Recently in Sadness Category

http://www.healthyplace.com/anxiety-panic/main/can-kids-blame-their-parents-for-social-phobias/menu-id-1059/

The study I've chosen to post here is related to something we discussed in class.(The idea that spending one's life blaming parents provides no relief for your troubles, it just makes life worse, and your time would be better spent focusing on bettering your situation).
The article starts out by stating that "Social phobia, a paralyzing fear of social situations, may be brought on by a combination of genetics and child-rearing methods." Of course, there's nothing we can currently do to change our genetics, but some researchers found that parents who are overprotective of or show rejection towards their children may be putting them at greater risk of developing social phobias.

Another interesting point was that the research team " found no link at all between family functioning and teenage social phobia." Contrary to what the title of my article (also a lyric in West Side Story) may indicate, growing up in a dysfunctional family does not appear to make one destined to failure, socially or otherwise.

I think these findings  (at least the latter one) would be very welcome to individuals who have grown up in very poor situations - these results can provide hope, encouragement, and perhaps even  a form of verbal persuasion (to help them believe they can succeed, personally and professionally).Bad things happen, but life goes on. I also think it is incredibly important for there to be motivational speakers who have overcome their tremendous obstacles and achieved success, such speakers may be thought to provide a type of vicarious modeling as well as indirect verbal persuasion.

As some of you may have heard, there's a woman coming to campus on the 20th who actually survived a saline abortion. Although I think her talk will partly focus on how young, pregnant women aren't given enough support, from a motivation/emotion standpoint I think her story is incredible. I cannot imagine the feelings one would experience knowing that you have been given the ultimate form of rejection - having people try to kill you. I think another motivation/emotion question that may merit attention in that situation is the impact that an abortion has on the mother. Here I am not just talking about the loss of the baby's life, but (as we have discussed in class) an expectant mother's body undergoes hormonal changes to prepare for the baby. When the changes have been made and there is no longer a baby, this can an even greater sense of loss. To tie this back into material in Reeve's Chapter 12, it could be said that women in this situation are facing both cognitive and biological bases for their conditions and need help that will address both of these bases.

 
Getting back to the main topic, I think one of the major take away points from the main article is that each person has their own unique set of problems. As discussed in class, it is not desirable to be happy and positive all the time, it is natural to have negative emotions and moods. Negative events provide contrast to positive ones, they have the potential to make people appreciate the "good things" more. Facing serious challenges in one's development might actually make a person stronger and better adjusted to the world, at least for some individuals (and if the challenges are not too overwhelming). This last point most directly relates to goal setting theory in Reeve's Chapter 8.  

    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?"

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?

Since we have been talking still about neurotransmitters that affect our bodies and emotions, I thought I would find an article that talked about outside influences that can cause depression.  Listed below are 9 events or characteristics -

• Abuse. Past physical, sexual, or emotional abuse can cause depression later in life.
• Certain medications. For example, some drugs used to treat high blood pressure, such as beta-blockers or reserpine, can increase your risk of depression.
• Conflict. Depression may result from personal conflicts or disputes with family members or friends.
• Death or a loss. Sadness or grief from the death or loss of a loved one, though natural, can also increase the risk of depression.
• Genetics. A family history of depression may increase the risk. It's thought that depression is passed genetically from one generation to the next. The exact way this happens, though, is not known.
• Major events. Even good events such as starting a new job, graduating, or getting married can lead to depression. So can moving, losing a job or income, getting divorced, or retiring.
• Other personal problems. Problems such as social isolation due to other mental illnesses or being cast out of a family or social group can lead to depression.
• Serious illnesses. Sometimes depression co-exists with a major illness or is a reaction to the illness.
• Substance abuse. Nearly 30% of people with substance abuse problems also have major or clinical depression.

Chemically, people with depression often times have a smaller hippocampus, which is in charge of storage of memories, but unfortunately if it's smaller, it can have fewer seratonin receptors.  Seratonin is a chemical that is a calming brain chemical, and usually those with depression have lowere levels of seratonin and higher levels of cortisol, which is the chemical in charge of stress.  Lastly, depression has many different aspects of the disorder, but can be temporary and there are many types of ways to treat it, you just have to find the right one with the combination of medication, counseling, and life-style modification.  It is said that depression in passing down through family members.  15% of men have depression and 30% of women suffer from depression, although most everyone in their life will experience some form of depression, and approximately 18.8 million U.S. adults suffer from depressive disorders.  Life isn't getting an easier, but that is why we humans live together...to make life go on.

http://www.webmd.com/depression/guide/causes-depression

I was recently reading an article abaout an olympian ice skater that still performed her routine after losing her mother to a heart attack only a few days prior. The mother had died of an unexpected heart attack two days before her daughter was scheduled to perform her much practiced short performance routine in front of 14, 000 people. The skater went on and preformed very well, getting the highest score of the short performances. Even though she was visablly upset, as anyone would be, she still decided that it was for the best to continue with her skating. I wondered if sometimes, a person's motivation can outweigh their emotions. I've tried to think of times when something terrible has happened to me and how I reacted. Usually I drop everything and focus all my energy and emotions on the bad event. I couldn't image doing something like ice skating when my mom had just passed away. But I think it was the fact that this girl had trained so hard for so long all for this day, that she didn't want it all to be for nothing. I think she thought her mother would have felt the same way. So I was wondering if her drive for achivement and recognition for her hard work and persistence at skating could help her overcome her sad emotions enough for her to go out there and skate. This is not to say that she wanted to compete more than she was sad for her mother's death, but just to ask the question, If you are highly motivated to do soemthing, can it temporarly overcome your emotions, enough to get the job done? Other situations could be that you really want to go out with your friends on a Thursday night, but you have a big test the next day you have to do well on so you skip the fun and study instead. It's not exactly the same, but you are still choosing your motivation over your emotions.

