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Tag: mental health treatment

  • Can Hot Baths Help Ease Depression Symptoms?

    Can Hot Baths Help Ease Depression Symptoms?

    A recent study examined the effects that a regular hot bath had on people with depression.

    Can a bath a day keep the blues away? Researchers seem to think so.

    A new study published in New Scientist indicates that by taking regular afternoon baths, people with depression may experience a “moderate but persistent lift in mood.”

    During the study, researchers from the University of Freiburg in Germany took 45 individuals with depression and had one group soak in hot water (104 degrees Fahrenheit) for up to 30 minutes, then wrap in a blanket and hot water bottles for an additional 20 minutes, while another group took 40 to 45 minutes of exercise twice per week.

    Then, after eight weeks, the individuals taking the afternoon baths scored six points lower on a widely used depression scale, while those exercising scored about three points lower. 

    The theory is that warm baths strengthen and synchronize a person’s circadian rhythm by increasing the core body temperature. A circadian rhythm is “the daily fluctuations in behavior and biochemistry that affect every one of our organs, including the brain,” the Guardian notes.

    For most people, core body temperature increases during the day and decreases at night, which helps the body to fall asleep. But in those with depression, the circadian rhythm is frequently “flatter, disrupted or delayed by several hours.” So, by affecting the core body temperature, baths may help those with depression to fall asleep more easily.

    In addition to affecting the circadian rhythm, hot baths could lead to the firing of more neurons that distribute serotonin.

    According to the Guardian, depression is likely related to low levels of serotonin in the brain, and research involving rats has found that neurons that release serotonin are connected to mood-regulating parts of the brain, which fire when body temperature increases.

    When it comes to taking a good bath, the Guardian recommends picking a time without disruptions, possibly using an essential oil, making bathwater slightly warmer than body temperature, and taking into account the temperature of the room.

    However, such hot baths could cause issues for some people. According to Bustle, some study participants struggled to get hot enough water at home, since 104 degrees is fairly high, and had to go to a spa instead.

    People with health issues should be sure to check with their doctors before taking such hot baths, as they may be dangerous in some circumstances.

    Of course, hot baths may not be the answer for everyone. But, as Bustle notes, they may be a good go-to while waiting the four-to-six weeks it can take for antidepressants to start working.

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • How Parents Can Support Teens’ Mental Health

    How Parents Can Support Teens’ Mental Health

    Parents play a key role in connecting teens with mental health treatment and helping them learn to live with their diagnosis.

    The parents of teenagers used to fret about whether their kids were sleeping too much or “just saying no” to drugs, but today’s parents are more in tune with the mental health needs of their children, recognizing that many mental illnesses start during adolescence. 

    More than 17 million American teenagers have a mental, behavioral or emotional disorder, according to USA Today, and many times parents are key in connecting these individuals with treatment and helping them learn to live with their diagnosis.

    With suicide being the second-leading cause of death among people ages 10-34 in the U.S., talking about mental health with young people could very well save a life. 

    Still, many parents aren’t sure what the warning signs of mental illness are, especially since teenagers are general apt to be moody and withdrawn. Parents should look for sudden changes in behavior—a quick drop in school performance, a change in sleeping or eating habits, or physical pains such as stomach issues. All of these can be signs of mental illness in teens. 

    Myths and stigma about mental illness can hinder access to treatment, so it’s important to remember that mental illnesses are biological conditions, not caused by bad parenting, personal weakness or character flaws. Just like physical illnesses require expert care, so do mental illnesses.

    It’s important that parents consult with professionals such as counselors and primary care physicians to get teens the help they need. Most mental illnesses that emerge during the teenage years will become lifelong conditions. Although this is scary, connecting with the best treatment as soon as possible will help teens learn to cope with their illnesses. 

    Even when parents are able to identify that their child has a mental or emotional issue confronting them, it can be hard to talk about. However, talking is key. Ask your child how he or she is doing. If they’re not receptive to conversation, just try again later rather than pushing the issue. 

