Tag Archives: anxiety

Searches for depression and anxiety soar reveals Google

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Online searches via Google on anxiety tripled while those relating to depression increased by half, compared with just five years ago.

People prefer to turn to the internet rather than their doctor for medical advice, it has been revealed in research by private medical provider BUPA.

Inquiries into stress soared, reaching an all-time high in March, while searches for information relating to back pain were three times higher in January compared with the same month five years ago.

People are also worried about dementia and diabetes – searches have doubled in the last five years

BUPA discovered via poll – not directly with information from Google – that  four in five people turn to the internet for advice.

Most (84 per cent) said they find they are confronted with conflicting information leaving them confused and sometimes even more anxious.

Dr Paula Franklin, medical director for Bupa UK, said: ‘It is hardly surprising that people are feeling confused and frustrated when looking for health advice online, given the amount of information out there.

“People want to know more about their health and well-being than ever before so it is essential that they know where to get trusted and clinically approved advice, and are aware of the risks of reading unqualified health information.
“There is a clear need for more help in navigating healthcare information online.”

Meanwhile, anxiety searches tripled and those relating to depression increased by half, the survey revealed.

Meanwhile, anxiety searches tripled and those relating to depression increased by half, the survey revealed

 

Exercise may help menopause symptoms

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New York: A regular brisk walk may help women going through menopause improve their mental well-being, a new study suggests.

Researchers found that middle-aged women who exercised regularly had lower levels of stress, anxiety and depression around the time of menopause than those who did not exercise regularly.

The findings, published in the journal Medicine and Science in Sports and Medicine, add to evidence that physical activity can benefit mental, as well as physical, health.

“With the aging population, physical activity represents one way for women to stay mentally healthy,” Dr. Deborah B. Nelson, the lead researcher on the study, said in a statement. “Physical activity can help throughout the menopausal transition and afterwards,” added Nelson, a public health researcher at Temple University in Philadelphia.

The findings are based on data from 380 Philadelphia women who were 42 years old, on average, and premenopausal at the beginning of the study. Eight years later, 20 percent were menopausal and another 18 percent were in the late transitional phase.

The researchers found that women who got moderate to high levels of exercise reported lower stress levels than inactive women did. Among postmenopausal women, those who exercised regularly had lower stress levels and were less likely to have anxiety and depression symptoms.

Exercise did not, however, seem to protect women from the physical symptoms of menopause, including hot flashes.

“Physical symptoms like hot flashes will go away when you reach menopause,” Nelson said, “but mental health is something women still need to think about postmenopause.”

Importantly, Nelson pointed out, women need not work out intensely to get a mental and emotional lift.

“In the urban setting, these women walked outside on city blocks or in shopping malls,” she said. “Groups could organize to take walks after dinner. It didn’t require going to the gym.”