Depression: Don't Let the "Blues" Get You Down.

Written by Larry Denton


In any given 1-year period, approximately 10% ofrepparttar U.S. adult population, or about 20 million American adults, suffer from some form of depressive illness. Studies also show that 10 to 15 percent of all children and adolescents have some symptoms of depression. Whilerepparttar 113664 economic cost of this disorder is high,repparttar 113665 cost in human suffering can not be measured.

Depressive illnesses often interfere with normal functioning and cause pain and suffering, not only to those who haverepparttar 113666 disorder, but to those who care about them. Serious, untreated depression can destroy family life as well asrepparttar 113667 life ofrepparttar 113668 ill person.

Sure, everyone gets sad or a little blue now and then. But if you rarely feel joy, happiness, or excitement you may have a more serious problem. Doctors call this prolonged sadness "clinical depression." A depressive disorder is an illness that involvesrepparttar 113669 body, mood and thoughts. It may affectrepparttar 113670 way a person eats and sleeps,repparttar 113671 way one feels about oneself, andrepparttar 113672 way one thinks about others. It is not a sign of personal weakness or a condition that can be wished or willed away. Without treatment, symptoms can last for weeks, months, or even an entire lifetime. Appropriate treatment, however, can help most people who suffer from depression.

Depressive disorders come in many different forms, just asrepparttar 113673 case with other illnesses such as cancer. The three most common types are Major Depression, dysthymia and bipolar disorder. Major Depression is marked by a combination of symptoms that interfere withrepparttar 113674 ability to work, study, sleep, eat and enjoy activities which were once pleasurable. A disabling episode of depression of this type may occur only once in a lifetime, but more commonly returns several times.

Dysthymia, a less severe type of depression, involves long-term, chronic symptoms that do not disablerepparttar 113675 sufferer, but keep one from functioning properly and feeling good.

Another type of depression, bipolar disorder (sometimes called manic-depressive illness), is not nearly as common asrepparttar 113676 other forms of depression. It is characterized by severe cycling mood swings: severe highs (mania) and depth-plunging lows (depression).

When you're manic: you feel high as a kite...you're on top ofrepparttar 113677 world; thoughts go racing through your head; you're a non-stop party; you do wild and risky things (with driving, money, sex, drugs, etc); you are so up you don't even need sleep. However, this mania, left untreated, may worsen to a psychotic state and could become a life-threatening illness.

How to Use Do-It-Yourself Toxic Mold Test Kits

Written by Phillip Fry


How to Use Do-It-Yourself Toxic Mold Test Kits

VANCOUVER, CANADA. Many homeowners, landlords, renters, property managers, business owners, and employees want to know, and need to know,repparttar precise identities ofrepparttar 113663 various toxic mold species inhabiting their home, rental property, or place of work, according to Phillip Fry, Certified Mold Inspector and author ofrepparttar 113664 mold book Do-It-Best-Yourself Mold Prevention, Inspection, Testing, and Remediation.

To identify correctly toxic mold species, take these two steps: (1) use do-it-yourself mold test kits to collect mold samples during a thorough and complete building mold inspection and investigation; and (2) sendrepparttar 113665 collected mold test samples to a mold laboratory for mold analysis and mold species identification. Testing Visible Mold Growth

If a resident or occupant sees mold growing on a wall, ceiling, floor, heating or cooling duct register, or any other surface, he can scrape mold particles offrepparttar 113666 mold growth area ontorepparttar 113667 sticky surface ofrepparttar 113668 opened mold test kit.

During such scraping ofrepparttar 113669 mold growth,repparttar 113670 tester needs to wear rubber gloves and a full-face respirator mask with organic vapor filters (such asrepparttar 113671 3M brand from a large hardware, home improvement, or safety store) to protect against toxic mold exposure.

To dorepparttar 113672 scraping, use a new or thoroughly disinfected (with ethyl or rubbing alcohol) paint scraper. Disinfectrepparttar 113673 scraper after each individual sampling to remove any possible mold contaminants, and thus avoid mold cross-contamination inrepparttar 113674 sampling process from one sample location to another.

Print clearly and neatly on a large pressure sensitive labelrepparttar 113675 property owner’s name,repparttar 113676 property address,repparttar 113677 precise test location at that address,repparttar 113678 testing date, andrepparttar 113679 type of sampling method (“mold test kit settling”), time duration ofrepparttar 113680 test (e.g., thirty to sixty minutes) along withrepparttar 113681 tester’s name and contact information.

The label should also include each individual test number, as listed onrepparttar 113682 mold chain of custody form, available free fromrepparttar 113683 mold laboratory. Attachrepparttar 113684 label torepparttar 113685 bottom ofrepparttar 113686 mold test kit that contains that respective, numbered mold sample.

Mold Testing ofrepparttar 113687 Indoor Air

Use a separate mold test kit to collect a mold sample fromrepparttar 113688 air of each of these areas---

1. Heating/cooling duct register. Exposerepparttar 113689 sticky side of an open mold test kit (one for each duct register) torepparttar 113690 outward airflow from each separate heating/cooling duct register. Taperepparttar 113691 open test kit torepparttar 113692 duct grill so thatrepparttar 113693 airflow directly hitsrepparttar 113694 sticky surface.

Runrepparttar 113695 heating/cooling system on fan ventilation for 10 minutes prior to removingrepparttar 113696 mold test kit from each tested duct register. Then close, seal, and label each mold test kit.

2. Room Air byrepparttar 113697 Settling Method. Mold testrepparttar 113698 air of each room, attic, basement, crawl space, andrepparttar 113699 garage by first running a cleaned fan to stir up each room or area’s air all around for about 15 minutes.

Thoroughly cleanrepparttar 113700 fan blades and fan guard with rubbing alcohol or ethyl alcohol afterrepparttar 113701 fan’s use in each separate testing location.

Then shut offrepparttar 113702 fan, open up a mold test kit, place it open side upwards inrepparttar 113703 middle ofrepparttar 113704 room [onrepparttar 113705 floor, or upon a table or chair] for thirty minutes to one hour to allow airborne mold spores to settle down ontorepparttar 113706 sticky surface ofrepparttar 113707 mold test kit.

Be sure to userepparttar 113708 same time for all air test locations forrepparttar 113709 standardization ofrepparttar 113710 mold test results. Then close, seal, and labelrepparttar 113711 mold test kits.

3. Outdoor Mold Control Test. The mold lab results ofrepparttar 113712 indoor mold tests haverepparttar 113713 most significance whenrepparttar 113714 results of each indoor location’s testing can be compared withrepparttar 113715 results ofrepparttar 113716 outdoor mold control test.

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