Posts Tagged ‘depression’
February 7, 2012 | 
Author People with headache have anxiety and/or depression at higher rates than those without headaches; we look at these conditions as “shared comorbidities” that people inherit. When people are born, they are more prone, genetically, to these conditions. I believe they are “side by side” conditions that we inherit, not that depression causes headaches or vice versa. Certainly, severe headaches may fuel and increase anxiety and depression, and depression may worsen headaches, but these medical comorbidities do not actually CAUSE each other.
Headaches are a physical, not psychological, illness, and the same for anxiety/depression; there are many differences in the brain for all of these situations, and viewing them as “all in your head, or psychological” is unfair and misleading.
These comorbidities do drive where we go with medications, so if someone has headaches and depression, we would usually try and find an antidepressant that treats both. Just like if a person has headaches and high blood pressure, we would go with high blood pressure meds. The idea, of course, is to minimize meds, and attempt to treat 2(or 3) conditions with one medication. Exercise,yoga/pilates,psychotherapy, etc. are also crucial for those with anxiety/depression.
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The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition recently published results of a study aimed at older adults and their consumption of vitamins B6 and B12. The study revealed that depression was more likely to be found in adults with the lowest intake of the B vitamins. However, for each additional 10 mg of vitamin B6 or Vitamin B12 the adults consumed, the risk of developing depression in a given year decreased by two percent.
In a separate study, reported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) women with low levels of folate (vitamin B9) were more likely to be depressed. In the same study, men with low levels of folate did not show an increased likelihood of depression. This same USDA study found that low levels of folate were linked to symptoms of dementia and cognitive decline in men and women.
Vegetables, meat, nuts and whole grain products are good sources for Vitamin B6. Meat, poultry, fish and dairy products contain Vitamin B12. For Folate intake try leafy green vegetables and legumes….Duke Medicine Health News Volume 11G
The holidays are a time of celebrations and family gatherings. From Thanksgiving to New Year’s, we often spread ourselves too thin-we get too little sleep, eat and drink too much, and have high expectations for ourselves. But once the holidays are over, it can be a time of emptiness and depression. About 25% of people have feelings of lonliness and letdown in January. People have more illnesses in January which can be attributed to the “letdown effect.” This is characterized as “a condition where high energy or activation levels in the body are immediately followed by a rapid drop in activation levels.”
According to B. Greenberg, author of Wrung Out By Ringing In The Holidays, it’s important to know “there’s no reason to feel badly that you feel badly, and no reason to force your feelings to be different than what they are.”
Try to stay active and engaged with people you enjoy. Talking about your feelings of letdown with friends may help, and you may find they share similar feelings. As always, seek help from a professional if depression lingers.
Research at the National Institute of Mental Health shows that mental health disabilities are on the rise, even as physical disabilities are declining. Hundreds of thousands of Americans age 65 and under rated their difficulties with tasks, and then chose the reason from a list which included conditions such as arthritis, obesity, as well as a category of mental health issues defined as “depression, anxiety, or emotional problems.”
From 1997 through 2009, the non-elderly population mental health disability rose by a third. Study authors at Johns Hopkins say this indicates that Americans are beginning to understand ”that psychic distress can be debilitating and that ailments like depression and anxiety often come with physical symptoms.”
It’s important to have medical care that understands and addresses the causes as well as the symptoms. Migraine patients often have underlying ailments, such as depression or anxiety, that manifest themselves in pain. Each patient is unique and it is essential for the physician to understand what conditions are affecting the whole person, in order to successfully treat the patient.
