Features 709.12.2008TROJAN TRIBUNE

Laughing your way to a healthier life “The most wasted of all days is one without laughter.” - e e cummings

A u n i v e r s a l s y m b o l f or happiness, pleasure and amusement, laughter plays an important role in people’s lives. As seen through the large success of comedies, such as Pineapple Express and Superbad, and NBC’s Outstanding Comedy Series Emmy award winning, The Office, people crave laughter.

“Laughter is an important part of life because without it, everybody would be boring. No one would have fun and no one would ever be in a good mood,” said Meredith Rhodes, sophomore.

Senior Alex Willis agreed. “It’s important for people to laugh and have a sense of humor, because without it, life is just too boring.” Not only does laughter provide one with fun and entertainment, laughter can also benefit the body, both inside and out.

A study at the University of Maryland Medical Center shows that laughter and a good sense of humor allow one to combat many physical and mental illnesses. In the film Anatomy of an Illness, journalist Mr. Norman Cousins told of how he dealt with an incurable spine disease

by laughing his way to a healthier and longer life. Mr. Cousins recalled how he watched humorous movies and TV shows. When he laughed, he released endorphins, which helped dull the pain. Cousins survived many years longer than his doctors thought possible, and he attributed that to laughter.

D o c t or s a t L om a L i n d a University Medical Center in California researched the advantages of frequent laughter. Studies revealed how laughter can help deal w i t h s t re s s , h i g h b l o o d pressure and a poor immune system. These a n d o t h e r studies have caused people to form clubs, yoga classes and therapy s e s s i o n s devoted solely to laughter.

Laughter is attributed to helping in the prevention of heart disease, the No. 1 killer in America. While heart disease and high blood pressure are caused by a number of things, such

as heredity, obesity and smoking, one of the major contributing factors is stress. Laughter reduces stress hormones that cause heart attacks. Laughter improves blood circulation and oxygen supply to the heart muscles, which also assists those suffering from heart disease, as well as asthma and bronchitis.

M a n y s t u d i e s h a v e discovered that laughter is equivalent to aerobic exercise. According to Dr. William Fry

of Stanford University, 1 minute of laughter is equivalent to 10 minutes on the rowing machine. Like aerobic exercise, which improves the amount and quality of oxygen entering the body, laughter leaves you feeling

relaxed and good about yourself. “If you’re stressed and you have

a good laugh, it does help you move away [from your stress]. It allows you to take a step back and collect yourself. It doesn’t sound like it would refocus you, but it almost does,” said Willis. Willis and others feel this way because a hearty laugh gives

the body a g r e a t i n t e r n a l workout,

m a s s a g i n g a n d working the diaphragm, abdominals, h e a r t a n d shoulder muscles.

Sometimes, the healing of the body can be just as essential to health as healing of the mind. Laughter

has an effect not only on the heart and muscles, but also on the mind and the hormones in the body.Feeling depressed, bored, stressed and anxious leaves the human body tense. Laughing provides a release for those emotions, helping your body feel more at ease and comfortable.

“Laughing just puts me in a good mood and I don’t worry about [stress]” said Rhodes. The reason Rhodes and countless others experience brighter moods after laughing is because laughter increases the production of serotonin, a natural anti-depressant.

The body’s natural pain-killers, endorphins, are released during laughter. Endorphins assist in reducing the intensity of pain felt by those suffering from arthritis and muscle spasms.

Willis said, “Having a good laugh is tiring for sure, using all of that breath, but it makes the next 20 or 30 minutes a better 20 or 30 minutes.”

ofStuck on the tip

the tongue

“It is a gap that is intensely active. A sort of wraith of the name is in it, beckoning us in a given direction, making us tingle with the sense of our closeness and then letting us sink back without the longed-for term.”

Just what was William James, a 19th century American psychologist, so intensely describing? It has been annoying people for ages, stumping psychologists since the 1800’s, and is commonly known as tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon.

As defined by bookrags.com, tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon is “trying but failing to retrieve someone’s name or a word from memory.” While lethologica is the scientific name of the syndrome, the public more commonly uses the term “brain freeze” to describe the vague sensation when the word is right “on the tip of my tongue.”

When tip-of-the-tongue arbitrarily strikes an innocent victim, a person may

gaze aimlessly into space, focused only on remembering that particular elusive word. What can be done to remedy the situation, and what caused it in the first place?

