A day in a life on a campaign trail
By John Leyden
Posted in Government, 3rd May 2010 08:02Â GMT
Interview Janis Sharp, mother of accused Pentagon hacker Gary McKinnon, is upbeat about her run for Parliament despite acknowledging she has little chance of becoming an MP.
Sharp is contesting the safe Labour seat of Blackburn held by Jack Straw, the Justice secretary, as an independent in a campaign that aims to highlight the erosion of civil liberties under the Labour government. The campaigning mother has adopted the slogan “vote with your head not with your habit” for her election campaign.
Her site lists of a litany of privacy eroding measures introduced by the Labour government over recent years including ID cards, the ubiquity of CCTV camera surveillance, and the recent Digital Economy Bill. Sharp is standing against Straw because, as Foreign Secretary, he signed the extradition treaty with the US that is being used by the US authorities in seeking to extradite her son, Gary McKinnon, over alleged hacking offences.
Sharp also uses the site to condemn trial without jury and the passing of the Digital Economy Bill, which has been heavily criticised after being rushed through Parliament in the “wash-up” of outstanding proposals before Parliament dissolved. McKinnon, who has Asperger’s Syndrome, has been fighting against extradition since 2005. He faces the latest in a long series of court appearances on 25 and 26 May.
Sharp – a lifelong Labour supporter – explained to the Reg that once she decided to stand for Parliament it came down to a choice between standing against Home Secretary Alan Johnson or Jack Straw. The Hertfordshire resident decided to contest an election in the north west because her sister lives in Manchester; her family also has ties in Blackburn where her aunt lived for most of her life and ran a limousine hire company.
Running as a political candidate is hard work, but speaking to Sharp it’s clear that she is relishing the fight.
“I’ve never been politically active but have always been socially conscious,” she explained. “It’s hard being a candidate but someone has to stand up against the erosion of civil liberties.”
“I’ve never spoken in front of an audience. But I’ll take it how it comes. Nobody expects candidates to be an encyclopaedia but I try to do my best. Press conferences for Gary were different because I was speaking to a much smaller group of people.”
4,000 holes in Blackburn, Lancashire
Sharp has been up to Blackburn several times as part of her campaign, canvassing voters and polling their opinion.
“People were nice but one man I spoke to was more concerned with holes in the road. Others I spoke to were not really political or didn’t vote,” she said.
Other campaign activities included an appearance on BBC Radio Lancashire, where she was aggressively questioned on her lack of political experience and perceived single issue campaigning. Sharp said she has strong opinions on bread and butter political issues such as unemployment and housing, as well as local issues such as the proposed demolition of the old market in Blackburn. She is running her campaign without the assistance of professional politicians.
Her son’s parlous situation has come up on the campaign trail but the prime focus of Sharp’s campaign is on the wider erosion of civil liberties. “Gary is a victim of the erosion of civil liberties. He is being put through extradition proceedings that were meant for terrorists but abused and applied against vulnerable people, such as my son,” Sharp said.
Sharp concluded that the number of votes she received at the ballot box next Thursday was not her prime concern. “It’s not the amount of votes. My aim is to wake people up about the erosion of civil liberties. We need to stand up.”
A spokesman for Jack Straw told politics.co.uk: “Jack respects the right of Ms Sharp to select her own agenda for the election but doubts that many people in Blackburn will share her particular emphasis.
“CCTV cameras are undoubtedly recognised as vital in the fight against crime and if Ms Sharp asked around the town she would probably find that the concern was that there were not enough cameras not that there were too many. The government have a duty to protect their citizens and they need to use all the appropriate tools in that challenge.” ®
Eight candidates are standing for the Blackburn constituency at Thursday’s general election. The seat was held by New Labour’s Jack Straw in the 2005 general election with a majority of 8,009:
- Bobby Anwar, UKIP
- Damian Brown, Independent
- Paul English, Liberal Democrat
- Robin Evans, BNP
- Bushra Irfan, Independent
- Michael Law-Riding, Conservative
- Janis Sharp, Independent
- Jack Straw, Labour
Source: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/05/03/mckinnon_mum_parliamentary_run/
Gary McKinnon’s mum not prime minister
Posted in Government, 7th May 2010 13:51Â GMT
Janis Sharp – Gary McKinnon’s mother – was pushed into last place in Blackburn, where she was standing as an independent.
Although never expecting to win, Sharp was running to increase awareness of civil liberties which she believes are under increasing attack.
Standing against former Home Secretary Jack Straw Sharp managed only 173 votes – behind another independent Grace Astley with 238 votes, UKIP with 942, and Busha Irfan of Blackburn with 1,424 votes.
The BNP got 2,158, LibDems 6,918, and the Conservatives got 11,895 votes leaving Jack Straw with 21,751.
