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welcome! to anxieties 101!
after looking things over here at anxieties 101,
try out "the layer down under," (part of the emotional feelings network of sites) & read a special "i
just gotta say it" column concerning porn addiction by clicking here! Be sure to scroll down towards the bottom of the right hand column to find it!


Making the site work best for you!
You'll
notice that there are many underlined link words in each article below. The reason for this is that you've reached
not only, "anxieties 101," but the emotional feelings network
of sites. There are many sites included within the network that will be visited by clicking on these underlined link
words. They're all linked together thru the underlined link words to offer the opportunity for a more thorough understanding
of whatever problem you're investigating!
The reason for this opportunity
is very simple & yet you may be unnerved by all those underlined words! I've been in recovery from post traumatic stress disorder, depression & many other dysfunctional ventures & thru it all I've discovered that emotion & feeling
work may be the missing link that many people miss when trying to find solutions to their problems.
Developing a sense of curiosity about why you feel the way you do, is essential in finding the solution you so desperately are searching for. If you
can't find what you came here looking for, visit the homepage for the emotional feelings network of sites by clicking here & read the options on
the homepage for the networks index of sites. Try to be specific when looking for an emotion or feeling & click on the
site you need!
It's very simple & very
interesting to follow your way thru the layers of your buried or stuffed emotions & feelings that have accumulated throughout
the years!
Best of luck & if you're
still stuck, send me an e-mail anytime, by clicking here & I'll be glad to send you an immediate personal response!
Sincerely,
Kathleen
it's in the news.... latest statistics on people experiencing depression!
D epression
& anxiety are the most common psychiatric disorders
seen in primary-care practice;1
the symptoms of both are
familiar to primary-care practitioners.
Unfortunately, fewer than
50% of the people who
have depression actually ask for help, according to the National Mental Health Association.
July 2006
Major depression (or Depressive Illness)
A serious
mental illness that can lead to:
-
Inability to function
-
Suicide
-
Depressed mood
-
Difficulty performing simple daily tasks
-
Disinterest in usual activities
-
Extreme fatigue
-
-
-
Likely to lose touch w/reality
-
Delusions or hallucinations
Depression can strike at any age,
including in childhood. Studies in the US show that:
Have some form of depression.
Over the course of a person’s life, the probability
of developing a major depressive disorder (MDD) in the United States is 17%.
In a 2004 study, the rates of MDD were highest (just
over 10%
per year) in people aged 18-25 and aged 35-49. 3
Almost 9% of persons
aged 26-34 experienced MDD; in the 50-64 age category, 7.6%
of persons experienced such an event. Persons older than
65 (1.3%) were least likely to experience MDD.
The most common time
of onset is early middle age. Until recently it wasn't recognized as such a problem w/in our senior citizen population. Depression can be a reaction to:
-
The facts of growing older
-
The death of a spouse or friends
-
Physical limitations of age
-
The impending confrontation w/death
Elderly widowers are
particularly susceptible to suicide. The highest percentage of suicide in the US is in elderly men. Difficult life transitions
can trigger the onset of anxiety or depression.
It's truly alarming!!
The nearly 2/3 of depressed people that don't get proper treatment:
- These people may be seen as weak or lazy
- Some symptoms are so disabling that the people affected can't reach out for help
- Very often the symptoms are misdiagnosed as physical problems.
- Many find that their individual symptoms are treated, rather than the underlying cause



Being honest w/your primary care physician about your symptoms
is a first step in recognizing that you need help. Remember you have nothing to be ashamed of. Mental illness is a medical disorder.
-
Convey your concern that perhaps your symptoms are those of depression or anxiety or another mental illness.
- If the doctor is cautious & prescribes a certain treatment for a possible physical illness; you can choose to wait & see
if the symptoms improve over a 4 - 8 week period.
- If the symptoms persist, or worsen before the 4 - 8 week period is over, advise your doctor immediately, asking once again
for a referral to a mental health professional.
- It's important to rely on expert medical advice concerning your health, both physical & mental. Don't use this informational content
(like this website) in replacement of care from a medical or mental health professional.
This is only information as to the guidelines for concern over mental illness.

