 
By Carol Wren and Laura Segal
Article contributed by Dr. Joan Azarva
Laura – “I have a learning disability…”Looking back on my high school years, I can see that my behavior and characteristics were a direct result of a still undiagnosed specific learning disability. My family and friends occasionally questioned why I valued my school work so highly that doing homework always took priority over relaxing and enjoying a balanced social life. I claimed that I wanted to suck out each possible droplet of knowledge because learning was fulfilling unto itself; but I became a serious student very early because, due to my unidentified impairment, learning was demanding, requiring intense concentration and hard work on my part.
Dr. Wren – As Laura’s story illustrates, many times students do not recognize that they have learning disabilities. They may have been called lazy, or been afraid that they were just “dumb.” Or they may have lived with considerable frustration and anxiety through grade school and high school, not understanding why some things were so very difficult, when others were so easy.
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“When I went to my professors for help because I felt I couldn’t write a paper, they just told me to relax and not to worry because I had good ideas judging from class discussions in which I participated. They had faith in me and urged me to ‘just write down’ my ideas. To me, however, this was an insurmountable task. Feeling threatened and lacking weapons for battle, I developed a defeatist attitude and my goal became simply turning in something, anything, on the due date.“
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Students with learning disabilities usually have areas of difficulty that are in marked contrast to other areas where they excel. Some may learn well through lectures, but have extreme difficulty reading. Others may express themselves very well orally, but spell or write very poorly. Each person possesses a unique combination of strengths and weaknesses. The deficits all have a negative impact on learning and can interfere in a variety of ways.
Click here for entire article on Common Problems of Learning Disabled College Students.
Dr. Carol T. Wren, Associate Professor Emeritus in the Program for Literacy, and Specialized Instruction School of Education, DePaul University
Jan
22
 
A new DVD resource aimed at tackling the bullying of children with SEN or disabilities has been made available to all schools.
Â
The resource has been welcomed by bullying charities, who have emphasised the disproportionate numbers of young people with SEN and disabilities who become the victims of bullying.
Beatbullying said this week that nine per cent of young people it worked with and supported had SEN, while research by the National Autistic Society (NAS) shows that over 40 per cent of young people with autism had been bullied at school.
The DVD is being launched by the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF).
The short film chronicles the effects of bullying on a disabled young man and features a supportive message from Arsenal football player, Cesc FÃ bregas.
Schools minister, Vernon Coaker, announced the launch of the DVD, entitled Make Them Go Away, at a school in London last Thursday (September 17).
He said: “Taunting and demonising a young person because of their disability is particularly nasty. That’s why we have produced the DVD to raise awareness of the problem with young people and prevent bullying occurring in the first place.â€
Emma Jane Cross, chief executive of Beatbullying, told SecEd: “We welcome any bullying prevention schemes, which promise to engage children with the topic of bullying and help them understand its devastating impact. But, as ever, more must be done.â€
Mark Lever, chief executive of the NAS, said: “It is vital that teaching staff are given the right training and resources to help them understand autism and recognise when a child with this serious, lifelong and disabling condition is being bullied, and to deal with it effectively.â€
The DVD resource pack will be available for all secondary schools in hard copy and online. This will be advertised to schools through an email from the DCSF.
Â
 
Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on October 9, 2009
The gender gap at work is still alive and well according to new research that examined gender roles in the workplace.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics cites women working 41 to 44 hours per week earn 84.6% of what men working similar hours earn. It gets worse as women work longer hours — women working more than 60 hours per week earn only 78.3% of what men in the same time category earn.
The disparity between men and women in the workplace is the subject of a recent study by Elisabeth Kelan, Ph.D., from King’s College London.
Dr. Kelan found that workers acknowledge gender discrimination is possible in modern organizations, but at the same time maintain their workplaces to be gender neutral. The author notes “gender fatigue†as the cause for workers not acknowledging that bias against women can occur.
The study, conducted in 2003-2004, included 26 men and women from two information communication technology (ICT) companies based in Switzerland. The companies were given assumed names for this study: “Redtech,†a local 50-person Swiss company and “Bluetech,†a subsidiary of a multinational enterprise, employing 3000 staff in Switzerland.
…
The World Economic Forum’s Gender Gap Report states, “No country in the world has yet managed to eliminate the gender gap.â€
The findings are available in the September issue of the Canadian Journal of Administrative Sciences.
Source: Wiley-Blackwell
Read in Full:Â http://psychcentral.com/news/2009/10/09/gender-discrimination-in-the-workplace/8868.html
Related News Articles
 
5 Ways Highly Sensitive People Can Live In an Insensitive World
The following tips are from Jenna Forrest, an empowerment coach in Durham, North Carolina who helps her highly sensitive clients to understand, refine, and embrace their sensory abilities.
1. Understand their Trait:
The sensitive must first get to know him/herself in the context of their trait. They can do this by reading books about their trait and connecting with other sensitives to share experiences. The result can be a wonderful feeling of relief and being “ok.†As understanding develops, the person may fine him/herself – perhaps for the first time in their life – telling themselves and others the whole truth about how they feel and what they need.
