Diet foods might cause kids to overeat Mon Aug 13, 12:34 PM ET
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The diet sodas and snacks so popular with weight-conscious adults may backfire in children, if new animal research is correct.
ADVERTISEMENT
In experiments with juvenile rats, researchers at the University of Alberta in Canada found that animals that became used to diet foods tended to overeat during meals of regular-calorie animal chow.
This was true for normal-weight and obese rat pups, the researchers found. However, diet foods did not appear to have an overeating effect in adolescent rats.
This suggests that the foods have some unique effect in young animals, and possibly children, the study authors report in the journal Obesity.
They suspect that diet foods disrupted the young animals' ability to learn how various flavors correlate with calories. When they associate tastes, such as sweet or salty, with few calories, even a rich dessert may fail to fill them up as it otherwise would.
It's possible that children given artificially low-calorie snacks and diet sodas might not learn to properly regulate their food intake, according to lead study author Dr. W. David Pierce.
"One thing is clear at this point," he said in a statement. "Young animals and perhaps children can be made to overeat when calorie-wise foods are offered on a daily basis, subverting the body's energy-balance system."
He and his colleagues recommend that parents give their children a well-balanced diet of foods in their natural form, including naturally low-calorie foods like fruits and vegetables.
The findings are based on a series of experiments with young rats, both normal, lean animals and those genetically prone to obesity. Over 16 days, the animals were regularly given gelatin cubes that contained starch, as well as a starch-free "diet" version of the snack.
For some animals, the starchy cubes were flavored with an artificial sweetener and the diet version was flavored with a salty solution. These flavors were reversed for other animals.
After 16 days of this taste training, the researchers gave all the animals a high-calorie snack dipped in either artificial sweetener or a salty solution. They then gave the rats a meal of their regular chow.
Pierce's team found that the animals tended to overeat during the meal if their pre-meal snack had been dipped in a flavor they'd learn to associate with a low-calorie food -- despite the snack's actual high calorie content.
The phenomenon was seen in both lean and obesity-prone rat pups, but the heavier animals generally ate more than their normal-weight counterparts, the researchers point out.
So it's possible, they say, that diet foods could be especially detrimental in the children already at the greatest risk of long-term weight problems.
SOURCE: Obesity, August 2007.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/diet_foods_dc
Showing posts with label Studies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Studies. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Thursday, April 5, 2007
Students Not Politics-Illiterate?
To Students, Congress Tops ‘American Idol’
College students are regularly criticized as being ignorant, self-absorbed and interested only in pop culture. But a new national study — conducted by Tufts University researchers — found that students know more about politics and civic life than many fear they do, and more than those in the same age group who are not in college.
Related stories
Slap on the Wrist at Columbia?, March 28
Unusual Mix of Prayer and Politics, March 8
Profiling the American Freshman, Jan. 19
Profiling the American Freshman, Jan. 19
Dumb and Dumber, Oct. 27, 2005
E-mail
Print
The survey was conducted of people aged 18-24 who are not in the military. Half of those surveyed were in college full time and half were not. Demographics matched the population as a whole.
Among the findings:
Half of the college students and 40 percent of the non-college students could name their respective members of Congress. Nearly two-thirds of college students and more than half of the non-college students could name at least one of their two U.S. senators. In contrast, only about 15 percent of the young people knew the name of the most recent winner of “American Idol” and about 10 percent knew the winner of “Dancing with the Stars.”
Approximately 79 percent of college students and more than 73 percent of non-college students said they had voted in the November 2006 elections, but only 10 to 12 percent of respondents reported ever voting in “American Idol” and significantly fewer had voted in “Dancing with the Stars.”
At least some of students’ Web activity is political. On average, college students belonged to almost four Facebook advocacy groups. According to the Tufts study, Facebook tends to be used more for advocacy of Democratic political candidates and liberal or Democratic causes than for Republican candidates or conservative or Republican causes.
More than 61 percent of college students had participated in online political discussions or visited a politically oriented Web site.
Of college students, 58.6 percent reported being somewhat, moderately or very involved in their communities, compared with 36.7 percent for non-students of the same age. More than 47 percent of college students reported involvement with community service organizations compared with slightly more than 24 percent of non-students.
To be sure, surveys abound about the ignorance of college students on key facts of American history and civic life, and the Tufts survey wasn’t trying to find out if students stay up at night arguing over the most significant of the Federalist Papers.
But Tufts researchers were encouraged by the findings. “Young people seem to know more about politics than they know about popular culture,” said Kent E. Portney, project director and professor of political science, in a statement. “This level of political knowledge stands in stark contrast to the image of young people as uninterested in and ignorant about politics and government.”
— Scott Jaschik
Comments
American Idol? Dancing with the Stars?
I’m a college senior and I don’t know a single other student who regularly watches American Idol or Dancing with the Stars. (I also live in DC and don’t have a senator or a real representative so I guess they would have me there.)
Jack, at 10:01 am EDT on April 5, 2007
I always thought it was ridiculous to think that college students were politically apathetic. While it is stupid to watch TV or care about popular culture, in some ways caring too much about politics might hinder a student’s ability to learn analytical skills that would help them later on.
Larry, at 10:25 am EDT on April 5, 2007
No excuses
With the proliferation of information available to students today, we should have the most informed youth in the history of the world. With satelite TV, Radio and the internet, people are inundated with information, both substantive and non-substantive, 24/7.Now, if I could just get my students to identify where there classes are we would have a winner.
Cynic Professor, at 10:26 am EDT on April 5, 2007
http://insidehighered.com/news/2007/04/05/tufts
College students are regularly criticized as being ignorant, self-absorbed and interested only in pop culture. But a new national study — conducted by Tufts University researchers — found that students know more about politics and civic life than many fear they do, and more than those in the same age group who are not in college.
Related stories
Slap on the Wrist at Columbia?, March 28
Unusual Mix of Prayer and Politics, March 8
Profiling the American Freshman, Jan. 19
Profiling the American Freshman, Jan. 19
Dumb and Dumber, Oct. 27, 2005
The survey was conducted of people aged 18-24 who are not in the military. Half of those surveyed were in college full time and half were not. Demographics matched the population as a whole.
Among the findings:
Half of the college students and 40 percent of the non-college students could name their respective members of Congress. Nearly two-thirds of college students and more than half of the non-college students could name at least one of their two U.S. senators. In contrast, only about 15 percent of the young people knew the name of the most recent winner of “American Idol” and about 10 percent knew the winner of “Dancing with the Stars.”
Approximately 79 percent of college students and more than 73 percent of non-college students said they had voted in the November 2006 elections, but only 10 to 12 percent of respondents reported ever voting in “American Idol” and significantly fewer had voted in “Dancing with the Stars.”
At least some of students’ Web activity is political. On average, college students belonged to almost four Facebook advocacy groups. According to the Tufts study, Facebook tends to be used more for advocacy of Democratic political candidates and liberal or Democratic causes than for Republican candidates or conservative or Republican causes.
More than 61 percent of college students had participated in online political discussions or visited a politically oriented Web site.
Of college students, 58.6 percent reported being somewhat, moderately or very involved in their communities, compared with 36.7 percent for non-students of the same age. More than 47 percent of college students reported involvement with community service organizations compared with slightly more than 24 percent of non-students.
To be sure, surveys abound about the ignorance of college students on key facts of American history and civic life, and the Tufts survey wasn’t trying to find out if students stay up at night arguing over the most significant of the Federalist Papers.
But Tufts researchers were encouraged by the findings. “Young people seem to know more about politics than they know about popular culture,” said Kent E. Portney, project director and professor of political science, in a statement. “This level of political knowledge stands in stark contrast to the image of young people as uninterested in and ignorant about politics and government.”
