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Depression, also known as depressive disorders or unipolar depression, is a mental illness characterized by a profound and persistent feeling of sadness or despair and/or a loss of interest in things that once were pleasurable. Disturbance in slee...
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Depression may be described as feeling sad, blue, unhappy, miserable, or down in the dumps. Most of us feel this way at one time or another for short periods.True clinical depression is a mood disorder in which feelings of sadness, loss, anger, or...
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This report offers in-depth information on the causes of depression and the treatments and medications that can lift your mood.
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Detailed information on depression and depression in women, including types, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment
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It's important not to underestimate the dangers associated with depression, especially if you've had multiple episodes or lingering symptoms. For example, people who don't get treated for their depression have a higher risk for suicide.
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People who are depressed have a cluster of symptoms characterized by sadness and a profound lack of energy and well-being.
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Depression is a complicated and common mental health condition that affects about 10 to 15 percent of Americans. The following questions and answers can help you recognize and get effective treatment for depression.
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Men suffer from depression in smaller numbers than women do, but their treatment needs differ due to responses to medication, especially in older men. Additional medication may be necessary to treat the sexual side effects.
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The analysis of more than 15,000 young people in the United States found about a third of the cases of depression and obesity among those teens could be attributed to being from families with low incomes.
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In general, only about three percent of the elderly living independently in the community will experience depression. That figure increases to around 20 to 30 percent of persons in nursing homes or with chronic illnesses like emphysema, heart disease or diabetes.
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Many people with depression do not receive adequate medical treatment, and even if they are treated, doctors may not be paying enough attention to their patients' needs.
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Too often, parents miss the signs of depression. Or, they believe their teen will "snap out of it” eventually.
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A woman's unique biological, social, and cultural factors may increase her risk for depression.
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In elderly patients, symptoms of depression can be mistaken for symptoms of another medical problem, so it is important for clinicians to consider all physical problems and medications of elderly patients before making a diagnosis.
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Learning more about this illness will allow you to understand what your symptoms may mean and make it easier for you to seek help.
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Everyone feels down at times, but diabetics are especially prone to depression. An unhappy period that's intense or lasts for more than a couple of weeks can be a sign of depression. Depression is a serious illness.
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Depression is not "all in your head." It is a real illness that saps your energy. It can leave you feeling sad, hopeless, lonely and guilty. It is related to a chemical imbalance in the brain and to certain traits such as low self-esteem and pessimism. Some kinds of depression may be inherited.
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The mind and the body are intimately connected, and our overall health depends on both working well. This is most evident in depression: Research shows that people who suffer from clinical depression face a higher risk of contracting one of the stress-linked illnesses than the rest of the population.
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Depression can often develop as a result of a heart attack or cardiac surgery, and has more serious effects on heart health and overall health than depression that was present before a heart attack.
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Studies of a link between depression and osteoporosis suggest the bone deterioration could be a result of the depression, or may be caused by taking antidepressant medications for a long period of time.
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Studies suggest mental health care following a heart attack can improve patient health and mortality.
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Seasonal affective disorder is thought to be caused by decreased exposure to sunlight during the winter months. Light therapy helps some people, and the FDA has approved the antidepressant bupropion for treatment as well.
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Depressed patients are more likely to respond to medical treatment if their doctors practice empathy and effective communication skills.
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Discussing the definition and treatment of a contested psychological diagnosis???atypical depression.
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Exposure to the right kind of light may go a long way toward reducing seasonal affective disorder symptoms.
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A roundup of studies exploring the beneficial effects of exercise on depression, anxiety, and insomnia. Is it a case of the chicken and the egg?
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Two studies examine the correlation between depression in adults and its prevalence in their children, and the effect of adults' treatment on the children's mental health.
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Teen depression is a serious illness. The benefits of getting help, including taking medications if needed, far outweigh the potential risks.
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During the dark days of winter, many people develop signs of depression that are tied to the changing amount of daylight.
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A study claims that obese people are more likely to suffer from anxiety and depression, but the findings do not prove that the conditions are causally related to each other.