The result means Janis not only came last but lost her deposit.
We’re still waiting for nine constituencies to declare a winner.
Source:Â http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/05/07/sharp_fail/
The unemployment rate today has skyrocketed to approximately 10 percent and is forecast to stay above 9.5 percent for the rest of 2010. For the first time in American history, more women are working than men because close to 80 percent of the people laid off in the recent recession were men.
According to a recent study published in the “International Journal of Epidemiology,†unemployment is a major risk factor for depression, even in people without previous vulnerability. Because my husband is an architect — the housing market is dead, remember — whose work has slowed down substantially, I have an invested interest in this topic and wanted to know what I could do to help him stay physically and emotionally healthy, since, theoretically, one of us should be. Here, then, are 12 steps to bust your depression when you’re unemployed.
1. Take a breather
Whether you like it or not, you’ve just been given a breather. And chances are that you desperately needed it. One exercise to make you feel better immediately is to think about everything you hated about your job. In fact, make a list! Doesn’t that feel good? You will rejoin the rat race soon enough, so allow yourself some rest right now … a chance to actually eat a meal at home and not watch the minute hand of your watch so much. Try to appreciate the moment in present time, without constantly rushing. This hiatus from the pressure of corporate America will teach you more lessons and make you more resilient than you know.
2. Identify symptoms
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, depression affects 6 million men each year. But most men’s depression goes undiagnosed. They are much less likely to seek help because of the macho thing (they feel like they are supposed to tough it out) and because their symptoms are different than those we typically associate with depression (women’s). So it’s helpful to look out for these clues of male depression: irritability and anger, blaming others, alcohol and drug abuse, feeling ashamed, insomnia or sleeping too little, strong fear of failure, using TV, sports, and sex to self-medicate.
3. Get to work!
Before you get too cozy in your robe and slippers and watch too many episodes of “Orpah,†there’s this piece of advice: Get to work! Just because you don’t have a nice sum of money being deposited into your bank account every other week does not mean you don’t have a job. You have several, actually, and the sooner you start, the easier they will be: 1. Polish the resume. Like, for example, take out the part where you said you were class president of your freshman class in high school. 2. Network. That’s easy today with Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. You’ve got tons of contacts right there at your finger tips. 3. Evaluate your career. Maybe it’s the wrong time to ask the question “Is this really what I want to be doing?†But it could also be the right time, if there ever was a right time. If you really hated your job, entertain the possibility of doing something totally different! And if it doesn’t work out, please don’t blame me.
4. Shift your self-esteem
Most of us get our self-esteem from our jobs, because we subscribe to a Calvinistic work ethic, which dictates that hard work is central to a person’s calling. We Americans are a tad obsessed with work. Men’s self-definition, especially, is wrapped up in their job, so any demotion or pink slip is a major blow to their ego and self-esteem. David Burns describes three levels of self-esteem in his book, “10 Days to Self-Esteemâ€: conditional, unconditional, and “non-existent self-esteem.†The last is reserved for evolved souls like Mother Teresa and Gandhi. But if we can work toward a place where our self-esteem isn’t as dependent on people, places, and things (and especially our work), we experience a kind of unmatched freedom.
5. Develop some hobbies (and get in shape)
This is a perfect time to find out what you like to do, aside from working and sleeping. Leisure isn’t a luxury for the rich and lazy. Active leisure–where you do more than control the remote–has many health benefits. There was a recent study by Salvatore Madde that showed how active leisure (for four to six hours a week) protected people from experiencing stress and developing depression, anxiety, high blood pressure, and overeating problems. If you do nothing else with your time away from the cubicle, at least begin a health plan and start working out. You will benefit enormously from the antidepressant effects of exercise alone.
6. Work on a budget
You are going to be much less stressed out if you look the monster in the face, than if you run from it. The monster, of course, being your budget. Cut out all expenses that aren’t absolutely necessary: Starbucks coffee, a landline phone number that you don’t use, a cleaning lady or gardening services, cable. Come up with some meals that are healthy but save money on expensive produce. Involve the whole family in these decisions. The more control you have over your financial situation, the less prone to depression you’ll be.
7. Connect with others
It’s easy to isolate when you lose your job. But it’s about the worst thing you can do for your mood. In her PsychCentral blog post, “Keeping My Sanity After Two Layoffs,†Stacey Goldstein describes what she did wrong after the first layoff and what she did right the second time. The first time she made herself leave the house every day, to go to the gym or to see a friend, but she still spent way too much time by herself. The second time she got a part-time job and volunteered on several committees of her community. Both required her to check in with other folks, and brought opportunities to network.
Click here to read all 12 Depression Busters for the Unemployed.