    If you suspect that something is wrong but your child insists that he or she is fine, turn to other adults in their life, like coaches, teachers or school counselors. Ask if they’ve noticed changes or behaviors that they find concerning.

    Although a medical professional may not be able to give you information about your teenager due to patient confidentiality, they are always able to listen to your concerns. 

    Finally, connecting with teenagers is important for controlling and preventing mental illness. Take walks together outside or play sports. Eat dinner together. These activities allow you to connect with your teen without the pressure of a sit-down conversation. 

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Lack Of Mental Health Resources A Global Issue

    Lack Of Mental Health Resources A Global Issue

    “All countries can be thought of as developing countries in the context of mental health,” says a new global mental health report.

    A lack of resources for those dealing with mental health issues is a major problem around the world, a new report has found. 

    The report by the Lancet Commission on Global Mental Health, which took three years to compile, was released last week at a London summit. 

    The report, which is 45 pages long, details the state of mental health treatment around the world. According to the authors—28 mental health researchers, clinicians and advocates from five continents—there are “pitifully small” levels of financial support from governments and assistance groups when it comes to mental health research and care. 

    Low-income communities, according to NPR, are being hit particularly hard. The report states that in developing countries, only one in 27 people with depression receive the necessary treatment. And in countries with more money, the care isn’t necessarily better. In fact, the report states that “all countries can be thought of as developing countries in the context of mental health.”

    The financial aspect, according to the report, is the main problem. The Lancet Commission states that funding availability is “alarmingly low” when compared to what was spent on other diseases in 2013 in comparison to mental illness.

    For example, for every year of healthy life lost to mental illness, the report found that global health donors had provided $0.85. But for HIV/AIDS, they had provided $144 for every year, and $48 for TB and malaria.

    According to psychiatrist Julian Eaton, part of the reason for the lack of funding has to do with cultural differences. 

    “In the academic world there has been an ongoing sometimes quite angry debate about whether it’s appropriate to export Western ideas about mental ill health to other countries,” Eaton told NPR.

    The stigma surrounding mental health issues also plays a role. Janice Cooper, who runs the Carter Center’s mental health center in Liberia, tells NPR that stigma is a problem in developing and developed countries. 

    “There’s ignorance, there’s the perception of contagion, there’s the notion that in some quarters this is not important,” she said. 

    According to NPR, the Commission recruited 15 youth leaders from around the world to spread messages about mental health on social media and get younger generations discussing it.

    Twenty-five-year-old Grace Gatera of Rwanda is one of the 15. She says the conflict in the country resulted in PTSD for her, as well as two suicide attempts. She tells NPR that the government doesn’t make mental health a priority. 

    “It’ll be like let’s deal with this crisis and deal with the crisis that comes after that and maybe when we get time we’ll talk about mental health,” she said. 

    Eaton says that despite the report’s findings, she and other commissioners were excited to receive the support for the summit from some international and British government organizations in addition to some private ones. They were also encouraged when royals Prince William and Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge, attended the summit. 

    “But people are yet to sign the checks,” Eaton said.

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Demand For Mental Health Resources Not Being Met On College Campuses

    Demand For Mental Health Resources Not Being Met On College Campuses

    One mental health professional estimates that almost half of colleges students who need services are not receiving them.

    College is a stressful transition for many—that’s apparent from recent mental health numbers. 

    According to Deseret News, greater numbers of college students are facing mental health challenges such as depression and anxiety, and as such, the number of students seeking help on campuses has increased.   

    Ben Locke, executive director of the Center for Collegiate Mental Health at Pennsylvania State University, tells Deseret News that the demand for mental health services is growing rapidly—about five to six times faster than enrollment. He says that since enrollment numbers help fund such services, it’s difficult for some colleges to fulfill the demand.

    The Center for Collegiate Mental Health has found that of the students seeking help, 70% have anxiety. Of those, 25% consider anxiety their main concern. These numbers, according to Deseret News, are based on 2017 data covering 160,014 students at 160 colleges.