2. Receive Validation:
Many sensitives grew up being seen as different and odd, being labeled, reprimanded in school, etc. The shame of not fitting in can carry into adulthood if the person’s experiences are not validated somewhere along the way. Validation can come from a friend, mentor, counselor or other trusted person who has experienced similar challenges.
3. See their Gifts and Potential:
Sensitives typically feel a calling to help others. They can be troubled by the weight of the world – a weight that keeps them from doing all they want or would otherwise be able to do. This causes them to focus on problems and what they don’t want instead of appreciating their gifts of spirit, intuition, empathy, and creativity. By tapping into these traits and developing them with a mentor or coach, the sensitive person can learn to express more pride, joy and hope. This, in turn, enhances self-esteem and allows him/her to feel connected with a world that could otherwise feel alien.
4. Protect their Energy Field from Intrusion:
Sensitives can see or feel energy as if it’s tangible and solid. Some energy feels like sticky mud, some feels shadowy, some feels light and fluffy. Where it conveys joy and happiness, the sensitive person is apt to thrive. On the flipside, he/she will be negatively affected by anger, dishonesty, exploitation or sadness. Since various types of energies are present everyday, the sensitive must learn to protect him/herself or risk feeling drained or fearful as they come into contact with different people, places, and situations.
5. Clear their Energy Field from Unwanted Negativity and Past Hurts:
Highly sensitive people are likely to be carrying pain with them wherever they go – unrealized hurts and negativity that’s accumulated throughout their lives. This is apt to make them feel heavy or moody. Sensitives can also be negatively affected by world conflicts covered in the media, by political or religious messages, etc. It is life-changing for a sensitive person to discover that he/she can release all of this accumulated pain. Freedom comes when the sensitive is finally able to walk tall in the world like anyone else.
October 10, 2009
Thanks for agreeing to be interviewed, Michael!
1. Since you’re a specialist in this area–and I have always wondered this myself, feeling the effects of toxic places–how does poor air quality contribute to depression and other illness?
Michael: If a building’s air quality is not up to par, particularly sensitive people may react to it, finding themselves feeling ill. And if these same people find themselves sidelined from work for any length of time, it’s likely questions are going to be raised: what’s going on? Are they malingering? Hypochondriacs? How much of it is in their heads? These kinds of questions – from colleagues, neighbors, even family and friends – can prompt someone who’s frankly not sure why he or she is feeling ill into feeling down as well. Many especially sensitive people suffer from depression, perhaps not as a root disease so much as a learned accompaniment to their difficulties. The key thing that sensitive people need to understand is that poor air quality probably exacerbates what one researcher has termed “Central Sensitivity Syndrome,†a predisposition for their nervous system to be unusually vigilant. It’s not pathology – in most cases it’s their intrinsic physiology.
2. You have so many insights on highly sensitive people. Could you summarize your points and come up with a few ways HSPs can live and cope in an insensitive world?
Michael: First and foremost, highly sensitive people (or, as another author has referred to them, “sensory defensive†people) should resist the temptation to feel marginalized or embarrassed. Estimates are that 15-20% of children, for example, are high reactors or sensory defensives. Often they grow up into highly sensitive adults.
Consider that one especially acute form of sensitivity, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), was put down as the “Yuppie Flu†a mere decade ago and yet, the more it’s studied by reputable organizations, the more it seems to be a bona fide susceptibility that some people are born with. (Whether it’s triggered has to do with accumulated stress in some cases, childhood trauma in others.) Same with synesthesia or overlapping senses: until brain imaging showed that certain people really do “hear a flavor†or †smell a color,†their reports were regarded as metaphorical at best. So HSPs needn’t deny the validity of her own perceptions.
Likewise, a sensitive person should recognize his/her particular needs and be willing to speak up for them. It’s a matter more of education than agitation: recognize that most people aren’t highly sensitive and don’t have share the same perspective, don’t have the identical feelings. They can understand how another person lives, though, if that other person is patient and instructive, yet ultimately insistent. Realize that no one else can be counted to speak up for you, but do so with the same respect that you’d want for yourself.
Read in Full:Â http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2009/10/10/emotions-and-sensitivity-an-interview-with-michael-jawer/
Nardi AE, Lopes FL, Freire RC, Veras AB, Nascimento I, Valença AM, de-Melo-Neto VL, Soares-Filho GL, King AL, Araújo DM, Mezzasalma MA, Rassi A, Zin WA.
Laboratory of Panic and Respiration, Institute of Psychiatry, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, R. Visconde de Pirajá, 407/702, Rio de Janeiro, RJ-22410-003 Brazil; Laboratory of Respiratory Physiology, Carlos Chagas Filho Biophysics Institute, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Studies have demonstrated the vulnerability of anxiety disorder patients to challenge tests. Our aim was to observe if panic disorder (PD) patients and generalized social anxiety disorder (GSAD) and performance social anxiety disorder (PSAD) patients respond in a similar way to the induction of anxiety symptoms and panic attacks by an oral caffeine challenge test.
We compared 28 PD patients, 25 GSAD patients, 19 PSAD, and 26 control subjects after a 480-mg caffeine test. The patients had not received psychotropic drugs for at least a 4-week period. In a randomized double-blind experiment performed in two occasions 7 days apart, 480 mg of caffeine and a caffeine-free solution were administered and anxiety scales were administered before and after each test.
