The idea that grief can lead to mental illness is controversial in medical and counselling circles. But a new study says that while strong feelings of grief are normal and healthy after the death of someone you love, some people grieve for so long that it becomes a significant mental illness.
The study, by researchers at the University of New South Wales (UNSW), says between 10 and 15 per cent of bereaved people experience an intense, prolonged sadness arising from longing or yearning for the deceased - so much so that their overall health is impaired.
They withdraw socially, become depressed and even suicidal and traditional grief counselling may not be of a great help, according to a UNSW press release.
Fortunately, other recent findings suggest that such people can recover with treatment using cognitive behaviour therapy, an approach already shown to be more effective than medication for a range of psychological problems, including anxiety and traumatic stress.
A team of Sydney researchers and counsellors is now conducting further studies to evaluate the treatment more fully.
"Many grief counsellors resist the idea that we can 'medicalise' grief reactions in this way," said Richard Bryant, lead author.
"The debate has been intensified by increasing evidence that grief counselling is often not effective. In contrast, the introduction of strictly defined disorder opens new opportunities to treat people suffering the effects of prolonged grief."
Showing posts with label stay healthy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label stay healthy. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Want to live longer? Stay cool!
For the first time new research has revealed how change in body temperature impacts the longevity of warm-blooded animals, including humans.
Bruno Conti of the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California, and other researchers were conducting studies on how to prolong life and found that the lifespan of warm-blooded animals could be lengthened by slightly lowering their core body temperature, reported the health portal News Medical.
Lowering the body temperature of mice extended their lifespan by up to 20 percent, the researchers said.
The mice in the study published in the journal Science were allowed to eat as much food as they wanted while their core body temperature was lowered modestly. This was done by focusing on the hypothalamus, a brain structure that acts as the body's thermostat.
The median life span in females was extended by about 20 percent and in males by about 12 percent.
The researchers say the male mice weighed roughly 10 percent more than the females, which could have been down to the diminished energy needed to maintain a lower body temperature.
But the practice is unlikely to apply to humans as the technique, though "technically feasible", is essentially impractical and information on the safety of such an approach is scant, the researchers said.
Bruno Conti of the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California, and other researchers were conducting studies on how to prolong life and found that the lifespan of warm-blooded animals could be lengthened by slightly lowering their core body temperature, reported the health portal News Medical.
Lowering the body temperature of mice extended their lifespan by up to 20 percent, the researchers said.
The mice in the study published in the journal Science were allowed to eat as much food as they wanted while their core body temperature was lowered modestly. This was done by focusing on the hypothalamus, a brain structure that acts as the body's thermostat.
The median life span in females was extended by about 20 percent and in males by about 12 percent.
The researchers say the male mice weighed roughly 10 percent more than the females, which could have been down to the diminished energy needed to maintain a lower body temperature.
But the practice is unlikely to apply to humans as the technique, though "technically feasible", is essentially impractical and information on the safety of such an approach is scant, the researchers said.
