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Month: April 2022

Do Certain Groups Of People Have Higher Rates Of Suicide?

Do Certain Groups Of People Have Higher Rates Of Suicide?

Suicide is a terrible threat for thousands of people, with warning signs and other risk factors often going unnoticed. But it can be prevented. And you can do your part, especially by knowing which groups are more susceptible than others.

With warning signs identified, specialists may be called upon for diagnosis and treatment options, including medicine like ketamine. But what are the warning signs of suicide? Look for any of these.

  • Talking about wanting to die or taking one’s life
  • Searching for a way to commit suicide
  • Feelings of hopelessness or lack of purpose
  • Talking about feeling trapped or subjected to unbearable pain
  • Insistence about being a problem for other people

Risk Factors

  • The presence of mental health conditions like depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, conduct disorder, and anxiety disorders
  • The person has substance use problems
  • The person in question has personality traits including aggression, mood changes, and relationship problems
  • Chronic pain or other serious physical health conditions
  • Traumatic brain injury
  • Easy access to items making it easy to take one’s life, like weapons and drugs
  • Protracted stress, like bullying, harassment, or unemployment
  • The presence of stressful life events, such as divorce, financial crisis, other life changes or loss, or rejection 
  • The person was exposed to someone else’s suicide, or to graphic or dramatized accounts of suicide
  • Prior suicide attempts
  • Family history of suicide
  • Childhood abuse, neglect, or suffering

Do Certain Groups Of People Have Higher Rates Of Suicide?

Suicide is a threat to anyone, but certain groups in the United States are more susceptible than others.

  • Adults 45 years old and older. The middle-aged exhibit the highest suicide rate compared to other groups. Eighty percent of suicides in America are attributed to men and women aged 45 to 54. Men older than 85 have the highest rate for any group in the U.S.
  • Native American Indians. Young American Indian males, particularly those living in the Northern Plains, have a higher suicide risk than other groups. Young American Indian men struggle with challenges like historical trauma, poverty, geographic isolation, cultural distress, and suicide in their communities, which, in turn, can trigger more stress. The rate for American Indian men is about 19 deaths per 100,000.
  • Native Alaskans are significantly affected by suicide, grappling with shame and silence. In 2017, Alaska claimed the second-highest suicide rate in the United States. But there’s been some good news since, as new prevention efforts and awareness are counteracting difficulties like mental health and substance abuse issues.
  • Men, in general. Across all age groups, men have the highest suicide rates. The suicide rate among non-Hispanic white men between 2005 and 2007 was 22 fatalities per 100,000, or four times greater than women of any ethnic or racial group, and two times the rate for Asian, black, or Hispanic men. 
  • Education and social networking play a role in suicide in the United States. More-educated people are less susceptible to suicide, with a few exceptions. Occupations requiring advanced education, like dentists and physicians, are linked to higher suicide rates, apparently due to stress levels, and maybe because of their widespread access to lethal drugs.

But fostering social relationships offers some protection from trying suicide. The suicide rate for married people is lower, but the chances go up following divorce or widowhood. Regular contact with other family members is essential, but meet-ups with nonfamily members like neighbors, co-workers, or club members, can lower suicide risk.

Prevention Tips

The threat of suicide in the United States is very real, as it’s a top cause of death in the country. Here are some prevention steps you can take:

  • Know the warning signs; memorize the list above, and don’t be afraid to act.
  • Initiate a conversation and listen to the other person’s feelings. Stress how important they are in your life but understand that preventing suicide is often a group effort.
  • Avoid making deals, and never pledge secrecy of your friend’s suicidal plans or thoughts.
  • Tell an adult, parent, or another responsible figure if the person at risk is a child or teen. In all cases, don’t be afraid that you won’t be believed.
  • Ask your friend if they’re seeing a mental health specialist, and do they need help to schedule an appointment or transportation to and from the appointment.

Finally, encourage your friend to know about treatment options, like therapy or medicine like ketamine.

 

 

What Triggers Restless Leg Syndrome?