A panic attack was induced in 17 (60.7%) PD patients, 4 (16.0%) GSAD patients, and 10 (52.6%) PSAD patients, during the caffeine test. None of the control subjects had a panic attack after the caffeine intake. Neither patients nor any control subject had a panic attack after drinking the caffeine-free solution.
Our data suggest that there is an association between PD and PSAD hyperreactivity to an oral caffeine challenge test. The PD and PSAD patients had a higher number of induced panic attacks, some specific anxiety symptoms, and a more severe anxiety response than GSAD patients and normal volunteers.
Source… © 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Comment:
480mg caffeine is the amount found in 4-6 cups of brewed coffee, 7 cups of instant coffee/cans of Red Bull®, or 14 cans of Coke®.
 
People with autism are condemned to financial hardship by poor employment and benefits support, a charity says.
The National Autistic Society (NAS) is calling for a national strategy to help people with autism into work.
NAS chief executive Mark Lever said people with autism experienced “anxiety, confusion, delays and discrimination” when using services.
The Department for Work and Pensions said it was “determined to provide the best support possible” to them.
Launching its “Don’t Write Me Off” campaign, the NAS says a majority of the over 300,000 working age adults with autism in the UK want to work but only 15% are in full-time paid employment.
The charity says a key problem is a lack of understanding of autism among Jobcentre Plus staff, who determine eligibility for benefits and provide employment support.
It is calling for the government to introduce autism coordinators who would work with frontline staff, local employers and employment support services.
Mr Lever said: “It is absolutely vital [people with autism] are able to access the right help and services if seeking employment and are supported financially when they cannot work.”
‘Multitude of problems’
The charity says many people with autism are experiencing difficulties when applying for the new Employment and Support Allowance (ESA).
The ESA replaced incapacity benefit in October 2008. The change was designed to encourage more people into work if they are able.
But the NAS says many people with autism are experiencing a “multitude of problems”.
Paula Wharmby said she found the process of applying for the ESA inflexible and intimidating.
“It was clear nobody knew anything about autism and a report from my psychiatrist on my difficulties was completely ignored.
“I was denied the benefit and had to go to a tribunal to have the decision overturned.
“The system just isn’t working for people like me.”
In a statement, the DWP said it was working with the National Autistic Society and other groups to ensure help was available, and that the government would publish its Autism Strategy in due course.
The statement added: “We understand that people with autism have complex needs so we have arrangements in place to help, such as bringing along someone to represent them in adviser interviews if needed.
“We are determined to provide the best support possible to help them get into work, which is why our wide range of personalised support looks at what people can do, rather than what they can’t.”
Do you or a member of your family have autism? What are your experiences of employment and benefits support? You can send your comments using the form below:
Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8303389.stm
 
People with autism ‘condemned to poverty’
Monday, 12 October 2009
Fewer than one in six people with autism are in full-time employment and a third live without a job or benefits, the National Autistic Society says.
In a report, the charity accuses the Government of condemning people with autism to a life of poverty.
Many people with the condition are forced to rely on family and friends for support, often for years. There are 300,000 adults of working age with autism in Britain. Although they are keen to work, they are being held back by a lack of understanding of the condition among employers and a dearth of specialist employment advisers.
Mark Lever, the chief executive of the society, said: “It is absolutely vital they are able to access the right help and services if seeking employment and are supported financially when they cannot work. It is scandalous, therefore, that thousands of people with this serious, lifelong and disabling condition are being consigned to poverty by a complex and counter-productive benefits system. We will keep campaigning until the Government’s “no-one written off†pledge is a reality for people with autism.â€
 
Protest against Autism Speaks’ walk for autism
http://asancentralo hio.blogspot. com/2009/ 10/protest- against-autism- speaks-walk- for.html
http://asancentralo hio.blogspot. com/2009/ 10/protest- against-autism- speaks-walk- for.html
Please join us as we protest the Autism Speaks walk for autism this Sunday,
October 11 from 8:00am to 12:00pm. We’ll be meeting at the corner of Fred
Taylor Drive and Borror Drive, right by the 4-H Center, and this is where
we’ll carry out our protest. We are actively looking for volunteers and
fellow protesters. Our protest has been sparked by, among other things,
Autism Speaks’ recent PSA, titled “I Am Autism,” which presents autistic
individuals as kidnap victims, burdens, and inhuman. In the video, autism is
presented as a soul-stealing entity that ruins marriages, causes bankruptcy,
triggers embarrassment, and erodes morality. Please join us (even if only
for a short while) as we speak back to Autism Speaks and the discrimination
that such a campaign perpetuates.
Campus map & driving directions:
http://www.osu. edu/map/building .php?area= &building= 191
Â
Note on parking: The OSU Event Parking Coordinator is advising ASAN to park
behind the 4H Center building in their parking lot. There are about 55-60
spaces available. Fred Taylor Drive (the road in front of the parking lot)
will be blocked off at 10 a.m. to prepare for the walk, so everyone will
need to be there before that time if they choose to park there. Getting
dropped off near by or walking from main campus are the other options for
coming later than 10am. Thanks!
Please contact us at asan.ohiostate@ gmail.com with questions.