    Additionally, a 2017 American College Health Association Survey of 63,000 students discovered that 2 in 5 students would say they are so depressed that they “struggled to function,” and 3 in 5 had felt “overwhelming anxiety” in the previous year.

    According to experts, college students may be particularly prone to such mental health struggles because of the transition from adolescence to adulthood.

    And it isn’t just the volume of students that’s an issue. According to Daniel Eisenberg, professor of health management and policy at the University of Michigan and director of the Healthy Minds Network, students’ symptoms are growing more severe.

    According to Eisenberg’s data, almost half of students who need services are not receiving them.

    Randy P. Auerbach of Columbia University and lead author of a study about mental health in college students worldwide, says the problem needs to be addressed. 

    “We are seeing debilitating levels of anxiety that are more and more common—where, by the time they get to college, students are so worried about different aspects of their lives it can be a real problem. Students struggling with very severe symptoms who don’t get treatment are likely to have consequences.”

    On some campuses, students are taking the matter into their own hands. At the University of Michigan, student body president Bobby Dishell and some of his peers had begun a program called the Wolverine Support Network. The idea was that students could form small groups and offer one another support. 

    Sam Orley, whose brother George took his own life when he was a student at the university, served as the executive director of the program. Orley said that rather than being a program for mental illness, the Wolverine Support Network is a “holistic mental health and well-being effort.”

    In some cases, the struggles college students are facing may be downplayed, according to Kelly Davis, director of peer advocacy, supports and services for Mental Health America.

    “There’s a lot of condescension—dismissal of how hard that period of life is,” Davis told Deseret News. 

    Last spring, Deseret News sat down with students to discuss their fears and worries. Topping the list were fear of missing out, fear of failure and job competition.

    “The bar is just so high for everything,” one student said in conclusion.  

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • How To Tell If A Child Is Battling Anxiety

    How To Tell If A Child Is Battling Anxiety

    Though child anxiety can sometimes take longer to diagnose, it is very treatable once diagnosed.

    What initially appears as bad behavior in children can actually be signs of an underlying issue — anxiety disorders. 

    According to the Washington Post, anxiety disorders are increasing in youth, especially during the school year.

    A study recently published in the Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics makes the estimate that about 2 million children and adolescents in the U.S. have a diagnosable anxiety disorder. 

    When it comes to anxiety in children, it can be difficult to diagnose since it can present as negative behaviors. 

    “We tend to think of anxious children as these delicate little butterflies, but when kids are scared, they can be ferocious about trying to escape or avoid anxiety-provoking situations,” Eileen Kennedy-Moore, child psychologist and author of Kid Confidence, told the Post. 

    Susan Newman, psychologist and author of The Book of No, explains that sometimes children can have feelings of anxiety for the first time and don’t always know how to react.  

    “Children today are stressed on so many fronts: challenged socially, academically, having to cope with physical changes and development, the demands and influence of social media, trying to fit in and be accepted. It’s no wonder they show evidence of anxiety,” Newman told the Post. “Parents should ask questions about anything they notice or want to understand to show their interest and love for their child. Children want to be heard and listened to, even if they tell you to stop being nosy.”

    When it comes to anxiety in children, there are some warning signs, though all children differ. One, according to the Post, is psychosomatic complaints. 

    “Kids don’t usually come home from school saying, ‘I felt really anxious at school today,’ but they do say things like, ‘I have a terrible stomachache; I can’t go back to school tomorrow,’” the Post notes. “Frequent stomach aches, headaches and unexplained muscle aches and pains can all be symptoms of anxiety.”

    Other signs include anger and irritability, sadness, isolation and avoidance, fatigue, poor concentration, school refusal and frequent questions.

    Just like signs of anxiety can differ from child to child, so can triggers. Triggers can include genetics, academic pressure, bullying, big transitions, loss and violence or abuse. 

