Iraq war veterans suffering from depression

Soldiers returning home from Iraq are found to be suffering from depression during their first months at home, according to a new study. The number of veterans sustained brain injuries at about 320,000. They are caused by the post traumatic stress disorder and severe Chronic Depression. The soldiers suffer from depression and alcoholism. The symptoms appears after a months. The adjustment struggle was more profound for the National Guard troops and reservists than it was for the active-duty soldiers.

According to the study conducted by the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, about 42% of the Guard and reserves compared to 20% of active-duty soldiers needed mental health treatment in two screenings. The first testing was immediately after return from Iraq and the second after six months. Problems became more severe in the second screening with rise in interpersonal problems and difficulty in adjusting in home.

The study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that over 88,000 returning soldiers showed signs of depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, conflicts in relationship and other problems after six months. The screening techniques for stress disorders are improved vastly.

According to the study some active soldiers avoid the diagnosis of mental health, fearing the negative consequences diagnosed with a stress disorder or depression and about an 19.5% veterans receive a traumatic brain injury during the combat tour. The suicide rate of soldiers is going on increases in Iraq war veterans.

To cope with the problem the US army has created a training program called Battlemind that helps soldiers and their families to prepare for the stress of war and what signs of war to watch for. After returning they have rapid medical triage and treatment. There are lot of care are taken like connect with the returning veteran,connect veterans with each other and family care. Along with these some therapies are done like exposure therapy, pharmacotherapy.

Some soldier suffered from brain injury, stress disorder, or both. Mental disorder is more prevalent. The veterans returning from Vietnam and Operation Desert Storm had higher death rate than for veterans who had not served in theater. Many soldiers ends up using drugs.

Thousands of US soldiers and hundreds of UK soldiers have been diagnosed with PTSD and also related to the depression. Some soldiers avoid a diagnosis of a mental health problem, fearing negative result. They worry about their military careers and relationships with coworkers.

Treatment of Iraq war veterans suffering from depression

The clinicians do the work with veterans with chronic PTSD by using their skill and experience with those which are return from Iraq war. The veterans suffering from the trauma will required educating patients and families about traumatic stress reactions, teaching skills of anxiety and anger management, facilitating mutual support among groups of veterans, and working with trauma-related guilt will all be useful and applicable for that.

First Iraq war patients will not suffer from the mental disorder but they have been suffered from mental health. After diagnosis it is clear that the condition caused due to PSTD. The department of veterans provide them a necessary care.

During treatment it is found that the patients work with a psychologist to address their traumatic memory, revisiting and examining it again and again upto the emotional response connected. About 42% of the guard and 20% of active-duty soldiers needed mental health treatment in two screenings.

Conclusion – The soldier which are return after Iraq battle they suffer from the depression. It is due to stress disorder. The number of veterans sustain from brain injury. The study found many members who take treatment face a death of healthcare providers with expertise in war-related mental disorders.

Chocolate for mood lift

Chocolate lovers around the world have long associated the consumption of chocolate, manufactured from the simple cocoa bean, with enjoyment and pleasure. However, researchers have found that chocolate has a greater benefit and can make some people who are prone to depression — less anxious. The chocolate inspire to cravings.

Chocolate has been thought to interact with a number of the neurotransmitter systems that affect mood. In particular, it is popularly believed that chocolate or carbohydrate cravings correct a deficiency in the neurotransmitter ’serotonin’, which is in short supply in people who are depressed.

The researchers consider that the chocolate includes endorphins and opoids which make people feel more relaxed. Sugar present in chocolate reduces stress in people and enables you to have cool and pain relieving effect. Eat the chocolate with high reputed brand. Don’t eat the cheap chocolates having high sugar contents and saturated fats which are harmful to your body.

Chocolates release endorphins in the brain that acts as a pain reliever. Some scientist realize that chocolates are complex food. It will boost your appetite without causing weight gain. It reduces the risk of heart disease and cancer. It will make you live longer. The benefits of chocolate eating during a depressive episode. The chocolate only provides temporary relief.

