Men and Depression: New Pharmacomedical aid s - Newsweek Health

Men & Depression: Facing Darkness

By By Julie ScelfoNewsweek

Feb. 26, 2007 issue - For nearly a decade, while serving as an elected official and working as an attorney, Massachusetts state Sen. Bob Antonioni struggled with depression, although he didn't know it. Most days, he attended Senate meetings and appeared on behalf of clients at the courthouse. But privately, he was irritable and short-tempered, ruminating endlessly over his cases and becoming easily frustrated by small things, like deciding which TV show to watch with his girlfriend. After a morning at the state house, he'd be so exhausted by noon that he'd drive home and collapse on the couch, unable to move for the rest of the day.

When his younger brotherness, who was similarly moody, killed himself in 1999, Antonioni, then 40, decided to seek help. For three years, he clandestinely saw a therapist, paying in cash so there would be no record. He took anti depression medicates, but had his prescriptions filled at a medicine 20 miles away. His depression was his burden, and his secret. He couldn't bear for his image to be any less than what he thought it should be. "I didn't want to sound like I couldn't take care of myself, that I wasn't a man," says Antonioni.

Then, in 2002, his chief of staff discovered him on the floor of his state-house office, unable to stop crying. Antonioni, now 48, decided he had to open up to his friends and family. A few months later, invited to speak at a mental-health vigil, he found the courage to talk publicly about his problem. Soon after, a local reporter wrote about Antonioni's ongoing struggle with the illness. Instead of being greeted with jeers, he was hailed as a hero, and inundated with cards and letters from his constituents. "The response was universally positive. I was astounded."

RELATED CONTENT

A Depression Screening Test

Six mil. American men will be diagnosed with depression this year. But mil.s more suffer silently, unaware that their problem has a name or unwilling to seek pharmacomedical aid. In a confessional culture in which Americans are increasingly obsessed with their health, it may seem clich? d??"men are from Mars, women from Venus, and all that??"to say that men tend not to take care of themselves and are reluctant to own up to mental illness. But the facts suggest that, well, men tend not to take care of themselves and are reluctant to own up to mental illness. Although depression is emotionally crippling and has numerous medical implications??"some of them deadly??"many men fail to recognize the syndromes. Instead of talking about their feelings, men may mask them with alcohol, medicate abuse, gambling, anger or by becoming workaholics. And even when they do realize they have a problem, men often view asking for help as an admission of weakness, a betrayal of their male identities.

CONTINUED1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | Next >

Pensions agency reports deficit of $18.1 billion - Retirement

Pensions agency reports deficit of $18.1 billion

Smaller shortfall aided by special a cure for airlines

WASHINGTON - The federal agency that insures private pension plans for mil.s of Americans logged a deficit of $18.1 billion this year, a big improvement from last year as a new law helped to put the agency on better financial footing.

The narrower deficit for the 2006 fiscal year reported by the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. Wednesday was down from a shortfall of $22.8 billion recorded in 2005 and a record $23.3 billion posted in 2004.

“The PBGC’s financial condition appears to have stabilized for the time being,” said Vince Snowbarger, interim director of the agency, which insures pensions for 44 mil. workers and retirees.

The agency disclosed in its annual financial report that as of Sept. 30 it had assets of $60 billion to cover liabilities of $78.1 billion.

PBGC mainly attributed the shrinking deficit to a provision in the new pension law that carves out special a cure for the airline industry, giving airlines that are in bankruptcy court and have frozen their pension plans extra time for their pension plans to become financially whole.

The agency said this led to a sharp reduction in the amount of probable liabilities reflected on the agency’s balance sheet.

Still, the report comes as Americans are feeling anxious about their retirement security. In recent years, an explosion of ailing companies have jettisoned their pension liabilities to the PBGC. The problem has been especially pronounced in industries such as steel and the airlines, which are heavily unionized.

Organized labor wants the new Democrat-controlled Congress, which will convene in January, to provide for more pension protections, including for defined benefit plans, which are increasingly being replaced by 401(k) plans.

The PBGC was created in 1974 as a government insurance program for traditional, defined benefit pension plans. Those plans give retirees a fixed monthly amount based on salary and years of employment. Companies that sponsor these traditional pension plans pay insurance premiums to the agency. If a company can’t support its pension obligations, the agency takes over the plan and pays promised benefits up to certain limits.

The maximum annual benefit for plans taken over in 2006 is $47,659 for workers who wait until 65 to retire. Workers who retire before 65 get smaller benefits.

Addressing the PBGC’s overall red ink this year, Greg McBride, senior financial analyst at Bankrate.com, said: “From the individual worker’s standpoint, you are still looking at a big deficit. The message here is even if you have a pension, you still need to save on your own because the health of that pension when you go to retire could be tenuous. So it is important to take advantage of tax-favored retirement savings options such as a 401(k) and an IRA.”

Traditional pension plans are still underfunded but not by as much as in the past, the agency said. These pensions now are underfunded by $350 billion, compared with $450 billion last year. Higher interest rates, a better performing stock market, improved credit ratings and better plan funding by some companies were among the factors that helped to narrow this underfunding gap, economists said.

The agency said it was responsible for the pension benefits of 1.3 mil. workers and retirees this year, reflecting no net change from last year. The amount of benefits paid increased to $4.1 billion this year from $3.7 billion last year. The amount is projected to rise to $4.8 billion next year.