    Though child anxiety can sometimes take longer to diagnose, it is very treatable when that diagnosis is made, according to the Post. Through identifying triggers and learning coping skills, children and parents can learn to take control of anxiety. 

    “A pediatrician is a good first stop to rule out or diagnose possible medical issues and to refer a licensed mental health practitioner who specializes in working with children,” the Post reads. “Cognitive behavioral therapy and dialectical behavioral therapy can be very effective treatment options for children with anxiety.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Chance The Rapper Pledges $1 Million For Mental Health

    Chance The Rapper Pledges $1 Million For Mental Health

    “We want to change the way that mental health resources are being accessed,” Chance said at a summit for his nonprofit, SocialWorks.

    As one of the more prominent hip hop artists to speak out about mental health, Chance the Rapper is putting his money where his mouth is by pledging $1 million to mental health services in Chicago.

    According to Rolling Stone, this is part of a new mental health initiative that Chance has launched called My State of Mind, which could grow into a major resource for people in the Chicago area who need help.

    As part of this initiative, six mental health wellness providers in Chicago will receive grants for $100,000 each.

    Chance announced his pledge at a summit for his nonprofit SocialWorks, stating, “We want to change the way that mental health resources are being accessed. We need a new space where people can get information on how they feel, on where to go and a network for us to interact and review our mental health spaces, and create a community of people helping people.”

    Chance has seen a lot of devastation in the south side of Chicago, a large part of the city which has been ravaged by gun violence. 

    Brad Stolbach, a clinical director at a Chicago treatment center, told The Root, “Every time a person gets shot, especially a young person, there are literally hundreds of people who are affected by that shooting.”

    Stolbach adds that the victims left behind are “not thought about.”

    Research studies showed that areas that have the most gun violence also have the highest rates of hospitalization for depression, anxiety, and PTSD, among other mental health disorders.

    When Chicago cut $113.7 million in funds for mental health services, Chance spoke out against the Mayor Rahm Emanuel for closing down six mental health clinics in 2012.

    Last year, Chance the Rapper told Complex, “A really big conversation and idea that I’m getting introduced to right now is black mental health. Cause for a long time that wasn’t a thing that we talked about. I don’t remember, when I was growing up, that really being a thing. Now I’m starting to get a better understanding of that part of my life.”

    Even though Chance experienced traumatic events growing up, he added, “I don’t ever want to convince myself that I’m hindered by any of my experiences. There’s definitely a lot of things that have happened in my life that would cause me to think a certain way or feel a certain way. But I don’t label those experiences as traumatic events. They are events that were paradigm shifts in my life, but I don’t know if they caused a disadvantage.” 

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Heather Locklear Addresses Addiction On Instagram

    Heather Locklear Addresses Addiction On Instagram

    “Addiction is ferocious and will try to take you down. Recovery is the best revenge.”

    Heather Locklear, the TV star best known for role on Melrose Place has had a difficult year. She’s been making headlines for her struggles with addiction and mental health, including several trips to treatment. Locklear is also currently facing a hearing on September 27 on charges of battery on a police officer and an EMT who were called to her home.

    Recently, the actress took to Instagram to address addiction and recovery. Locklear had taken a step back from social media for several months before coming back in August, and several postings have touched on her recent troubles, with hopes for a better tomorrow.

    On September 19, she posted, “Addiction is ferocious and will try to take you down. Recovery is the best revenge. Be kind to everyone you meet, your light just might change their path.”

    She ended her post saying, “Rest in peace beautiful Josh. You touched my [heart emoji].” (It’s currently unclear who Josh is, but reports claim he was a friend of Locklear’s who lost his own battle with addiction.)

    In another, she left a message that read,  “Love yourself…enough to take the actions required for your happiness…enough to cut yourself loose from the drama-filled past…enough to set a high standard for relationships…enough to feed your mind and body in a healthy manner…enough to forgive yourself…enough to move on.”

