Category: <span>Depression Research</span>

How to handle insomnia

Insomnia effects about 30% of American adults each year. Chronic problems falling asleep at bedtime are often associated with stress and anxiety. Waking up too early is often linked to depression. Either type of insomnia can be caused by a circadian rhythm disorder; meaning there is a mismatch between ones biological clock and normal sleep times.

Key points are to use blackout curtains and keep the lights off or low if you wake up. If you’re wide awake , get up and do something sedate like knitting or sudoku, no computer or phone. Do not eat. If you watch TV wear sunglasses to tone down the light. and do not sleep in in the morning or take a nap. These will further disrupt your sleep timing.

Read more at: http://www.wsj.com/articles/help-for-middle-of-the-night-insomnia-1467048493

Mental Health Care at the Doctors Office

Physicians offices are trying to integrate mental health services into their practices. Psychiatrists are in short supply. 25% of US adults experience a mental health issue in a given year.

60% of them receive no treatment

8% of adults with a mental health disorder have at least one medical condition.

29% of those with a medical condition have a mental health issue. 50% of mental health disorders is delivered by primary care prociders.

Read more at

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303983904579095123535328450.html

When Disease Can Bring on PTSD

PTSD is increasingly being diagnosed in people with stroke , heart attack, and cancer. Its not just a soldiers disease. Nearly 1 in 4 stroke patients show signs of PTSD. There are more that 700,000 people in the US who have a stroke every day. so this means there 150,000 people just in the US who may suffer PTSD as a result of a stroke. People with PTSD symptoms after a stroke are three times less likely to adhere to their medicine regime. Read more at http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323998604578565580703412550.html

Breathe, Relax, Repeat: Devices for Inner Peace

Breathe, Relax, Repeat: Devices for Inner Peace

Read about devices to use on your phone to help you teach yourself to relax.

Read more: http://allthingsd.com/20130514/breathe-relax-repeat-devices-for-inner-peace/

40 Facts about sleep from the National Sleep Research Project

40 Facts about sleep you probably didn’t know; some examples are ………..

– To drop off we must cool off; body temperature and the brain’s sleep-wake cycle are closely linked. That’s why hot summer nights can cause a restless sleep.

– Anything less than five minutes to fall asleep at night means you’re sleep deprived. The ideal is between 10 and 15 minutes, meaning you’re still tired enough to sleep deeply, but not so exhausted you feel sleepy by day.

-Elephants sleep standing up during non-REM sleep, but lie down for REM sleep.

– Ducks at risk of attack by predators are able to balance the need for sleep and survival, keeping one half of the brain awake while the other slips into sleep mode.

read more at:

http://www.abc.net.au/science/sleep/facts.htm

 

article about the New DSM- The Long Battle to Rethink Mental Illness in Children

………Scientists have been busy rewriting the bible of American mental illness.

It is the first revision of the nearly 1,000page tome in 15 years and on of the top priorities of the insular conclave is to rethink some children’s disorders……….

read the full article  http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444273704577633412579112188.html

New View of Depression: An Ailment of the Entire Body

Scientists have worked out that the same changes to chromosomes that occur with aging also occur with severe stress and depression. This “accelerated aging” effect suggests depression is a body-wide illness, not just psychological Read full article http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304587704577333941351135910.html

Study Warns against Taking certain Painkillers with Antidepressants

New study reveals that taking certain painkillers like ibuprofen headache relief with antidepressants reduces the potency of SSRI serotonin reuptake inhibitors.

If you’re currently taking serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) for depression and also suffer from chronic pain, such as migraine headaches, then you might be compromising the effectiveness of your antidepressant medication. A new study reveals that certain over-the-counter (OTC) painkillers such as Advil ibuprofen have a negative impact on SSRI antidepressants, reducing their ability to fight depression and anxiety.

PainkillersThe study, conducted by the Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Disease Research, Rockefeller University, New York, focused on a class of chronic pain relief medications known as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Researchers concluded that OTC medications taken for headache relief like ibuprofen, aspirin and naproxen, when taken together with SSRIs, essentially reduce the antidepressants’ ability to manage serotonin levels, making them less effective. Popular SSRI antidepressants include Prozac, LexaproPaxil and Zoloft.

Research shows that breathing is so effective at reducing stress

Read about a breathing technique called SKY. It is a type of cyclical controlled breathing practice with roots in traditional …

How Being Bullied Affects Your Adulthood

Being bullied in school seems to have long term effects as teens become adults. being bullied can look similar to PTSD. Read …

American jobs are grueling, according to a newly published RAND survey.

For the first time in 2015, the nonprofit think tank asked its nationally representative survey panel about their attitudes …