The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, November 07, 2005, Page 5, Image 5
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Monday, Nov. 7,2005 Page 5
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* Researchers find differences in treatment methods, antidepressant prescription rates among women .
Caroline DeSanctis
FOR THE GAMECOCK
According to recent studies,
women between the ages of 20
and 30 are twice as likely as
men of the same age to develop
clinical depression, making
depression in women what Dr.
L.S. Cohen of UCLA’s
Neuropsychiatric Institute
called “a substantial public
health concern.”
In order to “bridge the gap
^between research evidence and
key clinical decisions,” Cohen
assembled a panel of experts in
May 2001 to get an idea of
what common
treatments might
be for four types
of depression
commonly seen
in women:
premenstrual
dysphoric
disorder, depression in recommendations parallel
pregnancy, postpartum existing guidelines for severe
depression in a mother depression in general
choosing to breast feed and populations.”
depression related to In the same study, however,
menopause. treatment for milder symptoms
“For women with severe was. less unanimous, as some
symptoms in each area we specialists were not so eager to
asked about,” Cohen said in a prescribe medication,
telephone interview, “the first- Despite inconsistency in
line recommendation was anti- treatment, Cohen and other
depressant medication doctors agree that any and
combined with other all information
modalities (general can aid in
psychotherapy). These
some way.
“These guidelines provide
some direction, and can be
used to 'r
clinicians
educate
patients
regarding the
relative merits
of a variety of
interventions,”
Cohen said.
In addition, Cohen
suggested several tips as ways of
assisting people in snapping out
of a depressive mood and
upping their serotonin
levels (a hormone
believed to be
associated with
levels of
happiness):
r' .
— Get enough
sunshine to decrease
your levels of the hormone
melatonin, which makes you
irritable and crabby.
— Get busy and get
inspired. You are more likely to
escape a spell of depression if
you are too busy to dwell on it.
— Take a break. Listen
to relaxing music or
take an extra
■p
long bath.
— Eat right and exercise.
Avoid foods with lots of sugar,
caffeine, or alcohol. Sugar and
caffeine may give you a brief
moment of energy, but they
may later bring about anxiety,
tension, and internal problems.
Recent studies have shown that
caffeine is linked to numerous
other health problems. Also
avoid alcohol, more popularly
known as a major depressant.
— Meet new people and
make new friends as a way to
up your moral support in times
of need.
Coipments on this story? E-mail
gamecockfeatures@gwm.sc. edu
Special to TH E ( JAM ECOCK
S'
UCLA’s Neuropsychiatric Unit studied treatment of four
common types of clinical depression in women. The report
found that medication was frequently prescribed.
Nintendo gears up for
WiFi Connection release
The Internet gaming service will debut along with 'Mario Kart DS’
Jeremy Turnage
FOR THE GAMECOCK
On Nov. 14, Nintendo will
begin its planned Wi-Fi
Internet gaming service, titled
“Nintendo WiFi Connection,”
with the release of “Mario Kart
DS.” The release will begin
Nintendo’s campaign to bring
itself into the online world.
Gamers are no strangers to
the Internet, as many of the
world’s most popular games
khave online capabilities. Online
vvorlds, like Blizzard’s “World
of Warcraft,” have seen massive
success around the world.
The Nintendo DS, which
was released late last year,
comes equipped with wireless
gaming, but it only works
among players in a limited area.
This new service hopes to
bridge the digital gap between
players around the world.
Nintendo also hopes it will
increase sales of its highly
successful DS platform.
Gamers can connect to the
service through a variety of
ways. Also being released on
Nov. 14 is a USB wireless
connection device. The device,
shaped like a USB flash drive,
will connect to the user’s
computer. The device will
create a wireless hotspot for the
user to connect to Nintendo’s
service. The USB Connector is
expected to ship with a price
tag of $34.99. Nintendo has
stated that access to the
Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection
will be totally free. Nintendo
hopes to be as successful as
Microsoft’s critically and
commercially successful Xbox
Live service.
On Oct. 18, Nintendo
announced a partnership with
Wi-Fi hotspot provider
Wayport to install wireless
access points in McDonalds
restaurants across the United
States. Connection to the
McDonald’s hotspot will be free
to paying restaurant customers.
The companies hope the
simplicity of the service will
bring more customers to the
DS and increase patronage at
McDonald’s restaurants across
the nation. Nintendo is also
working with hotspot providers
around the world to allow free
access in public to the
Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection.
Connecting to the service is
expected to be very simple, and
should be accessible to anyone
with a Nintendo DS and a
game with online play. When
beginning with the service, a
user is assigned a 12-digit user
ID. This can Be used to identify
friends and fellow players.
Players can store these numbers
to a list and will quickly be able
to identify when their friends
are playing.
Nintendo also plans to bring
WiFi Connection to gamers
around the world. In the weeks
following the US release of the
service, Canada, Europe and
Japan will also see the release of
the service in their respective
regions. Nintendo of Europe
hopes to have 25,000 hotspots
ready for the Nov. 25 release of
“Mario Kart DS.” The Japanese
service will launch on Nov. 23
to coincide with the release of
“Animal Crossing: Wild
World.”
Nintendo and the Internet
have had a rocky relationship.
Nintendo had small plans for
Web-based gaming with the
GameCube. Nintendo released
a broadband modem for the
system in conjunction with the
release of “Phantasy Star
Online” for the GameCube.
“Mario Kart: Double Dash”
was one of the original games
announced to feature online
capability. However, late into
the development of the game,
online capability was scrapped,
and the game continued in its
development cycle. Lack of
support for the concept and
low sales for the modem
quickly put a stop to
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Nintendo’s new wireless connector is a thumb drive that fits into a
USB port on the user’s computer, allowing players to communicate.
Nintendo’s online world with
the GameCube.
Nintendo plans for a wide
variety of games to use Wi-Fi
Connection. “Tony Hawk’s
American Sk81and” will be
released alongside “Mario Kart
I '
DS” in the U.S. The previously
mentioned “Animal Crossing:
Wild World” will also see a
U.S. release on Dec. 5 with
access to the Wi-Fi service. In
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