    In another post, Locklear shared a photo of the Maria Shriver book, I’ve Been Thinking…Reflections, Prayers, and Meditations for a Meaningful Life.

    In June, Locklear was arrested on two counts of battery on emergency personnel who were called to her home, with Sgt. Eric Buschow of the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department telling CNN she was “extremely intoxicated and very uncooperative” at the time of her arrest.

    After her arrest, Locklear reportedly checked into rehab for the second time this year. 

    She has reportedly gone to rehab seven times, first checking into a facility in Arizona for anxiety and depression in 2008.

    She was later arrested the same year for suspicion of driving under the influence of prescription meds (the charges were later dismissed.) Locklear also reportedly did a one-month rehab stay in March 2017.

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Experts Release New Guidelines For Treating Women With Depression

    Experts Release New Guidelines For Treating Women With Depression

    A panel of mental health professionals created new guidelines to get more women help with their mood disorders during middle age. 

    A team of medical professionals has released new guidelines for evaluating and treating depression in perimenopausal women, after finding that the condition is common in the years leading up to menopause. 

    “Perimenopause is a window of vulnerability for the development of both depressive symptoms and major depressive episodes,” Pauline Maki, lead study author and professor of psychology and psychiatry in the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine, told Chicago Tonight. “The recent suicide of Kate Spade at 55 years of age shows the seriousness of mental health issues in midlife women, a group that has shown a 45% increase in suicide rates over the past 15 years.”

    Researchers found that in the three to four years before menopause, the time when periods become irregular and women experience symptoms including hot flashes, women are at an increased risk for depression. The risk is greatest for women with a history of depression, but it is also increased for those with no depressive background. 

    “If there is underlying low-level depression to begin with, perimenopause can increase the intensity of depressive symptoms,” Maki said.

    Despite the prevalence, Maki said that depression during middle age has been largely ignored by the medical community. That’s why a panel from the North American Menopause Society and the National Network of Depression Centers Women and Mood Disorders Task Group came together to form the guidelines in hopes of getting more women help with their mood disorders during middle age. 

    Maki says the message from the research and recommendations is two-fold. 

    “If your mood is low, if you’re feeling irritable, I want (women) to understand there is a consensus that this is normal during menopause,” she said. However, “this is something women don’t have to live with,” she added. 

    Maki speculates that hormonal changes in the brain, combined with life stressors including caring for adult children and aging parents, increase the risk for depression in the years before menopause. 

    “When you add in hormonal changes that can affect the brain’s ability to cope with these stressors, it’s no surprise that depression is a common occurrence in midlife women,” she said.

    Even low-level depression can have an impact on a person’s quality of life, so doctors and patients should be open to treating depression with antidepressants and therapy, Maki said. Hormone therapy to treat the physical symptoms of menopause—particularly hot flashes that interrupt sleep—can also improve depressive symptoms. 

    “It is important for women and their health care providers to recognize that these symptoms are common during perimenopause and can be treated,” she said. “By treating some menopausal symptoms, we can help overcome some of the depression symptoms.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Can Ketamine Use Trigger Opioid-Like Dependency?

    Can Ketamine Use Trigger Opioid-Like Dependency?

    Researchers investigated whether ketamine works on depression by acting like an opioid in the brain.

    Though ketamine has gained the support of some mental health professionals as a possible therapy for depression, a new study suggests that the drug’s anti-depressive qualities may also have a hidden and potentially dangerous side effect: ketamine may offer relief from depressive symptoms by activating the body’s opioid system, which in turn may make some users dependent upon it, like an opioid.

    In an editorial that accompanied the study, Dr. Mark George, professor of psychiatry, radiology and neuroscience at the Medical University of South Carolina, wrote, “We would hate to treat the depression and suicide epidemics by overusing ketamine, which might unintentionally grow the third head of opioid dependence.”

