Myths & Facts about Mental Illness

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Myth: If I have a mental health problem I should be able to take care of it myself.

Fact: Some mental health problems, such as mild depression or anxiety, can be relieved with support, self-help, and proper care. However, if problems or symptoms persist, a person should consult with their primary doctor or a qualified mental health professional.

Myth: If I have a mental illness, it is a sign of weakness—it’s my fault.

Fact: Mental illness is not anyone’s fault, anymore than heart disease or diabetes is a person’s fault. Even mental disorders are health conditions that are characterized by alterations in thinking, mood, or behavior, associated with distress and/or impaired functioning.

Mental illnesses are not a condition that people choose to have or not have. Mental illnesses are not results of willful, petulant behavior. No one should have to feel ashamed of this condition any more than any other medical condition.

Myth: If I seek help for my mental health problem, others will think I am “crazy.”

Fact: No one should delay getting treatment for a mental health problem that is not getting better, just as one would not wait to take care of a medical condition that needed treatment. Some people worry that others will avoid them if they seek treatment for their mental illness. Early treatment can produce better results. Seeking appropriate help is a sign of strength, not weakness.
Myth: People diagnosed with a mental illness are always ill and out of touch with reality.

Fact: Most people suffering from even the most severe of mental illnesses are in touch with reality more often than they are not. Many people quietly bear the symptoms of mental illness without ever showing signs of their illness to others, and most people with mental illness live productive, active lives.
Myth: Stress causes mental illness.

Fact: This is only partially true. Stress may occasionally trigger an episode or cause symptoms such as anxiety or depression, but persistent symptoms appear to be biological in nature. There are probably many things that can contribute to mental illness—the cause is not yet fully understood.

Myth: A person can recover from a mental illness by turning his or her thoughts positively and with prayer.

Fact: Recovery is possible when the person receives the necessary treatment and supports. Spirituality can be an important source of strength for some individuals as well.
Myth: People who have a mental illness are dangerous.

Fact: People who have mental illness are no more violent than is someone suffering from cancer or any other serious disease.

Myth: Most people with mental illness live on the streets or are in mental hospitals. Fact: Over two-thirds of Americans who have a mental illness live in the community and lead productive lives. Most people who need hospitalization are only there for brief periods to get treatment and are then able to return home, just like persons hospitalized for other conditions. Some people with mental illness do become homeless and could benefit from treatment and services.

 

Risk of heart disease for stressed women.

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According to the latest research Women are at greater risk from heart disease caused by stress than men and a study found women with heart disease experienced more serious complications if they are under stress.

Those with heart disease experienced decreased blood flow to the heart, known as ‘myocardial ischemia’, which can damage the heart muscle, reducing its ability to pump blood efficiently.

More women exposed to stress showed the early signs of blood clots forming, a process known as ‘increased platelet aggregation’.

The blood clots can block arteries and lead to a heart attack.

Heart disease – the leading cause of death worldwide – generally affects more men than women, but from the age of 50 the chances of developing the condition are similar for men and women.

Previous research has linked stress with the condition as it can promote unhealthy habits, such as smoking, drinking and overeating which are known causes.

Stress can also increase the body’s levels of stress hormones.

These hormones can result in raised blood pressure and heart rate which can eventually lead to heart disease as the heart has to work harder to pump more blood around the body.

As today’s study found, stress may also change the way blood clots form, which can lead to heart disease and heart attacks.

Let’s discuss women and heart disease facts:-

Prevalence:

• Worldwide, 8.6 million women die from heart disease each year, accounting for a third of all deaths in women. Three million women die from stroke each year. Stroke accounts for more deaths among women than men (11% vs 8.4%) with additional risk for CHD unique to women related to oral contraceptive use in combination with smoking.
• 8 million women in the US are currently living with heart disease; 35,000 are under age of 65. Four million suffer from angina.
• 435,000 American women have heart attacks annually; 83,000 are under age 65; 35,000 are under 55. The average: 70.4.
• 42% of women who have heart attacks die within 1 year, compared to 24% of men.
• Under age 50, women’s heart attacks are twice as likely as men’s to be fatal.
• 267,000 women die each year from heart attacks, which kill six times as many women as breast cancer. Another 31, 837 women die each year of congestive heart failure, representing 62.6% of all heart failure deaths.

