Recently in Depression Category

I was looking online for information about adolescent girls and self-esteem, when I stumbled across some information about depression in adolescent girls.  Although I have looked into this information, I still find the statistics shocking.  A statistic I cannot get over is that almost 1 in 6 adolescents are diagnosed with major depression, girls being diagnosed twice as much as boys.  Not only is that depressing, but also almost 1-4% of teenage girls have been diagnosed with an eating disorder.  Adolescent boys and girls are at the greatest vulnerability for the onset of eating disorders and depression.  I found these statistics from a journal article by Boes, McCormick, Coryell, & Nopoulos, 2008.

Adolescent kids are struggling with their changing body and raging hormones and are trying to discover themselves.  They want to be accepted by their peers and want to fit into society.  Adolescents have a high need for relatedness and autonomy in their lives.  According to Reeve, "behaviors, emotions, and ways of thinking originate not only within the self but also within the social context and society" (Reeve, pg. 283, 2009).  Teenagers want to have some control within their lives but also seek approval from their peers and society.  When adolescents do not feel good about themselves, they may withdrawal from their surroundings and suffer in silence. 

Especially in American society, where we are surrounded by beautiful, thin people.  It is sad to admit that we are engrained to think only tall and thin people can be considered beautiful.  We need to continue to emphasize in schools and at home that we must embrace our differences.  However, this view will not be accepted until our society changes the requirements for models, actors/actresses, and so on. 

Do you think classes talking about the negative side effects of eating disorders in classes and/or the importance for accepting yourself would improve these statistics or cause adolescents to hide their insecurities even more?  Would a requirement of being involved in a program outside of school help decrease insecurities?  These programs could involve art, sports, theater, whatever students are interested in.

    http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/Anesthesia-Drugs-a-Possible-Cure-for-Depression-1137964.htm

 

    I think it's always interesting to hear different perspectives about depression. In this article, the basic argument is (as the title says) that small amounts of anesthesia can help provide relief from depression. It is in part due to the increased demand for anesthesia in the market (more surgeries being done, etc.) that other applications for it are the subject of current research.  In the study, researchers "(administered) a single low dose" of an anesthetic that "produced almost immediate relief from depression in (a group) that did not respond to any other type of depression therapy."

 

      It may be very important to note that anesthesia was only given to patients who did not respond to other forms of treatment. Although I believe modern forms of anesthesia are likely to be relatively safe in moderation, we must be very careful not to get carried away with this type of research. We should conduct these studies in as safe of a way as possible and be ever wary of problems that arise. As any of us who have taken BioPsychology probably know, it was just within the last century that procedures like prefrontal lobotomies were lauded as a great procedure until the full extent of their effects became known. My main point here is that we may have a moral obligation to remain skeptical of any procedures when we have not yet been able to study its long-term effects. Only then can we be more confident that such procedures are the right course of action.

 

    In any case, the doses of anesthesia that have been applied thus far are relatively low and seem to be well within safety guidelines. Because of this, I would have to agree that this treatment does sound very promising for patients facing depression for which nothing else has worked. Another reason this research is promising is not just about the level of effectiveness, but also the amount of time it takes until the drugs take effect. Many common treatments for depression require at least a few weeks to produce noticeable alleviation of symptoms. As mentioned before, some of the effects of low dose anesthesia can occur almost immediately. One reason for this is because the anesthesia approach "targets a different system in the brain." Having taken BioPsychology last semester, I found this part of the discussion especially interesting - it mentioned that "all (current) antidepressants work on monoamine transmitters... but ketamine (the anesthesia) involves (blocking the action of glutamate)."   

 

     I was very happy to read the final section of the article - it mentioned that psychosis was a possible side effect of the drug, and that it is unlikely that is will be approved for treating depression. As in so many psychology articles, the conclusion was that more research needs to be done. I think this touches on a point that is sometimes difficult to appreciate. It is very difficult for us to watch our loved ones in pain and suffering, from mental diseases such as depression, but unlike on television, it is very rare to find some miraculous experimental drug that will solve all problems. It is not that researchers are unkind or uncaring, but rather that new procedures that have not yet even been fully investigated can very well make a person's problems even worse. I believe the work of clinical psychologists and medical doctors is in many ways more stressing because it is not a lifeless object they are working on, but rather a human being. Mistakes are not acceptable, in both a moral and legal sense. I hope my meaning is not misconstrued here; I believe this research is very important, but I also am very concerned that people will try to pursue this treatment before trying more well-known, better established treatments for depression.  

