My Civil Advocate

Familiar symptoms of Alzheimer's disease and dementia include memory loss; inability to follow or continue with a conversation; a decline in exercising good judgment; confusion as to what day, month, season, or year it is; and social withdrawal. But a recent study points to a warning sign that precedes all these symptoms, to the surprise of many. According to research published in the journal of Alzheimer's disease, navigational issues may crop up before memory loss, and well before a clinical diagnosis of Alzheimer's is made. Participants in the study were asked to navigate a virtual maze on a computer, using various patterns and landmarks to find their way around. The study consisted of a control group of healthy subjects and a group who had preclinical alzheimer's - they had a few markers but weren't clinically diagnosed. The preclinical Alzheimer's test subject had far greater difficulty assessing, mapping, and navigating their virtual environment th...

Suffering from a severe disability or condition is bad enough, but when that disability or condition keeps you from working, a difficult situation can quickly become far worse. That's why Social Security disability benefits are so important; they can help provide financial relief when holding a job is just not possible. In order to make the process of obtaining benefits smoother, the Social Security Admininistration (SSA) developed what's known as the Blue Book, which contains a listing of the most common impairments that are severe enough to keep people from working. The listing of impairments covers a wide range of major body systems such as respiratory, neurological, cardiovascular, digestive, skin, and several others. Additionally, there is information under each body system about what types of disabliling conditions can occur within each and detailed requirements about the severity, symptoms, clinical findings, lab tests, etc., that are required for an applicant to qua...

Mental illness could well be called an epidemic in the United States; the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), estimates that around 60 million Americans over the age of 18 suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year (about one out of every four people in that age bracket). Common mental conditions can include mood disorders such as major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder, schizophrenia anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) Mental illness can sometimes be serious enough to keep you from working. If that's the case in your situation, documenting your condition is the key to proving your disability case. One of the most important steps for your case will be getting treatment for your condition and tracking down medical records from any healthcare professional that have treated you for your condition. These records should outline how your mental condition impacts your daily life and limits or...

Severe depression has long been known to be a risk factor for suicide, with common symptoms including a feeling of hopelessness, a recent significant change or loss in one's life, or isolation from others. However, not all depressive states are the same. The results of a study recently presented at the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology's annual meeting in Amsterdam expanded upon the warning signs for possible suicide attempts. Not all people who suffer from depression exhibit the same effects. Some who are depressed may also experience bouts of anxiety or agitation, engage in risky behaviors, or act on impulse wihtout regard for consequences prior to a suicide attempt. For these people- who experience "mixed depressive states"- the risk of suicide was found to be as much as 50 percent higher, according to study results. Mixed depressive symptoms may sometimes be indicative of bipolar depression (manic depressive disorder). Bipolar patients are at an el...