Ramanisblog

Tag: Mental Health Research

  • Depression as Deadly as Smoking, Study Finds

    Depression and anxiety can be tackled only by the individual concerned.Medicines and counseling can go only thus far.What is needed is understanding of some facts.
    Out of desire comes attachment,from attachment expectations,expectations lead to lead to frustration,it leads to depression.
    We have had many desires during our life time.If we sit down and ponder what was interesting and pleasurable at one point of time , no longer excites us, at times repugnant right now..The things we desired for retain their nature then and now.Then why we do not get the same pleasure out of it?Reason is that pleasure does not lie in things per se.They are our attitudes towards them. When the attitude changes, the whole picture changes.Therefore accept things in life as they are and not attach value to it.Do not carry it forward for our attitude may change and we may even be unhappy about the the things we liked.This is the truth.
    Anxiety arises when we feel what we have done or achieved is not enough or things do not happen the way we want them to happen.If we are sure we have done our best, that is it.We can do no more.Accept your limitations.Do not set your goals too high.Remember,whatever you achieve is naught when you depart.
    Things happen, controlled by various factors ,us being only a factor and not THE factor.As said earlier do your best and leave it at that.
    Another reason for depression and anxiety is comparisons .No two things in the world are identical ;at best they are similar.Never try to be other than what you are.You too have a function and a purpose in the scheme of the Universe.
    These are few tips to beat anxiety and depression

    ScienceDaily (Nov. 18, 2009) — A study by researchers at the University of Bergen, Norway, and the Institute of Psychiatry (IoP) at King’s College London has found that depression is as much of a risk factor for mortality as smoking.

    Utilising a unique link between a survey of over 60,000 people and a comprehensive mortality database, the researchers found that over the four years following the survey, the mortality risk was increased to a similar extent in people who were depressed as in people who were smokers.
    Dr Robert Stewart, who led the research team at the IoP, explains the possible reasons that may underlie these surprising findings: ‘Unlike smoking, we don’t know how causal the association with depression is but it does suggest that more attention should be paid to this link because the association persisted after adjusting for many other factors.’
    The study also shows that patients with depression face an overall increased risk of mortality, while a combination of depression and anxiety in patients lowers mortality compared with depression alone. Dr Stewart explains: ‘One of the main messages from this research is that ‘a little anxiety may be good for you’.
    ‘It appears that we’re talking about two risk groups here. People with very high levels of anxiety symptoms may be naturally more vulnerable due to stress, for example through the effects stress has on cardiovascular outcomes. On the other hand, people who score very low on anxiety measures, i.e. those who deny any symptoms at all, may be people who also tend not to seek help for physical conditions, or they may be people who tend to take risks. This would explain the higher mortality.’
    In terms of the relationship between mortality and anxiety with depression as a risk factor, the research suggests that help-seeking behaviour may explain the pattern of outcomes. People with depression may not seek help or may fail to receive help when they do seek it, whereas the opposite may be true for people with anxiety.
    Dr Stewart comments: ‘It would certainly not surprise me at all to find that doctors are less likely to investigate physical symptoms in people with depression because they think that depression is the explanation, but may be more likely to investigate if someone is anxious because they think it will reassure them. These are conjectures but they would fit with the data.’
    The researchers point out that the results should be considered in conjunction with other evidence suggesting a variety of adverse physical health outcomes and poor health associated with mental disorders such as depression and psychotic disorders.
    In light of the findings, Dr Stewart makes suggestions on the focus of future developments in the treatment of depression and anxiety: ‘The physical health of people with current or previous mental disorder needs a lot more attention than it gets at the moment.
    ‘This applies to primary care, secondary mental health care and general hospital care in the sense that there should be more active screening for physical disorders and risk factors, such as blood pressure, cholesterol, adverse diet, smoking, lack of exercise, in people with mental disorders. This should be done in addition to more active treatment of disorders when present, and more effective general health promotion
    http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091117094933.htm

  • Sedatives, Mood-Altering Drugs Related to Falls Among Elderly: UBC Study

    Nothing can replace physical work ,open air, sea and sky for curing depression and insomnia.Any drug,whether habit forming or not,barbiturate based or not, will cause only serious side effects.One may note people above fifty normally fall in the bath room and in most cases it is the onset of further disorders coming to the fore.Safe it is for the elderly not to lock the bathroom/toilet from inside and keep people informed in advance that the room is engaged.It is the safest prevention from calamity.I have known at least two cases of people around 50,in robust health, having had a fatal heart attack while they were in the bathroom.
    Beware.
    ScienceDaily (Nov. 24, 2009) — Falls among elderly people are significantly associated with several classes of drugs, including sedatives often prescribed as sleep aids and medications used to treat mood disorders, according to a study led by a University of British Columbia expert in pharmaceutical outcomes research.

    The study, published Nov. 23 in the Archives of Internal Medicine, provides the latest quantitative evidence of the impact of certain classes of medication on falling among seniors. Falling and fall-related complications such as hip fractures are the fifth leading cause of death in the developed world, the study noted.
    Antidepressants showed the strongest statistical association with falling, possibly because older drugs in this class have significant sedative properties. Anti-psychotics/neuroleptics often used to treat schizophrenia and other psychoses and benzodiazepines such as valium were also significantly associated with falls.
    “These findings reinforce the need for judicious use of medications in elderly people at risk of falling,” says principal investigator Carlo Marra, a UBC associate professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences. “Safer alternatives, such as counseling, shorter-term or less-sedating therapies, may be more appropriate for certain conditions.”
    The UBC study examined the effects of nine classes of drugs. It updated, expanded and analyzed 22 international observational studies from 1996-2007 investigating falls among people aged 60 years or older. The analysis included data on more than 79,000 participants and both prescription and over-the-counter medications.
    Narcotics (painkillers) were found not to be statistically associated with falling among the classes studied, a finding that requires further research, says Marra, a Canada Research Chair in Pharmaceutical Outcomes in the Collaboration for Outcomes Research and Evaluation based in the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences and a member of the Centre for Hip Health and Mobility, part of Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute.
    Other medication classes studied include anti-hypertensives (used to reduce blood pressure); diuretics; beta-blockers used to treat heart conditions; and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as aspirin and ibuprofen. “Elderly people may be more sensitive to drugs’ effects and less efficient at metabolizing medications, leading to adverse events, which in turn lead to falls,” adds Marra, who is also a research scientist at the Centre for Health Evaluation and Outcome Sciences at Providence Health.
    Prescribing medications to seniors has increased substantially over the past decade, according to the study. For example, the BC Rx Atlas, recently published by UBC researchers, shows that more than one in seven people aged 80 or older filled at least one antidepressant prescription in 2006. In addition, determining which medication classes are associated with falls remains a challenge since seniors are often on multiple medications for multiple health conditions, with new drugs entering the market on a regular basis, says Marra.
    In follow-up research, he aims to explore how pharmacists can identify patients at risk of falling and educate them about medication use to ensure their safety.
    Co-authors include: Dr. Karim Khan; John Woolcott; Kathryn Richardson; Matthew Wiens; Bhavini Patel; and Judith Marin.
    Research was supported (in part) by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research.
    http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091123171410.htm