Chocolate contains a host of chemicals to bring your mood. The chocolate consist of ingredients like caffeine, tyramine, anandamide, theobromine, phenylethylamine and sugar. The main target of anadamide, a neurotransmitter is brain which is active ingredient. Scientists believe that anadamide causes to hang around in the brain for longer time enhancing its stimulant effect.

Besides sugar in chocolate reduces stress and enables you to have calm and pain relieving effect. On the downside, it is laden with fat and sugar, so of course excess of it is bad. The flavonoid is present in chocolate protect the cell from damage.

Like the chocolates other food substances also help to to lift mood are tryptophan is an essential amino acid, glutamic acid is fuel for the brain, selenium raises the spirits, fishes are good for the heart, green tea act as excellent stimulant, thiamine is a formidable mood booster and folic acid also rises the spirits.

The consumption of dark chocolate improve vascular function and blood pressure. The chocolates remove the feeling of depression. It is high in fat and sugar. The chocolate improve your thinking and you make feel better. So enjoy it!!!

Is chocolate help to lift your mood?

The healthy food help to keep our mental health strong . Like that of food on research it is proved that chocolates are help us to lift mood. The contains present in the chocolates have different functions which help to keep the body and mind fresh. Avocado help to keep the receptors in brain sensitive to serotonin. Dark variety of chocolates gives instant boost.

Milk give the protein which decrease anxiety and frustration. Omega-3 is fatty acid which help to cognitive and behavioral function. Sugar will raise serotonin and endorphin levels of body which indirectly help to increase the insulin. The large percentage of caffeine affects on the body. So small amount of caffiein add in chocolates. The caffeine act as a stimulant.

Chocolate and Emotional Eater?

The people who are emotional they relieve from boring, stress or clinical depression. Generally the people who has rate highly on personality styles of bad temper, rejection sympathy, nervous disturbing, self-criticism and self-focus they crave chocolate and use it to soothe their anxiety.

Some discoverer said that chocolates provide only temporary relief to the person. For keeping strong concentration chocolates help to emotional eater. Generally the emotional eater have freshness after eating the chocolate. Most of the people have chocolate test in different substances like biscuits, cake etc.

Conclusion – While it is too early for doctors to start prescribing chocolate for depression, this study does prove that it has tangible benefits in fighting mood disorders. The good quality dark chocolates will help to remain satisfy. The eating of chocolates has positive effect on mood. The study prove that the chocolates has benefit in fighting mood disorder.

Depression and Osteoporosis in women

Depression has its fallout on the physic of the depressed as signified in a series of researches. An Archive of Internal Medicine study found that women suffering from depression are more prone to bone loss from osteoporosis compared with women who are not clinically depressed. Osteoporosis is metabolic bone disease characterized by bone fragility and bone fracture.

Osteoporosis is also internal disorder. Some scientist said that osteoporosis is a silent disease. There is a strong relation between depression and osteoporosis. Both these causes due to chronic vitamin D deficiency. This chronic vitamin D deficiency causes depression and bones become brittle which causes to the osteoporosis. Osteoporosis causes due to loss of bone mass.

It is known that women are more prone to both depression and osteoporosis than men, with half of all women compared with only one in five men suffering from bone loss after the age of 50. Blood and urine samples indicate that depressed women had overactive immune system that produces higher level of chemicals that promote inflammation. A protein IL-6 is responsible for triggering bone loss. The connection between brain and skeleton influences the depression on bone mass.

The After bone mineral density researchers found 17% had thinner bones in the femoral neck compared with only 2% of women who were not depressed. In the lumber spine area of the body, 20% of depressed women had low bone mass compared with only 9% of non-depressed women.

Mostly the higher chances of depression causes due to abnormal hormonal activity. The higher chances of depression in women is mostly due to a combination of gender-related differences in cognitive styles, some biologic factors and a higher incidence of psychosocial and economic stresses in women.

What are the risk factors for osteoporosis in women?