Source:Â http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2010/04/30/7-ways-to-beat-depression-if-youre-unemployed/
Jan
22
 
May is Mental Health Month again, so it’s also a good time to review the mental health statistics behind mental illness. Some of the statistics going around aren’t entirely accurate, because they’re based upon outdated web pages on the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) website. This misinformation is then propagated by well-meaning people and organizations, including NAMI and others. Sadly, the NIMH website is not as accurate or up-to-date as people like to think it is (I think that because it’s a government resource, people just assume it’s accurate and correct).
For instance, the NIMH Statistics page puts data into context of 2004 Census data. Well, it’s 2010, not 2004, and we have more up-to-date Census data. Also according to the more recent NCS-R data, it’s not really 1 in 4 Americans who could be diagnosed with a mental disorder in any given year — it’s 1 in 3!
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2009 we had an estimated 307,006,550 people living in the U.S., approximately 75.5 percent of which are 18 or older. This translates to 231,789,945 adults. If we use the estimate of 26.2 percent of adults 18 or older who suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year, that translates into 60.7 million Americans. But I think the “26.2 percent of adults†number is also inaccurate and not up-to-date.
According to the most recent prevalence data we have (from the NCS-R, Kessler et al 2005, which is based upon 9,282 subjects), the 12 month prevalence rate for any mental disorder or substance disorder is 32.4 percent. Substance disorders — like alcoholism — are recognized in the rest of the world as a mental disorder, and indeed are included in the DSM-IV as such. So why the NIMH would leave those out of the estimate is beyond me.
So looking at these numbers with the latest data, we have nearly 1 in 3 Americans who are suffering from a mental disorder in any given year, or over 75 million people.
Behind the Numbers
Let’s break down the rates by category, as the NCS-R does:
| Â | Women | Men | Both |
| Any Anxiety Disorder | 23.4% | 14.3% | 19.1% |
| Any Mood Disorder | 11.6% | 7.7% | 9.7% |
| Any Impulse-Control Disorder | 9.3% | 11.7% | 10.5% |
| Any Substance Disorder | 11.6% | 15.4% | 13.4% |
| Any Disorder | 34.7% | 29.9% | 32.4% |
As we can see, women are at a significantly greater risk for any anxiety disorder (more than double the risk for a specific phobia, like a fear of spiders, for panic disorder, and for post-traumatic stress disorder). They are also at slightly more risk for a mood disorder — especially for depression, where their rate is nearly double that of men’s risk for depression.
Men are at greater risk for impulse-control disorders, but no disorder significantly stands out except conduct disorder (more than 4 times the risk). Men are at more risk for substance disorders across the board as well, with more than twice the risk for alcoholism and three times the risk for drug abuse.
Looking at lifetime prevalence rates is also interesting and quite eye-opening. For any mental disorder (including substance disorders), the lifetime prevalence rate is an astonishing 57.4 percent. That’s more than every 1 in 2 Americans. If you don’t think mental illness will impact your life, you’re sadly mistaken. If it doesn’t hit you, it’s going to hit someone you love or are close to.
References
Kessler, R.C., Chiu, W.T., Demler, O., Merikangas, K. R., Walters, E.E. (2005). Prevalence, severity, and comorbidity of twelve-month DSM-IV disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R). Archives of General Psychiatry, 62(6), 617-627.
Kessler, R.C., Berglund, P.A., Demler, O., Jin, R., Merikangas, K.R., Walters, E.E. (2005). Lifetime prevalence and age-of-onset distributions of DSM-IV disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R). Archives of General Psychiatry, 62(6), 593-602.
Source:Â http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2010/05/03/mental-health-statistics/
Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on May 3, 2010
A new study suggests that only five minutes of ‘green exercise’ — exercise performed in a natural setting — can improve mood and personal well-being.
Examples of a green exercise environment include exercise in a park, working in a backyard garden, or hiking on a nature trail.
Jules Pretty and Jo Barton explain in the study that green exercise is physical activity in the presence of nature.
Abundant scientific evidence shows that activity in natural areas decreases the risk of mental illness and improves the sense of well-being.
Until now, however, nobody knew how much time people had to spend in green spaces to get those and other benefits.
“For the first time in the scientific literature, we have been able to show dose-response relationships for the positive effects of nature on human mental health,†Pretty said.
From an analysis of 1,252 people (of different ages, genders and mental health status) drawn from ten existing studies in the United Kingdom, the authors were able to show that activity in the presence of nature led to mental and physical health improvements.
They analyzed activities such as walking, gardening, cycling, fishing, boating, horse-riding and farming.
The greatest health changes occurred in the young and the mentally ill, although people of all ages and social groups benefited. All natural environments were beneficial including parks in urban settings.
Green areas with water added something extra. A blue and green environment seems even better for health, Pretty noted.
