US News & World Report
5/18/09
Teens who are overweight—or believe they are—are more likely than other teens to attempt suicide, according to a new study. Researchers looked at more than 14,000 high school students to determine if there is a link between suicide attempts and body mass index. The study, which appears online in the Journal of Adolescent Health, found that teens who were overweight and those who believed they were overweight were more likely to attempt suicide than those who weren't and those who didn't believe they were overweight.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Friday, May 22, 2009
Mad Pride
Newsweek
May 2, 2009
A new generation of activists is trying to change the treatment and stigma attached to mental illness. Welcome to Mad Pride, a budding grassroots movement, where people who have been defined as mentally ill reframe their conditions and celebrate unusual (some call them "spectacular") ways of processing information and emotion.
Read the full story and comments expressing caution and and assessment of the reality of mental illness.
May 2, 2009
A new generation of activists is trying to change the treatment and stigma attached to mental illness. Welcome to Mad Pride, a budding grassroots movement, where people who have been defined as mentally ill reframe their conditions and celebrate unusual (some call them "spectacular") ways of processing information and emotion.
Read the full story and comments expressing caution and and assessment of the reality of mental illness.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
SAMHSA Report States Majority of America’s 2 Million Adolescents Suffering from Depression Episodes Did Not Receive Treatment in the Past Year
A new report, Major Depressive Episode and Treatment among Adolescents, reveals that 8.2 percent (2 million) youths aged 12 to 17 experienced at least one major depressive episode in the past year. Only about two-fifths (38.9 percent) of these adolescents received treatment during this period according to the report by the Substance Abuse and mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The report is drawn from SAMHSA’s 2007 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), which collected data from a representative sample of approximately 22,000 adolescents throughout the United States. The full report is available here.
Friday, May 15, 2009
Even meager levels of physical activity can improve the mood of people with serious mental illnesses
from: Science Daily January 15, 2009
A new study from Indiana University suggests that even meager levels of physical activity can improve the mood of people with serious mental illnesses (SMI) such as bipolar disorder, major depression, and schizophrenia.
"We found a positive association between physical activity level and positive mood when low to moderate levels of physical activity are considered," said study author Bryan McCormick, associate professor in IU's Department of Recreation, Park, and Tourism Studies. "Physical activity interventions that require lower levels of exertion might be more conducive to improving transitory mood, or the ups and downs people with SMI experience throughout the day."
McCormick said physical activity often is advocated in addition to psychiatric treatment for people with SMI because of the significant health concerns common to this population. The low levels of physical activity also common to this population poses a major hurdle, however.
For this study, physical activity is considered most forms of sustained movement, such as house cleaning, gardening, walking for transportation or formal exercise.
"The challenge is how to use naturally motivating activities that people have in their everyday lives to get them out and engaged," McCormick said.
A new study from Indiana University suggests that even meager levels of physical activity can improve the mood of people with serious mental illnesses (SMI) such as bipolar disorder, major depression, and schizophrenia.
"We found a positive association between physical activity level and positive mood when low to moderate levels of physical activity are considered," said study author Bryan McCormick, associate professor in IU's Department of Recreation, Park, and Tourism Studies. "Physical activity interventions that require lower levels of exertion might be more conducive to improving transitory mood, or the ups and downs people with SMI experience throughout the day."
McCormick said physical activity often is advocated in addition to psychiatric treatment for people with SMI because of the significant health concerns common to this population. The low levels of physical activity also common to this population poses a major hurdle, however.
For this study, physical activity is considered most forms of sustained movement, such as house cleaning, gardening, walking for transportation or formal exercise.
"The challenge is how to use naturally motivating activities that people have in their everyday lives to get them out and engaged," McCormick said.
HealthyPlace.com Mood Tracker
from: www.healthyplace.com/mood-journal/
The HealthyPlace Mood Tracker is a unique, easy to use, daily tracking system that enables you to keep track of your moods and the feelings and actions behind them. In addition, the HealthyPlace.com Mood Tracker, using a scientifically validated algorithm, measures when your mood is dangerously depressed or elevated (manic) and can send an alert to your doctor or therapist via email or fax and include a copy of your recent mood journal entries (with your authorization, of course). Our mood journal system can also send a text message alert to a family member or caregiver’s cell phone advising them to look in on you.
