Suicide Prevention

The physician assistant’s profession has existed since 1965 after the first PA program was offered at Duke University. At present, there are over 135 training modules in this field. Such is a testimony that the demand for this job continues to increase.

Most of these programs require its applicants to have a prior two-year college education and some working experience in the health care industry. Examples of jobs in the health care field include emergency medical technician, ambulance attendant, licensed practical nurse and health educator. Due to further intensified competition, most PA programs require the applicants to have a bachelor’s degree in any fields and about four years of experience in the wellness industry.

Most members of this profession are males. Nevertheless, the number of females has increased nowadays as 58% of all active PAs are females. Physician assistants’ roles are legally associated with a supervising physician. They can perform most tasks traditionally restricted to be done by physicians. These include such tasks as taking the patient’s medical history, examining and treating patients, treating minor injuries, providing injections, counselling patients, interpreting laboratory tests and performing therapies.

A majority of these professionals practise within primary care areas. About 28% of these involve in family practice. Other common areas of practice include emergency medicine, general surgery and other surgical sub-specialities. Not all professionals assume clinical role as some are involved in research, teaching, administration and other non-clinical roles.

Like many professionals, PAs are regulated at different levels. While licensing is done on the state level, certification is done on the national level. This certification requires potential physician assistants to pass the Physician Assistant National Certifying Exam (PANCE), an exam that consists of 360 multiple-choice questions.

Jasper Conan
http://www.articlesbase.com/careers-articles/things-that-are-good-to-know-before-pursuing-your-career-as-a-physician-assistant-1030015.html

Mother’s Day is meant for celebrating, but if your own mom recently passed away, it can be hard to get in the festive mood. The first Mother’s Day after your mom’s death can be very difficult, but there are things you can do to cope with your feelings of loss on this special day. We can’t promise that next Mother’s Day will be easier, but there are ways to make this holiday more positive by honoring her memory each year.

Come together

There are many people who miss your mom and they’re probably all thinking about her as Mother’s Day approaches. Why not invite your siblings, family members or close friends to lunch and share your favorite stories about her? Your get together doesn’t have to be elaborate - talking about her over pizza and soda is perfectly fine. If you’re feeling up to it, cook some of her favorite dishes to share with your guests.

You might choose to have your memory celebration the day before Mother’s Day. Many female grief survivors participate in Motherless Daughter’s Day on the Saturday before Mother’s Day. This allows the women to dedicate a day to their mothers’ memories and still be available for their own children the next day.

Spending time with loved ones during sad times is an important way of coping with loss. It helps to know that other people are missing your mom as much as you are. Sharing the ways you remember her will help you realize you’re not alone in your grief. It can also open up the lines of support and make everyone more comfortable in calling each other or getting together just to chat about her.

Start something

Instead of having a painful yearly reminder of your loss, why not plan something to look forward to? Organize a small outing for your family each Mother’s Day to a park for a picnic or even a weekend away. Making a yearly donation to a charity on Mother’s Day can help you feel like you’re doing something positive.

You could also create a memory box that contains copies of your favorite pictures of your mom, a CD with her favorite song, a bottle of her signature perfume and her favorite book. You can write your favorite memories about her in a book and add it to the collection. Open the box every Mother’s Day and reminisce about all the things you love about your mom.

Get it out

Sometimes it can feel like it’s easier to ignore Mother’s Day and not think about your mom at all. While that can be easier in the short term, suppressing your grief can cause more harm than good. When you address your feelings of sadness, you’ll learn to cope with those feelings and not let them control you. Your healing process will be easier and healthier if you’re willing to acknowledge your pain.

If you’re not up to spending Mother’s Day with extended family and friends, don’t push yourself, but be sure you take time on your own to remember your mom.

On or around Mother’s Day, don’t be surprised if you have a few outbursts. Being easily irritable, snapping at others for seemingly no reason and experiencing crying jags are all normal. Talk to those close to you about your reactions so they understand it’s your stress over the situation, not them, that’s causing you to lose your patience.