New studies suggest that tip-of-the-tongue is caused by errors in encoding words and their proper meanings in long-term memory. When information is first learned, it is held in the short-term, or working, memory store and then transferred to long-term, or permanent, memory. When something goes wrong, the meaning of a new word cannot be properly associated with that word rapidly. Errors occur more often during this process in people with learning disabilities.

Mrs. Stacy Kerrigan, geography and AP psychology teacher, said, “If that (the process of encoding) is inhibited, it will obviously be harder for them (people with learning disabilities) to retrieve the word.”

Others who have a particular problem with this phenomenon are the elderly and patients with Parkinson’s disease. Synapses fire to make connections in the brain between words and their meanings. As one ages or

is affected by a disease such as Parkinson’s, these synapses fire more slowly, causing communication problems. Solving crossword puzzles has been shown to decrease the prevalence of tip-of-the-tongue because they keep the synapses firing rapidly.

In addition to crossword puzzles, other options have been explored to relieve the symptoms of tip-of-the-tongue. The most natural reaction when tip-of-the-tongue surfaces in a conversation is for other people to begin shouting out words that may fit the meaning the person is looking for. In addition to synonyms, words that rhyme with the desired word can also trigger the mind of a person suffering tip-of-the-tongue. Looking at pictures of similar objects can help as well. If a person cannot think of the word “dog”, showing him or her pictures of a cat, pig or bird may trigger the person’s memory.

Cognit ive psychologists continue to perform research on this widespread phenomenon. However, “It is universal across all languages,” said Mrs. Kerrigan.

Bridget Feeneydesign editor

Kim Tylerpage editor

Overcome t ip-of-the-tongue syndrome with these easy steps.

1. Perform a cross word puzzle.

2. Visit Onelook.com: type in the definition of the word you can’t remember the name of and this website will give you the name of what you’re looking for.

3. Look at pictures of similar things.

4. Have those around you say words that are in the same category of your forgotten word.

It’s right there. . .

Seniors Lauren Kenney, Tracy Thibodeau and Ricky Rivelli laugh with their lunch table. photo by Colleen Curtin

Physical benefits of laughter

-helps prevent heart disease and lowers blood pressure-burns calories-better blood flow-Immune system boost-exercises diaphragm, abs, heart and shoulders

-reduces stress/anxiety-improve relationships-establishes connections-develops sense of humor -provides a healthy release for fear, boredom and anger

Mental benefits of laughter

9FEATURES MARCH.6.20098 FEATURES

Rosemary Pritchett-MontavonREPORTER

Sophomore Jackie Welsh couldn’t breathe.In the backseat of her family’s SUV, Welsh was having an anxiety attack. She didn’t know where

she was going and why she was going there until she arrived at the Community North Hospital Psychiatric Ward, accompanied by her mother, grandmother, and brother.

Welsh was suff ering from depression, a condition that completely altered Welsh mentally, emotionally and physically. Her suicidal comments, among other symptoms, caused her boyfriend to alert Welsh’s family of her condition.

“My brother called my mom because my boyfriend called my brother because he was wor-ried about these thoughts I was having. My mom and grandma fl ipped out in a way and took me [to Community North] right away. I talked to a social worker and a therapist there. I spent four hours in the psych ward of Community North. They decided I was stable enough to go home that evening,” Welsh said.

In her mind, Community North was associated with her father passing away on Sept. 8, 2006 of internal bleeding during an aortic dissection. After her dad died, Welsh began to focus on her family and their well-being.

“Basically when my dad passed away, a whole bunch of feelings got bottled up. I focused on my family and tried to get them okay and help my mom and make sure she was okay. I never really focused on myself,” Welsh said.

According to teendepression.org, around 20 percent of teenagers suff er from depression. Inside and outside of LN, students tackle symptoms that come with this mental illness, resulting in diff erences in their daily lives.

“I diff erentiate between clinical depression, or dysthymia, and normal times of ‘feeling depressed.’ I think that everybody has times when they are down or dealing with life stressors, and that isn’t easy. Everybody needs help at one time or another, even if it isn’t clinical depression,” said school psychologist Beth Wil-liams. Williams works as the psychologist for LN, Fall Creek Valley Middle School, Hope Academy at Fairbanks, Early College High School and Winding Ridge Early Learning Center.

Dysthymia refers to a type of depression that, while milder than clinical depression, tends to be longer lasting. Usually this mild depression evolves into an integral part of the patient’s personality.

