| | Chinese medicine can reduce the suicide of sufferrer with depressionFrank Aug, 23, 2014, in Waterloo, On. Ca. https://frankwaterloo.wordpress.com/2016/01/28/chinese-medicine-can-reduce-the-suicide-of-sufferrer-with-depression/ Aug, 13, 2014, www.chinanews.com published a Mandrin article the number of suicides in the United States are doubled that of in homicide and over the death of AIDS said with that: Director of American Institute of Mental Health, Thomas Yoon said that, for decades, the U.S. suicide rate remains high, the number of suicides per year is in an average of 3.9 million, more than twice of the death in homicide, also higher than car accidents, AIDS or prostate cancer deaths. The main cause is depression. The sad facts shocked me very much. I think of my July 30, 2012 article Recover Mental Disorders by Chinese Medicine, in which I introduced some modern researches on depression. Depression is a kind of mental disorder, as same as any of other human abnormal behaviors, it caused by brain abnormal that mainly induced by living or working pressure socially. “Depressive patients often show neuropsychological deficits in executive functions such as lack of concentration, attention deficits, mood- congruent memory biases and lack of motivation, all impacting directly on cognitive performance. Main affective symptoms are negative mood states, anxiety symptoms or a pervasive lack of positive affect.” “Neuroimaging studies have shown abnormalities in regions of the medial and the lateral prefrontal cortex, the limbic system and basal ganglia.” “Apparent shrinkage of a part of the temporal lobe called the hippocampus, which is critical for memory”. Identified neurophysiological abnormalities in multiple areas of the prefrontal cortex (PFC), the amygdala, and related parts of the striatum and thalamus.” As my view, those suicidal people are good-hearted person mostly, because of, they do not want to affect and hurt others, so that themselves bear too much psychological pressure. Those psychological pressure caused them insomnia, loss of appetite and metabolic imbalance, thereby, to cause them in inadequate nutrient supply. Further, to cause part of their brain cells apoptosis, and thereby, to affect them normal thinking, and thus, producing suicidal tendencies. As a living human beings, everyone has a instinct desire for survival, to decide to end own life is a difficult choice. In such sad factors, I believed that, in more or less, there is the reason that they do not want to affect and hurt others. From another perspective, if these people do whatever they want, to fully release of psychological pressure, they would never suffer depression. This world is not fair, bad people boldly do whatever they want to do, by hurting good people as a living, as a fun, as a pleasure. Good people should be good to be alive, they should not die with such a simple way. We must help those good people in health living. July 30, 2012, in the article Chinese Medicine can Reduce Stress, I indicate that: “We are living in a highly competitive society. The inducing factors of psychological pressure are surrounding us in every moment, we can not escape. Can be done only on the subjective self-regulating to reduce their harms. On this purpose, Chinese drugs can play a effective role.” “Chinese drug can reduce the negative effects of psychological stress largely. Because it can alleviate the stress symptoms by releasing endorphins, decreasing the stress hormone cortisol, eliminating the oxygen free radicals, lowering the blood pressure, reducing the heart rate, relaxing the muscle tissue, improving the digestion and sleeping, and bringing more fresh oxygen to body tissues by improving the circulation of blood and lymphatic fluids. This increased blood flow will eliminate the waste products from inside the body and enhance the nutrition supply to take an Antiaging effect.” July 30, 2012, in the article Chinese Medicine can Improve Sleep, I introduced that: “Better Sleep Council Survey Shows 51 Percent of Americans Are Losing Sleep over Stress.” “Researchers at Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine have found that reason why middle-aged men may be losing sleep. It’s not just because of what they worry about. Rather, it’s due to ‘increased vulnerability of sleep to stress hormones.'” “Researchers compared patients with insomnia to those without sleep disturbances. They found that “insomniacs with the highest degree of sleep disturbance secreted the highest amount of cortisol , particularly in the evening and nighttime hours,” suggesting that chronic insomnia is a disorder of sustained hyperarousal of the body’s stress response system.” “In as much as stress is the incentive for sleep disturbance, then mitigates the harm of stress on the prevention of sleep problems have great significance.” “Stress is the result of comprehensive reaction of the body against the social pressure. Due to the social factors are often unexpectable and uncontrollable, therefore, that the enhancement