Chronic Pain and Childhood Hunger

The McCook Daily Gazette recently covered an article showing the correlation between childhood hunger and chronic pain as an adult.  Citing a study originating from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, many children who frequently missed meals as children may be more prone to physical and psychological issues in adulthood. The university study showed a correlation between childhood hunger and depression in mothers, as well as chronic pain and depression in working-age adults.

The study, which looked at over 4,000 adult surveys, found a link between children who frequently miss meals and the onset of chronic pain and depression as an adult.  The study focused on adults from 25-64 years of age.   According to the article, "childhood conditions that are strongly correlated with the risk of experiencing depression in adulthood may, in fact, also be similar to the childhood conditions that are correlated with chronic pain in adulthood," (McCook Daily Gazette).  Other results of the study show that that the risk of chronic pain increases when you are born to parents with less than 12 years of education as opposed to highly educated parents.


Attorney Doug Stoehr takes cases for clients who are experiencing chronic pain due to an accident or injury due to the fault of another.  For more information on his Altoona, PA area practice, please visit his website at  http://www.stoehrlaw.com or call his office at 814-946-4100.

Chronic Pain and Mood Disorders

The Scientific American published an article pertaining to chronic pain and mood disorders.  The article, written by Stephani Sutherland on October 15, 2012, may be viewed by clicking this link or reading below.
Anyone living with chronic pain knows that it amounts to much more than an unpleasant bodily sensation. Fuzzy thinking, faulty memory, anxiety and depression often accompany long-term pain, suggesting that the condition is more of a whole-brain disorder than simply pain signaling gone haywire. New research from Northwestern University reveals a possible cause: an impaired hippocampus, a region critical for learning, memory and emotional processing.
Using anatomical brain scans, the researchers found that people suffering from chronic back pain or complex regional pain syndrome had a smaller hippocampus than healthy people. They then studied mice for further clues about how this region contributes to chronic pain's cognitive side effects. As reported April 25 in the Journal of Neuroscience, mice in chronic pain had trouble with a test of emotional learning, and they displayed greater anxietylike behaviors than normal mice. In the hippocampus, electrical and biochemical signaling was disrupted. Perhaps most striking was the mice's failure to produce new neurons in the hippocampus—one of the few brain areas where adult mice and humans can grow new neurons.
Lead researcher A. Vania Apkarian suspects that the hippocampal size difference seen in humans might reflect the lack of neuron growth and other problems seen in the mice. Without new neurons forming, memory and emotional processes would also become impaired. The work underscores the importance of treating “the suffering we associate with chronic pain” as a brain-based disorder, Apkarian says, in addition to trying to target its perceived source in the body.

Attorney Doug Stoehr works with clients who suffer from chronic pain as a result of an accident or injury.  For more information on his central Pennsylvania law practice, please visit his website at http://www.stoehrlaw.comor call his office at 814-946-4100. 

Depression Among the Elderly

In addition to the physical aches and pains associated with getting older, many elderly Americans also suffer from mental and emotional problems as well.  This may include loneliness, anxiety, or depression.  A recent study testing the effect of a certain drug to aid in depressive symptoms in seniors offered a little background information as well.

The article stated that depression, a known and relatively common psychological diagnosis, affects over 120 million people all over the globe.  It is estimated that depression also affects almost 20% of America's seniors--that's about 6.5 million people.  Additionally, depression is a leading cause of disability and the 4th leading contributor to the global burden of disease in 2000.  Depression is a difficult disease, since it can impact patients in a variety of ways.  The feelings of depressing may ebb and flow, or may be consistent.  They might also affect a person physically as well as mentally and could lead to digestive disorders.  In the most severe cases, depression may also lead to suicidal thoughts or actions. 

Attorney Doug Stoehr is a central Pennsylvania lawyer specializing in nursing home abuse and negligence.  For more information on his practice, please visit our website.

Fall Risks and Antidepressants

There are many factors that influence how and at which times nursing home residents are more susceptible to injuries.  In addition to understaffing, negligence, and abuse, falls are a very common source of injury in nursing home situations.  Some conditions lead to an increased likelihood of injury due to falling.  One of these conditions is the use of SSRIs by residents.

SSRIs, or selective seratonin reuptake inhibitors, are prescription medications commonly used to treat symptoms of depression and other anxiety disorders.  Recent research has also shown that the use of SSRIs may be linked to increased risk of falls in nursing homes from residents that are taking the drug.  A study performed in the Netherlands, taking data from over two years and 248 nursing home residents, resulted in some interesting findings.  According to the study, a total of 683 falls were experienced by 61.5 percent% of the nursing home residents. This data, looked at a year's span, results in a fall incidence of 2.9 falls/person/year. 220 of these falls resulted in injury or death. The investigators also found that the risk of having a fall resulting in injury was three times higher for residents taking SSRIs than for those who didn't take them. This particular statistic was found for both genders of a wide variety of ages. This fall-related risk of injury increased further when the residents were also given sedatives, such as sleeping pills.

It is important to monitor your loved one's medication, including type and dosage, in order to help minimize the risk of injury due to falls.  If your loved one has recently fallen in a nursing home setting and is now seriously injured, and if you feel that the nursing home has neglected your loved one, it may be time to seek legal assistance.  Attorney Doug Stoehr is a personal injury attorney specializing in nursing home abuse and negligence. For more information on him and his firm, please visit our website or call us at (814) 946-4100.

Depressed Elders in Nursing Homes

Currently in the United States, there are more citizens over the age of 65 than there are teenagers.  Every year, thousands of these elderly Americans make their way into nursing homes or other residential care facilities.  Although they may have moved there for a variety of reasons, most of these people experience some kind of psychological distress during their stay in one of these facilities.  Some of the most common shared types of psychological distress experienced by these residents are depression and loneliness. 

According to researchers, when elderly patrons are first admitted to nursing homes, many undergo a period of depression within the first 10 days. This is more severe in people who are coming from a home environment as opposed to those that are coming from a hospital environment.  Experts think that this period of depression is due to part to a loss of autonomy, loss of personal possessions, and a lack of familiar environment.

The adjustment process from home to a nursing home can take anyway from three to six months, and some residents never fully adjustment or get over symptoms of depression.  Depressed residents are often disengaged or disinterested in activities most of the day and do not seem to want to participate in either formal or informal activities put on by the nursing home community.  Unfortunately, your loved one’s depressive symptoms could also be a result of abuse at thehands of the nursing home staff.  Although not all depressive symptoms are a direct result of abuse, if you suspect that an elderly loved one has been abused while in the care of another, it could be time to take legal action.  
 

If you would like more information about this page or Attorney Stoehr's areas of practice, contact our Altoona, Pennsylvania, law firm by calling 814-946-4100.