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HEALTH & WELL-BEING By Dr. Maria Motyl STUDIES SHOW ELDERLY AND SINGLES LEAST DEPRESSED In the 1970’s researchers at the Na tional Institute of Health began conduct ing studies on thousands of people who suffer from depression, the most wide spread emotional illness in the U. S. Contrary to well-established beliefs, pre liminary results seem to indicate that elderly people do not suffer more severe or longer episodes of depression than younger patients. In fact, early data show that the lowest rate of recovery from depression is found in the 30-to-49 age group, with individuals under 30 or over 50 doing significantly better. Another surprise is that single people were found to fare no worse than mar ried patients in terms of recovery and re lapse. Neither does being widowed, separated or divorced aggravate a patient’s course of depression, com pared to married subjects. Symptoms of major depression include loss of interest or pleasure in most activities, insomnia, agitation, feel ings of worthlessness or guilt, difficulty in concentrating, change in appetite with an increase or decrease in weight and frequent thoughts of death or attempting suicide. Results of the study also point to the existence of what researchers have termed “double depression”, a combina tion of two separate conditions: an ob vious, m ajo r d ep re s s io n , perhaps brought on by some precipitous problem in the individual’s life, as well as a long standing, low-level depression masked by more overt symptoms. Patients with a major depression superimposed on underlying chronic de pression recovered relatively quickly from the more obvious problem, but were very prone to relapse, probably be cause two or three mild symptoms pre dispose them to recurrent depressive episodes. PET OWNERSHIP AIDS HUMAN WELL-BEING Scientists at the Center for the Inter action of Animals and Society of Uni versity of Pennsylvania’s veterinary school, in studying social factors related to coronary patient survival rates, found that ownership of companion animals was significant. Among the 92 patients discharged from the university hospital coronary unit, three deaths occurred among 53 pet owners, as against 11 deaths among the 39 who did not own pets. Allowing for other variables, such as the severity of the heart attack, the re searchers concluded that pet ownership still accounted for a significant amount of variation in survival. Preliminary evidence shows pets have a beneficial medical influence on their owners. When touching or talking to an animal, test subjects generally ex hibit a drop in blood pressure. Even watching fish swimming in a tank seems to reduce stress and anxiety in some individuals tested, as reflected in lower blood pressure readings. Severely withdrawn youngsters who first touched and played with pets soon afterward started communicating with adults, reports a French veterinarian. Also violent patients at an Ohio hospital for the criminally insane seemed calmer when owning small pets, such as white mice and guinea pigs. However, pet ownership can some times be harmful to humans: some people evidence allergies, phobias and stress when presented with animals. Also, the beneficial effects of pet owner ship on humans has not been conclu sively proven. There are no studies of mortality or morbidity rates done on a large sample of people with and without pets. The NCW is the oldest nonsectarian, non-political, non profit women’s voluntary organization in America. It is made up of 25 organizations, which have a total membership of 18 million, and of 500 individual members. The Ukrainian National Women’s League of America has been a member organization since 1952 and a number of Ukrainian women are members-at- large. Some of them held posts in that organization such as: Cammille H. Smorodsky, secretary of NCW -US in 1976-78 and Iwanna Rozankowsky, President of the UNWLA, elected to the Executive Board for 1982-84. Since 1952 every president of the UNWLA has been a member of the board of the NCW-US. The first official contact between the NCW and the UNWLA took place at the First Congress of the UNWLA. Mrs. Harold Vincent Milligan, President of the NCW, adressed the Congress in 1932. Till today the UNWLA is the only Ukrainian women’s organization that is a member of the NCW. One year later, in 1933, Olena Lotocky attended the NCW- US Conference in Chicago. Through the NCW we were able to attend the international forums. In the past twenty years our representatives have at tended ICW meetings in all parts of the world. In this past year the NCW -US opened its first regional office in Washington DC, which provides a center for work on behalf of national and international projects. In 1988 there will be two centennial celebrations: The NCW -US and the ICW. The main objectives, programs and calendar of events for 1988 are as yet to be determined, but they must be meaningful and productive. The NCW -US held a Leaders Luncheon in Washington, which took place in the Hay Adams Hotel on June 17, 1982, during which discussions were focused on the critical issues and concerns of the American Woman. Nancy Barker, the President of the NCW -US, gave the opening address. Later she introduced the Executive Board members of the NCW-US. I. Rozankowsky, the President of the UNWLA is one of the officers of the Board. I. Kurowyckyj was introduced as a representative of the UNWLA to the NCW-US. Mrs. M. Fedoriw, communications coordinator for the UNWLA, also attended the luncheon. R. Anschuetz, Director of the Washington office, addressed the luncheon. Discussions at the luncheon centered around topics concerning women most: disarmament and women in education. The National League of Women Voters informed us that people living in the Washing ton DC area are denied the right to vote. Mrs. F. Humphrey Howard said that informing the public is very important and that the final decision on every issue must be left up to the people. Among the guests at the luncheon were: Ms. M. Barry, the wife of the Mayor of Washington DC, Mrs. F. Humphrey Howard, sister of Hubert Horatio Humphrey, the 38th US Vice- president and many other prominent Washington leaders. After the luncheon we were invited by Elizabeth CHittick, President of the National Women’s Party, to visit the Sewall- Belmont House. Not only is this historic landmark a place of beauty, but it is also one filled with the history of American women. The house stands on part of the land granted to the second Lord Baltimore by King Charles in 1632. Iryna Kurowyckyj
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