    The study, conducted by researchers from Stanford University and published in the August 2018 edition of the American Journal of Psychiatry, was comprised of a double-blind crossover of 30 adults with treatment-resistant depression, which was defined as having tried at least four antidepressants and receiving no benefit from them.

    The authors looked at 14 of the patients—of which 12 had received, in randomized order, two doses of 0.5 mg of ketamine—once after receiving 50 mg of naltrexone (or Vivitrol) which blocks the brain’s opiate receptors and diminishes cravings for opioids; and once after receiving a placebo instead of the naltrexone—with the injections occurring about a month apart. 

    The goal of the study was to determine whether the naltrexone and ketamine combination would reduce the latter drug’s antidepressant qualities, or its dissociative or opioid-like response.

    The authors’ analysis found that when patients received the placebo/ketamine combination, they experienced what Live Science called a “dramatic reduction” of their depressive symptoms. But the naltrexone/ketamine combination appeared to have no effect on their symptoms.

    Additionally, those participants who received naltrexone experienced the dissociative effects of ketamine, which include hallucinations, which prompted the authors to cut the study short to avoid exposing more participants to a “clearly ineffective and noxious combination treatment,” as the study noted.

    The scope of the study was small, and as George (who was not involved in the study) noted, additional research is required in order to determine if the ketamine’s antidepressant qualities are caused by its impact on opioid receptors or another receptor. He ultimately expressed caution in regard to using ketamine for the treatment of depression.

    “Ketamine clinics that do not focus on accurate diagnosis, use proper symptom rating instruments and discuss long-term treatment options are likely not in patients’ best interests,” he wrote in the editorial. “We need to better understand ketamine’s mode of action and how it should be used and administered.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Can Nerve Stimulation Help Depression?

    Can Nerve Stimulation Help Depression?

    Researchers discovered that using vagus nerve stimulators to treat depression changed patients’ quality of life.

    A new study has shown that nerve stimulation can improve quality of life for depression patients, even if their symptoms aren’t totally alleviated. 

    “When evaluating patients with treatment-resistant depression, we need to focus more on their overall well-being,” lead author Charles R. Conway, MD, a Washington University professor of psychiatry, told Science Daily. “A lot of patients are on as many as three, four or five antidepressant medications, and they are just barely getting by. But when you add a vagus nerve stimulator, it really can make a big difference in people’s everyday lives.”

    For the study, published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, researchers followed about 600 patients who were being treated for depression. Some continued “treatment as usual,” which could include medication, electro-convulsive therapy, talk therapy or a combination of these.

    The researchers compared these individuals with 328 people who continued with their usual treatment, but were also given vagus nerve stimulators, which are implanted in the neck or chest and deliver regular, mild pulses of electricity to the brain. 

    Comparing 14 measurements including relationships, physical health and ability to work, researchers found that people with the stimulators had a better quality of life. 

    “On about 10 of the 14 measures, those with vagus nerve stimulators did better,” Conway said. “For a person to be considered to have responded to a depression therapy, he or she needs to experience a 50% percent decline in his or her standard depression score. But we noticed, anecdotally, that some patients with stimulators reported they were feeling much better even though their scores were only dropping 34 to 40%.”

    This suggests that the nerve stimulation can improve life for people with depression, even if it doesn’t put the depression into remission. Study participant Charles Donovan was hospitalized for depression multiple times and found treatments ineffective until he got a vagus nerve stimulator. 

    “Before the stimulator, I never wanted to leave my home,” he said. “It was stressful to go to the grocery store. I couldn’t concentrate to sit and watch a movie with friends. But after I got the stimulator, my concentration gradually returned. I could do things like read a book, read the newspaper, watch a show on television. Those things improved my quality of life.”

    Conway said that stimulating the vagus nerve might enable people to concentrate better, which makes their day-to-day lives better.

    “It improves alertness, and that can reduce anxiety,” he said. “And when a person feels more alert and more energetic and has a better capacity to carry out a daily routine, anxiety and depression levels decline.”

    View the original article at thefix.com