Monday, February 22, 2010
For those with the regular mental illness known as generalized anxiety disorder, a new study has found that the brain processes emotions in unusual ways. The study authors say the research could provide new insight into better treatments for people distress from debilitating anxiety.
"Patients experience anxiety and worry and respond exceptionally to emotionally negative stimuli, but it's never been clear really why," Dr. Amit Etkin, acting assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford University and first author of the study, said in a news release. In the study, researchers gave MRI brain scans to 17 people with generalized concern disorder and 24 healthy people. The researchers wanted to understand what happened in participants' brains as they felt different emotions.
The study authors found that the brains of the participants reacted differently in several situations. The findings suggest that the prefrontal cortex is irregular in people with generalized anxiety disorder, and the researchers think that knowledge could lead to superior diagnosis and treatment. Senior study author Dr. Alan Schatzberg, chair of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford University, said in the news release that the findings, published in the February online issue of American Journal of Psychiatry, could lead to greater understanding of the biology of psychopathology and how people react to psychotherapy.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Despite public awareness campaigns, approximately half of all American women still don't know that heart disease is the leading causes of death in women, new examine finds.
Even more concerning, only slightly more than half of women would call for emergency help if they were having heart attack symptoms, according to the newest survey for the American Heart Association's Go Red for Women public awareness campaign.
"We've made a lot of progress since 1997 when the Go Red campaign first began, but we unmoving have a long way to go," said lead researcher Dr. Lori Mosca, director of protective cardiology at New York-Presbyterian Hospital in New York City.
In 1997, when the survey was 1st conducted, just 30 percent of women realized that heart infection was the leading cause of death in women. In 2009, that number was 54 percent. However, that number is down somewhat from 2006 when 57 percent of women said that heart disease was the largest threat to their health.
Young women were more likely to consider that breast cancer was their biggest potential health threat. 34 percent of women between the ages of 25 and 34 thought breast cancer was extra of a threat than heart disease, compared to 22 percent of women over 65 who felt that way.
Women are taking significant preventive steps such as seeing their doctors and having their blood pressure checked. However, many women are relying on unproven strategies to avoid heart disease, as well. For example, 82 percent said they believed that fish oil would help them avoid heart disease, and 29 percent said aromatherapy could be supportive, according to the survey.
Other important findings from the fresh survey include:
- Eighty-five percent of women said they had seen, heard or read about heart illness during the past year.
- Only 53 percent of women said they would call 911 if they were having heart attack symptoms.
- Just over half of women said the biggest barrier to taking preventive steps against heart disease were family and care-taking responsibilities.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Fears about losing status at job and about confidentiality are among the main reasons that many American workers are more hesitant to seek dealing for mental health issues than for physical health problems, according to a national survey released this week by the American Psychiatric Association.
More than 40 percent of the 1,129 respondents said their employer was supportive or enormously supportive of their workers seeking care for health concerns. However, the online review also found that barriers persist for workers who said their workplace is contrary of employees seeking treatment, especially for mental health concerns.
Among employees, 76 percent believed their work status would be injured by seeking treatment for drug addiction, 73 percent for alcoholism, and 62 percent for depression, compared with 55 percent who thought seeking care for diabetes would concern their work status and 54 percent for heart disease.
"It is important to support an environment that encourages employees taking care of their physical and mental health," Dr. Alan Axelson, chairman of the relations Partnership for Workplace Mental Health Advisory Council, said in an association news release. "Research supports the fact that when people receive wanted care, they are healthier and more productive -- and employers comprehend the return on their health care investment."
The partnership offers the suggestions for employers:
- Supervisors and managers should front by example by taking care of their physical and mental health.
- Workplaces should promote prevention, premature intervention and wellness programs. This includes holding health fairs, providing good meals and snacks at meetings, encouraging exercise and promoting a balance between work and the rest of an employee's life.
- Employees should be depressed from coming to work if they're ill.
Workers should be reminded of health benefits and accessible programs, and efforts should be taken to make sure they know how to access care. - Employees should be free from worry about confidentiality, especially that seeking mental health treatment