Mother’s Day can be very difficult if you’ve recently lost your mom and even if you’ve been without your mother for years. Finding positive ways to keep her memory alive and close will make the holiday a little easier to manage. Remember to take your time and not rush yourself through your grief. Make your Mother’s Day a personal celebration and you’ll always have her close to your heart.

Stacey Hennessy
http://www.articlesbase.com/home-and-family-articles/missing-mom-128655.html

Why Did the Great Depression Occur?

Economists still cannot agree on what caused the Great Depression. Most however have agreed that it was a combination of events and decisions that came into play that caused the Great Depression.

It has been suggested that people who tend to get depressed may have inherited a subtle chemical abnormality in their brain. This might make them more sensitive or susceptible to one or more of the life events mentioned above.

Symptoms:

• Persistent sad, anxious or empty feelings

• Feeling constantly pessimistic

• Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, helplessness

• Loss of interest in hobbies or activities

• Tiredness and loss of energy

• Difficulty concentrating, remembering, making decisions

Causes

Traumatic Factors

o The loss of a loved one or death of a parent during childhood increases the chance of a person developing depression in later life.

o Being abused, neglected or abandoned during adolescence.

o Traumatic experiences, such as moving away, divorce from a partner, losing a job and a family or friend break up.

Trigger Factors

o Unemployment

o Loss of a parent, sibling or partner

o Absence of someone to talk to and confide in

Postpartum Depression

Postpartum Depression is a type of depression that a mother experiences immediately after childbirth. It is more serious and lasts longer than ‘baby blues’.

Postpartum depression occurs in approximately 10 percent of childbearing women.

The symptoms of postpartum depression include:

• Feeling sad or down often

• Frequent crying or tearfulness

• Feeling restless, irritable or anxious

• Loss of interest or pleasure in life

• Loss of appetite

• Less energy and motivation to do things

• Depressed mood—tearfulness, hopelessness, and feeling empty inside, with or without severe anxiety.

• Loss of pleasure in either all or almost all of your daily activities.

Causes

The rapid hormonal changes that accompany pregnancy and delivery may trigger depression. After childbirth, women experience a big drop in estrogen and progesterone hormone levels. Thyroid levels can also drop, which leads to fatigue and depression. These hormone dips—along with the changes in blood pressure, immune system functioning, and metabolism that new mothers experience—can all play a part in postpartum depression. It has been theorized that women who are more sensitive to these hormone imbalances develop postpartum depression.

How is postpartum depression treated?

Therapy, support networks and medicines such as antidepressants are used to treat postpartum depression. Psychotherapy has been shown to be an effective treatment and an acceptable choice for women who wish to avoid taking medications while breastfeeding.

• Antidepressant medicine, which effectively relieves symptoms of postpartum depression for most women. Since breast-feeding is also important for your baby, talk to your doctor and your baby’s doctor about an antidepressant medicine you can use while breast-feeding. Certain selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and tricyclic antidepressants are considered relatively safe for use while breast-feeding.

Treatment for Postpartum Depression can be as varied as the symptoms. Common approaches include:

• Creating a supportive environment for the mother

• Self-Care

• Support groups

• Counselling

• Psychotherapy

• Medication

Peter sams
http://www.articlesbase.com/mental-health-articles/depression-causes-symptoms-and-treatment-338667.html

Coping with miscarriage can be very difficult. Oftentimes, it comes with raging emotions associated with depression, fear, guilt and sadness. More often than not, couples or women in particular, who have just had a miscarriage find it difficult to go see their friends, go back to work and go on with their daily activities. Some also worry about their future satisfaction in issues of reproduction .– Can I be a good mother? What is my worth as a wife? In this article, we will give you a simple guide on coping with miscarriage.

Dealing with your emotions. The most important part in coping with miscarriage is by engaging yourself in the  different emotions that you are naturall bound to feel. Wallow and feel the loss and the pains of losing a child. Do this openly and sincerely. Most women experience shock especially during the first few days of the miscarriage, especially if the event was unforeseen. After shock, grief comes in. When you grieve, let yourself lose. Scream if you want to. Cry if you want to. The important thing is that you let everything out. Anger and guilt may also be common. Some women even get bitter and find themselves irritated when they see a happy pregnant woman pass by. These are absolutely normal.

