Depression is a growing problem across America. Some reports state that 17.5 million Americans suffer from depression and the statistics on teen depression are even more sobering.
According to one Surgeon General’s report one in ten children may have a serious emotional problem People with severe depression have a reported suicide rate as high as 15%, making it potentially the number one cause of suicide in the United States.
Americans end up spending billions of dollars on ineffectual and harmful pharmaceuticals to handle depression. Researchers are finding evidence that the cause may be the increasing chemical build-up in our bodies.
The University Pathology Consortium, a not-for-profit academic consortium founded and owned by medical school departments of 6 leading Universities including Stanford, recently attributed some of the symptoms of depression to the effects of medication, drug abuse and exposure to toxins.
“Environmental toxins have increased so much over the last 50 years and are now found in everything from grit on the ground to the make up a woman uses to powder her nose,” says Dr Harry Wong, the Director of Alternative Medicine at the Physicians Plus Medical Group in the San Francisco Bay area.
“Pesticides, toxic mold and harsh chemicals have all become prevalent in our country and toxic chemicals are used in our homes.”
Dr. Wong and his colleagues follow the latest research and treat their patients complaining of depression by looking for underlying reasons, like toxic overload in the system. Even common pesticides used in homes and lawns are now being shown to accelerate aging of the immune and nervous system resulting in serious health problems years after exposure.
“We often see patients who have feelings of depression and one of the first things we suspect is an environmental influence.”
Wong recommends a program based on the book Clear Body, Clear Mind by L. Ron Hubbard, which covers his extensive research into the effects of toxic build up on physical and mental conditions.
“Clear Body, Clear Mind” outlines a simple and effective program to purify the body of past build up of toxins and chemicals. While the book makes o medical claims it outlines a simple yet effective procedure to reduce the toxic build up in the body Over 250 000 people worldwide have completed the program based on the book.
“We routinely see a marked improvement in our patients who do this program,” says Dr Wong. “They think more clearly, have more energy and they are definitely happier.”
Ends.
Sally Falkow is a freelance writer who specializes in alternative health care issues.
www.falkowinc.com
sally@falkowinc.com
For information about dealing with depression, visit
http://yourdepressioninfo.com/dealingwithdepression/
http://yourdepressioninfo.com/copingwithdepression/
http://yourdepressioninfo.com/curedepression/
http://yourdepressioninfo.com/currenttreatmentsfordepression/
Sunday, September 9, 2007
Thursday, September 6, 2007
Treatment of Major Depression
September 19, 2004 -- The first and most critical decision the therapist must make is whether to hospitalize a patient with major depression, or to attempt outpatient treatment. Clear indications for hospitalization are: (1) risk of suicide or homicide, (2) grossly reduced ability to care for food, shelter, and clothing, and (3) the need for medical diagnostic procedures. A patient with mild to moderate depression may be safely treated in the office if the therapist evaluates the patient frequently. The patient's support system should be strengthened and involved in treatment whenever possible.
Antidepressants
Studies have show that antidepressant therapy for major depression can dramatically reduce suicide rates and hospitalization rates. Unfortunately, very few suicide victims receive antidepressants in adequate doses, and - even worse - most receive no treatment for depression whatsoever.
One of the biggest problems with antidepressant therapy is that most patients don't stay on their antidepressant medication long enough for it to be effective. A recent study found that only 25% of patients started on antidepressants by their family physician stayed on it longer than one month. Antidepressant therapy usually takes 2-4 weeks before any significant improvement appears (and 2-6 months before maximal improvement appears).
First Line Antidepressants
The SSRI antidepressants, escitalopram (Lexapro), Fluoxetine (Prozac), paroxetine (Paxil), fluvoxamine (Luvox), or sertraline (Zoloft), are considered excellent choices as the patient's first antidepressant because of their low incidence of side-effects (especially weight gain) and their low lethality if taken in an overdose. All SSRI antidepressants are equally effective.
Because many patients with major depression also suffer with intense anxiety, your doctor may also give you Fluvoxamine (Luvox) or lorazepam (Ativan) to reduce anxiety in mixed anxiety-depression.
Both Fluoxetine (Prozac) and paroxetine (Paxil) tend to be stimulating (elevate your mood); thus patients with mixed anxiety-depression can often dramatically benefit from the addition of clonazepam (Klonopin) to the Fluoxetine (Prozac) or paroxetine (Paxil) therapy.
Keep in mind, prescribing the right antidepressant is not an exact science. It may take some experimentation on the part of the doctor (make sure you're seeing a psychiatrist, a specialist in psychiatric medications) to find the right antidepressant and right dosage for you. Do not give up if everything doesn't come together right away.
SSRI antidepressants should be taken for 6 to 12 months. Antidepressant therapy should not be withdrawn before there have been 4 to 5 symptom-free months. Withdrawal from antidepressant therapy should be gradual. Never discontinue taking your medication without telling your doctor first. Suddenly stopping your medication could produce severe withdrawl symptoms and unwanted psychological effects, including a return of major depression.
Psychotherapy
In general, psychiatrists agree that severely depressed patients do best with a combination of antidepressant medications and psychotherapy. Medications relieve the symptoms of depression quickly, while psychotherapy can help the patient deal with the illness, easing some of the potential stresses that can trigger or exacerbate the illness.
Dynamic Psychotherapy
Dynamic Psychotherapy is based on the premise that human behavior is determined by one's past experience (particularly in childhood), genetic endowment and current life events. It recognizes the significant effects of emotions, unconscious conflicts and drives on human behavior.
Interpersonal Therapy
Interpersonal Therapy is based on the theory that disturbed social and personal relationships can cause or precipitate depression. The illness, in turn, may make these relationships more problematic. IPT helps the patient understand his or her illness and how depression and interpersonal issues are related.
There is some evidence in controlled studies that IPT as a single agent is effective in reducing symptoms in acutely depressed patients of mild to moderate severity.
The National Institute of Mental Health studied interpersonal therapy as one of the most promising types of psychotherapy. Interpersonal therapy (IPT) is a short-term psychotherapy, normally consisting of 12 to 16 weekly sessions. It was developed specifically for the treatment of major depression, and focuses on correcting current social dysfunction. Unlike psychoanalytic psychotherapy, it does not address unconscious phenomena, such as defense mechanisms or internal conflicts. Instead, interpersonal therapy focuses primarily on the "here-and-now" factors that directly interfere with social relationships.
Behavior Therapy
Behavior therapy involves activity scheduling, self-control therapy, social skills training, and problem solving. Behavior therapy has been reported to be effective in the acute treatment of patients with mild to moderately severe depressions, especially when combined with pharmacotherapy.
Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT)
The cognitive approach to psychotherapy maintains that irrational beliefs and distorted attitudes toward the self, the environment and the future, perpetuate depressive affects and that these may be reversed through CBT.
There is some evidence that cognitive therapy reduces depressive symptoms during the acute phase of less severe forms of depression.
Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT)
ECT is primarily used for severely depressed patients who have not responded to antidepressant medicines, and who frequently have psychotic features, acute suicidality, or food refusal. It can also be used for patients who are severely depressed and have other chronic general medical illnesses which make taking antipsychotic medications difficult. Changes in the way ECT is delivered have made ECT a better tolerated treatment.
Importance of Continuation of Treatment
There is a period of time following the relief of symptoms during which discontinuation of the treatment would likely result in relapse. The NIMH Depression Collaboration Research Program found that four months of treatment with medication or cognitive behavioral and interpersonal psychotherapy is insufficient for most depressed patients to fully recover and enjoy lasting remission. Their 18-month follow-up after a course of treatment found relapses of between 33 and 50 percent of those initially responding to a short-term treatment.
The current available data on continuation of treatment indicate that patients treated for a first episode of uncomplicated depression who exhibit a satisfactory response to an antidepressant should continue to receive a full therapeutic dose of that medication for at least 6-12 months after achieving full remission. The first eight weeks after symptom resolution is a period of particularly high vulnerability to relapse. Patients with recurrent depression, dysthymia or other complicating features may require a more extended course of treatment.
In a 1998 article, in the Harvard Review of Psychiatry, entitled "Discontinuing Antidepressant Treatment in Major Depression, the authors concluded:
"The benefits of long-term antidepressant treatment in major depression and the risks of discontinuing medication at various times after clinical recovery from acute depression are not as well defined. Computerized searching found 27 studies with data on depression risk over time including a total of 3037 depressive patients treated for 5.78 (0-48) months and then followed for 16.6 (5-66) months with antidepressants continued or discontinued. Compared with patients whose antidepressants were discontinued, those with continued treatment showed much lower relapse rates (1.85 vs. 6.24%/month), longer time to 50% relapse (48.0 vs. 14.2 months), and lower 12-month relapse risk (19.5 vs. 44.8%) (all p < 0.001). However, longer prior treatment did not yield lower postdiscontinuation relapse risk, and differences in relapses off versus on antidepressants fell markedly with longer follow-up. Contrary to prediction, gradual discontinuation (dose-tapering or use of long-acting agents) did not yield lower relapse rates. Relapse risk was not associated with diagnostic criteria. More previous illness (particularly three or more prior episodes or a chronic course) was strongly associated with higher relapse risk after discontinuation of antidepressants but had no effect on response to continued treatment; patients with infrequent prior illness showed only minor relapse differences between drug and placebo treatment.
Refractory Depression
Refractory depression occurs in as many as 10 to 30 percent of depressive episodes, affecting nearly a million patients. Katherine A. Phillips, M.D. (a 1992 NARSAD Young Investigator) has found that failure to provide adequate doses of medication for sufficient periods of time is perhaps the most common cause of apparent treatment resistance. Once the clinician has determined that a patient is truly treatment-refractory, many treatment approaches can be tried.
Phillips recommends the following treatment strategies for refractory depression:
1. Augmentation with lithium, and perhaps other agents like liothyronine (T3 or L-triiodothyronine) (Cytomel). Trazodone may be worth trying either alone or in combination with Fluoxetine or tricyclics if other approaches have failed.
2. Combining antidepressants - supplementing the SSRI antidepressant with a tricyclic antidepressant. Several studies have shown a good response when Fluoxetine is added to tricyclics and when tricyclics are added to Fluoxetine. It is important to monitor tricyclic levels because Fluoxetine can raise tricyclic levels by 4- to 11- fold and thereby cause tricyclic toxicity.
3. Switching antidepressants - stop the first SSRI antidepressant gradually (over one week), then substitute another SSRI antidepressant or SNRI antidepressant (Effexor). Fluvoxamine (Luvox), sertraline (Zoloft), or venlafaxine (Effexor) often are effective for Fluoxetine or paroxetine nonresponders (and visa versa).
Lexapro http://www.dental.am/drugstore/lexapro.php
Prozac http://www.dental.am/drugstore/prozac.php
Paxil http://www.dental.am/drugstore/paxil.php
Zoloft http://www.dental.am/drugstore/zoloft.php
Fluoxetine http://www.dental.am/drugstore/fluoxetine.php
source: http://www.dental.am/articles_more.php?id=3087_0_2_0_M
www.Dental.am - Top Health News consumer Web site offering health and medical information, news and self-improvement and disease management tools.
For information about clinical depression, visit
http://yourdepressioninfo.com/clinicaldepressiononindianreservations/
http://yourdepressioninfo.com/causesofclinicaldepression/
http://yourdepressioninfo.com/clinicaldepressionsevere/
Antidepressants
Studies have show that antidepressant therapy for major depression can dramatically reduce suicide rates and hospitalization rates. Unfortunately, very few suicide victims receive antidepressants in adequate doses, and - even worse - most receive no treatment for depression whatsoever.
One of the biggest problems with antidepressant therapy is that most patients don't stay on their antidepressant medication long enough for it to be effective. A recent study found that only 25% of patients started on antidepressants by their family physician stayed on it longer than one month. Antidepressant therapy usually takes 2-4 weeks before any significant improvement appears (and 2-6 months before maximal improvement appears).
First Line Antidepressants
The SSRI antidepressants, escitalopram (Lexapro), Fluoxetine (Prozac), paroxetine (Paxil), fluvoxamine (Luvox), or sertraline (Zoloft), are considered excellent choices as the patient's first antidepressant because of their low incidence of side-effects (especially weight gain) and their low lethality if taken in an overdose. All SSRI antidepressants are equally effective.
Because many patients with major depression also suffer with intense anxiety, your doctor may also give you Fluvoxamine (Luvox) or lorazepam (Ativan) to reduce anxiety in mixed anxiety-depression.
Both Fluoxetine (Prozac) and paroxetine (Paxil) tend to be stimulating (elevate your mood); thus patients with mixed anxiety-depression can often dramatically benefit from the addition of clonazepam (Klonopin) to the Fluoxetine (Prozac) or paroxetine (Paxil) therapy.
Keep in mind, prescribing the right antidepressant is not an exact science. It may take some experimentation on the part of the doctor (make sure you're seeing a psychiatrist, a specialist in psychiatric medications) to find the right antidepressant and right dosage for you. Do not give up if everything doesn't come together right away.
SSRI antidepressants should be taken for 6 to 12 months. Antidepressant therapy should not be withdrawn before there have been 4 to 5 symptom-free months. Withdrawal from antidepressant therapy should be gradual. Never discontinue taking your medication without telling your doctor first. Suddenly stopping your medication could produce severe withdrawl symptoms and unwanted psychological effects, including a return of major depression.
Psychotherapy
In general, psychiatrists agree that severely depressed patients do best with a combination of antidepressant medications and psychotherapy. Medications relieve the symptoms of depression quickly, while psychotherapy can help the patient deal with the illness, easing some of the potential stresses that can trigger or exacerbate the illness.
Dynamic Psychotherapy
Dynamic Psychotherapy is based on the premise that human behavior is determined by one's past experience (particularly in childhood), genetic endowment and current life events. It recognizes the significant effects of emotions, unconscious conflicts and drives on human behavior.
Interpersonal Therapy
Interpersonal Therapy is based on the theory that disturbed social and personal relationships can cause or precipitate depression. The illness, in turn, may make these relationships more problematic. IPT helps the patient understand his or her illness and how depression and interpersonal issues are related.
There is some evidence in controlled studies that IPT as a single agent is effective in reducing symptoms in acutely depressed patients of mild to moderate severity.
The National Institute of Mental Health studied interpersonal therapy as one of the most promising types of psychotherapy. Interpersonal therapy (IPT) is a short-term psychotherapy, normally consisting of 12 to 16 weekly sessions. It was developed specifically for the treatment of major depression, and focuses on correcting current social dysfunction. Unlike psychoanalytic psychotherapy, it does not address unconscious phenomena, such as defense mechanisms or internal conflicts. Instead, interpersonal therapy focuses primarily on the "here-and-now" factors that directly interfere with social relationships.
Behavior Therapy
Behavior therapy involves activity scheduling, self-control therapy, social skills training, and problem solving. Behavior therapy has been reported to be effective in the acute treatment of patients with mild to moderately severe depressions, especially when combined with pharmacotherapy.
Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT)
The cognitive approach to psychotherapy maintains that irrational beliefs and distorted attitudes toward the self, the environment and the future, perpetuate depressive affects and that these may be reversed through CBT.
There is some evidence that cognitive therapy reduces depressive symptoms during the acute phase of less severe forms of depression.
Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT)
ECT is primarily used for severely depressed patients who have not responded to antidepressant medicines, and who frequently have psychotic features, acute suicidality, or food refusal. It can also be used for patients who are severely depressed and have other chronic general medical illnesses which make taking antipsychotic medications difficult. Changes in the way ECT is delivered have made ECT a better tolerated treatment.
Importance of Continuation of Treatment
There is a period of time following the relief of symptoms during which discontinuation of the treatment would likely result in relapse. The NIMH Depression Collaboration Research Program found that four months of treatment with medication or cognitive behavioral and interpersonal psychotherapy is insufficient for most depressed patients to fully recover and enjoy lasting remission. Their 18-month follow-up after a course of treatment found relapses of between 33 and 50 percent of those initially responding to a short-term treatment.
The current available data on continuation of treatment indicate that patients treated for a first episode of uncomplicated depression who exhibit a satisfactory response to an antidepressant should continue to receive a full therapeutic dose of that medication for at least 6-12 months after achieving full remission. The first eight weeks after symptom resolution is a period of particularly high vulnerability to relapse. Patients with recurrent depression, dysthymia or other complicating features may require a more extended course of treatment.