What do you guys think? Can you think of any circumstances that you have really wanted something even though your emotions were saying something different? If one is stronger, what usually makes you do something, your motivation or your emotions?

Here is the link...http://www.cnn.com/2010/SPORT/02/24/olympics.rochette/index.html?hpt=C1

I have talked to my younger cousin about off the wall text messaging that younger teens are spreading through text messages within her school.  She says everyone knows who you have a crush on, or if you are mad at a friend, and with everyone knowing those kind of things; uncalled words are being said and the texting is getting out of hand.  I read one of her text messages that someone said to her and it said "____ said that you are too skinny and you should eat lol"  Now for a young girl in middle school that could harm her self-esteem and feel as thought no one likes her, and the way she is isn't good enough, even though she is a beautiful petite young girl who is only in 7th garde. 

When watching T.V. the commercial of teens getting abused by other teens via text messaging comes up a lot, especially on MTV. When is it becoming too of athinline for young teens with their text messaging?  The website (athinline.org) helps teens cope with abused text messaging, such as sexting, constant messaging, spying, digital disprespect, and cruelty.  This website definitely is taking a step to help out teens who feel as though they can't say anything to anyone, because if they do they will be called a nark or taddle tail.

It's very alarming how many teens are getting abused or are doing the abuse over text messaging.  When I was in middle school I was'nt allowed a cell phone, unless I went to a movie and needed to call for my parents to pick me up.  Now a days all I see is young kids with cell phones in their hands walking in the mall or down the street.  It's no wonder why the text messaging abuse is becoming so popular. 

Athinline.org is definitely a big step for helping teens with this abusive problem via text messaging.  Pass it along to friends and family who you know that have been abused or are the abuser. 

Depressed? Jolt Your Brain

My friend has been in a pretty turbulent relationship for the past year.  For the most part, I'm the "go-to" person when any of my friends have "life crises" - not because I'm perfect or have no problems, but because I'm someone who always answers, will put everything down to listen, and gives un-sugar-coated advice.  Recently, after a series of late-night phone calls and hysterical crying sessions, they have decided to break up.

In one of my classes we were discussing the movie Avatar and someone had said that there is actually a website for people who have seen the movie and can blog about how they wish to be in that world, or are depressed now from seeing the movie.  I didn't believe it so I had to check it out myself.  The website is www.avatar-forum.com with the topic thread of "Ways to cope with the depression of the dream of Pandora being intangible"

Now to me this sounds a little ridiculous so I did some more research and found an article that was done by CNN: http://www.cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/Movies/01/11/avatar.movie.blues/index.html

In this article it does refer to the avatar-forum, and gives examples of what people have blogged or commented on it regarding their feelings.  The people talk about how they were emotionally drawn into this life by the Navi and want to live on Pandora.  People have contemplated on suicide or gone into lucid dreaming to escape to the Pandora land. People posting on the avatar-forum are not only expressing their view and mental illnesses now due to Avatar but are also helping others cope with such a feeling. 

I understand where some of these people are coming from, having seen the movie, yes it is a beautiful place to want to live...but suicide, and depression?  I'm not sure why someone would let themselves get to that point all because of a movie.  It is fantasy, not reality, nor will it be reality in the world we are living in now.  It is beautiful, peaceful, and kind of shows how our world is as of now, and some don't want this world we live in anymore.  It just amazes me how one movie can turn into a reason for suicide, depression, and among other things. 

If you have seen the movie, what is your take on the 'Avatar' Blues, if you havent seen the movie, I do recommend seeing it in 3D and see for yourself if it is a movie to have depression or suicide thoughts over, or a movie for simply entertainment.  I'm going with entertainment.

 

The recent down turn in the economy has placed a negative effect on many people's emotions, often causing anxiety and depression. Julie Cohen who is a licensed marriage and family therapist gives some helpful hints to overcome the some of the emotional problems that can arise due to the economy. Julie encourages you to think positively, remember the positive things in your life, thinking about what you value can be very comforting. She also realizes that just thinking positively is not always going to be enough to get you through these hard times. She also offers some small steps you can take to help ease the financial stress you may be feeling, such as clipping coupons, and she gives you a link to a coupon site, as well as just making more economically appreciate choices for the situation you are in. And last but not least she tells you to take an honest look at your own financial situation and to consider getting help or guidance if needed.

http://www.dailystrength.org/experts/julie-cohen/article/as-the-economy-suffers-so-do-our-emotions