Grieve – As already mentioned, grieving is an important step in coping with miscarriage. You can take a break from your daily activities so you can give yourself the chance to remember and reflect on the loss of your child. Other couples also choose to commemorate their loss by simple activities like planting a tree in the backyard, making a donation in his memory, holding a memorial ceremony or adopting a puppy. Another modern of way of coping with miscarriage is by making a website dedicated to your lost child and sharing your experiences to  moms from all throughout the world. Doing so will make you realize that so many women share the same sentiments that you have.

Share your grief to your partner – It’s not only you who lost a child. Your partner is also grieving over the loss of a loved one. During this hard time, you need to support one another. Stay close and connected. Take this period as the perfect time for the both of you to reaffirm your relationship and bond with each other. Set a quiet time for the two of you to reflect on your loss. You can take a walk, watch a movie or even just cuddle with each other.

Talk to a therapist – For some women, having a counselor helps a lot. You may also talk with your doctor or midwife. They will not only be there to listen to you. They may also be able to give you tips on how you can ensure a healthy pregnancy in the future.

Write – Just like your grade school, being true with your feelings and writing everything that you feel in a piece of paper can be very therapeutic.

While coping with miscarriage may be very difficult, the good news is that more often than not conception after miscarriage oftentimes lead to healthy and  full-term pregnancies.

Sandra Wilson
http://www.articlesbase.com/pregnancy-articles/coping-with-miscarriage-where-do-you-even-start-1222932.html

Depression is a common problem that almost everyone experiences in his or her life. Depression, characterised by mood disorders, anger, frustration, sadness, indifference, etc affects the day to day life.

Reactive depression is caused by a tragedy, financial debacle, love failure, etc. Sleeplessness, forgetfulness, thoughtfulness, etc are the common symptoms of depressions. Normally, the symptoms disappear with passing of time. Exhibition of the symptoms long after the tragedy is a serious problem, which needs to be treated immediately.

There are different reasons to depression, the main cause is attributed to the chemical imbalance of the brain. Sleep disturbances, heredity, nutritional deficiencies, serious diseases, etc can also lead to depression.

<h2>Ayurvedic Herbs for Treating Depression</h2>

Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera), Brahmi (Bacopa), Cardamon, Guggul (Commiphora mukul), turmeric (Curcuma longa), etc are the herbs used in Ayurvedic treatment for depression. These herbs act in different ways and the choice of one depends on the cause of the depression.

Ayurveda also suggests counselling of a physician. The physician will thus be able to identify the root cause of the depression and suggest remedies.

Ayurvedic oil massages for head like shirodhara and shirobasti are also recommended. Full body massage like abhayanga is also helpful.

Practicing yoga is suggested for calming mind and balancing mental state. Different asanas and pranayama methods are suggested.

Listening to soothing music, massaging head with oil, visiting temples (religious places), mingling with other people, etc are also suggested for improving your mood.

Dev Sri provides information about Ayurveda and Ayurvedic practices in Kerala. You are invited to learn more about <a href=”http://www.keralaayurvedics.com/diseases-diagnosis-and-treatment/treatments/traditional-ayurvedic-treatments-available-at-kerala-ayurvedics-treatment-centre.html”>Ayurvedic treatments</a>.
Log on to http://www.KeralaAyurvedics.com now!

Dev Saras
http://www.articlesbase.com/alternative-medicine-articles/ayurvedic-suggestions-for-depression-treatment-671791.html

There are many factors involved in how a person adapts to the death of a loved one. They range from the meaning of the loss and previous loss experiences to the way the loved one died and the social support system available, to name a few.

Nevertheless, much is known about what exacerbates the grief process and prolongs, in some instances intensifies, pain and suffering. Learning what doesn’t help when mourning can add immeasurably to the progress of your grief work. And work it is when attempting to manage the many aspects of change brought on by major loss.

Here are six key understandings about what not to do when grieving and therefore save the large amount of emotional energy they suck up.

