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Posts Tagged ‘mental illness’

A recent study has revealed that stress caused by child abuse can cause a long lasting mental disturbance, making sufferers vulnerable to chronic pain from such conditions as irritable bowel syndrome, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, interstitial cystitis and arthritis.

The findings are revealed in the January issue of Headache: The Journal of Head and Face Pain.

“The linking of these comorbidities may be through abuse-mediated brain changes occurring early in life”, said the study’s lead researcher, Dr. Gretchen E. Tietjen. “Understanding the physiology of abuse’s effects on the brain over the life span may lead to prevention or more effective treatment of migraine and associated conditions”.

However, not all children develop migraines and not everyone who suffers from migraines or any other chronic painful condition was abused.

The study carried by Tietjen’s group, collected data on 1,348 people suffering from migraines who were seen at 11 outpatient headache centers. It reported a 58% people were either afflicted from physical, sexual or emotional abuse, or were suffering physical or emotional neglect during childhood.

Women who had undergone physical abuse during childhood were more likely to have endometriosis and uterine fibroids. However, emotional abuse was connected to both conditions and emotional neglect was associated with uterine fibroids alone, the study found.

The U. S. Department of Health and Human Services cited childhood abuse as a common menace in U. S. It reported that more than 3 million reports of abuse or neglect are investigated each year, of which more than 700,000 children are categorized as victims of neglect or abuse.

via Childhood Abuse Sufferers More Prone to Fatigues and Pain Disorders | TopNews United States.

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CHESTERFIELD – If someone told you he or she had diabetes, how would you react? If you are like most people, you would express sympathy and concern, offer your support and reassurance and feel confident that your friend’s condition would improve with treatment. Now, if that same friend told you he or she had a mental illness, what would you do?

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, “an estimated 26.2 percent of Americans ages 18 and older (about one in four adults) suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year.” People with mental illness are our neighbors, family, friends, co-workers, classmates and church members.

Unfortunately, too many people respond negatively when confronted with someone’s mental illness, and this only fuels the stigma surrounding the diagnosis. The reality is a mental illness is no different from a physical illness. Conditions like depression, schizophrenia and anxiety disorders affect a person’s body physically just as heart disease or diabetes do. The emotional and psychological aspects of mental illness make supportive friends and family even more important to a person’s recovery.

By being there and offering your support, companionship, emotional strength and acceptance, you can make a big difference.

So, how do I help exactly? First, do not blow off a person’s worries; instead, express your interest and concern. Do not change the subject when a mental illness diagnosis comes up—ask questions, listen to ideas and be responsive. Second, ask what you can do to help. If other people make insensitive remarks, do not ignore them—take time to educate people so that they understand the facts about mental illness. Lastly, treat people with mental illness just as you would those with any other serious but treatable conditions: with respect, compassion and empathy.

Bill Clinton once said, “Mental Illness is nothing to be ashamed of, but stigma and bias shame us all.” This problem will not just go away because we turn away. The truth is, mental illness can happen to anybody and can affect anyone at any time. That’s why everybody needs to understand how mental illnesses can affect individuals, families, and communities. It is also why we all need to learn how we can support our family, co-workers and friends who are living with a mental illness. Caring friends can make a real difference. The question is – are you ready to be that friend?

via Mental Illness:  Are you its friend or foe? | SCNow.