Fast Facts

Anxiety

Anxiety is a disorder that occurs at least once in the lives of 4 - 6% of the population according to recent statistics. Anxiety is twice as common in women as in men. People with an anxiety disorder often refer to themselves as "worry warts." Often, anxiety is marked by fatigue, physical aches and muscle pains. Some common symptoms of Anxiety include:

• Excessive worry
• Poor concentration
• Irritability
• Feeling keyed up or restless
• Difficulty controlling worried thoughts
• Interferes with functioning in social, work, and/or educational setting

If you’d like to learn more about anxiety, visit the Health Library.

Post Partum Depression

Like other forms of depression, Postpartum Depression symptoms can include problems with concentration, memory, decision-making, irritability, decreased appetite, loss of sleep, loss of pleasure in usual daily activities, low self-esteem, negative thinking and worrying, persistent sadness, helplessness, and feelings of hopelessness. What makes post partum depression different however is the feeling of significant impairment or feeling unable to care for your baby and yourself. Not to be confused with postpartum blues or ‘baby blues’ which typically subside over a few weeks, postpartum depression can have prolonged impact. Women who feel they are suffering from post partum depression should discuss their feelings and concerns their healthcare professional. For more information, visit the Health Library.

Violence in Teens

Newspaper headlines tell about acts of teen violence in our communities, be it the city, suburbs, or rural areas. In a recent report by the World Health Organization (WHO), violence is seen by society as one of the “deadly rites of passage” as a child travels through his adolescence into adult hood. As seen most recently, violence takes on many forms. Be it physical or non-physical such as verbal harassment and verbal intimidation, the impact on the child and family can be devastating. Recent statistics point out that the second and third leading causes of death for males aged 15 to 19 are suicide and homicide, which are the third and fourth leading causes of death for females of the same age group. What causes teens to become violent?

Causes
Many theories–genetic, biological, environmental, and psychological–have been proposed over time. Clinicians and researchers generally agree that violence in humans is the result of a variety of factors, including exposure to violence in the home and exposure to media violence. Many teens are embarrassed easily and are susceptible to involvement in fights as acts of retaliation. This can cause considerable harm to themselves and others. Their need to be accepted by peers may result in pressure to commit violence. Place a teen within a group of their peers, and peer pressure may culminate in violent action, even against the better judgment of the individual.

Violent behavior may reflect a need of some teens to experiment and try new things. The result may be high-risk behavior, such as drug experimentation, fast or dangerous driving, and/or criminal behavior. Additionally, if a teenager has observed violence at home, school or in the work environment, he or she is more likely to commit violence.