Tag Archives for " Mental Health "

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Anxiety and depression may raise risk of dying from cancer, research suggests

Adults struggling with anxiety or low moods see their risk of being killed by a tumor rose by 32 per cent, a study found. And for some cancers the chances of death soar by 286 per cent.Those who are most distressed are at greater risk of cancer of the bowel, prostate, pancreas and esophagus and of leukemia. Experts from University College London followed more than 160,000 men and women who were initially free from cancer.By the end of the decade-long study, published in the British Medical Journal, 4,353 went on to die from the disease.After examining levels of psychological distress – such as anxiety or depression – they found it had a significant impact.

Those with the greatest levels of unhappiness were more likely to be killed by cancer. Dr David Batty, of UCL, said: “The results show that compared with people in the least distressed group, death rates in the most distressed group were consistently higher for cancer of the bowel, prostate, pancreas and esophagus and for leukemia.”The data shows the most depressed saw their risk of bowel cancer rise 84 per cent, prostate 142 per cent, pancreas 176 per cent, throat by 159 per cent and leukemia by 286 per cent. Researchers said the study did not definitely prove distress increased the chances of cancer death.

Instead, the researchers said it may mean diagnosed cancers could cause the depression.But further analysis of the data, excluding those who died in the first five years of the study, found the link between distress and cancer death remained. Dr Batty added: “Our findings contribute to the evidence that poor mental health might have some predictive capacity for certain physical diseases but we are a long way off from knowing if these relationships are truly causal.”

More than 330,000 Brits are diagnosed with cancer each year, with around 160,000 dying. Professor Peter Johnson, from Cancer Research UK, said: “This interesting study suggests a link between a person’s mental health and their risk of dying from cancer.“But we need more research to see if this is really the case, or if anxiety and depression are linked to known cancer risks such as smoking, overweight and high alcohol intake.“Better mental health may be another way in which we can reduce our risk of developing cancer, and this deserves serious attention.”

SOURCE…www.thesun.co.uk

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The New Black Plague…. “Electronic Screen Syndrome”.

 The new black plague “Electronic  Screen Syndrome” Studies have also shown that using computers, smartphones or tablets before bedtime disrupts sleep.Sir Anthony Seldon the Vice Chancellor of the University of Buckingham and former master of Wellington College said screen time was a ‘very significant concern’.“Intelligent use of computers can enhance the life of teenagers but overall they are spending vastly too much time online,” he added.“Real people, real exercise, real environments and above all real relationships in the flesh are what young people need to develop into healthy adults.“I’m extremely worried by the extensive and indiscriminate exposure of adolescents to computers. It should be a very significant concern.”

The researchers of the new study agreed that electronic devices could be harmful if youngsters were using them to avoid exercise, sleep or avoid making friends. But they also said they could actually be beneficial for development.Co-author Dr Netta Weinstein of Cardiff University said: “To the extent that digital activities either enrich teenagers’ lives or displace more rewarding activities, they should have either positive or negative effects on their mental well-being.

“There have been theories that digital use is disrupting more satisfying pursuits. However, the role of digital technology has a central role in everyday life and online gaming is now a shared way of playing for teenage boys.“There is good reason to think digital technology used in moderation is not disruptive and may even support development.’

Commenting on the research, Dr Pete Etchells, senior lecturer in Biological Psychology, Bath Spa University, said: “The study shows that certain levels of technology use may actually be beneficial to children.”Where negative effects do exist, these are in fact quite weak, compared to other factors such as getting a decent night’s sleep which have previously been shown to have an influence on well-being. “Taken altogether then, the study shows that we need to drastically reconsider the way we think about screen time – there is an alarming  negative correlation between using digital technology and well being.

 

 

SOURCE…www.telegraph.co.uk

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The New Black Plague…. "Electronic Screen Syndrome".

 The new black plague “Electronic  Screen Syndrome” Studies have also shown that using computers, smartphones or tablets before bedtime disrupts sleep.Sir Anthony Seldon the Vice Chancellor of the University of Buckingham and former master of Wellington College said screen time was a ‘very significant concern’.“Intelligent use of computers can enhance the life of teenagers but overall they are spending vastly too much time online,” he added.“Real people, real exercise, real environments and above all real relationships in the flesh are what young people need to develop into healthy adults.“I’m extremely worried by the extensive and indiscriminate exposure of adolescents to computers. It should be a very significant concern.”

The researchers of the new study agreed that electronic devices could be harmful if youngsters were using them to avoid exercise, sleep or avoid making friends. But they also said they could actually be beneficial for development.Co-author Dr Netta Weinstein of Cardiff University said: “To the extent that digital activities either enrich teenagers’ lives or displace more rewarding activities, they should have either positive or negative effects on their mental well-being.

“There have been theories that digital use is disrupting more satisfying pursuits. However, the role of digital technology has a central role in everyday life and online gaming is now a shared way of playing for teenage boys.“There is good reason to think digital technology used in moderation is not disruptive and may even support development.’

Commenting on the research, Dr Pete Etchells, senior lecturer in Biological Psychology, Bath Spa University, said: “The study shows that certain levels of technology use may actually be beneficial to children.”Where negative effects do exist, these are in fact quite weak, compared to other factors such as getting a decent night’s sleep which have previously been shown to have an influence on well-being. “Taken altogether then, the study shows that we need to drastically reconsider the way we think about screen time – there is an alarming  negative correlation between using digital technology and well being.

 

 

SOURCE…www.telegraph.co.uk