From a health policy perspective, the largest positive effect on self-esteem came from a five-minute dose.
“We know from the literature that short-term mental health improvements are protective of long-term health benefits,†Pretty said.
“So we believe that there would be a large potential benefit to individuals, society and to the costs of the health service if all groups of people were to self-medicate more with green exercise,†added Barton.
A challenge for policy makers is that policy recommendations on physical activity are easily stated but rarely adopted widely as public policy, Pretty noted, adding that the economic benefits could be substantial.
Policy frameworks that suggest active living point to the need for changes to physical, social and natural environments, and are more likely to be effective if physical activity becomes an inevitable part of life rather than a matter of daily choice.
The study is published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology.
Source: American Chemical Society
http://psychcentral.com/news/2010/05/03/short-duration-green-exercise-restores-mood/13426.html
 
Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on May 3, 2010Â
A new study of British 12-year-olds suggests that nearly six percent may be showing at least one definite symptom of psychosis.
Children were asked whether they had ever seen things or heard voices that weren’t really there, and then asked careful followup questions.
The children who exhibited these symptoms had many of the same risk factors that are known to correlate with adult schizophrenia, including genetic, social, neurodevelopmental, home-rearing and behavioral risks.
“We don’t want to be unduly alarmist, but this is also not something to dismiss,†said co-author Terrie Moffitt, the Knut Schmidt Nielsen professor of psychology and neuroscience and psychiatry & behavioral sciences at Duke University.
The study appears in the journal Archives of General Psychiatry.
The children were participants in the long-term Environmental Risk Longitudinal Twin Study in Britain, which includes 2,232 children who have been tracked since age 5 and reassessed at ages 7, 10 and 12.
The British study is an outgrowth of research that the same group did earlier with a long-term cohort in Dunedin, New Zealand.
At age 11, those children were asked about psychotic symptoms, but the researchers waited 15 years to see how, as adults, their symptoms matched what they reported at 11.
By age 26, half of the people who self-reported symptoms at age 11 were found to be psychotic as adults.
“It looks like a non-trivial minority of children report these symptoms,†said co-author Avshalom Caspi, the Edward M. Arnett professor of psychology and neuroscience and psychiatry & behavioral sciences at Duke.
The findings provide more clues to the development of schizophrenia, but don’t solve any questions by themselves, said co-author Richard Keefe, director of the schizophrenia research group in the department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Duke.
Schizophrenia often goes undetected until adolescence, when the first overt symptoms – antisocial behavior, self-harm, delusions – begin to manifest in an obvious way.
But nobody knows whether the disease is triggered by the process of adolescence itself, or brain development or hormone changes. “It’s my impression that all of those things interact,†Keefe said.
Psychotic symptoms in childhood also can be a marker of impaired developmental processes, and are something caregivers should look for, Moffitt said.
“There is not much you can do except monitoring and surveillance,†Moffitt said.
“But we feel we should be alerting clinicians that there’s a minority to pay attention to.â€
While the incidence of psychotic symptoms in this study was around five or six percent, the adult incidence of schizophrenia is believed to be about one percent, Keefe added.
There are some recent findings however, that many more people experience hallucinations and delusions without being diagnosed as psychotic, he said.
Source: Duke University
http://psychcentral.com/news/2010/05/03/children-can-display-symptoms-of-psychosis/13430.html
 
 
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There’s no question about it — airing a complaint and getting it off of your chest can be relieving. Letting a secret or a complaint sit inside of us can hurt.
The word “vent†calls forth images of air, smoke, or steam escaping through an opening from a confined area — like carbonation from a soda bottle. It’s no surprise, then, that we describe ourselves as feeling “bottled up†when we’ve got something major to vent.
And now there’s a new way to do it online at blahtherapy.com.
BLAH Therapy’s premise is simple — it’s a chat website designed to let you twist that proverbial soda bottle lid anonymously and seek a release of pent-up steam. Once you arrive at the site, you’re prompted to play the role of either “Venter†or “Listenerâ€. As a Venter, you’re given the floor to talk about anything that needs to be released from your mind. As a Listener, your job is to, well, listen.
Unlike the popular random webcam chat site Chatroulette, BLAH Therapy won’t pull up any potentially indecent video streams from your chat buddy. It’s entirely text-based.
I first read about the service on Mashable this week, so I decided to test it out right away both as a Listener and a Venter. For privacy purposes, I obviously won’t disclose the chat log for the scenarios in which I chose to be the Listener – I don’t want anyone’s presumably private venting session to become public. I will, however, paraphrase the types of problems I ran into.
At first, when I logged on as a Listener, I had a hard time finding anyone who was willing to vent.