In a 1998 article, in the Harvard Review of Psychiatry, entitled "Discontinuing Antidepressant Treatment in Major Depression, the authors concluded:
"The benefits of long-term antidepressant treatment in major depression and the risks of discontinuing medication at various times after clinical recovery from acute depression are not as well defined. Computerized searching found 27 studies with data on depression risk over time including a total of 3037 depressive patients treated for 5.78 (0-48) months and then followed for 16.6 (5-66) months with antidepressants continued or discontinued. Compared with patients whose antidepressants were discontinued, those with continued treatment showed much lower relapse rates (1.85 vs. 6.24%/month), longer time to 50% relapse (48.0 vs. 14.2 months), and lower 12-month relapse risk (19.5 vs. 44.8%) (all p < 0.001). However, longer prior treatment did not yield lower postdiscontinuation relapse risk, and differences in relapses off versus on antidepressants fell markedly with longer follow-up. Contrary to prediction, gradual discontinuation (dose-tapering or use of long-acting agents) did not yield lower relapse rates. Relapse risk was not associated with diagnostic criteria. More previous illness (particularly three or more prior episodes or a chronic course) was strongly associated with higher relapse risk after discontinuation of antidepressants but had no effect on response to continued treatment; patients with infrequent prior illness showed only minor relapse differences between drug and placebo treatment.
Refractory Depression
Refractory depression occurs in as many as 10 to 30 percent of depressive episodes, affecting nearly a million patients. Katherine A. Phillips, M.D. (a 1992 NARSAD Young Investigator) has found that failure to provide adequate doses of medication for sufficient periods of time is perhaps the most common cause of apparent treatment resistance. Once the clinician has determined that a patient is truly treatment-refractory, many treatment approaches can be tried.
Phillips recommends the following treatment strategies for refractory depression:
1. Augmentation with lithium, and perhaps other agents like liothyronine (T3 or L-triiodothyronine) (Cytomel). Trazodone may be worth trying either alone or in combination with Fluoxetine or tricyclics if other approaches have failed.
2. Combining antidepressants - supplementing the SSRI antidepressant with a tricyclic antidepressant. Several studies have shown a good response when Fluoxetine is added to tricyclics and when tricyclics are added to Fluoxetine. It is important to monitor tricyclic levels because Fluoxetine can raise tricyclic levels by 4- to 11- fold and thereby cause tricyclic toxicity.
3. Switching antidepressants - stop the first SSRI antidepressant gradually (over one week), then substitute another SSRI antidepressant or SNRI antidepressant (Effexor). Fluvoxamine (Luvox), sertraline (Zoloft), or venlafaxine (Effexor) often are effective for Fluoxetine or paroxetine nonresponders (and visa versa).
Lexapro http://www.dental.am/drugstore/lexapro.php
Prozac http://www.dental.am/drugstore/prozac.php
Paxil http://www.dental.am/drugstore/paxil.php
Zoloft http://www.dental.am/drugstore/zoloft.php
Fluoxetine http://www.dental.am/drugstore/fluoxetine.php
source: http://www.dental.am/articles_more.php?id=3087_0_2_0_M
www.Dental.am - Top Health News consumer Web site offering health and medical information, news and self-improvement and disease management tools.
For information about clinical depression, visit
http://yourdepressioninfo.com/clinicaldepressiononindianreservations/
http://yourdepressioninfo.com/causesofclinicaldepression/
http://yourdepressioninfo.com/clinicaldepressionsevere/
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
Depressed? Wise Woman Ways Offer a Helping Hand
Winter time is depression time for many women. Susun Weed gives Wise Woman wisdom on how to deal when depression strikes!
Winter time is depression time for many women. Perhaps it is harder to look at the bright side when days are short, perhaps the holidays and family demands take their toll on us. Of course, depression can also be triggered by lack of thyroid hormone and by use of steroids, high blood pressure drugs, and ERT/HRT.
But most often the cause of depression is the belief (valid or not) that nothing you do makes any difference. Victimization and poverty lock women into depression. More than one-third of all American women have been victims of sexual or physical abuse; and women make up more than two-thirds of all Americans who live below poverty level. Yet our culture frowns on women who express their anger. No wonder depression is a woman's issue.
“Look here,” Grandmother Growth motions to you as she spreads her story blanket at your feet. “See how depression is deeply woven with anger and grief. When our need for reliable, joyous intimacy is frustrated, and expression of our frustration would endanger us, depression comes and protects us. When there is no way to deal effectively with situations that enrage us, depression comes and helps us quiet our violent impulses.
“Depression is not an easy companion on your journey, but she knows much about life. In her bundle, she carries the anger you have carefully frozen with frigid blasts of fear and kept nourished with your pain. She carries your wholeness. She carries your ability to go beyond the pain, your ability to allow your rage to move you into health. She carries your wholeness. Will you let her teach you?"
Wise Woman remedies don’t seek to eliminate our feelings, or turn “negative” ones into “positive” ones, but to help us incorporate all of our feelings into our wholeness/health/holiness.
* Welcome the dark. Cherish the deepness. Give yourself over to a day or two of doing nothing. Then, get up, no matter how bad you feel. Set a goal for the day and meet it. Smile - it releases brain chemicals that make you feel good. Smile no matter what. Do it as an exercise. Hate it while you do it. But SMILE!
* Homeopathic remedies include Arum metallicum, for women with frequent thoughts of suicide who feel cut off from love and joy; and Sepia, for women who are disinterested in everything, angry at family and friends, and just want to be left alone.
* It’s more than idle chatter that depression comes with gray skies and happiness with sunny ones. For emotional health (and strong bones) get 15 minutes of sunlight on your uncovered eyelids (outside, no glasses, no contacts) daily. If you can’t get out (or if the sun doesn’t cooperate), wake up 1-2 hours earlier than usual. (You can stay in bed, but keep those eyes open.)
* Sing the blues; dance ‘em too. Women have depended on songs and dances to carry them out of depression for centuries. Dance therapy is more effective than talk therapy for reaching and healing traumatic experiences. Even a single session may have a dramatic effect.
* Find your rage and write it down. Get a massage and let the anger move out of the muscles. Volunteer to help change something you are upset about, even a small thing.
* St. Joan’s/John's wort (Hypericum perforatum) lives in very sunny locations and blooms at summer solstice. I call it bottled sunshine. A dropperful of the bright red tincture taken 1-3 times daily has helped many women relieve SAD (seasonal affective disorder), move through grief, ease the physical pain of depression, and walk on the sunny side! CAUTION: Hypericum in capsules is not as effective and can cause unwanted side effects.
* Oatstraw infusion (not tea, tincture, or capsules) has been an ally for depressed women since earliest times. Gentle Avena nourishes the nerves and helps you remember why life is worth living.
To make an infusion: Brew one ounce by weight of dried herb (that's a cup by volume) in a quart jar filled to the top with boiling water. Steep for at least four hours, then strain and refrigerate your infusion. Drink as many cups a day as you wish. Or make an oatstraw bath by adding two quarts of infusion to your bath water.
* Garden sage (Salvia) is an ancient ally for emotionally-distressed women. In some societies, only crones were allowed to drink the brew made from the nubbly leaves (at least partly because it delays menses and dries up breast milk). Make an infusion (see oatstraw); drink by mixing a few spoonfuls of the dense brew into hot water or warm milk; add honey to taste. The undiluted infusion keeps for weeks refrigerated.
* Behavioral and interpersonal therapies are as effective as drugs in relieving depression. Not only that, two-thirds of those who simply read about therapy improve significantly.
* Thirty minutes of aerobic exercise, especially soon after awakening, has been shown to help women whose depression is resistant to all treatments, including drugs.
* Sleep less. If you are a woman who overproduces a normal depression-causing substance which accompanies sleep you will feel depressed and often find it difficult to wake up. Sleeping more will only compound the problem. Instead, stay up all night once a week. If you can’t cope with no sleep, even mild sleep deprivation (such as sleeping five hours or less for two nights in a row) dramatically decreases depressive symptoms in some people.
* Low levels of calcium, zinc, and B vitamins are associated with depression. Get more by eating more cheese and yogurt, more garlic and mushrooms, more whole grains and beans.
* Lack of vitamin B12 doubles the risk of severe depression for older women. This critical nutrient, found only in animal products, is destroyed by tofu and soy beverage. Drink real milk, eat real cheese, eat meat at least occasionally and watch your mood improve :)
* 1600 mg of SAM-e (A-adenosylmethionine) relieved the symptoms of moderate depression as well as imipramine, but no better than Hypericum (St. J's wort). CAUTION: Of the brands tested by Consumer Reports, only Natrol, Nature Made, TwinLab, and GNC passed all tests.
* Avoid hormone replacement - ERT/HRT - if you're depressed; it's strongly associated with an increase in suicide attempts.
* Women who used to take lithium say they have gradually switched over to skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora). A dose of infusion is one cup/250 ml or more per day; of fresh plant tincture is 5-8 drops twice a day; of the dried plant tincture is a dropperful/1 ml several times a day. CAUTION: Skullcap can make you sleepy.
* For women whose depression resists all other therapies, electro-convulsive treatments (ECT), previously known as shock treatments, have been updated with special care taken to minimize harm. The women I spoke with who were using ECT told me it was incredibly effective, and the side-effects, including severe memory loss, acceptable to them. From doing nothing, to ECT, the range of remedies available to depressed women is enormous. To help you choose wisely, these effective, simple Wise Woman remedies are in order of safety: the safest remedies first, and the most dangerous ones last.
This is a shortened version of the depression section in New Menopausal Years the Wise Woman Way, available through www.ashtreepublishing.com or your favorite bookseller.
If you liked this article you will want to visit Susun Weed online at www.susunweed.com
About the Author
Vibrant, passionate, and involved, Susun Weed has garnered an international reputation for her groundbreaking lectures, teachings, and writings on health and nutrition. She challenges conventional medical approaches with humor, insight, and her vast encyclopedic knowledge of herbal medicine. Susun is one of America's best-known authorities on herbal medicine and natural approaches to women's health.
For information about brain scans for depression, visit
http://yourdepressioninfo.com/brainscanfordepression/
Winter time is depression time for many women. Perhaps it is harder to look at the bright side when days are short, perhaps the holidays and family demands take their toll on us. Of course, depression can also be triggered by lack of thyroid hormone and by use of steroids, high blood pressure drugs, and ERT/HRT.
But most often the cause of depression is the belief (valid or not) that nothing you do makes any difference. Victimization and poverty lock women into depression. More than one-third of all American women have been victims of sexual or physical abuse; and women make up more than two-thirds of all Americans who live below poverty level. Yet our culture frowns on women who express their anger. No wonder depression is a woman's issue.
“Look here,” Grandmother Growth motions to you as she spreads her story blanket at your feet. “See how depression is deeply woven with anger and grief. When our need for reliable, joyous intimacy is frustrated, and expression of our frustration would endanger us, depression comes and protects us. When there is no way to deal effectively with situations that enrage us, depression comes and helps us quiet our violent impulses.
“Depression is not an easy companion on your journey, but she knows much about life. In her bundle, she carries the anger you have carefully frozen with frigid blasts of fear and kept nourished with your pain. She carries your wholeness. She carries your ability to go beyond the pain, your ability to allow your rage to move you into health. She carries your wholeness. Will you let her teach you?"
Wise Woman remedies don’t seek to eliminate our feelings, or turn “negative” ones into “positive” ones, but to help us incorporate all of our feelings into our wholeness/health/holiness.
* Welcome the dark. Cherish the deepness. Give yourself over to a day or two of doing nothing. Then, get up, no matter how bad you feel. Set a goal for the day and meet it. Smile - it releases brain chemicals that make you feel good. Smile no matter what. Do it as an exercise. Hate it while you do it. But SMILE!
* Homeopathic remedies include Arum metallicum, for women with frequent thoughts of suicide who feel cut off from love and joy; and Sepia, for women who are disinterested in everything, angry at family and friends, and just want to be left alone.
* It’s more than idle chatter that depression comes with gray skies and happiness with sunny ones. For emotional health (and strong bones) get 15 minutes of sunlight on your uncovered eyelids (outside, no glasses, no contacts) daily. If you can’t get out (or if the sun doesn’t cooperate), wake up 1-2 hours earlier than usual. (You can stay in bed, but keep those eyes open.)
* Sing the blues; dance ‘em too. Women have depended on songs and dances to carry them out of depression for centuries. Dance therapy is more effective than talk therapy for reaching and healing traumatic experiences. Even a single session may have a dramatic effect.
* Find your rage and write it down. Get a massage and let the anger move out of the muscles. Volunteer to help change something you are upset about, even a small thing.
* St. Joan’s/John's wort (Hypericum perforatum) lives in very sunny locations and blooms at summer solstice. I call it bottled sunshine. A dropperful of the bright red tincture taken 1-3 times daily has helped many women relieve SAD (seasonal affective disorder), move through grief, ease the physical pain of depression, and walk on the sunny side! CAUTION: Hypericum in capsules is not as effective and can cause unwanted side effects.
* Oatstraw infusion (not tea, tincture, or capsules) has been an ally for depressed women since earliest times. Gentle Avena nourishes the nerves and helps you remember why life is worth living.
To make an infusion: Brew one ounce by weight of dried herb (that's a cup by volume) in a quart jar filled to the top with boiling water. Steep for at least four hours, then strain and refrigerate your infusion. Drink as many cups a day as you wish. Or make an oatstraw bath by adding two quarts of infusion to your bath water.
* Garden sage (Salvia) is an ancient ally for emotionally-distressed women. In some societies, only crones were allowed to drink the brew made from the nubbly leaves (at least partly because it delays menses and dries up breast milk). Make an infusion (see oatstraw); drink by mixing a few spoonfuls of the dense brew into hot water or warm milk; add honey to taste. The undiluted infusion keeps for weeks refrigerated.
* Behavioral and interpersonal therapies are as effective as drugs in relieving depression. Not only that, two-thirds of those who simply read about therapy improve significantly.
* Thirty minutes of aerobic exercise, especially soon after awakening, has been shown to help women whose depression is resistant to all treatments, including drugs.
* Sleep less. If you are a woman who overproduces a normal depression-causing substance which accompanies sleep you will feel depressed and often find it difficult to wake up. Sleeping more will only compound the problem. Instead, stay up all night once a week. If you can’t cope with no sleep, even mild sleep deprivation (such as sleeping five hours or less for two nights in a row) dramatically decreases depressive symptoms in some people.
* Low levels of calcium, zinc, and B vitamins are associated with depression. Get more by eating more cheese and yogurt, more garlic and mushrooms, more whole grains and beans.
* Lack of vitamin B12 doubles the risk of severe depression for older women. This critical nutrient, found only in animal products, is destroyed by tofu and soy beverage. Drink real milk, eat real cheese, eat meat at least occasionally and watch your mood improve :)
* 1600 mg of SAM-e (A-adenosylmethionine) relieved the symptoms of moderate depression as well as imipramine, but no better than Hypericum (St. J's wort). CAUTION: Of the brands tested by Consumer Reports, only Natrol, Nature Made, TwinLab, and GNC passed all tests.
* Avoid hormone replacement - ERT/HRT - if you're depressed; it's strongly associated with an increase in suicide attempts.
* Women who used to take lithium say they have gradually switched over to skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora). A dose of infusion is one cup/250 ml or more per day; of fresh plant tincture is 5-8 drops twice a day; of the dried plant tincture is a dropperful/1 ml several times a day. CAUTION: Skullcap can make you sleepy.
* For women whose depression resists all other therapies, electro-convulsive treatments (ECT), previously known as shock treatments, have been updated with special care taken to minimize harm. The women I spoke with who were using ECT told me it was incredibly effective, and the side-effects, including severe memory loss, acceptable to them. From doing nothing, to ECT, the range of remedies available to depressed women is enormous. To help you choose wisely, these effective, simple Wise Woman remedies are in order of safety: the safest remedies first, and the most dangerous ones last.
This is a shortened version of the depression section in New Menopausal Years the Wise Woman Way, available through www.ashtreepublishing.com or your favorite bookseller.
If you liked this article you will want to visit Susun Weed online at www.susunweed.com
About the Author
Vibrant, passionate, and involved, Susun Weed has garnered an international reputation for her groundbreaking lectures, teachings, and writings on health and nutrition. She challenges conventional medical approaches with humor, insight, and her vast encyclopedic knowledge of herbal medicine. Susun is one of America's best-known authorities on herbal medicine and natural approaches to women's health.
For information about brain scans for depression, visit
http://yourdepressioninfo.com/brainscanfordepression/
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Facing Your Brain - Taking Control
Charleston S.C., June 7, 2003 -- If you or someone you know or love suffers from depression, withdrawal or mental mbalance
the best way to beat any problem is to learn what it is, what it does and how to use that knowledge to overcome it.
Learn what memories are, what type of mental processing you have and how to use that knowledge to help yourself.
