The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration published a report on the incidence of depression in adults by occupation. They found the 2 occupational categories with the highest incidence of depression were personal care services and food preparation. They also found that that 7 percent of all full-time workers experienced an episode of depression […]
For Elderly, Pain May Be Depression
Several recent studies show that in some elderly patients who met criteria for depression, a large percentage of them visited their doctors with only pain complaints. There seems to be a direct relationship between the number of pain complaints and the likelihood of having depression. That is, the more pain symptoms the more likely the […]
Anxiety Worsens Depression and Bipolar Disorder
A symptom of depression can be anxiety, but a person can also have a co-morbid (meaning simultaneously occurring) anxiety disorder that is a separate entity from their depression. Some anxiety disorders that can occur with depression are Panic Disorder, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Social Phobia and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. It is not uncommon […]
Depression Versus Unhappiness – Are We Over-Prescribing?
I saw a segment on The Today Show this morning about the millions of antidepressants prescribed. Questions arose as to whether or not this is an indication of Americans wanting a quick fix or are doctors over-prescribing the medications. This opens a pandora’s box of issues ranging from who should treat depression to the state […]
Bad Sibling Relationships Leads to Depression?
A study published in the American Journal of Psychiatry, June 2007 issue addressed the effect of sibling relationships on a person later developing depression. We’ve known for years that troubles in childhood significantly impact one’s future risk of developing depression or other emotional disturbances. However, the childhood troubles mostly focused on our relationship with our […]
Is it me or my illness?
Individuals with an disorder such as bipolar disorder can behave in ways that make them question whether their actions are part of their personality or part of their illness. For example, two common symptoms with bipolar disorder are hypersexuality and hyperreligiousity. However, defining what is “hyper” is not always an easy task. It can be very […]