Wondering if you’re anxious or depressed? Here are two tests (based on Beck Depression Inventory and Beck Anxiety Inventory) that Dr Daniel Zainal Abdul Rahman uses to make a diagnosis. Scoring: Add the numbers in each column to get a total. Then, add the total for each column together to reach a grand total.

Interpretation: A grand total of between 0 and 21 indicates very low anxiety. However, too little “anxiety” could indicate that you are detached from yourself, others, or your environment. A grand total between of 22 and 35 indicates moderate anxiety. You may have some conflict issues that need to be resolved. A grand total that exceeds 36 is a potential cause for concern and may need proactive treatment.
 
-Depression inventory
Question 1
I do not feel sad. (0)
I feel sad. (1)
I am sad all the time and I can’t snap out of it. (2)
I am so sad and unhappy that I can’t stand it. (3)

Question 2
I am not particularly discouraged about the future. (0)
I feel discouraged about the future. (1)
I feel I have nothing to look forward to. (2)
I feel the future is hopeless and that things cannot improve. (3)

Question 3
I do not feel like a failure. (0)
I feel I have failed more than the average person. (1)
As I look back on my life, all I can see is a lot of failures. (2)
I feel I am a complete failure as a person. (3)

Question 4
I get as much satisfaction out of things as I used to. (0)
I don’t enjoy things the way I used to. (1)
I don’t get real satisfaction out of anything anymore. (2)
I am dissatisfied or bored with everything. (3)

Question 5
I don’t feel particularly guilty (0)
I feel guilty a good part of the time. (1)
I feel quite guilty most of the time. (2)
I feel guilty all of the time. (3)

Question 6
I don’t feel I am being punished. (0)
I feel I may be punished. (1)
I expect to be punished. (2)
I feel I am being punished. (3)

Question 7
I don’t feel disappointed in myself. (0)
I am disappointed in myself. (1)
I am disgusted with myself. (2)
I hate myself. (3)

Question 8
I don’t feel I am any worse than anybody else. (0)
I am critical of myself for my weaknesses or mistakes. (1)
I blame myself all the time for my faults. (2)
I blame myself for everything bad that happens. (3)

Question 9
I don’t have any thoughts of killing myself. (0)
I have thoughts of killing myself, but I would not carry them out. (1)
I would like to kill myself. (2)
I would kill myself if I had the chance. (3)

Question 10
I don’t cry any more than usual. (0)
I cry more now than I used to. (1)
I cry all the time now. (2)
I used to be able to cry, but now I can’t cry even though I want to. (3)

Question 11
I am no more irritated by things than I ever was. (0)
I am slightly more irritated now than usual. (1)
I am quite annoyed or irritated a good deal of the time. (2)
I feel irritated all the time. (3)

Question 12
I have not lost interest in other people. (0)
I am less interested in other people than I used to be. (1)
I have lost most of my interest in other people. (2)
I have lost all of my interest in other people. (3)

Question 13
I make decisions about as well as I ever could. (0)
I put off making decisions more than I used to. (1)
I have greater difficulty in making decisions more than I used to. (2)
I can’t make decisions at all anymore. (3)

Question 14
I don’t feel that I look any worse than I used to. (0)
I am worried that I am looking old or unattractive. (1)
I feel there are permanent changes in my appearance that make me look unattractive. (2)
I believe that I look ugly. (3)

Question 15
I can work about as well as before. (0)
It takes an extra effort to get started at doing something. (1)
I have to push myself very hard to do anything. (2)
I can’t do any work at all. (3)

Question 16
I can sleep as well as usual. (0)
I don‘t sleep as well as I used to. (1)
I wake up 1-2 hours earlier than usual and find it hard to get back to sleep. (2)
I wake up several hours earlier than I used to and cannot get back to sleep. (3)

Question 17
I don’t get more tired than usual. (0)
I get tired more easily than I used to. (1)
I get tired from doing almost anything. (2)
I am too tired to do anything. (3)

