Encouraging Health

We’ve got a surefire way to keep the happy feelings pouring in. And you don’t have to inhale.

Just grab your workout shoes and get going. Research now confirms it: Sustained aerobic exercise can give you a natural high.

Happiness Is All in Your Head
Researchers recently noted all sorts of endorphin activity when they studied the brain scans of people who’d gone for a 2-hour run. Their emotion- and mood-controlling brain regions were particularly saturated with the feel-good hormones. But you don’t necessarily have to run marathons to boost the natural mood-enhancing chemicals in your blood. In fact, you might not need to run at all.

30-Minute Mood Makeover

A better mood may be a mere 30 minutes away.
Research shows that regular exercise helps alleviate depression and improve well-being over the long term. Now a new study suggests that the mood-enhancing benefits of physical activity may be apparent after a single 30-minute workout. The next time you feel down, grab your gym shoes and give yourself the gift of a 30-minute power walk.

In a recent study, a single 30-minute treadmill workout done at moderate intensity eased depression and increased energy levels. In the study, participants were randomly divided into two groups. People in one group were asked to walk on a treadmill for 30 minutes, exercising at 60 to 70 percent of their maximum heart rate, as determined by age. The other group rested for a period of 30 minutes. Both groups reported relief from depressive symptoms afterward, including a reduction in confusion, anger, distress, and fatigue. However, those who exercised reported significant improvement in their sense of well-being, a benefit not expressed by participants assigned to 30 minutes of rest. Although many kinds of depression may respond to exercise, severe depression may require professional intervention in the form of counseling, medication, or both. If you’re feeling depressed, see your healthcare provider for an evaluation.

For more information on exercise and mood, browse Encouraging Health.

Nothing reduces your number of fat cells — not even weight-loss surgery

Want to get rid of some fat cells as you age? Fat chance.

You’re stuck with the number of fat cells you have acquired by about age 20, a new study finds.

Researchers have known that people gain and lose weight at least in part by changing how much fat is in their fat cells. The new finding is particularly important for obese people, who the researchers say can have twice as many fat cells as their lean counterparts.

The finding also suggests that obesity in adulthood is at least partly determined by diet and exercise in childhood.

Strange study
To determine the age of fat cells in 35 subjects, researchers focused on a marker found in fat cells — radioactive carbon from above-ground nuclear bomb tests in the 1950s and 60s. More of a naturally occurring but rare type of carbon, called carbon-14, was produced during the testing.

Bruce Buchholz, a chemist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Livermore, Calif., explained how his team used this marker to make their discovery.

Our bodies incorporate carbon-14 from the food we eat, along with the vastly more abundant types called carbon-12 and 13. Since carbon-14 from the testing is decreasing with time as it mixes with the oceans, the amount of rare carbon-14 that a cell has taken up is like a timestamp for when the cell formed, Buchholz said.

The researchers knew that cells were dying and being replaced over time, because people born before the nuclear testing had fat cells that were created after the testing. The scientists also found that about 10 percent of fat cells were replaced every year whether or not a person was obese.

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The number of troops diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder jumped by roughly 50 percent in 2007, the most violent year so far in the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, Pentagon records show.

In the first time the Defense Department has disclosed a number for PTSD cases from the two wars, officials said nearly 40,000 troops have been diagnosed with the illness since 2003, though they believe many more are likely keeping their illness a secret.

“I don’t think right now we … have good numbers,” Army Surgeon General Eric Schoomaker said Tuesday.

That’s partly because officials have been encouraging troops to get help even if it means they go to private civilian therapists and don’t report it to the military. The 40,000 cases cover only those that the military has tracked.

Officials have estimated that roughly 50 percent of troops with mental health problems don’t get treatment because they’re embarrassed or fear it will hurt their careers.

An accounting of diagnosed cases released by Schoomaker to reporters Tuesday shows the hardest hit last year were Marines and Army soldiers, the two ground forces bearing the brunt of combat in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The Army reported more than 10,000 new cases last year, compared to more than 6,800 the previous year. More than 28,000 soldiers altogether were diagnosed with the disorder over the last five years.

The Marine Corps had more than 2,100 cases in 2007, compared to 1,366 in 2006. They have had more than 5,000 PTSD cases diagnosed since 2003.