—
Ari Ne’eman
President
The Autistic Self Advocacy Network
http://www.autistic advocacy. org
info@autisticadvoca cy.org
732.763.5530
———— ——— ——— ——— ———
Take a look at our innovative new Public Service Announcement produced with
the Dan Marino Foundation at http://www.nomyths. org
If you like what we do, help support the Autistic Self Advocacy Network by
making a donation at:
https://www. change.org/ donation/ create?charity_ id=211198
Monday, October 12, 2009
Autistic Community Protests Autism Speaks Walk for
Autism<http://asancentralo hio.blogspot. com/2009/ 10/autistic- community- protests- autism.html>
http://asancentralo hio.blogspot. com/2009/ 10/autistic- community- protests- autism.html
On Sunday, October 11, ASAN-Ohio State/Central Ohio members and other
disability rights advocates protested Autism Speaks’ Walk for Autism, held
on the Ohio State campus. Nineteen individuals protested the organization’ s
harmful advertising, unrepresentative leadership, and eugenic aims. Among
the protesters were autistic self-advocates, students, faculty, staff,
parents, children, and other community members.
[image: Tim Jensen holds out a purple flyer to the walkers]
*Tim Jensen holds out a flyer toward
the walkers*
<http://1.bp. blogspot. com/_VyorhzF_ el4/StNZONHXY_ I/AAAAAAAAAEI/ -j51eDtex9o/ s1600-h/Picture+ 1.jpg>
During the first half of the event, protesters faced incoming car traffic
and displayed posters with slogans such as “Nothing about us without us” and
“Autism Speaks does not speak for me.” Some drivers slowed their cars and
honked in anger, while others rolled down their windows and shouted
profanities. Several parents stopped by on foot and asked about the protest,
and these individuals were polite, seemed willing to listen, and took flyers
with them.
*Jeffrey Strasser, Stephanie Ballam, Melanie Yergeau, Justin Rooney, Erika
Strandjord, and Meg Evans hold signs on a street corner near the parking lot
*
<http://4.bp. blogspot. com/_VyorhzF_ el4/StNZkBU- -DI/AAAAAAAAAEQ/ ymPs7PzKesU/ s1600-h/PICT0009 .jpg>
The second half of the protest commenced with the actual one-mile walk, and
ASAN protesters greeted walkers with chants of *nothing about us without us*,
*Autism Speaks needs to listen*, and *we’re people, not puzzles*. Protesters
also waved signs and distributed flyers that highlighted why Autism Speaks
does not speak for autistic individuals. While chanting *nothing about us
without us *at the walk’s start, one walk team began shouting O-H-I-O in
order to drown out the protest. A couple mothers told the protesters to “get
a life.” Many individuals, however, were intrigued by the protest and asked
for details. Several indicated surprise at the breakdown of Autism Speaks’
funding (with only 4% going to services) and lack of autistic representation
in the organization, while others insisted that Autism Speaks needs to speak
for autistic individuals.
*The Anderson family displays a colorful sign that reads “Autism is not a
disease”*
<http://2.bp. blogspot. com/_VyorhzF_ el4/StNZvv5WxcI/ AAAAAAAAAEY/ apCBpRneOgE/ s1600-h/PICT0030 .jpg>
ASAN protesters were constrained to one side of the street, and many of the
walkers deliberately avoided walking near the protest line. Several campus
police officers stopped by the protest site to request information as well
as confirm that ASAN’s first amendment rights were not being violated.
*Jeffrey Strasser, Jason Smith, and Stephanie Ballam hold signs that read
“‘Autism Speaks’ against us,” “Autism Speaks does not speak for me,” and
“First class autistic, second class
citizen.”*<http://4.bp. blogspot. com/_VyorhzF_ el4/StNZ4LrKtMI/ AAAAAAAAAEg/ _iA_1sz-81o/ s1600-h/PICT0027 .jpg>
ASAN-OSU/Central Ohio thanks those involved in the protest, from planning to
attendance. Several graduate students affiliated with the Nisonger Center
lent their time, advice, and expertise, and aided with advertising and
information- gathering. Additionally, many students and faculty from the
English Department and Disability Studies program were in attendance at the
protest, and many more helped to make the event a success.
—
Ari Ne’eman
President
The Autistic Self Advocacy Network
http://www.autistic advocacy. org
info@autisticadvoca cy.org
732.763.5530
———— ——— ——— ——— ———
Take a look at our innovative new Public Service Announcement produced with
the Dan Marino Foundation at http://www.nomyths. org
If you like what we do, help support the Autistic Self Advocacy Network by
making a donation at:
https://www. change.org/ donation/ create?charity_ id=211198
There’s a curious case published in the medical journal Epilepsy and Behavior of a young man who had his epilepsy triggered by the sight of stairs. This would cause seizures that would trigger “repetitive hugging and affectionate kissing of one of the people around him”.
Our patient is currently 24 years old. He is a right-handed male with a history of right temporal lobe epilepsy. He had his first seizure when he was 10 years old. His seizures usually started with an aura of a “feeling†inside his body or abdomen. This feeling, described at times as pain or nausea, lasted a few seconds or a few minutes. His eyes would then widen, he would become confused, and he would look around right and left as if wondering. The seizure would last 1 to 2 minutes with altered consciousness, spitting, and often repetitive hugging and affectionate kissing of one of the people around him.