Question 18
My appetite is no worse than usual. (0)
My appetite is not as good as it used to be. (1)
My appetite is much worse now. (2)
I have no appetite at all anymore. (3)

Question 19
I haven’t lost much weight, if any, lately. (0)
I have lost more than five pounds. (1)
I have lost more than 10 pounds. (2)
I have lost more than 15 pounds. (3)

Question 20
I am no more worried about my health than usual. (0)
I am worried about physical problems like aches, pains, upset stomach, or constipation. (1)
I am very worried about physical problems and it’s hard to think of much else. (2)
I am so worried about my physical problems that I cannot think of anything else. (3)

Question 21
I have not noticed any recent change in my interest in sex. (0)
I am less interested in sex than I used to be. (1)
I have almost no interest in sex. (2)
I have lost interest in sex completely. (3)
 
Scoring: Now that you have completed the questionnaire, add up the score for each of the 21 questions by counting the number to the right of each question you marked.

Interpretation:
1-10: these ups and downs are considered normal.
11-16: mild mood disturbance.
17-20: borderline clinical depression.
21-30: moderate depression.
31-40: severe depression.
over 40: extreme depression.

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Every human being wants to belong. This need is so strong that people will do nearly anything to feel like they are part of something. Personal relationships form a safety net around individuals to protect them from too much isolation. Long ago, people who strayed from a group had a much harder time surviving the elements or avoiding starvation. While it’s physically safer now to live a solitary life, emotional isolation can still threaten a person’s mental well-being.

Social support is a vital and effective part of depression recovery. It can turn around damaging isolation, affect a person’s life focus, and generate solutions for depression management. Learn more about how this powerful social force can positively effect someone living with depression.

Social Connection Curbs Your Sense of Isolation
Depression is a selfish, abusive captor. It enjoys nothing more than seeing you all alone, feeling like nobody would miss you if you weren’t around. It magnifies your sense of shame, making sure you believe that no one could understand or care about your struggles. You can easily imagine rejection and ridicule for speaking up. Holding your tongue might keep you isolated, but at least you’d avoid petrifying embarrassment.

This can seem like the lesser of two evils and a reasonable tradeoff. But in the end, isolation breeds only more isolation. This creates a reclusive lifestyle that can cut you off from people who mean a lot to you. Your hopelessness and thoughts of despair will only get worse over time. Your isolation can put you at much greater risk for suicidal thoughts (1). So how does social support counteract this destructive spiral?

People are meant to be social beings, and we have better lives when we care about each other. Sharing your innermost feelings can seem like a huge risk. Human beings often do whatever they can to avoid complete rejection from others. But relationships aren’t just for the good times. People lift each other up when they go through tough situations. This often strengthens their personal ties as well. Why? Because it’s real life, and genuine real life has fear, uncertainty, and problems. The good times mean even more when you’ve been through some valleys together.

The isolation that comes with depression can cut you off from these important relationships. Getting help from a caring person isn’t about pity or being a “defective” human being. It’s just the way people are supposed to be with each other. You may need to choose your confidants carefully. If you have a few people in your life who are genuinely concerned for your well-being, then hold on to them. They are a priceless part of your life and depression recovery. However, if you have toxic, unreliable individuals in your life, be very careful. These people may use your personal vulnerability to their advantage, hurting you time and again. A pastor or mental health counselor may be a good place to start if this is your situation.

Social Support Keeps You Connected with Life
An isolated, depressed person can slowly die on the vine, believing the world is better off without him or her (or that that person is better off without the world). Thoughts of death coupled with intense negative emotion are two of the most dangerous aspects of depression. A person who keeps meaningful connections with others stays connected with life. He or she can visualize the future, making plans to keep on living and stay out of harm’s way.