Schoomaker attributed the big rise partly to the fact that officials started an electronic record system in 2004 that captures more information, and to the fact that as time goes on the people keeping records are more knowledgeable about the illness.

He also blamed increased exposure of troops to combat. Factors increasing combat exposure in 2007 included President Bush’s troops buildup, increased violence in both wars and the fact that a number of troops are serving their second, third or fourth tours of duty — a factor mental health experts says dramatically increases stress.

In order to supply enough forces for the buildup, officials also extended tour lengths to 15 months from 12, another factor that caused extra emotional strain.

Schoomaker said he believes PTSD is widely misunderstood by the press and the public — and that what is often just normal post-traumatic anxiety and stress is mistaken for full-blown PTSD cases.

Experts say many troops have symptoms of stress that can be managed with treatment and should not be confused with cases that go untreated for a long time and those that develop into a mental disorder.

The Pentagon had previously only given a percentage of troops believed affected by depression, anxiety, stress and so on — saying up to 20 percent return home with such symptoms. A recent private study estimated that could mean up to 300,000 of those who’ve served have symptoms.

Lets hope the Military gives these Military personnel proper care.

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Check out this natural, easy, and enjoyable way to keep your hunger in check: Eat long, liquid fats.

This type of fat helps turn off hunger signals and sate your appetite, so you eat less overall. Invite a few to every meal.

The Long Way to Full
What’s a long, liquid fat, you ask? According to John La Puma, MD, author of ChefMD’s Big Book of Culinary Medicine, these fats have lots of carbon molecules adding to their length. More importantly, they produce cholecystokinin (CCK) — a lovely hormone that tells your brain, “You’re full now. You can stop eating.”

Long and Short of It
You’ll find long-chain, liquid fats right where you might expect — in the healthiest of foods. Good sources include fatty fish (salmon, trout), nuts and seeds (walnuts, flax), and plant-based foods (avocado, olive oil). You should not only eat more of these kinds of foods but also jettison the short-chain, solid fats (read saturated fats) at the same time. Why? Because not-so-healthy fats actually make you hungrier, according to La Puma.

More Hunger-Nixing Notions
Naturally, we all wish we could keep our hunger in check sometimes, and lose a few extra pounds in the process. Here are a few more tricks to try that won’t leave you feeling like a hunger artist.
Eat breakfast — every day.

Here’s how it will help you fight off the munchies:

Wake-up Call

Eating breakfast may tame your appetite and help keep your blood fats in check.

Breakfast eaters consume fewer calories throughout the day and have better blood lipid profiles and insulin sensitivity than breakfast skippers, a recent study concludes. Low-fat yogurt with fruit, granola with skim milk, or whole-grain toast with peanut butter are all great choices to start your day.

Easy, healthy breakfast choices include egg-white omelettes with sautéed veggies, low-fat yogurt, whole-wheat toast, nuts, fruit, peanut butter, low-fat cheese, or smoothies made with berries and low-fat soymilk. These foods can help keep your blood sugar levels stable and give you the nutrition you need for the day. On the other hand, high-calorie donuts, pastries, and sugary cereals may offer little nutritional value. They may give you quick energy, but you’ll feel sluggish after your blood sugar takes a dive. Skipping breakfast altogether may contribute to blood sugar instability as well.

Other ways to fight muchies:

Grab a few sips of water before you hit the snack cupboard.

Ditch anything with corn syrup in it:

Here’s why: High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), used to sweeten everything from the obvious (soft drinks) to the obscure (ketchup, salad dressing, bread), can trip up digestive system hormones that control hunger and appetite. The end result: Your brain misses out on hormone messages that signal a full stomach. Start reading labels and see if you can cut back on the 63 pounds of HFCS most people consume each year.

Your digestive system has two main hormones that control hunger and appetite. Ghrelin is secreted by the stomach and increases your appetite. When your stomach’s empty, it sends ghrelin out, requesting food. Leptin tells your brain that you’re full. HFCS inhibits leptin secretion, so you never get the message that you’re full. And HFCS never shuts off ghrelin, so even though you have food in your stomach, you constantly get the message that you’re hungry.

For 10 more ways to fight off the munchies, email me with the subject “How can I fight the Muchies?”.