— Scott Jaschik
Comments
American Idol? Dancing with the Stars?
I’m a college senior and I don’t know a single other student who regularly watches American Idol or Dancing with the Stars. (I also live in DC and don’t have a senator or a real representative so I guess they would have me there.)
Jack, at 10:01 am EDT on April 5, 2007
I always thought it was ridiculous to think that college students were politically apathetic. While it is stupid to watch TV or care about popular culture, in some ways caring too much about politics might hinder a student’s ability to learn analytical skills that would help them later on.
Larry, at 10:25 am EDT on April 5, 2007
No excuses
With the proliferation of information available to students today, we should have the most informed youth in the history of the world. With satelite TV, Radio and the internet, people are inundated with information, both substantive and non-substantive, 24/7.Now, if I could just get my students to identify where there classes are we would have a winner.
Cynic Professor, at 10:26 am EDT on April 5, 2007
http://insidehighered.com/news/2007/04/05/tufts
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Ten Super Bad Foods
Judging by the label, Pepperidge Farm Original Flaky Crust Roasted Chicken Pot Pie has 510 calories and 9 grams of saturated fat. But look again. Those numbers are for half a pie. Eat the entire pie, as most people probably do, and you're talking more than 1,000 calories and 18 grams of sat fat. Then add the 13 grams of hidden trans fat (from the partially hydrogenated vegetable shortening) in each pie and you're up to 31 grams of artery-clogging fat – that's far more than a day's allotment.
McDonald's Chicken Selects Premium Breast Strips sounds healthy. In fact, ounce for ounce, the Selects are no healthier than the chain's Chicken McNuggets. A standard, fivestrip order has 630 calories and 11 grams of artery-clogging fat. That's about the same as a Big Mac, except the burger has 1,010 mg of sodium, while the Selects hit 1,550 mg, even without the salty sauce.
Each slice of The Cheesecake Factory's 6 Carb Cheesecake has 610 calories – that's the same as you'd get from a slice of their Original Cheesecake. Think of it as an 8-ounce prime rib for dessert – with 29 grams of saturated fat, 1½ days' supply. The next time you step on the bathroom scale, you may never know that the carbs were missing.
Dove squeezes some 300 calories and 8 to 13 grams of saturated fat (half-a-day's worth) into a tennis-ball size serving (half a cup) of its Dove Ice Cream. That puts it in the same ballpark as Ben & Jerry's and Häagen-Dazs. With names like "Unconditional Chocolate," Dove is trying to link chocolate with romance. A scoop of its ice cream will fill your heart all right … but not with love.
No one expects a Mrs. Fields cookie to be good for you, but who would guess that a single Mrs. Fields Milk Chocolate & Walnuts cookie has more than 300 calories and as much saturated fat as a 12-ounce sirloin steak? It's also got six teaspoons of sugar. If you can't resist Mrs. Fields, share the smallest bag of Nibblers (six half-ounce cookies) with a friend. Or walk a few feet and look for a piece of fruit at another store instead.
The Starbucks Venti (20 oz.) Caffè Mocha with whipped cream is more than a mere cup of coffee. Think of it as a Quarter Pounder with Cheese in a cup. Few people have room in their diets for the 490 calories and 16 grams of bad fat that this hefty beverage supplies. But you can lose all the bad fat and all but 170 calories if you order a tall (12 oz.) with nonfat milk and no whipped cream.
Unless you're suicidal, why on earth would you want to wolf down a Burger King Quad Stacker – 4 hamburger patties, 4 slices of cheese, 8 strips of bacon, plus sauce and a bun? That's half-a-day's calories (1,000), one-and-a-half-days' worth of saturated fat (30 grams), 3 grams of trans fat, and more than a day's sodium (1,800 mg). Urp!
Campbell's Chunky, Select, and red-and-white-label condensed soups are brimming with salt: Half a can averages more than half of a person's daily quota of salt. Instead, try brands like Healthy Choice and Campbell's Healthy Request, which have less than half as much sodium.
Interested in a Chipotle Chicken Burrito (tortilla, rice, pinto beans, cheese, chicken, sour cream, and salsa)? Think of its 1,180 calories and 19 grams of saturated fat as three 6-inch Subway Steak and Cheese Subs. Getting the burrito with no cheese or sour cream cuts the saturated fat by two-thirds, but you still end up with 950 calories. Yikes!
A Mint Chip Dazzler at Häagen-Dazs stores (three scoops of ice cream, hot fudge, Oreos, chocolate sprinkles, and whipped cream) has 1,270 calories and 38 grams of saturated fat – that's two days' worth. Think of it as a portable T-bone steak with Caesar salad, and baked potato with sour cream. But that's dinner – yet many people have a Dazzler as a dessert after lunch and dinner!
Print [PDF: 295K]
Jump to: Main Nutrition Action About CSPI Alcohol Policy Biotechnology Canada Donate to CSPI! Eating Green Food Safety Nutrition Policy Integrity in Science International Newsroom Take Action!
http://www.cspinet.org/nah/10foods_bad.html
McDonald's Chicken Selects Premium Breast Strips sounds healthy. In fact, ounce for ounce, the Selects are no healthier than the chain's Chicken McNuggets. A standard, fivestrip order has 630 calories and 11 grams of artery-clogging fat. That's about the same as a Big Mac, except the burger has 1,010 mg of sodium, while the Selects hit 1,550 mg, even without the salty sauce.
Each slice of The Cheesecake Factory's 6 Carb Cheesecake has 610 calories – that's the same as you'd get from a slice of their Original Cheesecake. Think of it as an 8-ounce prime rib for dessert – with 29 grams of saturated fat, 1½ days' supply. The next time you step on the bathroom scale, you may never know that the carbs were missing.
Dove squeezes some 300 calories and 8 to 13 grams of saturated fat (half-a-day's worth) into a tennis-ball size serving (half a cup) of its Dove Ice Cream. That puts it in the same ballpark as Ben & Jerry's and Häagen-Dazs. With names like "Unconditional Chocolate," Dove is trying to link chocolate with romance. A scoop of its ice cream will fill your heart all right … but not with love.
No one expects a Mrs. Fields cookie to be good for you, but who would guess that a single Mrs. Fields Milk Chocolate & Walnuts cookie has more than 300 calories and as much saturated fat as a 12-ounce sirloin steak? It's also got six teaspoons of sugar. If you can't resist Mrs. Fields, share the smallest bag of Nibblers (six half-ounce cookies) with a friend. Or walk a few feet and look for a piece of fruit at another store instead.
The Starbucks Venti (20 oz.) Caffè Mocha with whipped cream is more than a mere cup of coffee. Think of it as a Quarter Pounder with Cheese in a cup. Few people have room in their diets for the 490 calories and 16 grams of bad fat that this hefty beverage supplies. But you can lose all the bad fat and all but 170 calories if you order a tall (12 oz.) with nonfat milk and no whipped cream.
Unless you're suicidal, why on earth would you want to wolf down a Burger King Quad Stacker – 4 hamburger patties, 4 slices of cheese, 8 strips of bacon, plus sauce and a bun? That's half-a-day's calories (1,000), one-and-a-half-days' worth of saturated fat (30 grams), 3 grams of trans fat, and more than a day's sodium (1,800 mg). Urp!
Campbell's Chunky, Select, and red-and-white-label condensed soups are brimming with salt: Half a can averages more than half of a person's daily quota of salt. Instead, try brands like Healthy Choice and Campbell's Healthy Request, which have less than half as much sodium.