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Behavioral activation therapy is a variation of cognitive therapy that encourages patients to fight depression by examining their feelings and experiences and focusing on their positive accomplishments.
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Folate, a B vitamin, breaks down homocysteine, which may be associated with depression. Because of this it has been tested as a possible treatment, but the results have been mixed and more research is needed.
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Researchers in China found that Chinese citizens were more likely to express symptoms of depression as having a physical component as well as an emotional one, due to the way their culture interprets such feelings.
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My mother has advanced lung cancer and is receiving chemo. I live with her and am also her caregiver. We have been very close all of our lives, and I am having a hard time adjusting well. Sometimes I even get angry with her and then I feel guilty. The next step is I get depressed and have thought about a way out, but have not attempted anything. Can you suggest anything to help me cope?
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Hypotheses explaining how depression manifests itself. The American Psychiatric Association requires any five of nine symptoms for a diagnosis of major depression. As the definition implies, these symptoms do not all appear in everyone who is depressed. Two studies explore the consequences for the understanding of depression and come to contrasting conclusions. One study suggests that an individual patient's symptoms are not consistent, but change more or less unpredictably from one episode of depression to the next. The other study suggests that there are several sets of depressive symptoms that are distinguishable genetically and therefore likely to persist in a given individual.
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An explanation of the two-way relationship between depression and stroke. Depressed people are at higher risk for a stroke, but depression often precedes as well as follows a stroke.
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A Harvard Medical School physician answers your question about whether Accutane, a powerful acne medication, has been linked to depression or suicide.
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People who suffer from depression are more likely to have a sleep-related breathing problem such as apnea. Treating the sleep problem may help alleviate the depression in some people.
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Discusses options for treatment of seasonal affective disorder.The treatment of seasonal affective disorder throws light on dark moods.
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Are children with ADD more likely to be depressed?
Claire McCarthy, M.D., is a senior medical editor for Harvard Health Publications. She is an instructor in pediatrics at Harvard Medical School, an attending physician at Children's Hospital of Boston, and co-director of the pediatrics department at Martha Eliot Health Center, a neighborhood health service of Children's Hospital. The author of two books, "Learning How the Heart Beats" and "Everyone's Children", Dr. McCarthy was a regular columnist for "Sesame Street Parents Magazine" from 1995 to 1998 and is currently a contributing editor for "Parenting Magazine".
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Concern about antidepressants increasing the risk of suicide in children could have the unintended effect that children suffering from depression may not receive needed treatment.
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Depression is sometimes referred to as the common cold of mental illness. It is a debilitating disease with significant societal costs.
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A combination of factors causes depression. Some cases are triggered by a stressful experience, such as the death of a spouse or loss of a job. Some illnesses, such as cancer, also can cause depression, as can alcohol and drug abuse.
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Chances are you know the difference between occasional sadness and depression. But here's a fact you may not know: Hypothyroidism, a common thyroid disorder, can cause depression.
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When recommending treatment for clinical depression, physicians typically prescribe a tried-and-true regimen: anti-depressant medication and "talk" therapy. In the future, however, health professionals may be advocating a healthy dose of exercise.
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Take action if you suspect a friend and/or family member suffers from depression. It's a condition that can cloud thinking and make people believe they aren't worth helping, so they often can't help themselves.
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The unrealistic expectations of the season, time and financial pressures, missing loved ones and reflecting on past events as the year comes to an end all contribute to the blues.
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The medical community once thought depression affected only adults. The risk for the condition begins in the early teens, however, and increases steadily through the mid-20s.
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Although anyone can suffer from depression, it is particularly common among older adults. Depression affects 15 out of every 100 adults older than 65.
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Because depression isn't a normal part of growing older, it's important to learn the signs of this condition and seek help if you or a loved one could be suffering from it.
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Everyone gets down in the dumps from time to time. But you may have clinical depression if a feeling of sadness or loss of interest in life and friends lingers for two weeks or more.
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Instead of asking for help, men who are depressed are likely to drink alcohol to excess, take drugs, or become frustrated, discouraged, and irritable.
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Although sadness touches all our lives, true depression is different in its intensity and persistence.