At times this was followed by head and eye deviation to the left and, sometimes, rotation of the whole body to the left side. Occasionally, he would walk around for a few seconds. These seizures were often precipitated by looking at stairs, whether or not he was walking up the stairs. He learned to avoid looking at stairs to avoid having seizures. He also noted that looking down a flight of stairs did not precipitate his seizures.
I am constantly amazed by both how seizures can be triggered by very specific experiences (such as seeing a certain thing, or hearing a specific sound) and how they can lead to very selective actions.
Read in Full:Â http://www.mindhacks.com/blog/2009/10/stairway_to_loving.html
Abstract: An open trial in the NHS of Blues Begone®: A new home based computerized CBT program
Purves DG, Bennett M, Wellman N.
London Metropolitan University, UK; Berkshire Healthcare Foundation Trust, UK; Thames Valley University, London, UK
Background: Computer based treatment for depression and anxiety has been available for several years and has demonstrated useful clinical effects. Most existing computerized CBT products in the UK that are designed to treat depression and co-morbid anxiety require patients to visit a clinic and require staff input to manage the process. Such intervention adds to the costs and bottlenecks in delivering a clinically effective treatment with mass availability. Internet treatment options are becoming more readily available, although data to support use are not yet strong, and most still require human assessment and telephone support. Blues Begone® is a new computerized CBT program that has been designed to be used at home with minimal human support.
Method: This pilot project provides data from an open trial of Blues Begone® with both primary and secondary care patients.
Results: One hundred patients started Blues Begone®, 58 completed the program, 72% (n = 42) of completers achieved reliable change and (n = 36) 62% achieved both reliable and clinically significant change, and may be considered to have recovered by the end of the program.
Conclusion: These data provide the first demonstration of the potential viability of Blues Begone® as a home based computerized treatment for depression and anxiety.
Source…
Copyright © British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies 2009
Abstract+: Antidepressant dosing for the acute treatment of unipolar depression
Solvason HB, DeBattista C.
Antidepressants are among the most commonly prescribed medications.
The treatment of major depressive disorder can be challenging even in those without comorbid medical or psychiatric illness.
The majority of people treated for a major depressive episode do not achieve complete remission after treatment with a single antidepressant. Achieving an adequate dose and duration of treatment is important to achieve maximal response and remission rates.
The selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), bupropion, tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs), and monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) are separate classes of antidepressants with unique characteristics reflected in the differing dosing strategies used, the need for blood monitoring, and dose-drug tolerability relationships. SSRIs have a relatively flat dose-response curve.
Among the SNRIs, venlafaxine has a marked dose-response relationship, whereas duloxetine and milnacipran do not.
Blood monitoring with bupropion and several TCAs can be important in achieving the best clinical response.
MAOIs are often used for treatment-resistant depression and doses for these medications may exceed the Food and Drug Administration-approved dose.
These concerns are addressed as well as clinical concerns in the initiation and dosing of these medications.
Source + Full text…
© 2009 Primary Psychiatry a Publication of MBL Communications
Primary care physicians urged to screen all adults for depression
Michele Surricchio – American College of Preventive Medicine
The American College of Preventive Medicine (ACPM) supports the recommendations of the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) that primary care providers should screen all adults for depression, and further recommends that all primary care providers should have systems in place to ensure the accurate diagnosis and treatment of this condition. The earliest and best opportunities to identify depression are in the clinics of primary care providers and all primary care practices should have such systems of care in place.
According to Dr Michael T. Compton, one of the lead authors of ACPM’s recommendation, “Depressive disorders are common in primary care settings and are associated with substantial morbidity and disability for individuals, as well as direct and indirect costs to society. Yet, depression is a highly treatable condition, and the goal of treatment is complete recovery. We believe that all primary care providers should be equipped to screen for depression and to assure timely and adequate treatment, either in their own practices or through an established system of referral to mental health professionals.“
Depression is a potentially life-threatening disorder that affects approximately 14.8 million Americans 18 years of age and older in a given year. Depression also affects many people younger than age 18. The STAR*D (Sequenced Treatment Alternatives to Relieve Depression) study found that nearly 40% had their first depressive episode before the age of 18.
According to Dr Mark B. Johnson, President of ACPM, “Depression is a major concern in the United States that leads to devastating consequences in many families. ACPM will continue to monitor emerging evidence on ways to prevent, screen for and treat this disease.“
Nimalasuriya K, Compton MT, Guillory VJ, Prevention Practice Committee of the American College of Preventive Medicine Screening adults for depression in primary care: A position statement of the American College of Preventive Medicine. J Family Practice 2009 Oct;58(10) [Full text]
Does depression cause inflammation, or is it caused by it?
Cindy Fox Aisen – Indiana University School of Medicine
Which comes first, depression or inflammation?
To help solve this long standing chicken and egg conundrum, researchers led by Jesse Stewart, PhD, assistant professor of psychology at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis asked two critical questions. Does depression lead to elevated inflammatory proteins in the human body? Or does an increase in these proteins lead to depression?
They found that the answer to the first question appears to be “yes,” and the answer to the second question may be “no” among healthy adults.