Interested in a Chipotle Chicken Burrito (tortilla, rice, pinto beans, cheese, chicken, sour cream, and salsa)? Think of its 1,180 calories and 19 grams of saturated fat as three 6-inch Subway Steak and Cheese Subs. Getting the burrito with no cheese or sour cream cuts the saturated fat by two-thirds, but you still end up with 950 calories. Yikes!
A Mint Chip Dazzler at Häagen-Dazs stores (three scoops of ice cream, hot fudge, Oreos, chocolate sprinkles, and whipped cream) has 1,270 calories and 38 grams of saturated fat – that's two days' worth. Think of it as a portable T-bone steak with Caesar salad, and baked potato with sour cream. But that's dinner – yet many people have a Dazzler as a dessert after lunch and dinner!
Print [PDF: 295K]
Jump to: Main Nutrition Action About CSPI Alcohol Policy Biotechnology Canada Donate to CSPI! Eating Green Food Safety Nutrition Policy Integrity in Science International Newsroom Take Action!
http://www.cspinet.org/nah/10foods_bad.html
Sunday, March 4, 2007
Depression in College
Depression and College Students
What do these students have in common?
When I took a part-time job and started
living off-campus, my course work fell
apart. I couldn't concentrate or sleep,
and I was always IRRITABLE and angry.
- Leah, sophomore year
After two years of straight A's, I
couldn't finish assignments anymore. I
felt exhausted but couldn't sleep, and
drank A LOT. I couldn't enjoy life like
my friends did anymore. - John, junior
year
I've always been anxious and never
had much confidence. College was
harder than I expected, and then
my parents divorced, which was
traumatic for me. After a while, all I
did was cry, sleep, and feel waves
of panic. - Marta, freshman year
They are college students who got depressed...got
treatment...and got better.
College offers new experiences and challenges. This can be exciting; it can also be stressful and make you, or someone
you know, feel sad. When "the blues" last for weeks, or interfere with academic or social functioning, it may be clinical
depression. Clinical depression is a common, frequently unrecognized illness that can be effectively treated.
What is Clinical Depression?
Clinical depression can affect your body, mood, thoughts, and behavior. It can change your eating habits, how you feel
and think, your ability to work and study, and how you interact with people. Clinical depression is not a passing mood,
a sign of personal weakness, or a condition that can be willed away. Clinically depressed people cannot "pull themselves
together" and get better. Depression can be successfully treated. With the right treatment, 80 percent of those who seek
help get better. And many people begin to feel better in just a few weeks.
Types of Depressive Illness
Depressive illnesses come in different forms. The following are descriptions of the three most prevalent, though for an
individual, the number, severity, and duration of symptoms will vary.
Major depression is manifested by a combination of symptoms that interfere with your ability to work, sleep, eat, and
enjoy once pleasurable activities. These episodes can occur once, twice, or several times in a lifetime. Symptoms include:
Sadness, anxiety, or "empty" feelings
Decreased energy, fatigue, being "slowed down"
Loss of interest or pleasure in usual activities
Appetite and weight changes (either loss or gain)
Sleep disturbances (insomnia, oversleeping, waking
much earlier than usual)
Feelings of hopelessness, guilt, and worthlessness
Thoughts of death or suicide, or suicide attempts
Difficulty concentrating, making decisions, remembering
Irritability or excessive crying
Chronic aches/pain not explained by other physical condition
A less intense type of depression, dysthymia, involves long-term, chronic symptoms that are less severe, but keep you
from functioning at your full ability and from feeling well. In bipolar illness (also known as manic-depressive illness),
cycles of depression alternate with cycles of elation and increased activity, known as mania.
How to Recognize Depression
The first step in defeating depression is recognizing it. It's normal to have some signs of depression some of the time. But
five or more symptoms for two weeks or longer, or noticeable changes in usual functioning, are all factors that should
be evaluated by a health or mental health professional. And remember, people who are depressed may not be thinking
clearly and may need help to get help.
I kept asking myself, "How could I be depressed? I'd had a normal family life, had been getting good grades, and
hadn't experienced any big trauma - where did my depression come from?" (John)
What Causes Depression?
The causes of depression are complex. Very often a combination of genetic, psychological and environmental factors is
involved in the onset of clinical depression. At times, however, depression occurs for no apparent reason. Regardless of
the cause, depression is almost always treatable.
Family History: Depression often runs in families, which usually means that some, but not all, family members have a
tendency to develop the illness. However, sometimes people who have no family history also develop depression.
Stress: Psychological and environmental stressors can contribute to a depressive episode, though individuals react
differently to life events and experiences. In coping with stress, some people find it helpful to write in a journal,
exercise, or talk with friends. In clinical depression you need some form of treatment to start feeling better soon.
Common stressors in college life include:
Greater academic demands
Being on your own in a new environment
Changes in family relations
Financial responsibilities
Changes in your social life
Exposure to new people, ideas, and temptations
Awareness of your sexual identity and orientation
Preparing for life after graduation
I had a period of nearly constant turmoil when I wanted to "come out" to my friends about being gay but didn't want
to be treated like an outsider. A good friend made jokes about homosexuals and I was afraid of what he'd say about
me. That stress played a big part in my becoming depressed. (Josh)
My family wanted me home every other weekend and I didn't fit in there anymore. I'd argue constantly with my
father, who still treated me like a child. My sister thought I was 'uppity.' Everyone was miserable; I felt guilty. (Kim)
Psychological make-up can play a role in vulnerability to depression. People with low self-esteem, who consistently
view themselves and the world with pessimism, or are readily overwhelmed by stress, may be especially prone to
depression. For Marta, her feelings of being "not good enough" were worsened by the academic stresses of college and
the emotional conflict caused by her parents' divorce, which combined to trigger her episode of major depression.
Bipolar Disorder (Manic Depression)
As mentioned earlier, bipolar disorder is a type of depressive illness that involves mood swings that go from periods of
depression to periods of being overly "up" and irritable. Sometimes the mood swings are dramatic or rapid, but most
often they occur gradually, over several weeks. The "up" or manic phase can include increased energy and activity,
insomnia, grandiose notions and impulsive or reckless behavior, including sexual promiscuity. Medication usually is
effective in controlling manic symptoms and preventing the recurrence of both manic and depressive episodes.
During a manic episode, I stayed awake for five days straight, but had a lot of energy. I spent my tuition on a major
shopping spree and long distance phone calls. I also had sex with several guys that I hardly knew. At the time, I felt so
great that I couldn't see that there were serious problems with what I was doing. (Teresa)
Suicide
Thoughts of death or suicide are usually signs of severe depression. "If you're feeling like you can't cope anymore, or
that life isn't worth living, get help," advised Darrel, a student who tried to kill himself during his freshman year.
"Talking to a professional can get you past those intense feelings and save your life."
Suicidal thoughts, impulses, or behaviors always should be taken seriously. If you are thinking about hurting or killing
yourself, SEEK HELP IMMEDIATELY. Contact someone you trust: a good friend, academic or resident advisor, or:
Staff at the University Health Services; a professor, coach, or advisor;
A local suicide or emergency hotline; in the Berkeley area: 510/849-2212; or call 911.
If someone you know has thoughts about suicide, the best thing to do is help the person get professional help. "I'm back
from the edge," Darrel says. "Now that I've gotten treatment, I know how to keep from being out there again."
Depression and Alcohol and Other Drugs
A lot of depressed people, especially teenagers, also have problems with alcohol or other drugs. Sometimes the
depression comes first and people try drugs as a way to escape it. Other times, the alcohol or other drug use comes first,
and depression is caused by the drug itself, or withdrawal from it, or the problems that substance use causes. And
sometimes you can't tell which came first... the important point is that when you have both of these problems, the
sooner you get treatment, the better.
