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African Americans with type 1 diabetes who are depressed are more likely to have poor control over their blood sugar levels and, over time, experience a more rapid progression of diabetic retinopathy, a new study shows.
In previous research with the same group of patients, Dr. Monique S. Roy of UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School in Newark and her colleagues found that poor control over blood sugar (glucose), high blood pressure and kidney disease were primary medical risk factors for diabetic retinopathy, damage to the blood vessels around the retina. However, these factors only explain 37 percent of the variation in retinopathy severity in these patients.
Depression is known to increase inflammation and it has also been tied to hormonal changes and blood clotting abnormalities, all of which might play a role in progression of diabetic retinopathy, Roy told Reuters Health. "It's a complex problem, and we're trying to untangle that," she said in an interview.
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In the twelve years that I've been writing about depression, I have
often included the caution that it is very important to have a complete
physical examination to eliminate any underlying conditions that might
be causing the depression. Chief among these conditions that can cause
depression is thyroid malfunction.
A
few months ago, I came down with strep throat. Simultaneously I started
feeling a lump in my throat. After several doctor's appointments, I was
finally diagnosed, tentatively, with thyroiditis, an inflammation of the thyroid.
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Parental stress or
bullying by peers can make it even tougher for overweight or obese
children to get healthy, a U.S. study finds.
"If a parent is distressed, that seems to impact a child's
symptoms of depression, which then impacts quality of life. It's
the same with peer victimization. It impacts depression, which then
impacts quality of life. And it seems to affect not just the
emotional aspect of quality of life, but also their health status,"
lead author David Janicke, assistant professor of clinical and
health psychology in the University of Florida College of Public
Health and Health Professions, in Gainesville, said in a prepared
statement.
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Treatment with a
light-emitting diode (LED) device is effective for seasonal
affective disorder, according to a report in an August 7th online
release from BMC Psychiatry.
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When attending college with mental illness, two different treatment
options often present themselves: treatment by professionals or
self-medication. When I was in college, more opportunities presented
themselves for self-medicating.
Mental illness is now
more readily addressed in college institutions, and therapy is almost
always included in the health plan offered by the school. The passage
of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990 now enables a
person with mental illness to obtain a "pass/illness/ disability card"
from their treatment providers on campus to give to their professors
offering varying school policies for extensions, and more time when
taking exams. (Not everyone will need to do this, but it is valuable
information to have.)
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