Month: April 2017

Mental State of Moms Influenced Kids’ Health

Mental State of Mothers deeply Influence Kids’ Well Being

The children of mentally ill parents especially mothers have a higher risk of developing mental illnesses themselves over the course of their lives. This known risk must be taken into account in the practical provision of health care.

The increased psychiatric risk for children of mentally ill parents is due partly to genetic influences and partly to an impairment of the parent-child interaction because of the parent’s illness. Furthermore, adverse factors are more frequent in these families, as well as a higher risk for child abuse. Genetic and psychosocial factors interact with one another. For example, genetic factors moderate environmental effects; that is, the effect of adverse environmental factors depends on the genetic substrate.

Infancy and early childhood

The following alterations of parental behavior affect the child during infancy and early childhood:

  • Depression reduces maternal empathy and emotional availability.
  • The mother’s ability to perceive the child’s signals, interpret them correctly, and respond promptly and appropriately is limited.
  • Maternal eye contact, smiling, speaking, imitating, caressing, and interactive games are all reduced compared to the normal situation.

The kindergarten and elementary school years

The following alterations of parental behavior commonly affect the child in this developmental phase:

  • Mothers tend to perceive their children as being more than normally difficult.
  • Verbal communication is reduced.
  • In the context of new developmental tasks, mothers find it difficult to control their children’s behavior and to set boundaries.
  • Mothers sometimes react with excessive anxiety and restrict their children’s expansive tendencies too much (vacillation between permissive and controlling child-rearing styles).
  • Positive comments that reinforce the child’s self-esteem are more rarely expressed.

Preventive measures

Time and again, one sees children who are able to overcome these stresses without any apparent damage, even under the least favorable environmental circumstances. The concept of resilience indicates that many individuals undergo a relatively good mental development even though they have been exposed to risk factors that can often cause serious illness. The goal of resilience research is to identify the mechanisms that explain this variability of developmental course, and thereby to point the way to effective preventive strategies.

Preventive strategies for the risk group that consists of the children of mentally ill parents must involve reducing the psychosocial stresses to which they are frequently subject, as well as reinforcing individual and societal protective factors in order to enable normal development. To date, however, there are very few preventive strategies for this risk group whose effectiveness has been tested in randomized, controlled studies

Depression increases risk of Dementia

Is Depression Known to Increase risk of Dementia Multifold?

Lot of things has been researched and studied in the field of mysteries of Alzheimer’s disease and other form of dementia. One of the very interesting areas of research is depression and its connection with dementia.  Depression is known to create impact in people with dementia in following two different ways.

  1. Individuals who have significant depression are at higher risk of developing dementia.
  2. People who are having dementia have depression too which if left untreated worsen confusion and forgetfulness further disrupting the quality of life.

Contribution from Studies on Connection of Depression and Dementia

Dementia and depression are mental health problems that are commonly encountered in neuropsychiatric practice in the elderly. Approximately, half of the patients with late-onset depression have cognitive impairment. The prevalence of depression in dementias has been reported to be between 9 and 68%. Depression has been both proposed to be a risk factor for dementia as well as a prodrome of dementia. The relationship between the two disorders is far from conclusive.

The relationship between depression and dementia is far from clear with the existing body of evidence pointing to a complex interaction. There is a need to sort out several methodological limitations that hinder us from elucidating the relationship. Some of these may include use of uniformed criteria for cognitive impairment, operationalizing, and validating criteria for depression in dementia, using better instruments to measure depression and cognitive impairment when they coexist. This area has enormous public health implications considering our growing elder population, and there is a need to understand the mechanisms involved in the association of these two disorders.

Relationship between these two major illnesses

There are several ways in which depression could be related to dementia and cognitive impairment. First, both being common conditions, they could occur together in the same individual by chance alone. Second, in some individuals, cognitive impairment and depressive symptoms could both be manifestations of the same brain disease. Third, individuals experiencing cognitive deficits could become depressed as a reaction to recognizing their losses and poor prognosis. Fourth, depression might unmask a dementia which had until then remained undetected. Fifth, depression itself could be an independent risk factor for the future development of dementia; this seems a more plausible explanation when the individual has had early-onset recurrent or chronic depression than if the depression occurs for the first time shortly before the dementia is manifested. Finally, these are not mutually exclusive possibilities.

Depression Affects The Body

Effects of depression on the body and its well being

Depression and stress are closely related. Stress hormones are known to increase the heart rate and make blood vessels tighten. This puts the body in a permanent state of urgency and emergency. This can cause heart diseases in the long run.

There has been many studies and in particular a study from Harvard Medical School which proved that the patients who are suffering from depression when hospitalized for heart diseases, are two to five times likelier to have severe chest pain, stroke, attack over the course of 1-2 years.  Cardiovascular problems recurrence is more closely linked to depression as compared to conventionally thought diseases like smoking, diabetes, high blood pressure, or high cholesterol. Heart disease on another angle can also cause depression.

Depression and Blood Glucose

Depression and hyperglycemia are known to be a recurring condition. In hyperglycemia the body is not able to tolerate glucose and it can lead to kidney diseases and type 2 Diabetes.

Weaker Immune System

Recognizing the symptoms of depression early on is important since it slowly weakens the immune system of the body. The T-cells of the body are impaired by depression which can lead to conditions such as asthma, heart conditions, osteoarthritis and autoimmune disorders.

Depression can cause physical symptoms and may worsen certain physical illnesses or conditions.

Depression Causes Physical Symptoms

Depression is known to effect and worsen many physical conditions such as:

  1. Increased aches and pains,
  2. Chronic fatigue
  3. Decreased interest in sex
  4. Decreased appetite
  5. Insomnia, lack of deep sleep, or oversleeping

Depression can in another way affect the weight, diet patter and appetite leading to diseases like obesity-related illnesses, type 2 diabetes, etc. Many other people lose their appetite, others might have stomachaches, cramps, constipation, or malnutrition.

Competition Leads to Depression In Girls

Competition Leads to Depression In Girls – Truth and facts

Competition is everywhere and almost inevitable in the current times. All people whether small or big are exposed it to it. It is both good as well as bad. Competing to win is very important for girls’ social relationships and it may cause depression if they lose or do not come first. The scenario for boys is completely different. According to the study performed by Dr. David Hibbard from California State University and Dr. Duane Buhrmester from the University of Texas The consequences of this completion on psychological well-being and social role in adolescents depends on both the type of competitiveness and the teenager’s gender.

In a competing world, one is set to win and others are set to lose. If the spirit of competition is taken far from just winning and losing, it may lead to selfishness and lack of compassion. It can affect people socially and emotionally. People of different genders have different effects of these changes.

Teenage Girls leading to depression

 

  1. Lack of fun – study days are mix of the cycle – Learn. Revise. Eat. Sleep. Repeat. This makes some students crumble under pressure and go deep in depression. The fun need to be there and has to be mixed just well with studies.
  2. Relationships and commitments are important. We all need care and affection and this is what girls need when they are in college or school. Knowing what they are going through is a sure shot way to take early pointers for any problem areas.
  3. Dying dreams – Know what the girls are really looking to do in their life. The competition is fierce. If the child is working towards something which is not their dream – half of their battle is lost. So know their dream or build one for them.

Sickening competition – this has been the issue with every one of us. The ever increasing population has made everyone run faster than other to take the limited fruits hanging in the future.  You’re a dancer? That’s not enough. You have to be an excellent dancer. You’re a coder? Watch her code in Python. She’s better than you.  You’re a singer? See she has a higher pitch than yours.