Getting Help: Treatment Works
If you think you might be depressed, discuss this with a health care or mental health professional who can evaluate
your concerns. Bring an understanding friend for support if you are hesitant or anxious about the appointment.
Several effective treatments for depression are available and can provide relief from symptoms in just a few weeks. The
most common treatments are psychotherapy (“talk therapy”), antidepressant medication, or a combination of the two.
Which is the best treatment for an individual depends on the nature and severity of the depression. Sharing your
preferences and concerns with your treatment provider helps determine the course of treatment. Certain types of
psychotherapy can help resolve the psychological or interpersonal problems that contribute to, or result from, the
illness. Antidepressant medications relieve the physical and mood symptoms of depression and are not habit-forming.
In severe depression, medication is usually required.
Individuals respond differently to treatment. If you don't start feeling better after several weeks, talk to your provider
about trying other treatments or getting a second opinion.
Making a Decision and Taking the First Step
Don't let fear of what others might think stop you from doing what's best for you. Parents and friends may understand
more than you think they will, and they certainly want you to feel better though they may not completely understand.
I knew I was depressed but thought I could pull out of it by myself. Unfortunately, friends reinforced this attitude by
telling me to just toughen up. When that didn't work, I felt even worse because I had 'failed' again. When a friend
suggested I talk to his counselor, I resisted at first. In my mind, professional help was for weak, messed up people. But
then, I hit a bottom so low that I was willing to try anything. (John)
I decided to try treatment when my friends got fed up with me. They didn't want to talk about my problems any more,
but my problems were the major focus of my life. I needed someone who could help me understand what was
happening to me. I'd seen ads for the counseling center and decided to give it a try. (Kim)
When I began considering suicide, I knew I needed help. My resident advisor helped me call a hotline where I got
some referrals. It was just a phone call, but it was the starting point that got me the professional help I needed. (Leah)
Help Yourself: Be an Informed Consumer
Depression can make you feel exhausted, worthless, helpless and hopeless. Don't give in to negative thinking;
remember, these negative views are part of the depression, and will fade as treatment takes effect.
Take an active role in getting better. Make the most of the help available by being actively involved in your treatment
and by working with a qualified therapist or doctor. Once in treatment, don't hesitate to ask questions in order to
understand your illness and the way treatment works. And, if you don't start feeling better in a few weeks, speak with
the professional you are seeing about new approaches.
Be good to yourself while you're getting well. Along with professional help, there are some other simple things you can
do to help yourself get better, for example: participating in a support group, spending time with other people, or taking
part in activities, exercise, or hobbies. Just don't overdo it and don't set big goals for yourself. The health care
professional you are seeing may suggest useful books to read and other self-help strategies.
Helping a Depressed Friend
The best thing you can do for a depressed friend is to help him or her get treatment. This may involve encouraging the
person to seek professional help or to stay in treatment once it is begun. The next best thing is to offer emotional
support. This involves understanding, patience, affection, and encouragement. Engage the depressed person in
conversation or activities and be gently insistent if you meet with resistance. Remind that person that with time and
help, he or she will feel better.
Helpful and Affordable Resources
There are many people on and around campus that can offer help and support. In addition to the resources listed
below, staff in your living center, your family health care provider, and your clergy can be helpful resources for getting
help. If you are not eligible, or don’t know whether you are eligible, for the services listed below, contact the University
Health Services (UHS) anyway. We’re happy to discuss eligibility and referrals with you.
People are sometimes reluctant to seek help because they are concerned about the cost of treatment. If you are a Cal
student, contact the UHS to discuss the coverage provided by your student registration fees and your insurance plan.
Is It Worth It? … Yes!!
While the depression was painful, working to get better has taught me about who I am and how to stay healthy. (Marta)
Getting treatment definitely changed my life for the better and helped me avoid flunking a semester. (John)
Resources for Cal Students
University Health Services (UHS) Tang Center, 2222 Bancroft Way 510/ 642-2000 www.uhs.berkeley.edu
Emergency consultations
Counseling and Psych Services (M, T, W, F: 8-5; Th: 9-5): 642-9494.
After Hours Assistance: 510 /643-7197
24 hour crisis line: Alameda County Suicide Crisis Line: 510/849-2212
Appointments
Counseling and referral for anti-depressant medication evaluation, call CPS: 642-9494.
Medical appointments, including medication evaluations: 642-2000.
Health education appointments to discuss diet, exercise, and stress management: 642-2000.
Workshops
Counseling and Psychological Services (642-9494) has a variety of informational workshops and support
groups on depression, bipolar disorder, and understanding moods. Check the UHS website for updates and
schedules: www.uhs.berkeley.edu.
Self-Care Resource Center, Second Floor, Tang Center
A health information library with interactive computer programs, access to health websites, books, audio and
videotapes, pamphlets, magazines, journals and self-assessment tools. Books and handouts on depression and
other mental health issues. Hours during Fall and Spring Semesters are M – F, 11 am - 4 pm. 642-7202.
Adapted for UC Berkeley, University Health Services, from NIH Publication No. 97-4266; November 2003. s:uhs/healthed/depresscoll.doc
http://www.uhs.berkeley.edu/home/healthtopics/pdf/depresstudents.pdf
What do these students have in common?
When I took a part-time job and started
living off-campus, my course work fell
apart. I couldn't concentrate or sleep,
and I was always IRRITABLE and angry.
- Leah, sophomore year
After two years of straight A's, I
couldn't finish assignments anymore. I
felt exhausted but couldn't sleep, and
drank A LOT. I couldn't enjoy life like
my friends did anymore. - John, junior
year
I've always been anxious and never
had much confidence. College was
harder than I expected, and then
my parents divorced, which was
traumatic for me. After a while, all I
did was cry, sleep, and feel waves
of panic. - Marta, freshman year
They are college students who got depressed...got
treatment...and got better.
College offers new experiences and challenges. This can be exciting; it can also be stressful and make you, or someone
you know, feel sad. When "the blues" last for weeks, or interfere with academic or social functioning, it may be clinical
depression. Clinical depression is a common, frequently unrecognized illness that can be effectively treated.
What is Clinical Depression?
Clinical depression can affect your body, mood, thoughts, and behavior. It can change your eating habits, how you feel
and think, your ability to work and study, and how you interact with people. Clinical depression is not a passing mood,
a sign of personal weakness, or a condition that can be willed away. Clinically depressed people cannot "pull themselves
together" and get better. Depression can be successfully treated. With the right treatment, 80 percent of those who seek
help get better. And many people begin to feel better in just a few weeks.
Types of Depressive Illness
Depressive illnesses come in different forms. The following are descriptions of the three most prevalent, though for an
individual, the number, severity, and duration of symptoms will vary.
Major depression is manifested by a combination of symptoms that interfere with your ability to work, sleep, eat, and
enjoy once pleasurable activities. These episodes can occur once, twice, or several times in a lifetime. Symptoms include:
Sadness, anxiety, or "empty" feelings
Decreased energy, fatigue, being "slowed down"
Loss of interest or pleasure in usual activities
Appetite and weight changes (either loss or gain)
Sleep disturbances (insomnia, oversleeping, waking
much earlier than usual)
Feelings of hopelessness, guilt, and worthlessness
Thoughts of death or suicide, or suicide attempts
Difficulty concentrating, making decisions, remembering
Irritability or excessive crying
Chronic aches/pain not explained by other physical condition
A less intense type of depression, dysthymia, involves long-term, chronic symptoms that are less severe, but keep you
from functioning at your full ability and from feeling well. In bipolar illness (also known as manic-depressive illness),
cycles of depression alternate with cycles of elation and increased activity, known as mania.
