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Quake stress may cause health problems

A group of people whose lives were seriously disrupted by the 1994 Northridge earthquake suffered depressed immune responses for at least several months after the temblor, according to a study from the UCLA School of Medicine.

Studying 68 people who worked at a hospital badly damaged by the quake, researchers found that two key measures of immune response were significantly depressed soon after the event and lasted at least four months after the devastating earthquake.

The findings provide further evidence that natural disasters can cause physical changes as well as the more-obvious emotional trauma.

UCLA psychiatrist George Solomon and other researchers from the UCLA Norman Cousins Program in Psychoneuroimmunology found that the greatest suppression in immune system function occurred among people whose emotional response to the earthquake seemed inappropriately low and/or inappropriately high.

Researchers began studying a diverse group of workers from the Sepulveda Veterans Administration Medical Center beginning 11days after the Northridge earthquake, examining the function of two types of immune cells.

The workers were worried about losing their jobs, and most experienced damage to their homes and possessions.

Nearly one-third of the people enrolled in the study were injured during the quake or had a close friend or relative who was injured.

Bomb scare forces Federal Building evacuation

A bomb scare forced the evacuation of three Federal Building floors early Monday morning, coinciding with the beginning of the Oklahoma bombing trial in Denver.

The evacuation was prompted by the discovery of a "suspicious package" found in the post office, said Sgt. Steve Guerrero of the Los Angeles police department.

The first three floors of the Federal Building were evacuated briefly at approximately 11 a.m., said Dale Sekovich who works on the 13th floor.

"It happens pretty regularly, every couple of months," Sekovich said.

All evacuated people were allowed back inside the building at noon.

Fear of failure can lead to students' depression

The congenial smiles of students sometimes mask a severe mental disturbance that disrupts normal eating and sleeping patterns, and causes many to turn away from family and friends.

Experts say that students whose parents exhibit symptoms of severe clinical depression are more likely to develop the mental illness. But even those with the symptoms often do not recognize that they have a problem.

"The kind of depression we talk about is a much more profound biological as well as psychological state," said Ronald Elson, chief of psychiatric services for University Health Services at UC Berkeley.

According to Esteban Sena, UHS director of counseling and psychological services, about 900 UC Berkeley students sought counseling last year for clinical depression.

"Depression and anxiety are probably the two major psychological issues most people have and that's true of students too," he said. "A lot of the anxiety comes from the competition. Our students come from places where they're used to being the best."

Sena added that the fear of failure commonly triggers depression, particularly among students at a competitive university like UC Berkeley.

A number of other factors besides failure combine to cause depression in college students. Most, said Sena, are in their late teens or early 20s and are searching for their adult identities. Learning to deal with issues like loneliness, stress, communication, sexuality, drug and alcohol experimentation, relationships and the financial burden of college can often push individuals over the edge.

Compiled from Daily Bruin staff and wire reports.