Depression Support Journal

Depression Support Chat Monday, February 11, 2008 8:00 PM - 9:00 PM ET

Mon, 11 Feb 2008 22:26:30 GMT

Depression Support Chat
Monday, February 11, 2008
8:00 PM - 9:00 PM ET

We are going back to using the WOMEN' WELLNESS II room, since we have not had many outsiders from the Internet join us, here is the link to the room:

Women Wellness II

Your hosts tonight are WLV Teddie and Marebear come for support and encouragement...and to bond with one another, as we share our struggles with our depression....and search for ways to cope better every day.

And do check out the Depression Support Journal....

Here isthe link to the Depression Journal...

Depression Support Journal

I just added more articles...please read them, as they will be helpful to you.

See you Tonight!

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Facilitated tonight by

Marebear

and

WLV Teddie

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If there is not a host in the room when you first get there, please stay and start chatting among yourselves. With the storms lately it has been difficult to stay online for safety reasons. A host will be there as soon as possible...but you all can start without us.

Thanks.

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Manage Alerts & Reminders
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Alert Me as Comments are Posted to get the latest updates on the Journal

Depression Support Journal

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Words to Ponder

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A Mouse, pig, cow & a snake

IN LIGHT OF OUR WORLD SITUATION, THIS IS PROFOUND. This is a very
simplistic story, but a powerful message.

A mouse looked through a crack in the wall to see the farmer and his
wife opening a package; what food might it contain? He was aghast to
discover that it was a mouse trap!

Retreating to the farmyard, the mouse proclaimed the warning, "There is
a mouse trap in the house, there is a mouse trap in the house."

The chicken clucked and scratched, raised her head and said, Mr. Mouse,
I can tell you this is a grave concern to you, but it is of no
consequence to me; I cannot be bothered by it."

The mouse turned to the pig and told him, "There! is a mouse trap in the
house."

I am so very sorry Mr. Mouse," sympathized the pig, "but there is
nothing I can do about it but pray; be assured that you are in my
prayers."

The mouse turned to the cow, who replied, "Like wow, Mr. Mouse, a mouse
trap; am I in grave danger, Duh?"

So the mouse returned to the house,head down and rejected, to face
the farmer's mouse trap alone.

That very night a sound was heardthroughout the house, like the sound
of a mouse trap catching its prey. The farmer's wife rushed to see what
was caught. In the darkness, she did not see that it was a venomous
snake whose tail the trap had caught. The snake bit the farmer's wife.
The farmer rushed her to the hospital. She returned home with a fever.

Now everyone knows you treat a fever with fresh chicken soup, so the
farmer took his hatchet to the farmyard for the soup's main ingredient.
His wife's sickness continued so that friends and neighbors came to sit
with her around the clock. To feed them, the farmer butchered the pig.

The farmer's wife did not get well, in fact, she died, and so many
people came for her funeral the farmer had the cow slaughtered to
provide meat for all of them to eat.

So the next time you hear that someone is facing a problem and think
that it does not concern you, remember that when the least of us is
threatened, we are all at risk.

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Reminder:
Health and mental health information obtained online,
whether through a chat, message board or web site,

is never intended to be a substitute for
working in real life with your health care practitioner (s).
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JOIN US THIS EVENING
WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU
Time Zones:
Eastern---8PM
Central---7PM
Mountain...6PM
Pacific---5PM

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to be removed from this list please email wlvteddie@aol.com

Talking to Your Friends And Family About Bipolar Disorder

Mon, 11 Feb 2008 22:18:20 GMT

Talking to Your Friends And Family About Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar disorder can put an enormous strain on relationships with your family and friends. When you're depressed, you may isolate yourself from the people who care about you. When you're manic or hypomanic, you might frighten or alienate them.

But your relationships with your friends and family are crucial to staying healthy. You need to keep the lines of communication open. Here are some suggestions.

