Adult Depression and Childhood Abuse

Adult Depression and Childhood Abuse

Depression runs in families. So does abuse. "Studies show that one in four girls and one in eight boys are sexually abused before the age of 18, and one in twenty children are physically abused each year." But sexual and emotional abuse, in particular, is woefully under reported. Most abused children grow up in an atmosphere of denial - denial by the adults around them and, for the most part, denial within themselves as a means of survival. Ultimately it is the secrecy around the abuse that helps to foster the depression. Additionally, neurobiology has expanded our understanding of how emotions affect brain chemistry. Traumatic events - such as any form of childhood abuse (sexual, emotional, physical) or neglect, changes the chemistry of the brain. These events can reshape wiring patterns and reset responses to them so that even a small degree of stress can produce an overabundance of stress hormones that in turn create anxiety and depression.

Common Symptoms Of Adolescent Depression

Common Symptoms Of Adolescent Depression

There are a number of signs that point in the direction of an adolescent having adolescent depression. These symptoms include changes in appetite, changes in sleep pattern, loss of involvement in normally popular activities, irritableness and sometimes unreasonable reaction to frustration and last but most certainly not least, statements of despair.
Changes in appetite or in eating pattern are a common and pretty strong sign of adolescent depression. In fact, it's among the key symptoms. More specific, the symptoms may be eating too much, eating too little, or even not eating altogether for a prolonged period of time. These signs of adolescent depression should not be mistaken for an eating disorder. However, sometimes these key symptoms could evolve into more neurotic behaviors, particularly whenever the patient starts to feel better after a change in diet.
Much like changes in appetite or in eating pattern, changes in sleep and in sleep pattern are also characteristics of adolescent depression though the behavior varies from person to person. Nevertheless, a drastic change in sleep behavior without any rational reason whatsoever should be considered to be a pretty strong and not to be neglected pointer.
There are a number of signs that point in the direction of an adolescent having adolescent depression. These symptoms include changes in appetite, changes in sleep pattern, loss of involvement in normally popular activities, irritableness and sometimes unreasonable reaction to frustration and last but most certainly not least, statements of despair.
Changes in appetite or in eating pattern are a common and pretty strong sign of adolescent depression. In fact, it's among the key symptoms. More specific, the symptoms may be eating too much, eating too little, or even not eating altogether for a prolonged period of time. These signs of adolescent depression should not be mistaken for an eating disorder. However, sometimes these key symptoms could evolve into more neurotic behaviors, particularly whenever the patient starts to feel better after a change in diet.
Much like changes in appetite or in eating pattern, changes in sleep and in sleep pattern are also characteristics of adolescent depression though the behavior varies from person to person. Nevertheless, a drastic change in sleep behavior without any rational reason whatsoever should be considered to be a pretty strong and not to be neglected pointer.

Depression and Genetic Predisposition

Depression and Genetic Predisposition

Depression and Genetic Predisposition: Can depression be genetic? I find the articles of most interest to be those that seem to be making a lot of progress in the study of genetics and mental illness including a genetic link to ADHD. Even though these studies are in the very early stages, they shed some new light on mental illness and "maybe" some promise of a break through down the road. Depression and genetic predisposition is in the forefront of many studies today. Can depression be genetic or is depression genetically inherited are questions that are often asked of me. Is there a suicide gene? Certain studies have claimed to isolate parts of the brain and genes that may be responsible for depression; and other articles claim that the environment can alter the genes which would give someone a predisposition to depression or other mental illnesses. Still other research has claimed that toxins or deficiencies or a plethora of vitamins in early development can also lead to mental illness.
To say that the cause of an illness of any sort is genetic is somewhat of a vacuous answer. We can then ask what was the cause of the illness in the ancestor that passed this gene along; and on and on we go. Somewhere in the family of origin, somebody had to be the "prime cause" or "first cause" that introduced this illness to the family gene pool. Now the question of whether the prime cause was a gene mutation or environmental issue cannot be avoided. This also entails another issue viz. if mental illness is initially introduced to a particular gene pool by means other than DNA, then of logical necessity-mental illness can still be caused by factors other than DNA. The question then becomes, what are some of the possible causes of mental illness, are they biological, genetic mutations, environmental stressors, toxins...

Parkinson's Disease

Parkinson's Disease

The onset of Parkinson's disease is usually between the ages of 50 and 70. The difference in incidence between men and women is not statistically significant. While the symptoms are certainly troublesome and can eventually result in the total loss of mobility, death as a direct result of Parkinson's disease is uncommon and the life expectancy for a Parkinson's patient has over the last decade or so grown very close to that of the population in general.
The most common and usually first obvious symptom of Parkinson's disease is a tremor. The tremor is often observed in the hand and lower arm but tremors of the leg are also quite common. There is a large variation from patient to patient as to where in the body the tremor appears. Early in the disease process the tremor often decreases substantially with muscle activity. For example the tremor will often decrease or appear to go away when a patient reaches for an object. Once the hand is back at rest the tremor will return. It is also unusual to see any tremors during sleep.