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What's the difference between a bad case of the blues and the painful mental disorder known as depression? According to the experts, impaired functioning is usually a clear-cut indication of clinical depression.
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Primary care physicians should be asking their patients questions about five "warning flag" symptoms to determine whether they should be screened for depression or other mood disorders, researchers say.
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Having a chronic condition such as COPD can lead to depression. You can get help. Talk with your doctor about your symptoms.
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Living with diabetes may increase the likelihood of depression. The connection may be go both ways: information from a diabetes trial suggests the possibility of a link between antidepressant use and diabetes.
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A recent study offers evidence that selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors may help those who develop depression after a heart attack.
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Most people, most of the time, overestimate themselves. It is pervasive and powerful, but is not the same in all people or in all circumstances.
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A discussion of the social impact of depression in the elderly and the benefits of treatment.
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According to two studies, women going through menopause are much more likely to develop symptoms of depression, due in part to changes in hormone production. Hormone replacement may provide temporary relief from severe depression.
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Reports of risky side effects may have dampened enthusiasm for selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, which are among the world's most widely prescribed medications. A review of concerns and benefits associated with SSRIs.
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Mental health among Americans may have declined during the 1990s.
Revealing information on the mental health of Americans appears in data from three random telephone surveys of the adult population by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System.
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While there is a very small risk of suicide in adolescents who take antidepressants, they are also beneficial to many teenagers with depression. All factors should be weighed in treatment decisions, and patients should be monitored carefully.
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Discussion of whether the new antidepressant Cymbalta (duloxetine) has any advantage over other antidepressants on the market.
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DHEA may not be an anti-aging panacea, as some suggest, but a new study suggests that it may be able to temporarily lift mood.
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Older people with macular degeneration are more likely to experience depression, but those who received problem-solving therapy to help them adapt to and cope with their condition were less likely to develop depression.
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A study shows that interaction with animals can be a path to recovery from depression.
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Age-related macular degeneration is the most common cause of severe vision loss in people over 55. A recent trial shows that education may help relieve disability and depression in those with the condition.
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Is there a link between depression and migraines?
Michael Craig Miller, M.D., is editor-in-chief of the Harvard Mental Health Letter and an assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Miller has an active clinical practice and has been on staff at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center for more than 25 years.
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Oppositional defiant disorder is a pattern of disobedient, hostile, and defiant behavior toward authority figures.This disorder is more common in boys than in girls. Some studies have shown that it affects 20% of school-age children.
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Detailed information on oppositional defiant disorder, including causes, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention
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Detailed information on oppositional defiant disorder, including causes, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention
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Detailed information on oppositional defiant disorder, including causes, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention
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Oppositional defiant disorder(ODD) is a disorder found primarily in children and adolescents. It is characterized by negative, disobedient, or defiant behavior that is worse than the normal"testing" behavior most children display from time to time.
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Oppositional defiant disorder is a recurring pattern of negative, hostile, disobedient, and defiant behavior in a child or adolescent, lasting for at least six months without serious violation of the basic rights of others.The behavior disturbance...
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Oppositional-defiant disorder is similar to conduct disorder, without the more severe behavior components of aggression, property destruction, deceit, and theft. Oppositional-defiant children often go on to develop conduct disorder.
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Oppositional defiant disorder(ODD) is a childhood mental disorder characterized by a pattern of angry, antagonistic, hostile, negative, irritable, and/or vindictive behavior lasting at least six months and occurring more frequently than is typical...
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Children with ODD may refuse to follow commands or requests made by parents, teachers, or other adults.
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Mood disorders are mental disorders characterized by periods of depression, sometimes alternating with periods of elevated mood.While many people go through sad or elated moods from time to time, people with mood disorders suffer from severe or pr...
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Most people have mood changes now and then. One day they may feel cranky and the next day, they feel great. But with an affective disorder, mood changes aren't so simple. These disorders can cause great emotional pain, and can greatly disrupt your life. Affective disorders can be treated. Talk to your health care provider or a mental health professional. He or she can help.
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Affective disorders are disorders of your mood. They include depression and bipolar disorder (also called manic-depression). These disorders are often treated with medications and therapy. Your health care provider can give you more information about the treatments that are appropriate for you.