After watching Manic yesterday I couldn't help but think about how controlling one's environment and actions is so crucial to leading a functional life. And, since the movie revolved around the lives of a couple suicidal manic depressives, I decided to look up some more information on that. I stumbled upon this article via Psychology Today discussing the illusions of control and suicide. Ira Rosofsky, PhD, has had years of experience working with the elderly (nursing homes/assisted living), and his article talks about systemic policies that address this issue with suicide, control and the elderly. Rosofsky first highlights some normal thought processes of suicidal individuals, and how committing suicide is the last successful and controllable act in which one can engage. He writes, "If I were to develop a theory of self-esteem, I'd put control or mastery on the top of the list." Exerting control over any situation determines that individual has gained some sense self-esteem, because that controlled behavior encourages high self-efficacy.

In the article, Rosofsky describes a piece of legislature that the state of Oregon enacted back in 1997: the Death with Dignity Act. Basically, this law gives physicians the legal rights to prescribe a patient with a lethal dose of medication to be taken privately in his or her home. This law, however, is only limited to those who are terminally ill. With the indirect assistance of a physician, terminally ill individuals have a choice to commit suicide if they so choose. Fortunately, people aren't necessarily abusing this "privilege". From when the law passed in 1997 up until 2009 - when this article was published - 292 patients have jumped on the assisted suicide bandwagon. Roughly 24 people each year have taken that route. According to U.S. suicide statistics from suicide.org, a grand total of 30,622 individuals committed suicide in 2001 alone. Among that total, 5,393 of those suicides were from the elderly (65+ years old). That 292-suicide rate over a 12-year period pales in comparison to that one-year statistic of over 5,000 elderly suicides. What's even more paradoxically reassuring is that those who decided upon the physician assisted suicide died in a stable, controlled environment, many times with their loved ones around and aware of the situation.

Rosofsky later posits, "People like the reassurance of knowing they can do it, even if they never pull the trigger." For many terminally ill patients, their living conditions are much less than comfortable and satisfactory (in terms of constant pain), so being dead is the next successive step toward happiness. I know that sounds incredibly morbid, but the large corpora of suicide research suggests that notion. Finally, Reeve (2009, p. 242) states, "Mastery beliefs reflect the extent of perceived control one has over attaining desirable outcomes and preventing aversive ones." In the case of terminally ill or irreparably depressed persons, suicide is his or her desired outcome, and living such a painful life is clearly the aversive one.

I am going to pull a question directly from the article that Rosofsky poses as food for thought: "People who have had every treatment imaginable - pills, psychotherapy, electric shock therapy - and want to end their suffering. Who am I to say no to them? To request them to spend some weeks, months, years talking to me instead?"

Self-Cutting Behaviors in Adolescents
Self-Injury: Addiction? Parasuicide? A Call for Help?
Self-Injury: Myths and Misconceptions 1
Self-Injury: Myths and Misconceptions 2

While watching Manic, I couldn't help but wonder why a few of them had injured themselves. The one girl had an 'Anarchy' symbol on her thigh, and Lyle had burned himself. Self-Injurious behavior has increased over the last several decades and is probably seen as an American problem, but it has been around for a long time throughout cultures. Cases involving emergency visits occur at a rate of 225 per 100,000 people aged 7-24. While causality is unclear, my Abnormal Psychology textbook cites a recent study that found that of the adolescents that engage in self-injurious behavior, 50% have a depressive or anxiety disorder, 60% have a substance used disorder, 60% have a disruptive behavior disorder, and more than 50% have a personality disorder (most often borderline, avoidant, or paranoid personality disorder). Obviously, those numbers add up to more than 100%, so the comorbidity of mental disorders associated with this behavior makes intervention and treatment that much more difficult and complex.  

