April is Stress Awareness Month

This is an event sponsored by the Health Resource Network, a non-profit education network consisting of educators and health professionals.

Stress Awareness Day is April 16th.

Some interesting facts about stress:

• 75% of the general population experiences at least "some stress" every two weeks (National Health Interview Survey).

• Half of those experience moderate or high levels of stress during the same two-week period.

• Millions of Americans suffer from unhealthy levels of stress at work. (A study several years ago estimated the number to be 11 million–given events since that time, this number has certainly more than tripled–studies in Sweden, Canada, and other Westernized countries show similar trends.)

• Worker’s compensation claims for "mental stress" in California rose 200-700% in the 1980s (whereas all other causes remained stable or declined!)

• Stress contributes to heart disease, high blood pressure, strokes, and other illnesses in many individuals.

• Stress also affects the immune system, which protects us from many serious diseases.

• Tranquilizers, antidepressants, and anti-anxiety medications account for one fourth of all prescriptions written in the U.S. each year.

• Stress also contributes to the development of alcoholism, obesity, suicide, drug addiction, cigarette addiction, and other harmful behaviors.

• The U.S. Public Health Service has made reducing stress by the year 2000 one of its major health promotion goals.

What are some methods you use to help reduce the stress in your life?

Kids’ Mental Health Unaddressed

It is estimated that at least 13 percent of American children and teens have at least one mental health disorder but only about half have actually been seen by a mental health professional, most likely because of the number of mental health professionals in the United States.

NIMH researcher Dr. Kathleen R. Merikangas noted in a telephone interview with Reuters Health.

The problem, she said, is that there is a severe shortage of mental health professionals with expertise in child psychiatry in the US. “There simply aren’t enough child psychiatrists to go around. It’s an urgent crisis.”

A survey conducted by the National Institute of Mental Health indicated that there is , in fact, a severe shortage of mental health professionals in child psychiatry in the US. They survey provided a comprehensive look  at the rate of six mental disorders including ADHD, anxiety disorders, and depression.

The results found that children and teens of lower socioeconomic status were more likely to report disorders such as ADHD, whild those with higher socioeconomic status reported disorders like anxiety disorders.

Additionally, there were higher rates of mood disorders among Mexican-Americans than Caucasians or African Americans.

Overall, 55 percent of those with a mental health disorder had consulted with a health professional and only 32 percent with an anxiety disorder had sought treatment. African Americans and Mexican-American were significantly less likely to seek treatment than Caucasians.

“We need to raise awareness that most of the problems that we see in adults in terms of depression, anxiety, substance abuse, even psychosis, begin in adolescence, some in childhood,” Merikangas told Reuters Health. “We need to identify these kids so that we can prevent these conditions from interfering their development — and life.”

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wirestory?id=9331005&page=2

Depression & Anxiety Linked to the Economy

Have you realized how many people are growing more and more anxious over the economical crisis we are experiencing?

Just yesterday I had a conversation with my dad – being retired, he has a great deal of concern for his own retirement that comes through the auto industry. Understandable, right?

When I explained to him the way in which I’m personally trying to remain as positive as I can, he nodded in agreement. He could see how perhaps the right frame of mind might just help keep your sanity, especially during the current recession our country is going through.

I shared an observation about New Castle, one of the small cities closest to where I live and with a population of right around 17,000 people. In New Castle, on the main state road that runs through the city, within a 1.5 mile stretch, there are FOUR pharmacies!  CVS, Wallgreens, Kroger Pharmacy and a local mom-and-pop pharmacy called McGrady’s all rest within that short distance. Why?

In the entire city there are ten pharmacies. Why exactly a city with so little people need TEN pharmacies, I’m not sure. It seems to me that the 4 mom-and-pop pharmacies are being backed into a corner by larger chain stores and when those chain stores are located so close together, someone is bound to go down eventually. Now, when that chain store closes up shop, what has it gained from it’s short-lived existence besides driving the mom-and-pop out?

Maybe the bad times have to happen to drive larger, franchised businesses back under control while allowing doors of opportunity to open back up for the mom-and-pop operations that were driven out to begin with?

Could it be?

Personally, I’d rather pay a little more and keep my money locally than to pay the cheaper prices and have my money support outsourcing and devastating business practices.

Now, whether or not that is what is happening – I would like to think there’s something positive that will come out of the days spent in this economical purgatory.

What are ways you are trying to keep your spirits up during these hard times?