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Detailed information on the most common types of mood disorders, including major depression, manic depression (bipolar disorder), dysthymia, seasonal affective disorder, and suicide
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Detailed information on the most common types of mood disorders, including major depression, manic depression (bipolar disorder), dysthymia, seasonal affective disorder, and suicide
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Detailed information on the most common types of mood disorders, including major depression, manic depression (bipolar disorder), dysthymia, seasonal affective disorder, and suicide
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Detailed information on the most common types of mood disorders, including major depression, manic depression (bipolar disorder), dysthymia, seasonal affective disorder, and suicide
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Detailed information on the most common types of mood disorders, including major depression, manic depression (bipolar disorder), dysthymia, seasonal affective disorder, and suicide
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Detailed information on the most common types of mood disorders, including major depression, manic depression (bipolar disorder), dysthymia, seasonal affective disorder, and suicide
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Detailed information on the most common types of mood disorders, including major depression, manic depression (bipolar disorder), dysthymia, seasonal affective disorder, and suicide
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Detailed information on the most common types of mood disorders, including major depression, manic depression (bipolar disorder), dysthymia, seasonal affective disorder, and suicide
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Mood disorders are mental disorders characterized by periods of depression, sometimes alternating with periods of elevated mood.While many people go through sad or elated moods from time to time, people with mood disorders suffer from severe or pr...
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Affective disorders are psychiatric diseases with multiple aspects, including biological, behavioral, social, and psychological factors. Major depressive disorder, bipolar disorders, and anxiety disorders are the most common affective disorders.
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Drug abuse is the use of illegal drugs, or the misuse of prescription or over-the-counter drugs.Substance abuse; Illicit drug abuse; Narcotic abuse; Hallucinogen abuse.MARIJUANA(also called"grass,""pot,""reefer,""joint,""hashish,""cannabis,""weed,...
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Antibiotics are not necessary for the majority of infections seen in the pediatrician's office.
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Besides having trouble with school and relationships, teenagers taking drugs may display emotional extremes with irritability, anger and changes in sleep patterns.
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Although it's dangerous to take a prescription medication without a prescription, abusing such medications is the fastest growing type of drug abuse in the United States.
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Medication abuse occurs when patients do not take medication in the prescribed manner, when they use other people''s medication, or when they combine prescribed medication with over-the counter, traditional, or herbal medicines. Such medication mis...
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Brain research is finding that drug addiction causes permanent changes in the brain that diminish the addict's capacity for pleasure, while at the same time making the likelihood of relapse into addiction more likely.
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The Center for Substance Abuse Prevention(CSAP) is the U.S. agency responsible for the prevention of alcohol, tobacco, and illicit drug problems in the U.S. population. Because such problems are intrinsically linked with other public health proble...
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Public health has an opportunity to address the issues of substance use, abuse, and dependency across all age groups in the community since it occurs in all age groups. Substance abuse prevention and treatment professionals are acutely aware that ...
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Substance abuse is the continued compulsive use of mind-altering substances despite personal, social, and/or physical problems caused by the substance use. Abuse may lead to dependence, in which increased amounts are needed to achieve the desired ...
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Substance abuse is a pattern of behavior that displays many adverse results from continual use of a substance. Substance dependence is a group of behavioral and physiological symptoms that indicate the continual, compulsive use of a substance in s...
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Substance abuse and dependence refer to any continued pathological use of a medication, non-medically indicated drug(called drugs of abuse), or toxin. Although there are on-going debates on the exact distinctions between substance abuse and substa...
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Substance abuse is a pattern of drug, alcohol or other substance use that creates many adverse results from its continual use. The characteristics of abuse are a failure to carry out obligations at home or work, continual use under circumstances t...
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In addition to those trained specifically as substance abuse counselors, mental health and rehabilitation counselors work with individuals who abuse alcohol and other drugs.Counselors who work with substance abusers should have the same qualities ...
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Built-in assistance will make Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage more affordable for low-income Americans. How much help they can expect depends on the value of their assets, their eligibility for both Medicaid and Medicare, and whether their annual income is below either 150 percent or 135 percent of federal poverty levels.
