Mental Health News

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It’s sometimes hard to discern the difference between a bad case of the nerves and real anxiety disorders.  In general anxiety disorders tend to be very consistent and chronic.  Many people with these mental health problems tend to avoid the triggers of their symptoms in an effort to keep control of the disorder, but in reality these people are just letting their anxiety disorder control them. 

If you can recognize the signs and symptoms of an anxiety disorder you can begin to do something about it.  Anxiety disorders affect as many as 19 million American adults and not all of them are seeking treatment.  Here are some of the more common symptoms to keep an eye out for.

1. Agitation: You consistently begin to feel agitated or anxious before the event or trigger that is causing your anxiety. 

2. Fear: Normally mild events give you extreme fear and may even last for days afterward, when other people have returned to normal.

3. Tense: You have trouble relaxing, even when there are no potential triggers or events coming up.

4. Stress: An inability to deal well with stress and stressful situations.  Leaves you feeling flustered, snappy, angry or ready to cry.

5. Worry: A tendency to worry about your triggers, when you may encounter them again.  You may even worry about things from the past or make up scenarios to worry about.

There are more signs and symptoms of anxiety disorders, several of which are physical symptoms like excessive sweating and even heart palpitations.  That’s partly why it’s so important to identify a disorder so you can get on anxiety medications to help you feel more normal and relaxed.

Interestingly, scientists have found what they believe is the unhappiest year of the average person’s life using mental health statistics.  That year begins on your 44th birthday.  Scientists from the United States and the United Kingdom have studied happiness amongst people in over 80 different countries to come up with this new bit of information.

It appears that overall happiness in life is something like a depressing U-shaped curve.  According to their research, your overall happiness begins to go down as you get older in life, until it hits rock bottom when you reach 44 years of age.  At that point you remain at your most depressed for a few years, before your overall happiness levels start increasing again.  That is, if you still have good health. 

Those manage to make it through their rock bottom years, dealing with depression in a positive manner and still have good health will begin to see their happiness levels increasing again. 

Andrew Oswald, professor of economics at the University of Warwick in England worked with a colleague to analyze the data on happiness and depression levels.  They found a surprising similarity of results across the board, for rich, poor, average, married, divorced, single or other.  Just about everyone, no matter their life circumstance experiences this particular happiness curve in their lifetime.  

Professor Oswald states that the most plausible explanation for these mental health statistics results from people excepting their own limitations.

Most people start out thinking they can accomplish anything when they are young.  As they grow older they begin encountering challenges, moving into different careers, life circumstances and dealing with problems they just can’t defeat.  Once we reach middle age we realize that we can’t accomplish anything and enter this low level of happiness for a period of time.  The key to raising one’s happiness levels seems to do with accepting these limitations and focusing on what can be done to live a fulfilling life.

 

There are many ways to control and live well with anxiety and depression disorders.  However, there is quite a lot that people aren’t aware of when it comes to social anxiety disorders.

Here are a few things to remain aware of when it comes to these social anxiety disorders from About.com.

1. SAD is more common than you think.

Over a lifetime, approximately 10% of people will experience the symptoms of Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD). It is the third most common psychiatric disorder after depression and alcohol abuse. Until recent years, however, it hasn’t received significant attention from the medical community and so has been under diagnosed.

2. The symptoms may vary depending on cultural influences.

In some Asian cultures (e.g., Japan, Korea), people with SAD may fear offending others rather than being embarrassed. For example, they may fear that their extreme anxiety or direct eye contact may offend someone.

3. It is more common in women than in men.

Despite the fact that equal numbers of men and women seek treatment for SAD, in the general population it is more common in women.

4. If you have SAD, you probably have another disorder too.

SAD quite often pairs with other disorders, most often depression, other anxiety disorders or substance abuse.

5. SAD is a Phobia.

You may not think of social anxiety as a phobia in the same way that people are afraid of heights or snakes, but this is how it is classified. For those with Social Phobia, as SAD is also known, the fear is of being in social situations.

Social Anxiety Disorders like SAD are just as limiting and problematic as any other text book problem.  To learn the other five things to be aware of, you’ll need to head over to About.com. 

The mental health problems, anxiety and depression can increase your risk of heart ailments says researchers.  A new study by McGill University and the Universite de Montreal has found that major depression or anxiety can actually double the chances of repeated heart ailments for a coronary artery disease patient.  This just goes to illustrate what most people already knew commonly.  Your health is directly tied to your happiness and vice versa.