Educate your family and peers. Your friends and family may not know much about bipolar disorder, or they may have a lot of wrong impressions. Explain what it is and how it affects you. Talk about your bipolar treatment. Unfortunately, some people may be skeptical or unsympathetic. Back yourself up with brochures or printouts that you can give them. Tell them you need their help to stay well.
Create a support team. Obviously, you don't need to tell everyone you know about your condition. But you also shouldn't rely on only one person. It's much better to have a number of people you can turn to in a crisis. Placing all the responsibility on one person is simply too much.
Make a plan. You need to accept that during a mood swing, your judgment might be impaired. You could really benefit from people looking out for you. But your loved ones also need to be careful not to push too hard. You don't want to feel like every move you make is being scrutinized.

So work out distinct boundaries. Decide how often your friends and family should check in and what to do if things are getting out of control. If you become manic, you might agree that your loved ones should take away your car keys or credit cards so you don't do anything reckless. If you become suicidal, they certainly need to get emergency help. Coming up with an explicit plan will make everyone feel better.
Listen. After all that you've been through, you may not want to hear the concerns of your family and friends. But the fact is that your condition does affect the people around you. During a manic or depressive phase, you may have upset people whom you care about. So try to hear them out and see things from their point of view. If you've hurt people, apologize. Reassure them that you didn't mean to act the way you did, and emphasize that you're getting treatment.
Talk to your children. If you have kids, you should find a way to tell them what's happening. They're likely to sense that something is wrong anyway; keeping them in the dark might just make it scarier. Explain your condition in a way that's appropriate for their age. Say that it's a disease that affects your mood, but that you're getting treatment for it.
Reach out. Bipolar disorder can make relationships hard. When you're depressed, you may want to retreat from the world. If you've just come out of a manic phase, you may not want to face people whom you treated badly. Either way, it's easy to let some friendships slip away. Don't let it happen. Force yourself to get together with other people, even if it may be hard at first. Isolating yourself is the worst thing you can do.

Reviewed by the doctors at The Cleveland Clinic Department of Psychiatry and Psychology.

WebMD Medical Reference provided in collaboration with the Cleveland Clinic

View Article Sources

Spousal Spats May Have Health Benefits

Mon, 11 Feb 2008 22:13:14 GMT

Spousal Spats May Have Health Benefits

Married Couples That Express Anger Outlive Those That Suppress Anger, Study Shows

By Miranda Hitti
WebMD Medical News

Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD

Jan. 25, 2008 -- New research on marriage and health shows that married couples who express anger may outlive those who suppress anger.

The key is for both spouses to be comfortable expressing anger, rather than one or both suppressing anger, University of Michigan researchers report.

"The key matter is, when the conflict happens, how do you resolve it?" asks Ernest Harburg, PhD, professor emeritus with the University of Michigan's School of Public Health and psychology department. "If you bury your anger, and you brood on it ... and you don't try to resolve the problem, then you're in trouble."

Harburg's team found a higher death rate among married couples in which both spouses suppress anger, compared with other married couples. Their findings appear in the Journal of Family Communication.

(Has a good fight been worth it now and then in your marriage? Tell us how you feel on WebMD's Couples Coping: Support Group message board.)

Expressing Anger

Harburg and colleagues studied 192 married couples in Michigan for 17 years, starting in 1971.

When the study started, the husbands and wives were 35-69 years old. They were asked to imagine being yelled at by their spouse or a policeman about something that wasn't their fault.

Each spouse answered questions about how he or she would handle that situation. They were considered to suppress their anger if they would do at least two of these things:

Not show their anger
Not protest the verbal attack
Feel guilty later on if they showed their anger

In 14% of the couples, both spouses suppressed their anger. Their death rate was almost twice as high during the study, compared to other couples.

The findings held when age, smoking, weight, heart risks, and other factors were considered.

Still, the study has some limits. For instance, it's not clear if the findings would be similar in younger couples or in a more diverse study. And the researchers couldn't control for every possible influence; perhaps couples that express anger had other healthy traits.

View Article Sources

Depression Support Chat Monday, February 4, 2008 8:00 PM - 9:00 PM ET

Mon, 04 Feb 2008 17:51:33 GMT

Depression Support Chat
Monday, February 4, 2008
8:00 PM - 9:00 PM ET

We are going back to using the WOMEN' WELLNESS II room, since we have not had many outsiders from the Internet join us, here is the link to the room:

Women Wellness II

And do check out the Depression Support Journal....