The researchers report that depressive symptoms are associated with increases over time in interleukin-6, an inflammatory protein that predicts cardiovascular events. In contrast, levels of interleukin-6 were not related to later increases in depressive symptoms.
The new study, published in the October 2009 issue of the journal Brain, Behavior and Immunity, is the first to examine both directions of the depression-inflammation connection and to measure the physical symptoms of depression, such as fatigue and sleep disturbance, in addition to the cognitive-emotional symptoms, such as pessimism and sadness.
Several previous studies have linked depression to increased inflammatory protein levels measured at the same time. These studies, however, cannot speak to which is the cause and which is the effect. “There is two-way communication between the brain and the immune system, so we had to determine whether activation of the body’s immune system sent a signal to the brain to affect mood and behavior or whether the depression activated the immune system,” said Dr Stewart, a clinical health psychologist in IUPUI’s School of Science and an IU Center for Aging Research affiliated scientist.
Participants in the study were 263 healthy men and women aged 50-70 years at the start of the study. They were tested at baseline and again six years later to determine their levels of depressive symptoms and interleukin-6. Levels of C-reactive protein, another inflammatory protein, were also measured but were not related to depression.
The strength of the association of depression with future heart disease is similar to that of traditional risk factors like smoking, high blood pressure and elevated cholesterol, according to Dr Stewart.
“Promotion of inflammation may be one pathway through which depression may ‘get under the skin’ to negatively influence cardiovascular health. The link to cardiovascular disease demonstrates that there may be physical as well as mental health reasons to treat depression,” said Dr Stewart.
The study was funded by the U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.
Mediterranean diet may reduce risk of depression
JAMA
Individuals who follow the Mediterranean dietary pattern-rich in vegetables, fruits, nuts, whole grains and fish-appear less likely to develop depression, according to a report in the October issue of Archives of General Psychiatry.
The lifetime prevalence of mental disorders has been found to be lower in Mediterranean than Northern European countries, according to background information in the article. One plausible explanation is that the diet commonly followed in the region may be protective against depression. Previous research has suggested that the monounsaturated fatty acids in olive oil-used abundantly in the Mediterranean diet-may be associated with a lower risk of severe depressive symptoms.
Almudena Sánchez-Villegas, B.Pharm., PhD, of University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and Clinic of the University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain, and colleagues studied 10,094 healthy Spanish participants who completed an initial questionnaire between 1999 and 2005. Participants reported their dietary intake on a food frequency questionnaire, and the researchers calculated their adherence to the Mediterranean diet based on nine components (high ratio of monounsaturated fatty acids to saturated fatty acids; moderate intake of alcohol and dairy products; low intake of meat; and high intake of legumes, fruit and nuts, cereals, vegetables and fish).
After a median (midpoint) of 4.4 years of follow-up, 480 new cases of depression were identified, including 156 in men and 324 in women. Individuals who followed the Mediterranean diet most closely had a greater than 30 percent reduction in the risk of depression than whose who had the lowest Mediterranean diet scores. The association did not change when the results were adjusted for other markers of a healthy lifestyle, including marital status and use of seatbelts.
“The specific mechanisms by which a better adherence to the Mediterranean dietary pattern could help to prevent the occurrence of depression are not well known,” the authors write. Components of the diet may improve blood vessel function, fight inflammation, reduce risk for heart disease and repair oxygen-related cell damage, all of which may decrease the chances of developing depression.
“However, the role of the overall dietary pattern may be more important than the effect of single components. It is plausible that the synergistic combination of a sufficient provision of omega-three fatty acids together with other natural unsaturated fatty acids and antioxidants from olive oil and nuts, flavonoids and other phytochemicals from fruit and other plant foods and large amounts of natural folates and other B vitamins in the overall Mediterranean dietary pattern may exert a fair degree of protection against depression,” the authors write.
The study was supported by Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Fondo de Investigaciones Sanitarias and the Navarra Regional Government project.
Sánchez-Villegas A, Delgado-RodrÃguez M, Alonso A, et al. Association of the Mediterranean Dietary Pattern With the Incidence of Depression. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2009;66(10):1090-1098  [Abstract]
Depression is a dilemma for women in pregnancy
By RONI CARYN RABIN
When Sherean Malekzadeh Allen of Marietta, Ga., learned she was pregnant, she was 43, had been married for two years, had gone through two miscarriages and had all but given up hope of having a baby.
But instead of being overjoyed, Ms. Allen was immobilized: panic-ridden, nauseated, listless and thoroughly depressed. She could not rouse herself to go to work in the marketing business she founded and ran, or even get through the newspaper.
And she faced the pregnant woman’s quintessential dilemma: take drugs that might pose a risk to the developing baby, or struggle through an anguishing pregnancy that could harm the baby in other ways?
Copyright 2009 The New York Times Company
Post-Partum Psychosis – Rare but Real
The existence of post-partum psychosis and post-partum depression has been hotly contested publicly. Tom Cruise’s denouncement of Brooke Shields’ diagnosis of post-partum depression is perhaps the most visible example of the controversy among laypeople, but in the medical literature the reality of both post-partum depression and post-partum psychosis is much more well-established.