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Feeling a little bad about all the time you’ve recently spent in the sun? Here’s news that might help take some of the edge off.

New research suggests soaking up a little sunshine here and there might actually help strengthen your immune system. Seems counterintuitive — and more research is needed to confirm the theory — but here’s how it goes . . .

Bright, Sunshiny News
Although rates of skin cancer — as well as several other types of cancer — tend to be higher in sunnier latitudes, cancer patients in these regions seem to fare better when it comes to fighting the disease. Their secret defense? Researchers think it might be the extra vitamin D they score from living in a sunnier clime. (Vitamin D is that stuff your skin manufactures when exposed to sun.)

Here’s how D revs up your immune system:

Is vitamin D powerful enough to go head-to-head with cancer?

Yes, according to a growing body of evidence. High levels of vitamin D have been found to protect against several kinds of cancer, particularly those of the digestive system: mouth, throat, stomach, and colon. While many of us think we get plenty of vitamin D from milk or a multivitamin, it turns out that the best source is the sun. Its rays trigger your body to produce the nutrient, and a 10-20 minute stroll each day yields an abundant dose.

The resulting cancer protection is impressive. Study participants with high vitamin D levels had 43 percent fewer digestive-tract cancers, 29 percent fewer cancer deaths, and 17 percent fewer cancers overall. Although vitamin D is readily found in salmon, mackerel, herring, tuna, and sardines, as well as fortified milk and supplements, sun exposure won hands-down as the best source, because just a little light produces so much D.

How much of the sunshine vitamin do you need? About 1,500 IU each day to reap the protective rewards seen in the study, which is about how much a daily 10-20 minute walk produces. By contrast, a glass of milk has only 100 IU of D, and 3.5 ounces of salmon has 360 IU. Even the recommended daily dose is comparatively low: just 400-600 IU. But many public health experts are calling for the recommendation to be raised to 1,000-2,000 IU, the current upper limit considered safe for adults.

To get your daily dose of sun while minimizing skin risks — you don’t want to trade one cancer for another — walk in the morning or afternoon, when the rays are less intense. And try applying a sunscreen just before you leave the house. Because it takes about 15-30 minutes for chemical sunscreens to kick in, by the time it starts working, you’ll have gotten your daily D.

But Be a Sensible Sun-Body
Your body makes vitamin D from the sun faster and more effectively than it soaks it up from food and supplements. Still, you need to minimize your exposure to harmful UV rays, especially during the sun’s peak hours (10 a.m.–4 p.m.). All you need is about 10–20 minutes of sun to get the D you need for the day. One option: Apply your SPF just before you head outdoors. By the time it kicks in, you’ll have gotten a quick but ample dose of D.

For more articles, browse Encouraging Health.

Pack some onions and arugula betwixt your turkey burger and bun today. It’s a delicious way to help protect your pancreas.

Seems these two veggies not only add tasty, gourmet-style crunch to food but also fill you up with potent nutrients thought to help thwart pancreatic cancer.

Dynamic Trio
In an 8-year study, people who consumed the highest levels of three powerful flavonols — kaempferol, quercetin, and myricetin — reduced their risk of pancreatic cancer by 23 percent. Not too shabby. And no doubt due to the fact that this super trio of flavonols helps quell oxidative stress, a cell-damaging process that, left unchecked, may pave the way for cancer and other bad health news.

Other Super Sources
Onions and certain leafy greens like arugula are one way to get these particular flavonols. Here are some others:
Kaempferol: kale, swiss chard, endive, raw spinach, chives, and white beans

Quercetin: asparagus, apples, buckwheat, and tea

Cinnamon-spiced apples are wrapped in nutty buckwheat crepes for a delicious brunch treat.

