Recovery Michigan

(L)ittle attention has been paid to the risk of suicide among people suffering from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), one of the most common psychiatric disorders. OCD has a lifetime prevalence of about two per cent in the general population, generally runs a chronic course, and is often associated with a significantly reduced quality of life. The risk of suicide in OCD has traditionally been considered low.

They identified 36 788 OCD patients in the Swedish National Patient Register between 1969 and 2013, of whom 545 had died by suicide and 4297 had attempted suicide. The risk of death by suicide was approximately ten times higher, and the risk of attempted suicide five times higher than that of the general population. After adjustment for other psychiatric disorders, the risk was reduced, but remained substantial.

- Within the OCD cohort, a previous suicide attempt was the strongest predictor of death by suicide. Having a personality disorder or a substance use disorder also increased the risk. In contrast, being a woman, higher socioeconomic status, and having an anxiety disorder were protective factors, says Lorena Fernández de la Cruz, an Assistant Professor at the Department of Clinical Neuroscience.

- The researchers concluded that patients with OCD are at significant risk of suicide, even in the absence of other psychiatric conditions, which clinicians should be aware of. Suicide risk must be closely monitored in these patients, especially in those who have previously attempted suicide. These results are a first step towards the design of preventive strategies aimed at preventing fatal consequences in patients with OCD.

According to the IMS Health Vector One National database for the year 2013, millions of children under five are being forced onto these drugs, forever changing the chemistry of their minds and bodies in ways medical professionals do not understand. The only thing medical professionals do understand, is how to keep throwing new pills at the problem that pills created in the first place. The cycle is so abusive, so vicious. ...

These scenarios are now common. The IMS Health database reports that psychotic drugs like Risperdal and Seroquel were prescribed to nearly 20,000 children under the age of two. The rates are accelerating, too. In fact, the rate at which these drugs are prescribed in toddlers has jumped over 50 percent in just one year! Experts say these drugs are being used to alleviate temper tantrums, or to try and reverse inhibited, nonverbal or lethargic behavior.

"I think you simply cannot make anything close to a diagnosis of these types of disorders in children of that age," said Dr. Ed Tronick, a professor of developmental and brain sciences at the University of Massachusetts Boston. "There's this very narrow range of what people think the prototype child should look like. Deviations from that lead them to seek out interventions like these. I think it's just nuts."

IMS Health reports that 274,804 American infants under one year of age are being put on psychotic drugs like Prozac and Zoloft! For all toddlers less than five years old, over 1 million and counting are now on these brain-damaging drugs. In total, 8,389,034 kids 17 and under are on these psychiatric drugs, and the rates are accelerating. ...

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/052300_Psych_drugs_medicated_toddlers_mass_shootings.html#ixzz4Ekn3EtU4

Sleep disturbances are some of the most commonly reported psychiatric complaints by combat veterans. Hundreds of thousands struggle regularly with insomnia, both falling and staying asleep, and nightmares.

A relatively new therapy called Exposure, Relaxation, and Rescription Therapy is proving to be effective for these sleep problems.

ERRT has almost exclusively been studied in civilian groups. The results have been strong. Recognizing the need for effective treatments in veterans, researchers modified the treatment specifically for this group. Results from this modified version of ERRT with veterans are promising.

For four weeks, 19 veterans were provided once weekly sessions. The sessions included a mix of education about insomnia and nightmares, techniques for learning to sleep better, intentional exposure to content of the nightmare, and "rewriting" and rehearsing the new dream.

After only one week, some veterans saw a reduction in the number of nightmares they experienced as well as the intensity of their dreams. They also saw an increase in overall sleep quality and a drop in the severity of their insomnia. Surprisingly, those who were depressed saw improvement in mood. This may be related to the fact that poor sleep and nightmares are directly tied to depression. The good news is that the results were not temporary. Improvements continued up to two months after treatment ended.