How to Recognize Depression
The first step in defeating depression is recognizing it. It's normal to have some signs of depression some of the time. But
five or more symptoms for two weeks or longer, or noticeable changes in usual functioning, are all factors that should
be evaluated by a health or mental health professional. And remember, people who are depressed may not be thinking
clearly and may need help to get help.
I kept asking myself, "How could I be depressed? I'd had a normal family life, had been getting good grades, and
hadn't experienced any big trauma - where did my depression come from?" (John)
What Causes Depression?
The causes of depression are complex. Very often a combination of genetic, psychological and environmental factors is
involved in the onset of clinical depression. At times, however, depression occurs for no apparent reason. Regardless of
the cause, depression is almost always treatable.
Family History: Depression often runs in families, which usually means that some, but not all, family members have a
tendency to develop the illness. However, sometimes people who have no family history also develop depression.
Stress: Psychological and environmental stressors can contribute to a depressive episode, though individuals react
differently to life events and experiences. In coping with stress, some people find it helpful to write in a journal,
exercise, or talk with friends. In clinical depression you need some form of treatment to start feeling better soon.
Common stressors in college life include:
Greater academic demands
Being on your own in a new environment
Changes in family relations
Financial responsibilities
Changes in your social life
Exposure to new people, ideas, and temptations
Awareness of your sexual identity and orientation
Preparing for life after graduation
I had a period of nearly constant turmoil when I wanted to "come out" to my friends about being gay but didn't want
to be treated like an outsider. A good friend made jokes about homosexuals and I was afraid of what he'd say about
me. That stress played a big part in my becoming depressed. (Josh)
My family wanted me home every other weekend and I didn't fit in there anymore. I'd argue constantly with my
father, who still treated me like a child. My sister thought I was 'uppity.' Everyone was miserable; I felt guilty. (Kim)
Psychological make-up can play a role in vulnerability to depression. People with low self-esteem, who consistently
view themselves and the world with pessimism, or are readily overwhelmed by stress, may be especially prone to
depression. For Marta, her feelings of being "not good enough" were worsened by the academic stresses of college and
the emotional conflict caused by her parents' divorce, which combined to trigger her episode of major depression.
Bipolar Disorder (Manic Depression)
As mentioned earlier, bipolar disorder is a type of depressive illness that involves mood swings that go from periods of
depression to periods of being overly "up" and irritable. Sometimes the mood swings are dramatic or rapid, but most
often they occur gradually, over several weeks. The "up" or manic phase can include increased energy and activity,
insomnia, grandiose notions and impulsive or reckless behavior, including sexual promiscuity. Medication usually is
effective in controlling manic symptoms and preventing the recurrence of both manic and depressive episodes.
During a manic episode, I stayed awake for five days straight, but had a lot of energy. I spent my tuition on a major
shopping spree and long distance phone calls. I also had sex with several guys that I hardly knew. At the time, I felt so
great that I couldn't see that there were serious problems with what I was doing. (Teresa)
Suicide
Thoughts of death or suicide are usually signs of severe depression. "If you're feeling like you can't cope anymore, or
that life isn't worth living, get help," advised Darrel, a student who tried to kill himself during his freshman year.
"Talking to a professional can get you past those intense feelings and save your life."
Suicidal thoughts, impulses, or behaviors always should be taken seriously. If you are thinking about hurting or killing
yourself, SEEK HELP IMMEDIATELY. Contact someone you trust: a good friend, academic or resident advisor, or:
Staff at the University Health Services; a professor, coach, or advisor;
A local suicide or emergency hotline; in the Berkeley area: 510/849-2212; or call 911.
If someone you know has thoughts about suicide, the best thing to do is help the person get professional help. "I'm back
from the edge," Darrel says. "Now that I've gotten treatment, I know how to keep from being out there again."
Depression and Alcohol and Other Drugs
A lot of depressed people, especially teenagers, also have problems with alcohol or other drugs. Sometimes the
depression comes first and people try drugs as a way to escape it. Other times, the alcohol or other drug use comes first,
and depression is caused by the drug itself, or withdrawal from it, or the problems that substance use causes. And
sometimes you can't tell which came first... the important point is that when you have both of these problems, the
sooner you get treatment, the better.
Getting Help: Treatment Works
If you think you might be depressed, discuss this with a health care or mental health professional who can evaluate
your concerns. Bring an understanding friend for support if you are hesitant or anxious about the appointment.
Several effective treatments for depression are available and can provide relief from symptoms in just a few weeks. The
most common treatments are psychotherapy (“talk therapy”), antidepressant medication, or a combination of the two.
Which is the best treatment for an individual depends on the nature and severity of the depression. Sharing your
preferences and concerns with your treatment provider helps determine the course of treatment. Certain types of
psychotherapy can help resolve the psychological or interpersonal problems that contribute to, or result from, the
illness. Antidepressant medications relieve the physical and mood symptoms of depression and are not habit-forming.
In severe depression, medication is usually required.
Individuals respond differently to treatment. If you don't start feeling better after several weeks, talk to your provider
about trying other treatments or getting a second opinion.
Making a Decision and Taking the First Step
Don't let fear of what others might think stop you from doing what's best for you. Parents and friends may understand
more than you think they will, and they certainly want you to feel better though they may not completely understand.
I knew I was depressed but thought I could pull out of it by myself. Unfortunately, friends reinforced this attitude by
telling me to just toughen up. When that didn't work, I felt even worse because I had 'failed' again. When a friend
suggested I talk to his counselor, I resisted at first. In my mind, professional help was for weak, messed up people. But
then, I hit a bottom so low that I was willing to try anything. (John)
I decided to try treatment when my friends got fed up with me. They didn't want to talk about my problems any more,
but my problems were the major focus of my life. I needed someone who could help me understand what was
happening to me. I'd seen ads for the counseling center and decided to give it a try. (Kim)
When I began considering suicide, I knew I needed help. My resident advisor helped me call a hotline where I got
some referrals. It was just a phone call, but it was the starting point that got me the professional help I needed. (Leah)
Help Yourself: Be an Informed Consumer
Depression can make you feel exhausted, worthless, helpless and hopeless. Don't give in to negative thinking;
remember, these negative views are part of the depression, and will fade as treatment takes effect.
Take an active role in getting better. Make the most of the help available by being actively involved in your treatment
and by working with a qualified therapist or doctor. Once in treatment, don't hesitate to ask questions in order to
understand your illness and the way treatment works. And, if you don't start feeling better in a few weeks, speak with
the professional you are seeing about new approaches.
Be good to yourself while you're getting well. Along with professional help, there are some other simple things you can
do to help yourself get better, for example: participating in a support group, spending time with other people, or taking
part in activities, exercise, or hobbies. Just don't overdo it and don't set big goals for yourself. The health care
professional you are seeing may suggest useful books to read and other self-help strategies.
Helping a Depressed Friend
The best thing you can do for a depressed friend is to help him or her get treatment. This may involve encouraging the
person to seek professional help or to stay in treatment once it is begun. The next best thing is to offer emotional
support. This involves understanding, patience, affection, and encouragement. Engage the depressed person in
conversation or activities and be gently insistent if you meet with resistance. Remind that person that with time and
help, he or she will feel better.
Helpful and Affordable Resources
There are many people on and around campus that can offer help and support. In addition to the resources listed
below, staff in your living center, your family health care provider, and your clergy can be helpful resources for getting
help. If you are not eligible, or don’t know whether you are eligible, for the services listed below, contact the University
Health Services (UHS) anyway. We’re happy to discuss eligibility and referrals with you.
People are sometimes reluctant to seek help because they are concerned about the cost of treatment. If you are a Cal
student, contact the UHS to discuss the coverage provided by your student registration fees and your insurance plan.
Is It Worth It? … Yes!!
