I enjoyed hearing the interview with Zach and especially the mention of ankylosing spondylitis, which is a condition I also have. I was happy to hear AS mentioned, obliquely, in connection with mental health. These are topics upon which, I spend a good amount of my time.
Thrilled as I am at the mere mention of AS, I would like to qualify a few of the comments. First, there is the comment that AS is a "rare" condition. Estimates (per the Spondylitis Assoc of Am.) are that spondyloarthitis (SpA), the more PC term, affects 1 in 100. That makes it more prevalent than MS and ALS and rheumatoid arthritis combined. So, SpA is not so much rare, as having a poor PR department. One of the major goals of SAA is to bostler the PR effort.
I also want to clarify that there is a much closer relationship between an inflammatory disorder and mental health than simply being "sad" that we have a chronic disease, although, that's a factor. We humans have evolved a "sickness behavior" related to inflammation. In most cases, having inflammation indicates that something is not quite right with our body. As a side effect of the inflammation chemicals being released, our brains are signaled to turn off motivation and to rest or sleep. If we are indeed injured, this is a useful response. If we are not injurded, just "inflamed", this is not helpful, is not "normal" and labelled as depression. I have plenty of other things contributing to my depression as well, but we really should recognize that depressed people with inflammation are also fighting against their own bodies.
On a more OCD point, a friend of mine knows Zach, so I'm only 3 degrees of separation from John Moe. ;-)
I enjoyed hearing the interview with Zach and especially the mention of ankylosing spondylitis, which is a condition I also have. I was happy to hear AS mentioned, obliquely, in connection with mental health. These are topics upon which, I spend a good amount of my time.
Thrilled as I am at the mere mention of AS, I would like to qualify a few of the comments. First, there is the comment that AS is a "rare" condition. Estimates (per the Spondylitis Assoc of Am.) are that spondyloarthitis (SpA), the more PC term, affects 1 in 100. That makes it more prevalent than MS and ALS and rheumatoid arthritis combined. So, SpA is not so much rare, as having a poor PR department. One of the major goals of SAA is to bostler the PR effort.
I also want to clarify that there is a much closer relationship between an inflammatory disorder and mental health than simply being "sad" that we have a chronic disease, although, that's a factor. We humans have evolved a "sickness behavior" related to inflammation. In most cases, having inflammation indicates that something is not quite right with our body. As a side effect of the inflammation chemicals being released, our brains are signaled to turn off motivation and to rest or sleep. If we are indeed injured, this is a useful response. If we are not injurded, just "inflamed", this is not helpful, is not "normal" and labelled as depression. I have plenty of other things contributing to my depression as well, but we really should recognize that depressed people with inflammation are also fighting against their own bodies.
On a more OCD point, a friend of mine knows Zach, so I'm only 3 degrees of separation from John Moe. ;-)