Signs & Symptoms
While it's normal for most people to feel "down in the
dumps" on occasion, a person w/major depression feels significantly depressed for a prolonged period of time, has difficulty enjoying acts that were once pleasurable & experiences
at least 5 of the following symptoms for 2 weeks or more:


Symptoms of Depression
& Mania
Not everyone who's depressed or manic experiences every symptom. Some people experience a few symptoms, some many. Severity of
symptoms varies w/individuals & also varies over time.
Depression
- Persistent sad, anxious or "empty" mood
- Feelings of hopelessness, pessimism
- Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, helplessness
- Loss of interest or pleasure in hobbies & activities that
were once enjoyed, including sex
- Decreased energy, fatigue, being "slowed down"
- Difficulty concentrating, remembering, making decisions
- Insomnia, early-morning awakening or oversleeping
- Appetite &/or weight loss or overeating & weight gain
- Thoughts of death or suicide; suicide attempts
- Restlessness, irritability
- Persistent physical symptoms that don't respond to treatment,
such as headaches, digestive disorders & chronic pain
Mania
The more researchers discover concerning depression,
the more we get to understand thru their findings what depression is doing to our minds
& our bodies.
click the following links to webmd's new descriptions of emotional symptoms & then the new physical
symptoms as well!



Factors that predispose
someone toward depression. Many of us struggle for many
years to overcome depression. At one end of the spectrum of prolonged depression are people whose depression is mild - they just consider themselves
"not very happy."
At the other end
are people who are often severely depressed & frequently consider suicide. Has this
been a problem for you or someone you care about? What are some of the factors that predispose someone to feel depressed over a long
period of time?
First, remember that these
factors work by causing the person to frequently be in a state of underchallenge & underarousal. These factors
keep them from harmonious functioning. Important values & parts of themselves aren't being engaged at a challenging, fun level or they aren't being satisfied at all.
The person may often be in
a goal-less, "meaningless" mental state. These factors are dealt in other chapters, but this is the only place that they're
summarized as a whole. I'll briefly discuss them & their solutions. Study the depression
causes table.

1. Low internal control, coping skills, or assertiveness. People who are habitually
depressed often lack internal control & assertiveness. Often assertion training can help them not only become more successful w/others, but can help them get out of their depression. People who are habitually depressed also often lack self-direction, initiative, or self-management skills.
Emotional coping skills
is another area frequently lacking in people who are habitually depressed.
2. Negative world views & self views often cause depression. Depression may not be so much that you're really so inadequate or have too high expectations. It may be caused by how you view yourself or the world. If you view yourself as bad or stupid no matter what you do, then
you'll feel depression.
If you view the
world (or other people) as so negative, hostile, or different from you, that you "don't have a chance" to succeed, then you'll feel depressed.

3.Too
much self-denial can cause depression. A woman I saw was a cardiac nurse. She knew the signs of a heart
attack. She started getting those signs - such as excruciating chest pains - 3 days before her daughter's wedding. Yet
she didn't tell anyone or see a doctor; because she knew it was so bad, he would hospitalize her.
She feared it would disrupt her daughter's wedding. While she was dancing at the reception, her chest pains were so bad, she thought she would probably die right there.
That is self-denial - putting her own life at risk to make sure her daughter's wedding was undisturbed. What
would you do in a similar circumstance?
When we make choices that
deny important parts of ourselves -important biological needs, values, or goals - it can cause those parts to feel depressed & lower our overall motivation & happiness (even when other parts may feel happy).
People may habitually
choose self-denial when they put all their energy into meeting long-term goals such as working
exceptionally long hours to get a college degree or obtain career success.
Another cause of habitual
self-denial is a belief system that puts too high a value on sacrificing ones own values & happiness for others. Many parents teach their children that their children's needs aren't important or teach them that they "don't deserve" to be happy.
These children
may grow up believing a dark cloud follows them; they're so "bad" or incompetent that they don't deserve anything good. Therefore, they automatically
feel guilty whenever they think about something fun for themselves & often choose to not pursue such "selfish" goals. The result is a life of self-deprivation & depression.
What if you're one of these
people? What do you do about it? The solution is to confront the original belief systems that cause the self-denial & strengthen belief systems (such as the Higher Self) that support personal happiness.
Focus on areas of greatest
deprivation (sex? fun? play? artistic interests? spending money on yourself? taking time to be alone? etc.)
Then make practical goals & plans for leading a more personally rewarding life. Schedule these new activities into your
daily & weekly & monthly plans.