Stranger  hi
You hi there
[Disconnected]
Despite my best efforts at greeting them with a friendly hello, I was quickly bypassed. Similar scenarios continued for several minutes, so I changed my mind & decided to play the role of Venter.
You Hi
You Is anyone there?
You I’d like to vent, and stuff.
You But it takes two.
[Disconnected]
You Oh hi!
You Is anyone there?
You I know you’re technically supposed to be a “listenerâ€, but I’d like it if you could at least acknowledge that you’re there. And that you’re listening.
You Anybody? Anybody at all?
You Okay.
You I guess not.
[Disconnected]
You Hey there
You So, here’s my vent: this is the fourth time I’ve connected to a “Listenerâ€, and it seems like no one is there.
You It’s true: I’m venting about venting.
You Meta-venting, if you will.
[Disconnected]
Of course, as Blah Therapy grows, I imagine this situation won’t be as frequent. In fact, only 14 people were chatting yesterday when I ran into the above problems. At the moment I’m typing this, there are 155.
I decided to switch back over to the role of Listener and I found a real live human being — of course, my anonymous partner was also so excited about finding a real live chat partner that he didn’t start venting right away. Instead, we exchanged some small talk, joked about how we hope BlahTherapy doesn’t turn into Chatroulette, and then we started the process. My chat partner was excited to play the role of Venter — he said that in real life, he’s the Listener within his group of friends, so being able to vent was a valuable thing for him. I sat back and listened to him rant about a friendship that’s under stress because it’s also part of a work relationship.
Earlier today, I also successfully connected with a few people while playing the role of Venter. We started off with some small talk, and then I chose to lament about how there’s barely any time in the day for relaxation when I work for 8 hours, commute for 2 hours, and sleep for 8 hours. My listener asked a few probing questions to determine if it was really my schedule or my job that I was frustrated with:
Stranger  and what would your ideal job be
You Hmmm. Ideal job. Probably freelance writing.
Stranger  are you writing right now?
You Yes, actually.
During my next venting session, I decided to launch right in without making small talk. True story, by the way:
Stranger  hi
You So, I was at the train station in Philly and I’d just gotten a hot cup of tea.
Stranger  …
You I sat down on a bench to tie my shoe, and I set the cup down on the bench right next to me.
Stranger  …
You This woman comes along, completely unaware of her surroundings and she bumps right into me & the hot tea…and when I say “hotâ€, I mean boiling.
You I’d just had it poured.
You Spills all over me.
Stranger  that sucks
Stranger  was it a starbucks?
You I stood up, screamed at the top of my lungs (unintentionally, pretty much) and EVERYONE stopped to stare…but the woman just kept walking.
You Nope, Cosi.
Stranger  $4?
You Probably.
Humorous conversation, but less therapeutic than some would like. (And the burns are all cleared up now, if you were wondering.)
Is BLAH Therapy something you should consider playing around with? Well, it depends on who you are and what you’re looking for. Let’s look at the pros and cons:
Pros:
• You can let loose and get complaints of all shapes and sizes off of your chest. The strangers don’t know you and you never need to interact with them again. If someone starts to judge or reacts in a way you’re uncomfortable with, you can click “Disconnect†and find someone else.
• It reminds me of Postsecret, in a way, because it can be an outlet for letting go of secrets — which when bottled up can cause distress.
• For some people, listening to the problems of others is therapeutic in and of itself.
• It’s good when venting to a friend isn’t appropriate (say, if the situation is about your friend).
Cons:
• The listeners are NOT mental health professionals, so heed any advice cautiously — perhaps in the same way you’d take advice from, say, a friendly single-serving acquaintance from the checkout line at the grocery store. Be smart. They’re everyday people who, like you, merely have an interest in either venting or listening.
• You never truly know if an interaction on the internet is private. Chatroulette, for example, is an “anonymous†(yes, the quotes are necessary) website where users can chat with strangers via both text, webcam, and audio. However, YouTube user PianoChatImprov recorded his now-famous Chatroulette interactions, edited them together, and posted them to YouTube (NSFW due to language, but brilliantly creative and absolutely worth watching). There’s no real guarantee that a Listener will keep your venting session private.
• There’s also no guarantee of getting a legitimate chat partner, but that’s what the “Disconnect†button is for.
• Just because the site is text-based and somewhat safer-feeling than Chatroulette, it doesn’t automatically follow that all participants are going to follow the rules and keep things PG.
And, before you venture off to start listening or venting, here are some tips:
• It’s difficult to play the role of Listener without stepping in to do some venting of your own. In fact, it’s near impossible — so no matter which official role you choose on the website, you’ll be playing a little bit of both roles.
• For the courtesy of the Venter, make sure you’ve got at least ten minutes to spend as Listener. Most vents aren’t quick little Twitter-ish blurbs in 140 characters or less. Real empathy takes some time.
