Mental Health Matters: A two-minute primer on mental-health awareness

Our first mini-topic this week relates to child abuse.

It comes on the heels of a U.S. study that revealed about 300 children a year die from injuries suffered at the hands of their parents.

Did you know child abuse and neglect is one of the leading causes of preventable mental illness?

Abused children may suffer from a variety of mental illnesses in the course of their life, but the poor parenting associated with parental abuse and neglect can also leave kids with deficits in the skills and strategies they need to overcome life’s everyday hurdles.

If you see or have reason to believe a child is being abused or neglected, you have a legal obligation and a duty to report that possible abuse to authorities.

It is not only good for the potential well-being of the child and the family — it is potentially a contribution to a healthier and safer community.

Second issue: This week, the provincial government announced creation of a crisis line to serve Interior communities.

Many news agencies have been asking if that is a good thing.

It is, and one of the responses we gave to reporters who called is we can all contribute and improve before the crisis line is needed.

Last week, Britain’s most prestigious medical journal, The Lancet, published a study that showed regions with increased prevention efforts had lower suicide rates.

Regions with suicide-prevention services and programs resulted in 200 to 300 fewer deaths per year at a person’s own hand.

Third: Did you know we are close to having a blood test for the diagnosis of depression?

A team at  Massachusetts General Hospital — the grand poobah of medical-teaching facilities — has found nine biomarkers that can help to distinguish patients who had a major depressive disorder from others.

The blood tests accurately captured the depression diagnosis of 90 per cent of patients with a previous diagnosis of depression.

The fear is a test that misses 10 per cent of depressed patients could lead to delayed treatment.

More work is being done to improve the process.

Our fourth news item is about another leading cause of mental illness and dementia — head injuries.

New research shows high-school football players experience changes in brain function long before they ever have a recognizable concussion.

The study concludes a serious of continuous smaller hits has the same devastating effect on the brain as a single, more serious concussive blow.

Researchers studied players on a high-school team for two seasons and used MRIs to measure brain activity.

Over time, the changes in brain function that showed in the MRIs correlated to the number of times they were hit.

Finally, middle-aged male smokers are at a much higher risk for rapid cognitive decline and dementias.

Quitting smoking reduces the impact on cognitive decline, but does not eliminate the impact until one has quit for 10 years or more.

Most people fear dementia more than a heart attack or stroke, so. if you need incentives to quit, this is the time.

Thanks for reading our column and for all

your comments and questions.  You can reach us at kamloops@cmha.bc.ca and we always love to hear from you.