Depression Common Among Baby Boomers
Women are also at higher risk than men, survey finds


Depression Intensifies From One Generation to the Next
Children with family history more than twice as likely to develop mood disorders, study finds
WEDNESDAY,
Jan. 12 (HealthDayNews) -- Depression intensifies from one generation to the next, says a study in the January issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry.
The
study found that nearly 60% of children whose parents & grandparents suffered depression experienced anxiety disorders during their prepubescent years & developed depression as they became adolescents.
That's
more than double the number of children (about 28%) with no family history of depression who developed anxiety & depression.
Researchers
from Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) & the New York State Psychiatric Institute (NYSPI) began studying 47 first-generation
family members in 1982 & interviewed 86 of their children as they grew into adulthood.
They
then collected data from 161 members of the third generation, average age 12.
"We
have shown that the risk of depression is carried thru
several generations & that it intensifies as more generations are affected,"
study author Myrna Weissman, a professor of psychiatry & epidemiology at CUMC & chief of the department of clinical
& genetic epidemiology at NYSPI, said in a prepared statement.
"Children
with a two-generation family history of depression develop anxiety disorders earlier than other children & tend to experience more impairment," she said.
"Children
of parents & grandparents with depression are at extremely high risk for mood
& anxiety disorders even when they're very young. They should be considered for treatment if they develop anxiety disorders, or at least monitored very closely," Weissman said.
More
information
The
U.S. National Institute of Mental Health has more about depression (www.nimh.nih.gov ).

Men & Women w/Depression
-
Men are less likely to suffer from depression than women, although there are 3 to 4 million men in the US who're affected by the illness.
-
Men are less likely to admit to or seek help for
depression & doctors are less likely to suspect it
-
-
-
-
Men are also less willing than a woman to seek
help, although they do realize that they're depressed
-
They have extreme difficulty in asking anyone for
help because they would have to openly admit to being depressed
-
Men tend to believe that depression is a character weakness instead of a "mental illness."
-



Love Beats Depression for Women, Not Men
Relationships study found big gender differences
Wednesday
Feb. 9 (HealthDay News) Love may banish the blues for women more easily than for men, according to a new study.
Supportive, loving relationships offer women protection against major depression but don't seem to play a role in male depression,
say researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University.
In their study of 1,000 pairs
of adult, opposite-sex, fraternal twins, the Virginia team found that the female twins were more apt to fall into depression if they felt they received low levels of emotional support from spouses, parents & other relatives, compared to their brothers.
"In women, social support was a robust predictor of risk for depression," study lead author Dr. Kenneth S. Kendler,
a professor of psychiatry & human genetics, said in a prepared statement. "Women who saw themselves as more
loved & cared for & objectively well integrated in positive social groups were well protected against later episodes of major depression," he added.

"However, among the men we found virtually no effect. In this large sample, we could find no relationship in men between their levels of social support & their risk for depression. These findings suggest that men may be more 'immune' or
less sensitive to aspects of their social environment w/respect to their risk for depression," Kendler
said.
The study appears
in the February issue of the American Journ
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