Many mental health professionals recommend the use of a mood journal as a tool for managing bipolar disorder, depression, or other mood disorders. By using the mood tracking system on a regular basis, you can begin to see patterns evolve and learn to detect the early onset of cycles so you can take preventative action. The mood journal also allows you to see other factors that have a positive or negative effect on your moods and symptoms so you can concentrate on the positive and avoid the negative ones.
The HealthyPlace Mood Tracker is a unique, easy to use, daily tracking system that enables you to keep track of your moods and the feelings and actions behind them. In addition, the HealthyPlace.com Mood Tracker, using a scientifically validated algorithm, measures when your mood is dangerously depressed or elevated (manic) and can send an alert to your doctor or therapist via email or fax and include a copy of your recent mood journal entries (with your authorization, of course). Our mood journal system can also send a text message alert to a family member or caregiver’s cell phone advising them to look in on you.
Many mental health professionals recommend the use of a mood journal as a tool for managing bipolar disorder, depression, or other mood disorders. By using the mood tracking system on a regular basis, you can begin to see patterns evolve and learn to detect the early onset of cycles so you can take preventative action. The mood journal also allows you to see other factors that have a positive or negative effect on your moods and symptoms so you can concentrate on the positive and avoid the negative ones.
Being Bullied Linked to Future Psychiatric Problem
Children who are repeatedly bullied are twice as likely to have psychotic symptoms as children who aren’t abused, researchers say. A study asked 6,437 children about bullying and psychiatric symptoms when they were turning 13. The researchers, who report their findings in the Archives of General Psychiatry, found that children who were bullied repeatedly between ages 8 and 10 were more likely to have psychotic symptoms such as hallucinations, delusions, or thought disorders. (US News & World Report, 5/4/09)
Friday, May 8, 2009
American Heart Association Urges Screening Cardiac Patients for Depression
From the LA Times
Healing an injured or poorly functioning heart requires attention to a patient's mental well-being as well as to his or her physical health -- so much so that in October [2008], the American Heart Association recommended that doctors screen all heart patients for depression with a short questionnaire.
The American Psychiatric Association also endorsed this advisory, but some researchers think the blanket recommendation goes too far.
Dozens of studies have found depression occurring alongside heart disease. Whereas 4% to 10% of the general population reportedly suffers from depression, that number shoots to 15% to 40% in heart disease patients. But a survey found that about half of cardiologists don't address their patients' mental states.
"Depression is diagnosable, easily treatable and can make such a difference in the long-term outcome," says Dr. Carolyn Robinowitz, a psychiatrist in Washington, D.C. If doctors heed the new advisory, she says, "I think we will save a lot of lives."
"We would advocate that clinicians be more aware of depression. . . . We're just not advocating that everyone be handed a questionnaire." says lead author Brett Thombs, a psychologist at McGill University in Montreal.
Read the full article.
Healing an injured or poorly functioning heart requires attention to a patient's mental well-being as well as to his or her physical health -- so much so that in October [2008], the American Heart Association recommended that doctors screen all heart patients for depression with a short questionnaire.
The American Psychiatric Association also endorsed this advisory, but some researchers think the blanket recommendation goes too far.
Dozens of studies have found depression occurring alongside heart disease. Whereas 4% to 10% of the general population reportedly suffers from depression, that number shoots to 15% to 40% in heart disease patients. But a survey found that about half of cardiologists don't address their patients' mental states.
"Depression is diagnosable, easily treatable and can make such a difference in the long-term outcome," says Dr. Carolyn Robinowitz, a psychiatrist in Washington, D.C. If doctors heed the new advisory, she says, "I think we will save a lot of lives."
"We would advocate that clinicians be more aware of depression. . . . We're just not advocating that everyone be handed a questionnaire." says lead author Brett Thombs, a psychologist at McGill University in Montreal.
Read the full article.
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