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HealthyPlace.com Newsletter

This Week - August 18, 2003

1. Faster-acting antidepressants on horizon
2. ADHD kids and increased drug abuse
3. Help for parents of AD/HD kids
4. Parents: an empty nest ain't so bad
5. Men have body image problems too
6. Newest schizophrenia drugs work
7. Crystal meth and schizophrenia-like symptoms that won't go away
8. Hanging on for dear life. Anyone else like me?
9. Thought for today

Fast-acting Antidepressants

Existing antidepressants can take up to six weeks to kick in. Pfizer's new drug, elzasonan, aims to take effect in a week by blocking tiny molecular sensors on brain cells that counteract the effects of existing drugs.

Read about this potentially faster-acting depression drug and other new antidepressants on the horizon.

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Severe Attention Disorder Linked with Drug Abuse

Children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder are more likely to smoke, drink and use illegal drugs. That's according to a just released study. Researchers report that ADHD kids, because of their symptoms, may be more susceptible to drug abuse.

The details are here

Help for Parents of AD/HD Kids

It's back-to-school week for many kids. As we all know, children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder are very energetic and can cause a great deal of frustration for parents that don't know how to deal with their sometimes difficult behaviors.

How does a tired and overwhelmed parent deal with these hard to handle children? Here are some concrete tips you can use right now.

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An Empty Nest Can Promote Freedom, Improved Relationships

A developing line of research suggests that many parents get a new lease on life when their children leave.

Every fall, psychologist Karen L. Fingerman, PhD, asks her students how they think their parents are coping with their newly emptied nests. And every year, students express surprise at what Fingerman's research has to say in response to that question.

"Students always think their parents are doing worse now that they're gone," says Fingerman, the Berner Hanley University Scholar and associate professor of child development and family studies at Purdue University. "Of course, you want to think that when you move out, your mom must be devastated, but that's not validated by the research."

Students aren't the only ones who believe in the so-called "empty-nest syndrome"--the depression, loss of purpose and crisis of identity that parents, especially mothers, supposedly feel when their children leave home. Sociologists popularized the term in the 1970s, and the media have helped make its existence part of conventional wisdom. More recently, a number of psychologists have begun taking a more nuanced look at this transition--some of them because they themselves weren't experiencing the distress the popular literature says is typical when children leave home.

Now many of these researchers are busy debunking such myths as empty-nest depression and loss of purpose. While they acknowledge that parents do feel a sense of loss when their nests empty, they are also finding that this period can be one of increased satisfaction and improved relationships. And some findings even challenge the notion that an empty nest is hardest on women--if anything, this research suggests, it may be men who don't fare so well when children leave home.

Improved relationships

A lot has changed since the idea of an empty-nest syndrome first surfaced. An unprecedented number of mothers now work outside the home, giving them a role beyond that of parent. And cheaper long-distance charges, e-mail and lower airfares have made it easier to stay in touch once children leave home, some recent studies suggest.

"The empty-nest syndrome doesn't exist in the way it has been portrayed in the popular literature," says Fingerman, author of "Mothers and Their Adult Daughters: Mixed Emotions, Enduring Bonds" (Prometheus Books, 2002). "People do miss their children, but, based on what I've seen in my research, what happens is actually the opposite of the empty-nest syndrome."

According to Fingerman's research, most parents enjoy greater freedom, a reconnection with their spouses and more time to pursue their own goals and interests once their children leave home. Parents in her studies report that seeing a child start down the path toward successful adulthood gives them a feeling of joy and pride. Most importantly, the parent/child relationship actually improves for many of them when children leave home.

Other psychologists' research reveals another unexpected benefit of the empty-nest period: a renewal of ties with other family members. "The research is very caught up in the parent/child relationship and the marital relationship, but there are a lot of other important relationships," says Victoria Bedford, PhD, an associate professor in the School for Psychological Sciences and the Center for Aging and Community at the University of Indianapolis. "This is not to say that the parent/child relationship and the marital relationship aren't important; they're just not the whole picture."

Fathers' feelings

One psychologist, Helen M. DeVries, PhD, found that it is actually men who are more likely to have a hard time when their children leave home. She says mothers and fathers anticipate and experience their children's departures very differently.

