Anxiety and Depression Awareness

By Nurse Diane

The other day we told you that it was Mental Health Awareness Month.  This week the focus is on Anxiety and Depression, two of many Mental Health disorders.  These subjects really hit home with me.  Since the death of my husband my life has been filled with anxiety and depression:  Anxiety over the legal issues and depression over my loss of him.  With all the turmoil surrounding his death, I have not even had a chance to stop and grieve.  I recently went to an after hours clinic for a sore on my leg that wouldn't heal.  Feeling I was in need of an antibiotic, I went to be examined.  During the course of my examination I discovered that my blood pressure was unusually high, 225/110.  This discovery really frightened me and I followed up with a complete physical exam with my doctor.  He prescribed some blood pressure medication along with some antidepressant.   I immediately began taking the blood pressure meds and I also purchased some garlic pills and fish oil pills to help lower it.  I was wary about the anti depressant, I have some court cases that I have to attend, and I wanted to be on top of my game.  However, one of the symptoms of anxiety and depression is elevated blood pressure.

Some other symptoms include:

Low or irritable mood most of the time

A loss of pleasure in usual activities

Trouble sleeping or sleeping too much

A big change in appetite, often with weight gain or loss

Tiredness and lack of energy

Feelings of worthlessness, self-hate, and guilt

Difficulty concentrating

Slow or fast movements

Lack of activity and avoiding usual activities

Feeling hopeless or helpless

Repeated thoughts of death or suicide

Symptoms of stress and anxiety include:

A faster heart rate

Skipped heartbeats

Rapid breathing

Sweating

Trembling

Dizziness

Other symptoms include:

Loose stools

Frequent need to pee

Dry mouth

Problems swallowing

Many things can cause you to have these disorders, some include:

Alcohol or drug abuse

Medical conditions and treatments, such as:

Certain types of cancer

Long-term pain

Sleeping problems

Steroid medications

Underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism)

Stressful life events, such as:

Abuse or neglect

Breaking up with a boyfriend or girlfriend

Certain types of cancer

Death of a relative or friend

Divorce, including a parent's divorce

Failing a class

Illness in the family

Job loss

Long-term pain

Social isolation (common cause of depression in the elderly)

Ways to treat depression include first visiting your doctor, letting him/her know your symptoms and things that have been going on in your life. Things you can do at home include:

Get enough sleep.

Follow a healthy, nutritious diet.

Exercise regularly.

Avoid alcohol, marijuana, and other recreational drugs.

Get involved in activities that make you happy.

Spend time with family and friends.

If you are a religious or spiritual person, talk to a clergy member or spiritual advisor.

Consider meditation, tai chi, or other relaxation methods.

Add omega-3 fatty acids to your diet. You can get them from over-the-counter supplements or by eating fish such as tuna, salmon, or mackerel

During National Anxiety and Depression Awareness week, take some time to examine your own life.  If you notice any of these symptoms, or feel you need some help, call your doctor, family or friend, talk things over and see what they advise.  Take time for yourself, drink some wine or eat chocolate, and find ways to relax and distress.  For more information check this site http://www.lifebridgeblogs.org/

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Recognizing Special Education Day 12/2/12

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By Diane Forrest

A friend of mine's daughter recently found out she was pregnant.  The whole family was elated, she has two small boys, and is in her twenties.  Everything was wonderful until she received a call from her doctor.  The results showed that she had a 1 in 350 chance of having a child born with down's syndrome.  The family was crushed.  There was no history of Down's syndrome on either side of the families, and the mother was having a difficult time grasping this concept.

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I tried to calm her, explaining that those odds were too high to be concerned about, and the results were inconclusive until an ultrasound confirmed the diagnosis.  It is every parent's desire to have a healthy baby, but sometimes that is not the case, so I began to help her to prepare for the alternative.  As I began thinking about the possibility of a baby born with Down's Syndrome, I thought about all the great changes that have been made in that area.

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Children born with Down's syndrome are now not being separated in schools or activities, but are being included in schools and provided special education training needs. On December 2, 1975, President Gerald Ford signed the Handicap Children's Act that would open doors for all Children to gain access to education.

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Today marks the 8th anniversary of Special Education Day.  We take the day to honor progress and celebrate students with disabilities--and their parents, teachers and schools. And, we dialogue and plan for the future for all students in our schools and for appropriate reforms.  To learn how you can help to celebrate this day, or ways to help children with special education needs in your community, visit this site:  http://www.specialeducationday.com/

Child Abuse – 2012 Follow-up

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By Terry Orr

Last year we focused on Signs of Physical, Emotional and Sexual Abuse (http://kisbyto.blogspot.com/2011/08/child-abuse-facts-for-parents.html) and this year our focus in about what is child abuse and breaking the terrible cycle.

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What is child abuse?

Child abuse is definitely more than bruises, burns or black eyes. While physical abuse can be easily noticed or observed, other types of abuse such as child neglection or emotional abuse are hard to notice, and needless to say, it leaves a long and deep lasting scars that can never be forgotten.