By examining the synapse, drugs that effect the synapse and what the drugs are really doing results in learning how to recover from withdrawal symptoms associated with stopping synaptic based medication.
Learn about the dynamic system of the brain and how you know that you know.
Facing Your Brain - Taking Control is published at http://www.enticypress.com .
For information about bipolar depression symptoms, visit
http://yourdepressioninfo.com/bipolardepressionsymptoms/
the best way to beat any problem is to learn what it is, what it does and how to use that knowledge to overcome it.
Learn what memories are, what type of mental processing you have and how to use that knowledge to help yourself.
By examining the synapse, drugs that effect the synapse and what the drugs are really doing results in learning how to recover from withdrawal symptoms associated with stopping synaptic based medication.
Learn about the dynamic system of the brain and how you know that you know.
Facing Your Brain - Taking Control is published at http://www.enticypress.com .
For information about bipolar depression symptoms, visit
http://yourdepressioninfo.com/bipolardepressionsymptoms/
Monday, August 27, 2007
Obese, Diabetic and Chronic Pain Patient Discovers Vitamin Which Eliminated His Depression and Anxiety - My Story
September 6, 2004 -- Michael Hansen, 50, an obese diabetic who suffered major injuries from an auto accident years ago, has had chronic pain everyday. The pain was so severe he had to quit working 3 years ago. Depression and even anxiety were a daily battle. Michael started thinking about suicide in the last few months. The pain was wearing him down and he couldn't think or focus.
Michael had been selling vitamins online, but he had not yet ordered them for his own consumption. So, out of desperation, he ordered a bottle and tried them. The vitamins were ordered from the internet. The site is located at:
http://www.worlds-best-vitamins.com.
The vitamin is relatively new and the name of the product is, "The Greatest Vitamin In The World". Michael was amazed to discover by that evening, his depression and anxiety had disappeared. It has been several days and the depression or anxiety have not returned.
"I now believe that my depression was caused by some sort of nutritional deficiency. My body must have really needed those vitamins." Michael said.
It just goes to show that if you sell something, you should try the product.
"Needless to say, I am sold on the quality of this product and I am proud to be a distributor, Michael said."
"I'm not promising they will do the same for you, I am just telling my story and how I benefited from them."
The result was so startling I felt I had to tell others about it. I realized I was not eating right and being diabetic, I suppose that my moods were negatively impacted by improper diet and nutrition.
For information about bipolar depression, visit
http://yourdepressioninfo.com/bipolardepression/
Michael had been selling vitamins online, but he had not yet ordered them for his own consumption. So, out of desperation, he ordered a bottle and tried them. The vitamins were ordered from the internet. The site is located at:
http://www.worlds-best-vitamins.com.
The vitamin is relatively new and the name of the product is, "The Greatest Vitamin In The World". Michael was amazed to discover by that evening, his depression and anxiety had disappeared. It has been several days and the depression or anxiety have not returned.
"I now believe that my depression was caused by some sort of nutritional deficiency. My body must have really needed those vitamins." Michael said.
It just goes to show that if you sell something, you should try the product.
"Needless to say, I am sold on the quality of this product and I am proud to be a distributor, Michael said."
"I'm not promising they will do the same for you, I am just telling my story and how I benefited from them."
The result was so startling I felt I had to tell others about it. I realized I was not eating right and being diabetic, I suppose that my moods were negatively impacted by improper diet and nutrition.
For information about bipolar depression, visit
http://yourdepressioninfo.com/bipolardepression/
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Depression After Delivery (DAD) is a nonprofit, national postpartum depression education/support organization
July 12, 2004, Raritan, NJ—The organization known as D.A.D. is asking for help.
Depression After Delivery Inc., a national nonprofit providing support, education, and referral to families at risk during ante- and postpartum depression and related illnesses, is seeking to strengthen partnerships and collaborations so as to reach its 20th anniversary next year and beyond.
Since its founding in 1985 by Nancy Berchtold, a Pennsylvania woman who experienced postpartum complications, it has helped thousands of families with ante- and postpartum depression/psychosis (PPD) that, if unrecognized or inadequately treated, can result in tragic outcomes.
D.A.D. offers a toll-free line, 1-800-944-4PPD, for families and professionals to obtain information. It offers parent packs with national volunteer phone support network and support group listings, a national professional referral registry, professional pack with screening tools as well as publications and an educational video.
D.A.D. first received attention more than a decade ago on the Phil Donahue show. Since then its volunteer board members have appeared on Geraldo, Oprah, Oxegen, Lifetime and other outlets as well as served as sources in Newsweek, Chicago Sun-Times, Parent, American Baby, and other publications. Its board members have authored books, journal articles, op-ed pieces, and other educational materials on the subject and served as expert legal consultants.
D.A.D. responds to more than 5,000 information/referral requests a year and has a family membership of more than 500. Its Web site, www.depressionafterdelivery.com, is an information clearinghouse for families and caregivers alike and receives more than 50,000 visitors a year.
Funding woes
Two years ago, two pharmaceutical companies provided $75,000 for fundraising seed money. D.A.D. paid $60,000 of those funds to a Florida fund development firm, which raised no funds. Currently the organization is seeking collaborative partnerships in order to survive, says Donna Cangialosi, the organization’s only paid staff and part-time administrator. “We’ve invested so much in this organization it would be a shame to simply lock the door and walk away,” she said.
Parents say the organization’s mission is imperative. Katherine Stone, a D.A.D. member who wrote a personal account of postpartum depression in the June 7, 2004 Newsweek, agrees. “D.A.D. serves women all over the country by serving to provide sorely needed information on the various postpartum disorders that exist,” says Stone of Fayetteville, Ga.
“When I went to see a therapist in desperate need of help, she told me about Depression After Delivery and thought I might find comfort with this group. I think it is an extremely important organization, and that every psychiatrist and obstetrician's office ought to know about it. The idea that D.A.D. might go away because of lack of funding is simply unacceptable.”
D.A.D. president Joyce Venis says the organization’s mission is unique because it directly serves families. “I am greatly saddened by D.A.D.’s current situation,” said Venis, a health care practitioner in Princeton, N.J. “Having been with the organization for almost forever, I know its importance. It is so difficult to have trusted supposed professionals to raise funds for us who failed to do so. The money invested is a great loss, but even more so is the faith we put in these people. It is unconscionable for those of us who truly care.”
Serving a great need
Testimonials on D.A.D.’s Web site, newsletter and news articles attest to the countless families who, through adequate education, support and treatment, experience positive outcomes. In worst cases severe PPD can be deadly—resulting in suicides and/or infanticides that shake society’s soul.
In 2001, for example, five Chicago-area women reportedly committed suicide from postpartum depression/psychosis. One D.A.D. member, Carol Blocker, has led the fight to recognize the deadly consequences of the illness. Her daughter, Melanie Stokes, was a pharmaceutical sales manager and wife of a surgeon who leapt to her death three months after the birth of her first child. The Melanie Stokes Postpartum Depression Research and Care Act, introduced by Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Ill) (HR 846/S 450), has bipartisan support and awaits a full hearing that would help fund essential care and preventative/screening measures. If passed, the Mental Health Parity Act, introduced by the late Sen. Paul Wellstone (D-Minn.), could also help families in postpartum crises.
Up to 80 percent of new mothers experience the “baby blues,” a mild mood disorder that includes crying and feeling low and lasts a few days or weeks. Some 10 to 15 percent experience a mild to severe clinical depression, which may include insomnia, anxiety, panic attacks, fears/obsessive behaviors, thoughts about hurting the baby/self or inability to care for self/baby. One or two in 1,000 new moms experience psychosis, a break from reality and a medical emergency.
For more information or to donate to the organization, visit www.depressionafterdelivery.com or contact Cangialosi at 1-800-944-4PPD.
-30-
Sidebar: Postpartum Help for Fathers
Postpartum depression and related illness were recognized as a unique biological phenomenon in birth mothers as early as 400 A.D. by Hippocrates, the father of medicine, however, today’s fathers and adoptive or foster parents can also be at risk.
The June 14, 2004 issue of Medical News Today reported that StatsCan Canadian Community Health Survey on Mental Health and Well Being found that men can also be vulnerable to depression during an exhaustive or stressful transition to parenthood. The article calls men’s mental health in general a “sleeper issue” that is just beginning to receive attention (www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=9475). In addition, fathers, may have a need for support and information when their partners are undergoing PPD.
Depression After Delivery Inc. is a national nonprofit organization providing support, education, and referral to families at risk during ante- and postpartum depression and related illness. It offers a special web page for fathers at www.depressionafterdelivery.com. Fathers can request an info pack at 1-800-944-4PPD that includes a national volunteer phone network of fathers, mothers and others.
Fathers can find additional support at the Web site www.postpartumdads.org.
-30-
Editor's note: For more information:
Donna Cangialosi, Administrator Depression After Delivery
908-541-9712; dadorg@earthlink.net
Joyce Venis, RNC, DAD President, 609-683-1000 or other board member through Cangialosi
Carol Blocker, Stokes Foundation, 312-225-1310
Katherine Stone, stonecallis@msn.com
For information about a biological perspective on manic-depression, visit
http://yourdepressioninfo.com/biologicalperspectivemanicdepression/
Depression After Delivery Inc., a national nonprofit providing support, education, and referral to families at risk during ante- and postpartum depression and related illnesses, is seeking to strengthen partnerships and collaborations so as to reach its 20th anniversary next year and beyond.
Since its founding in 1985 by Nancy Berchtold, a Pennsylvania woman who experienced postpartum complications, it has helped thousands of families with ante- and postpartum depression/psychosis (PPD) that, if unrecognized or inadequately treated, can result in tragic outcomes.
D.A.D. offers a toll-free line, 1-800-944-4PPD, for families and professionals to obtain information. It offers parent packs with national volunteer phone support network and support group listings, a national professional referral registry, professional pack with screening tools as well as publications and an educational video.
D.A.D. first received attention more than a decade ago on the Phil Donahue show. Since then its volunteer board members have appeared on Geraldo, Oprah, Oxegen, Lifetime and other outlets as well as served as sources in Newsweek, Chicago Sun-Times, Parent, American Baby, and other publications. Its board members have authored books, journal articles, op-ed pieces, and other educational materials on the subject and served as expert legal consultants.
D.A.D. responds to more than 5,000 information/referral requests a year and has a family membership of more than 500. Its Web site, www.depressionafterdelivery.com, is an information clearinghouse for families and caregivers alike and receives more than 50,000 visitors a year.
Funding woes
Two years ago, two pharmaceutical companies provided $75,000 for fundraising seed money. D.A.D. paid $60,000 of those funds to a Florida fund development firm, which raised no funds. Currently the organization is seeking collaborative partnerships in order to survive, says Donna Cangialosi, the organization’s only paid staff and part-time administrator. “We’ve invested so much in this organization it would be a shame to simply lock the door and walk away,” she said.
Parents say the organization’s mission is imperative. Katherine Stone, a D.A.D. member who wrote a personal account of postpartum depression in the June 7, 2004 Newsweek, agrees. “D.A.D. serves women all over the country by serving to provide sorely needed information on the various postpartum disorders that exist,” says Stone of Fayetteville, Ga.
“When I went to see a therapist in desperate need of help, she told me about Depression After Delivery and thought I might find comfort with this group. I think it is an extremely important organization, and that every psychiatrist and obstetrician's office ought to know about it. The idea that D.A.D. might go away because of lack of funding is simply unacceptable.”
D.A.D. president Joyce Venis says the organization’s mission is unique because it directly serves families. “I am greatly saddened by D.A.D.’s current situation,” said Venis, a health care practitioner in Princeton, N.J. “Having been with the organization for almost forever, I know its importance. It is so difficult to have trusted supposed professionals to raise funds for us who failed to do so. The money invested is a great loss, but even more so is the faith we put in these people. It is unconscionable for those of us who truly care.”
Serving a great need
Testimonials on D.A.D.’s Web site, newsletter and news articles attest to the countless families who, through adequate education, support and treatment, experience positive outcomes. In worst cases severe PPD can be deadly—resulting in suicides and/or infanticides that shake society’s soul.
In 2001, for example, five Chicago-area women reportedly committed suicide from postpartum depression/psychosis. One D.A.D. member, Carol Blocker, has led the fight to recognize the deadly consequences of the illness. Her daughter, Melanie Stokes, was a pharmaceutical sales manager and wife of a surgeon who leapt to her death three months after the birth of her first child. The Melanie Stokes Postpartum Depression Research and Care Act, introduced by Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Ill) (HR 846/S 450), has bipartisan support and awaits a full hearing that would help fund essential care and preventative/screening measures. If passed, the Mental Health Parity Act, introduced by the late Sen. Paul Wellstone (D-Minn.), could also help families in postpartum crises.
Up to 80 percent of new mothers experience the “baby blues,” a mild mood disorder that includes crying and feeling low and lasts a few days or weeks. Some 10 to 15 percent experience a mild to severe clinical depression, which may include insomnia, anxiety, panic attacks, fears/obsessive behaviors, thoughts about hurting the baby/self or inability to care for self/baby. One or two in 1,000 new moms experience psychosis, a break from reality and a medical emergency.
For more information or to donate to the organization, visit www.depressionafterdelivery.com or contact Cangialosi at 1-800-944-4PPD.
-30-
Sidebar: Postpartum Help for Fathers
Postpartum depression and related illness were recognized as a unique biological phenomenon in birth mothers as early as 400 A.D. by Hippocrates, the father of medicine, however, today’s fathers and adoptive or foster parents can also be at risk.
The June 14, 2004 issue of Medical News Today reported that StatsCan Canadian Community Health Survey on Mental Health and Well Being found that men can also be vulnerable to depression during an exhaustive or stressful transition to parenthood. The article calls men’s mental health in general a “sleeper issue” that is just beginning to receive attention (www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=9475). In addition, fathers, may have a need for support and information when their partners are undergoing PPD.
Depression After Delivery Inc. is a national nonprofit organization providing support, education, and referral to families at risk during ante- and postpartum depression and related illness. It offers a special web page for fathers at www.depressionafterdelivery.com. Fathers can request an info pack at 1-800-944-4PPD that includes a national volunteer phone network of fathers, mothers and others.
Fathers can find additional support at the Web site www.postpartumdads.org.
-30-
Editor's note: For more information:
Donna Cangialosi, Administrator Depression After Delivery
908-541-9712; dadorg@earthlink.net
Joyce Venis, RNC, DAD President, 609-683-1000 or other board member through Cangialosi
Carol Blocker, Stokes Foundation, 312-225-1310
Katherine Stone, stonecallis@msn.com
For information about a biological perspective on manic-depression, visit
http://yourdepressioninfo.com/biologicalperspectivemanicdepression/
Saturday, August 25, 2007
Depression – Cairns groundbreaking talk on using food for mood.
April 5 2004--In an address to the Cairns Mental Health Association on March 23rd professional health writer and speaker Andrew Cavanagh explained the scientific basis for a comprehensive diet and lifestyle protocol to reverse depression.
Andrew Cavanagh writes a weekly health feature for regional newspapers called Health Watch. He is a member of the Australasian Medical Writers Association.
Mr Cavanagh is also the author of “From depression to glorious health in six steps”, “One hour to glorious health and permanent weight loss” (both available for free download at www.glorioushealth.cjb.net) and a free eighteen part online course “Reversing all chronic disease” available by sending a blank email to glorioushealth@freeautobot.com.
The book “From depression to glorious health” outlines a comprehensive step by step approach using diet and lifestyle changes as the major therapies to reverse depression.
“Each of these approaches has good scientific or clinical evidence. Each has effectively treated patients with depression in the past.
“More exciting though is the combination of therapies. Often improving many key areas like diet, sleep, exercise and emotional health is far more effective than a single therapy.
“Recent studies have supported the idea of multiple therapies to treat depression. Like most diseases, several factors cause depression. So it makes sense to use several different therapies in your efforts to reverse depression.
“The book From depression to glorious health (free download at www.glorioushealth.cjb.net) outlines all the major areas of health including diet, exercise, sleep, hygiene and emotional health and describes how they relate to depression.
“More important the book is full of simple instructions and practical tips to improve these areas in your life.”
Mr Cavanagh is now embarking on a speaking tour of Australia beginning in Sydney in late May. He is speaking to clubs, groups, associations and the increasingly health conscious corporate market.
“Several studies have found depression costs business more in lost productivity than any other disease. The costs average out at approximately A$772 every year for every employee in a company.
“A company with 150 employees could be losing over $100,000 every year to depression.
“The solution can be quite simple. We have enough knowledge now to formulate a diet and lifestyle approach anyone can use.”