When you are depressed, isolation turns you away from life. This creates a self-fulfilling cycle where you feel increasingly rejected and remain disconnected, increasing the chances that your connections might fade or weaken. This dangerous combination affects how you see your very existence. Instead of turning your vision toward growth and living, you become focused on avoiding the most pain. And unfortunately, death can easily become the leading candidate for pain relief.

Sometimes a support person has to forcibly break through strong walls of isolation to make a connection. This may be met with fierce resistance, especially if isolation has been prolonged or you are feeling suicidal. However, if you have some flicker of life inside (even if it is deeply covered) or you have a great deal of trust in your support person, you can turn your vision from death to life. When the pattern is changed to include regular social time with positive, trusted people, depression’s grip can be loosened. Life is put back on center stage, giving death less and less time in the spotlight.

Social Connection Helps You Find Solutions
If you have depression and you reach out to a trusted, non-depressed person for help, you highlight one of the more important aspects of social support. Helping people, if chosen wisely, will have a vision of health that you can’t muster yourself. A non-depressed person can create and capture a healthier vision of your life, something you truly need in order to get better. It’s so easy to lose perspective when you are inside depression, even forgetting what healthy periods of your life looked and felt like.

Until you can truly capture that vision for yourself, a supportive person can hold on to it for you. It’s hard to reach a goal when you can’t figure out what it looks like. This “borrowed” vision from a support person can keep it real and thriving, even broken down into smaller pieces when that’s all you can handle. As you improve, you can live out and see the vision more clearly. The support person acts much like a compass, helping to reorient you to a healthier path of life.

Depressed thinking often involves replaying many of the same problems, the same negative scripts, and predicting the same (or worse) outcomes from the past. It’s really hard to be innovative or logical about what you really need to do if you only consult yourself. Friends, counselors, trusted health professionals, loving family members, and other supporters can help you generate a variety of solutions.

If you are still quite doubtful or confused about your options, a support person can gently help you see which ones might be the most helpful. You may have clear ideas about what you need but not about how to get started. You may also have a good idea about what hasn’t worked, but not why. When you bounce these issues off someone else, you open yourself up to their encouragement and their fresh ideas. Sometimes, all it takes is some new perspective on your situation to expose more effective solutions.

Social Support: A Vital Part of Depression Recovery
Depression recovery can be a complex process, but you don’t have to do it alone. Social support goes way beyond your friends trying to cheer you up a little. It’s about making genuine connections and spending time with people who care about you. It’s about knowing that you matter to other people. Depression can create a pit of despair and hopelessness inside you. With your loved ones nearby, the pit won’t be nearly as frightening. Your safety net is ready to keep you from falling in.

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Despite living in a culture obsessed with physical flawlessness, most people in the U.S. have a relatively realistic perception of their own form and face—blemishes, bulges and all. About one to two percent of the population, however, suffers from a recognized psychological illness, known as body dysmorphic disorder (or BDD), which causes them to be preoccupied with physical defects that they think make them look repugnant. Such tendencies can lead some people to extreme and frequent plastic surgeries and even suicide.

A new study used brain scans to see how patients’ minds worked when looking at faces—both of others and themselves. The results, published online February 1 in Archives of General Psychiatry, show that people with BDD seem to get hung up on details and hint at a link with obsessive-compulsive disorder.

The new case-control study used functional magnetic-resonance imaging (fMRI) to study brain activity among 33 people (17 control subjects and 16 with BDD) as the subjects looked at photos of their face and that of a familiar celebrity. Previous research and clinical observation had found that people with BDD tend to "focus primarily on details of their appearance at the expense of global or configural aspects," the researchers wrote.

So following this lead, the researchers (led by Jamie Feusner, of the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles) showed subjects standard photos as well as altered versions: one in which only the details remained and another in which only basic, blurred information remained.