1. Refuse to isolate yourself. There are clearly times when you need to be alone and you have to tell your caregivers thank you and excuse yourself. On the other hand, continually staying away from social interaction is extremely unwise. Even though you don’t feel like being around others, remember it is highly therapeutic to tell the story of your loved one and how the death is affecting you.

2. Refuse to stop eating. Often you may not feel like eating, which is a common reaction. Yet it is essential to drink water and eat a green salad each day as well as small amounts of protein. It is essential for one key reason: grieving takes an enormous amount of energy. Be aware that many mourners become ill partly because of poor eating and the increase in caffeine consumption. Combined with the distress of grief they compromise the immune system.

3. Refuse to stay around toxic people. Often well-meaning friends and neighbors say the wrong things at the worst possible time causing additional stress and pain. It is your right to excuse yourself from their presence and make every attempt to minimize your contact with them during the most sensitive time of your mourning.

4. Refuse to let pity get the best of you. It is quite normal to think why did this have to happen to me at this particular time, and to say to yourself it is very unfair. But to assume the role of victim, will immobilize, take away your power and choices, and inject emotional poison into the process of adjustment. Switch from focusing on the negative to where must I go from here.

5. Refuse to use alcohol to assuage the pain of loss. Many who have suffered the loss of a loved one have reacted by either starting the use of alcohol or increasing the amount they drink. Keep in mind that alcohol is a depressant and if you are already down or depressed it will augment your depression. Choose the best alternative: interaction with a trusted friend at the time you would normally do your drinking.

6. Refuse to believe you are being punished. Some mourners believe that the death of their loved one is in part punishment for real or imagined transgressions. They think, I’m bad and I deserve this pain and suffering. This attitude has no basis in truth but is often spawned by the neurotic guilt (guilt in which the effect is all out of proportion to the cause) that is a common part of grieving. God or the Universe does not operate in this fashion should you believe in this myth.

In summary, coping with the death of a loved one is a stressful and demanding ordeal. And, there are a number of negative behaviors that creep into the coping process that you can avoid. Be willing to seek information about grief. There are many organizations out there that sponsor support groups, and facilitators well versed in understanding the grief process, which will help without charge.

Remember, we need each other. It is not a sign of weakness to seek assistance in time of need. Rather, it is a sign of intelligent choice.

Louis LaGrand, Ph.D.
http://www.articlesbase.com/self-help-articles/what-doesnt-help-when-mourning-the-death-of-a-loved-one-121674.html

It’s common to feel down from time to time, but it’s less common to suffer feelings of despair and emptiness that won’t go away, even if you change your circumstances. Depression is more than just a case of the blues. It’s a low feeling that makes it hard to enjoy life or even to function on a day to day basis. When friends and hobbies are no longer interesting, you feel exhausted on a regular basis, and it’s hard to get through your day, you may be suffering from the signs of depression. Let’s take a closer look at them.

Learning about the signs of depression and what you can do about them is the first step to overcoming your problem. Depression may make you feel extremely sad, or just listless and numb. It takes over your life, makes it hard to have fun, sleep, eat, study, or do just about anything. Intense, unrelenting feelings of worthlessness, hopelessness and other negative emotions are extremely common. These are just some of the signs of depression.

When you’re depressed, your sleep will be disrupted. Some people can’t sleep, while others sleep all the time. Easy tasks become hard and concentration becomes more difficult. You may feel helpless or without hope, and unable to control your negative thoughts. Food is affected by depression, as well. Some people lose their appetites, while others distract themselves with food or feel hungry frequently. Irritability and short temperedness are common, and you may think your life’s not worth living. You could feel either keyed up and agitated or sluggish and listless.

Depression is a major risk for suicide, but just because you’re depressed doesn’t mean that you are suicidal. The two things are connected, but not the same condition. If you’ve experienced suicidal thoughts or impulses, it’s important to get help of some kind, but it can be extremely hard. Make sure that people take you seriously, even though it’s difficult to talk about openly. Remember that seeking treatment doesn’t mean you’re weak, and it doesn’t mean you have to be medicated or institutionalized. There are lots of ways to help get over the symptoms of depression that don’t require drugs.

