The Alzheimer Society of Canada in partnership with the Canadian Government has recently launched a new online campaign, titled Dementia Friends, aimed at raising awareness of dementia and how to better support those living with the disease. "A Dementia Friend is someone who learns a little bit more about what it's like to live with dementia and then turns that understanding into simple actions that can help people with dementia live well. Registering to become a Dementia Friend is easy and means joining a growing number of individuals and workplaces who are increasing awareness and creating positive change." To register to become a Dementia Friend, visit www.dementiafriends.ca Madison Holleran was a star athlete and student, whose photos on social media led many to believe that she was happy with booth herself and her life. In reality, Madison was struggling to meet the impossible ideal of perfection she expected of herself, and was struggling with depression. Her sudden suicide was a shock to friends and family, and left them trying to piece together where things had gone so terribly wrong. In response to her death, her family launched a Facebook Page, In Memory of Madison Holleran, to not only build a supportive community for those with mental health concerns like Madison, but also to raise awareness of suicide and help end the stigma attached to mental illness. You can read more about Madison's story by checking out the article "Split Image". "The life Madison projected on her own Instagram feed was filled with shots that seemed to confirm everyone's expectations: Of course she was loving her first year of college. Of course she enjoyed running. Her mom remembers looking at a photo on her feed and saying, "Madison, you look like you're so happy at this party." "Mom," Madison said. "It's just a picture." Everyone presents an edited version of life on social media. People share moments that reflect an ideal life, an ideal self. Hundreds of years ago, we sent letters by horseback, containing only what we wanted the recipient to read. Fifty years ago, we spoke via the telephone, sharing only the details that constructed the self we wanted reflected. With Instagram, one thing has changed: the amount we consume of one another's edited lives. Young women growing up on Instagram are spending a significant chunk of each day absorbing others' filtered images while they walk through their own realities, unfiltered... Instagram is passed off as real life. Yes, people filter their photos to make them prettier. People are also often encouraged to put filters on their sadness, to brighten their reality so as not to "drag down" those around them. The myth still exists that happiness is a choice, which perpetuates the notion of depression as weakness." Put your knowledge and skills to the test with this case of Dr. D, a 33 year old physician who presents with depression, suicidal ideation, and somatic complaints. He tells you about the many pressures of running his practice, including financial stresses, of conflicts with his wife, of feeling lonely and having a lack of close friends, and of feeling generally unhappy, unsatisfied and exhausted. On top of his emotional complaints, he also describes increased tension and pain from his shoulders, neck and face. He has also noticed that he has not been as attentive, which has begun to impact his work performance and patient care. With regards to family history, both Dr. D's mother and grandfather had depression. How would you manage this patient? What treatment would you offer or suggest? "A physician who feels hopeless and worthless and complains of pain" by Daniel J. Rapport, Angele McGrady, Vipul Mahajan, and Ernest Brookfield (Current Psychiatry). A new study from UCLA suggests that anxiety and depression among college and university students may be at an all-time high across the nation. According to the American College Health Association 1 in 6 college students have been either diagnosed with or treated for anxiety in the last 12 months. So what exactly is contributing to students heightened stress and anxiety, and leading a surge for help from campus clinics? Take a read of the article "Anxious Students Strain College Mental Health Centers" to learn more and find out what the University of Central Florida is doing to address the increased demands for counseling and psychology services at their school. "Because of escalating pressures during high school, he and other experts say, students arrive at college preloaded with stress. Accustomed to extreme parental oversight, many seem unable to steer themselves. And with parents so accessible, students have had less incentive to develop life skills. “A lot are coming to school who don’t have the resilience of previous generations,” Dr. Jones said. “They can’t tolerate discomfort or having to struggle. A primary symptom is worrying, and they don’t have the ability to soothe themselves.” Social media is a gnawing, roiling constant. As students see posts about everyone else’s fabulous experiences, the inevitable comparisons erode their self-esteem. The popular term is “FOMO” — fear of missing out. And so personal setbacks that might once have become “teachable moments” turn into triggers for a mental health diagnosis. “Students are seeking treatment, saying, ‘I just got the first C in my life, my whole life just got shattered, I wanted to go to medical school and I can’t cope'". Pregnancy is often portrayed and described as a time filled with pure joy and excitement, but it is also a time that is associated with immense change and a shift in one's identity that can be stressful too. For women with pre-existing depression and anxiety, pregnancy can be particularly challenging. In this powerful and informative read, author Andrew Solomon explores antenatal depression, a concept often hidden by the more well-known diagnoses of postpartum blues and depression. The article also delves into doctors' and mothers' varying views on treatment during pregnancy, touching on the complexity of antentatal depression including the risks faced if medication and treatment are discontinued or declined, and considering the ethics and controversy behind clinical studies involving pregnant women. "Recalling the Hippocratic oath, doctors who encourage depressed pregnant women to white-knuckle it without medications for the benefit of the fetus set out to do no harm. But there can be harm not only in writing prescriptions but also in withholding them. “One of the reasons we didn’t really recognize antepartum depression for a long time was because it was easier not to, because it puts physicians in such a bind,” said Margaret Spinelli, the director of the maternal mental-health program at Columbia. Depression itself comes with its own host of problems and consequences. Untreated depression or anxiety during pregnancy have been linked in multiple studies to miscarriage, pre-eclampsia, preterm birth, neonatal complications and smaller newborns. Antenatal depression is often accompanied by anxiety and obsessive-compulsive symptoms, and sometimes by psychosis. Cortisol, the stress hormone that is pumped up in women with anxiety and depression, crosses the placental barrier and can reach the fetus. Anxiety in pregnant women is associated with impaired blood flow in the uterine artery, which feeds the placenta. The problems are not only biological. Women experiencing antenatal depression are more likely to engage in damaging behaviors such as drinking, smoking, drug abuse and lack of exercise. They are more likely to be obese. They often cease functioning at work, which can be financially catastrophic. They are less likely to sleep regularly or take prenatal vitamins, and they often miss obstetric appointments. Depression during pregnancy also puts an enormous strain on marriages, possibly creating a poor environment for the child." |
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Supporting and enhancing students' and health professionals' knowledge and understanding of mental health and psychiatry
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