BioPsychoSocial Health Topic
Depression – A Disease of the Heart
Depression is not just a disease of the mind. Depression hurts the heart, too.It is well known that major depressive disorders increase the risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Dysfunctional autonomic control of the cardiovascular system is likely one cause of this relationship, but the true cause-and-effect of the association with depression is unknown. Poor recovery after exercise is indicative of dysfunctional autonomic control, and, recently, the first study examining the relationship between depression and post-exercise recovery was published.
Media Violence Leads to Real Violence
A few short decades ago, the most violent scenes we were exposed to in the media involved Wile E. Coyote and an anvil. The nightly news did not display graphic evidence of riots or murders or even war. Movies did not market themselves based on the amount of gunfire packed into two hours. Video games were little more than a bouncing ball controlled by a joystick. But, society has changed and, now, violence is everywhere. Children and adolescents are exposed to violent images everyday and the line between reality and fiction is blurred. Now, the consequences of such exposure are becoming evident and recent studies show neurological adaptations and desensitization that lead to aggression and violence in real life.
Childhood Aggression Predicts Health Care Use Later in Life
Young children can be physically aggressive, owing to a combination of instinct, temperament, cultural and social influences, and (sometimes) not getting what they want. But, by the time most kids reach preschool age, they have learned to control their aggression with coping skills and relational techniques. However, children who do not learn to regulate aggressive behavior are at risk for physical and mental health issues, as well as serious patterns of aggression and violence, as adults. A new study, published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, shows that the more aggressive a young child is the more likely he or she is to use health care services as an adult.
Does Personality Play a Role in the Stress of Caregiving?
Family caregivers are individuals who provide short-term, or long-term, unpaid care for family members with illnesses and/or impairments. Caring for a family member allows us to express love and concern for someone who cared for us. Yet caregiving for a family member can be strenuous, and not without negative consequences. For example, the average amount of time a family caregiver attends to the needs of another is four hours a day if the caregiver is cognitively impaired, nine hours a day if the care recipient has dementia, and both types of caregivers experience similar physical and emotional strains, such as poor health and depression.
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