Fibromyalgia affects approximately 4% of adults. It primarily affects women. Not nearly enough is known about this debilitating condition. Approximately 3-6 million Americans, ranging in age from 20-50, are diagnosed with Fibromyalgia (Murray, Daniels, Murray, 2006). Diagnosis has been on the rise with doctors not knowing sometimes how to treat the patient because a finite cause has yet to be found. Many who suffer from Fibromyalgia know that added stress affects their pain levels. Many also say that they have undergone intense stress in their lives. And many know the added stress from being diagnosed and the hardship of finding a caregiver that recognizes this is a real condition with real causes and symptoms that need real treatment. The more we can learn about this condition the more the physicians can learn and help these victims of Fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia (FM) is an incurable condition that is marked with severe pain, extreme lethargy, sleep issues, brain fog, difficulty concentrating, and disability and mood disturbances such as depression, anxiety, and mood swings (Murray, et al., 2006). FM is thought to be a rheumatologic disorder, however, some evidence suggest that it could be a psychological disorder or have a psychological component (Murray, Daniels, Murray, 2006). Research is focusing on the psychological and biochemical/hereditary components (Murray, Daniels, Murray, 2006). There are ideas that have been tossed around but there has yet to be a firm etiological explanation found (Murray, et al., 2006).
Many people with FM self-report having had severe psychological traumas in their lives at some point in time (Lumley, Cohen, Stout, Neely, Sander, Burger, 2008). Domestic Violence is a highly discussed issue in toda...
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Murray, T. R., Daniels, M., & Murray, C. E. (2006). Differentiation of self, perceived stress, and symptom severity among patients with fibromyalgia syndrome. Families, Systems, & Health, 24(2), 147-159. doi:10.1037/1091-7527.24.2.147
National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Public Policy Office. (2007). Domestic violence facts. Retrieved from website: http://www.ncadv.org/files/DomesticViolenceFactSheet(National).pdf
The 5 forms of domestic violence. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.woodbridgedvrt.org/pages/fiveforms.html
Van Houdenhove, B., Egle, U., & Luyten, P. (2005). The role of life stress in fibromyalgia. Current Rheumatology Reports, 7(5), 365-370. Retrieved from http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11926-005-0021-z
Van Houdenhove, B., & Luyten, P. P. (2006). Stress, depression and fibromyalgia. Acta Neurologica Belgica, 106(4), 149-156.
The Web. 16 Feb. 2014. PEEK-ASA, CORINNE "Domestic Violence." Encyclopedia of Women's Health. Dordrecht: Springer Science+Business Media, 2004.
Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FMS) is a musculoskeletal illness (which causes chronic pain) and a chronic fatigue disorder. It can also change sleep patterns and cause the following: digestive disorders, chronic headaches, painful menstrual periods, temperature sensitivity, morning stiffness, numbness or tingling of extremities, and even cognitive memory problems. The name fibromyalgia comes from "fibro" in Latin meaning tissue, "my" in Greek meaning muscle, and "algia" (also Greek) meaning pain.(source 5)
Imagine waking up every morning stiff, all your muscles in your body soar, extremely tired and on the verge of exhaustion. The simple task of taking a shower and getting dressed makes you need to lay down for just a few minutes and rest. Your legs ache from a short walk up the stairs last night on your way to bed, as if you ran a marathon in your sleep, and your skin literally hurts to the touch of your clothes as they rub against you. Your blood pressure is up and you can feel the pain emanating from every part of your body. You can’t, for the life of you, find your keys as they hang from the keychain in your hand, because the pain and agitation you are feeling all over has clouded your mind. You are finding it difficult to even concentrate. Never mind the rest of the day ahead of you, that has not even started yet. Now imagine this every day, all day. It almost seems impossible to fathom something of this nature on a daily basis, but that is exactly what most people with fibromyalgia describe as a daily feeling. Some are much worse than that. Fibromyalgia is real, it is pain, and it does exist. Although fibromyalgia awareness has progressed thru advertising there is much more that can, and needs to be done to bring this to the forefront of the medical field and other organizations as a real diagnosis. More research and Government funding is direly needed and demands significant action from our National health agencies and United States Government in the form of grants, research, trials and various drug interaction and testing.
End Domestic Violence. (n.d) Retrieved Feb 09 2014, from Aid To Victims of Domestic Violence Web Site: http://avda-tx.org/
Shannon Brennfleck, Joyce. Ed. Domestic Violence Sourcebook: Third Edition. Detroit, Michigan: Omnigraphics Inc. 2009. 276-279. Print.
Domestic Violence Statistics states, “Around the world, at least one in every 3 women has been beaten, coerced into sex or otherwise abused during her lifetime” (1). The United States Department of Justice defines domestic violence as, “a pattern of abusive behavior in any relationship that is used by one partner to gain or maintain power and control over another intimate partner” (para. 1). Domestic violence is a crime that numerous citizens fall victim to in every country. Anyone can be a victim of domestic violence regardless of race, gender, sexuality or religion. Being a victim of domestic violence can affect a person’s way of life permanently and the way these victims interact with other people can become a difficult task and can eventually affect their future. Domestic violence is substantially wrong because it can cause drastic permanent effects in a person’s life, can cause physical, emotional and intellectual damage, and affects a child’s state of mind of what is normal and what is not if they are in a domestic violent atmosphere. While women are usually victims of domestic violence, men are victims of this crime as well. The Clark County Prosecuting Attorney states that, “According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics Crime Data Brief, men account for approximately fifteen percent of the victims of reported intimate partner crimes” (Clark County Prosecuting Attorney, par.1). Physical, emotional, economic and physiological abuses are all forms of domestic violence that many people would consider to fall under another crime. There are many crimes that many citizens commit, but domestic violence is one of many that should not be taken lightly.
Pence, E., & Paymar, M. (1993). Domestic violence information manual. The Duluth Domestic Abuse Intervention Project: The Manual. Retrieved March 25, 2014, from http://www.eurowrc.org/05.education/education_en/12.edu_en.htm
U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, (2006) “Intimate Partner Violence in the United States,” December 2006.
The development of Fibromyalgia and depression in one’s life is dependent on many factors. Firstly, depression can result from issues such as reacting to loss, struggles of life or personal issues related to self-esteem. Fibromyalgia can also result from similar issues as well. However, statistics show that this disorder is common in women than in men (Schmidt et al, 2010). This disorder has been linked to
Gadd, David, Stephen Farrall, Damian Dallimore, and Nancy Lombard. "Male Victims of Domestic Violence."1-3. 2001. Web. 24 Apr. 2014.
Jones, F, Bright, J, Clow, A (2001). Stress: myth, theory and research. Essex: Pearson Education Limited. p. 12.
Smith, M., & Segal, J. (2013, July). HelpGuide. Retrieved from Domestic Violence and Abuse: http://www.helpguide.org/mental/domestic_violence_abuse_types_signs_causes_effects.htm
Historically, domestic violence was viewed as only involving physical abuse. However, the more contemporary view of domestic violence has come to include not only physical types of abuse; but as well as emotional, sexual, physiological, and economic violence that may be committed
In 1964, George Solomon, a psychiatrist, noticed that rheumatoid arthritis worsened when people were depressed. He was fascinated by this connection, and began to investigate the impact of emotions on inflammation and immune function in general. His studies were the beginning of the new field of psychoneuroimmunology, which examines the relationships between the mind (psyche), bra...
Benson, H & Casey, A. (2011) Stress Management: Approaches for Preventing & Reducing Stress. Boston, Massachusetts: Harvard Health Publications