Makes 6 servings

ACTIVE TIME: 45 minutes

TOTAL TIME: 1 3/4 hours

EASE OF PREPARATION: Easy

Crêpes
1 cup buckwheat flour
1 large egg
1 large egg white
2/3 cup low-fat milk
1/4 cup beer
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon peanut oil, plus extra for preparing the pan
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup water

Apple Compote
1 tablespoon butter
3 pounds Golden Delicious apples (8 apples), peeled, cored and sliced
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch ground cinnamon

1. To make crêpes: Combine flour, whole egg, egg white, milk, beer, 1/4 cup sugar, oil, 1 teaspoon vanilla, salt and water in a food processor; process until smooth. Transfer batter to a bowl, cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight. (The batter should be the consistency of heavy cream. If it is too thick, stir in 1/4 to 1/3 cup water.)
2. To make apple compote: Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook, swirling the pan, until the butter is a light brown, about 30 seconds. Add apple slices and sprinkle with 1/3 cup sugar. Cook, tossing occasionally, until the apples are tender and lightly caramelized, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and cinnamon. Set aside.
3. To cook and fill crêpes: Heat an 8-inch seasoned crêpe pan over medium-high heat until a drop of water dances on the surface. Using a paper towel, rub the pan with a little oil. Ladle about 3 tablespoons of the crêpe batter into the pan and swirl to coat the bottom evenly. Cook until the underside is lightly browned, 30 to 45 seconds. Loosen the crêpe with a spatula, and quickly turn over with your fingertips. Cook until the bottom is lightly browned, 20 to 30 seconds. Transfer to a plate. Repeat with the remaining batter, rubbing pan with more oil when necessary, and stacking the crêpes as they are cooked.
4. Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly oil an 11-by-7-inch or similar shallow baking dish or coat it with cooking spray.
5. Spread about 2 tablespoons of the apple compote along the center of each crêpe. Fold in quarters and arrange the crêpes in the prepared baking dish. Bake, uncovered, until heated through, 10 to 15 minutes.

Myricetin: fennel, blueberries, cranberries, and carob flour

Snack on these crunchy, cheesy Fennel & Parmesan:

For more healthy foods, browse Encouraging Health.

It happens to the best of us — the overindulgent weekend.

And if your coming-attractions calendar doesn’t already include at least one bachelorette bash, a big wedding, and a few summer cookouts, it soon will. So what’s a person to do when these parties pop up in the middle of swimsuit season?

Go. Have a blast. Forget the diet. Just implement a before-and-after contingency plan “to help you get back on track, so that your lapse doesn’t become a collapse,” says British diet and fitness guru Joanna Hall.

In her new book, The Weight Loss Bible, Hall serves up a buffet of ideas perfect for getting you through a 48-hour bridal extravaganza, Labor Day weekend, or no-guilt getaway with your girlfriends — and leaving you able to still fit into your jeans on Tuesday.

Eat less, sweat more the day before and after. “If you know you’re heading for a weekend of excess,” says Hall, “squeeze in a workout and eat 300 fewer calories the day before the partying begins.” Same goes for the day after. But don’t punish yourself by skipping a meal — it’ll just make you cranky and hungry. Limit portions or forgo a snack (a blueberry muffin or small bag of potato chips each have about 300 calories).

Curb carbs at lunch and dinner. Hall is known throughout the UK for her Carb Curfew diet, which means “no starchy carbs — bread, pasta, rice, potatoes or cereal — after 5 pm.” And for food-filled weekends, she suggests turning the carb cutoff back to noon. Why? “Chances are your fat intake will be higher on these days, pushing up your calorie intake, and with party food, it’s often easier to avoid carbs than fatty foods.”

Drink up! Lots of water, that is. A boozy weekend can leave you dehydrated and too hungover to stomach your usual workout. Hall’s advice: Drink plenty of water during and after endless cocktail hours or a wild weekend. As for postparty exercise, go for a walk instead of doing a full workout, “especially if you have a sore head!”

Eat a big bowl of veggie soup. “Foods with a high water content help stave off hunger and make you feel full. Studies show that dieters who follow this advice tend to stick to their plan without feeling unsatisfied or deprived.” So before you leave home, slurp up a big bowl of vegetable soup.

Shake your booty. “Sometimes you just have to go out and burn a little more energy,” says Hall. But here’s the good news: Dancing is one of the all-time best calorie burners. So get out there and cut yourself a big ol’ slice of rug. You’ll wind up boogying away a few hundred calories before the night is through.

For more articles, browse Encouraging Health.

Know what’s super bad for your body? Inflammation. It’s thought to be at the core of problems like heart disease and heart attacks.

Know what’s a great way to quiet inflammation? Get your fill of vitamin K. Good choices: just about anything leafy and green — from spinach and kale to collards and turnip greens.

