DEALING WITH DEPRESSION

Men with clinical depression are more than twice as likely to develop coronary artery disease (CAD) as their non-depressed counterparts, a Johns Hopkins study has shown.

"Clinical depression appears to be an independent risk factor for coronary artery disease, even several decades after the first episode," says Daniel E. Ford, M.D., lead author of the study and an associate professor of medicine, epidemiology and health policy and management at Hopkins. "When we accounted for traditional risk factors for CAD, such as high cholesterol, cigarette smoking, hypertension and diabetes, depression remained a statistically significant cause."

While the researchers did not make a direct link between depression and stroke risk, they say their study has raised the possibility that clinical depression and stroke may share a common development.

There is evidence from studies that changes in the brain are associated with onset of depression in late life. These changes appear to be associated with vascular risk factors such as hypertension or diabetes, but this will require confirmation in future studies.

Depression can also be induced through other causes. In various large surveys 15% to 30% of Americans (37 to 75 million people) report that they are unusually sensitive or allergic to certain common chemicals such as detergents, perfumes, solvents, pesticides, pharmaceuticals, foods, or even the smell of dry-cleaned clothes. An estimated 5% (13 million people) have been diagnosed as being especially sensitive. Many of these people react so strongly that they can become disabled from very low exposures to common substances.

Typical symptoms include prolonged fatigue, memory difficulties, dizziness, light-headedness, difficulty concentrating, depression, feeling spacey or groggy, loss of motivation, feeling tense or nervous, shortness of breath, irritability, muscle aches, joint pain, headaches, head fullness or pressure, chest pains, difficulty focusing eyes, nausea, and more. This group of symptoms is known as environmental illness or, more commonly, multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS), meaning "sensitivity to many chemicals."

Long-term depression can make the brain processes, which affect learning and memory weaker.

Daily smokers have twice the risk for major depression compared to people who have a history of smoking on an occasional basis, according to a Henry Ford Health System study.

The study revealed that in young adults who smoke and have history of major depression, their risk of becoming daily smokers is three times more likely.

An addiction to nicotine may be especially powerful in depressed smokers because of the substance's mood-altering characteristics.

Body toxicity impairs the functioning of the liver and most other glands and organs and this can also cause mental depression.

Do your best to:

 • work out exactly what it is making you feel stressed;

 • organise your time by making a list of what is most and what is least urgent,

 and do things in that order; don't take on more than you can cope with;

 • take regular exercise - gentle, rhythmic exercise like swimming, walking or jogging is a superb way of releasing tension caused by stress;

 • avoid harmful ways of coping with stress such as drinking, smoking or

 • compulsive eating (they may seem to relieve stress, but in the long run they add to it and lead to poor health);

 • learn to relax - look for 'Look after Yourself' classes in your area which will show you a variety of simple relaxation techniques.

After ruling out major disease factors - there are a number of natural health supplements that help create a balanced body system to prevent depression.