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As if it wasn't enough to deal with the emotional upheaval of a once-in-a-lifetime financial tsunami, the just-released results of two studies show that stress can cause physical illness. And black women are particularly vulnerable.
One study found that stress triggers spikes in blood sugar among African American women who carry extra weight around their middles. ...
The other showed that some men have a genetic predisposition to produce extra stress hormones when they're angry, causing not only blood sugar to rise but also blood pressure.
Both studies were presented at the recent American Psychosomatic Society conference in Chicago.
"Stress will bring out an underlying disease process in people who are predisposed for some other reason," said Dr. Richard Surwit, chief of Duke University's division of medical psychology and co-author of a study about black women and diabetes. Source
Basically, the danger to women is a spike in hormones released during fight-or-flight emotional reactions:
They found blood-sugar spikes occurred in participants only when two key factors were present: a lot of belly fat, plus a predisposition to secrete higher-than-normal levels of the stress hormone epinephrine, secreted as part of the flight-or-fight response to danger.
"Patients with higher belly fat do have higher blood-glucose levels," Surwit said. "But the real impact of belly fat was the interaction of epinephrine. High levels of epinephrine and high levels of belly fat are what seem to be toxic in this population."
A second study, by another Duke team, found some men have a genetic variant causing them to release twice as much of the stress hormone cortisol when angered. Cortisol is also released by the adrenal gland and is known to trigger elevated blood sugars and blood pressure. Source
Well, at least these studies provide strong incentives to get organized around health care reform -- and to practice yoga and mediation. We're gonna need it.
UPDATE - Some online resources: RELAXATION
Mental Health America - resources
National Alliance on Mental Illness - Online Community
Mental Health & African-American Health
May is Mental Health awareness month. Mental health in the Black community is an issue that is often ignored because:
- There is a stigma in the Black community
- The mental health establishment often mistreats blacks
- Both
Terrie Williams, a high-powered publicist who has serviced Janet Jackson, wrote of her depressive breakdown in the book 'Black Pain.' At what rate do black women suffer from depression as compared to white women?
- At the same rate
- Twice the rate
- Five times the rate
In addition to depression, African-American are more likely to suffer from certain psychological disorders particular to our community, such as:
- Bipolar disorder
- Schizophrenia
- Phobias
Getting treatment for mental health is important, as suicide is the worse result of attempting to live with an untreated illness. How high is the rate of suicide for young black men versus young white men?
- It's higher for black men
- It's the same
- It's higher for white men
In addition, black Americans are often exposed to stressors that lead to higher incidences of untreated, more severe mental health problems, such as:
- Post-traumatic stress disorder
- Job loss
- Social prejudice
With the many issues our community faces, reducing resistance to psychological treatment is of critical importance. Anti-depressant drugs may help in healing by:
- Numbing the pain of depression
- Restoring neurochemical balances in the brain
- Do they help?
What role can the black church play in mental health treatment?
- A purely positive role
- It's a mixed blessing
- There is no role for the church in mental health treatment
Therapy through professional services are important for blacks seeking mental health treatment. Yet, aside from fears and stigmas, many blacks do not receive effective professional treatment because:
- They don't have health insurance
- The medical establishment misdiagnoses African-Americans
- Both of these answers, and more
The good news is:
- There is no good news
- Black people recover at rates equal to whites with effective treatment
Mental health is an issue in our community that deserves attention and solutions. For psychological issues for ourselves and others, it is important to:
- Ignore the signals
- Create a proper treatment plan
- Wallow away in despair
Comments: (17)
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By: darlene purdy on 3/25/2009 11:06AM
stress is among everybody, i don,t care who you are or what you got going on in your life. everytime i pick up and paper or watch t.v it's alway us black folk and what we do feed right off into it, and i no better. just stop it!
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By: truwajwa on 3/25/2009 11:56AM
While it is a sad state of affairs, I don't really feel sorry for most women. Yes, I am a man. I have seen over the last 40 years, the many reactive, quick fixes to the American family--all of which benefitted women, but cared nothing for the potential long-term affects they would have on the American family. Depression is only important if women suffered, not men. This financial downfall is a great thing for men, despite the many loses. The government is going to have to re-evaluate its entitlement programs and its costs. No jobs means no child support payment, no jail because of cost to house men, etc. Courts will have to re-tool forced support payments to fit new job pay. Fathers may start winning child custody cases. Depression is bad, but when the depression of men have been rejected for years, why should we care?