For a limited time you can download a free copy of From depression to glorious health at www.glorioushealth.cjb.net.
For the breakthrough free diet and lifestyle course reversing all chronic disease and guaranteeing weight loss - 18 Free information packed lessons by email - send a blank email to glorioushealth@freeautobot.com.
To book Andrew Cavanagh for his Food 4 Mood talk for organizations or Healthy people make healthy profits seminar – turn your huge hidden health costs into huge healthy profits, email Andrew Cavanagh’s office: andrewcavanagh1@bigpond.com.au He will be in Sydney after May 20th, 2004. Dates are limited.
For information about clinical depression treatment, visit
http://yourdepressioninfo.com/clinicaldepressiontreatment/
Andrew Cavanagh writes a weekly health feature for regional newspapers called Health Watch. He is a member of the Australasian Medical Writers Association.
Mr Cavanagh is also the author of “From depression to glorious health in six steps”, “One hour to glorious health and permanent weight loss” (both available for free download at www.glorioushealth.cjb.net) and a free eighteen part online course “Reversing all chronic disease” available by sending a blank email to glorioushealth@freeautobot.com.
The book “From depression to glorious health” outlines a comprehensive step by step approach using diet and lifestyle changes as the major therapies to reverse depression.
“Each of these approaches has good scientific or clinical evidence. Each has effectively treated patients with depression in the past.
“More exciting though is the combination of therapies. Often improving many key areas like diet, sleep, exercise and emotional health is far more effective than a single therapy.
“Recent studies have supported the idea of multiple therapies to treat depression. Like most diseases, several factors cause depression. So it makes sense to use several different therapies in your efforts to reverse depression.
“The book From depression to glorious health (free download at www.glorioushealth.cjb.net) outlines all the major areas of health including diet, exercise, sleep, hygiene and emotional health and describes how they relate to depression.
“More important the book is full of simple instructions and practical tips to improve these areas in your life.”
Mr Cavanagh is now embarking on a speaking tour of Australia beginning in Sydney in late May. He is speaking to clubs, groups, associations and the increasingly health conscious corporate market.
“Several studies have found depression costs business more in lost productivity than any other disease. The costs average out at approximately A$772 every year for every employee in a company.
“A company with 150 employees could be losing over $100,000 every year to depression.
“The solution can be quite simple. We have enough knowledge now to formulate a diet and lifestyle approach anyone can use.”
For a limited time you can download a free copy of From depression to glorious health at www.glorioushealth.cjb.net.
For the breakthrough free diet and lifestyle course reversing all chronic disease and guaranteeing weight loss - 18 Free information packed lessons by email - send a blank email to glorioushealth@freeautobot.com.
To book Andrew Cavanagh for his Food 4 Mood talk for organizations or Healthy people make healthy profits seminar – turn your huge hidden health costs into huge healthy profits, email Andrew Cavanagh’s office: andrewcavanagh1@bigpond.com.au He will be in Sydney after May 20th, 2004. Dates are limited.
For information about clinical depression treatment, visit
http://yourdepressioninfo.com/clinicaldepressiontreatment/
Friday, August 24, 2007
Postpartum Depression
POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION
by Rexanne Mancini
The case against Andrea Yates, accused of drowning her five young children, is disturbing and horrible. Despite what you may think of Andrea Yates or the tragic circumstances surrounding the death of her children, her postpartum depression (PPD) defense will either serve to enlighten more people to the devastating affects of PPD or throw the study of this very real mental illness into the dark ages. While many doctors and psychologists have made great strides in understanding PPD and helping its victims, these same doctors and mental health professionals worry that bad publicity and ridicule could destroy PPD’s credibility and their efforts at gaining more funding and study of this disease.
For some women, PPD can be a nightmare. While her family and friends expect her to be joyous and elated over the birth of her child, a woman can be sinking into the darkest corners of despair, unable to cope with an infant, the biological changes surging through her body and the severe depression overwhelming her brain. As joyously anticipated as the birth of her baby was, a postpartum woman can become riddled with severe anxiety over her ability to care for her newborn, her self-esteem can plummet and her brain’s chemical changes can produce intolerable levels of panic. This is no one’s “fault.” It is a condition that can strike even the ordinarily soundest individual.
PPD is classified as a mental illness. Only a non-professional would categorize it as a character flaw or weakness. PPD is real, at times to the point of severe psychosis and should be treated as soon as the new mother begins to feel any mental or emotional changes that could affect her ability to care for her newborn. Even though some women will refuse to believe PPD is happening to them, her family, friends and especially her husband must be alert to the possibility of this condition. While you, I and most women we know might have breezed through the first year after the birth of our children with only occasional surges of panic or moments of near collapse, a significant percentage of women suffer more serious PPD. Only one percent succumb to actual psychosis leading to the tragic harm or death of babies and sometimes themselves. The greatest threat is denial of their symptoms.
Early identification and treatment of PPD are the keys to successful therapy. If you or a new mother you know is suffering from even the slightest feelings of depression, anxiety or inadequacy, seek immediate help. The birth doctor will be able to identify the severity of symptoms and prescribe appropriate treatment.
Copyright – 2002 – Rexanne Mancini
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rexanne Mancini is the mother of two daughters, Justice and Liberty. She is a novelist, freelance writer and maintains an extensive yet informal parenting and family web site, Rexanne.com – http://www.rexanne.com -Visit her site for good advice, award-winning Internet holiday pages and some humor to help you cope. Subscribe to her free newsletter, Rexanne’s Web Review, for a monthly dose of Rexanne: http://www.rexanne.com/rwr-archives.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For information about the best antidepressant for GAD, visit
http://yourdepressioninfo.com/bestantidepressantforgad/
by Rexanne Mancini
The case against Andrea Yates, accused of drowning her five young children, is disturbing and horrible. Despite what you may think of Andrea Yates or the tragic circumstances surrounding the death of her children, her postpartum depression (PPD) defense will either serve to enlighten more people to the devastating affects of PPD or throw the study of this very real mental illness into the dark ages. While many doctors and psychologists have made great strides in understanding PPD and helping its victims, these same doctors and mental health professionals worry that bad publicity and ridicule could destroy PPD’s credibility and their efforts at gaining more funding and study of this disease.
For some women, PPD can be a nightmare. While her family and friends expect her to be joyous and elated over the birth of her child, a woman can be sinking into the darkest corners of despair, unable to cope with an infant, the biological changes surging through her body and the severe depression overwhelming her brain. As joyously anticipated as the birth of her baby was, a postpartum woman can become riddled with severe anxiety over her ability to care for her newborn, her self-esteem can plummet and her brain’s chemical changes can produce intolerable levels of panic. This is no one’s “fault.” It is a condition that can strike even the ordinarily soundest individual.
PPD is classified as a mental illness. Only a non-professional would categorize it as a character flaw or weakness. PPD is real, at times to the point of severe psychosis and should be treated as soon as the new mother begins to feel any mental or emotional changes that could affect her ability to care for her newborn. Even though some women will refuse to believe PPD is happening to them, her family, friends and especially her husband must be alert to the possibility of this condition. While you, I and most women we know might have breezed through the first year after the birth of our children with only occasional surges of panic or moments of near collapse, a significant percentage of women suffer more serious PPD. Only one percent succumb to actual psychosis leading to the tragic harm or death of babies and sometimes themselves. The greatest threat is denial of their symptoms.
Early identification and treatment of PPD are the keys to successful therapy. If you or a new mother you know is suffering from even the slightest feelings of depression, anxiety or inadequacy, seek immediate help. The birth doctor will be able to identify the severity of symptoms and prescribe appropriate treatment.
Copyright – 2002 – Rexanne Mancini
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rexanne Mancini is the mother of two daughters, Justice and Liberty. She is a novelist, freelance writer and maintains an extensive yet informal parenting and family web site, Rexanne.com – http://www.rexanne.com -Visit her site for good advice, award-winning Internet holiday pages and some humor to help you cope. Subscribe to her free newsletter, Rexanne’s Web Review, for a monthly dose of Rexanne: http://www.rexanne.com/rwr-archives.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For information about the best antidepressant for GAD, visit
http://yourdepressioninfo.com/bestantidepressantforgad/
Thursday, August 23, 2007
PROVEN NEW APPROACH HELPS PEOPLE IMMOBILIZED BY DEPRESSION ENJOY THEIR LIVES AGAIN
PROVEN NEW APPROACH HELPS PEOPLE IMMOBILIZED BY DEPRESSION ENJOY THEIR LIVES AGAIN
PHOENIX RISING: 12 GOLDEN KEYS TO UNLOCK YOUR DEPRESSION provides an innovative 12-step recovery program that's said to be "The Best Book Ever Written on Depression!"
About 10% of the US population is depressed at any given moment. Depression affects the way an individual thinks, feels, and interacts with others and robs the sufferer from normal everyday pleasures.
Many people suffering from depression will not seek help. They feel helpless and hopeless. Friends and family members often cannot even begin to understand what a depressed individual is actually going through.
Anthony J. Schwarz, the author of Phoenix Rising:12 Golden Keys to Unlock Your Depression (ISBN 0-9708747-0-7) was one of those individuals suffering from depression. It was a form of depression known as Bi-polar, a form of depression that is followed by episodes of mania, or "drug-less" highs. Tony spent years studying, tracking and recording his own mental roller coaster ride so he could better describe to other sufferers and their families what it would take to rise out of severe depression. After years of research, experimenting with various medications and involvement with many self-help groups, Tony took control of his own life by developing and applying the "12 Golden Keys". His legacy is a gift to those in need of help
Written in easy-to-understand terms, Phoenix Rising provides valuable insights that not only helps the sufferer, but also helps friends and family learn more by hearing first hand the conflict, guilt, and helplessness one with depression experiences. But by combining spiritual principles with the 12-step model for chemical dependency (first founded by Alcoholics Anonymous) and merging these practices with holistic health habits, the book introduces the reader to a unique and fresh new approach to dealing with depression.
The reader also learns about what to change (eating, exercise, and attitude) and what not to change (religious beliefs, significant relationships, and jobs). The book is written in simple, non-technical terms from a depressive s viewpoint and promises to be a first of its kind.
After reading Phoenix Rising, reader Bill Butler's response was "it is wonderful to have someone who has been there to talk to me as opposed to examining my depression like I m a rat in a cage. Very refreshing."
Media Questions Call for review copies, media kits, interview and additional information. Call us at 877-594-9076
Ordering information: You may obtain this new 184-page book from bookstores as well as directly from the publisher for $15.95 plus $4.50 for shipping and handling. Just call our ordering department at 888-934-7755. Or visit our website: http://www.tpgpub.com. Satisfaction is guaranteed.
Phoenix Rising: 12 Golden Keys to Unlock Your Depression by Anthony J. Schwarz. New release, softcover, 6 x 9, 184 pages, four-color cover. ISBN 0-9708747-0-7, $15.95.
For information about the best antidepressant, visit
http://yourdepressioninfo.com/bestantidepressant/
PHOENIX RISING: 12 GOLDEN KEYS TO UNLOCK YOUR DEPRESSION provides an innovative 12-step recovery program that's said to be "The Best Book Ever Written on Depression!"
About 10% of the US population is depressed at any given moment. Depression affects the way an individual thinks, feels, and interacts with others and robs the sufferer from normal everyday pleasures.
Many people suffering from depression will not seek help. They feel helpless and hopeless. Friends and family members often cannot even begin to understand what a depressed individual is actually going through.
Anthony J. Schwarz, the author of Phoenix Rising:12 Golden Keys to Unlock Your Depression (ISBN 0-9708747-0-7) was one of those individuals suffering from depression. It was a form of depression known as Bi-polar, a form of depression that is followed by episodes of mania, or "drug-less" highs. Tony spent years studying, tracking and recording his own mental roller coaster ride so he could better describe to other sufferers and their families what it would take to rise out of severe depression. After years of research, experimenting with various medications and involvement with many self-help groups, Tony took control of his own life by developing and applying the "12 Golden Keys". His legacy is a gift to those in need of help
Written in easy-to-understand terms, Phoenix Rising provides valuable insights that not only helps the sufferer, but also helps friends and family learn more by hearing first hand the conflict, guilt, and helplessness one with depression experiences. But by combining spiritual principles with the 12-step model for chemical dependency (first founded by Alcoholics Anonymous) and merging these practices with holistic health habits, the book introduces the reader to a unique and fresh new approach to dealing with depression.
The reader also learns about what to change (eating, exercise, and attitude) and what not to change (religious beliefs, significant relationships, and jobs). The book is written in simple, non-technical terms from a depressive s viewpoint and promises to be a first of its kind.
After reading Phoenix Rising, reader Bill Butler's response was "it is wonderful to have someone who has been there to talk to me as opposed to examining my depression like I m a rat in a cage. Very refreshing."
Media Questions Call for review copies, media kits, interview and additional information. Call us at 877-594-9076
Ordering information: You may obtain this new 184-page book from bookstores as well as directly from the publisher for $15.95 plus $4.50 for shipping and handling. Just call our ordering department at 888-934-7755. Or visit our website: http://www.tpgpub.com. Satisfaction is guaranteed.
Phoenix Rising: 12 Golden Keys to Unlock Your Depression by Anthony J. Schwarz. New release, softcover, 6 x 9, 184 pages, four-color cover. ISBN 0-9708747-0-7, $15.95.
For information about the best antidepressant, visit
http://yourdepressioninfo.com/bestantidepressant/
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Depression and Disability, the Real Reality
New York - New York, USA February 27, 2004 Calgary - AB, Canada -- For those of us that have been hit by a disability we understand the loss of freedom, the loss of independence, the loss of what we use to do and the reality of what we can do now. For most of us it causes a depression second to nothing we have ever experienced.
There seems to be a stigma attached to someone with a disability. Llano Gorman knows this far to well. Mr Gorman had a major accident when he was thirty years old. He was on a ladder, the ladder broke he crashed down breaking his tibia, fibula causing a spiral fracture and blowing out his ankle. Gorman at that time had an active family life with three great kids (all below the age of ten) and an understanding wife. This accident caused depression not just in him but his whole family. Gorman puts it this way … “you never think this could ever happen to you, in a split second your life changes. You find out who you are, and what you are made of.”
Some of the depression came from having to walk with a cane. Gorman was an accomplished athlete, Football, Soccer, Archery, and even Martial Arts. He wanted his kids to be in that world. This tore him apart. Due to the injury, Gorman's right ankle has been fused and he walks with the aid of a special support in his boot. He didn't want to use a cane, but his doctor warned him of the consequences.
"My doctor said hip surgery would be next if I didn't start using a cane," Gorman recalls. "Walking unaided when a cane is medically warranted can prolong an injury, and in some cases, make the injury worse."
In the mist of all the depression, the pain and the loss, Gorman came up with an idea that would help his family and himself. It would even make him feel that he was helping others deal with their injury. Llano hated using his cane because it was so... Medical. He saw an instant opportunity. He set up a Web site, CanesCanada.com ™, and began sourcing, importing and selling a wide variety of canes and walking sticks. And don't simply think of a cane as a wooden stick with a crook for a handle. He has sticks that convert to Fishing Rods, Pool Que, Elegant Silver Canes, Canes with stones. You name it.. he just might have it.
Llano still has his times of Depression, however he has regained his life. He is moving forward. His Company is now two years old and he thinks it just might make a profit next year. If you wish to visit with him you can find him on the net www.canescanada.com or you can phone him toll free at 1-866-217-8091. One of his favourite sayings is “Walk with a Smile, and Walk with Style.™” His family is growing up and things are moving along. Far better than when he almost took his life.
Depression and Disability is a reality, however we can all learn a lesson. Helping others can help you take your eyes off of your disability and your depression. It will also make you some great new friends and help you regain your dignity and your life.
For information about the Beck Depresson Inventory, visit
http://yourdepressioninfo.com/beckdepressioninventory/
There seems to be a stigma attached to someone with a disability. Llano Gorman knows this far to well. Mr Gorman had a major accident when he was thirty years old. He was on a ladder, the ladder broke he crashed down breaking his tibia, fibula causing a spiral fracture and blowing out his ankle. Gorman at that time had an active family life with three great kids (all below the age of ten) and an understanding wife. This accident caused depression not just in him but his whole family. Gorman puts it this way … “you never think this could ever happen to you, in a split second your life changes. You find out who you are, and what you are made of.”
Some of the depression came from having to walk with a cane. Gorman was an accomplished athlete, Football, Soccer, Archery, and even Martial Arts. He wanted his kids to be in that world. This tore him apart. Due to the injury, Gorman's right ankle has been fused and he walks with the aid of a special support in his boot. He didn't want to use a cane, but his doctor warned him of the consequences.