Simple changes in your lifestyle, talking with others, getting a support group, and learning to deal with your illness are all ways that you can help with the symptoms of depression without having to get into medication and its side effects. Just taking care of yourself by getting regular exercise, plenty of sleep, and a good diet can really make a difference. Of course, it won’t fix everything, and you will still have to fight the signs of depression, but these things can help. If you feel like you may have depression, you need to do something about it as soon as possible.

Dan Micheals
http://www.articlesbase.com/mental-health-articles/how-you-can-overcome-symptoms-of-depression-effectively-1139856.html

Chris Tapp, UK deputy director of Credit Action, said: “Retirement should be a time for some well-earned relaxation, but for all too many it is a time of financial stress… when we consider that inflation hits the over-60s hardest, pension provision is looking increasingly shaky, and we have moved away from a savings culture, we can see that the levels of debt amongst the over 60s, as well as being a serious issue now, is one which is only likely to get worse.”

Though the above was discussing senior debt issues in the United Kingdom, the same issues apply in the U.S. and the world over.

According to a study done by the New York based research firm, Demos, “The debt increase is particularly sharp during the first years of retirement… people aged 65 to 69 saw their credit card balances grow by 217%….” And according to research by Bankruptcy Project at Harvard, retirees are now the fastest-growing segment of bankrupt Americans. As a certified pre-bankruptcy counselor, I can agree with the Harvard study and that a very large portion of my phone-ins are seniors.

So why are seniors being hit so hard? When you consider that retirement income is usually less than a working income (and often fixed), increased inflation affects purchasing even basic commodities… and it can be staggering. Consider the increase cost of oil. Heating oil is bad enough. But think about the cost of vehicle operation besides just your car. Everything must be transported and the increased cost of transporting even basic commodities has to be made up from someplace. The only place it can come from is the consumer’s pocket. Everything you purchase has an increased cost. That can of peas or the new sofa costs far more than it use to along with the gasoline to go purchase it.

But there is more. The younger generation grew up with wide-open credit but the senior did not. Many times there is a cultural difference between someone who grew up with credit cards and someone who did not. Many seniors are bringing credit debt into their retirement with retirement dollars straining to meet the budget.. Add to that increased late fees, over the limit fees, even back charge fees and you have a potentially catastrophic arena.

But there is also a longer life, increased health costs, deteriorating health and a credit card industry willing to open the doors of credit to nearly anyone that’s still breathing. When you are desperate, it is not an implausible thought that a credit card might look like the solution even for basic purchases. Unfortunately, all a credit card does is increase the inevitable. Like everyone else, seniors are paying for today with tomorrow’s dollars… dollars that are definitely shrinking form a fixed income.

So what can be done? The obvious answer is to plan early… the earlier the better. But what if early planning did not occur. Then tragically the only solutions left are the exact same solutions for every other consumer- increase income or decrease expenses.

Ahhh but therein lies the catch. How can you increase income when it is fixed? Often times this can be accomplished through imagination and creativity. Perhaps the senior can develop consulting opportunities or an online business. Perhaps something can be sold. Hundreds of additional ideas can be gleaned form online resources, written publications, and senior advisors. The point is, plans must be developed and enacted.

If increasing income is not an option then the only recourse is decrease expenses. Call creditors and request a decrease in interest rate. This may sound absurd but it is done every day. There are also scores of magazines offering ways to stretch your dollar. Similarly your favorite search engine will produce more frugal sites than you can ever read. Each of these sites informs the reader of ideas to save money and to accomplish exactly what you are already doing but for less.

Okay. You can’t increase your income nor stretch your dollar any further than it is already. Now you are down to credit counselling, debt management programs or debt negotiation. I strongly encourage you to be very careful in your selection of any of these avenues. In fact I encourage you to read other materials by this or similar consumer advocate authors, about each of these options. Tragically there are many unscrupulous agencies that take advantage of opportunities especially at the expense of seniors. Find out what the track record of the perspective firm. What is their completion rate? What does the Better Business Bureau have to say about them?

