| Emotional Adjustment and Scleroderma |
 Hello, I am Janey Willis, ISN Guide to Emotional Adjustment. I know from experience that scleroderma can place unique demands on patients and caregivers alike. I have systemic scleroderma (SSc). It is common to suffer reactive depression with scleroderma. If you or someone you care about is having a difficult or suicidal time right now, call your nearest suicide hotline, or a doctor, or hospital. This is a medical emergency and it is okay to go to the emergency room or to call for help from your local police or fire department. The important thing is to make a call—any call—until you find help. | |
| Emotional Adjustment and Scleroderma (MAIN MENU) |
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| Depression and Scleroderma |
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| Overview of Depression |
| Depression is a serious sadness that may or may not have a reason. For people with scleroderma or another chronic illness, depression is a natural reaction to the diagnosis, the symptoms, and changes in the quality of life. Unfortunately, depression can add to the physical problems presented by the disease; therefore, depression needs to be addressed and reduced as much as possible. |
| Depression: The Precursor of Disease. The intensity of depression seems to correlate with the severity, morbidity, and mortality of the disorders to which it predisposes. Julian Lieb, M.D. Newp. The People’s Press. 08/16/10. |
| Illnesses and Disabilities. Having a chronic illness increases your risk of depression. Most depressive disorders respond well to treatment, which can include talk therapy, medicine, or both. Womenshealth.gov. September 2009. |
| Depressive symptoms in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH): prevalence and association with functional status. Depression is common in patients with PAH, with 55% demonstrating depressive symptoms. These results suggest that screening patients with PAH will identify a large proportion of patients who might benefit from depression therapy. McCollister DH. (PubMed) Psychosomatics. 2010 Jul;51(4):339-339.e8. (Also see: PAH Symptoms) |
| Symptoms Of Depression And Anxiety In Patients With Systemic Sclerosis: Impact Of Disease Severity And Socioeconomic Factors. Symptoms of depression are more common in female, unemployed and older patients, as well as in patients with severe pain and longer disease duration. Symptoms of anxiety were found in almost all patients, but without dependency on disease severity or socioeconomic factors. P. Ostojic THU0301. EULAR 2007. (Also see: Anxiety) |
| Scientists Build On Case Connecting Inflammatory Disease And Depression. Depressive disorders occur in 12 to 30 percent of patients who suffer from various diseases with an inflammatory component, including coronary heart disease and autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowels. Rresearch on patients whose immune systems are boosted by immunotherapy suggest that depression may originate in the immune system. ScienceDaily 07/29/04. |
| Depression and Autoimmunity |
| Am I Depressed? Resources to help you determine if you are depressed. Depression.About.com |
| Nobody Understands! by Deborah A. Barrett, Ph.D. |
| Depression Caused By Chronic Illness. Depression is one of the most common complications of chronic illness. It is estimated that up to one-third of individuals with a serious medical condition experience symptoms of depression. WebMD. |
| Depression and low bone mineral density (BMD): a meta-analysis of epidemiologic studies. Depression is associated with low BMD, with a substantially greater BMD decrease in depressed women and in cases of clinical depression. Depression should be considered as an important risk factor for osteoporosis. Q. Wu. Osteoporosis International. April 03, 2009 (Also see: Osteoporosis in Scleroderma) |
| Depression in patients with systemic sclerosis: A systematic review of the evidence. Symptoms of depression are common among patients with SSc. There is a need for studies that examine depression at different time points from the diagnosis of SSc and that systematically investigate factors associated with high levels of depressive symptoms. (Wiley InterScience) Arthritis Care & Research. Volume 57, Issue 6, Pages 1089-1097. 30 July 2007. |
| New Insights Into Autoimmunity And Depression. Some studies have described a possible link between Lupus's most severe psychiatric manifestation, psychosis, and a protein autoantibody associated with the central nervous system, anti-ribosomal P. ScienceDaily. 03/09/07. (Also see: Lupus) |
| Evaluation of depression and anxiety in patients with systemic sclerosis. Systemic scleroderma is associated with a high prevalence of depression and anxiety. These disorders should be looked for routinely and the need for specific treatment evaluated. PubMed. Joint Bone Spine. 2005 Oct;72(5):408-411. |
| Correlates of Depression, Including Overall and Gastrointestinal Functional Status, Among Patients with Systemic Sclerosis. Decreased functional status and abnormal GI functioning are significantly correlated with depression among patients with SSc. Other demographic and clinical indicators are also associated with depression. J Rheumatol. NO. 1 January 2005;32:51-7. (Also see: Gastrointestinal Involvement) |
| Raynaud's Phenomenon and Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors. The antiplatelet and endothelium-protective properties of SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) may represent an attractive additional advantage in patients with depression and scleroderma. Patients who have scleroderma should be screened for depression, and SSRI might be considered when indicated. Correspondence. J Rheumatol. Vol 31: NO. 10 Oct 2004. (Also see: Raynaud's Treatments) |
| Frequency and analysis of factors closely associated with the development of depressive symptoms in patients with scleroderma. Our results indicate that depressive symptoms are frequent in SSc patients. Medical staffs should pay attention to the possible risk factors for depressive symptoms, such as patient's helplessness and SOC (Sense of Coherence). PubMed. J Rheumatol. 2003 Aug;30(8):1782-7. |