Self-injury is typically thought of as a suicide attempt, but that is not necessarily true. It can be used as a coping mechanism (albeit a short-lived and poor one) for dealing with emotional stress. Some people actually run into cutting by accident (like the girl in Manic) when they accidentally cut themselves shaving or something and instead of pain they feel relief. As described in the 'myths and misconceptions 2' link, this lack of pain experience might be explained by being in a dissociative state ( or zoned out). What causes the dissociative state is less clear. The relief (negative reinforcement) is actually the result of endorphins flooding the brain which is the result of the response to pain and can have actual euphoric-like effects (positive reinforcement). With the co-occurrence of both of these effects, it is easy to see why self-injurious behavior can become a powerful coping mechanism.

http://www.news-medical.net/news/20100309/Activity-in-lateral-prefrontal-cortex-may-improve-emotion-regulation-in-day-to-day-life.aspx

 

I found this to be a rather interesting article. I think it directly relates to the material we studied in Chapter 3 (dealing with the emotional brain). One of the main reasons I found it interesting is because it seems to go against common sense, or at least against conventional wisdom. Many of us have undoubtedly heard others tell us not to go to bed angry, but this study suggests that "brain activity (specifically in the lateral prefrontal cortex) is a far better indicator of how someone will feel in the days following a fight with his or her partner." Generally those who had high activity in this area had a better mood than those who had low activity in this area. I believe what helps set this recent study apart is that it did not take place entirely in a laboratory, but also involved real situations/relationships. In other words, one can probably be more confident of its external validity.

 

In our textbook (starting on p. 61 in Chapter 3), Reeve writes about the relationship between the prefrontal cortex and affect. Here it mentions that, "the limbic system receives incoming sensory stimulation (that) activate rather automatic emotional reactions... stimulation of the cortex can generate emotional states." Reeve also makes the point that one must make a distinction between the left and right side of the prefrontal cortex because each is qualitatively different from the other. Reeve also makes reference to the Behavioral Inhibition System, which includes the two dimensions of personality, one of which is "how sensitive versus stable a person is to threats, punishments, and the experience of negative emotion (Reeve 2009, p.61)."

 

 I was actually rather impressed with the physiological measures used - researchers used an fMRI, recorded facial expressions, and tested cognitive skills. As I mentioned before, the researcher (Hooker) found that  the level of activity in their lateral prefrontal cortex may be a significant factor in predicting a person's experiences, ability to bounce back, etc.

 

The main reason why I chose this article and wanted to share it with others is because I am rather fascinated by the unconscious activity that takes place in the brain. As others probably have heard, there have been studies that suggest people actually have a tendency to make better decisions having slept on it - I think I heard about this in Social Psychology. I believe I also heard data that supports this in my BioPsychology course. While sleeping, our brain continues to process information. It's very interesting to think of the possibility that being angry while we go to sleep may actually help us better deal with our problems, confront them face on with our subconscious attention. This may be drifting a little bit from Motivation and Emotion, but I find it very interesting how I have often woken up with solutions to some of my problems that I had never thought of before - I believe my mental activity throughout the night has sometimes helped me come up with effective solutions.

 

In any case, this study  does provide insight and understanding into physiological activities, such as the activation of certain brain structures and subsequent impact on emotional states. For the reasons I have mentioned, I actually believe this type of research is very important and may lead to more effective interventions for people facing certain problems, such as depression.

 

The article ends with the following...

  

While Hooker acknowledges that more work must be done to develop clinical applications for the research, it may be that lateral prefrontal cortex function provides information about a person's vulnerability to develop mood problems after a stressful event. This raises the question as to whether increasing lateral prefrontal cortex function will improve emotion regulation capacity.

 

I was diagnosed with depression a long time ago, which I have outgrown.  But, as I've learned in Abnormal Psych, there are several mental health diseases that have high concordance with each other.  A few years ago, I was diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety and mild OCD.  I was put on an antidepressant, but that didn't do anything.  Also, I personally don't believe in pumping my body with chemicals daily, even though I realize that pills can help some.  One major side effect I've experienced with having anxiety and OCD is severe insomnia.  Although I've always been a "night owl," I frequently couldn't get to sleep until about 3 or 4 in the morning - not because I wasn't tired, but because I couldn't shut my mind off - I would stay up making lists of the things that I needed to do, thinking about stupid things like whether I put my notebook in my bag or locked the door, etc.  Not only annoying, but I realize these things seem a bit freakish to the majority of people, because they sound so mundane.  Thanks to the UNI SHC, I now am on a sleep aid (Ambien), which has been a life saver.  It does exactly what it's supposed to - makes me fall asleep, and stay asleep (as well as makes me feel a little loopy when it starts kicking in!).  Today, I was in the SHC to get a new prescription, and while waiting in one of the rooms, an article was posted on the door which I found really interesting.

