Depression+and+Suicide

Depression and Suicide
**// What is Depression? //**  "From an occupational therapy perspective, people with depression typically do not have the energy or drive to participate in the things that are important to them,” says Lisa Mahaffey, MS, OTR/L, an occupational therapist at Linden Oaks Hospital in Naperville, Illinois.

**// What Causes Depression? //**

The causes of depression vary. For some people, depression is caused by a decrease of different chemicals in the brain, and may be genetic. For others, “the cause can be life events—the inability to gain satisfaction from their relationships, or life experiences that failed to provide them with the skills to manage and cope with their responsibilities,” Mahaffey says (AOTA, 2009).

**// Facts about Depression: //**
 * As many as 20 million people in the United States, or one in five are diagnosed each year with clinical depression.
 * Approximately 12% of men and 20% of women in the U.S. will experience major depression at some point in their lives.
 * Despite advances in new medications being developed with fewer side effects, depression will persist in 15% to 39% of cases after 1 year, and in 22% of cases after 2 years of onset.
 * The chronicity of depression is an even greater cause for concern; each episode increases the chances of another by 16%. Individuals who have had three or more episodes of depression have a 90% risk of having another (Costa, 2008).

//**Depression in Children:**//
 * Current epidemiological studies estimate that between .3% and 1.4% of preschool children, between 1% and 2% of prepubescent children, and between 3% and 8% of adolescents, are diagnosed with depression.
 * Depression can present as a chronic illness in children, and it can lead to significant impairment of academic performance and interpersonal skills. It can also lead to suicidal ideation, and there may be nonverbal cues, such as giving away prized possessions (Costa, 2008).


 * //Depression in Adolescents:// **
 * The 2008 National Survey on Drug Use and Health reported that major depression affects approximately 8.5% of youths between ages 12 and 17, and they increase with age.
 * Depression among adolescents leads to impaired performance in school and in social situations, but it also affects functioning at work (Costa, 2008).

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">**//Depression in the Elderly://**
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Approximately 15% of those aged 65 years and older and 80% of those older than 85 experience depression.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">The rates of depression are higher among elders living in hospitals and skilled nursing facilities (37%) compared with those living in the community (8% to 20%).
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 14px;">Suicide rates among depressed elderly persons are 5.5 times the national average (Costa, 2008).

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">**//How Can Occupational Therapy Help?//**

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> Occupational therapy practitioners can examine the life roles that are meaningful to clients with depression and help adapt their responsibilities to give them the opportunity to participate and gain a sense of accomplishment. Practitioners then determine what interferes with a person’s ability to meet those responsibilities, such as a getting to work late everyday or finding work tasks overwhelming. Occupational therapy practitioners can help persons with depression examine how to balance leisure, work, and relationships. “We look at daily structure and include certain occupations and strategies to ensure that clients follow through on things so that they meet the responsibilities of the roles that are meaningful to them,” Mahaffey says (AOTA, 2009).

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 140%;">** //Suicide// **

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Suicide is the process of purposely ending one's own life and is a major public health problem. Nearly 1 million people worldwide commit suicide each year, with anywhere from 10 million to 20 million suicide attempts annually. About 30,000 people reportedly kill themselves each year in the United States. The true number of suicides is likely higher because some deaths that were thought to be an accident, like a single-car accident,, or shooting, are not recognized as being a suicide ( Dryden-Edwards, 2011).

//**<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Some facts about suicide: **// <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Suicide is the eighth leading cause of death in males and the 16th leading cause of death in females.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">In the United States, boys 10-14 years of age commit suicide twice as often as their female peers.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Teenage boys 15-19 years of age complete suicide five times as often as girls their age, and men 20-24 years of age commit suicide 10 times as often as women their age.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Gay, lesbian, and other sexual minority youth are more at risk for thinking about and attempting suicide than heterosexual teens.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">The rate of suicide can vary with the time of year, as wells as with the time of day (Dryden-Edwards, 2011).

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">While suicide is not universally preventable, it is possible to recognize some warning signs and symptoms that may enable you or your loved ones to access treatment before a suicide attempt. It has been estimated that up to 75% of suicide victims display some warning signs or symptoms (Dryden-Edwards, 2011).

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">//**Here are some warning signs to look out for:**// <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Symptoms may vary
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Talk of, or preoccupation with, suicide or death; threatening suicide; writing about death or suicide
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Signs of serious depression, including desperation; feelings of hopelessness; feeling no sense of purpose; loss of interest in things one used to care about; trouble sleeping
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Withdrawal from family and friends
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Reckless behavior, increased risk-taking, irritability
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Making statements about life not being worth living, hating life, that the "world would be better off without me," and similar feelings
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Increased alcohol or drug use
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Feelings of rage or uncontrolled anger
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Seeking access to firearms, pills, or other methods to commit suicide
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Changing wills, preoccupation with putting one's affairs in order
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Dramatic changes in personality (Stoppler, 2008)

If you suspect suicidal thoughts in yourself or anyone, seek professional help immediately. Go to a clinic, emergency room, or psychiatric facility. Do not leave an individual alone who has expressed thoughts of suicide. In the United States, you can call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK or the National Suicide Prevention Hotline 800-SUICIDE (784-2433) @http://www.suicide.org.

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 * <span style="color: #0f00ff; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 130%;">__Possible Assessments for Depression:__ **

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Beck Depression Inventory
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> @Depression and Suicide **

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Children's Depression Inventory
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">@Depression and Suicide **

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Mental Health America online screening tool
 * @Depression and Suicide**

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Geriatric Depression Scale (Short Form)
 * @Depression and Suicide**

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> **__Links for more info on depression!__**
 * www.psych.org**
 * www.apa.org**
 * www.dbsalliance.org**

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> **__Links for more info on suicide!__** <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">American Association for Suicidology @Depression and Suicide 202-237-2280

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">American Foundation for Suicide Prevention @Depression and Suicide

References: Costa, Donna (2008) Depression: An equal opportunity illness. //OTPractice.// 13(21).

Dryden-Edwards,Roxanne, MD. (2011). //Suicide//. Retrieved from: http://www.medicinenet.com/suicide/article.htm

Opp, Ashely (2009). Occupational therapy and depression: Reconstructing lives. Retrieved form: http://www.aota.org/Consumers/Professionals/WhatIsOT/MH/Articles/40822.aspx

Stoppler, Melissa Conrad, MD. (2008). //Suicide Warning Signs.// Retrieved from: http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=93556