Attention, chocolate lovers: You may not be able to help yourselves. Swiss and British scientists have linked the widespread love of chocolate to a chemical "signature" that may be programmed into our metabolic systems.
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Abuse, HIV Raise Women's Suicide Risk
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MONDAY, March 28 (HealthDay News) -- HIV infection and abusive relationships are especially tough on women, with a new study showing greatly increased risks for depression and suicide attempts in women afflicted with both these problems. "Health care and service providers who interact with women who may be HIV-positive or are in an abusive relationship should routinely look for mental health issues, such as suicidal thoughts. It may be the case that crisis intervention is needed to help women in these situations," study lead author Andrea C. Gielen, deputy director of the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, said in a prepared statement. Reporting in the March/April issue of the journal Women''s Health Issues, the researchers examined data on more than 600 women and found that abused women were four times more likely than non-abused women to have thought about suicide. The study also found that, among women with HIV, those who were recently diagnosed thought about suicide more frequently. Overall, 31 percent of the 611 women in the study reported contemplating suicide and 16 percent reported having attempted suicide. Half of the study participants reported problems with depression and 26 percent reported problems with anxiety. The combination of HIV infection and a history of abuse appears especially troublesome for affected women, according to the researchers. They report that nearly three-quarters (72 percent) of abused, HIV-positive women reported problems with depression, compared with 24 percent of non-abused, HIV-negative women. Abused, HIV-positive women were seven times more likely to report problems with depression, 4.9 times more likely to have problems with anxiety, 3.6 times more likely to have thought about suicide and 12.5 times more likely to have attempted suicide compared to uninfected women with no history of abuse. "Given that suicide is the fourth leading cause of death for women ages 15 to 44, there is a need for further research on risk and opportunities for prevention," Gielen said. More information The National Mental Health Association has more about suicide.
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