Lately I have noticed I have become more irritable by people and little situations.  Normally, I like to think, I am outgoing and most situations do not annoy me.  However, the last couple of daysI am feeling spring-fever, I want the snow gone and warm weather to arrive.  Because of my current negative mood, I decided to research and find ways to improve my current frame of mind.  I found this article...

http://health.msn.com/health-topics/depression/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100253964

According to Dawn LaFrance, Psy.D., associate director of the Counseling Center at Colgate University, it is actually common to get down in a "winter funk".  However, it is important to know the difference between a winter funk and a more serious version, seasonal affective disorder.  The difference of course is the winter blues usually last a couple of days and then you find some pleasurable stimulus in your life.  Whereas, seasonal affective disorder is much more severe and characterized by clinical depression, anxiety, and changes in weight.  This article provided 6 ways to beat the winter blues and help the readers find something positive in their lives. 

The first option was Pinpoint What is Getting You Down.  Once you realize what is bothering you, it is easier to cope and/or improve your situation.  The second choice was Don't Let Your Mood Dictate Your Plans.  It is important to keep in contact with your friends, relatedness is a key factor in deciding if you have had a good or a bad day.  The third alternative was Watch Your Diet.  It is easier to slack and eat unhealthy foods in the winter months, which could result in weight gain and a more serious form of depression.  The fourth suggestion was Work Out.  Exercise will keep you motivated and help you avoid the winter blues.  The fifth option focused on Getting More Light in Your Life.  Light gives you health benefits and light therapy is actually used to treat seasonal affective disorder and some mild depressions.  The sixth choice was Don't Make Life-Changing Decisions.  You do not want to make any rushed life-changing decisions when you are not feeling your best.

Another reason I thought this article was interesting was because in class, we recently discussed aspects that must be met to fulfill your psychological nutrients needed for a good day, positive well-being, and vitality.  These aspects included daily autonomy, daily relatedness, and daily competence.  If you do not feel in control in some aspects of your life, it may begin a snowball affect.  I know this is definitely true for my room mate and myself.  Currently, we are applying to grad. schools and are both freaking out because our future plans are in the hands of committees deciding if we would make a good addition to their program.

Depression is a common theme in the realm of psychology, but what a lot of the common public don´t know is that there are different types of depression, and have various contributing characteristics.  Until I came to UNI, I had always thought that to have depression or some mental illness  - what have you, was wrong and it only happens to "those people."  It wasn't until I realized myself that I had depression.  This 1st article below is about situational vs. clinical depression.  "The difference between situational depression and other types of depression is that situational depression, as its name suggests, is caused by life's situations, or life events. In other words, situational depression is brought on by life."  The positive aspect with situational depression is that it is more or less temporary, our lives are constantly changing, and the more good things are happening in our lives, the better we feel.  But on the other side of the spectrum, any drastic event can leave our self thoughts and feelings hanging by a thread.
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/situational-depression-brought-on-by-life-62752.html

The 2nd article has a lengthy series of questions that would be helpful for someone who is thinking they may have depression and wants to put it in context. 
http://www.livestrong.com/article/14734-handling-depression/

Just this past week a very close friend of mine delivered a beautiful baby boy. And while I have no reason to suspect that she would have postpartum depression the idea of it had crossed my mind and so I decided to look into it. Mayo clinic had a definition of postpartum depression on their website: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/postpartum-depression/ds00546

I also found another site that answered common questions and gave the warning signs and symptoms of postpartum depression. It answered questions such as how do I know the difference between common 'baby blues' and actual postpartum depression: http://www.womenshealth.gov/faq/depression-pregnancy.cfm.

And as I thought about it I remembered how Tom Cruise had attacked Brooke Shields about taking anti-depressants after giving birth, so I found a site that told her story about her struggle with postpartum depression: http://www.webmd.com/depression/postpartum-depression/features/brooke-shields-depression-struggle.

Does anyone know of someone that had struggled with postpartum depression? Where you close enough with them to see any of the signs?