Mothers started planning and preparing for the next stage, whether that meant going back to school, going to work or exploring new interests.

In contrast, the men in DeVries' sample didn't talk at all about preparing for the change, were less likely to view their children leaving home as a major transition and were less prepared for the emotional component of the transition. As a result, fathers were more likely to express regrets over lost opportunities to be involved in their children's lives before they left home.

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Men Have Image Problems Too

Of anyone who should seem to be unsatisfied with their body, elite athletes would seem to be last on the list. But many, both men and women, seem unhappy with their physique, according to a recent survey of college athletes at Ohio State University.

“Men are having more issues with their body image,” says author Jennifer Carter, a psychologist at Ohio State University. Carter presented her work at the annual meeting of American Psychological Association in Toronto. For her study, 882 athletes from her university discussed their eating habits.

While the women surveyed said they wanted to loose weight—on average 6.8 pounds, men said they wanted to beef up. One out of five believed that they are not muscular enough. On average, men wanted to gain 3.2 pounds. Carter attributes this to a growing popularity in male fitness, and men placing more unrealistic expectations on their image, even for students whose bodies have brought them to such an elite level.

Sports where it is helpful to be lean, such as gymnastics, cross-country, track and swimming, buck this trend. Both men and women tended towards weight loss. For males, 17.5 percent showed symptoms of eating disorders, binge-eating and purging, for example.

Carter is concerned that more men are developing unrealistic expectations about their bodies. “Body image for men, all men, is going to be a concern,” says Carter.

view video: Reflections of Emptiness: Straight Talk About Eating Disorders

Read the transcript from our chat on "Developing a Positive Body Image."

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REMUDA RANCH - Help for your eating disorder

The caring and compassionate team at Remuda Ranch can help you or a loved one overcome an eating disorder. Our highly professional treatment team and biblically- based individualized programs have worked for hundreds of our patients.

Take the first step toward living a life that is not controlled by fear and food. Call us now at 1-800-445-1900. We'll be happy to answer your questions. or visit our site.

Newest Schizophrenia Drugs Prove Their Worth

Patients with schizophrenia who are taking the most modern antipsychotic drugs have better symptom control and fewer distressing side effects than those on older treatments.

Findings from the first six months of a three-year international study show that the latest drugs also lead to an overall improvement in social functioning.

Read more here.

Other schizophrenia stories including cardiac problems with Clozapine and preventing relapse are linked from the Schizophrenia homepage.

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Crystal Meth Produces Schizophrenia-Like Symptoms

Meth is an extremely dangerous drug. It's cheap, highly addictive, easily accessible, and can be made at home, providing you have toxic chemicals like Drano and battery acid on hand. It can cause structural changes to the brain and induce psychotic symptoms that resemble those of schizophrenia: paranoia, disorganized thinking, delusions, and impaired memory. In some people, those effects will never go away, even long after they stop using. Here's why.

Bulletin Board:
Depression Experiences - Hanging on for Dear Life

arstysharon2:

"I'm the mother of two and have been suffering depression for many years. Probably after the birth of my children. My life became crazy last year and my stresses skyrocketed and so did my depression. I ended up in the hospital after a suicide attempt and have been in therapy since. It's an uphill battle dealing with my life with my children and no outside support. I'm an artist and I hang onto that for dear life but this depression just won't let go.

Write to me if you have any similar experiences.

Can you help arstysharon2? Respond here.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Here's something to think about...

"Notice how a child is carefree and full of wonder. Adults are attracted to children for these very reasons. When you observe a child in this state are they concerned about the past or the future? Practice living in the moment and you will find others will be attracted to you too." - Glen Hopkins

From all of us here at HealthyPlace.com, we hope you have a good week.

Previous Newsletters

• August 3, 2003
• July 27, 2003
• July 20, 2003
• July 14, 2003
• July 6, 2003
• June 30, 2003
• June 22, 2003
• June 15, 2003
• June 8, 2003
• June 2, 2003
• May 26, 2003
• May 20, 2003
• May 12, 2003
• April 28, 2003
• April 14, 2003
• March 31, 2003
• March 24, 2003
• March 12, 2003

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