  • High bone loss
  • Smoking
  • Depression
  • Low calcium intake
  • Lack of physical activity
  • Poor nutrition.
  • Soft drinks

What is the relation between depression and osteoporosis in women?

The women having mild depression have less bone mass than their nondepressed peers. The osteoporosis most prevalent bone disease causes due to high level of bone mass, smoking, low calcium intake and lack is physical activity. The depressed women have overactive immune system.

The women having ages 50 and over which regularly take antidepressants means selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors have double rate of fractures as the women which are not use such medications. The 17% women with depression show thinner hip bone while the 2% women with non-depression shows the same feature of bone thinness. This thinning of bones take place through out the life.

Depression is closely associated with increased risk for both low bone mineral density (BMD) and fractures. Depressed women has lower levels of inflammation fighting proteins than the control group. Mood and brain chemistry help to determine the strength of our bones.

In both condition depression and osteoporosis there is a common cause deficiency of Chronic vitamin D. The more idiotic media outlets are exposure that depression which causes to the osteoporosis. The depression causes to the loss of bone due to lack of calcium which increases the risk of osteoporosis.

Poor sleep also leads to the depression and associate with loss of bone which ultimately causes to the osteoporosis. Drug is not the treatment on this but reuptake of selective serotonin is common prescription for depression. Low level of cadmium is associated with an increased loss of bone mineral density. On research study indicate that the soft drinks can also increases the risk of osteoporosis.

Conclusion – The depression increases the high risk of osteoporosis. However, a question remains to be answered that whether the high rate of osteoporosis in depressed women can be attributed to their mental condition or it is the side effect of anti-depressant drugs taken by the women who participated in the study. The US study is silent on this issue.

New Hope for Depressed Teens

Depression is illness in which children having sadness, hopelessness. Teenage depression is a bit difficult to handle as compared to depression in adults. Depression problem now a days appear in teens but it does not require any specialized treatment. The behavioral talk therapy is effective alternative to create new hope in depressed teens. On research it is conclude that kids on antidepressants have a higher rate of suicide ideation. Depression is a common problem generally associated with adults but recently it has become a big problem for teenagers as well. Depression symptoms which occur in teenagers and children includes irritability, unhappiness, despair, aggressive, short-tempered, often lack interest in enjoyable activities, aches and pains.

There are two causes of depression

Unresolve grief – It causes due to death, loss of hopes and dreams and loss of relationship.

Emotional detachment – It causes due to fear and inability to connect with others.

Depression take place in teens because they feel very unhappy or sadness and cannot able to concentrate. It is vital to be conscious that up to 24% of teenagers undergo a main depressive illness permanent a few weeks to a few months at a few time. Depression in teenagers is frequently not recognized. You see real difference when you understand your child because in depression they want help and support of parents. Mostly teenage girls has high risk of depression. The depression in adult is differ than teens.

It is very difficult to communicate with teenagers when they feel very low and you cannot avoid or leave them to deal with their difficult situation. Depression in teenage is for a short time than the adults. A combination of cognitive behavior therapy and antidepressant drugs is a good way to ease depressive symptoms.

What are the treatment used for teens depression?

  • When your child is in problem never ignore them, always take it seriously.
  • Give confidence to your child and help them to think positive.
  • The talk therapy is more effective to decrease the depression in teens.
  • If they depressed then help them to find a right way.
  • SSRI medications, psychotherapy help to reduce the depression.
  • If your child is sad them ask several question.
  • For teenagers counseling or psychotherapy treatment. In this treatment talking regarding your thoughts, feelings and your behaviors.
  • Medication is helpful for depression.

Switching medications and adding behavioral talk therapy turned out to be the most effective alternative, although just switching medications also helped many individuals.

One caveat, however, is that there are few really good cognitive behavioral therapists out there, nor is there any way to distinguish clearly among them, Ripperger-Suhler stated. “To do cognitive behavioral therapy effectively you really need someone who is well-trained and there aren’t very many,” she said.

But other types of talk therapy might also be effective, she added.