Although the study was small, the researchers found a distinct difference between how the brains of the people with BDD and the control individuals reacted upon seeing the images. Analysis of the scans showed that "individuals with BDD have abnormal brain activation patterns when viewing their own face, showing hyperactivity in primary and secondary visual processing regions for [blurred] faces and hyperactivity in frontostriatal systems for [normal] faces," noted the researchers. This tendency to focus in on the details at the expense of an "ability to contextualize them configurally or holistically" might be at the root of the disorder and "suggests aberrant activity patterns for faces in general," the researchers wrote.

The severity of these effects appeared to correlate with the level of BBD symptoms in people who had the disorder. These cognitive patterns, the scientists report, represent "preliminary evidence of a possible similarity in functional neuroanatomy between BDD and obsessive-compulsive disorder."

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Flesh-eating disease is the medical equivalent of being struck by lightning: it’s extremely rare and very tragic. And the fact that it moves at breakneck speed, capable of killing a healthy person in as little as 12 hours, makes it an especially frightening and intriguing disease.

“You don’t have the luxury of waiting around a few days to find out what’s going on,” says Dr. Michael Gardam, an infectious disease specialist at University Health Network in Toronto. “You’ve got to jump on it right away.”

The tricky thing about this bacterial infection is that typical symptoms include skin infection and flu-like aches and pains, so some patients and even doctors may not recognize what they’re dealing with until it’s too late.

The disease recently sparked headlines when a Mississauga woman, Debbie Sebesta, died from it last Wednesday. Three days earlier, the otherwise healthy woman was complaining of a bruise and pain in her leg. Within hours, flu-like symptoms such as chills and vomiting had set in and were worsening by the minute.

After being rushed to hospital, Sebesta underwent surgery to remove large part of her leg, which was infected with necrotizing fasciitis, often called flesh-eating disease because it kills muscle and skin as it spreads through the tissue.

Cases such as Sebesta’s are “the tip of the iceberg,” says Dr. Neil Rau, an infectious diseases specialist with a private practice in Oakville, who uses the analogy of being struck by lightning to highlight their rarity.

A few years ago, one of his patients cut her index finger while peeling an apple and became infected. Days later, the infection spread up her arm, to the armpit and across the chest. She was operated on, but later succumbed to the disease.

Such tragedies are rare, says Rau, noting that even in severe cases of the disease, most people don’t die. Such was the case in the winter of 1994 when Lucien Bouchard, then-leader of the Bloc Québécois, was forced to have his leg amputated because of the illness.

“For every terrible case we hear about, there are millions of people who have no symptoms or only mild symptoms,” says Rau. According to Health Canada, there are between 90 and 200 cases of necrotizing fasciitis each year, about 20 to 30 per cent of which are fatal.

Infection is caused by different strains of bacteria, including group A streptococcus (GAS), a bacterium often found in the throat and on the skin of healthy people. Most people who carry GAS have no symptoms of illness and most infections are relatively mild illnesses, such as strep throat.

Infection often develops when bacteria enters the body, usually through a minor cut or scrape. In rare cases, that infection will spread and release harmful toxins.

Among the telltale signs that a person may have the disease is a small cut that may not look so bad but is causing immense pain, a skin infection that is spreading and flu-like symptoms, such as vomiting, diarrhea and chills.

One of the cardinal features of flesh-eating disease, says Gardam is that “the pain is more than you’d expect from what you’re looking at.”

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Elderly people with dementia are more likely to suffer falls if they are given anti-depressants by care home staff, a study claims. Many dementia patients also suffer from depression and drugs known as selective serotonin uptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are frequently prescribed.

But the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology reports that the risk of injuries from falls was tripled. The Alzheimer’s Society called for more research into alternative treatments. The risk of falls following treatment with older anti-depressants is well established, as the medication can cause side effects such as dizziness and unsteadiness.

It had been hoped that a move to newer SSRI-type drugs would reduce this problems, but the latest research, from the Erasmus University Medical Center in Rotterdam, appears to show the reverse. ’Worrying’ Dr Carolyn Sterke recorded the daily drug use and records of falls in 248 nursing home residents over a two-year period.