If the proper option has still not appeared, there is only one other recourse… bankruptcy.

Readers will probably be interested to know Mike, the author of this article, also offers a free debt elimination mini-course via e-mail. You can enroll at Debt Free In 7.5 Years.

Michael Killian
http://www.articlesbase.com/personal-finance-articles/senior-debt-a-growing-problem-331260.html

Grief is an integral part of almost everyone’s life. Whenever you go through the loss of a near and dear one, you go through a grief process. Grief is experienced physically and psychologically. Crying is an integral part of grief process. In cultures where crying is acceptable, loss is borne more readily than in those in which crying is discouraged.

When we have lost a near and dear one, it is initially difficult to accept the loss. This is natural. As time passes, the loss becomes easier to bear from a psychological perspective. But emotional expression is still an integral part of grieving. If the person is not allowed to grieve due to societal or family pressures, other problems like depression or anxiety may arise. From Nature’s perspective, once someone has died, it is important that the(unconscious) mind accepts the loss. Once the unconscious mind accepts the loss after going through crying and sadness , life becomes easier.

A simple exercise will bring benefit to all those who want to deal with grief of a loved one.

Exercise: Close your eyes and imagine seeing the lost loved one in front of you. Talk to the person in your mind as if the person was standing in front of you. Treat the image as a real person. Having finished saying what you would like to say, bid the person GOODBYE and see the person go. You will notice feeling like crying or feeling sad.

Do this exercise everyday at least once, preferably before sleeping, till you start to feel comfortable seeing the person go. By that time your sadness will have reduced to a remarkable extent. This exercise can save you many months of counseling and a lot of money if done as advised.

Pradeep K Chadha
http://www.articlesbase.com/advice-articles/griefhow-to-deal-with-it-26489.html

When most people think of depression they normally only think of the two most common symptoms; feeling blue or sad for an extended period of time or the condition known as anhedonia where someone fails to find pleasure in the things that normally bring them happiness. Unfortunately clinical depression symptoms are much more than those two things and for millions who suffer its effects the results can be devastating.

Clinical depression refers to any number of depressive disorders that affects people of all ages, genders, ethnicities, cultures, and religions. According to stats provided by the American Psychiatric Association more than 17 million men and women suffer from some form of clinical depression in the United States each year.

The down periods that most people experience through out life are much different then the depressed moods experienced by those who suffer from depression. Everyone will feel the “blues” after a traumatic event such as the end of a relationship or death of a family member or friend. The feelings soon go away and they move on with their life where as someone battling depression will be unable to snap out of their depressed mood.

Clinical depression symptoms are many and varied, but if you or someone you know suffers from one or any combination of the following signs it is best to seek the help of a licensed mental health professional.

1. Sleep Disturbances – Chronic insomnia or hypersomnia (excessive sleep) and not entering REM sleep are two signs of depression.

2. Chronic fatigue and no energy to take part in formerly normal activities can be a warning sign.

3. Weight loss or gain resulting from changes in eating habits.

4. Physical symptoms such as headache, digestive problems, and back pain for which there is no diagnosable illness.

5. Withdrawal from social functions, work, and obligations as well as losing interest in hobbies and other activities that were enjoyable.

6. Decision making becomes suspect along with an inability to concentrate and loss of memory.

7. Lack of concern with personal grooming and responsibilities.

8. Continued feelings of sadness, hopelessness, worthlessness, and guilt accompanied by episodes of crying and weeping.

9. Short tempered irritability and other behavioral changes.

10. Thoughts of death and suicide are common and the feeling that living is no longer worth doing.

To make a diagnosis that a person is depressed a combination of these symptoms of clinical depression must be in evidence for two or more weeks. Anyone who suffers from these symptoms needs to receive treatment from a licensed mental health care professional. Clinical depression is treatable, usually most successfully, with a combination of therapy and medication.

Andrew Bicknell
http://www.articlesbase.com/mental-health-articles/clinical-depression-symptoms-what-to-look-for-744874.html