This is one of the first known studies that focuses on the affects of mental health problems on patients with stable coronary artery disease.  The principal researcher in the study, Professor Nancy Frasure-Smith stated, “We found that both major depression and generalized anxiety disorder were more common in cardiac patients than in the general community…On average, cardiac patients without these disorders had about a 13 percent chance of a repeated cardiac event over two years, compared to 26 percent of those with either major depression or anxiety.”

Better watch out for anxiety and depression if you have a coronary artery disease.

The study involved interviewing 804 people who were patients with stable coronary artery disease and who were monitored by their physician.  All of these patients had been discharged form their hospital just two months prior after being diagnosed with the disease.  Frasure-Smith and her co-author Professor Francois Lesperance found that 27% of their interviewees were affected by depression and 41% showed signs of anxiety.  This study is an important marker for physicians trying to keep their patients healthy.  Antidepressants may treat both conditions well and keep the patient’s attitude positive.

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080118093328.htm

Bipolar depression affects 10 million people in the United States and it, like many other mental health disorders, causes many of them to turn in desperation to drugs for self medication, which in turn can lead them to a life of crime in order to pay for those drugs.  Many find themselves so confused, in pain, desperate, depressed, and anxious and more about life that they attempt to commit suicide. 

This happened to Charles Slaughter Junior, 43 of Colona, Ill.  He had been diagnosed with bipolar depression and ended up in the correctional system because of the crimes he committed in an attempt to get drug money.  He had been found unfit to stand trial for his crimes, but had been forced to remain in jail for 5 months without any kind of medical treatment.  In the end, he hung himself in his cell with a bed sheet. 

Slaughter’s suicide became a wake up call for Judge Ray Conklin.  He read the news about Slaughter’s death in the paper and realized that there were many people in the criminal justice system that didn’t need to be there.  They, like Slaughter, suffered from mental health disorders that caused them to behave erratically, break the law, and take illegal drugs and even attempt to kill themselves in desperation. 

Conklin came up with the mental health court.  It’s a special court that people with mental health disorders who are picked up by the police can be shunted into.  Whether they commit a crime or are found to have missed a court ordered dose of medication, the mental health court in Rock Island County handles it.  The system is able to move people through faster, meaning they’ll get needed treatment faster.  Plus, a person with a mental health disorders has the attention of the court and will even be watched and supervised to make sure they are doing well and getting the treatment they need.

Mental health issues can be really upsetting for anyone, but it’s also upsetting for those people you work with.  It seems that many workplaces and employees are ill suited to recognize and deal with mental health problems such as anxiety and depression on the job.  Mental health works educator George Goldie has states that, ““In workplaces the most stressful things are not the chores and tasks we have, but the people we work with.�

In Canada, it’s estimated that about 20% of Canadians will end up being diagnosed with a mental health problem in their lifetimes.  Of those people about two thirds will seek out treatment for their condition and of that two thirds only one third will find the appropriate treatment for their unique case and mental health problem. 

Mental health problems can really affect people in the workplace.  They account for absenteeism, low productivity, and even account for discrimination when someone is experiencing problems and their co-workers aren’t trained to handle the issues.  We have all had a ‘difficult’ person that we worked with on the job.  However, not everyone understands that someone who is difficult to get along with, may actually be suffering from mental health problems, whether they are seeking treatment or not. 

Many of the symptoms of anxiety and depression can make a co-worker hard to work with; fatigue, nervousness, mood swings, and bouts of anger, lack of interest in the job or work, and just being a downer to be around.  However, these individuals are trying to make life hard for their co-workers and employers.  They are simply dealing with a valid health condition. 

In Canada, an effort is being made to train managers, supervisors and employees in how to handle mental health issues in their employees.  The Mental Health Works training workshops teach these groups the proper management that is requires under various accommodation laws in Canada. 

Recent mental health news concerning the death of a young 22-year-old woman in Adelaide, South Australia is causing local hostels to watch out for those with mental health problems.  This young woman had been mentally ill and staying in an Adelaide backpacker hostel.  The woman’s, Toby Garratt, body was found over New Year’s Eve in the Adelaide Parklands near where she’d been staying.  Another person is currently facing murder charges for her death.

However, this piece of mental health news along with the news concerning the death of a man in his 50s who had also been staying at a hostel in Adelaide is causing concern over the numbers of mentally ill people staying in the local hostels.  In Southern Australia, it’s not uncommon for a mentally ill person to be referred to a backpacker’s hostel from the mental health system when accommodations are limited.