At-Risk:

• 71% of women experience early warning signs of heart attack with sudden onset of extreme weakness that feels like the flu – often with no chest pain at all. Medical professionals are challenged to respond to women’s milder symptoms, acting with insufficient guidelines.
• Nearly two-thirds of the deaths from heart attacks in women occur among those who have no history of chest pain.
• Smoking, diabetes and abnormal blood lipids erase a woman’s estrogen protection.
• Women who smoke risk having a heart attack 19 years earlier than non-smoking women.
• Women with hypertension experience a risk of developing CHD 3.5 times that of females with normal blood pressure. High blood pressure is more common in women taking oral contraceptives, especially in obese women.
• Women with diabetes have more than double the risk of heart attack than non- diabetic women. Diabetes doubles the risk of a second heart attack in women but not in men. Diabetes affects many more women than men after the age of 45.
• 23% of white women, 38% of black women, and 36% Mexican American women are obese. Obesity leads to an increased risk of premature death due to cardiovascular problems like hypertension, stroke and CAD.
• The age-adjusted rate of heart disease for African American women is 72% higher than for white women, while African American women ages 55-64 are twice as likely as white women to have a heart attack and 35% more likely to suffer CAD.
• Marital stress worsens the prognosis in women with heart disease.

Compared to Men:

• Men’s plaque distributes in clumps whereas women’s distributes more evenly throughout artery walls. This results in women’s angiographic studies being misinterpreted as “normal”.
• Women wait longer than men to go to an emergency room when having a heart attack and physicians are slower to recognize the presence of heart attacks in women because “characteristic” patterns of chest pain and EKG changes are less frequently present.
• After heart attack, women are less likely than men to receive beta blockers, ACE inhibitors and aspirin – therapies known to improve survival. This contributes to a higher rate of complications after heart attacks in women, even after adjusting for age.
• 38% of women and 25% of men will die within one year of a first recognized heart attack.
• Women are twice as likely as men to die within the first few weeks after suffering a heart attack.
• 46% of women and 22% of men heart attack survivors will be disabled with heart failure within six years
• Women are two to three times as likely to die following heart bypass surgery. Younger aged women between the ages of 40-59 are up to 4 times more likely to die from heart bypass surgery than men the same age.
• Studies show women who are eligible candidates to receive life-saving clot-buster drugs are far less likely than men to receive them.
• Since 1984, more women than men have died each year from heart disease and the gap between men and women’s survival continues to widen.
• Women receive fewer heart disease procedures than men, however, more is not necessarily better in this setting and the best course of treatment for a woman with heart disease has yet to be established.
• Women’s hearts respond better than men’s to healthy lifestyle changes, yet only 2 percent of the NIH budget is dedicated to prevention.
• Women comprise of only 24% of participants in all heart-related studies.

Is Diwali Joyful for everyone..?

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There are always 2 phases of everything, either it is technology invented for growth or drugs invent for treatments. Ancient and religious culture, traditions & festivals were started with the motive to celebrate the precious and meaningful moment in memory of great achievers but our modesty & the scene of enjoyment make it so harmful for us and our environment.

On the eve of Diwali we wish to stay happy, spend time with relatives enjoy the day with new clothes, sweets and lights. But now a days we would like to celebrate Diwali with so expensive crackers, we use to consume alcohol and Gambling etc. Bursting fancy crackers has become a status symbol. It’s just a wastage of our hard earned money or our parents money.

Even if we go through with some very common aspects of festival Diwali then what comes in our mind :-

Air pollution:-
The rise in air pollution can be attributed to adverse meteorological conditions decrease in average temperature, low wind speed, and increase in humidity in and around Delhi and the fact that people probably burst more smoke-producing crackers.

Global warming:-

Using cracker is becoming a fashion. Millions are spent on this worthless garbage stuff. Bursting crackers is turning to a competition & a status indicator. Many people feel proud to show off their wealth by investing thousands or even lakhs on this non-sense stuff. Though I’ve used Diwali here as it’s a major event in India when considerable amount of crackers are used, in almost every event today, we wildly use crackers. I really don’t understand why even educated persons do not understand the ill effects of global warming.

Noise Pollution:-
Noise Pollution directly people & kids get injured & indirectly Babies,pregnant women,old people get affected. Even Animals get scared, unhealthy people have to stay inside a locked room because they can’t tolerate the pressure of noise serenely generate due to the loud noise crackers.

Health Issues:-
The diabetics, heart, asthma and bronchitis patients, old age people, newly born babies parents are actually scared with this particular day. Most of the patients are back with raised cholesterol levels, sugar levels and even with weight gain as well. So doctors have to treat them for this Diwali gain.

Garbage:-
A day after Diwali, the city roads were littered with burnt crackers and extravagant wrappings in which gifts and sweet boxes were packed. According to Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), the solid waste produced by the city increased by nearly 25-30% on the day after Diwali. MCD claimed its safai karamcharis worked around the clock during the festive season to make sure the city is as clean as possible.