Here is the link to the Depression Journal...

Depression Support Journal

I just added more articles...please read them, as they will be helpful to you.

See you Tonight!

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Facilitated tonight by

Marebear

and

WLV Teddie

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

Thanks.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Manage Alerts & Reminders
Make sure you click on the

Alert Me as Comments are Posted to get the latest updates on the Journal

Depression Support Journal

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Words to Ponder

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17 Essential Qualities of a Team Player

Adaptable
Collaborative - working together precedes winning together
Committed
Communicative - many voices with a single heart
Competent
Dependable
Disciplined
Enlarging - adding value to teammates
Enthusiastic
Intentional
Mission Conscious - the big picture
Prepared
Relational
Self-improving
Selfless - there is no "i" in team
Solution oriented
Tenacious

John Maxwell, 2002
http://www.maximumimpact.com/OnlineTools/assessment.aspx - free
interactive assessments

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Reminder:
Health and mental health information obtained online,
whether through a chat, message board or web site,

is never intended to be a substitute for
working in real life with your health care practitioner (s).
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

JOIN US THIS EVENING
WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU
Time Zones:
Eastern---8PM
Central---7PM
Mountain...6PM
Pacific---5PM

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

to be removed from this list please email wlvteddie@aol.com

NAMI Advocate

Mon, 04 Feb 2008 17:41:35 GMT

NAMI Advocate e-newsletter, January 2008
In this issue: NAMI Executive Director comments on Britney Spears; Dr. Ken Duckworth and Jane Pauley on PBS, Anand Pandya, M.D. discusses "the father of lobotomy" with online panel, Canvas DVD released; and more... Read this issue online.

Britney Spears: Let's Talk About All of Us

A media circus and reckless speculation has surrounded events in the life of pop star Britney Spears. Professional ethics require mental health professionals who have not treated individuals to not presume to diagnose them. At the same time, the case is an opportunity for public discussion about mental illness which many ordinary Americans confront every year.
Read more...

DEPRESSION Documentary: NAMI and Jane Pauley

Mark the Date: Wednesday, May 21
Don't miss NAMI medical director Ken Duckworth discussing depression as part of a panel of experts moderated by broadcast journalist Jane Pauley on TAKE ONE STEP: Caring for Depression, with Jane Pauley. More info

NAMI President Discusses Lobotomy, Medical Advancement

NAMI national board president, Anand Pandya, M.D., participated in a week-long on-line forum that followed the January 21 broadcast of the PBS documentary The Lobotomist, an hour-long documentary about psychiatrist Walter Freeman, know as "the father of lobotomy." Read more...

Canvas Now On DVD

Following limited theater release in the fall, the movie CANVAS is now available from ScreenMedia, Amazon.com and other retail outlets.

More about the film...

This month's Guest Blogger: Patty Duke

Join NAMI Online

Become a member with
a click of the mouse.

Shop Amazon, Support NAMI

Every purchase you make can benefit NAMI. Find out how.

Advocate Home | About/Subscribe | NAMI Home

The NAMI Advocate e-newsletter (formerly NAMI Connection) brings periodic, lively news and stories of interest to NAMI supporters, complementing the NAMI Advocate magazine which is published three times per year for NAMI members.

Health Tip: Experience Grief as a Healthy Emotion

Mon, 04 Feb 2008 17:35:37 GMT

Health Tip: Experience Grief as a Healthy Emotion It's a normal part of healing

(HealthDay News) - Grief is a normal, healthy emotion experienced when a person has a significant loss, such as the death of someone close, or even the end of a relationship.

The American Academy of Family Physicians lists these common symptoms of grief:

Numbness, shock and denial are common initially.
Feelings of abandonment may occur once reality has set in.
Anger -- directed at the person who is gone, yourself, others and even religion -- is common.
Temporary depression and guilt may set in once the grieving person realizes what the loss means.
Thinking frequently about the person and reliving memories are normal reactions, as well.
Little by little, you should begin to feel better. Eventually, you should begin to focus on resuming relationships and activities. It's not uncommon to initially feel "disloyal" to someone as you start to move on.