Read in Full:Â http://brainblogger.com/2009/10/01/post-partum-psychosis-rare-but-real/
Abstract: Symptoms of epilepsy and organic brain dysfunctions in patients with acute, brief depression combined with other fluctuating psychiatric symptoms
Vaaler AE, Morken G, Linaker OM, Sand T, Kvistad KA, Brathen G.
Background: In psychiatric acute departments some patients present with brief depressive periods accompanied with fluctuating arrays of other psychiatric symptoms like psychosis, panic or mania. For the purpose of the present study we call this condition Acute Unstable Depressive Syndrome (AUDS). The aims of the present study were to compare clinical signs of organic brain dysfunctions and epilepsy in patients with AUDS and Major Depressive Episode (MDE).
Methods: Out of 1038 consecutive patients admitted to a psychiatric acute ward, 16 patients with AUDS and 16 age- and gender-matched MDE patients were included in the study. Using standardized instruments and methods we recorded clinical data, EEG and MRI.
Results: A history of epileptic seizures and pathologic EEG activity was more common in the AUDS group than in the MDE group (seizures, n=6 vs. 0, p=0.018; pathologic EEG activity, n=8 vs. 1, p=0.015). Five patients in the AUDS group were diagnosed as having epilepsy, whereas none of those with MDE had epilepsy (p=0.043). There were no differences between the groups regarding pathological findings in neurological bedside examination and cerebral MRI investigation.
Conclusions: Compared to patients admitted with mood symptoms fulfilling DSM 4 criteria of a major depressive disorder, short-lasting atypical depressive symptoms seem to be associated with a high frequency of epileptic and pathologic EEG activity in patients admitted to psychiatric acute departments.
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Less than half those affected seek treatment for depression
Research finds even for those hospitalized for severe depression, many receive little follow-up
Julie Saccone – St. Michael’s Hospital
Less than half of men and women in Ontario, Canada who may be suffering from depression see a doctor to treat their potentially debilitating condition, according to a new women’s health study by researchers at St. Michael’s Hospital and the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES).
What’s more, many hospitalized for severe depression fail to see a doctor for follow-up care within 30 days of being discharged, and many head to hospital emergency departments for care.
The findings suggest the need for a comprehensive care model involving a multidisciplinary team of health-care professionals, including family doctors and mental health specialists, to help women and men and better manage depression and improve their quality of life.
“As a leading cause of disease-related disability among women and men, depression puts a tremendous emotional and financial burden on people, their families and our health-care system,” says Dr Arlene Bierman, a physician at St. Michael’s Hospital and principal investigator of the study Project for an Ontario Women’s Health Evidence-Based Report (POWER). “Many Ontarians with depression are not treated for their condition and those who are often receive less than desired care. While there is a lot that is known about how to improve depression, we need to apply this to our work with patients if we want to improve the diagnosis and management of depression. This involves better co-ordination among primary care and mental health-care professionals in both community and hospital settings,” added Dr Bierman, a ICES researcher.
Nearly half a million Ontarians, aged 15 and older, suffer from depression. Worldwide, an estimated 154 million people are afflicted by the condition, which is responsible for lost productivity, increased disability claims and greater use of health-care services.
Key findings of the POWER study released today include:
- *Less than 50% of men and women with depression visited a doctor for care for their condition
- *33% of men and women discharged from hospital for severe depression did not see a doctor for a follow-up visit within 30 days
- *17% visited a hospital emergency room within 30 days of discharge from hospital while about 8% were readmitted to hospital
- *Many older adults started on antidepressant medication did not receive the recommended number of follow-up visit
U.S. family doctors prescribe most mental health drugs
By David Morgan
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Fifty-nine percent of U.S. mental health drug prescriptions are written by family doctors, not psychiatrists, raising concerns about the quality of some treatments, according to a study released on Wednesday.
Researchers from Thomson Reuters and the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration examined 472 million prescriptions written for psychotropic drugs from August 2006 and July 2007.
© Thomson Reuters 2009
The darker side of therapy – Ten ways to deal with dependency
There is a dark side to therapy that nobody wants to talk about; even therapists, especially therapists. It’s a Catch-22 where emotionally-promiscuous clients quickly fall into dependency with their therapists and problems occur when dependency, instead of the original problem, becomes the main issue. Weaning yourself off your substitute mother/therapist can be like trying to forcibly remove a security blanket from a two-year-old or an attempt to separate the ingredients of a corrupt Hollandaise sauce after the egg has curdled.
Copyright © 1992-2009 Psych Central. All rights reserved.
Providing Mental Health Care To The Underserved
Article Date: 09 Oct 2009 – 2:00 PDT
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) has announced its selection of Satira Streeter, Psy.D., clinical psychologist and executive director of Ascensions Community Services in the District of Columbia, to receive a Community Health Leaders Award. She is one of 10 extraordinary Americans who received the RWJF honor for 2009 at a ceremony at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C.
Streeter is being honored for her efforts to deliver culturally relevant, family-focused psychological services to children and families living in the economically challenged Anacostia community (Wards 7 and 8) of the District of Columbia. Working without a salary for more than two years, Streeter founded Ascensions Community Services to ensure that Anacostia’s children and their families would have the mental health services that they so desperately need.