The average age of the residents was 82, and the records suggested that 152 of them had suffered a total of 683 falls. The consequences of falls were relatively high, with 220 resulting in injuries including hip fractures and other broken bones - and one resident died following a fall.

“More research is now needed to understand why this anti-depressant is having this effect on people with dementia and if there is an alternative treatment for depression that they could be prescribed”, said Professor Clive Ballard Alzheimer’s Society.

The risk of having an injury-causing fall was three times higher in residents taking SSRIs compared with those not taking the drug, and this risk rose further if the patient was being given sedative drugs as well. Dr Sterke said that these risks needed to be taken into account when assessing whether anti-depressants were required.

She said: "Physicians should be cautious in prescribing SSRIs to older people with dementia, even at low doses."Professor Clive Ballard, from the Alzheimer’s Society, said it was "worrying" that such a commonly prescribed anti-depressant was causing increased risk.

He said: "It is important to highlight any aspect of care that might be causing risk to a person with dementia. We want to ensure that people with the condition are always receiving the best care possible.

"More research is now needed to understand why this anti-depressant is having this effect on people with dementia and if there is an alternative treatment for depression that they could be prescribed. "One in three people over 65 will die with dementia yet research into the condition continues to be drastically underfunded. We must invest now.’

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James Grant, editor of Grant’s Interest Rate Observer, is writing a history of modern American business cycles. His most recent book is “Mr. Speaker! The Life and Times of Thomas B. Reed, the Man Who Broke the Filibuster.”

Our Great Recession ended 2½ years ago, according to the official cyclical timekeepers, but you wouldn’t know it by a glance at the news. Zero percent interest rates and $1 trillion in “stimulus” notwithstanding, the U.S. economy can hardly seem to heave itself out of bed in the morning. Now compare this with the first full year of recovery from the ugly depression of 1920-21. In 1922, under the unsung stewardship of the president best remembered for his underlings’ scandals and his own early death in office, the unemployment rate fell from 15.6 percent to 9 percent (on its way to 3.2 percent in 1923), while constant-dollar output leapt by 16 percent. After which the 1920s proverbially roared.

And how did the administration of Warren G. Harding, in conjunction with the Federal Reserve, produce these astonishing results? Why, by raising interest rates, reducing the public debt and balancing the federal budget. Let 21st-century economists rub their eyes in disbelief. Eighteen months after the depression started, it ended.

When he wasn’t presiding over a macroeconomic miracle cure, Harding convened a world disarmament conference and overhauled the creaky machinery of federal budget-making. For his trouble, historians customarily place him last, or next to last, in their rankings of U.S. presidents. Incredibly, they consign him near the bottom even in the subcategory of economic management, about 40 places behind Franklin D. Roosevelt, who inherited a depression that he didn’t actually fix. This year’s GOP aspirants are tussling over the mantle of “Reagan Republican.” A forward-thinking politician might lay claim to the Harding legacy instead.

You couldn’t dislike the handsome and amiable alumnus of Ohio Central College. He was one of three members of the Class of 1882 who, with some partners, bought control of the decrepit Marion, Ohio, Star newspaper in 1884 and turned it into a moneymaker. Gentle and accommodating to a fault, editor Harding would gladly withhold a fact or a name from a delicate story lest his newspaper cause unnecessary hurt to a neighbor. He was elected a state senator in 1899, lieutenant governor in 1903 and a U.S. senator in 1914.

Harding’s style of politicking was as easygoing as his personality. What his constituents were for, he liked, too. Peace, harmony and party loyalty were his watchwords. You’d never hear him sniping at a fellow Republican (except once, at Teddy Roosevelt) or even at a Democrat. In Washington, his cigar box, liquor cabinet and poker table were open to good fellows of any political stripe. Present for only slightly more than half of the recorded floor votes during his single Senate term, Harding made time for the little pleasures in life.