"My doctor said hip surgery would be next if I didn't start using a cane," Gorman recalls. "Walking unaided when a cane is medically warranted can prolong an injury, and in some cases, make the injury worse."
In the mist of all the depression, the pain and the loss, Gorman came up with an idea that would help his family and himself. It would even make him feel that he was helping others deal with their injury. Llano hated using his cane because it was so... Medical. He saw an instant opportunity. He set up a Web site, CanesCanada.com ™, and began sourcing, importing and selling a wide variety of canes and walking sticks. And don't simply think of a cane as a wooden stick with a crook for a handle. He has sticks that convert to Fishing Rods, Pool Que, Elegant Silver Canes, Canes with stones. You name it.. he just might have it.
Llano still has his times of Depression, however he has regained his life. He is moving forward. His Company is now two years old and he thinks it just might make a profit next year. If you wish to visit with him you can find him on the net www.canescanada.com or you can phone him toll free at 1-866-217-8091. One of his favourite sayings is “Walk with a Smile, and Walk with Style.™” His family is growing up and things are moving along. Far better than when he almost took his life.
Depression and Disability is a reality, however we can all learn a lesson. Helping others can help you take your eyes off of your disability and your depression. It will also make you some great new friends and help you regain your dignity and your life.
For information about the Beck Depresson Inventory, visit
http://yourdepressioninfo.com/beckdepressioninventory/
Monday, August 20, 2007
Are You Depressed?
New look at causes of depression in women. New ideas for solutions.
Q: Why are women more depressed than men? A: Because they have to live with men.
It’s an old joke in the battle of the sexes, but women do get diagnosed with depression more than men do.
Depression is reaching epidemic proportions, in the US and elsewhere. Are more women depressed than men? Or are women just more likely to seek treatment, while men “act out” the depression with anti-social behavior, alcohol and drugs?
New research by Turham Canli, Stanford University, suggests that estrogen may play a role in predisposing to depression.
He showed photographs to men and women, some of them emotionally neutral objects (a fire hydrant) and others emotionally disturbing (severed hand). Three weeks later when he retested the subjects, the women were 15% more likely to remember the disturbing pictures.
Brain scans were done by fMRI which shows the actual activity of the brain as emotions are processed. It appears that women store both the memory and the emotion linked with it in the same parts of the brain. Men, on the other hand, while they use the same brain regions, store the memory in one area, and the emotion in another.
At the same time, environmental factors also play a role. Men are taught to stuff it down and be “manly,” while girls are expected to be “more emotional,” expressing their feelings openly.
The researchers leaped from this female way of remembering to depression. If that makes sense to you, learning emotional intelligence and optimism might help. Thirty years of research shows that optimists achieve more, are better motivated, have elevated mood and well-being, and perform better, and it can be learned. Learning how to “manage” those emotions that are stored with the memory would seem to indicated!
About the Author
Susan Dunn, The EQ Coach, GLOBAL EQ. Emotional intelligence coaching to enhance all areas of your life - career, relationships, midlife transition, resilience, self-esteem, parenting. EQ Alive! - excellent, accelerated, affordable EQ coach certification. Susan is the author of numerous ebooks, is widely published on the Internet, and a regular speaker for cruise lines. For marketing services go here
For information about aurorix antidepressant, visit
http://yourdepressioninfo.com/aurorixantidepressant/
Q: Why are women more depressed than men? A: Because they have to live with men.
It’s an old joke in the battle of the sexes, but women do get diagnosed with depression more than men do.
Depression is reaching epidemic proportions, in the US and elsewhere. Are more women depressed than men? Or are women just more likely to seek treatment, while men “act out” the depression with anti-social behavior, alcohol and drugs?
New research by Turham Canli, Stanford University, suggests that estrogen may play a role in predisposing to depression.
He showed photographs to men and women, some of them emotionally neutral objects (a fire hydrant) and others emotionally disturbing (severed hand). Three weeks later when he retested the subjects, the women were 15% more likely to remember the disturbing pictures.
Brain scans were done by fMRI which shows the actual activity of the brain as emotions are processed. It appears that women store both the memory and the emotion linked with it in the same parts of the brain. Men, on the other hand, while they use the same brain regions, store the memory in one area, and the emotion in another.
At the same time, environmental factors also play a role. Men are taught to stuff it down and be “manly,” while girls are expected to be “more emotional,” expressing their feelings openly.
The researchers leaped from this female way of remembering to depression. If that makes sense to you, learning emotional intelligence and optimism might help. Thirty years of research shows that optimists achieve more, are better motivated, have elevated mood and well-being, and perform better, and it can be learned. Learning how to “manage” those emotions that are stored with the memory would seem to indicated!
About the Author
Susan Dunn, The EQ Coach, GLOBAL EQ. Emotional intelligence coaching to enhance all areas of your life - career, relationships, midlife transition, resilience, self-esteem, parenting. EQ Alive! - excellent, accelerated, affordable EQ coach certification. Susan is the author of numerous ebooks, is widely published on the Internet, and a regular speaker for cruise lines. For marketing services go here
For information about aurorix antidepressant, visit
http://yourdepressioninfo.com/aurorixantidepressant/
Sunday, August 19, 2007
5 Tips to Reduce Depression
While war and poor economic conditions begin to affect people all over the world, more and more people suffer with depression. The more we focus on news events and the business climate, the more we are depressed. Whatever the reason you feel is the cause of your depression, the following five simple tips guarantee you reduce it significantly.
1. Do not read newspapers.
Newspapers publish negative stories most of the time. Even in peaceful periods, newspapers will find the worst in humanity and place negative stories on display in order to promote sales and subscribers. Stories focused on War, rebellion, death, destruction, doom and despair abound in the newspapers.
Stop reading the newspaper and reduce the negative input to your brain.
2. Turn off your television.
Watching and listening about the horrible economy and the losses associated with War will add to depression. In fact, you guarantee the feeling of helplessness. Helplessness allows depression to nurture. If you really need to watch or listen to these kinds of news stories, promise yourself you will bury yourself in the documentaries that are sure to follow in the next 5 or 10 years. A way you can eliminate most of the negative input to your brain is by setting it aside for a date somewhere in the future. I guarantee in the future, you will not find it very interesting.
When visitors come to your home, make sure you turn off your television and keep it off. News television broadcasters are fighting for your guests' attention as they promote despair, war, death, and destruction with many headline news interruptions. Those little banners that run across the bottom of the screen grab your attention and they take hold of your consciousness. Television will diminish your positive spirit.
3. Say good things about others
My mother always says, "if you can't say anything nice about others, don't say anything at all." However, when you find yourself in a conversation and a relative says, "Remember Uncle Phil?" " He was an alcoholic"; respond with " Yes, Uncle Phil was an alcoholic and he was the most charitable person, I have ever met."
Connect your relative's negative statement about Phil with a positive one. Set yourself up to find the positive in anyone's statement and you will keep negative thoughts and depression from overtaking your life.
4. Get physical exercise
Adults forget about exercise when suffering from depression. Make sure you are exercising daily and sending more oxygen to your brain cells. The result of exercise will improve your health as well as your attitude.
5. Breathe deep and relax.
Breathe deeply and relax. For 3 minutes each hour take a short mental vacation.
Practice the following breathing exercise to relax your body and mind. You can engage in this exercise while you are standing in the checkout line at the supermarket or when listening to others talking on a telephone. You can complete the exercise at home or at work.
Take three deep breathes and relax. As you inhale, concentrate on calm and peaceful thoughts. You may think about relaxing by a mountain, by the ocean or comfortably in your favorite room at home.
As you exhale, concentrate on pushing any tension out of your lungs. Focus on positive images in your life. Focus on laughter, love, excitement, and hope.
Keep breathing in and out in this pattern until you feel better. If you practice the exercise often, you will notice wonderful changes in your outlook and in other aspects of your life.
Let yourself feel great now!
Enjoy your family, your friends, and your life.
--Wayne F. Perkins
Copyright 2003 Wayne Perkins
About the Author
Wayne F. Perkins is a clinical hypnotherapist and author of "How to Hypnotize Yourself Without Losing Your Mind." and hypnosis distance education courses located at: http://www.wayneperkins.net/
"My mission in life is to help you achieve your mission in life."
wayne@wayneperkins.net
For information about severe clinical depression, visit
http://yourdepressioninfo.com/clinicaldepressionsevere/
1. Do not read newspapers.
Newspapers publish negative stories most of the time. Even in peaceful periods, newspapers will find the worst in humanity and place negative stories on display in order to promote sales and subscribers. Stories focused on War, rebellion, death, destruction, doom and despair abound in the newspapers.
Stop reading the newspaper and reduce the negative input to your brain.
2. Turn off your television.
Watching and listening about the horrible economy and the losses associated with War will add to depression. In fact, you guarantee the feeling of helplessness. Helplessness allows depression to nurture. If you really need to watch or listen to these kinds of news stories, promise yourself you will bury yourself in the documentaries that are sure to follow in the next 5 or 10 years. A way you can eliminate most of the negative input to your brain is by setting it aside for a date somewhere in the future. I guarantee in the future, you will not find it very interesting.
When visitors come to your home, make sure you turn off your television and keep it off. News television broadcasters are fighting for your guests' attention as they promote despair, war, death, and destruction with many headline news interruptions. Those little banners that run across the bottom of the screen grab your attention and they take hold of your consciousness. Television will diminish your positive spirit.
3. Say good things about others
My mother always says, "if you can't say anything nice about others, don't say anything at all." However, when you find yourself in a conversation and a relative says, "Remember Uncle Phil?" " He was an alcoholic"; respond with " Yes, Uncle Phil was an alcoholic and he was the most charitable person, I have ever met."
Connect your relative's negative statement about Phil with a positive one. Set yourself up to find the positive in anyone's statement and you will keep negative thoughts and depression from overtaking your life.
4. Get physical exercise
Adults forget about exercise when suffering from depression. Make sure you are exercising daily and sending more oxygen to your brain cells. The result of exercise will improve your health as well as your attitude.
5. Breathe deep and relax.
Breathe deeply and relax. For 3 minutes each hour take a short mental vacation.
Practice the following breathing exercise to relax your body and mind. You can engage in this exercise while you are standing in the checkout line at the supermarket or when listening to others talking on a telephone. You can complete the exercise at home or at work.
Take three deep breathes and relax. As you inhale, concentrate on calm and peaceful thoughts. You may think about relaxing by a mountain, by the ocean or comfortably in your favorite room at home.
As you exhale, concentrate on pushing any tension out of your lungs. Focus on positive images in your life. Focus on laughter, love, excitement, and hope.
Keep breathing in and out in this pattern until you feel better. If you practice the exercise often, you will notice wonderful changes in your outlook and in other aspects of your life.
Let yourself feel great now!
Enjoy your family, your friends, and your life.
--Wayne F. Perkins
Copyright 2003 Wayne Perkins
About the Author
Wayne F. Perkins is a clinical hypnotherapist and author of "How to Hypnotize Yourself Without Losing Your Mind." and hypnosis distance education courses located at: http://www.wayneperkins.net/
"My mission in life is to help you achieve your mission in life."
wayne@wayneperkins.net
For information about severe clinical depression, visit
http://yourdepressioninfo.com/clinicaldepressionsevere/
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Living With Depression
Andrea Yates shocked the nation when she admitted to systematically drowning her five children in their Texas home. This 36-year-old mother had previously been diagnosed with depression and consequently was prescribed antidepressants. Depression is an ancient and prevalent mental condition that has been referenced throughout history in song, poetry and literature. In a depressed state one feels hopeless and experiences an overwhelming sense of despair. Depression immobilizes a person; they lack both the desire and the energy to carry on their usual activities. It afflicts men and women, rich and poor, young and old alike.
According to the November 1993 issue of the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, more than one hundred million people throughout the world suffer from depression. Each year, more people seek relief from this disabling mental condition than any medical disease, including the common cold. In 1990 the cost of depression exceeded $43 billion in the United States alone. The economic toll is staggering and includes medical treatment, lost work-time, and depression-related suicide.
Why are some people more susceptible to depression than others? Hippocrates, the father of medicine, theorized that we are born into one of four primary temperament styles and that each style has it’s own unique outlook on life; Choleric (aggressive), Sanguine (emotional), Phlegmatic (passive) and Melancholy (analytical). Of these four styles, the introverted Melancholy is the most perfection driven and depression prone. The analytical Melancholy influence gives one tremendous attention to detail but it can also create stress, anxiety and depression. In fact the term melancholy has become synonymous with depression. People with the Melancholy temperament style are by their very nature sensitive, judgmental, and critical. This temperament style becomes depressed primarily due to the fact that they fail to reach their own incredibly high standards. This depression often leads to either suicide and or violence against others.
We each have a personal responsibility for taking control over our thoughts. Thoughts are highly creative and they lead to action. Our thoughts create our emotions and our emotions determine our mental state. Perhaps the most practical suggestion I can give people with the Melancholy temperament style for dealing with depression is to guard against the tendency to engage in destructive, negative self-talk. If you consistently obsess on thoughts of self-criticism, you are automatically setting yourself up for depression. Because of your Melancholy nature you need to keep your drive for perfection in balance. Remember to keep your standards and expectations of yourself and others realistic. Set short-term goals and review them frequently. I have never met anyone that was depressed who was actively goal setting. In my opinion, depression is not a mental illness or disease as some might argue, but rather a choice of mental state. No person, condition or circumstance can make you feel depressed without your permission. President Abraham Lincoln was certainly no stranger to depression. Abe came to the conclusion that man is about as happy as he makes his mind up to be!
John Boe, based in Monterey, CA, helps companies recruit, train and motivate top-quality people. To view his online Video Demo or to have John Boe speak at your next event, visit www.johnboe.com or call (831) 375-3668.
For information about atypical depression, visit
http://yourdepressioninfo.com/atypicaldepression/
According to the November 1993 issue of the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, more than one hundred million people throughout the world suffer from depression. Each year, more people seek relief from this disabling mental condition than any medical disease, including the common cold. In 1990 the cost of depression exceeded $43 billion in the United States alone. The economic toll is staggering and includes medical treatment, lost work-time, and depression-related suicide.
Why are some people more susceptible to depression than others? Hippocrates, the father of medicine, theorized that we are born into one of four primary temperament styles and that each style has it’s own unique outlook on life; Choleric (aggressive), Sanguine (emotional), Phlegmatic (passive) and Melancholy (analytical). Of these four styles, the introverted Melancholy is the most perfection driven and depression prone. The analytical Melancholy influence gives one tremendous attention to detail but it can also create stress, anxiety and depression. In fact the term melancholy has become synonymous with depression. People with the Melancholy temperament style are by their very nature sensitive, judgmental, and critical. This temperament style becomes depressed primarily due to the fact that they fail to reach their own incredibly high standards. This depression often leads to either suicide and or violence against others.
We each have a personal responsibility for taking control over our thoughts. Thoughts are highly creative and they lead to action. Our thoughts create our emotions and our emotions determine our mental state. Perhaps the most practical suggestion I can give people with the Melancholy temperament style for dealing with depression is to guard against the tendency to engage in destructive, negative self-talk. If you consistently obsess on thoughts of self-criticism, you are automatically setting yourself up for depression. Because of your Melancholy nature you need to keep your drive for perfection in balance. Remember to keep your standards and expectations of yourself and others realistic. Set short-term goals and review them frequently. I have never met anyone that was depressed who was actively goal setting. In my opinion, depression is not a mental illness or disease as some might argue, but rather a choice of mental state. No person, condition or circumstance can make you feel depressed without your permission. President Abraham Lincoln was certainly no stranger to depression. Abe came to the conclusion that man is about as happy as he makes his mind up to be!
John Boe, based in Monterey, CA, helps companies recruit, train and motivate top-quality people. To view his online Video Demo or to have John Boe speak at your next event, visit www.johnboe.com or call (831) 375-3668.
For information about atypical depression, visit
http://yourdepressioninfo.com/atypicaldepression/
Friday, August 17, 2007
Depression Series (Part 3): What to Do with Those Antidepressant Side Effects?
Maria’s depression was difficult to treat. As you can recall, various medications had been tried to no avail. But after several months of treatment, Maria has eventually become stable on a combination of two antidepressants.
She’s now able to do her usual activities and is motivated to go back to work — something she has struggled to do for a while. Despite her improvement, antidepressant side effects have emerged and are bothersome. Maria begins to consider discontinuing her medications prematurely.
Antidepressant side effects are real and negatively affect patient’s compliance. Many patients like Maria consider stopping the medication even at the risk of relapse because of distressing side effects.
How do you deal with some of the common antidepressant side effects?