Now, people are concerned that this practice could be exposing the public and other international or interstate travelers to some danger.  Plus, the hostel may not be the safest place for the mentally ill with no other place to go.

To make the hostels safer, South Australia’s Director of Mental Health Operations Derek Wright says that training will be given to staff at backpacker’s hostels to help them recognize and deal with people suffering from mental illness.  He also stated that the staff at hostels will also be given access to a mental health triage hotline.  However, Michelle Lensink of the South Australian Opposition MP stated that these measures fail to address the shortage of accommodations for the mentally ill, which leads to them being referred to the backpacker’s hostels for a place to stay.

A new study indicates that people who live with asthma and have a tendency to suffer from symptoms of depression and or panic disorders are more likely to end up in emergency care.  There are previous studies that have indicated people with asthma are more likely to suffer from symptoms of depression, such as the one study performed at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore. 

The study at Johns Hopkins shows that people with asthma are more likely than those without asthma.  In addition those who are depressed are less likely to follow their asthma care plan, which when neglected can lead to even more severe asthma attacks.

The more recent study which indicates that people with asthma and depression and/or panic disorders are more likely to end up in emergency care followed 185 asthma patients.  They completed 2 questionnaires a year apart about the severity of their asthma, symptoms of depression and emergency room visits.  About 27% of those in the study suffered from depression and 8% suffered from panic disorders.  During the study period about 9% of the participants had to get emergency care at home and 5% were admitted to the hospital

In the end the study found that those participants with asthma and symptoms of depression were six times more likely than other asthma patients to be admitted to the hospital.  Those with panic disorders were found to be five times more likely to receive emergency room care.   Quality of life for those with asthma and symptoms depression or panic disorder is definitely affected.

There is hope for the future, especially that of children who live in tough situations because of the ican program.  This recently launched mental health program is designed to prevent mental health problems in young children who are eligible for Medicaid and Title 19. 

These ican programs involve having children work with counselors to build skills for life and work on improving social skills or learn tools for dealing with disrupted relationships.  Many of the children and adults being helped by these programs are facing health problems, aggression, types of depression, anxiety and disrupted relationships and poor social skills.

The mental health program is run by Horizons mental health facilities based out of Cedar Rapids, Iowa.  The long term goals of the agency include seeking grants to enable the non-profit organization to offer services of this type to private paying clients. 

Many of the clients for ican programs are referred to the mental health facilities through the juvenile court system, project concern and the schools.  The programs run through Horizon are really intended to help people and children especially develop the skills they need to deal with the major problems facing them. 

For instance, if someone comes into ican complaining of anxiety related issues, the counselors will work with them in classes designed to help them build the skills they need to handle their anxiety. 

In addition, the mental health facilities that run ican services also works with other local organizations to really help people develop better lives and deal with mental health problems.

Research has shown that certain foods can improve your mood and lessen the effects of mild anxiety and depression.  This holiday season, why not try some of the following foods to improve your mood and fight depression. 

Milk
Your brain uses an amino acid called tryptophan to make serotonin.  I’m sure most of you have heard that tryptophan in that Thanksgiving Roast Turkey is part of what makes you so sleepy, but it’s also present in milk.  Well, the serotonin that the brain makes from this stuff is also a mild sedative and can help calm you down and make your mood lighter.

Chocolate
No wonder guys bring chocolate to gals on dates.  It’s such a good thing; they hope we’ll associate good stuff with them!  Chocolate contains a lot of mood lifting chemicals to fight depression.  Plus, chocolate increases the levels of endorphins in the brain, which are literally the happy hormones and a painkiller.

Whole Grains
If you are feeling anxious and grouchy most of the time, try switching to whole grain pasta and breads in your diet.  These complex carbohydrates boost serotonin levels, which will increase your sense of calm. Plus, complex carbs can help keep your body fueled longer between meals, helping prevent a mood shattering drop in blood sugar.

Broccoli
Your mom made you eat this as a kid, but Broccoli is quite useful in helping fight depression.  It’s also pretty good with cheese sauce.  This veggie contains lots of stress relieving B vitamins, which help keep your nervous system in good mental health.

Coffee
It’s a drug for sure, but the caffeine in coffee can work to make you more alert as well as activating your brain’s pleasure centers.  On the down side it can also work to increase nervousness and anxiety.  If you are just feeling a little depressed, try one small, regular strength cup of coffee each day with milk and chocolate to see if your mood improves.

For more mood lifting foods check out the Ririan Project. http://ririanproject.com/2007/08/29/kick-start-your-day-with-these-11-mood-lifting-foods/