While the depression was painful, working to get better has taught me about who I am and how to stay healthy. (Marta)
Getting treatment definitely changed my life for the better and helped me avoid flunking a semester. (John)
Resources for Cal Students
University Health Services (UHS) Tang Center, 2222 Bancroft Way 510/ 642-2000 www.uhs.berkeley.edu
Emergency consultations
Counseling and Psych Services (M, T, W, F: 8-5; Th: 9-5): 642-9494.
After Hours Assistance: 510 /643-7197
24 hour crisis line: Alameda County Suicide Crisis Line: 510/849-2212
Appointments
Counseling and referral for anti-depressant medication evaluation, call CPS: 642-9494.
Medical appointments, including medication evaluations: 642-2000.
Health education appointments to discuss diet, exercise, and stress management: 642-2000.
Workshops
Counseling and Psychological Services (642-9494) has a variety of informational workshops and support
groups on depression, bipolar disorder, and understanding moods. Check the UHS website for updates and
schedules: www.uhs.berkeley.edu.
Self-Care Resource Center, Second Floor, Tang Center
A health information library with interactive computer programs, access to health websites, books, audio and
videotapes, pamphlets, magazines, journals and self-assessment tools. Books and handouts on depression and
other mental health issues. Hours during Fall and Spring Semesters are M – F, 11 am - 4 pm. 642-7202.
Adapted for UC Berkeley, University Health Services, from NIH Publication No. 97-4266; November 2003. s:uhs/healthed/depresscoll.doc
http://www.uhs.berkeley.edu/home/healthtopics/pdf/depresstudents.pdf
Colleges target mental health
Campus groups, courses, online services help reduce the stigma of treatment
By Gary Gately, Globe Correspondent | April 17, 2005
At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, trained students staff an all-night hot line that fellow students call to talk about everything from stress to suicidal depression. When Harvard University offered free iPods at a depression screening, about 800 students showed up to fill out mental health surveys. Brandeis University students recently gathered for a movie night focusing on depression on campus. One film's title: ''The Truth About Suicide: Real Stories of Depression in College."
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Boston.com
Sign up for: Globe Headlines e-mail | Breaking News Alerts In the Boston area and throughout the country, colleges have expanded efforts to educate students about mental illness and provide treatment. Many schools have increased staffing at counseling centers. Others have developed courses on dealing with stress, added depression screening days, offered students online help, and undertaken an array of efforts to reduce the stigma associated with mental illness.
Highly publicized campus suicides and research showing an alarming prevalence of mental illness on campuses have heightened the sense of urgency. The reality of rampant mental illness on campus shatters the notion of college as a carefree time when the biggest worries are passing finals and finding a date. For many students, dark shadows shroud the sheltered nest of academe.
More than 40 percent of US students become so depressed during their four years in college that they have trouble functioning, while 15 percent suffer clinical depression, according to a 2004 survey of 47,202 students by the American College Health Association. The annual survey found that 1 in 10 college students had seriously considered suicide, the second-leading cause of death among college students, claiming about 1,100 lives a year.
Richard Kadison, Harvard's chief of mental health services, offers a sobering reality check to parents of incoming students: ''I tell them, 'Look at the person next to you. One of your kids is going to get depressed to the point they can't function in college. There's no shame in that. The only shame is if you don't recognize the problem and do something about it.' "
Specialists have long known that the onset of mental illness often comes during adolescence or early adulthood. Living away from home, often for the first time, compounds stress and anxiety. So, too, does pressure to succeed in an increasingly competitive climate on campus.
Because of the use of antidepressants, many youngsters who wouldn't have been able to attend college in the past now do so. That forces schools to deal with more students struggling with more severe mental illness.
Despite the pervasiveness of mental illness on campus, specialists say, one of the toughest challenges remains overcoming stigmas that keep students from seeking treatment. In fact, more than a third of college students who committed suicide had never sought treatment, said Kadison, co-author of ''College of the Overwhelmed: The Campus Mental Health Crisis and What to Do About It.
''The most frustrating thing for most of us in the field is trying to get students in the door; that's the hard part," Kadison said. ''When a student is in distress, you have a brief window of opportunity to help them."
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Boston.com
Sign up for: Globe Headlines e-mail | Breaking News Alerts Brian Malmon was a student who suffered in silence. At Columbia University, he made the dean's list every semester, wrote and edited for the campus newspaper, and led an a cappella singing group. Friends and relatives remember that others leaned on him when they struggled. He comforted people. He made people laugh.
During his three years at Columbia, nobody knew about the voices that existed only in his mind or about the darkness that enveloped him. He hid his schizophrenia and depression well before he was diagnosed in the fall of his senior year. Then, on March 24, 2000, at his family's home in Maryland, he squeezed the trigger of a handgun and ended his life.
Since then, his sister, Alison Malmon, has made it her mission to help spare others the horrific pain her brother and all those who loved him suffered. Malmon, a 23-year-old graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, founded the nonprofit Active Minds on Campus, which aims to build awareness about mental illness on campus and reduce the stigma associated with it. A fledgling chapter has started at Brandeis in Waltham.
''Brian was just trying his hardest to hide his illness from as many people as he could," she said. ''I think part of him just felt like it was his fault."
Active Minds works hard to dispel such misconceptions. The group reaches students through its chapters and a website, ActiveMindsOnCampus.org, which includes mental health screening and links to other sites to help those with mental illness.
For its mental health movie night, members of the Brandeis chapter covered the walls of a room on campus with facts about mental illness and quotes from famous people who suffered depression. The group also set up tables on campus and passed out silver ribbons, a symbol of mental illness.
Michelle Schlesinger, the Brandeis freshman who started the chapter, has suffered depression, and she said eliminating the stigma will ease the suffering of others. ''When one person starts talking and breaks the silence," she said, ''it breaks the stigma. And people start to realize anyone can have depression."
Like Active Minds, the Jed Foundation strives to strengthen the safety net for at-risk students. The foundation, the first nonprofit group dedicated solely to reducing suicide on college campuses, grew out of a family's painful loss: Jed Satow, a University of Arizona student, killed himself in 1998 at the age of 20.
Colleges nationwide have tried to help troubled students before they're in crisis.
Harvard hired more therapists within the past five years, and this school year added a new high-level position to oversee and better coordinate disparate mental health services the university had termed fragmented ''fiefdoms."
At MIT, teams of physicians and counselors hang out with students in the dorms. And some of the dorms have been redesigned to foster more interaction and less isolation. ''Having staff available and present goes a long way toward demystifying the whole idea of mental health and psychological problems," said Alan E. Siegel, chief of the Mental Health Service at MIT.
Columbia, Cornell, and New York University station counselors in dorms. Harvard sends to dorms ''wellness-resource tutors" who help students deal with issues from procrastination and stress to depression. Some schools, including MIT, offer stress-reduction and relaxation techniques such as yoga, meditation, and tai chi.
Emory University, the University of North Carolina, and MIT ask students to fill out anonymous mental health questionnaires. A credited course at the University of Maryland helps freshmen deal with stress and time management. Now about two-thirds of the nation's schools offer such courses.
At Tufts University, Jonathan Slavin, director of the counseling center, said the campus has reduced the stigma associated with mental illness to the point that 750 of 6,000 undergraduates have received counseling. ''If you can make a counseling service commonplace and ordinary, and students can just drop by," he said, ''that is the best prevention. That means you made the place something other than this kind of scary, mysterious place you got to be crazy to go to."
But despite progress, specialists say, huge gaps in treatment on campuses remain.
Such concerns have spread from campuses to Capitol Hill. Lawmakers approved $82 million in federal funding last fall for programs to prevent youth suicide, including $15 million in grants for mental health programs at colleges and universities.