Clinical depression requires taking medication in order to deal with the severe symptoms. Patients tend not to enjoy the same activities they used to and no longer feel like the person they once were. Over 17 million Americans are clinically depressed, according to the American Psychiatric Association.

“I think that teens deal with a lot of issues, and clinical depres-sion may be one of them at times for some. For some teens, it is an ongoing battle that may be with them as adults,” Williams said.

After visiting Community North, Welsh saw a psychiatrist who prescribed medication for her symptoms. To this day, she battles the eff ects of clinical depression.

“I go to a psychiatrist every couple weeks and a therapist, and I take depression medication. The therapist is there to talk to you and to help you, and the psychiatrist is there for that, too, but is also doctor and can prescribe medicine,” Welsh said. She now takes Lexapro after trying diff erent samples.

Originally, Welsh reported having symptoms such as losing interest in activities she used to love, having suicidal thoughts and being tired all the time.

“[The medicine] basically just makes you more calm and less sad, and it eases symptoms. It makes you very tired and makes you numb. You don’t feel sad really, but it’s also hard to feel happy at the same time. It’s helped. I just really had to work through it. [Medication] doesn’t really fi x it. More so, my best friends have been there for me, and my boyfriend [junior Sam Martin] has been so much. They always try to help me,” Welsh said.

Welsh says that without sophomores Bobby Craig, Lauren Goldstein, Shelden Rahman, and junior Abby McClain, she would not be where she is today.

When Welsh lost her father during eighth grade, Welsh knew that she would never be the same again.

“The morning after, I went to his room and called his name, and it processed. It was very sur-real. I covered up with hanging out with friends and going out and doing things to take my mind off of it. After a while there’s only so much you can do. It’s going to come back,” Welsh said.

However, the source of depression cannot be narrowed down to one factor. Many aspects of a

person’s life eff ect how depression is caused including genetics, family and friends, mental condi-tions and life events.

According to psychology teacher Jim Cuellar, depression can be caused by traumatic events, irrational thinking about life events or genetics. As a result, depression is a result of a chemical imbalance in the brain.

Furthermore, the brain has a lower level of serotonin, a neurotransmitter thats sends signals between nerve cells. A low level of serotonin results in a mood change and a diff erence in the levels of norepinephrine, another neurotransmitter which acts as a hormone that is secreted by the adre-nal gland, creating joy and happiness.

“I just felt out of the world and that no one loved me anymore. It just got to the point when it changed how you look at things,” Welsh said.

Depression can stem into other mental, emotional and physical side eff ects.“Drug abuse is a more prevalent problem [among teens], but depression is considered the

‘common cold’ of mental illnesses. Depression can also contribute to other problems such as drug abuse, anxiety disorders and school truancy,” Cuellar said.

The side eff ects of Welsh’s depression have carried over to her school life.“This year fi rst semester I just didn’t care I was so numb and upset my grades are suff ering so

badly, I couldn’t focus, it was awful and now I have to pay the price for that,” Welsh said. “Usually I’m pretty good in school and focus more, and I’m a very nice person and don’t lash out at others. I couldn’t control it.”

Cuellar explains the possibility of depression aff ecting family life and other social situations. “Friends and family are aff ected by the irritableness, and may withdraw from the depressed

individuals. The depressed person can aff ect family relations, and produce confl ict. Teens may act out through drug use or use drugs as a way to self medicate, violate the law or family rules as a way of try-ing to bring attention to their problem,” Cuellar said.

Welsh knew that her family was noticing her tendency to sleep all the time and to snap at them for no apparent reason when they talked to her. Her friends were also aff ected by her depression and decided that they did not want to deal with it anymore.

“My best friends shunned me because I didn’t really want to do anything anymore. It tore me up. It made everything worse,” Welsh said.

According to Phylicia Norris of Heart Support, an organization that uses its website to give teens a forum for problems they might be struggling with including depression, this is not uncommon.

“Depression can cause people to pull away from their social/fam-ily surroundings because of lack of desire to be involved. Depressed people also tend to easily assume the worst and react negatively over small situations which can cause those close to someone who is depressed to pull away due to a lack of understanding of this disease

and it’s eff ects,” said Norris.Welsh ended up telling her friends about her struggles with depression before her family found

out. Today, Welsh is glad that her family took such drastic action after noticing her symptoms.“I was closer to my friends than I was my family, except my brother and my dad. I didn’t want to

tell [my brother] things and put a burden on his life because he’s 24 and is trying to start his life,” Welsh said. “[My family] did make a good decision. Back then all I could say was that I was mad at them. Now I see how good of a decision it was.”

