HEALTH AND WELLNESS

                                         Everyone is likely to become impatient on occasion. But there may be serious consequences when bouts of impatience are an everyday occurrence.                                                                                 HEALTH RISKS :   For one thing, impatience is linked to frustration, irritation, and even anger. Such emotions can raise our stress level, which in turn can harm our health. A recent study published by the American Medical Association specifically pointed to impatience as a risk factor for hypertension, even among young adults.   There are other problems associated with the lack of patience. A recent study revealed that impatience is linked to obesity. The researchers found that impatient individuals are more likely to be obese than people who are good at waiting. In some areas, inexpensive fast food is easily available at all times of the day, and many impatient people cannot resist the temptation.

                              “I cut my wrists so bad I had to get stitches. At the time, I told the doctor that I cut myself on a light bulb, which was true –I just didn’t mention that I’d done it on purpose.” -Cecil, 23. “My parents have noticed my cuts, but only the ones that aren’t so bad and look like scrapes… Sometimes they’ll see one they don’t recognize, so I make up an excuse… I don’t want them to know.”-Kris, 13. “I had been a self-injurer since I was 11. I knew of God’s high regard for the human body, but even this did not deter me.”-Jenny, 20. You might be familiar with someone like Cecil, Kris, or Jenny. It could be a schoolmate. It could be a sibling. It could be you. In the United States alone, it is estimated that millions of people –many of them youths –deliberately hurt themselves by various means such as cutting, burning, bruising, or scraping their skin. Deliberately hurting themselves? In the past many would link such behavior

                                                              What’s wrong with me? I just gave birth to a beautiful, healthy baby. I should be happy and proud, but I feel so down and anxious, even angry. Am I a bad mother? Why am I so depressed? As a new mother, you may have experienced feelings like the above. If so, you are not alone. It is estimated that 70 to 80 percent of new mothers have such feelings at times. But what is postpartum depression [PPD], and what causes it? How can PPD be coped with? What support can family members and others give?                                                                      DISORDERS The term “postpartum depression” refers to depressive episodes following childbirth. These can occur after the birth of any child, not just the first. Depressive episodes can even follow a miscarriage or termination of a pregnancy. According to the office on Women’s Health and Human Services, there is a wide range in the severity of