What Triggers Restless Leg Syndrome?

You went to a three-hour musical and couldn’t sit still. You tapped your feet, lifted your legs – all to the annoyance of your date and people around you. The inability to sit still could be something called restless leg syndrome.

What is Restless Leg Syndrome?

Restless legs syndrome (RLS) causes unpleasant or painful feelings in your legs and an overpowering desire to move them. Symptoms normally happen during late afternoon or evening hours and are most serious at night when you’re resting. You may also experience symptoms during times of inactivity when sitting for a long time (during a train trip or while attending a concert). They can make it hard to fall asleep or return to sleep after waking.  

Symptoms

Many symptoms of RLS and other sleep disorders can be reduced through therapy, including ketamine treatment. Things to watch for:

  • Sensations which normally start after lying down or sitting for a long time (think a car ride, airplane trip, or at a movie theater).
  • The feeling of RLS subsides with moving, like jiggling your legs, pacing, stretching, or walking.
  • Symptoms happen mostly at night.
  • Symptoms may also be related to periodic limb movement of sleep.

Risk Factors

RLS is more common in women than men and may affect three to 15 percent of the U.S. population, but it has certain risk factors:

  • Your family history. As many as two-thirds of people with RLS have a family history of the disorder and are more likely to develop RLS before they turn 40.
  • If you suffer from or have been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
  • Pregnancy.
  • Chronic kidney disease.
  • Anxiety and other related disorders.

What Triggers Restless Leg Syndrome?

Restless leg syndrome is similar to other sleep disorders, mental illness, or chronic pain conditions in that it doesn’t have a single, definitive cause. Factors such as genetics and overall health can play a role, but researchers and medical professionals agree more study is needed. There may not be specific triggers for RLS, but any of the following can exacerbate the symptoms:

  • The use of certain antidepressants or antipsychotics
  • Certain treatments for bipolar disorder, such as lithium
  • Medicine classified as calcium channel blockers, often used to treat high blood pressure
  • Antihistamines
  • End-stage renal disease and hemodialysis
  • Iron deficiency
  • Certain medications to relieve symptoms of nausea
  • Pregnancy, particularly during the last trimester; in nearly all cases, symptoms normally subside within a month following delivery
  • Neuropathy or nerve damage

There could be other possible triggers, too, like heavy smoking, caffeine, or alcohol use, if you’re overweight or obese, are under heavy stress levels, and if you don’t get much exercise or physical activity.

Even though restless leg syndrome doesn’t result in other serious conditions, symptoms can go from barely annoying to incapacitating. Many people who experience RLS find that “generally a lifelong condition for which there is no cure.”

Over the long term, even with occasional remission, severe restless leg syndrome can result in a marked diminishing of your quality of life and lead to depression. People who experience RLS may benefit from different therapy, but the place to start is by getting diagnosed. A doctor specializing in sleep disorders should be consulted.

Diagnosis and Treatment

Like many mental health, chronic pain, or other disorders that can have serious consequences if left untreated, restless leg syndrome can only be diagnosed by a medical professional. 

For diagnosis, your doctor will consider the account of your symptoms and finish a diagnostic interview to look for symptoms described as essential criteria; check your medical history; and disqualify conditions that are often mistaken for RLS. During an exam, a doctor might check your iron levels, and ask if you’d be willing to stay overnight in a special sleep study lab to look for other possible causes of your condition.

RLS is treatable, with care designed to relieve your symptoms. Moving affected limbs could offer temporary relief, as well as treating a related medical condition, like peripheral neuropathy, diabetes, or iron-deficiency anemia. Iron supplements and lifestyle/dietary changes may help, too. 

Final Thoughts

If you can’t sit still long enough to watch a movie or have trouble sleeping because you want to move your legs or feet, you may be suffering from a sleep disorder called restless leg syndrome. It’s a condition that affects millions but doesn’t necessarily lead to worse conditions. Its symptoms are more than annoying, especially if left untreated. Contact us today to learn more about our innovative treatments that may help you find relief.

 

 

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