of the physical ability against stress will be a feasible approach in the prevention and treatment of stress-related sleep disorders.” “Many studies show that Chinese drugs can relieve the negative effects of psychological stress through releasing endorphins, decreases the stress hormone cortisol, lowers blood pressure, reduces heart rate, relaxes muscle tissue, and bring more fresh oxygen to body tissues by improving the circulation of blood and lymphatic fluids. This increased oxygen flow will eliminate waste products from inside the body and enhance the recovery from situation being impaired. Those therapeutic effects will improve the sleep disorders.” Dec. 22, 2011, in the article Chinese Medicine and Cells Regeneration, I introduced that: “Clinical practices have been demonstrating that Chinese medicine is superior to Western medicine in the treatment and prevention of brain disorders. Chinese Medicine can directly permeate through the blood-brain barrier into the brain to take the therapeutic effect in improving the state of hypoxic ischemic and metabolism. It will not only promote development of immature neurons, but also to repair the damaged nerve cells. Enhance the activity of nerve cells and restore the injured brain. Such as, Chinese medicines have very good therapeutic effect on the congenital cerebral palsy, sequela of cerebrovascular disease and traumatic brain injury as well as Alzheimer’s disease, etc.” “Chinese medicine contains various natural nutrients that are easily absorbed by our body, such as, amino acids, peptides, phospholipids and so on. So the treatment in Chinese medicine is able to generate magical effect that simply can not get in the treatment of medication or surgery in Western medicine. Chinese medicine is a kind of restorative treatment in the level of cell and gene, through providing nutrients for the damaged nerve cells, to promote residual neurons regeneration. Therefore the damaged function of the nerve system will be restored.” Promotion of nerve cell’s differentiation and development “In vitro, vivo and clinical trials in the conditions of normal, hypoxic and glutamate damage, shows that Chinese medicine can increase cells’ activity, promote nerve cell’s differentiation and development. Inhibit the apoptosis of nerve cells in the earlier, middle and later stage, which induced by hypoxic and glutamate damage.” Promotion of neuronal growth “Neonatal rat’s dorsal root ganglia in serum-free culture, for the test group add the Chinese medicine in basic culture medium, control group add nothing. In the test group, the length of dorsal root ganglion cells neurites are (314 ± 43) μm. It is significantly larger than that of (76 ± 26) μm in control group. These results indicate that, in vitro, Chinese medicine can promote the growth of dorsal root ganglia and cerebral cortex neurons.” Activation of undifferentiated stem cells “In the central nervous system, there are some undifferentiated stem cells. Chinese medicine possesses the ability to activate those stem cells to split and regenerate new cells. So that make the nerve cells be restored to normal levels from original absolutely decreased status.” “Ischemic injured Brain, after 7 days’ treatment of Chinese medicine, in ischemic injured area, found a great number of nestin expressions. This showes that Chinese medicine possesses a strong ability to promote the proliferation of adult neural stem cells in vivo. The Experiments also observed that the functional recovery of patients’ limb is sync with the increase of nestin level. The results proved that the Chinese medicine can effectively promote the nestin expression. Therefore contribute to rebuild nerve tissue effectively after cerebral ischemia damage.” July 30, 2012, in the article Recover Mental Disorders by Chinese Medicine, I introduced a case that I once cured a prevalence ten years psychiatric patient by Chinese medicine. — Frank Aug, 23, 2014, in Waterloo, On. Ca. Several factors, such as severity of symptoms, family history, substance abuse and a “mixed” depressive and manic state may combine to increase the risk for suicide Aug 13, 2014 |By Roni Jacobson http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/robin-williams-depression-alone-rarely-causes-suicide/ MORE IN THIS ARTICLEIn his stand-up and best-loved comedies, including Aladdin and Mrs. Doubtfire, Robin Williams was known for his rapid-fire impersonations and intensely playful energy. His most critically acclaimed work, however, including his Oscar-winning turn in Good Will Hunting, married humor with sharp introspection and appreciation for melancholy.
Reports of his death from apparent suicide on August 11 at the age of 63 have prompted much speculation about the actor’s personality and mental health. Williams had been seeking treatment for severe depression, and many commenters have labeled that as the reason for his death. Whereas the majority of people who commit suicide suffer from depression, less than 4 percent of those eventually take their lives.