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People with low incomes, particularly those who live in poverty, face particular challenges in maintaining their health. They are more likely than those with higher incomes to become ill, and to die at younger ages.
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Detailed information on puberty and the adolescent male The teenage years are also called adolescence. During this time, the teenager will see the greatest amount of growth in height and weight. Adolescence is a time for growth spurts and puberty changes. An adolescent may grow several inches in several months followed by a period of very slow growth, then have another growth spurt. Changes with puberty may occur gradually or several signs may become visible at the same time.
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Detailed information on puberty and the adolescent male The teenage years are also called adolescence. During this time, the teenager will see the greatest amount of growth in height and weight. Adolescence is a time for growth spurts and puberty changes. An adolescent may grow several inches in several months followed by a period of very slow growth, then have another growth spurt. Changes with puberty may occur gradually or several signs may become visible at the same time.
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Detailed information on male growth and development The teenage years are also called adolescence. During this time, the teenager will see the greatest amount of growth in height and weight. Adolescence is a time for growth spurts and puberty changes. An adolescent may grow several inches in several months followed by a period of very slow growth, then have another growth spurt. Changes with puberty may occur gradually or several signs may become visible at the same time.
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Detailed information on what males can expect during a physical examination A physical examination is an important aspect of staying healthy. Physicals should be performed yearly and often for adolescents before entrance into sports. The physician will examine the eyes, ears, nose, throat, mouth, abdomen, back, legs, arms, and thyroid gland. In addition, the physician will complete an assessment of growth and evaluate pubertal changes. Screening for hypertension, scoliosis, and obesity may be performed. Approximately 5 percent of male adolescents have a mild curvature of the spine. Curves greater than 10 degrees should be monitored by your adolescent's physician until growth is completed.
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Detailed information on what males can expect during a physical examination A physical examination is an important aspect of staying healthy. Physicals should be performed yearly and often for adolescents before entrance into sports. The physician may examine the eyes, ears, nose, throat, mouth, stomach, back, legs, and arms. Another important part of this examination involves the examination of the genitals and the scrotum. The scrotum is the bag of skin that holds and helps protect the testicles. The testicles make sperm, and to do this, the temperature of the testicles needs to be cooler than the inside of the body. This is why the scrotum is located outside of the body.
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Detailed information on what males can expect during a physical examination A physical examination is an important aspect of staying healthy. Physicals should be performed yearly and often for adolescents before entrance into sports. The physician will examine the eyes, ears, nose, throat, mouth, abdomen, back, legs, arms, and thyroid gland. In addition, the physician will complete an assessment of growth and evaluate pubertal changes. Screening for hypertension, scoliosis, and obesity may be performed. Approximately 5 percent of male adolescents have a mild curvature of the spine. Curves greater than 10 degrees should be monitored by your adolescent's physician until growth is completed.
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Traumatic brain injury(TBI) is the result of physical trauma to the head causing damage to the brain. This damage can be focal, or restricted to a single area of the brain, or diffuse, affecting more than one region of the brain.
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Breathing, blood flow, and movement are all controlled by the brain. The brain also allows you to think, handle emotions, and make judgments. After an injury, certain parts of the brain (or the links between these parts) may stop working. Some mental or physical skills may be lost. The loss may be short- or long-term. The full effects of a brain injury may not appear for months or even years.
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Controls mental and physical actions of the organism.The brain, with the spinal cord and network of nerves, controls information flow throughout the body, voluntary actions, such as walking, reading, and talking, and involuntary reactions, such as...
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The following organizations are good resources for information on child abuse, incest, domestic violence, and family troubles: Prevent Child Abuse America - www.preventchildabuse.org; Safe Horizon - www.safehorizon.org; Support Network for Battered Women - www.snbw.org; Survivors of Incest Anonymous - www.siawso.org. See also: Victim assistance - resources
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Detailed information on school refusal in a child School refusal, or school avoidance, is a term used to describe the signs or anxiety a school-aged child has and his/her refusal to go to school. School phobia can be seen in three different types of situations, including the following:
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