| Treating Depression |
| 5 Rules for Living with Chronic Illness and Depression: An Interview with Elvira Aletta. Dr. Aletta is a clinical psychologist, wife, mom to two teenagers and blogger. In her early twenties she was diagnosed with nephrotic syndrome, a rare kidney disease that usually affects young boys. In her thirties she came down with scleroderma. Therese J. Borchard. PsychCentral. 06/16/09. |
| Stress, depression and the holidays: 12 tips for coping. Stress and depression can ruin your holidays and hurt your health. Being realistic, planning ahead and seeking support can help ward off stress and depression. MayoClinic. 12/19/08. (Also see: Stress) |
| Omega-3 Fatty Acids Affect Risk Of Depression, Inflammation. In recent years, research has shown that an increase in omega-3 fatty acids in the diet has specific health benefits, especially in patients with depression, cardiovascular disease and inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. ScienceDaily. 03/29/07. (Also see: Alternative Therapies) |
| Clinical features and personality traits associated with psychological distress in systemic sclerosis patients. SSc patients experience elevated symptoms of psychological distress. Several clinical parameters are associated with distress, but the role of various personality traits could not be disregarded. Early psychiatric assessment and intervention could prevent psychological distress in SSc patients. PubMed. J Psychosom Res. 2007 Jan;62(1):47-56. |
| Placebo Study Frames Depression Treatment Puzzle. The findings suggest that factors such as patient beliefs and expectations, doctor-patient relationships, or treatment history help complete the treatment picture. Medical News Today. 08/05/06. |
| Floating Alleviates Chronic Stress-related Pain. The research study shows that individuals suffering from stress-related health problems such as chronic pain, depression, or anxiety are often helped a great deal by floating. Medical News Today 02/17/06. (Also see: Pain Management) |
| Antidepressants May Harm Infants' Lungs. Expectant mothers who took antidepressants like Prozac late in their pregnancy were significantly more likely to give birth to an infant with a rare but serious breathing problem, pulmonary hypertension. The New York Times. 02/09/06. (Also see: Scleroderma and Pregnancy, and Pulmonary Hypertension) |
| Internet May Effectively Provide Interventions for Depression Among Select Patients. The study found improved symptoms of depression and depression literacy among individuals who participated in specific website offerings. Doctor's Guide. 1/27/04. |
| You've got trauma, but writing can help. Pouring your most painful traumas out on a computer screen can improve your health, according to one of the first studies on how e-mail may influence well-being. USA Today 6/30/02 |
| Alcohol and Depression |
| Antidepressants and alcohol: What happens if I drink alcohol? Mixing antidepressants and alcohol is discouraged. Mayo Clinic. |
| Personal Stories |
| Betty Fults: CREST Scleroderma I would like to talk with someone that has feeding tubes also. Maybe that will help me... |
| David B: Raynaud's I am fifty-one years old and suffer with Raynaud's, bipolar affective disorder, high anxiety and phobias for which I am unable to take medication... |
| Dawn M: Linear/Systemic Scleroderma My family
and I were informed by the doctors, that the localized/linear form of scleroderma that I was diagnosed with, would never progress into the
potentially fatal, systemic form... |
| Denise E: Diffuse Scleroderma I was first diagnosed with diffuse scleroderma in February 2002, but my symptoms began subtly in the summer of 2000... |
| Donna: CREST, Raynaud's, possible Fibromyalgia I was diagnosed with CREST (Limited Systemic Scleroderma) by a rheumatologist in 2006. This wasn't really a surprise to me as my mother was diagnosed with diffuse scleroderma in 1998... |
| Gail: Undifferentiated Connective Tissue Disease (UCTD) They found I had Interstitial Cystitis, a positive ANA, and gastrointestinal dysmotility... |
| Heather A: Scleroderma (South Africa) My fingers started to curl up and I could not wear any rings on my fingers anymore as they were so swollen... |
| Jaci: MCTD and Autoimmune Hepatitis Out of fear of going back to the doctors, I tried just to live with it, whatever it was. What I found strange was that nobody seemed to noticed how terrible I was feeling, not even the doctors... |
| Janet Q: UTCD or MCTD I also experienced new symptoms; joint pain, muscle aches, headaches, very painful carpal tunnel syndrome in both hands, back and neck pain, the list grew on and on... |
| Kym: Diffuse, CREST Scleroderma, Lupus and Fibromyalgia It all started with Raynaud's in my fingers and toes when I was about nineteen years old, in 1979... |
| Leslie R: Scleroderma, Vitiligo, Lupus, Anemia, Hypertension and Type 2 Diabetes He told me that I have scleroderma and explained what this disease is about. After suffering so long I finally got some answers... |
| Missy S: Lupus, Scleroderma, CREST and Depression They say I am not eligible for a medical card or disability. I have been fighting for four years... |
| Nina: Fibromyalgia, Raynaud's, Limited Scleroderma/CREST That is when I found ISN! The volume of reliable, informative, trusted information that I found on this site completely overwhelmed me... |
| Rosebud: Diffuse Scleroderma My hands are the worst. They are completely swollen, red, itchy, with burning sensation and in pain constantly... |
| Rosemary F: Surviving Daughter of Diffuse Scleroderma Patient She tried to explain it, but it was hard for me to comprehend the disease's symptoms. Mom said that it was the same thing that her oldest sister died from... |
| Star S: Morphea and Systemic Scleroderma I was diagnosed with morphea at age seven. Now at age thirty-three, I have recently developed systemic scleroderma with gastrointestinal manifestations, Sjogren's syndrome, inflammatory arthritis, malabsorption... |
| Susie: CREST Syndrome I have had CREST syndrome for the past eight years. My specialist is Dr. Frederick Wigley, from Johns Hopkins... |
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