Monday, December 06, 2004

Depression Strikes Hard at Ill Seniors
Health Day Reporter story reprinted at Yahoo - "Depression might be more harmful than the other chronic diseases that can strike elderly people, a new study claims. Even though heart and lung disease can take their toll on seniors, it is the accompanying depression that can most affect their quality of life, University of Texas researchers found. Fortunately, seniors can improve their quality of life with diagnosis and treatment despite having debilitating physical conditions, according to the report in the November/December issue of the Annals of Family Medicine."  
  

Documentary film focuses on transition from hospital to community
Item in CMHA/Ontario's Mental Health Notes - "Inside Outside: Building a Meaningful Life after the Hospital, a new documentary film by ex-patient filmmakers Pat Deegan and Terry Strecker, shows that recovery is possible, even for people who are seen as severely disabled. People with significant personal histories of psychiatric hospitalization are interviewed about their experience of developing meaningful lives for themselves in the community. They discuss their fear of leaving hospital and talk about the different therapeutic, self-help, practical (housing, employment, transportation) and spiritual supports they used to rebuild their lives..."  
  

Diabetics with mental disorders at increased risk for diabetic complications
Indiana University press release reprinted at EurekAlert - "Diabetics with mental disorders do not have as good blood sugar control as diabetics without mental illness and are more likely to suffer one or more diabetes complication including loss of kidney function, loss of sensation in the feet, and visual problems (including blindness) than diabetics without mental illness, according to a study published in the December issue of Medical Care."