Child Labour:-
Children Forced to Work in Cracker Units. As the demand of crackers swells on occasions like Diwali, children are forced to work in fire cracker factories in Kendrapara district of Orissa. Villages like Putinga, Keruan Garapur and Sujanagar villages are the hub of locally-made palm-leaf fire crackers. The children are forced into the hazardous work of making crackers by their parents themselves, says Binayak Swain, a child rights activist. Those who engage their children in cracker making are unaware of the legal embargo on engaging children in making of crackers. Employing children in fire cracker industry is a penal offence under Child Labour Restraint Act.

After getting involved in all these aspects I personally believe that my standard, status or any thing else can’t be important than our nature, our upcoming generation & Health. If we have to bless our children to stay safe and Be happy then I am not gonna burn crackers, Consume alcohol & involved in gambling. 

Arthritis (Joint Pain can be Dangerous Don’t neglect)

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If climbing stairs is difficult for you or if every morning your joints hurts then don’t take it causally. May be you have arthritis and neglecting it could affect your mobility.

Arthritis is a form of joint disorder that involves inflammation of one or more joints. The most common form, osteoarthritis OA, is a result of trauma to the joint, infection of the joint or age. Other arthritis forms are rheumatoid arthritis, gouty arthritis and related autoimmune diseases. According to Orthopedic this condition is not affects only older people, as is the common notion. Arthritis, especially osteoarthritis, is on the rise and affects women in their early 30s. Change in lifestyle, lack of exercise and proper diet and a hectic working pattern increase the chances of getting arthritis, specially in women. Not just osteoarthritis, other forms such as rheumatoid arthritis tend to occur commonly in women.

The common symptoms for all arthritis disorders include :-

• Varied levels of pain(Pain can be excruciating and constant),
• Swelling,
• Joint stiffness,
• Constant ache around the joint

Doctors says that arthritis is usually ‘silent’ to begin with, producing virtually no symptoms for many years. The symptoms are generally precipitated by a trivial fall or overuse of the joint. The earliest symptoms are-

• Pain increases by prolonged activity and is relieved by resting.
• Start-up pain and stiffness, particularly following inactivity. For example, pain in the first few steps after prolonged sitting in one position or after getting up in the morning.
• Swelling in and around the joint.
• Decreased range of movement and crunching sound during movement.
• Restricted function of the affected joint. For example, decrease in ability to walk due to affected knees.
• Deformity, for example, bow legs with knee joint osteoarthritis.

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic condition affecting many systems in the body, but mainly the bones and joints. It is three times more common in females. Any age group can be affected. It usually occurs due to the body’s response to an unknown stimulus leading to an inflammatory response in the soft tissues and later in the cartilage of joints and surrounding bone. Stiffness usually lasts for more than a few minutes and its duration increases with the severity of joint involvement. At a later stage the severely involved joints develop deformity and severe disorganization of the joint and restrict function. 

‘Osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis a big concern’

Osteoarthritis is also a degenerative joint disease. In the cartilage cushion at the ends of the bones loses its smoothness, becomes rough and wears off. In an advanced case, the cartilage is completely wornout. Thus, bones rub against one another causing pain and stimulating excess bone formation in the form of osteophytes. Although any joint in the body can be affected, the most commonly affected joints are of knees, spine (neck and lower back) and in the hands.

Treatment (Treatment is more of prevention than cure). There is no cure for either rheumatoid or osteoarthritis:- 

• Treatment options vary depending on the type of arthritis – include physical therapy, lifestyle changes like exercise and weight control and medication. Joint replacement surgery may be required in eroding forms of arthritis.
• Lifestyle Modification – Patients with symptomatic OA of the knee who are overweight should be encouraged to lose weight. A minimum of five per cent of body weight must be lost.They shiuld also maintain their weight with dietary modification and exercise. They should incorporate activity modifications like walking instead of running in their lives.
• Rehabilitation– patients with symptomatic OA of the knee are encouraged to participate in low-impact aerobic fitness exercises. Quadriceps strengthening should be done for the knee.
• Mechanical interve-ntions– using support like kneecap or braces might be helpful in cases of instability to walk. Supports like walking sticks or crutches may also be helpful.
• Medication: Total Knee Replacement (TKR) is recommended in case the initial conservative measures for cure fail and worsens the condition of the joint.

Premature births (Pneumonia biggest causes of death in kids under 5 years)

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Preterm birth complications and pneumonia are the leading causes of death in children who are under 5 years and are together responsible for nearly 2 million deaths at the end of 2013.

Researchers led by Professor Robert Black (_{Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health}) found that complications from preterm birth were the largest single cause, responsible for 962000 deaths with in under-fives and pneumonia responsible for a further 935000 deaths, and complications from childbirth (_{intrapartum complications}) the next leading cause, responsible for 663000 deaths.

It was also found that more than half (_{52 %}) of children died from infectious causes, diarrhoea, including pneumonia and malaria.

