Welcome to Wing of Madness Depression Guide

By Deborah Posted in General Tagged , ,
Image: Proserpine by Dante Gabriel Rossetti

Proserpine by Dante Gabriel Rossetti

Welcome to one of the oldest depression sites on the Web. Since 1995, Wing of Madness has been providing information and support to people dealing with their own depression or that of someone they know.

This web page is about clinical depression, also referred to as major depression or major depressive disorder. Here we address not the “down” mood which we all get from time to time and which leads us to say, “I’m depressed,” but the often debilitating illness which affects one in five people, children as well as adults.

Clinical depression has many different facets, and affects not only someone’s mood, but often also their ability to function normally. Many depressed people experience impaired memory, difficulty concentrating, and confused thought processes. Some people experience what seems like unbearable noise or pain in their head which is purely mental (not the product of a headache, etc.). It can become impossible to speak or smile normally. Obviously, clinical depression is much more complicated than “the blues.” Continue reading →

Severely Injured Vets May Need Ongoing Emotional Care

By Deborah Posted in News Tagged ,

(HealthDay News) — U.S. veterans who suffered major limb injuries in combat showed little improvement with mental health problems such as depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in the two years after receiving treatment for their wounds, researchers report.

Their pain levels showed the most improvement three to six months after their initial hospitalization and then leveled off, according to the study, which is scheduled for presentation Thursday at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Pain Medicine in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

via Severely Injured Vets May Need Ongoing Emotional Care.

Pastor Rick Warren blames son’s death on depression | The News Journal | delawareonline.com

By Deborah Posted in News

Pastor Rick Warren, leader of one of the nation’s largest evangelical churches, says his son’s suicide last week was the result of years of struggle with depression and a "momentary wave of despair."

In an open letter to his church, later shared with his nearly one million Twitter followers, Warren said Matthew Warren, 27, took his own life at his Mission Viejo, Calif., home.

Matthew Warren struggled with mental illness, deep depression and suicidal thoughts throughout his life, Saddleback Valley Community Church said in a statement.

via Pastor Rick Warren blames son's death on depression | The News Journal | delawareonline.com.

Suicidal Thoughts More Common in Kids With Autism: Study

By Deborah Posted in News Tagged ,

HealthDay News — Children with autism may have a higher-than-average risk of contemplating or attempting suicide, a new study suggests.Researchers found that mothers of children with autism were much more likely than other moms to say their child had talked about or attempted suicide: 14 percent did, versus 0.5 percent of mothers whose kids didnt have the disorder.The behavior was more common in older kids aged 10 and up and those whose mothers thought they were depressed, as well as kids whose moms said they were teased.An autism expert not involved in the research, however, said the study had limitations, and that the findings "should be interpreted cautiously."

via Suicidal Thoughts More Common in Kids With Autism: Study.

Childhood Depression May Be Tied to Later Heart Risk: Study

By Deborah Posted in News Tagged ,

(HealthDay News) — Teens who were depressed as children are more likely to be obese, to smoke and to be sedentary, a new study finds.

The findings suggest that depression during childhood can increase the risk of heart problems later in life, according to the researchers.

The study included more than 500 children who were followed from ages 9 to 16. There were three groups: those diagnosed with depression as children, their depression-free siblings and a control group of unrelated youngsters with no history of depression.

Twenty-two percent of the kids who were depressed at age 9 were obese at age 16, the study found. “Only 17 percent of their siblings were obese, and the obesity rate was 11 percent in the unrelated children who never had been depressed,” study first author Robert Carney, a professor of psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, said in a university news release.

The researchers found similar patterns when they looked at smoking and physical activity.

via Childhood Depression May Be Tied to Later Heart Risk: Study.