Insomnia
Some antidepressants e.g. SSRIs (serotonin-reuptake inhibitor) are highly stimulating that they cause insomnia when taken in the afternoon or at bedtime. Take this type of medication in the morning. Discuss with your physician the use of a sedating medication such as trazodone or sedative-hypnotic drug along with the antidepressant. If you want to take only one pill, talk to your doctor about switching to a sedating antidepressant such as mirtazapine.
Moreover, sleep hygiene should be practiced. Avoid naps and intake of caffeinated drinks such as coffee and soda in the afternoon and evening. Involve in regular exercise and physical activities during the day. Moreover, use the bedroom only for sleep and sex and not for recreational activities.
Weight gain
Regular exercise is weight gain’s antidote. If no medical contraindication, you may consider jogging, walking, or swimming. To reduce some excess and unwanted fat, keep yourself busy with physical and recreational activities.
How about diet? Diet has always been a part of any weight control regimen. Monitor your carbohydrate intake. Ice cream, chocolates, and other high-caloric foods should be reduced. If none of the above works, talk to your doctor about switching pills.
Sexual dysfunction
Sexual dysfunction happens too often but is rarely asked or discussed in the clinic. Some physicians and patients feel embarrassed about this subject. When you have concerns, be open to your physician. Discuss the possibility of switching medication to an antidepressant (such as bupropion or mirtazapine) that doesn’t significantly impair sexual functioning. Also, talk to your doctor about adding another drug such as bupropion, yohimbine, or even mirtazapine to counteract the sexual side effect.
How do you know if the sexual dysfunction is from the pill rather than from depression? If the dysfunction persists despite successful remission of depression, then you should consider other causes such as drug-induced dysfunction or other medical causes e.g. diabetes.
Dry mouth
Tricyclic antidepressants (TCA e.g. amitriptyline) are notorious for causing dry mouth. Why? These drugs have distressing anticholinergic side effects. Avoid this type of drugs. If TCA is still considered, talk about the use of desipramine or nortriptyline. Compared to other TCAs, these two drugs have less anticholinergic effects.
Moreover, try ice chips. Frequent sips of water should also help. To avoid dental cavities, try sugarless candy or sugar-free gum.
Constipation
Like dry mouth, constipation is usually caused by TCAs. To prevent it from happening, drink enough water and eat high fiber foods such as vegetables and fruits. Consider stool softeners if the above interventions fail. If possible, avoid TCAs.
Nausea and vomiting
Patience is the key in dealing with these side effects. Frequently, patients develop tolerance within two weeks. Take the medication with food. If ineffective, talk to your doctor about possibly reducing the dose of your medication or trying antacid or bismuth salicylate (Pepto-Bismol)
Memory lapses
If given permission by your doctor, try to reduce the dose. Also, discuss with your physician about switching antidepressant (especially if dose reduction doesn’t alleviate your concern) and avoiding drugs with anticholinergic side effects.
Moreover, don’t mix the antidepressant with alcohol. The alcohol-drug interaction can only worsen the memory and cognitive functioning. While on psychotropic drugs, be careful driving and using mechanized equipment.
Dizziness
While still in bed, sit up for 30 seconds, then stand up for another 30 seconds while holding a rail, a table, or a chair before walking. Take the medication at bedtime. Some people use support hose with success.
Agitation or anxiety
Some people benefit from a brief use of benzodiazepine such as lorazepam. Breathing exercises and progressive muscle relaxation should also help.
In general, some side effects such as gastrointestinal upset and insomnia may resolve in a few days. Patience is the key. However, be on guard. When they occur, address them promptly. I’m not however suggesting that you should be your own doctor.
Collaborating with your doctor is an effective way to cope with mental illness and medication problems. Treatment options such as the need to switch or reduce medications should be discussed in an open and accepting manner.
Copyright © 2003. All rights reserved. Dr. Michael G. Rayel – author (First Aid to Mental Illness–Finalist, Reader’s Preference Choice Award 2002), speaker, workshop leader, and psychiatrist. Through the CARE approach, Dr. Rayel helps individuals recognize the early signs of mental illness and provide early intervention. To receive free newsletter, visit www.drrayel.com. His books are available at major online bookstores
For information about articles about depression, visit
http://yourdepressioninfo.com/articlesondepression/
She’s now able to do her usual activities and is motivated to go back to work — something she has struggled to do for a while. Despite her improvement, antidepressant side effects have emerged and are bothersome. Maria begins to consider discontinuing her medications prematurely.
Antidepressant side effects are real and negatively affect patient’s compliance. Many patients like Maria consider stopping the medication even at the risk of relapse because of distressing side effects.
How do you deal with some of the common antidepressant side effects?
Insomnia
Some antidepressants e.g. SSRIs (serotonin-reuptake inhibitor) are highly stimulating that they cause insomnia when taken in the afternoon or at bedtime. Take this type of medication in the morning. Discuss with your physician the use of a sedating medication such as trazodone or sedative-hypnotic drug along with the antidepressant. If you want to take only one pill, talk to your doctor about switching to a sedating antidepressant such as mirtazapine.
Moreover, sleep hygiene should be practiced. Avoid naps and intake of caffeinated drinks such as coffee and soda in the afternoon and evening. Involve in regular exercise and physical activities during the day. Moreover, use the bedroom only for sleep and sex and not for recreational activities.
Weight gain
Regular exercise is weight gain’s antidote. If no medical contraindication, you may consider jogging, walking, or swimming. To reduce some excess and unwanted fat, keep yourself busy with physical and recreational activities.
How about diet? Diet has always been a part of any weight control regimen. Monitor your carbohydrate intake. Ice cream, chocolates, and other high-caloric foods should be reduced. If none of the above works, talk to your doctor about switching pills.
Sexual dysfunction
Sexual dysfunction happens too often but is rarely asked or discussed in the clinic. Some physicians and patients feel embarrassed about this subject. When you have concerns, be open to your physician. Discuss the possibility of switching medication to an antidepressant (such as bupropion or mirtazapine) that doesn’t significantly impair sexual functioning. Also, talk to your doctor about adding another drug such as bupropion, yohimbine, or even mirtazapine to counteract the sexual side effect.
How do you know if the sexual dysfunction is from the pill rather than from depression? If the dysfunction persists despite successful remission of depression, then you should consider other causes such as drug-induced dysfunction or other medical causes e.g. diabetes.
Dry mouth
Tricyclic antidepressants (TCA e.g. amitriptyline) are notorious for causing dry mouth. Why? These drugs have distressing anticholinergic side effects. Avoid this type of drugs. If TCA is still considered, talk about the use of desipramine or nortriptyline. Compared to other TCAs, these two drugs have less anticholinergic effects.
Moreover, try ice chips. Frequent sips of water should also help. To avoid dental cavities, try sugarless candy or sugar-free gum.
Constipation
Like dry mouth, constipation is usually caused by TCAs. To prevent it from happening, drink enough water and eat high fiber foods such as vegetables and fruits. Consider stool softeners if the above interventions fail. If possible, avoid TCAs.
Nausea and vomiting
Patience is the key in dealing with these side effects. Frequently, patients develop tolerance within two weeks. Take the medication with food. If ineffective, talk to your doctor about possibly reducing the dose of your medication or trying antacid or bismuth salicylate (Pepto-Bismol)
Memory lapses
If given permission by your doctor, try to reduce the dose. Also, discuss with your physician about switching antidepressant (especially if dose reduction doesn’t alleviate your concern) and avoiding drugs with anticholinergic side effects.
Moreover, don’t mix the antidepressant with alcohol. The alcohol-drug interaction can only worsen the memory and cognitive functioning. While on psychotropic drugs, be careful driving and using mechanized equipment.
Dizziness
While still in bed, sit up for 30 seconds, then stand up for another 30 seconds while holding a rail, a table, or a chair before walking. Take the medication at bedtime. Some people use support hose with success.
Agitation or anxiety
Some people benefit from a brief use of benzodiazepine such as lorazepam. Breathing exercises and progressive muscle relaxation should also help.
In general, some side effects such as gastrointestinal upset and insomnia may resolve in a few days. Patience is the key. However, be on guard. When they occur, address them promptly. I’m not however suggesting that you should be your own doctor.
Collaborating with your doctor is an effective way to cope with mental illness and medication problems. Treatment options such as the need to switch or reduce medications should be discussed in an open and accepting manner.
Copyright © 2003. All rights reserved. Dr. Michael G. Rayel – author (First Aid to Mental Illness–Finalist, Reader’s Preference Choice Award 2002), speaker, workshop leader, and psychiatrist. Through the CARE approach, Dr. Rayel helps individuals recognize the early signs of mental illness and provide early intervention. To receive free newsletter, visit www.drrayel.com. His books are available at major online bookstores
For information about articles about depression, visit
http://yourdepressioninfo.com/articlesondepression/
Thursday, August 16, 2007
The Healing Power of Celebrity? SurvivorList.net Offers a New Twist on Therapy for Manic Depression
June 9, 2004 -- As a newly diagnosed manic depressive, Lars Lohmiller felt a very strong sense of hopelessness. He was unsure if he would be able to live a normal life or be able to realize any of his childhood dreams. To his surprise, as he learned more about his condition, he discovered that manic depression is actually quite common. Here are just a few of the famous individuals who have beaten manic depression:
*Buzz Aldrin (astronaut)
*Ted Turner (media mogul)
*Drew Carey (comedian)
*Art Buchwald (writer)
*Beethoven (composer)
*Winston Churchill (politician)
*Cary Grant (actor)
*Marilyn Monroe (actress)
The complete list can be found at http://www.survivorlist.net/manic-depression/manic-depression-survivors.html
Searching for a way to beat the disease, Lars latched onto the obvious success of so many well-known manic depressives, and was profoundly affected by their efforts. Although scientific and medical treatments for depression are quite effective and should be pursued by individuals experiencing symptoms of depression, there is also an emotional component to the healing and treatment process. In particular, it is extremely important for depressed individuals to retain a sense of hope about the future. One way to give this feeling to sufferers of manic depression is by showing that other people with their condition were able to overcome their illness and achieve success.
Once his own manic depression was under control and being treated effectively, Lars decided to publish a list of famous manic depression sufferers on the Internet, and make the information available for free, so that other manic depressives seeking hope would be able to find it. The "Famous Manic Depression Survivors" list can be found at SurvivorList.net (http://www.survivorlist.net), along with pointers to some additional depression resources.
About SurvivorList.net
SurvivorList.net was founded to provide a comprehensive list of well-known manic depression sufferers as a free public service. SurvivorList.net is intended to provide inspiration and hope to anyone, anywhere who is experiencing pain or suffering as the result of depression. It is not meant as a substitute for medical advice from a trained physician or psychologist.
For information about Anxiety and Depression symptoms, visit
http://yourdepressioninfo.com/anxietyanddepressionsymptoms/
*Buzz Aldrin (astronaut)
*Ted Turner (media mogul)
*Drew Carey (comedian)
*Art Buchwald (writer)
*Beethoven (composer)
*Winston Churchill (politician)
*Cary Grant (actor)
*Marilyn Monroe (actress)
The complete list can be found at http://www.survivorlist.net/manic-depression/manic-depression-survivors.html
Searching for a way to beat the disease, Lars latched onto the obvious success of so many well-known manic depressives, and was profoundly affected by their efforts. Although scientific and medical treatments for depression are quite effective and should be pursued by individuals experiencing symptoms of depression, there is also an emotional component to the healing and treatment process. In particular, it is extremely important for depressed individuals to retain a sense of hope about the future. One way to give this feeling to sufferers of manic depression is by showing that other people with their condition were able to overcome their illness and achieve success.
Once his own manic depression was under control and being treated effectively, Lars decided to publish a list of famous manic depression sufferers on the Internet, and make the information available for free, so that other manic depressives seeking hope would be able to find it. The "Famous Manic Depression Survivors" list can be found at SurvivorList.net (http://www.survivorlist.net), along with pointers to some additional depression resources.
About SurvivorList.net
SurvivorList.net was founded to provide a comprehensive list of well-known manic depression sufferers as a free public service. SurvivorList.net is intended to provide inspiration and hope to anyone, anywhere who is experiencing pain or suffering as the result of depression. It is not meant as a substitute for medical advice from a trained physician or psychologist.
For information about Anxiety and Depression symptoms, visit
http://yourdepressioninfo.com/anxietyanddepressionsymptoms/
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Depression: An Online Christian Answer Part I
Explains how specific symptoms of depression can be reduced through Bible based concepts and specific techniques. Offers a uniquely powerful solution in Christ.
According to the National Institute of Health clinical depression frequently includes: Sadness, anxiety, or "empty" feelings, Loss of interest or pleasure in activities that were once enjoyed, including sex, Feelings of hopelessness and pessimism, Feelings of helplessness, guilt, and worthlessness, Thoughts of death or suicide, or suicide attempts. Source: National Institute of Health Publication No. 97-4266 and 99-3561 as found online at the online "All About Depression" site. (http://www.allaboutdepression.com/)
The full list of depression symptoms includes several more physical aspects. This article, however, focuses on the thoughts and feelings aspects of depression.
While the symptoms can be very serious, occasionally contributing to suicide, there is hope and not just in a therapist’s office. While good therapy from a skilled counselor or psychologist can have a great impact, not every one can afford it. Also, for people who believe in a Biblical worldview, it can be difficult to find a therapist who enhances rather than detracts from such faith. However, learning the truth about how God sees us and what He desires for us, can flood even the most isolated, empty, black lives with the brilliant vibrant life giving holy energy of God!
The Bible states "Then said Jesus... If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." John 8:31-32 KJV In the case of depression this truth can lift burdens so big that just crawling under them has become impossible!
Let’s go through each symptom and see how God’s truth can bring freedom to each one.
Negative and pessimistic thoughts are probably the most commonly recognized effect of depression. With those, life can seem nothing more than a tortuous threatening ordeal that must be endured, if possible. Failure isn’t just an occasional disappointment; it becomes a basic expectation of everything in life. “I can never do anything right!” becomes the nearly constant slogan for our lives. Hopelessness becomes a way of life. There is no way out and going through simply means existing in our own private hell for an even longer eternity. And the “I’ll never get anything good in life. It just can’t happen to me.” feeling becomes strong enough to make us forget the few good things that happen with us.
Underlying the constant negative pessimistic thoughts is a basic sense of hopelessness. This is most clearly seen in thoughts like these. “Things are bad and they are going to get worse. It is hopeless to try to change things, can’t happen.”
However, God offers us hope for a true solution to all problems forever. He offers us perfection for eternity with a taste of it right here and now!
Part of that hope springs from His deep desire for us to be happy. His first priority, of course, is our eternal salvation and life. With that, even if we have “hell on earth” we always have an eternity of the truest and fullest infinite happiness. However, God strongly desires joy, peace, prosperity and happiness for us right now. “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.” Jeremiah 29:11,12 KJV Even though there are times the only way we can learn the lessons and be shaped for heaven is through pain, it lasts just long enough to accomplish what is needed. “For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.” Psalm 30:5 KJV
God, in the deepest part of His being, wants to make us happy, joyful, and vibrantly alive! After all that is the way He created us to live originally. It gives Him pleasure to see us joyful! It is only the results of our willful sin that have introduced fear, loneliness, despair, and an empty void of purposelessness.
God’s desire for our happiness is incredible hope because he has the power, all the power that has ever existed or will exist, to make it happen! While the negative thoughts of depression are exaggerated beyond reality, there is definitely truth in the knowledge that we cannot do everything ourselves. We are just not smart enough, rich enough, strong enough or any other enough you can think of. On our own we are limited, and we often want and need what we can’t get for ourselves. But choosing life in God blows all limits away. God’s power is infinite and He longs to use it to benefit us, to give us a bright future and a joyous life. With God, we are not limited by our abilities, time, money or even death. “...verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting. Matthew 17:20-21 KJV A future far greater and more pleasing than we can imagine is guaranteed to us for eternity and available to us now if we will place God above ALL else. "Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Matthew 6:31-33 KJV But God wants to give us way more than we deserve, much more than just the minimum needed to survive, He wants to give us proportionate to HIS infinite universal wealth! “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:19 KJV
A sense of worthlessness , like their life is pointless, a valueless waste of space is also common. At other times we can simply feel worth less than just about everyone else, just never quite good enough but of still some small value.