Telling a trusted adult is the key to feeling better, according to Williams. “I would encourage students who think they may be depressed to tell an adult and not just

another teen as not all teens know how to access help if it is needed. Tell a parent, doctor or a guidance counselor or a trusted adult. If a student is having thoughts of harming themselves or another, immediate action must be taken,” Williams said.

After being rushed to the hospital without any prior notice, Welsh confronted her battles with depression in a way that was unique to her situation. Today, she isn’t afraid to speak out about it.

“I’m not embarrassed by it. It’s nothing that I can control. I have to deal with it. I would love to help someone else with the same thing. If they are in the dark I would love to bring the light into their lives. I really want to help people. I don’t want people to go through it the same way that I went through it,” Welsh said.

She hopes that she can be a voice for depression among teens.“If anyone needs me or anyone needs anything, I’m not type of person that if I don’t know you,

I won’t talk to you. I really want to help people that have depression. It’s a really tough thing to put my story out there, but I’m really not ashamed of it. I know so many teens have gone through the same thing.”

My best friends shunned me because I didn’t really want to do anything anymore. It tore me up.“My best friends “My best friends “

Depression affects teens’ livesClinical depression is a struggle for many. The disorder affects approximately 20% of teens.

Ashleigh Del BosqueENTERTAINMENT CO-EDITOR

For school nurse Robin Martens, the common cold can be the least of her concerns.

“Depression is very big among teens, and what scares me the most is the fact that many of the kids who are suff ering from it don’t tell anyone,” said Martens.

Beth Williams, LN’s psychologist, agrees that today depression is one of the largest illnesses be-ing suff ered, and under no circumstances can be ignored.

“People who are depressed shouldn’t wait and hope it will go away on its own because depression can be eff ectively treated,” said Williams.

According to Martens and Williams, when seek-ing treatment for depression, the fi rst major step is to tell someone.

“Tell anyone,” said Martens. “If you don’t want to tell your parents, then as clichéd as it sounds, tell an adult that you trust. They are so many diff erent con-nections we can get for those who are unhappy.”

Williams believes that with only a few words any-one’s life can be changed.

“Simply saying, ‘I’ve been feeling really down lately and I think I’m depressed,’ can be a really good way to begin the discussion,” said Williams.

Today, only 33 percent of teenagers across the United States suff ering from depression get help. However, 80 percent of those teenagers can be suc-cessfully treated.

There are an abundant selection of ways for get-ting help. Such availabilities are Community North Hospital’s Mental Health off erings, crisis hotlines

always open and adolescent hotlines for those who can be helped on the spot.

“The number of teenagers today suff ering from depression is unbelievable,” said Martens. “There are a lot of causes, majority of them relationship issues, fi nancial issues and just the feeling of being alone. Depression really is the defi nition of isola-tion.”

Williams, who says these depression hotlines can be good help, insists that one who is looking for treatment should see a doctor as soon as possible in order to treat the condition.

“Ask a parent to arrange an appointment with a therapist,” said Williams. “But if a parent or a family member can’t help, turn to your school counselor or other trusted adult to get help.”

According to Williams, seeing a family doctor can be very eff ective.

“The family physician can also do a depression screening. Be prepared to give the doctor specifi c information about your depression symptoms, including how long they’ve been present, how much they’re aff ecting daily life, and any patterns you’ve noticed,” said Williams. “The doctor should also be told about any close relatives who have ever been di-agnosed with depression or another mental health disorder.”

Martens says that the one piece of advice she can give to those seeking help is that they should never feel as if they are suff ering alone.

“Getting help always comes with a certain feel-ing of comfort that you should not feel lonely,” said Martens. “There are so many people out there who have it just as bad as you, if not worse. Always re-member that you are never alone.”

HANNAH PARRY/ILLUSTRATION

1 in 4 women will have some form of depression

6 million men develop a depressive disorder per year

15 percent of those affected will commit suicide

19 million adults affected by depression each year

26 different drugs used to treat depression

32 age of average onset of depressive symptoms

51 billion dollars of lost productivity due to depression

80 percent of people suffering are not being treated

Experts encourage seeking helpMedical Stats

WWW.DEPRESSION.EMEDTV.COM/INFORMATION