• I found it difficult to play the role of Venter without exchanging at least a few niceties with my anonymous partner. If you feel the same sense of awkwardness, try making small talk first.
• Check out some of PsychCentral’s resources — like Guidelines for Good Listening — if you want to brush up on your listening skills first.
Bottom line: if venting helps you to feel better, and if anonymous (and sometimes unpredictable) interaction sweetens the deal, you’ll have fun playing with BLAH Therapy.
Do you think that anonymous chat is an effective method for releasing pent-up steam? Does anonymity help us to express our feelings more? Give it a try and let us know how your venting or listening session went in the comments.
Daniel Lukasik, creator of the site Lawyers With Depression asked me awhile ago to write a guest post on work and depression. You can click here to read the original post.
Just when I think our world has moved a baby step in the right direction regarding our understanding of mental illness, I get another blow that tells me otherwise. For example, awhile back I quoted an intelligent woman who wrote an article in a popular women’s magazine about dating a bipolar guy when she was bipolar herself. She recently discovered that she had jeopardized a job prospect because the article came up — as well as all those who referenced it, like Beyond Blue — when you Googled her name. So she requested everyone who picked up that article to go back and change her real name to a pseudonym.
Because talking about bipolar disorder in the workplace is pretty much like singing about AIDS at the office a hundred years ago or maybe championing civil rights in the 60s.
I totally get why this woman created a pseudonym. Trust me, I entertained that possibility when I decided to throw out my psychiatric chart to the public. It’s risky. Extremely risky. Each person’s situation is unique, so I can’t advise a general “yes †or “no.†As much as I would love to say corporate America will embrace the person struggling with a mood disorder and wrap him around a set of loving hands, I know the reality is more like a bipolar or depressive being spit upon, blamed, and made fun of by his boss and co-workers. Because the majority of professionals today simply don’t get it.
Not at all.
They don’t get it even though the World Health Organization predicts that by 2020, mental illness will be the second leading cause of disability worldwide, after heart disease; that major mental disorders cost the nation at least $193 billion annually in lost earnings alone, according to a new study funded by the National Institute of Mental Health; that the direct cost of depression to the United States in terms of lost time at work is estimated at 172 million days yearly.
I realize every time I publish a personal blog post — one in which I describe my severe ruminations, death thoughts, and difficulty using the rational part of my brain — I jeopardize my possibilities for gainful employment in the future. I can pretty much write off all government work because, from what I’ve been told, you have to get a gaggle of people to testify that you have no history of psychiatric illnesses (and, again, all it takes is one Google search to prove I’m crazy).
It’s totally unfair.
Do we penalize diabetics for needing insulin or tell people with disabling arthritis to get over it? Do we advise cancer victims to use a pseudonym if they write about their chemo, for fear of being labeled as weak and pathetic? That they really should be able to pull themselves up by their bootstraps and heal themselves because it’s all in their heads?
But I don’t want to hide behind a pseudonym. I use my real name because, for me, the benefit of comforting someone who thinks they are all alone outweighs the risk of unemployment in the future. Kay Redfield Jamison did it. She’s okay. So is Robin Williams. And Kitty Dukasis. And Carrie Fisher. Granted all four of those people have talent agents ready to book them as speakers for a nice fee.
In their book, “Living with Someone Who’s Living with Bipolar Disorder,†Chelsea Lowe and Bruce M. Cohen, MD, Ph.D., list the pros and the cons of going public with a mood disorder. I’m paraphrasing a little bit, but here are the pros:
- *There’s nothing disgraceful about the condition, any more than there would be about cancer or heart disease.
- *Carrying a secret is an enormous burden. Sharing it lightens it.
- *The more people who know and are looking out for you, the more likely you’ll be able to get help before the problems turn serious.
- *Sharing the information lessons the burden on your partner.
- *Lots of people have psychiatric issues; maybe your boss or family member does too.
- *Taking about the diagnosis is an opportunity to educate others.
The authors suggest telling your employer under these circumstances:
- *If you are taking a new medication and may need time for adjustment.
- *If your schedule doesn’t allow for regular, restful sleep–which is an important factor in controlling the disorder–or if you need to request certain adjustments to your schedule, like telecommuting.
- *If you need to be hospitalized or take a leave of absence.
- *If the disorder is affecting your behavior or job performance.
- *If you need to submit benefit claims through your employer rather than the insurance company, or if your employer requires medical forms for extended absences.
- *Prejudice and stigma about psychiatric disorders are still common in our society. A disclosure of bipolar disorder [or any mental illness] will inevitably color your employer’s and coworkers’ perceptions of his job performance: “Did Jerry miss that meeting because the bus was late, or because he was off his meds?†Potential problems include discrimination, stigmatization, fear and actual job loss.