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By: Yolanda on 3/25/2009 2:45PM
I am not here to stereo type our male counterparts, but if I remember correctly. Men are always walking out, leaving the women to struggle with raising the kids alone. Child support, maybe. It is a good thing but it does not help raise the children where emotions are concerned. As women we need more from our men, it is ok, if u decide you no longer want to be in the relationship, but don't forget about the kids. We stress because we worry about the bills, the health and well being of our kids and a million other things. I will applaud the many good men that do what they are supposed to do. There is a difference between a daddy and a father. Stress kills, and it is so easy to say get over it. But it is not easy to overcome the stress and mental illness that follows heartbreak, whateva the cause. Mental illness runs in my family. I watched my mother at a very early age have a nervous breakdown, because of the abuse she suffered at the hand of a man. That was over 20 years ago, she is still not 1/2 the woman she use to be. She now depends on medication to keep her mind balanced. I too suffer from depression, but I constantly pray to GOD that he keeps me sane. I take a natural herb to keep my emotions in check. The moment I am around something or someone that brings me down, trust me I Bounce. I will not allow anything or anyone to steal my joy. Life is short, if I don't look out for me who will. Unless I fill myself up 1st, then I have nothing to give anyone. Women, we have to start looking out for number one. We stress about being good mothres to our children, we can only do this if we are in tact mentally and physically! Again, I applaud the men that handle their business. I'M NOT BLAMING MEN FOR THE ISSUES WE FACE, BUT WHEN THEY WALK OUT AND LEAVE US SOLE SUPPORTERS OF THE KIDS ALL HELL BREAKS LOOSE, WE STRUGGLE TO KEEP IT TOGETHER AND BY THE GRACE OF GOD MOST OF US MAKE IT. GOD BLESS US ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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By: Krista on 3/26/2009 9:06AM
Just wanted to thank you, I'm a single mother also who only receives child support through court order and nothing else from the father. My daughter is 17 years old, getting ready to graduate from high school,and I know by her father not being in her life like he should have been has had an effect on her.
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By: truwajwa on 3/26/2009 7:42AM
By: Yolanda on 3/25/2009 2:45PMNeutral I am not here to stereo type our male counterparts, but if I remember correctly. Men are always walking out, leaving the women to struggle with raising the kids alone.
[[[[ Let's give men the equal rights to ownership of the child/ren from birth and on without exceptions. Meaning no abortions without the unborn child's father acceptance, or no births without the biological father's acceptance. Oh, let's expand that, let's not allow any adoptions at birth or latter without the biological father's acceptance. He should have the right to raise his child/ren if the mother doesn't want to raise the child/ren--and she as the mother should pay CS, etc. as the father would have to. What I have learned about women they never want mothers to be financially responsible for any child they reproduce, and nor do they support putting mothers in jail because of CS. Women/mothers go steps further: they abortt(kill off their unwanted child/ren),adopt out-at any age(get rid of--not wanting to give to the fathers for fear of having to pay CS), abandon(at birth/after birth--get rid of, again, not to the fathers for fear of having to pay CS, etc.)and finally, SIDS--the most effective use of an socially created syndrome to protect killer mothers and expand a mother's right to terminate a child at any age. So, if you want to address men as walking out, let's work to change all family custody laws, etc., and right to life laws for children.
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By: janice walker on 3/25/2009 7:28PM
I WOULD LIKE TO SAY,THAT ALL MEN DOSEN'T WALK OUT ON WOMEN,SOME WOMEN AND LEAVE THEIR CHILDREN. MY FIRST HUSBAND DIED AND LEFT ME WITH FOUR CHILDREN TO RAISE.I DID OK: BUT IT IS HARD WITHOUT A MAN AROUND ESPECILLY WHEN THEY ARE BOYS.I REMARRIED AND THE HUSBAND I HAVE NOW WIFE LEFT HIM AFTER BEING IN THE ARM FORCE AWAY IN GERMANY. SO SOME WOMEN GIVE UP ON MEMS EVEN IF THEY ARE TRYING.OR MAY I SAY DOING WHAT THEY ARE SUPPOSE TO BE DOING.SO IT NOT ALWAYS THE MAN
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By: AKARAYTHOM on 3/26/2009 4:55AM
Have anyone out there noticed that only negative things are said about black people? I have been around a while, I have never heard anything positive about blacks, it's always negative. Nothing is rong with with any other race? They don't have any problems? Nothing at all? Only black people? About ten years back they use to say hispanics and blacks. Now they just say blacks. I gess they will get back to them later. There is a term that describes these acts. And It's called Psychological Warfare.
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