Suicide is the epidemic that is rarely mentioned, unless a celebrity is found dead and there happens to be a note left behind. Suicides have increased more than 30 percent nationwide since 1999, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). According to a recent Wall Street JournalContinue Reading
If you are contemplating suicide, seek help immediately! Things CAN get better. Let others know that something is wrong. Share your feelings with a relative or close friend, your health care provider, your teacher or your religious leader. Ask a relative or close friend to stay with you. Go toContinue Reading
People seldom commit suicide while in the depths of depression when energy and initiative are low and lacking. It is when they begin to rebound and become more capable of following through that the risk increases. People who are addicted to alcohol are nearly 100 times more likely to commitContinue Reading
Overdose deaths from substance abuse involving methamphetamines, cocaine and most recently opioids, have been growing exponentially for nearly forty years, according to researchers at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health in a report recently published in the journal Science. Middle-aged Americans overdose on different drugs than youngerContinue Reading
A recent study shows that nearly one-half of all premature deaths of adults aged 20 to 55 in the United States are in fact deaths of despair, including intentional drug overdoses. While suicides increased by 17% in the years 1990 to 2016, opioid use disorders increased by nearly 350% accordingContinue Reading
New guidelines for prescribing Opioids for acute pain have been developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), stepping up its efforts to combat Opioid abuse. According to a recent Wall Street Journal article, opioid abuse is a common factor behind the alarming epidemic-like increase in suicide ratesContinue Reading
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suicide warning signs should be taken seriously. They should include people talking to others or themselves about feeling as if they’re a burden, are feeling hopeless or want to die. Other major warning signs for people who may be atContinue Reading
“Depression is the plague of the modern era.” (Dr. Lewis Judd, former Chief, NIMH, 2000). The extremes of Mood Disorders come in two principal forms. #1, Major Depressive Disorder, in which the individual experiences prolonged unhappiness and lethargy until usually responding to a normal state, and #2, Bipolar Disorder (formerlyContinue Reading
Depression (major depressive disorder or clinical depression) is a common yet serious mood disorder. It causes severe symptoms that affect how you feel, think, as well as your daily activities, such as sleeping, eating, job performance and relationships. In order to be diagnosed with depression, the symptoms must be presentContinue Reading
We all feel sadness and grief from time to time, but it usually goes away quickly or within a few days. However major depression, or major depressive disorder, is something more and lasts for weeks – even years. Symptoms can include intense feelings such as overwhelming sadness, low energy, lossContinue Reading