Interesting Facts

According to research published in the Journal of Behaviour Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry if you are suffering from depression, walking like a happy person can help you to think more positively. (No wonder my mum always kept saying "chin up".) Source

Researchers from Cambridge University have developed a saliva test that can indicate the risk of depression in teenage boys. (Most mental health disorders start before age 24 and about one in six people will suffer from clinical depression, in the UK 10 million people will suffer at some point in their lives. The research found that teenage boys who felt down and had high levels of the "stress hormone" cortisol were 14 times more likely to go on to suffer clinical depression than boys who didn't . The test was tried on teenage boys and girls, but found to be most effective with boys.) Source

Scientists from Heptares Therapeutics in Hertfordshire, are claiming to have identified the brain's 'misery molecule', which they have linked to stress and anxiety. (The protein - named CRF1, not the misery molecule, could also be linked to depression, and there are hopes that this discovery will lead to new drugs able to block this and control stress, anxiety and depression. I only have one problem with that. What if we have every reason to be stressed, anxious and depressed?)

According to a study by MindFull, nearly a third of young people in the UK have contemplated or attempted suicide. (Their research showed that 32% of young Britons have had suicidal thoughts, while a similar proportion (29%) of young adults deliberately harmed themselves as teenagers. And more than one in 10 (12%) felt a failure almost every day when they were under 16. 1 in 5 young people were depressed during childhood, with pressure from school work, fear of the future and lack of confidence all cited as factors. The taboo over talking about mental health problems in the UK is preventing children from getting the help they need. The Mindull organisation is attempting to address some of the issues facing young people in the UK.) I'm not going to plus one this, because it's just too - depressing.

According to the ONS (Office for National Statistics) Britons in their late 60s are happier and more carefree than any other age group, including young people. (Incidence of anxiety and depression in the UK drops by almost a third between the early 50s and late 60s.  It must be the 1960s that did it.)

According to a survey from the London-based Institute of Economic Affairs retiring (stopping work) can make you miserable and ill. (The study found that after giving up work, the average adult was 60 per cent more likely to have at least one diagnosed illness. Retirement was also found to increase the risk of depression by 40 per cent. I hope the people running the survey are aware that people who retire are "old".  Personally I just want to be able to afford to retire.) Source

According to a study by Dr. Honglei Chen, an investigator at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, there is a link between soft drinks and depression. (Participants in the study who drank more than four servings of fizzy drinks per day were 30 percent more likely to develop depression than participants who didn't, but it's not just fizzy pop, people who stuck with fruit squash had a 38 percent higher risk than people who didn't drink sweetened drinks. And it's not just sugary drinks, the research also showed that people who drank low-calorie diet drinks, iced teas, and fruit squash were at a slightly higher risk of depression too, and the artificial sweetener aspartame may be to blame. It does make me wonder though: do sugary drinks cause depression, or do depressed people try to cheer themselves up with a sweet drink? The good news is that drinking unsweetened coffee can lower the risk of depression. I'm a happy go lucky person, guess what I d...

According to a study published in BioMed Central's public health journal, people of working age who live alone increase their risk of depression by up to 80%. (This is compared with people living in families. The worrying thing is that the proportion of one-person households in Western countries has increased during the past three decades, with one in every three people in the US and the UK living alone. Living alone, the study said, could be linked with feelings of isolation and a lack of social integration and trust, which are risk factors for mental health. Of course with the internet, no one needs to be alone for long, just log in and talk.)

Today is Blue Monday, or is it? (In the UK Blue Monday is the most depressing day of the year, which usually falls on the third Monday of the year or the Monday of the last full week of January, but this year we get it early. In 2012, Blue Monday could fall on January 23rd which is the last full week of January, or on January 16th the third Monday of the year. Maybe this means we will get two this year - Whoopee!)

A study by mental health magazine Uncovered has revealed that half of people fighting depression in the UK prefer to Google for help rather than tell pals or see their GP! (If you've landed on this page in a search for help, might I suggest you seek medical help and turn to a member of the family, or go to a counselling session with some real people.  You'd be surprised how supportive people can be, if you just let them.)

A study by mental health magazine Uncovered has revealed where people in the UK feel most depressed. (The Welsh are most likely to be in a trough of despair.  In Yorkshire three-quarters of adults admit to severe anxiety over money troubles, and funnily enough the Scots are among those least likely to fret about being skint.  Londoners, Midlanders and people in the North East and Ulster are the most prone to secretly battling depression by boozing. The East Midlands is the nation's mental health mecca - with eight in ten inhabitants insisting it is a "happy" place to live.)

According to a study carried out at the University of Leeds in the UK, excessive internet use is associated with depression. (The study, published in the journal Psychopathology, found that 1.2% of people surveyed could be classed as "internet addicts", and many of these were depressed. But they couldn't figure out if the depression was caused by excessive internet use, or if depressed people just use the internet a lot?)

According to the Observer, 70,000 teenagers failed to turn up to take their GCSE exams last year. (This might be related to the number of teenagers relying on drugs such as Prozac and Seroxat to see them through their exams. 84,000 children and teenagers were prescribed drugs such as Seroxat and Prozac in 2004-2005. Now that's crazy.)