Possibly no political figure in Washington bore less resemblance to the austere occupant of the White House than the convivial senator from Ohio. President Woodrow Wilson — moralist, reformer and intellectual — read books and wrote them. Harding made no pretense to living the life of the mind. He liked people better than books, anyway.

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Many dementia patients also suffer from depression and drugs known as selective serotonin uptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are frequently prescribed. But the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology reports that the risk of injuries from falls was tripled.

The Alzheimer's Society called for more research into alternative treatments. The risk of falls following treatment with older anti-depressants is well established, as the medication can cause side effects such as dizziness and unsteadiness.

It had been hoped that a move to newer SSRI-type drugs would reduce this problems, but the latest research, from the Erasmus University Medical Center in Rotterdam, appears to show the reverse. 'Worrying' Dr Carolyn Sterke recorded the daily drug use and records of falls in 248 nursing home residents over a two-year period. The average age of the residents was 82, and the records suggested that 152 of them had suffered a total of 683 falls.

The consequences of falls were relatively high, with 220 resulting in injuries including hip fractures and other broken bones - and one resident died following a fall. The risk of having an injury-causing fall was three times higher in residents taking SSRIs compared with those not taking the drug, and this risk rose further if the patient was being given sedative drugs as well.

Dr Sterke said that these risks needed to be taken into account when assessing whether anti-depressants were required. She said: "Physicians should be cautious in prescribing SSRIs to older people with dementia, even at low doses."

Professor Clive Ballard, from the Alzheimer's Society, said it was "worrying" that such a commonly prescribed anti-depressant was causing increased risk. He said: "It is important to highlight any aspect of care that might be causing risk to a person with dementia. We want to ensure that people with the condition are always receiving the best care possible.

"More research is now needed to understand why this anti-depressant is having this effect on people with dementia and if there is an alternative treatment for depression that they could be prescribed. "One in three people over 65 will die with dementia yet research into the condition continues to be drastically underfunded. We must invest now.'

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Sinead O’Connor has checked herself into hospital to be treated for depression. The singer, whose dramatic personal life hasn’t been out of the headlines for months, told followers on Twitter she is “not at all well” but hopes to be back on her feet in a couple of weeks. It comes just four days after the Nothing Compares 2 U star admitted her fourth marriage was finally over following the whirlwind ceremony in Vegas.

At the same time the Dubliner – who found herself back at the centre of a media storm last week after tweeting about her escalating depression – vowed to stay single after splitting from drug counsellor Barry Herridge, 38. Sinead, 45, told her 11,000 followers: “Gonna be off radar for few weeks. But will be back. Worry not.”

After friends expressed concern, she continued: “I’m going to hospital. Treatment for depression. Not at all well. But they will put me back together quick.”And she vowed to be back “smiling” in around two weeks. Sinead wrote: “I be grand in few weeks. was right decision to call hospital. They fab. Good team. I be me again in 2 weeks they say.

“Don’t want anyone worrying. Should only worry if a depressed person DOESNT go hospital. all will be well. Just little time. :).”Sinead’s marriage with Barry ended last month after just 16 days. Within a week they had patched things up after a steamy night in the sack.

However, fears for the serial bride’s mental health grew again after she tweeted she was “ill” and desperate to see a psychiatrist. The mum of four blamed a Sunday newspaper for her breakdown after one of its journalists contacted her husband’s employers. Last Friday, Sinead confirmed she and Barry had split for good – and she had got the professional help she needed.

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Effective eating disorder therapy starts with a correct analysis of the problem along with any other co-existing health problems. Unfortunately, such conditions as anorexia or bulimia often go hidden until extra biological harm has taken place. If you have a tough fighting relationship with meals then you could be the right selection for eating disorders therapy. This kind of treatments will not tell you that you need eating plans or that you need to be on a diet. Actually, it allows you start seeing what has prompted your adverse connection with meals. Early prognosis of anorexia and bulimia can help convenience the procedure of restoration. However, early detection is often restricted because mom and dad and teachers aren't alert of the symptoms. Many individuals also believe that someone who is incredibly lean is anorexic. This may or may not be real.