© Copyright 2006 Globe Newspaper Company.
http://www.boston.com/news/education/higher/articles/2005/04/17/colleges_target_mental_health/?page=2
Campus groups, courses, online services help reduce the stigma of treatment
By Gary Gately, Globe Correspondent | April 17, 2005
At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, trained students staff an all-night hot line that fellow students call to talk about everything from stress to suicidal depression. When Harvard University offered free iPods at a depression screening, about 800 students showed up to fill out mental health surveys. Brandeis University students recently gathered for a movie night focusing on depression on campus. One film's title: ''The Truth About Suicide: Real Stories of Depression in College."
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powered by Del.icio.us
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Globe Education stories |
Education section |
Globe front page |
Boston.com
Sign up for: Globe Headlines e-mail | Breaking News Alerts In the Boston area and throughout the country, colleges have expanded efforts to educate students about mental illness and provide treatment. Many schools have increased staffing at counseling centers. Others have developed courses on dealing with stress, added depression screening days, offered students online help, and undertaken an array of efforts to reduce the stigma associated with mental illness.
Highly publicized campus suicides and research showing an alarming prevalence of mental illness on campuses have heightened the sense of urgency. The reality of rampant mental illness on campus shatters the notion of college as a carefree time when the biggest worries are passing finals and finding a date. For many students, dark shadows shroud the sheltered nest of academe.
More than 40 percent of US students become so depressed during their four years in college that they have trouble functioning, while 15 percent suffer clinical depression, according to a 2004 survey of 47,202 students by the American College Health Association. The annual survey found that 1 in 10 college students had seriously considered suicide, the second-leading cause of death among college students, claiming about 1,100 lives a year.
Richard Kadison, Harvard's chief of mental health services, offers a sobering reality check to parents of incoming students: ''I tell them, 'Look at the person next to you. One of your kids is going to get depressed to the point they can't function in college. There's no shame in that. The only shame is if you don't recognize the problem and do something about it.' "
Specialists have long known that the onset of mental illness often comes during adolescence or early adulthood. Living away from home, often for the first time, compounds stress and anxiety. So, too, does pressure to succeed in an increasingly competitive climate on campus.
Because of the use of antidepressants, many youngsters who wouldn't have been able to attend college in the past now do so. That forces schools to deal with more students struggling with more severe mental illness.
Despite the pervasiveness of mental illness on campus, specialists say, one of the toughest challenges remains overcoming stigmas that keep students from seeking treatment. In fact, more than a third of college students who committed suicide had never sought treatment, said Kadison, co-author of ''College of the Overwhelmed: The Campus Mental Health Crisis and What to Do About It.
''The most frustrating thing for most of us in the field is trying to get students in the door; that's the hard part," Kadison said. ''When a student is in distress, you have a brief window of opportunity to help them."
Article Tools
Printer friendly
Single page
E-mail to a friend
Education RSS feed
Available RSS feeds
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Save this article
powered by Del.icio.us
More:
Globe Education stories |
Education section |
Globe front page |
Boston.com
Sign up for: Globe Headlines e-mail | Breaking News Alerts Brian Malmon was a student who suffered in silence. At Columbia University, he made the dean's list every semester, wrote and edited for the campus newspaper, and led an a cappella singing group. Friends and relatives remember that others leaned on him when they struggled. He comforted people. He made people laugh.
During his three years at Columbia, nobody knew about the voices that existed only in his mind or about the darkness that enveloped him. He hid his schizophrenia and depression well before he was diagnosed in the fall of his senior year. Then, on March 24, 2000, at his family's home in Maryland, he squeezed the trigger of a handgun and ended his life.
Since then, his sister, Alison Malmon, has made it her mission to help spare others the horrific pain her brother and all those who loved him suffered. Malmon, a 23-year-old graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, founded the nonprofit Active Minds on Campus, which aims to build awareness about mental illness on campus and reduce the stigma associated with it. A fledgling chapter has started at Brandeis in Waltham.
''Brian was just trying his hardest to hide his illness from as many people as he could," she said. ''I think part of him just felt like it was his fault."
Active Minds works hard to dispel such misconceptions. The group reaches students through its chapters and a website, ActiveMindsOnCampus.org, which includes mental health screening and links to other sites to help those with mental illness.
For its mental health movie night, members of the Brandeis chapter covered the walls of a room on campus with facts about mental illness and quotes from famous people who suffered depression. The group also set up tables on campus and passed out silver ribbons, a symbol of mental illness.
Michelle Schlesinger, the Brandeis freshman who started the chapter, has suffered depression, and she said eliminating the stigma will ease the suffering of others. ''When one person starts talking and breaks the silence," she said, ''it breaks the stigma. And people start to realize anyone can have depression."
Like Active Minds, the Jed Foundation strives to strengthen the safety net for at-risk students. The foundation, the first nonprofit group dedicated solely to reducing suicide on college campuses, grew out of a family's painful loss: Jed Satow, a University of Arizona student, killed himself in 1998 at the age of 20.
Colleges nationwide have tried to help troubled students before they're in crisis.
Harvard hired more therapists within the past five years, and this school year added a new high-level position to oversee and better coordinate disparate mental health services the university had termed fragmented ''fiefdoms."
At MIT, teams of physicians and counselors hang out with students in the dorms. And some of the dorms have been redesigned to foster more interaction and less isolation. ''Having staff available and present goes a long way toward demystifying the whole idea of mental health and psychological problems," said Alan E. Siegel, chief of the Mental Health Service at MIT.
Columbia, Cornell, and New York University station counselors in dorms. Harvard sends to dorms ''wellness-resource tutors" who help students deal with issues from procrastination and stress to depression. Some schools, including MIT, offer stress-reduction and relaxation techniques such as yoga, meditation, and tai chi.
Emory University, the University of North Carolina, and MIT ask students to fill out anonymous mental health questionnaires. A credited course at the University of Maryland helps freshmen deal with stress and time management. Now about two-thirds of the nation's schools offer such courses.
At Tufts University, Jonathan Slavin, director of the counseling center, said the campus has reduced the stigma associated with mental illness to the point that 750 of 6,000 undergraduates have received counseling. ''If you can make a counseling service commonplace and ordinary, and students can just drop by," he said, ''that is the best prevention. That means you made the place something other than this kind of scary, mysterious place you got to be crazy to go to."
But despite progress, specialists say, huge gaps in treatment on campuses remain.
Such concerns have spread from campuses to Capitol Hill. Lawmakers approved $82 million in federal funding last fall for programs to prevent youth suicide, including $15 million in grants for mental health programs at colleges and universities.
© Copyright 2006 Globe Newspaper Company.
http://www.boston.com/news/education/higher/articles/2005/04/17/colleges_target_mental_health/?page=2
Thursday, March 1, 2007
Antioxidant Beneficts Debunked
Antioxidants don't help you live longer
By CARLA K. JOHNSON, Associated Press Writer Tue Feb 27, 6:13 PM ET
CHICAGO - Antioxidant vitamins taken by tens of millions of people around the world won't lead to a longer life, according to an analysis of dozens of studies that adds to evidence questioning the value of the popular supplements. The large review of separate studies on thousands of people found no long-life benefit from vitamins A, E and C and beta carotene and selenium.
However, some experts said it's too early to toss out all vitamin pills — or the possibility that they may have some health benefits. Others said the study supports the theory that antioxidants work best when they are consumed in food rather than pills.
An estimated 80 million to 160 million people take antioxidants in North America and Europe, about 10 to 20 percent of adults, the study's authors said. And last year, Americans spent $2.3 billion on nutritional supplements and vitamins at grocery stores, drug stores and retail outlets, excluding Wal-Mart, according to Information Resources Inc., which tracks sales.