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There are also other types of child abuse such as substance abuse, medical abuse, sexual abuse and verbal abuse. All these abuse can cause the child to suffer from long term psychological problems such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), clinical depression and anxiety.

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"Child abuse is a problem no one really talks about. Abuse and neglect is the number 1 cause of injury to children in the country. More children die of abuse or neglect than of natural causes" ~ Donna Miller

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Did You Know:

• Almost five children die every day because of child abuse. And more than three out of four children are under the age of 4.
• Abused children are 25% more likely to experience teen pregnancy.
• 1 out of 3 girls and 1 out of 5 boys will be sexually abused before they reach eighteen.
• Most of the child abuse parents have a history of child abuse themselves.
• 90% of child sexual abuse victims know the perpetrator in some way; 68% are abused by family members.
• About 30% of abused and neglected children will later abuse their own children, continuing the horrible cycle of abuse.

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The Cycle MUST be broken!

Break the cycle of abuse with the following steps:

• Deal with past abuse. Without intervention, abuse continues to affect you. Talking and acknowledging what happened helps you heal, which breaks the cycle of abuse.
• Recognize that pushing memories of abuse away often backfires. People find themselves repeating patterns on an unconscious level because they haven't dealt with the cycle of abuse in a healthy manner.
• Realize that some victims of child abuse don't abuse their children, but turn that anger inward and suffer from depression. Children of the abused are at risk of neglect or of being abused by someone else unless you break the cycle.
• Consider making an appointment for therapy. Talking with a trained therapist can help you work through your memories in order to recognize and break from abusive situations. Or attend a support group. Sometimes being with others who have suffered similar experiences helps people open up.
• Understand that abusers are at fault, not the person who was abused. Grieve for what you lost and find constructive ways to deal with feelings of anger. Learn appropriate communication skills in order to improve communication with others in a healthy manner.
• Take note of problems with relationships. Consider that relationship problems often relate to a history of abuse. Reliving abuse is common and problems to victims who can't have a trusting, intimate relationship.
• Seek assistance from a victim's aid group or domestic violence agency. Many organizations exist to provide a safe place to stay or provide legal information and emotional support.

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(Read more: How to Break the Cycle of Abuse | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_2157545_break-cycle-abuse.html#ixzz24UrTQizA)

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Mental Illness Awareness Week 2011

By Diane Forrest, RN

In November, 1848, East State Louisiana Mental Hospital was opened in Jackson Louisiana.  The patients were provided by the Charity hospital in New Orleans.  They arrived by steam boat down the Mississippi River, then transported to the hospital on an ox cart.  Some of the first residents included a 18 year old slave with a diagnosis of mania, a 75 year old French woman, name unknown, for senile and dementia, a 21 year old female with epilepsy, and a 5 year old little girl with a diagnosis of idiot.   This hospital was one of the first 10 opened in this country, and it is still in use today.  I am telling you this because this is Mental Illness Awareness Week.

While I was in nursing school, I was fortunate to do my psychiatric clinical at this hospital.  My classmates and I spent 4 weeks here, living on the grounds.  When we arrived, we were taken on a tour that included some of the original structures.  A picture of how this hospital looked in 1907 can be seen above.   They had rooms/cells in the basement for the criminally insane that would send chills down your spine.  The accommodations for the non-criminals were nearly as appalling.  Residents would be handcuffed to the beds at night and at times during the day.

While mental illness has been documented for centuries, the causes and treatments are still evolving. In the 19th century the terms used for mental illness included crazy, from the term cracked; lunacy, madness and psychosis.  People were placed in "madhouses", insane asylums, or the lunatic asylums.  Some people were kept in the family homes, locked away in attics or basements.  There was a real stigma associated with these patients, and their families.  This stigma is still noticeable today.

Treatment for these patients was also experimental.  Not only were they locked or chained to prevent them from escaping, they were also sterilized, given electroshock treatments, had lobotomies performed (a procedure that removes part of the brain believed to be the cause of the illness) and given lithium and during World War II, they were put to death by Hitler.

Following World War II development in the US of a new psychiatric manual for categorizing mental disorders, which along with existing systems for collecting census and hospital statistics led to the first Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). The International Classification of Diseases (ICD) followed suit with a section on mental disorders.  This manual is still being used today, and it is constantly being updated, and expanded.

There are many different mental illnesses recognized today, these include:

• Anxiety disorders
• Mood disorders
• Psychotic disorders
• Eating disorders
• Impulse control and addiction disorders
• Personality disorders
• Adjustment disorders
• Dissociative disorders
• Factitious disorders
• Sexual and gender disorders
• Tic disorders
• Somatoform disorders
• Sleep related problems and many forms of dementia because they involve the brain.

An estimated 26.2 percent of Americans ages 18 and older - about one in four adults - suffer from a diagnosable mental illness in any given year. However, stigma surrounding mental illness is a major barrier that prevents people from seeking the mental health treatment that they need.  Programs during Mental Illness Awareness Week are designed to create community awareness and discussion in an effort to put an end to stigma and advocate for treatment and recovery.

For more information and for ways you can help, visit this website:  http://www.nami.org/template.cfm?section=mental_illness_awareness_week