Obesity and depression feed off each other

 Depression and weight problems often go hand in hand - it`s a vicious cycle you need to know about! A study of 58,745 patients` data revealed that people with obesity had a 55 percent increased risk of developing depression over time, and the depressed persons had a 58 percent increased risk of obesity. Forty-three percent of adults with depression already have obesity and women numbering more in this group than men, as found by a national survey.

The suicide ideation in women with a waist circumference of over 105cm is three times more than the women with that below 82.5cm. The mental state, when obesity joins the party, is weakened by two real and debilitating attacks that run parallelly. One attack is physiological - inside the body. Obesity causes joint pain, diabetes, blood pressure etc., which are also the risk factors for depression. Additionally, excessive body fat causes chronic inflammation in the brain that leads to mood and psychiatric disorders.

The other is from outside - the social stigma - how society treats people with obesity. 18.7% to 38% of people with obesity reported experiencing obesity stigma from their educators, employers, health professionals, the media, friends, and family in a WHO (World Health Organization) study. Obesity stigma is associated with increased depression, anxiety and decreased self-esteem. It can also lead to disordered eating, avoidance of physical activity, and avoidance of medical care.Will Weight Loss Improve The Mood Or Improving The Mood Help Weight-Loss? It`s not an `either-or` question say some experts. For example, dieting alone may worsen mood, particularly when it causes a pattern of repeated dieting failure. Conversely, the most common pharmacological treatments for depression have the side effect of weight gain . However, obesity seems to resist physical exercises more than depression. A study found that healthy-weight persons walked per day an average of 11,586 steps, non-depressed obesity patients did 7283 steps, and the depressed obesity patients, 6177 steps .

Hence the expert advice is to jointly address obesity and depression. If you are on medications for depressions, don`t skip your tablets in pursuit of weight-loss.The next step would be to understand obesity well.What exactly is obesity? Obesity is not just a cosmetic condition as popularly perceived. It`s a complex, progressive and multifactorial disease that needs expert medical help to treat, just like clinical depression does. Obesity is measured by BMI (Body Mass Index), which is a measure of your weight in relation to your height.World Health Organization (WHO) considers a BMI more than 30 as Class 1 obesity. BMI above 35 is Class II- serious obesity and BMI above 40 is class III- severe obesity.

The Indian figures are 2.5 lower than these options For Lasting Obesity Solutions For Patients With Low SpiritsMost patients with obesity who have tried diet and exercise, have had some initial success, only to regain the weight. This is not due to their lack of willpower or the wrong diet. There is documented observation that even for a non-depressed obesity patient with a BMI greater than 35, the chances of reaching a normal body weight for a lasting period of time with diet and exercise alone is less than 1 percent.

Minimally invasive bariatric weight-loss surgery might be an option if your BMI is above 32.5 with depression or any other obesity-related co-morbidity; or if your BMI is more than 37.5 without any obesity-related co-morbidity . A study of 11,687 bariatric surgery patients with at least one psychiatric disorder found that a) their excess weight-loss was similar to those with no known mental health disorders, b) Quality of life improvement by 28 percent to 32 per cent was as same, and c) among patients with depression, use of anti-depressant medication dropped by about 20 percent one year after surgery and remained at that level after three years of follow-up .Now-a-days due to COVID-19, many Bariatric Surgeons offer online consultations. One could book an appointment at a center of one`s choice, and discuss the obesity issues with the expert doctor from the convenience of one`s home.

Obesity can be treated with lasting results in patients with depression. 

My personal feelings- it isn't necessary to go in for any surgery. First, see if your thyroid functions normally, if you've POCD problems. Take care of those first. Then starving doesn't help. Never skip breakfast, eat sensibly.Eat more fruits, boiled veges, boiled chickpeas / red. white beans. It is full of protein and fiber. Salad though most say have it, it doesn't suit many people, as it depends on your digestive system. Eat little less, start your day with a glass of warm water with 2 teaspoon of honey and lime juice. I found this helps to curb your appetite. Walk at your own speed, keep moving. Above all sleep well, loss of sleep also makes one obese !