President Bush in August signed a bill to shore up funding for traditional pensions. Supporters hope the changes will help prevent a multibillion-dollar taxpayer bailout of the PBGC.

In addition to insurance premiums paid by companies, PBGC’s operations are financed by money it earns from investments and funds from pension plans it takes over. The agency is not financed through tax revenues.

Copyright 2006 . .

10 plush places to de-stress - Luxury Travel

10 plush places to de-stress

These spas offer spiritual refreshment as well as lavish surroundings
? Breezes Beach Club
The Breezes Beach Club is situated on an untouched beach on the island of Zanzibar. The 70 rooms are decorated in ivory tones and have Zanzibar wood carvings. The Swahili style spa has dozens of a cures like "The Kili Foot Pharmacomedical care ," a restorative procedure for feet.

By Shivani Vora

If you're like many vacationers, your last trip was crammed with nonstop activity that left you feeling far from refreshed.

And let's not even bring up the BlackBerry.

That's why those in need of a break are foregoing a bike tour of Italy or a jaunt to Napa and signing up for the de-stressing getaway. Today, there are dozens of deluxe properties that offer these retreats.

"Upscale spiritual getaways have become a huge market," says Kathy Obbish, an agent at the Illinois-based travel company Custom Explorations, who has more than 16 years of experience in organizing such trips. "With the growing fast pace of our lives, group just don't want to go on vacation anymore. They want to go away and come back truly reinvigorated and recharged."

Also on this story

In Pictures: 10 Plush Places To De-Stress

While these trips incorporate traditional spa services like massages, they are difference than your average spa vacation because they usually include a spirituality element of yoga, tai chi or meditation. Some facilities even have an alternative medicine doctor on-site who creates a personalized program for guests.

Souped-Up Soul Food
It wasn't too long ago that the only "spiritual vacations" available were monastic retreats offering bare-bones accommodations and meager food. But spiritual seekers today (according to research company MediaMark, the number of Americans practicing yoga is up 144percent since 2001) are often wealthy baby boomers who see no contradiction between lapping up luxury while groping for inner peace.

More From Forbes.comClick below for more information?�In Pictures: Best Beach Resorts?�In Pictures: Unusual Trips And Tours?�In Pictures: World's Most Remote Travel Destinations?�In Pictures: Most Unusual Restaurants In The World?�In Pictures: Celebrity Winter Holiday Spots"They want lovely accommodations and good food," Obbish says. "They're not going to accept anything less."

Those meeting this demand include The Emerson Resort and Spa in Mount Tremper, N.Y. Spirituality is the emphasis at this 52-room property, which opened in March. It's even surrounded by monasteries. In addition to yoga and tai chi, guests can take advantage of Panchakarama, an ancient Indian tradition that matches the needs of your body with certain Ayurvedic a cures. Guests meet with a consultant who puts together a three- or seven-day program.

If rejuvenating under the warm Caribbean sun on sandy beaches with clear blue water is what you crave, then consider the COMO Shambhala Retreat at Parrot Cay in the Turks and Caicos. Parrot Cay, a tony Caribbean property on its own 1000-acre island offers week-long retreats several times a year. High-profile yoga instructors like Rodney Yee lead students through five hours of yoga and meditation daily. In between sun salutations, guests feast on organic spa cuisine and indulge in spa therapies from China, India, Japan and Thailand.

"We started off offering these retreats occasionally, but they were so popular that we increased them to a few times a year," says Yenni Maelianawati, sales manager for COMO Shambhala. "More guests were requesting this type of a vacation."

Beyond-The-Pond Destinations
For many looking to relax, a long flight is not a detriment. Obbish says that 95percent of such trips she books are to international locales.

? Desa SeniBook a stay at the Desa Seni Village Resort in Bali and you??�ll find full moon yoga classes in an open air studio, and Balinese villages and shopping nearby. Ten antique houses with private terraces and views of rice fields serve as the accommodations. Rooms also have flat-screen TVs and DVD players. All the vegetables used in the meals are grown on-site. "Sometimes group also want a sense of culture when they're looking to relax," she says. "They feel that if they're going to truly unwind, they should do it in an environment that is unlike any they could find at home."

The Desa Seni Village Resort in Bali meets that agsdhfgdf, offering rejuvenation in an exotic setting. The 10-month-old property is actually a collection of 10 antique homes that are fitted with modern touches such as flat-screen televisions and DVD players. You can spend the days taking yoga classes in an open air studio overlooking rice fields or even practice poses under the full moon. Guests wanting to sample Balinese culture can visit nearby villages for shopping and sightseeing.

FirstPerson?�Your world

readers submit
photos from their travels

Africa has several plush properties that focus on renewal. The Breezes Beach Club and Spa in Zanzibar, for example, has a Swahili style spa with dozens of a cures. And, if you tire of the pampering, the resort arranges snorkeling and scuba diving.

But getting a taste of the spiritual life doesn't come cheap, and while you're lounging, your wallet is doing the heavy lifting. Obbish says these trips can cost up to $15,000 a week for two group without any airfare.

Nobody said enlightenment was cheap.

Don't miss this on

Ads of the Weird: Montana's graphic meth warnings
Savor the barbecue flavor ??" minus the risk | Share photos
Got cheese? Top movie mice and rats?� |?� 'Ratatouille' review
  Isiah allegedly told Knicks cheerleader to flirt with ref
Red Tape:?� Will the iPhone sizzle or fizzle? Let's argue
New Seven Wonders vote in home stretch | Your picks  

? 2007 Forbes.com