- *You can’t un-tell a secret.
- *Your chances for promotion could be hurt.
- *The employer is under no obligation to keep your condition secret.
- *Discrimination is illegal but difficult to prove.
- *You could be written off as “crazy.”
Now that I have thoroughly confused you, I thought I’d ask you for your input on this very controversial topic. What do you see as the pros and cons? Would you advise, say, your son or daughter, to go public with a mood disorder? Why or why not? (You can use a pseudonym in answering, of course).
 
Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on May 4, 2010
New research suggests puberty that arrives earlier or later in adolescent boys relative to their peers is associated with antisocial behavior.
Researchers discovered the atypical timing can trigger chemicals that are related to antisocial behavior, a finding that has implications for parents with aggressive boys.
“Aggressive behavior can begin very early, even in preschool, and might be related to poor impulse control, difficulties in the family or just overall general problem behavior,†said Elizabeth J. Susman, professor of biobehavioral health at Penn State University.
“We wanted to find out if earlier or later timing of puberty in adolescents has any biological factors related to it.â€
Susman and her colleagues looked at how the timing of puberty affects cortisol, a stress hormone, and salivary alpha amylase, an enzyme in saliva used as indicator of stress.
Their findings appear in the May issue of Psychoneuroendocrinology.
The researchers found that lower levels of the alpha amylase in boys who experienced earlier maturity and higher levels of cortisol in boys who experienced later maturity are related to antisocial behavior. They found no similar correlation in girls.
“This is the first study to show that the timing of puberty moderates biological risks of antisocial behavior,†said Susman.
“The implication is that parents should be especially sensitive to picking up signs of earlier or later puberty in their children. Parents and health care providers should be aware of how puberty can be stressful — behaviorally and biologically — on the kids.â€
Why the findings are statistically significant for boys and not girls remains unclear.
“At puberty, boys produce a lot of testosterone and testosterone is a stress hormone as well,†added Susman.
“It may be that compared to girls, boys just have more biological hormone changes that may lead to antisocial behavior.â€
The researchers used a child behavior checklist to test 135 boys and girls ages 8 to 13 for signs of antisocial behavior — aggression, rulebreaking, social and attention problems, defiance, and conduct disorder.
Researchers also collected saliva samples before and after a stressful laboratory test, while pediatric nurses determined the stage of puberty for each child.
“We had the children tell a story and do a mental arithmetic test,†said Susman.
“To evoke a stress response, the children were told that judges would evaluate the test results with those of other children.â€
Statistical analyses of the children’s cortisol and salivary enzyme levels, as well as the timing of puberty and symptoms of antisocial behavior, suggest that overall, antisocial boys are characterized by a later onset of puberty and higher levels of cortisol.
However, boys who reached puberty earlier and had lower levels of the salivary enzyme specifically showed greater problems related to rulebreaking and conduct disorder. These boys were also more aggressive than those in the group that experienced puberty later.
“We have shown that the relationship between cortisol, salivary amylase, and antisocial behavior is linked to the timing of puberty,†said Susman.
“This is the first study to show how the timing of puberty moderates biological vulnerabilities in children.â€
Source: Penn State University
http://psychcentral.com/news/2010/05/04/aggression-tied-to-timing-of-puberty/13463.html
 
 Chronic fatigue symptoms include an overwhelming sense of weariness that is not eased much by sleep (file picture)
By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 3:59 PM on 29th April 2010
A pioneering doctor who specialises in treating people with chronic fatigue syndrome went before the General Medical Council today over claims her treatment has ‘no clinical basis’.
Dr Sarah Myhill could be forced to remove clinical and nutritional advice from her website amid fears it is a ‘risk to patient safety.’
The chronic fatigue syndrome specialist advocates alternative treatments including vitamin and mineral supplements to patients from her private practice in Powys, Wales.
But she is now the subject of a GMC investigation after complaints have emerged about her advice.
Dr Mayhill’s outraged supporters have launched an online campaign to save her from they perceive as a ‘witch-hunt’ at the hands of her governing body.
A panel of experts will now decide whether the doctor’s registration should be restricted and subject matter removed from her website during the investigation.
Dr Myhill allegedly provided ‘inappropriate’ treatment to a patient last year after she recommended vitamin and magnesium injections for suspected chronic fatigue syndrome, also know as ME.
A group of eight GPs complained about this patient’s treatment in June 2009, the hearing in central London was told.
Another anonymous complaint from a ‘clinical scientist’ was made in February this year about her website.
The GMC had denied claims of an organised ‘campaign’ against Dr Myhill.
Gary Summers for the GMC said: ‘It needs to be said clearly that the GMC has received two independent complaints which are before you today and has not launched a campaign against this doctor.