Fanning the Flames of Inflammation
Inflammation is your body’s response to injury or infection. And when it occurs in your blood vessels, inflammation can be a sign of bad things to come — like ruptured arterial plaques, clot formation, heart attack, and stroke. Enter leafy greens. They pack a real vitamin K punch, and more and more research is linking high vitamin K intake to a lower bodywide inflammation index.

Going for the Green
Bored with salads? The trick to getting more greens — and more vitamin K — into your diet may be learning to use them more creatively. Start with something simple but different, like this Basic Sauteed Kale recipe from EatingWell.

Then, move on to these K-rich greens recipes that will have you feeling like a world traveler:
Simmer kale with chickpeas and exotic spices
Slip collard greens into your red sauces
Mix spinach with butternut squash and beans:

Shaped like a flattened drum, buttercup squash most closely resembles the local squash used in this comforting hearty soup from northern Brazil. It has a dark green peel, a grayish turban-shaped top and dense orange flesh. Hubbard, butternut or delicata squashes could also be used. Instead of the lip-numbing Brazilian green jambu, we have used spinach. For a more festive look, serve in a roasted squash half

Ingredients
1 tablespoon butter
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
6 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
3 pounds buttercup squash, peeled and diced (about 6 cups)
1 plum tomato, chopped
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 15-ounce cans pinto or other brown beans, rinsed
10 ounces spinach, stemmed and coarsely chopped
1 lime, cut into wedges

Directions
1. Melt butter in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add garlic, carrots and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender and lightly browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Add broth and scrape up any browned bits with a wooden spoon. Add squash, tomato, crushed red pepper, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until the squash is very soft and almost breaking apart, about 20 minutes.
2. Transfer 3 cups of the soup to a blender and puree until smooth. (Use caution when pureeing hot liquids.) Return the pureed soup to the pot. Stir in beans and spinach and cook over medium heat until the beans are heated through and the spinach is wilted, about 5 minutes. Serve with lime wedges.

For more healthy advice and recipes, browse Encouraging Health.

It is difficult to determine where some medical myths originate from, but many are old wives’ tales passed on from generation to generation (Don’t touch that toad, you’ll get a wart!!). Here are some more common, often believed medical myths.

Myth: Drinking water keeps skin from drying out.

Truth: It seems obvious that water would help to hydrate the skin. However, if you wash your hands frequently they become dry and rough.

Water helps to hydrate and keep internal organs functioning, while application of moisturizer helps keep the external organ, skin, moisturized. Avoiding such things as hot showers, harsh deodorant soaps, and rubbing skin dry after bathing also helps to improve dry skin.

Myth: Shaved hair grows back coarser and darker.

Truth: Unfortunately for bald men, this is just an urban legend. Hair may appear to grow back faster, but it is just an illusion. New hair growth on clean-shaven skin is more noticeable than on a hairy surface.

When hair first grows in after being shaved, it has a blunt edge, which makes it seem thicker than it really is. This blunt edge gets worn after time. Emerging hair may look darker because it has not been bleached by the sun.

There are alternatives to shaving, such as waxing or using depilatories, which lasts longer than shaving. Laser hair removal is a more permanent solution.

Myth: Reading in dim lighting ruins your eyesight.

Truth: Many people think reading in dim lighting is dangerous because it causes temporary eye strain. While reading in dim light can cause stress in the eye, it is unlikely to cause permanent damage.

Reading in dim light decreases the rate of blinking, which leads to drying; however, the effects do not persist. Using a bright book light can help reduce eye stress.

Myth: Your skin pores open and close.

Truth: The size of our pores often depends on hereditary factors and does not change, so quit splashing cold water on your face in hopes of smaller pores.

Pores may appear larger than usual due to dead skin cells that have built up in the pore, not because they have opened up. A good skin care regimen that includes exfoliation can help reduce the appearance of pores.

Myth: Having a tan means you are more protected from the sun.

Truth: You might not get sun burnt with a tan, but your tan does not protect against dangerous ultraviolet rays. Tanned skin is damaged skin, so further tanning injures the skin and increases the risk of skin cancer.

It is well known that excessive sun exposure can promote the development of many skin cancers, including melanoma. Limiting sun exposure, wearing sunscreen, and performing monthly skin cancer self-exams can help prevent skin damage.