Clearly, more factors are at work as causes of suicide than depression alone. The severity of mood disorders, past suicide attempts and substance abuse are all thought to increase the risk. Recent evidence also suggests that the mixed-depressive form of bipolar disorder can be a particularly dangerous time that can often go undetected or masquerade as general depression and irritability.
In 2006 Williams told interviewer Terry Gross on the radio show Fresh Air that he had experienced depressive episodes, but said that he had not been diagnosed with clinical depression or bipolar disorder—an illness typified by extreme emotional highs and lows, where people alternate between states of manic energy and deep depression. He also discussed his struggles with addiction and substance abuse—cocaine in the 1970s, and later, alcohol, for which he entered treatment in 2006. “Do I perform sometimes in a manic style? Yes,” Williams said. “Am I manic all the time? No. Do I get sad? Oh yeah. Does it hit me hard? Oh yeah,” he said at the time.
Depression, which affects about 16 million people in the U.S. according to the National Institutes of Mental Health, and more than 350 million globally according to the World Health Organization, is thought to be the result of interacting social, biological and environmental factors. The word “depression” is tossed around casually, but in reality the condition can be quite debilitating. People with major depressive disorder (also known as clinical, major or unipolar depression) exist beyond the realm of sadness. In fact, they can feel numb to the world and often become lethargic and lose interest in people and activities that formerly brought them joy. When the disorder is at its most severe, people with depression may even experience psychosis—seeing or hearing things that aren’t there.
Unsurprisingly, the more severe the depression symptoms the more likely the person is at risk for suicide. Mild to moderate depression or dysthymia—chronic gloominess that is less serious than major depression—is not considered a risk factor for suicide. When left untreated, however, moderate depression can turn severe over time as the episodes build on one another.
Although women attempt suicide more often, men are more likely to complete the act. That morbid fact is frequently attributed to the method: Men use firearms or hanging—much harder to recover from than overdosing on pills, women’s method of choice. Yet men are also more likely to be depressed for a longer period of time and to have their depression go undetected than are women.
The longstanding biological explanation of depression—that people with the disorder have low levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin—is now considered overly simplistic. But serotonin, which facilitates learning and memory, is thought to be involved in some capacity; people with depression struggle to break negative, recursive thought patterns that inhibit their ability to learn from new information. In a 2014 study, John Keilp, a neuropsychologist at Columbia University, and colleagues found that people with depression who attempt suicide tend to have shorter attention spans and worse memory capacity than those with the disorder who do not attempt suicide.
Cognitive behavioral therapy and medication can work together to correct those counterproductive thought patterns, but that type of recovery becomes more difficult when mind-altering recreational substances are added to the equation. This challenge is particularly true with the introduction of sedatives, or “downers,” such as benzodiazepines and alcohol. Alcohol depresses the brain’s reward centers even further, making it harder bounce back. Approximately 60 percent of people who commit suicide have consumed alcohol at the time of death.
Another condition that may appear as depression but is actually a facet of bipolar disorder, called a mixed-depressive episode, can also elevate the risk for suicide. This condition is characterized by a depressive episode with three or more “hypomanic” symptoms—which can include irritability, distractibility and agitation. Mixed episodes combine the racing thoughts of a manic episode, but with a distinctly negative instead of euphoric tinge Mixed states in turn may deepen depression and make it more resistant to treatment. A 2013 review in The American Journal of Psychiatry suggests that suicidal ideation and past suicide attempts are more frequent in people during mixed-depressive episodes compared with those experiencing depression alone.
This summer Williams reportedly entered Hazelden, an addiction treatment center in Minnesota. He had not fallen off the wagon, but was taking the opportunity to “fine-tune and focus on his continued commitment to [sobriety].” Although it was not enough in the end—the effects of addiction can linger for years after substance abuse has stopped, and depression is a supremely intractable disorder— hopefully the bravery he displayed in addressing his problems head-on will encourage more people seek help before it’s too late.
A number of other factors can contribute to suicide risk—poverty, for one, family history of suicide, for another. But the tragedy of Williams’s death should remind us that the most debilitating and life-threatening mood disorders can strike anyone, and once they do, it can be awfully hard to find release.
For more on suicide, read our special report: “Suicide: Genius, Suicide and Mental Illness: Insights into a Deep Connection“
|
