a sleep apnea mask is the correct treatment for your condition.

Anyone can tell you how debilitating sleep deprivation can be. Through the wearing of sleep apnea masks you should be able to have regular undisturbed sleep that will rid you of any feelings of tiredness and irritability.

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Before It Kills You, Cure Your Depression!!!

Saturday, March 13th, 2010

You’ve heard it a hundred times, antidepressants are an effective way to alleviate symptoms of depression for a short period of time but they pose a threat of side effects. These two premises are true. So depend on effective natural depression treatment to enjoy the benefits without the side effects.

Extreme problems at work or in one’s personal life could lead to depression. This condition, indicated by a subtle change in mood, feeling of low self esteem, or loss of interest in anything happens almost to everyone at some point of time in their life. Most people may have this “down” feeling for a couple of days or a week at the most. But, in case, this depressive feeling extends for a long time, then may be its time to go for medication. Whether one prefers to take mood enhancers or anti-depressants, it is always best to go for natural depression supplements. These green supplements are made from natural products and have lesser side effects when compared to capsules made from chemicals.

So, such patients need care, patience and affection, to come out of this current state of mind. Basically, it is a mental illness. It disrupts thought process, health and mental peace too. Extreme change in habits may occur due to the mental unrest. Some patients develop desire for food and some may loose their appetite.

Sleepless nights or fatigue even after having slept well, are symptoms of depression. So, these behavioral changes may help you to diagnose the disease at an early stage. Even sleeping hours may change to an extreme.

If you are a regularly suffer from the depression disorder, the herb Valerian is a great remedy for sleeplessness as well as anxiety, which frequently accompanies depression feelings. Valerian also has none of the drug interactions associated with depression. In fact, Valerian has absolutely no side-effects. Caution should however be taken when the herb is consumed before driving or in large doses, as it can lead to sleepiness.

These negative feelings are normal and do not significantly affect our ability to respond to our daily obligations. Negative feelings of sorrow, sadness, worry and frustration are common to everyone. We are disappointed after we experience a failure or sorrow after a separation or a loss. We could even say that it is useful in so far as they help us to better understand some weaknesses of our character. To suppress our sorrow and our pain so we can face adversity dynamic that may arise later in life. The resulting self-awareness through the negative experience helps us to make efforts to change ourselves in order to avoid future negative consequences of immature behavior.

Anti-depressant drugs inevitably provide an intervention from a chemical angle, but cannot treat the way in which you think or tap into your habitual thought processes. The ideal treatment for depression would in fact include approaches from both angles. Unfortunately due to the cost of professional time, it is easier and cheaper to purely prescribe drugs to help overcome depression and overlook methods of treatment which involve modifying the way in which you think.

You can feel good again. You are not doomed to a life of sorrow, pain and dejection. If you’re depressed and feeling low, there is a good chance you hardly laugh at all anymore (unless it’s to be polite). And you can’t remember the last time you actually did something for the sake of fun. Remember when this was not the case? You laughed with your friends and did things that were actually fun? And you planned social activities and looked forward to them and even laughed about them for weeks afterward? Remember, the good times are not gone forever, they are just a depression treatment away.

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Depression And It’s Diagnosis

Saturday, March 13th, 2010

Depression is a mental disorder that manifests itself through symptoms like depressed mood, loss of interest or pleasure, feelings of guilt or low self-worth, disturbed sleep or appetite, low energy, and poor concentration. In a severe case of depression, the individual suffering from depression may resort to committing suicide. These problems can become chronic or recurrent and lead to substantial impairments in an individual’s ability to take care of his or her everyday responsibilities.

There are two kinds of this illness: Major depression, or dysthymia which affects mood; and Manic depression or bipolar illness, when feeling low and depressed alternates with recklessness.

It is preferable to visit your family doctor as he will be aware of your previous medical conditions and medical history. The first thing you should do if you suspect that you may be depressed is visit your family doctor for a thorough checkup. If you are unable to or maybe embarrassed to visit your family doctor, any other general physician will serve the same purpose. There should never be any embarrassment or apprehension when coping with this illness.

Other medical conditions can cause depression symptoms, such as vitamin and mineral deficiencies, female hormonal changes and thyroid conditions. Therefore an individual should be absolutely sure by before taking any kind of medication and self medicating.

The family doctor or other physician you visit, will begin his diagnosis by asking you a series of questions. Questions that you may be asked include:

What are the symptoms that lead you to believe you may be suffering from depression?

How long have you had these symptoms?

How do these signs impact your regular responsibilities?

Have you felt like this before?

Have you been treated for depression before?

If so, what medication were you given and which worked best in your opinion?

Any of your close relatives diagnosed with depression?

If so, were your relatives treated for depression and of the treatments given to them, which worked best?

Have you used drugs or consumed alcohol recently?

Have you had any thoughts of death or suicide?

There is no current laboratory test that can be used to diagnose depression. Depression is diagnosed based on your reported symptoms, signs that your doctor observes during the interview, your medical history and your family’s medical history. Depression occurs in persons of all genders, ages, and backgrounds.

The family needs to extend their love and affection and most importantly their support. It is very essential that the family be supportive of the individual suffering from depression through this difficult time.

Facts :

Depression is quite a common illness, affecting approximately 121 million people worldwide.

Depression is amongst the top causes of disability worldwide.

Depression can be diagnosed and treated in primary care.

Less than 25 % of those affected by Depression have access to effective treatments.

In conclusion, depression like most major illnesses can be cured, if it is detected in time and is treated. Family plays an vital role in the treatment.

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