Between 2003 and 2011, an average of 17 out of 100,000 people with epilepsy, aged 10 years and older, died from suicide each year, compared to 14 out of 100,000 in the general population. Among adults aged 40-49 years, those with epilepsy died more often from suicide (29 percent) than those without epilepsy (22 percent).

The authors looked at additional factors such as race/ethnicity, education, and marital status, which overall did not differ between those with and without epilepsy who died from suicide. However, it is important to note that in both groups about one-third of the suicides occurred among those with the least education.

The study also revealed that people with epilepsy were more likely to commit suicide in residential settings (81 percent), compared to those without the disorder (76 percent). This is important to highlight, because more suicides in people with epilepsy resulted from poisoning. As a result, it may be beneficial to have caregivers, relatives, and others in the home of epilepsy patients with a prior suicide risk supervise the availability of potentially harmful materials.

"The suicide rate is higher among people with epilepsy compared to the general population, so suicide prevention efforts are urgently needed to prevent these deaths," said Rosemarie Kobau, MPH, MAPP, health scientist in CDC's Division of Population Health and a co-author on the report. "Caregivers of people with epilepsy and other members of the public can participate in programs such as Mental Health First Aid, an evidence-based program available in many U.S. communities that teaches people about mental illness symptoms, and how to recognize and intervene during a mental health crisis."

Go to CDC's website to find out more about community-based programs to help reduce depression in adults with epilepsy. If you or someone you know is at risk of suicide, call the U.S. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at +1 800 273 TALK (8255) to get immediate help, or look up a local support line in your country on the website of the International Association for Suicide Prevention.

Step 4: Consult a Mental Health Advocate

Because we didn’t have a mental health professional on staff, we knew we needed to consult an expert. Sarah Jo Crawford, mental health advocate and founder of Sarah Jo Crawford Consulting, played an integral role in helping our team refine and implement our policy. Her involvement was the most important component of this process.

“Most employers understand how to accommodate traditional disabilities but feel out of their element when faced with mental health concerns,” Crawford said. “While no leader should ever feel compelled to provide all the solutions, providing assistance and secure systems of communication is just as feasible as incorporating a health and wellness program.”

To help us, Crawford provided guidance on appropriate language, open communication techniques, accommodation options, and creative solutions for working alongside our employees to support them. A mental health advocate like her can illuminate details you may never have considered, which can mean the difference between a policy that’s a nice gesture and a policy that’s truly effective.

Specific therapies and medications can help relieve the burden of anxiety, yet only about a third of people suffering from this condition seek treatment. In my practice, part of what I discuss when explaining treatment options is the important role of diet in helping to manage anxiety.

Foods that can help quell anxiety

You might be surprised to learn that specific foods have been shown to reduce anxiety.

• In mice, diets low in magnesium were found to increase anxiety-related behaviors. Foods naturally rich in magnesium may therefore help a person to feel calmer. Examples include leafy greens such as spinach and Swiss chard. Other sources include legumes, nuts, seeds, and whole grains.
• Foods rich in zinc such as oysters, cashews, liver, beef, and egg yolks have been linked to lowered anxiety.
• Other foods, including fatty fish like wild Alaskan salmon, contain omega-3 fatty acid. A studycompleted on medical students in 2011 was one of the first to show that omega-3s may help reduce anxiety. (This study used supplements containing omega-3 fatty acids). Prior to the study, omega-3 fatty acids had been linked to improving depression only.
• A recent study in the journal Psychiatry Research suggested a link between probiotic foods and a lowering of social anxiety. Eating probiotic-rich foods such as pickles, sauerkraut, and kefir was linked with fewer symptoms.
• Asparagus, known widely to be a healthy vegetable. Based on research, the Chinese government approved the use of an asparagus extract as a natural functional food and beverage ingredient due to its anti-anxiety properties.
• Foods rich in B vitamins such as avocado and almonds
• These “feel good” foods spur the release of neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine. They are a safe and easy first step in managing anxiety.