61. Alcoholism and
Depression(from:http://www.usnodrugs.com/alcoholism-and-depression.htm)Mental
health professionals who treat alcoholism and depression have long
known that these two problems occur together more often than not. In
fact, it is quite common in medical settings for people to seek
treatment for either of these conditions. Not only is it true that in
this setting the sensitive health care provider identifies the
presence of the other problem, but it is also known that the earlier
in one's life that either of these two disorders develops, the
greater the chance the other will also surface.Alcoholism and
depression appear to go hand in hand. Each can lead to or reinforce
the other. Depression is a common cause of alcoholism as the
depressed person seeks a way out of their problems or a relief from
insomnia. Unfortunately, alcohol is itself a depressant, so the
problem is only compounded. Anxiety can be temporarily relieved by
alcohol, but this may lead to repeated intake and addiction. Without
adequate attention to the mental health needs of a person with
alcohol dependence, little progress will be made. Often alcoholism
remains unsuspected even by the doctor, and it may come to light only
when medical tests are done for other reasons.A national team of
investigators led by psychiatric geneticists at Washington University
School of Medicine in St. Louis has identified a gene that appears to
be linked to both alcoholism and depression. The study, published in
the September issue of the journal Human Molecular Genetics, is the
first to identify a specific gene associated with both depression and
alcoholism. Principal investigator Alison M. Goate.s team found that
the gene was strongly associated both with alcoholism and depression.
The association was strongest in those individuals who had both
disorders. .It looks as if this might be a susceptibility gene that
puts a person at risk for developing both depression and alcoholism,.
she says.Alcoholism can be defined by numerous different symptoms.
Here is a list of the most common:# Inappropriate use of alcohol that
was harmful to oneself.# Trouble functioning on the job or in social
situations# Developing tolerance, which was defined as the need to
drink steadily increasing quantities of alcohol in order to achieve a
desired feeling - such as relaxation or a «high».# Experiencing
withdrawal, which consisted of a range of symptoms that a person
experienced when unable to drink. These symptoms typically occurred
over a 24-72 hour period after a person the last drink. They included
feeling 'hung over'; shakiness; increased heart rate; and sweating.#
In more serious situations, withdrawal can lead to dangerously high
blood pressure, seizures, visual hallucinations or the sensation that
bugs are crawling on one's body.Depression can also be defined by
numerous different symptoms. Here is a list of the most common:#
Weight or appetite changes - either wanting to eat more or less than
usual# Sleep disturbance - either wanting to sleep more or less than
usual# Decreased interest and pleasure in one's daily activities#
Feelings of guilt or worthlessness# Low energy, fatigue# Difficulty
concentrating or thinking# Feeling slowed down physically, like
'walking through quicksand'# Thoughts of ending one's lifeA study of
the coloration between alcoholism and depression was recently done at
the Harvard School of Public Health and a Harvard affiliated hospital.
The authors used data from a large survey that studied 14,480 people
from 5 cities. In order to be included in the analysis, subjects
could not have had a previous diagnosis of either major depression or
alcoholism.The results of this study pertaining to alcoholism showed
that both men and women were at risk of developing alcohol dependence
at one year with only a few symptoms of depression. However, there was
an even more interesting finding. It appears that risk for women
developing alcohol dependence is far greater. And as the number of
depression symptoms increase from having only a single symptom to 3-7
symptoms, so did the risk of developing alcohol dependence. The
presence of some alcoholism symptoms increased the chances of
developing major depression at one-year follow up. These findings
were true for both men and women alike. However, women who had a
greater severity of alcoholic symptoms were far more likely to
experience depression compared to women who had lesser degrees of
alcoholism. More important, the severity of symptoms of depression or
alcohol misuse at the start of the study «predicted» the severity of
the other, one year later.

Posted at 12:12PM on Mar 1st 2007 by Miapocca

62. afafaf

Posted at 12:16PM on Mar 1st 2007 by Miapocca

63. Depression and Alcoholism are tight buddies or rather they hook up every evening..

http://www.msag.org/depression_&_alcoholism.htm

Posted at 12:16PM on Mar 1st 2007 by Miapocca

64. Good. She looks happy and hopefully getting herself together.

She might also be laughing her ass off at Para-site Hilton.

"Ha! I may have went nuts and shaved m' head ..... but I ain't going to jail like that bitch!"

Posted at 12:31PM on Mar 1st 2007 by RonnyK

65. It's nice that she's keeping to the program, but it's not much to smile about. "How great, I get to leave rehab to go to AA" What an idiot.

Posted at 12:32PM on Mar 1st 2007 by MissNYC

66. I just wish everyone would leave Britney alone. I know how she feels, post partum really sucks. It's even worse when you leave your mate due to this, it really takes a toll on you.

Posted at 12:33PM on Mar 1st 2007 by Jessica

67. Rehab is not an AA meeting necessarily. All kinds of people are in there. Some do not have dependency problems, they just have problems. She didn't go out to party or shop, she went to a meeting. More power to ya Brit! My prayers are with you and yours.

Posted at 12:34PM on Mar 1st 2007 by Lori

68. She's a fucking whore. K-Fed take the kids!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Posted at 12:39PM on Mar 1st 2007 by yeah

69. This is such BULLSHIT. All you damn "supporters" are clueless. SHE CANNOT BE "fixed" in a few days or MONTHS for that matter! She has SERIOUS mental issues along with a drug and alcohol problem and until she STEPS out of the LIMELIGHT she will NEVER get better! So save the praise until she ACTUALLY does something worthwhile......LIKE RAISE HER CHILDREN.

Posted at 12:49PM on Mar 1st 2007 by Give me a break!

70. AA is part of rehab! Part of her treatment program to get her use to going to meetings for when her stay in Promises ends. Pretty scary to go to one for the first time alone. Glad that she is attending with a "support person". Maybe she will hear something in the meeting "from other alcoholics" that she can relate to.
Hope she "keeps coming back"

Posted at 12:57PM on Mar 1st 2007 by Big Book Lover

71. she is a useless whore who does not deserve children. slut, drunk, out of control brat with money - she will get what she deserves in the end - hopefully, she will not drink and drive and kill or mame someone else in the process. Her assistant - boy wish we all had assistants - stupid little bitch

Posted at 1:38PM on Mar 1st 2007 by tmz is full crap

72. she attended an AA meeting outside of rehab because she NEEDED to be photographed....this just screams 'i'm an attention whore'

Posted at 1:51PM on Mar 1st 2007 by just me

73. so much for anonimity

Posted at 1:54PM on Mar 1st 2007 by cs

74. Britney looks great! She's wearing clothes that still look cute and trendy, but much classier than the trashy-looking party clothes. She looks happy and healthy! I hope for her sake, and even more importantly, for the sake of her babies, she gets through this and makes the most of her life. She's so young.

Posted at 2:08PM on Mar 1st 2007 by Teri

75. who is dressing her?!?!?! black belt with brown boots? beige sweater the same color as her skin tone? o britney....

Posted at 2:09PM on Mar 1st 2007 by nick