The new study, appearing in Wednesday's
Journal of the American Medical Association' name=c1> SEARCHNews News Photos Images Web' name=c3> Journal of the American Medical Association, was led by the Cochrane Hepato-Biliary Group at Copenhagen University Hospital in Denmark. The Cochrane organization is a respected international network of experts that does systematic reviews of scientific evidence on health interventions.
For the new report on antioxidants, the researchers first analyzed 68 studies involving 232,606 people and found no significant effect on mortality — neither good nor bad — linked to taking antioxidants.
When they eliminated the lower-quality studies and looked only at the most trustworthy ones, they actually found a higher risk of death for people taking vitamins: 4 percent for those taking vitamin E, 7 percent for beta carotene and 16 percent for vitamin A. The actual cause of death in most studies was unknown, however.
Those findings are based on an analysis of 47 studies involving 180,938 people who were randomly assigned to get real vitamins or dummy pills. Some involved superdoses far exceeding the recommended daily amount of the compounds; others involved normal doses.
Some experts who reviewed the research were dismissive of the increased death risk and the analysis overall, saying it pooled studies that were too diverse.
However, the study's senior author, Dr. Christian Gluud of Copenhagen University Hospital, said, "The main message is that prevention by beta carotene, vitamin A and vitamin E cannot be recommended. These three antioxidant supplements may increase mortality."
Gluud said most of the studies didn't reveal why those taking supplements died, but "in all likelihood, what they died from is what people normally die from, maybe accelerated artherosclerosis, maybe cancer."
Antioxidant supplements have been tested repeatedly by many clinical trials with no consistent clear evidence for their health effects, Gluud said.
"We have had this huge industry really wanting to demonstrate an intervention effect that has gone to lengths to do so," Gluud said. "Sadly enough for the industry, and for us as consumers, it has failed to do so."
Preliminary studies suggested antioxidants might block the heart-damaging effects of oxygen on arteries and the cell damage that might encourage some kinds of cancer.
But some researchers now believe antioxidants work only when they are in food, or that people who eat vitamin-rich food are healthier simply because they take better care of themselves. And beta carotene supplements have been found to increase lung cancer risk in smokers.
Meir Stampfer, professor of nutrition and epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health, said the new analysis hasn't discouraged him from taking his vitamins.
Stampfer said the studies were too diverse to pool together because they looked at various combinations and doses of antioxidants tested in different groups of people. The trials ranged from a three-month study of 109 elderly nursing home residents to a 12-year study of 22,071 male doctors.
"This study does not advance our understanding, and could easily lead to misinterpretation of the data," said Stampfer, who was not connected to the new report.
The complaints were echoed by Andrew Shao, a scientist at the Council for Responsible Nutrition, a supplement trade association.
"Only when they included and excluded certain trials were they able to find this alleged increase in mortality, which they themselves can't explain," Shao said. "There is plenty of data out there that show regular use of antioxidant supplements help to maintain health."
Donald Berry, chairman of the department of biostatistics at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, said the analysis persuades him antioxidants have no measurable health benefits, but he disagrees with the researchers' finding of an increase risk of dying.
"There are so many choices you can make when you're doing these analyses," he said.
Alice Lichtenstein, a professor of nutrition science and policy at Tufts University who was not involved with the research, said the study's main message is: "Rely on food to get your nutrients."
___
On the Net:
JAMA: http://jama.ama-assn.orghttp://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070227/ap_on_he_me/diet_antioxidant_vitamins
By CARLA K. JOHNSON, Associated Press Writer Tue Feb 27, 6:13 PM ET
CHICAGO - Antioxidant vitamins taken by tens of millions of people around the world won't lead to a longer life, according to an analysis of dozens of studies that adds to evidence questioning the value of the popular supplements. The large review of separate studies on thousands of people found no long-life benefit from vitamins A, E and C and beta carotene and selenium.
However, some experts said it's too early to toss out all vitamin pills — or the possibility that they may have some health benefits. Others said the study supports the theory that antioxidants work best when they are consumed in food rather than pills.
An estimated 80 million to 160 million people take antioxidants in North America and Europe, about 10 to 20 percent of adults, the study's authors said. And last year, Americans spent $2.3 billion on nutritional supplements and vitamins at grocery stores, drug stores and retail outlets, excluding Wal-Mart, according to Information Resources Inc., which tracks sales.
The new study, appearing in Wednesday's
Journal of the American Medical Association' name=c1> SEARCHNews News Photos Images Web' name=c3> Journal of the American Medical Association, was led by the Cochrane Hepato-Biliary Group at Copenhagen University Hospital in Denmark. The Cochrane organization is a respected international network of experts that does systematic reviews of scientific evidence on health interventions.
For the new report on antioxidants, the researchers first analyzed 68 studies involving 232,606 people and found no significant effect on mortality — neither good nor bad — linked to taking antioxidants.
When they eliminated the lower-quality studies and looked only at the most trustworthy ones, they actually found a higher risk of death for people taking vitamins: 4 percent for those taking vitamin E, 7 percent for beta carotene and 16 percent for vitamin A. The actual cause of death in most studies was unknown, however.
Those findings are based on an analysis of 47 studies involving 180,938 people who were randomly assigned to get real vitamins or dummy pills. Some involved superdoses far exceeding the recommended daily amount of the compounds; others involved normal doses.
Some experts who reviewed the research were dismissive of the increased death risk and the analysis overall, saying it pooled studies that were too diverse.
However, the study's senior author, Dr. Christian Gluud of Copenhagen University Hospital, said, "The main message is that prevention by beta carotene, vitamin A and vitamin E cannot be recommended. These three antioxidant supplements may increase mortality."
Gluud said most of the studies didn't reveal why those taking supplements died, but "in all likelihood, what they died from is what people normally die from, maybe accelerated artherosclerosis, maybe cancer."
Antioxidant supplements have been tested repeatedly by many clinical trials with no consistent clear evidence for their health effects, Gluud said.
"We have had this huge industry really wanting to demonstrate an intervention effect that has gone to lengths to do so," Gluud said. "Sadly enough for the industry, and for us as consumers, it has failed to do so."
Preliminary studies suggested antioxidants might block the heart-damaging effects of oxygen on arteries and the cell damage that might encourage some kinds of cancer.
But some researchers now believe antioxidants work only when they are in food, or that people who eat vitamin-rich food are healthier simply because they take better care of themselves. And beta carotene supplements have been found to increase lung cancer risk in smokers.
Meir Stampfer, professor of nutrition and epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health, said the new analysis hasn't discouraged him from taking his vitamins.
Stampfer said the studies were too diverse to pool together because they looked at various combinations and doses of antioxidants tested in different groups of people. The trials ranged from a three-month study of 109 elderly nursing home residents to a 12-year study of 22,071 male doctors.
"This study does not advance our understanding, and could easily lead to misinterpretation of the data," said Stampfer, who was not connected to the new report.
The complaints were echoed by Andrew Shao, a scientist at the Council for Responsible Nutrition, a supplement trade association.
"Only when they included and excluded certain trials were they able to find this alleged increase in mortality, which they themselves can't explain," Shao said. "There is plenty of data out there that show regular use of antioxidant supplements help to maintain health."
Donald Berry, chairman of the department of biostatistics at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, said the analysis persuades him antioxidants have no measurable health benefits, but he disagrees with the researchers' finding of an increase risk of dying.
"There are so many choices you can make when you're doing these analyses," he said.
Alice Lichtenstein, a professor of nutrition science and policy at Tufts University who was not involved with the research, said the study's main message is: "Rely on food to get your nutrients."
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