The true reality is that God values us above ALL else, even His life. He so passionately desires to live with us that one third of the God head died just to give us the option of choosing to live with Him. Without any assurance of our acceptance, because the choice is still ours, Christ endured torture, humiliation, and an agonizing death to have just the possibility of spending eternity with you and me. For the last 6000 years, God’s time, attention, and infinitely loving efforts have been focused on us, His rebellious, selfish, self willed, distrusting, unfaithful, and unappreciative wayward children. It only makes sense that if any being, God or human, invested that much time, energy, heartache, and effort into you or me they have placed a huge value on us. In God’s case, the very life of His own Son, for you… and me. For a more detailed explanation of our incredible God given value see: “Our Infinite Immortal Value” (http://home.earthlink.net/~srbaerg/Our%20Infinite%20Immortal%20Valuehtml.htm)
See “Depression: An Online Christian Answer Part II” for the role of Guilt, Forgiveness, and Loss of Interest in depression and a solution!
About the Author
Steven Baerg is 34 years old. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Social Work and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in preparation for working as a counselor. He is married to a wonderful and supportive wife and has a dog named Bailey. He relies on God’s power and help for inspiration and maintaining a proper focus in life.
For information about the best antidepressant for GAD, visit
http://yourdepressioninfo.com/bestantidepressantforgad/
According to the National Institute of Health clinical depression frequently includes: Sadness, anxiety, or "empty" feelings, Loss of interest or pleasure in activities that were once enjoyed, including sex, Feelings of hopelessness and pessimism, Feelings of helplessness, guilt, and worthlessness, Thoughts of death or suicide, or suicide attempts. Source: National Institute of Health Publication No. 97-4266 and 99-3561 as found online at the online "All About Depression" site. (http://www.allaboutdepression.com/)
The full list of depression symptoms includes several more physical aspects. This article, however, focuses on the thoughts and feelings aspects of depression.
While the symptoms can be very serious, occasionally contributing to suicide, there is hope and not just in a therapist’s office. While good therapy from a skilled counselor or psychologist can have a great impact, not every one can afford it. Also, for people who believe in a Biblical worldview, it can be difficult to find a therapist who enhances rather than detracts from such faith. However, learning the truth about how God sees us and what He desires for us, can flood even the most isolated, empty, black lives with the brilliant vibrant life giving holy energy of God!
The Bible states "Then said Jesus... If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." John 8:31-32 KJV In the case of depression this truth can lift burdens so big that just crawling under them has become impossible!
Let’s go through each symptom and see how God’s truth can bring freedom to each one.
Negative and pessimistic thoughts are probably the most commonly recognized effect of depression. With those, life can seem nothing more than a tortuous threatening ordeal that must be endured, if possible. Failure isn’t just an occasional disappointment; it becomes a basic expectation of everything in life. “I can never do anything right!” becomes the nearly constant slogan for our lives. Hopelessness becomes a way of life. There is no way out and going through simply means existing in our own private hell for an even longer eternity. And the “I’ll never get anything good in life. It just can’t happen to me.” feeling becomes strong enough to make us forget the few good things that happen with us.
Underlying the constant negative pessimistic thoughts is a basic sense of hopelessness. This is most clearly seen in thoughts like these. “Things are bad and they are going to get worse. It is hopeless to try to change things, can’t happen.”
However, God offers us hope for a true solution to all problems forever. He offers us perfection for eternity with a taste of it right here and now!
Part of that hope springs from His deep desire for us to be happy. His first priority, of course, is our eternal salvation and life. With that, even if we have “hell on earth” we always have an eternity of the truest and fullest infinite happiness. However, God strongly desires joy, peace, prosperity and happiness for us right now. “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.” Jeremiah 29:11,12 KJV Even though there are times the only way we can learn the lessons and be shaped for heaven is through pain, it lasts just long enough to accomplish what is needed. “For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.” Psalm 30:5 KJV
God, in the deepest part of His being, wants to make us happy, joyful, and vibrantly alive! After all that is the way He created us to live originally. It gives Him pleasure to see us joyful! It is only the results of our willful sin that have introduced fear, loneliness, despair, and an empty void of purposelessness.
God’s desire for our happiness is incredible hope because he has the power, all the power that has ever existed or will exist, to make it happen! While the negative thoughts of depression are exaggerated beyond reality, there is definitely truth in the knowledge that we cannot do everything ourselves. We are just not smart enough, rich enough, strong enough or any other enough you can think of. On our own we are limited, and we often want and need what we can’t get for ourselves. But choosing life in God blows all limits away. God’s power is infinite and He longs to use it to benefit us, to give us a bright future and a joyous life. With God, we are not limited by our abilities, time, money or even death. “...verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting. Matthew 17:20-21 KJV A future far greater and more pleasing than we can imagine is guaranteed to us for eternity and available to us now if we will place God above ALL else. "Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Matthew 6:31-33 KJV But God wants to give us way more than we deserve, much more than just the minimum needed to survive, He wants to give us proportionate to HIS infinite universal wealth! “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:19 KJV
A sense of worthlessness , like their life is pointless, a valueless waste of space is also common. At other times we can simply feel worth less than just about everyone else, just never quite good enough but of still some small value.
The true reality is that God values us above ALL else, even His life. He so passionately desires to live with us that one third of the God head died just to give us the option of choosing to live with Him. Without any assurance of our acceptance, because the choice is still ours, Christ endured torture, humiliation, and an agonizing death to have just the possibility of spending eternity with you and me. For the last 6000 years, God’s time, attention, and infinitely loving efforts have been focused on us, His rebellious, selfish, self willed, distrusting, unfaithful, and unappreciative wayward children. It only makes sense that if any being, God or human, invested that much time, energy, heartache, and effort into you or me they have placed a huge value on us. In God’s case, the very life of His own Son, for you… and me. For a more detailed explanation of our incredible God given value see: “Our Infinite Immortal Value” (http://home.earthlink.net/~srbaerg/Our%20Infinite%20Immortal%20Valuehtml.htm)
See “Depression: An Online Christian Answer Part II” for the role of Guilt, Forgiveness, and Loss of Interest in depression and a solution!
About the Author
Steven Baerg is 34 years old. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Social Work and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in preparation for working as a counselor. He is married to a wonderful and supportive wife and has a dog named Bailey. He relies on God’s power and help for inspiration and maintaining a proper focus in life.
For information about the best antidepressant for GAD, visit
http://yourdepressioninfo.com/bestantidepressantforgad/
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Major Depression and Manic-Depression — Any difference?
Countless number of patients and their family members have asked me about manic–depression and major depression. “Is there any difference?” “Are they one and the same?” “Is the treatment the same?” And so on. Each time I encounter a chorus of questions like these, I am enthused to provide answers.
You know why? Because the difference between these two disorders is enormous. The difference does not lie on clinical presentation alone. The treatment of these two disorders is significantly distinct.
Let me begin by describing major depression (officially called major depressive disorder). Major depression is a primary psychiatric disorder characterized by the presence of either a depressed mood or lack of interest to do usual activities occurring on a daily basis for at least two weeks. Just like other disorders, this illness has associated features such as impairment in energy, appetite, sleep, concentration, and desire to have sex.
In addition, patients afflicted with this disorder also suffer from feelings of hopelessness and worthlessness. Tearfulness or crying episodes and irritability are not uncommon. If left untreated, patients get worse. They become socially withdrawn and can’t go to work. Moreover, about 15% of depressed patients become suicidal and occasionally, homicidal. Other patients develop psychosis—hearing voices (hallucinations) or having false beliefs (delusions) that people are out to get them.
What about manic-depression or bipolar disorder?
Manic-depression is a type of primary psychiatric disorder characterized by the presence of major depression (as described above) and episodes of mania that last for at least a week. When mania is present, patients show signs opposite of clinical depression. During the episode, patients show significant euphoria or extreme irritability. In addition, patients become talkative and loud.
Moreover, this type of patients doesn’t need a lot of sleep. At night, they are very busy making phone calls, cleaning the house, and starting new projects. Despite apparent lack of sleep, they are still very energetic in the morning — ready to establish new business endeavors. Because they believe that they have special powers, they involve in unreasonable business deals and unrealistic personal projects.
They also become hypersexual — wanting to have sex several times a day. One–night stands can happen resulting in marital conflict. Like depressed patients, manic patients develop delusions (false beliefs). I know a manic patient who thinks that he is the “Chosen One.” Another patient claims that the President of USA and the Prime Minister of Canada ask for her advice.
So the big difference between the two is the presence of mania. This manic episode has treatment implications. In fact the treatment of these disorders is completely different. While major depression needs antidepressant, manic-depression requires a mood stabilizer such as lithium and valproic acid. Recently, new antipsychotics, for example risperidone, olanzapine, and quetiapine, have been shown to be effective for acute mania.
In general, giving an antidepressant to manic–depressed patients can make their condition worse because this medication can precipitate a switch to manic episode. Although there are some exceptions to the rule (extreme depression, lack of response to mood stabilizers, among others), it is preferable to avoid antidepressants among bipolar patients.
When considering the use of antidepressant in a depressed bipolar patient, clinicians should combine the medication with a mood stabilizer and should use an antidepressant (e.g. bupropion) that has a low tendency to cause a switch to mania.
Copyright©2004. All rights reserved. Dr. Michael G. Rayel – author (First Aid to Mental Illness–Finalist, Reader’s Preference Choice Award 2002), speaker, workshop leader, and psychiatrist. Dr. Rayel pioneers the CARE Approach as first aid for mental health. To receive free newsletter, visit www.drrayel.com. His books are available at major online bookstores.
For information about anxiety and depression, visit
http://yourdepressioninfo.com/anxietyanddepression/
You know why? Because the difference between these two disorders is enormous. The difference does not lie on clinical presentation alone. The treatment of these two disorders is significantly distinct.
Let me begin by describing major depression (officially called major depressive disorder). Major depression is a primary psychiatric disorder characterized by the presence of either a depressed mood or lack of interest to do usual activities occurring on a daily basis for at least two weeks. Just like other disorders, this illness has associated features such as impairment in energy, appetite, sleep, concentration, and desire to have sex.
In addition, patients afflicted with this disorder also suffer from feelings of hopelessness and worthlessness. Tearfulness or crying episodes and irritability are not uncommon. If left untreated, patients get worse. They become socially withdrawn and can’t go to work. Moreover, about 15% of depressed patients become suicidal and occasionally, homicidal. Other patients develop psychosis—hearing voices (hallucinations) or having false beliefs (delusions) that people are out to get them.
What about manic-depression or bipolar disorder?
Manic-depression is a type of primary psychiatric disorder characterized by the presence of major depression (as described above) and episodes of mania that last for at least a week. When mania is present, patients show signs opposite of clinical depression. During the episode, patients show significant euphoria or extreme irritability. In addition, patients become talkative and loud.
Moreover, this type of patients doesn’t need a lot of sleep. At night, they are very busy making phone calls, cleaning the house, and starting new projects. Despite apparent lack of sleep, they are still very energetic in the morning — ready to establish new business endeavors. Because they believe that they have special powers, they involve in unreasonable business deals and unrealistic personal projects.
They also become hypersexual — wanting to have sex several times a day. One–night stands can happen resulting in marital conflict. Like depressed patients, manic patients develop delusions (false beliefs). I know a manic patient who thinks that he is the “Chosen One.” Another patient claims that the President of USA and the Prime Minister of Canada ask for her advice.
So the big difference between the two is the presence of mania. This manic episode has treatment implications. In fact the treatment of these disorders is completely different. While major depression needs antidepressant, manic-depression requires a mood stabilizer such as lithium and valproic acid. Recently, new antipsychotics, for example risperidone, olanzapine, and quetiapine, have been shown to be effective for acute mania.
In general, giving an antidepressant to manic–depressed patients can make their condition worse because this medication can precipitate a switch to manic episode. Although there are some exceptions to the rule (extreme depression, lack of response to mood stabilizers, among others), it is preferable to avoid antidepressants among bipolar patients.
When considering the use of antidepressant in a depressed bipolar patient, clinicians should combine the medication with a mood stabilizer and should use an antidepressant (e.g. bupropion) that has a low tendency to cause a switch to mania.
Copyright©2004. All rights reserved. Dr. Michael G. Rayel – author (First Aid to Mental Illness–Finalist, Reader’s Preference Choice Award 2002), speaker, workshop leader, and psychiatrist. Dr. Rayel pioneers the CARE Approach as first aid for mental health. To receive free newsletter, visit www.drrayel.com. His books are available at major online bookstores.
For information about anxiety and depression, visit
http://yourdepressioninfo.com/anxietyanddepression/
Monday, August 13, 2007
NeuroMEDx Receives Another Patent for Parkinson's, Epilepsy, and Depression Therapies
St. Cloud, MN July 21, 2004 -- NeuroMEDx, an early stage medical device company located in St. Cloud, MN, focused on the treatment of neurologic disorders, has been issued patent #6,764,498 from the United States Patent and Trademark Office. This is the second patent the company has received for implantable devices to treat disorders such as Parkinson's Disease, Epilepsy, and depression. In addition to providing an alternative to surgery and drug therapies, NeuroMEDx' MED(Mechanoelectric Device)technology may be a viable option to other device-based treatments offered by Medtronic(MDT), Cyberonics(CYBX), Advanced Neurologic Systems(ANSI), Guidant(GDT) and St. Jude(STJ). The MED technology is implanted using standard minimally invasive procedures.
The company also has patents pending that leverage the MED technology in treating disorders of the cardiac and central nervous systems.
Contact Information:
Hans Mische
1 612 987 0249
patriot@cloudnet.com
For information about antidepressant Zoloft dosage, visit
http://yourdepressioninfo.com/antidepressantzoloftdosage/
The company also has patents pending that leverage the MED technology in treating disorders of the cardiac and central nervous systems.
Contact Information:
Hans Mische
1 612 987 0249
patriot@cloudnet.com
For information about antidepressant Zoloft dosage, visit
http://yourdepressioninfo.com/antidepressantzoloftdosage/
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Scientific Breakthrough: Doctors Say New Substance May Relieve Depression, Anxiety And Stress For Millions.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
RICHARD HALL (760)728-0747
Scientific Breakthrough: Doctors Say New Substance May Relieve Depression, Anxiety And Stress For Millions.
Over 150 million Americans will suffer from a major depressive episode, anxiety or stress this year alone. All that suffering may be completely unnecessary; thanks to a well kept Russian secret.
Dr. Zakir Ramazanov, former Senior Scientist at the Russian Academy of Science, along with his associates in New York, have extracted a substance that comes from a plant found in the Georgian Republic of the former USSR. This natural plant chemical is widely used in Eastern Europe & Russia to treat depression, anxiety and stress and is currently receiving attention here in the United States.
Why? Because 80% of all illnesses can be traced to stress! The current over use of medications like Prozac, with known & unknown side effects, has caused public alarm and created a need for a safe & effective alternative. So what are the doctors saying?
Noted Psychiatrist, Psychopharmacologist, International Author & Lecturer Dr. Richard Brown of New York, has found this new substance so effective that he recommends it to his patients and supports it in his lectures and published papers. Doctor Brown isn’t alone; over 300 prominent physicians can attest to its effectiveness.
Dr. Richard Brown reports “Overall I see it as a remarkable breakthrough which can help in delaying aging and reducing the effects of stress upon us which accumulate with aging...Furthermore, it improves mental functions, not just memory, but abstraction capacity, reaction time, and is an overall mental stimulant…It has been extremely well tolerated, even in patients in their nineties…I feel this is an inexpensive and time proven herbal supplement for this purpose.”
What is this new find? Rosavin. Rosavin is a phytochemical that comes from a plant called Rhodiola rosea, which grows high up in the mountainous regions of Siberia and the Georgian Republic of Russia. It has a legendary history for increasing health and longevity from generation to generation. The Georgians say that if a person drinks a tea made from Rhodiola rosea they will live more than 100 years. This Russian secret has over thirty years of intensive, well-documented, clinical trials and 300 years of history. The phytochemical, Rosavin, enables your body to cope with or adapt to a variety of stresses without adverse side effects.
Could this be a natural answer for safe & effective stress relief here in America? Dr. Richard Brown and Dr. Zakir Ramazanov say, “YES.” Not only is it safe & effective for stress, anxiety & depression, which could lead to a more resilient America, but those who have tried it are surprised at some of Rosavin’s other benefits, such as greater stamina, weight loss, improved memory & attention span.
Richard Hall, owner of AMERIDEN International, is totally committed to the goal of people having optimal health & mental wellness. To receive more information, a Bio-sheet or to schedule an interview, please call (760) 728-0747.
For information about antidepressant pain, visit
http://yourdepressioninfo.com/antidepressantpain/
RICHARD HALL (760)728-0747
Scientific Breakthrough: Doctors Say New Substance May Relieve Depression, Anxiety And Stress For Millions.
Over 150 million Americans will suffer from a major depressive episode, anxiety or stress this year alone. All that suffering may be completely unnecessary; thanks to a well kept Russian secret.