January 31 2008
Copyright © 2008 ScoutNews, LLC. All rights reserved.

FDA Warns Epilepsy Drugs May Raise Suicide Risk

Mon, 04 Feb 2008 17:33:33 GMT

FDA Warns Epilepsy Drugs May Raise Suicide Risk Agency will ask drug makers to put warning labels on entire class of medicines

THURSDAY, Jan. 31 (HealthDay News) -- Commonly used antiepileptic drugs may boost the risk of suicide among patients who use them, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned Thursday.

A review of 199 studies comparing 11 of these drugs to placebos found that patients taking the drugs had about twice the risk of suicidal behavior compared with patients taking a placebo. In fact, of the almost 44,000 patients in the studies, four people taking antiepileptic drugs committed suicide while none of the patients receiving a placebo did.

"We have been looking at these drugs since 2005," said FDA spokeswoman Sandy Walsh. "We have just come to the conclusion that it's time to alert heath-care providers."

Currently, some of drug labels do list suicide or suicidal behavior as a side effect, but others don't, Walsh noted.

The drugs included in the warning are: Carbamazepine (marketed as Carbatrol, Equetro, Tegretol, Tegretol XR), Felbamate (marketed as Felbatol), Gabapentin (marketed as Neurontin), Lamotrigine (marketed as Lamictal), Levetiracetam (marketed as Keppra), Oxcarbazepine (marketed as Trileptal), Pregabalin (marketed as Lyrica), Tiagabine (marketed as Gabitril), Topiramate (marketed as Topamax), Valproate (marketed as Depakote, Depakote ER, Depakene, Depacon) and Zonisamide (marketed as Zonegran). Some of these drugs are also available as generics.

According to the FDA, antiepileptic drugs are used to treat epilepsy, bipolar disorder, migraine headaches and other conditions.

Over the next several months, the agency intends to work with drug companies to change the labels of the drugs to reflect this risk, Walsh said. "We will be working with the companies to make sure the latest data is reflected in their prescribing information and labeling," she said. In addition, the agency will hold an advisory committee meeting on the issue.

The 11 drugs listed above were included in the studies the FDA analyzed. However, the agency expects that the increased risk of suicidality is present in all antiepileptic drugs and so the labeling changes will be applied to all drugs in the class.

Asof now, the FDA is advising patients not to make any changes in their medication without talking to their doctor, Walsh said. "Caregivers should pay close attention to changes in mood, behavior and actions," she said. "They should be aware of the development of these symptoms."

One expert supported the FDA's move to require drug makers to have a warning about the possibility of suicidal behavior on the product label.

"This is not new, it's something that has been known for a long time," said Epilepsy Foundation Vice President John Schneider.

Schneider noted that some people with epilepsy may be clinically depressed, so it's hard to tell whether it's the medication or the condition that is causing the suicidal behavior.

"Patients need to know their medications," Schneider said. "The goal should be no seizures and no side effects."

Another expert finds the association between antiepileptic medicines and suicide surprising.

"We do know that the incidence of comorbid affective [emotional] disorders and risk of suicide is higher in patients with epilepsy compared with the general population, and therefore it is not surprising to see higher incidence of suicide in the FDA report," said Dr. Gholam Motamedi, director of the Epilepsy Service at Georgetown University Hospital, in Washington, D.C.

However, the data showing a raised risk of suicide with medication use is surprising, Motamedi said.

"It's also surprising to attribute suicide to the antiepileptic drugs, per se, because a good number of these drugs are used in psychiatry for their positive effects on mood and depression," Motamedi said. "Nevertheless, this emphasizes the importance of screening for signs and symptoms of depression and suicidal tendencies in the epilepsy clinics."

More information

For more on epilepsy, visit the Epilepsy Foundation.

Take Action...Mental Health America

Mon, 04 Feb 2008 17:28:50 GMT

Dear Vicki,

E-mail your members of Congress

Read the new regulations

Read Mental Health America's comments submitted to CMS

Submit comments to CMS (see suggested comments)

As you know, mental illnesses are often intertwined with other co-occurring conditions including substance use conditions, heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. Yet systems for delivering mental health care are routinely disconnected from general healthcare.

