Mental Health Research and Reports-The power of the unconscious, the importance of self-awareness

1) Depression and heart failure-Aug. 21, 2001: Approximately 400,000 people each year are diagnosed with congestive heart failure, a condition characterized by the heart's inability to pump enough blood. People who are depressed and have heart failure " . . . appeared twice as likely as other patients to die or be readmitted to the hospital over the course of a year." (From the New York Times, Aug. 21, 2001).

2) A doctor links hypertension to emotional problems that are hidden and denied. "The conclusion Dr. Mann draws in the medical journal (Archives of Internal Medicine) is that a link exists between patients with episodic hypertension, also called paroxysmal hypertension, and powerful emotions or traumatic experiences that they are either unaware they had or that they have driven out of their awareness." (From the New York Times, April 13, 1999).

3) Compared to a control group, at the end of four months patients suffering from chronic asthma or rheumatoid arthritus had a significant improvement in their health when they ". . . were instructed to write down their 'deepest thoughts and feelings' about traumatic experiences, while control subjects wrote about their plans for the day. . . The new study underlines the role of stress in both asthma and rheumatoid arthritis . . . But Dr. Smyth cautioned against generalizing the findings too broadly." (From The New York Times, April 14, 1999).

The importance of self awareness

If your goal in life is primarily centered on affluence, looking good, being famous, you might end up not as content as the individual whose primary goals are satisfaction in relationships, closeness with others, and self-awareness. This does not mean that one can't pursue different goals and be content, but if the primary goal is something external, one could end up being more depressed and anxious. Having a sense of achievement as a goal is different than acquiring money: " . . .The researchers paint a bleak portrait of people who value 'extrinsic goals' like money, fame and beauty. Such people are not only more depressed than others, but also report more behavioral problems and physical discomfort, as well as scoring low on measures of vitality and self-actualization." (The New York Times, Feb. 2, 1999).