Thursday, February 5, 2009

Signs of Depression - Warning Signs

Signs of depression can be tricky to spot. Friends, family, and associates may assume "that's just how he/she is." They may not notice the more serious warning signs of depression.

Each person is uniquely created by God, so no list of symptoms fits every individual. However, here is a list of symptoms indicating possible depression:

  • Tiredness - despite proper amounts of sleep, a balanced diet, and plenty of physical exercise, the person may feel exhausted regularly.
  • Mood swings - a person may experience happiness one moment and then be sad or irritated the next.
  • Difficulty coping with life - the day-to-day routine of getting up, going to work, and coming home can seem worthless. The depressed person may feel as if he or she is not important, his or her job does not matter, life does not matter. There is a strong sense of hopelessness.
  • Depression is often triggered by tragedy, the death of a loved one, a divorce, diet, drugs, alcohol, etc.
You are loved. Be sure to tell a friend or family member that you love them.

Ineffective Education Policies

As a community, African Americans cannot stand by ignoring the devastating impact of ineffective education policies that cause too many of our high schools to fail in providing high-quality education to our country's future workforce and our next generation of business and political leaders.

We need to hold our new president and Congress responsible for ensuring that all students are prepared for college and the 21st century workplace by enacting policies that hold schools accountable for student success.

Sunday, February 1, 2009

God Loves You

God created us to be loved. He wants to love us. He wants us to love each other. He wants us to love and accept ourselves. Without this foundation of love and acceptance, there will be no joy and peace.

Kidney Failure Higher in Blacks

Kidney disease in black Americans often goes undetected until the latest stages. In a study that included more than 3,400 black Americans who were interviewed and given physical examinations, about 20 percent were found to have chronic kidney disease. Fewer than 15 percent (about 1 in 6) knew they had the condition.

"It is imperative that new approaches be implemented to increase awareness, diagnosis and treatment -- for both the health-care provider and the patient," the researchers said. Their findings are published in the February issue of the American Journal of Kidney Diseases.

These findings also confirmed that certain factors increase the risk of kidney disease, including high blood pressure, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, a large waist size, older age and physical inactivity. Kidney failure is four times higher among black Americans than whites.