If you must have a tan, use a sunless tanning lotion or spray.

Myth: Hair and fingernails continue to grow after death.

Truth: The body does some weird things after death, like making noise (which is just gas escaping), but it does not continue to grow. After dying, our bodies dehydrate, drying our flesh, which pulls away from the hair and nails.

Nails remain the same length while the skin shrinks, making it appear as if the nail has actually grown. Funeral parlors hide this “growth” by putting moisturizer on bodies.

Myth: Poison ivy is highly contagious.

Truth: Most people are afraid to come into contact with someone who has any kind of illness or condition, but someone with poison ivy cannot infect you with a cough or hug. Any skin that comes in contact with the oil of the poison ivy plant can cause an itchy rash to develop.

Skin-to-skin contact, without the presence of the oil, cannot spread the rash. However, any traces of oil on clothing or other objects can continue to spread the rash. If you come into contact with poison ivy, it is important to use soap and water to wash all potentially exposed areas and garments.

Wearing protective clothing and barrier cream can help to protect against potential exposure when outside.

Myth: Lip balm is addictive.

Truth: Several women claimed to be addicted to Carmex in 1995. Thankfully none of them ended up in lip balm rehab, or on a street corner begging for spare change for their next “fix.”

There are no addictive chemicals in lip balm. People may become addicted to the feeling of wearing lip balm but not the actual lip balm itself.

There are a few things you can do to break the habit of lip balm overuse. Try to not lick your lips. The discomfort returns after the saliva is dry and makes lips feel more chapped. You may also want to try a humidifier, which will hydrate the air and bring moisture to your lips.

Myth: Greasy foods cause acne.

Truth: It makes sense that grease would cause oily skin and pimples, right? If you were rubbing pizza and potato chips directly onto your face, then yes, but if you’re just eating it, then no.

Acne is the term used for plugged pores and even deeper lumps that occur on the face, neck, shoulders, chest, and upper arms. Overproduction of the normal skin oil, sebum, coupled with insufficient shedding of exfoliated dead skin cells, causes acne.

Between 85-100% of people are affected by acne at some point in their life. Benzoyl peroxide is most effective at treating acne and is available in a variety of forms and strengths.

Myth: People with darker skin do not have to worry about sun exposure.

Truth: While people with darker skin do not burn as easily or frequently as lighter skinned individuals, they are still not safe from harmful ultraviolet light from the sun. People with darker skin are actually more likely to die from skin cancer than those with fairer skin. This is due to the common belief that darker skin protects against sun damage.

Those with darker skin are likely to develop skin cancer on their hands or feet.

It is recommended that everyone wear an SPF of at least 15 and perform a self-exam monthly to check for signs of skin cancer.

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13 percent of girls and 5 percent of boys affected, federal study says

More than 2 million U.S. teenagers have suffered a serious bout of depression in the past year, including nearly 13 percent of girls, according to a federal government survey released on Tuesday.

On average, 8.5 percent of adolescents aged 12 to 17 described having had a major depressive episode in the previous year, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration reported.

But there were “striking differences” by sex, with 12.7 percent of girls and 4.6 percent of boys affected.

Depression is the leading cause of suicide, which in turn is the third-leading cause of death for 15- to 24-year-olds in the United States.

“Combined 2004 to 2006 data show that rates of past year major depressive episode among youths aged 12 to 17 generally increased with increasing age,” the researchers wrote.

Researchers at SAMHSA and RTI International in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, prepared the report using data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health.

More than 67,700 youths aged 12 to 17 answered questions about mood and depression. They were also asked to rate how depression affected them using the Sheehan Disability Scale, which measures impact on family, friends, chores at home, work and school.

They defined a major depressive episode as two weeks or longer of depressed mood or loss of interest or pleasure, and at least four other symptoms such as problems with sleep, energy, concentration or self-image.

Nearly half of the teenagers who had major depression said it severely impaired their ability to function in at least one of the areas on the disability scale.

The worst cases were unable to carry out normal activities for an average of 58 days in the past year.

“Fortunately, depression responds very well to early intervention and treatment,” SAMHSA Administrator Terry Cline said in a statement.

“Parents concerned about their child’s mental health should seek help with the same urgency as with any other medical condition. Appropriate mental health care can help their child recover and thrive.”

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