India, Pakistan, Nigeria, Democratic Republic of Congo and China had the highest numbers of child deaths, together contributing to around half of all child and neonatal deaths globally at the end of last year (₂₀₁₃).

Effects of premature birth:-

Premature birth affect a baby’s brain which effects:

• Physical development
• Learning Ability
• Issues in communicating with others
• Getting along with others
• Unable to taking care of himself
• Some long-term disabilities caused by premature birth include:
  • Behavior problems, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and anxiety
  • Neurological disorders, like cerebral palsy, that affect the brain, spinal cord and nerves throughout the body
  • Autism, a group of disorders that affect a child’s speech, social skills and behavior
• Premature birth can cause a baby to have lung and breathing problems, including:
  • Asthma, a health condition that affects the airways and can cause breathing problems
  • Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (also called BPD). This is a chronic lung disease that causes the lungs to grow abnormally or to be inflamed. Over time, the lungs usually get better, but a premature baby may have asthma-like symptoms throughout his life.
• Premature birth can lead to these health problems:
  • Intestinal problems, sometimes caused by a disease that affects premature babies called necrotizing enterocolitis (also called NEC).
  • Infections. These can include pneumonia (infection of the lungs) and meningitis (infection of the brain).
  • Vision problems, like retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). Children born prematurely are more likely than children born on time to have vision problems.
  • Hearing loss, a common birth defect in premature babies. Children born prematurely are more likely to have hearing loss than children born on time.
  • Dental problems, including delayed tooth growth, changes in tooth color or teeth that grow crooked or out of place

These are the problems of babies who are alive but millions of children are still dying of preventable causes at a time when we have the means to deliver cost-effective interference. Through the effort of Millennium Development Goals, they have learned that substantial progress can be achieved but it’s not guaranteed because they don’t know that good-quality data are crucial for progress of tracking, and that long-term targets are useful for planning and coordination, and also for rallying countries and the global health community.

 

Myths and Facts about Diabetes

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Myth: Eating sugar causes diabetes.

Fact: Medical experts now know that diabetes is triggered by a combination of genetic and lifestyle factors. However, being overweight — which can result from indulging in high-calorie sugary foods — does increase your risk for developing type 2 diabetes. If your family members have diabetes then eating a healthy meal plan and getting regular exercise are recommended to manage your weight.

Myth: People with diabetes can’t enjoy any sweets or chocolate.

Fact: If a healthy meal plan is combined with exercise, sweets and desserts can be eaten by diabetic person. They are no more “off limits” to people with diabetes than they are to people without diabetes.

Myth: People with diabetes have to eat only special diabetic foods.

Fact: A healthy diet plan for people with diabetes is the same as that for everyone: low in fat moderate in salt & sugar, with meals based on whole-grain foods, fruit & vegetable. Diabetic and “dietetic” versions of sugar-containing foods offer no special benefit.

Myth: All diabetic person’s have to take insulin injections.

Fact: Injected insulin is usually only necessary for those with Type 1 diabetic persons, in which the body no longer produces it’s own insulin. Those with Type 2 diabetes generally have plenty of insulin, but their bodies don’t respond well for this. Few people with type 2 diabetes, do need diabetes pills or insulin shots to help their bodies use glucose for energy, if blood-glucose levels are poorly controlled. The most type 2 cases can be helped by losing weight, adopting a healthier diet, without medication, increasing exercise & other slight changes in day today’s lifestyle.

Myth: Diabetics have to stay away from the starchy foods like bread, potatoes and pasta.

Fact: Whole-grain breads, cereals, pasta, brown rice & starchy vegetables such as potatoes, peas, corn, yams are part of a healthy meal plan and can be included in your meals. These foods are high in complex carbohydrates which is also a good source of fiber, which helps to keep your gastrointestinal system running smoothly. Most people with diabetes should limit themselves to three or four servings of complex carbohydrates in a day. The key is portion size.

Myth: Only adults can be affected from Type 2 Diabetes.

Fact: Diabetes is one of the most common chronic diseases in school going children. About 1 in every 4 to 5 hundred children has type 1 diabetes, which was used to be called “Juvenile Diabetes,” which is caused by disruption of the panacea’s ability to produce insulin. However, in recent years more and more children and teens have become overweight & so increasing numbers of young people are being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.

Myth: Type 2 Diabetes decreasing your energy and affects blood-sugar levels only.

Fact: Type 2 diabetes affects different organs of the body, including the cardiovascular system, leading to heart diseases or stroke; the eyes, which can result in conditions from Retinopathy, Neuropathy, The kidneys, which fail & require dialysis, the skin become prone to infections. Experts are predicting that, over the next 25 years, there will be

34 million heart attacks,

12 million strokes,

9 million new cases of blindness,

5 million kidney failures,

2 millions amputations and

60 million deaths — all linked to diabetes.