Intensive Medicaid case management services improve access to mental health services and increase care coordination regarding co-occurring illnesses and conditions. These services are also essential to helping individuals with mental illnesses obtain other non-medical services they need to lead healthy, productive lives in their communities, including housing, education, employment, and other social services.

Access to these vital services now hangs in jeopardy. The federal government issued harmful new regulations last month that limit Medicaid coverage of case management services.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) that oversees Medicaid went far beyond the changes called for by Congress in developing these regulations. The new rules would:

cut coverage of case management for individuals transitioning out of institutions from 180 days to 60 days or less.
promote fragmentation of case management services by prohibiting Medicaid coverage if case management services could also be considered a component of another program.
dramatically limit case management for children in the child welfare system by prohibiting child welfare workers or child welfare agency contractors from receiving Medicaid reimbursement for case management services.
impose unworkable documentation requirements and only allow individuals to have one case manager.

Members of Congress need to hear our concerns. Please send a message to your senators and representative urging them to cosponsor legislation introduced by Senator Norm Coleman (R-MN) and Representative Keith Ellison (D-MN) that would delay implementation of these regulations until April of 2009.

Stress-Management Techniques

Mon, 04 Feb 2008 17:26:26 GMT

Back to last page
Stress-Management Techniques

You’re at your wit’s end. All day your boss was on the warpath, and all night your kids screamed and fought with one another. Now it’s 10 p.m. There are piles of bills crowd the counter and dirty dishes line the sink. All you want to do is relax. You plop yourself in your favorite chair, reach for the remote and start surfing.

Sound familiar? Tuning out the world is one of the most common responses to stress. But it’s not necessarily the most effective one. In fact, stress-management experts say stress reduction requires attention and discipline. Activities that actually reduce stress include daily exercise, finding constructive outlets for your emotions, socializing, performing relaxation exercises and eating a healthy diet.

None of these methods may eliminate your stress entirely, but they can help you balance your stress with positive experiences, to help you maintain a healthier mind and body.

Research shows that practicing stress management is not merely about helping you live a more pleasant life. It also can help you live a longer one.

Last updated July 14, 2005

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Coping With Stress

Mon, 04 Feb 2008 17:24:56 GMT

Coping With Stress

Stress is a part of life. From being stuck in traffic to falling behind on paying bills, too much stress can wreak havoc on our bodies. If you have a chronic illness, even small tasks, such as making dinner or picking up the children from school, can become overwhelming. Research on how stress causes medical illness is still in its early phases. We do know though that stress can cause physical symptoms, and may increase the rate of progression of a disease. Here are some ways to reduce your stress.

Adjust your attitude. According to researchers, you can better cope with stress by focusing on three ideas: challenge, control and commitment.

Try to interpret stressful situations as challenges, not as threats.
Determine what you can control; sometimes the only thing you will be able to control in a stressful situation is the way you respond, but that’s a start.
Make a commitment to be good to yourself by eating healthfully, thinking positively and maintaining relationships with people you care about.

Learn to problem solve. The key, say experts, is to think through difficult situations systematically.

Break problems into smaller pieces to make them less overwhelming
Focus on problems that really need your attention and leave the rest
Know your limits
Learn to be flexible
Be realistic about your choices

Communicate. Keeping your troubles inside only adds to stress. Find someone safe to talk to about your worries; it will reduce stress and help you deal with practical problems. If you have a chronic medical condition, participate in a support group.

Exercise. Regular exercise reduces stress. It helps protect the cardiovascular and immune systems from the consequences of stressful events. Whether it’s swimming, walking or another form of exercise, find time to do the activity on a regular basis.

Take control of your diet and your sleep. It’s hard to do, but if you eat a well-balanced, nutritious diet and get a good night’s sleep, you’ll have more energy to cope with stress. And if you’re tired and cranky, you’ll be more susceptible to stress-related ailments.

Do something for others. Volunteering for a worthy cause can be a great experience. It also can help you forget about your own problems and increase your self-esteem.

Last updated October 14, 2005

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