 

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Voice analysis software may help diagnose PTSD in veterans

Voice analysis software can help detect post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in veterans based on their speech, a study suggests.

Doctors have long understood that people with psychiatric disorders may speak differently than individuals who do not have mental health problems, researchers note in Depression and Anxiety. While some previous research points to the potential for distinct speech patterns among people with PTSD, it’s been unclear whether depression that often accompanies PTSD might explain the unique voice characteristics.

In the current study, voice analysis software detected which veterans had PTSD and which ones did not with 89 percent accuracy.

“Those with the PTSD talked more slowly (slower tongue movement), were more monotonous with fewer bursts of vocalization, were less animated and energetic (lifeless) in their speech, and had longer hesitations and a flatter tone,” said the lead study author.

“Our findings suggest that speech-based characteristics can be used to diagnose this disease, and with further refinement and validation, may be employed in the clinic in the near future,” the author said.

The team used an artificial intelligence program that “learns” how to classify individuals based on examples of speech.

First, researchers recorded hours-long interviews based on questions often asked by clinicians to diagnose PTSD. Altogether, they interviewed 53 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans with PTSD related to their service as well as 78 veterans without the disease.

Then, they fed the recordings into voice analysis software developed by Stanford Research Institute (SRI) International, designers of the “Siri” App, to yield a total of 40,526 speech-based features captured in short spurts of talk.

The software linked patterns of specific voice features with PTSD, including less clear speech and a lifeless, metallic tone, both of which had long been reported anecdotally as helpful in diagnosis.

While the study did not explore the disease mechanisms behind PTSD, the theory is that traumatic events change brain circuits that process emotion and muscle tone that affect a person’s voice, the study team writes.

 The study was small, and it wasn’t designed to prove whether or how PTSD might directly cause changes in vocal patterns. It’s also possible that results might be different for people who experienced trauma unrelated to military service such as sexual assault or a natural disaster.

Other warning signs of PTSD may also be easier for family members to spot, said the Dr.                              

 “I think more general, observable indicators of trauma are more relevant in such cases,” a researcher who wasn’t involved in the study said. “Noticing that a family member exposed to a recent trauma appears to be unusually irritable, aggressive, hyper-vigilant, or reports nightmares, flashbacks of the trauma, or appears socially withdrawn or depressed ... would warrant a clinical assessment.”

But it may not be too far in the future that a tool like the one tested in the study could be one way to identify people who need to be evaluated for PTSD, said a U.S. Army Capt.

“In a perfect world, I see this technology used as an early warning tool for PTSD,” said the Army Capt. 

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Children exposed to dogs less likely to develop schizophrenia later in life

Having a pet pooch has numerous positives and a recent study has found one more. Exposure to dogs since an early age is linked to a reduced risk of developing schizophrenia later in life, according to the US-based research.

Robert Yolken, MD from John Hopkins Children Centre and the primary author of the research, said, "Serious psychiatric disorders have been associated with alterations in the immune system linked to environmental exposures in early life, and since household pets are often among the first things with which children have close contact, it was logical for us to explore the possibilities of a connection between the two."

Yolken and his fellow researchers from Sheppard Pratt Health System in Baltimore studied the implications of contact with dogs and cats during the first 12 years since a person's birth and its impact upon the chances of developing bipolar and schizophrenia later in life. 

A clear reduction in the risks of schizophrenia was observed in the case of people who had pet dogs as young children, while there was no statistically significant link between dogs and bipolar. 

It is still not clearly established whether being raised up with cats either reduces or increases the risk of developing both these metal conditions and this study reflected the same trend. 

Going by the pre-existing body of knowledge, a cat or a dog can modify the human immune system through allergic reactions, microbe exposure and even the positive effect of pets on human neurochemistry. 

In their study, Yolken and his colleagues took a total of 1371 people from Baltimore, USA between the ages 18 and 65, out of which 396 suffered from schizophrenia, 381 with bipolar and 594 mentally fit controls who were screened for any psychiatric condition.