‘The GMC’s role is to investigate these complaints without fear or favour. The GMC will not allow the blizzard of email and web traffic to bend us off course.’Â
The group of Yorkshire doctors, who have not been identified, claim Dr Myhill’s advice had ‘no clinical benefit’.
She had recommended the patient seek help in administering vitamin B12 and magnesium injections from the surgery.
Read in Full:Â http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1269823/Chronic-fatigue-syndrome-specialist-treating-patients-clinical-basis.html?ITO=1490
Allison Pearson, author of I Don’t Know How She Does It, has written for the Daily Mail about her depression. Photograph: Suzanne Plunkett/AP
Kira Cochrane
The Guardian 29 April 2010
Novelist Allison Pearson is the latest in a long line of high-profile women to talk publicly about their depression. All these women had pretty terrific lives – or that’s how it looked from the outside. So what went wrong?
In 2002, Allison Pearson emerged as the chief chronicler of a very modern female malady: the crazed pursuit of the perfect life. Her novel, I Don’t Know How She Does It, which started life as a column in the Daily Telegraph, told the story of that rarely sighted beast, a female hedge fund manager, and followed her struggle to juggle two children with her very full-time job. The protagonist, Kate Reddy, may have had a nanny and a husband who was both gainfully employed and nifty in the kitchen, but her life seemed full of comic anxieties. (The novel opened with her attempts to “distress” some Sainsbury’s mince pies that her daughter was taking to school, so that they looked appropriately, maternally, handmade.) And while the book depicted an aspirational bubble that floats way over most of our heads, it found an immediate audience. In fact, it became a bestseller, the film rights were sold, and Oprah Winfrey – that essential filter of the modern female experience – described it as a “bible for the working mother”.
In her worldly success, and her approach to life, it was assumed that Pearson was very similar to her protagonist. She’s a high-flying journalist who has won a number of awards; her partner is New Yorker writer Anthony Lane; she has two children. In precis, it’s a convincing portrait of a perfect life. But yesterday, her comic tone was jettisoned. Pearson has been writing for the Daily Mail for some years now, but this column was to be her last, she said, because she has depression. She had always wanted to be “the best kind of girl”, but recently she found herself in a psychiatrist’s consulting room, assessing just how unhappy she was. The psychiatrist asked if she’d had any suicidal thoughts, and “I didn’t mention the strange allure of a nearby motorway bridge at dead of night . . . Eventually, I blurted into the silence: ‘Sometimes, I think it would be easier not to be. Not to be dead. I have two children, I can’t leave them. But just to stop, you know. To not exist for a while.”
Pearson went on to describe herself as a “sandwich woman”, one of a generation who had waited until their 30s to have children and then, just as their offspring were “sleeping through the night, one of [their] parents fell ill”. The stress of this situation – and a job on top – has taken its toll. “Is it women who are mad, or is it the society we live in?” she asked. “We always suspected there would be a price for Having it All, and we were happy to pay it; but we didn’t know the cost would be to our mental health.”
Over the last few months, many other stories like Pearson’s have emerged – tales of apparently enviable lives laid low. In January, the popular novelist Marian Keyes posted a message on her website attesting to her “crippling depression . . . I can’t eat, I can’t sleep, I can’t write, I can’t read, I can’t talk to people”. In February, an inquest found that the bestselling author Susan Morgan – who wrote under the pen name Zoe Barnes – had killed herself. In March, on Desert Island Discs, the actor Emma Thompson recalled the depression she had experienced after her divorce from Kenneth Branagh in the mid-1990s, saying that she didn’t think she had stayed “sane. I should have sought professional help.” And over the last few years, a number of memoirs of depression have been written by women. The former Elle and Red magazine editor, Sally Brampton, wrote Shoot the Damn Dog. The former Scotland editor of the Observer, Lorna Martin, wrote Woman on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown. And the former deputy literary editor of the Observer, Stephanie Merritt, published The Devil Within. The mood of these memoirs was captured in a long, unflinching article by the American writer Daphne Merkin in the New York Times, in which she described her depression as “the sadness that runs under the skin of things, like blood, beginning as a trickle and ending up as a haemorrhage, staining everything”.
This deluge shouldn’t come as a surprise; over a period of decades, study after study has suggested that women are diagnosed with depression at twice the rate of men; in recent years, one study found this specific ratio occurring across nine different countries, regardless of economics and culture. As Merritt, who has written widely on the subject, points out, these findings are open to question – “because it’s possible that, for men, drug and alcohol abuse could be symptoms of a depression that they just can’t articulate. It could be that women are more able to ask for help.” But there is no doubt that the numbers regarding women and depression are stark – 11.2% of the female population are experiencing it at any one time.
Read in Full:Â http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2010/apr/29/women-depression-allison-pearson