Read in Full:Â http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/166773.php
Childhood Trauma May Shorten Adult Life
Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on October 8, 2009
Exposure to trauma early in a child’s life — such as being exposed to physical or verbal abuse, witnessing domestic violence, or even just having parents who have divorced — can harm a child’s brain and nervous system development.
Such harm can then reverberate throughout the child’s life, making them more prone to future health problems and diseases. Such problems can ultimately lead to a premature death, according to new research led by David W. Brown., D.Sc., an epidemiologist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Brown and his colleagues found that children who were exposed to six or more adverse childhood experiences were at double the risk of premature death compared to children who had not suffered these experiences.
On average, the children at highest risk eventually died at age 60, compared to low-risk children who lived to age 79.
The research looked at the long-term effects of these childhood experiences: undergoing verbal or physical abuse, having a battered mother and witnessing domestic violence, living in a household with substance abuse or mental illness, having an incarcerated household member or having parents who separated or divorced.
Read in Full:Â http://psychcentral.com/news/2009/10/08/childhood-trauma-may-shorten-adult-life/8852.html
Psychiatrists lay down the rules for prescribing to kids
A psychiatrist contemplating the prescription of psychotropic medications to a kid should open communications to the child’s pediatrician. He should ensure that the child and her family grasp the objectives, side effects and benefits of the proposed medication, and agree it’s needed. The psychiatrist should have a detailed plan to monitor the effects of the medication and change if it’s not getting the job done or has untoward side effects.
© 2009 LA Times
Mike hopes his recovery from depression will inspire others
Thursday 8th October 2009
An estimated one in four people will experience a mental health problem in the next 12 months.
It is now 10 years since Mike Wilson’s world fell apart.
He had, unbeknown to him, been suffering from depression and had a complete mental breakdown on October 7, 1999.
He spent more than two months in hospital, contemplating suicide on several occasions because he felt he could not go on.
But over the last decade he has gradually turned his life around.
Mr Wilson, aged 50, of Ash Grove, Heaton, now does volunteer work, including helping other mental health patients with charity MhIST, Mental Health Independent Support Team.
He said: “I was frightened. Like a lot of people, I thought if you had a mental health problem you were a lunatic and got locked away for good. But it wasn’t like that.
“There is still a lot stigma around mental health problems. People don’t talk about them although they are very common. We talk about cancer, why not mental health?
“I’m very open about it, depression is part of who I am and will always be with me. I’m learning to live with it and I say I am on the road to recovery.”
In the summer of 1999, Mr Wilson started to feel unwell, with symptoms including hearing voices, panic attacks, not eating and being unable to sleep.
By the October, Mr Wilson, who has been married to Lesley for 28 years and has an autistic daughter, Danielle, aged 25, saw his doctor and was admitted to the Royal Bolton Hospital.
After eight weeks he returned home and, with medication, community support and MhIST, he slowly rebuilt his life.
He is passionate about helping others going through similar experiences, and also does church and youth work.
Mr Wilson said: “There is help out there, so please seek it as soon as possible. You might not get cured, but you can get better. But you’ve got to take the first step and get help.
“For me life really did begin at 40.”
 
Article Date: 08 Oct 2009 – 0:00 PDT
Kidsmatter, the first national mental health initiative developed specifically for children in Australian primary schools, has improved children’s social and emotional wellbeing, placed mental health on schools’ agenda and increased the knowledge and capacity of teachers and parents to support children’s mental health, according to an independent evaluation report launched in Melbourne today.
The success of the program – a joint project between the Australian Psychological Society(APS), the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing, beyondblue, Principals Australia, Early Childhood Australia and the Australian Rotary Health Research Fund – is being acknowledged with a funding boost. The Hon. Nicola Roxon is announcing a further $18.7 million over three years to support the expansion of the KidsMatter Primary initiative and the pilot of the KidsMatter Early Childhood initiative.
Professor Lyn Littlefield, APS Executive Director, said “What the evaluation shows is that not only does the programme improve the mental health outcomes for those children most at risk, it also has flow on effects to the whole school community, including parents and families. Critically, the initiative increases the mental health capacity of schools and upskills teachers so it is an investment with an ongoing return as it changes the culture of the school and benefits the long term health and wellbeing of children.”
Professor Littlefield said these programs cannot run without health and education sector support and additional funding from the Australian Government’s Department of Health and Ageing.
Research shows that signs of mental health problems can be identified in children at an early age. However,only about a quarter of these children access mental health services. Children’s mental health problems can have far reaching negative effects on their learning, social relationships and future ability to cope with and enjoy life.
The Australian Psychological Society has contributed to the project by developing the Kidsmatter framework and developing a range of resources for primary school staff, parents and carers on 21 different topics relating to children’s mental health. New resources focusing on children aged birth to 5 years will be developed under the new KidsMatter Early Childhood initiative. The resources are freely available on the KidsMatter website, http://www.kidsmatter.edu.au.
“The support of the Federal Government, beyondblue and from government, Catholic and Independent education and health sectors in each jurisdiction will be critical to ensuring that more children can benefit from this important initiative,” Professor Lyn Littlefield said. “The Kidsmatter Early Childhood initiative is very important as the earlier we can intervene where problems are identified and build resilience, the healthier our society will be.”
The evaluation report is available at http://www.kidsmatter.edu.au/evaluation.
Source
Australian Psychological SocietyÂ