 In the next step, the participants were asked whether they owned cats or dogs before the age of 12.
The findings revealed, that the ones who were exposed to dogs before the age of 13 had a 24 percent less risk of being diagnosed with schizophrenia in adulthood.

 "The largest apparent protective effect was found for children who had a household pet dog at birth or were first exposed after birth but before age 3," Yolken explained. 

Yolken said that canines bring their young owners into contact with a plethora of microorganisms and the resulting immune-boosting effects seem to work towards preventing schizophrenia in genetically predisposed individuals.

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Cannabis and cannabinoids are increasingly used for treating mental problem

People with psychiatric disorders may want to pass on the joint -- at least until further research is done, a new Australian study suggests. The study looked at 83 previous studies conducted over almost four decades on medical cannabinoids, including products from the cannabis plant, such as leaves, buds and oils, as well as pharmaceutical-grade cannabinoids.

The authors found insufficient evidence that the products were safe and effective in treating six common disorders: depression, anxiety, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, Tourette syndrome, post-traumatic stress disorder and psychosis.

Cannabis and cannabinoids are increasingly being made available for medicinal use in North America, Britain and Australia without being subjected to the standard process that includes testing and scrutinising by government regulatory bodies, lead author said.

"One of the most striking things about the spread of legislation in multiple countries permitting cannabis/cannabinoids for medicinal purposes is that this is in many instances happening outside of the regulatory frameworks that medicine development typically occurs within," said the author.

The study found that after chronic non-cancer pain, mental health is one of the most common reasons for using medicinal cannabinoids. But no reviews have considered the varying effects of the different types of cannabinoids or their safety, and the only studies into long-term effects were conducted on individuals using cannabis for recreational use.

In most randomised-controlled trials of the effects of cannabinoids on depression and anxiety, the use was related to another condition, like chronic pain or multiple sclerosis. Some studies showed improvement in anxiety symptoms, but it was unclear if that effect was due to improvements in the primary condition.

In one small study of patients with psychosis, pharmaceutical THC -- the active substance in cannabis -- actually worsened symptoms.  There are safety concerns as well. "There are risks of developing dependence upon cannabis," said the author. "There are also risks if someone drives while intoxicated, and there [is] evidence that people who use cannabis regularly may be at increased risk of developing depression and psychotic symptoms."

Medications that are proven to be effective and aren't addictive already exist for many of the conditions for which cannabis is being used, said a researcher.

A large study -- with a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial -- is the gold standard for determining the balance between a drug's efficacy and its side effects, the author said. Until that is completed, "one cannot have confidence in attributing any beneficial effects observed in a clinical trial to cannabis."

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Study Establishes Link Between Air Pollution and Children's Mental Health

Researchers have found that short-term exposure to ambient air pollution was associated with exacerbations of psychiatric disorders in children one to two days later.

The study, also found that children living in disadvantaged neighbourhoods may be more susceptible to the effects of air pollution compared to other children, especially for disorders related to anxiety and suicidal.

The fact that children living in high poverty neighbourhoods experienced greater health effects of air pollution could mean that pollutant and neighbourhood stressors can have synergistic effects on psychiatric symptom severity and frequency," said study lead author.

Three new studies from Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, in collaboration with researchers at the University of Cincinnati, highlight the relationship between air pollution and mental health in children.

Two other Cincinnati Children's studies also link air pollution to children's mental health and found an association between recent high traffic related air pollution (TRAP) exposure and higher generalised anxiety.

The study is believed to be the first to use neuroimaging to link TRAP exposure, metabolic disturbances in the brain, and generalized anxiety symptoms among otherwise healthy children.

The researchers found higher myoinositol concentrations in the brain - a marker of the brain's neuroinflammatory response to TRAP.

The other study found that exposure to TRAP during early life and across childhood was significantly associated with self-reported depression and anxiety symptoms in 12 year olds.

Collectively, these studies contribute to the growing body of evidence that exposure to air pollution during early life and childhood may contribute to depression, anxiety and other mental health problems in adolescence, said the researchers.


this is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.   
https://gscrochetdesigns.blogspot.com. one can see my crochet creations https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com. feel free to view for easy, simple and healthy recipes    
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