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With my kids being out of school for the summer I haven’t been able to post much, they start back next week and I hope to be back.
I came across this article tonight, it is one tiny step, but at least a step…
It is from MedlinePlus, this is one of the most recent articles I have found where research has found something successful. I will keep an eye out to see what else comes from this.It came from MedlinePlus,
Gene May Help Spur Premenstrual Depression
Finding could explain why some women are more vulnerable to the condition
HealthDay By: Krisha McCoy
Monday, July 23, 2007
MONDAY, July 23 (HealthDay News) — Scientists have discovered a gene variant linked to an increased risk of severe premenstrual depression.
Premenstrual dysphoric disorder, or PMDD, is a psychiatric condition that affects about 8 percent of women in their childbearing years. Women with PMDD experience bouts of major depression and/or anxiety and severe irritability during the second half of their menstrual cycle. These symptoms subside with the onset of the menstrual period.
PMDD has been thought to be related to hormonal changes over the course of the menstrual cycle.
For a new study published online June 30 in Biological Psychiatry, researchers studied 91 women with a confirmed diagnosis of PMDD over at least three months. Another 56 women who had no history of mood disorders related to the menstrual cycle served as the comparison group.
The team found four specific gene variants in the estrogen receptor alpha gene, ESR1, that were more common in the women with PMDD than in the control group.
“While these are preliminary findings that require replication in larger studies, we would argue that this may explain part of the variance among women in the susceptibility to developing this mood disorder,” the study’s senior author David R. Rubinow, Meymandi distinguished professor and chair of psychiatry at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, said in a prepared statement.
HealthDay
Happy Mother’s Day to all of the readers here at We Worry and all of the contributors.
Being a Mother is tough work, being a Mother with any sort of Mental Illness just adds to the stress of day-to-day life. Let this be the day that you sit back and enjoy doing whatever it is that you love. Try not to worry about the small things and let this be your day. You do so much for everyone in your life, today do something for yourself. Relax.
Happy Mother’s Day!
A year ago you didn’t find people talking so freely about their mental illness. I was extremely excited to find this article in our local newspaper. I hope it continues, it’s the only way we really make progress.
Charleston, SC - Most of us take our mental health for granted since it’s a basic part of who we are. But mental health is a major aspect of everyone’s life that needs to be protected. “I told everybody I do not have a mental illness, I have a brain tumor. For the first 2 years I was diagnosed, I convinced everybody I did not have bipolar.” Donna Lynch believed the negative stigma that exists about mental illness…that she would be seen as crazy. “Most of the time when we hear about mental illness something horrific has happened. A person with mental illness goes crazy Virginia Tech.” But Donna notes that there are dozens of mental illnesses, the majority of which do not cause a person to become violent. “Eating disorders, autism, alzhemiers, dementia anything that’s a chemical imbalance and that’s what mental illness is a chemical imbalance.” Mental illness is a disease that is highly treatable with medications and therapy. Donna was told she would never be able to work. Now she’s a peer support specialist at the Berkeley Community Mental Health Center helping patients with recovery skills. The Berkeley Community Mental Health Center serves up to 1800 patients with a variety of mental illness. Donna says they are helping these patients live successful lives in spite of their disease. Donna says she’s living proof. “I literally am a success story from the center and I’m not the only one I know people I’ve seen come there that I’ve literally seen their lives turn around.” And changing lives is the goal of Mental health awareness month which is this month to promote mental wellness.
I am in my early 30’s and have been living with PMDD, PreMenstrual Dysphoric Disorder, for about 20 years. I am married and have 4 incredible children. My husband is obviously a very devoted man, anyone who knows about, or lives with PMDD knows what I mean. PMDD is a more severe form of PMS. I just moved to South Carolina from Texas and am enjoying living close to the beach. I enjoy spending my time writing, watching my children play soccer, playing with my 2 dogs, Siberian Husky and Pekingese and working part-time at a Health Club. Not much research has been done, or is currently being done to learn about PMDD and why it affects certain women. I am very excited to be so involved helping other women learn about PMDD and how they can learn to live a healthier life even with this disorder.