Eating disorder therapy is not going to encourage lessening bodyweight. The objective of this treatment is to help you in finding where your adverse connection with meals started. When we eat excessively, we get a feeling of delight and satisfaction. Selecting to get help will reach us on an emotional stage to see how we can have those same thoughts throughout each day without unnecessary consumption. Food has an appropriate place in our life and, of course, is necessary for existence. But it should not be the major concentrate for anyone. When eating disorder is found in early stage, before too much biological damage has been done, less anxious techniques can be suggested. Many people are aided through personal plans including medical tests, therapy, and health assistance.

Residential plans provide a haven away from the outside world and allow the person required time to restore. This therapy can help you improve your emotional baggage and adverse thought styles encompassing your harmful connection with food. Once you are on an emotional level ready you will be in a position to shed bodyweight through a non-diet strategy to weight-loss. The non-diet strategy is a healthy way, actually and on an emotional level, to shed bodyweight and sustain the weight-loss. Eating disorder therapy is not a quick fix in losing weight; it is an emotional voyage towards betterment. It can help you master a new set of good ideas that will further enhance a delighted and strong you.

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HELPING OTHERS: When Framingham teen Jessica Kruger was in the seventh grade, she remembers wondering whether other students felt as sad as she did. By the time she reached high school, she was experiencing depressive and panic episodes for which she ultimately sought help.

“It started hindering my ability to do my schoolwork. I was sleeping a lot, withdrawing from activities. All the things you learn about in health class really are true,’’ said Kruger, a junior this year at Framingham High School.

“I let myself be open to the fact that it’s OK to have emotions you don’t know how to deal with, and it’s not your fault,’’ she added. “I knew I should be happy, that I deserved to be happy.’’

Kruger had a supportive network of family members, friends, and teachers assisting her to get the help she needed. Now, she is focused on helping those who aren’t as fortunate.

Kruger volunteers twice a week answering the crisis line at Samaritans Inc., a regional suicide prevention and support organization. She also plans to be involved with IM Hear_, an online pilot program aimed at and run by teens at Framingham High School that is on track to begin this month.

While the issues facing callers to the Samaritans crisis line vary widely, Kruger said, they commonly include relationships, sexual orientation, substance abuse and addiction, bereavement, physical or mental illness, disabilities, and past abuse.

Regardless of the nature of their struggle, Kruger said, she has one message for all callers: “Every single Samaritan cares about you.’’Kruger is a committee member for Make Noise 3, a Samaritans fund-raising party taking place tonight from 7 to 11 at the House of Blues, 15 Lansdowne St. in Boston.

The event, for ages 16 and older, will feature DJ Joe Bermudez joined by Davis Ballard. For ticket information, visit www.makenoisetosavealife.org.

HEARING PROTECTION: The Newton Free Library is collaborating with Hear@Boston, a chapter of Hearing Loss Association of America, to share research findings on noise-induced and age-related hearing loss and their long-term ramifications.

Bedford resident Sharon Kujawa, an associate professor of otology and laryngology at Harvard Medical School and director of the audiology department at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, will be the featured speaker at 7:30 p.m. Thursday in Druker Auditorium at the library, 330 Homer St. in Newton Center.

In her presentation, “Evidence of a Misspent Youth: Noise Exposure Ages Ears,’’ Kujawa will discuss the importance of protecting your hearing. According to the Better Hearing Institute, some 34 million Americans suffer from hearing loss.

In addition, according to Kujawa, research shows that exposure to loud sounds can cause ongoing degeneration of the cochlear nerve long after the noise has stopped.

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