Dr. Zakir Ramazanov, former Senior Scientist at the Russian Academy of Science, along with his associates in New York, have extracted a substance that comes from a plant found in the Georgian Republic of the former USSR. This natural plant chemical is widely used in Eastern Europe & Russia to treat depression, anxiety and stress and is currently receiving attention here in the United States.
Why? Because 80% of all illnesses can be traced to stress! The current over use of medications like Prozac, with known & unknown side effects, has caused public alarm and created a need for a safe & effective alternative. So what are the doctors saying?
Noted Psychiatrist, Psychopharmacologist, International Author & Lecturer Dr. Richard Brown of New York, has found this new substance so effective that he recommends it to his patients and supports it in his lectures and published papers. Doctor Brown isn’t alone; over 300 prominent physicians can attest to its effectiveness.
Dr. Richard Brown reports “Overall I see it as a remarkable breakthrough which can help in delaying aging and reducing the effects of stress upon us which accumulate with aging...Furthermore, it improves mental functions, not just memory, but abstraction capacity, reaction time, and is an overall mental stimulant…It has been extremely well tolerated, even in patients in their nineties…I feel this is an inexpensive and time proven herbal supplement for this purpose.”
What is this new find? Rosavin. Rosavin is a phytochemical that comes from a plant called Rhodiola rosea, which grows high up in the mountainous regions of Siberia and the Georgian Republic of Russia. It has a legendary history for increasing health and longevity from generation to generation. The Georgians say that if a person drinks a tea made from Rhodiola rosea they will live more than 100 years. This Russian secret has over thirty years of intensive, well-documented, clinical trials and 300 years of history. The phytochemical, Rosavin, enables your body to cope with or adapt to a variety of stresses without adverse side effects.
Could this be a natural answer for safe & effective stress relief here in America? Dr. Richard Brown and Dr. Zakir Ramazanov say, “YES.” Not only is it safe & effective for stress, anxiety & depression, which could lead to a more resilient America, but those who have tried it are surprised at some of Rosavin’s other benefits, such as greater stamina, weight loss, improved memory & attention span.
Richard Hall, owner of AMERIDEN International, is totally committed to the goal of people having optimal health & mental wellness. To receive more information, a Bio-sheet or to schedule an interview, please call (760) 728-0747.
For information about antidepressant pain, visit
http://yourdepressioninfo.com/antidepressantpain/
Friday, August 10, 2007
Ritalin, Depression, and Brain Damage
December 9 2003--Animal findings now show that Ritalin permanently adversely alters the brain function of rats as they grow older, leading to increased depressive behavior and alterations of behavior. The study appears in the Dec. 15, 2003 issue of Biological Psychiatry.
This study sounds alarms regarding the widespread use of Ritalin among children. It raises serious questions about the long-term health problems that are likely to occur by stimulating the nervous system for short-term behavioral improvement.
Expert nutritionist and leading leptin researcher, Byron Richards, CCN, first warned of this danger in his recent book, "Mastering Leptin" (Wellness Resources Books, 2003). He explains the new breakthroughs in biochemistry that help us understand how stimulants damage brain cells. Stimulants depress the brain’s leptin levels, directly exposing brain cells to damage. This leads to stimulant induced anxiety, depression, and addictive behavior. Richards also explains how stimulants damage the NMDA receptor, the key receptor that is malfunctioning in Parkinson’s disease.
Richards states, “This information raises questions about the safety of Ritalin given to an overweight child. Since an overweight child has leptin resistance, and thus less leptin in the brain, their brains are more susceptible to damage not only from environmental toxins but also from any ingested amphetamine.”
These new animal studies confirm the serious risk of permanent long-term damage from Ritalin.
For information about childhood depression symptoms, visit
http://yourdepressioninfo.com/childhooddepressionsymptoms/
This study sounds alarms regarding the widespread use of Ritalin among children. It raises serious questions about the long-term health problems that are likely to occur by stimulating the nervous system for short-term behavioral improvement.
Expert nutritionist and leading leptin researcher, Byron Richards, CCN, first warned of this danger in his recent book, "Mastering Leptin" (Wellness Resources Books, 2003). He explains the new breakthroughs in biochemistry that help us understand how stimulants damage brain cells. Stimulants depress the brain’s leptin levels, directly exposing brain cells to damage. This leads to stimulant induced anxiety, depression, and addictive behavior. Richards also explains how stimulants damage the NMDA receptor, the key receptor that is malfunctioning in Parkinson’s disease.
Richards states, “This information raises questions about the safety of Ritalin given to an overweight child. Since an overweight child has leptin resistance, and thus less leptin in the brain, their brains are more susceptible to damage not only from environmental toxins but also from any ingested amphetamine.”
These new animal studies confirm the serious risk of permanent long-term damage from Ritalin.
For information about childhood depression symptoms, visit
http://yourdepressioninfo.com/childhooddepressionsymptoms/
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
A Trail of Tears and Broken Relationships Maybe Symptomatic of Depression
A trail of tears and many broken relationships may symptomatic of underlying depression.
A Trail of Tears and Many Broken Relationships May be Symptomatic of Underlying Depression
When a young person graduates from High School there is so much hope and promise for the future. He or she looks forward to meeting the RIGHT person, falling in love, and a lifetime of wedded bliss reminiscent of the epic fable Cinderella.
Instead, many middle age people look back on a trail of tears and broken hearts. Deep within the heart many middle age people may secretively wonder, “what happened to my life and dreams”. Deep within the heart, many middle age people may ask “why”. A middle age person may not have a clue to explain how he or she sabotaged personal goals by making so many wrong decisions and choices.
Many middle age people may look in the mirror to see sagging drooping skin collapsing into layers upon layers of folded winkles. Many middle age people may suddenly realize time is running out.
A trail of tears and broken relationships may be symptomatic of underlying depression. Depression is a clinical pathological disease process.
Depression is an imbalance in brain chemicals. Brain chemicals function as neurotransmitters of sensory and perceptual information from nerve cell (neuron) to nerve cell and from nerve ganglia (groups or clusters of neurons) to nerve ganglia.
Attributing affairs of the heart to natural organic disease process turns off many people. According to Sacred Text, all humans are made in the image of God. The human capacity to love is viewed as a deep profound sacred spiritual ability reflecting the very image of God, the Divine Creator. Human emotions surrounding romantic love tend to be translated into enormous proportion and placed upon a high plane on the same level as the epic Shakespearian drama, Romeo and Juliet.
The act of attributing affairs of the heart to a natural organic disease process is often viewed as belittling God given spiritual endowment for the human capacity to love. It should not be surprising that people often deny depression as an underlying causative factor for a trail of tears and broken relationships.
People often blame extreme sadness and heartache upon events and/or people connected to break ups with significant others. For example, a person may claim that he or she got involved with all the wrong people.
A person may prefer to believe that he or she is extremely unlucky at love and a victim of great misfortune and cruel fate instead of accepting that he or she may have an underlying mental health problem. The act of placing blame for many broken relationships upon external circumstances (including all events and/or people involved) allows a person to conveniently wallow in self-pity as well as a myriad of emotional reactions connected to “love sickness”.
Existentialism is a philosophical system of thought that asserts humans cognitively create meaningfulness associated with people, places, and objects. An Existentialist asserts the world, in and of itself, is completely devoid of meaningfulness.
The existential world we live in can be cold hearted and devoid to a large extent of meaningfulness. In a cold-hearted existential world the choice of an individual to wallow in self-pity and a myriad of emotional reactions connected to “love sickness” can become self-affirmation that one is truly alive.
In a cold-hearted existential world devoid of meaningfulness sometimes a person can feel nothing. The feeling of nothingness equates a human person to a machine engaged from day to day in a rote mechanical process to fulfill obligations.
An imbalance in brain chemicals can cause sensory and perceptual distortions that may contribute to vast discontentment and unhappiness during the course of a relationship. Discontentment and unhappiness as a consequence of sensory and perceptual distortions created by a chemical imbalance associated with depression may produce a domino’s effect leading to a number of dating failures during a lifetime. A depressed person with a chemical imbalance may become more deeply entrenched in a depressed state due to becoming obsessed with past dating failures.
A depressed person tends to be obsessed with past failure. Obsession is mentally focusing upon past events for an extreme inordinate amount of time.
A depressed person obsessed with dating failure may constantly search within him or her self for some type of innate spiritual flaw and human weakness. A depressed person obsessed with dating failure tends to practice extreme forms of self-blame and castigation.
It may not always be the best counseling strategy to encourage a depressed person to focus upon underlying causative factors, such as depression. Depression can be a serious life threatening disease requiring professional treatment.
A clinically trained psychologist may have to perform a delicate balancing act similar to walking a tight rope high up in the air in a circus. A clinically trained psychologist may have to (1) not push a depressed client to do too much obsessive soul searching while exploring basic underlying causative factors, such as depression, and (2) yet, gently challenge the depressed client to accept the real underlying mental health problem in order to promote positive goal directed behavior. A façade of blame and denial is an obstacle to positive goal directed behavior.
In order to promote positive goal directed behavior and establish fulfilling healthy relationships it may be necessary for a depressed person to gain more knowledge and understanding about the underlying causative factor of depression. Knowledge and understanding about depression as a disease process can help a person manage chronic depression in the same way a diabetic may manage diabetes as a disease.
Depression may not always be the underlying cause of dating failure. The task of finding the RIGHT person to fall in love and marry is an extremely daunting complex task. It may not be necessary for all people who have experienced problems in relationships to undergo extensive psychotherapy.
However, depression as an underlying causative factor for a trail of tears and many broken relationships should not be quickly dismissed. A person who has experienced many problems in relationships should familiarize him or herself with all the multiple signs of depression. Depression may be why he or she feels so restless.
The famous song writer and musician Dion Dimucci ( http://www.diondimucci.com/main.html ) captured the restless human spirit in a famous popular song entitled, The Wonderer. Dion Dimucci captured the restless spirit in the following lyrical verse included in his song, The Wonderer:
Oh well I'm the type of guy who will never settle down Where pretty girls are well, you know that I'm around I kiss 'em and I love'em 'cause to me they're all the same I hug 'em and I squeeze 'em they don't even know my name They call me the wanderer yeah the wanderer I roam around around around...
About the Author
Author byline and Bio: Mark Gaffney is a contributing freelance writer. Mark has earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology with a concentration of coursework in physiology, biology, and computer science. Mark is in the process of trying to start a new Not-for-Profit Foundation entitled, Wonderful Life Foundation. Mark plans to submit his online work as a thesis project to earn his Doctorate (PhD.) degree and officially become a Nanotechnology Sociologist. Bookmark this page now and click here to review preliminary plans for organizational development of Wonderful Life Foundation currently published on www.ServeNet.org. ServeNet.org, Idealist.org, and Network-for-Good.org are associated with the government web site portal, www.freedomcorp.gov, an initiative of President George W. Bush to promote volunteerism and provide services to help Not-for-Profit organizations.
For information about Zoloft antidepressant, visit
http://yourdepressioninfo.com/antidepressantzoloft/
A Trail of Tears and Many Broken Relationships May be Symptomatic of Underlying Depression
When a young person graduates from High School there is so much hope and promise for the future. He or she looks forward to meeting the RIGHT person, falling in love, and a lifetime of wedded bliss reminiscent of the epic fable Cinderella.
Instead, many middle age people look back on a trail of tears and broken hearts. Deep within the heart many middle age people may secretively wonder, “what happened to my life and dreams”. Deep within the heart, many middle age people may ask “why”. A middle age person may not have a clue to explain how he or she sabotaged personal goals by making so many wrong decisions and choices.
Many middle age people may look in the mirror to see sagging drooping skin collapsing into layers upon layers of folded winkles. Many middle age people may suddenly realize time is running out.
A trail of tears and broken relationships may be symptomatic of underlying depression. Depression is a clinical pathological disease process.
Depression is an imbalance in brain chemicals. Brain chemicals function as neurotransmitters of sensory and perceptual information from nerve cell (neuron) to nerve cell and from nerve ganglia (groups or clusters of neurons) to nerve ganglia.
Attributing affairs of the heart to natural organic disease process turns off many people. According to Sacred Text, all humans are made in the image of God. The human capacity to love is viewed as a deep profound sacred spiritual ability reflecting the very image of God, the Divine Creator. Human emotions surrounding romantic love tend to be translated into enormous proportion and placed upon a high plane on the same level as the epic Shakespearian drama, Romeo and Juliet.
The act of attributing affairs of the heart to a natural organic disease process is often viewed as belittling God given spiritual endowment for the human capacity to love. It should not be surprising that people often deny depression as an underlying causative factor for a trail of tears and broken relationships.
People often blame extreme sadness and heartache upon events and/or people connected to break ups with significant others. For example, a person may claim that he or she got involved with all the wrong people.
A person may prefer to believe that he or she is extremely unlucky at love and a victim of great misfortune and cruel fate instead of accepting that he or she may have an underlying mental health problem. The act of placing blame for many broken relationships upon external circumstances (including all events and/or people involved) allows a person to conveniently wallow in self-pity as well as a myriad of emotional reactions connected to “love sickness”.
Existentialism is a philosophical system of thought that asserts humans cognitively create meaningfulness associated with people, places, and objects. An Existentialist asserts the world, in and of itself, is completely devoid of meaningfulness.
The existential world we live in can be cold hearted and devoid to a large extent of meaningfulness. In a cold-hearted existential world the choice of an individual to wallow in self-pity and a myriad of emotional reactions connected to “love sickness” can become self-affirmation that one is truly alive.
In a cold-hearted existential world devoid of meaningfulness sometimes a person can feel nothing. The feeling of nothingness equates a human person to a machine engaged from day to day in a rote mechanical process to fulfill obligations.
An imbalance in brain chemicals can cause sensory and perceptual distortions that may contribute to vast discontentment and unhappiness during the course of a relationship. Discontentment and unhappiness as a consequence of sensory and perceptual distortions created by a chemical imbalance associated with depression may produce a domino’s effect leading to a number of dating failures during a lifetime. A depressed person with a chemical imbalance may become more deeply entrenched in a depressed state due to becoming obsessed with past dating failures.
A depressed person tends to be obsessed with past failure. Obsession is mentally focusing upon past events for an extreme inordinate amount of time.
A depressed person obsessed with dating failure may constantly search within him or her self for some type of innate spiritual flaw and human weakness. A depressed person obsessed with dating failure tends to practice extreme forms of self-blame and castigation.
It may not always be the best counseling strategy to encourage a depressed person to focus upon underlying causative factors, such as depression. Depression can be a serious life threatening disease requiring professional treatment.
A clinically trained psychologist may have to perform a delicate balancing act similar to walking a tight rope high up in the air in a circus. A clinically trained psychologist may have to (1) not push a depressed client to do too much obsessive soul searching while exploring basic underlying causative factors, such as depression, and (2) yet, gently challenge the depressed client to accept the real underlying mental health problem in order to promote positive goal directed behavior. A façade of blame and denial is an obstacle to positive goal directed behavior.
In order to promote positive goal directed behavior and establish fulfilling healthy relationships it may be necessary for a depressed person to gain more knowledge and understanding about the underlying causative factor of depression. Knowledge and understanding about depression as a disease process can help a person manage chronic depression in the same way a diabetic may manage diabetes as a disease.
Depression may not always be the underlying cause of dating failure. The task of finding the RIGHT person to fall in love and marry is an extremely daunting complex task. It may not be necessary for all people who have experienced problems in relationships to undergo extensive psychotherapy.
However, depression as an underlying causative factor for a trail of tears and many broken relationships should not be quickly dismissed. A person who has experienced many problems in relationships should familiarize him or herself with all the multiple signs of depression. Depression may be why he or she feels so restless.
The famous song writer and musician Dion Dimucci ( http://www.diondimucci.com/main.html ) captured the restless human spirit in a famous popular song entitled, The Wonderer. Dion Dimucci captured the restless spirit in the following lyrical verse included in his song, The Wonderer:
Oh well I'm the type of guy who will never settle down Where pretty girls are well, you know that I'm around I kiss 'em and I love'em 'cause to me they're all the same I hug 'em and I squeeze 'em they don't even know my name They call me the wanderer yeah the wanderer I roam around around around...
About the Author
Author byline and Bio: Mark Gaffney is a contributing freelance writer. Mark has earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology with a concentration of coursework in physiology, biology, and computer science. Mark is in the process of trying to start a new Not-for-Profit Foundation entitled, Wonderful Life Foundation. Mark plans to submit his online work as a thesis project to earn his Doctorate (PhD.) degree and officially become a Nanotechnology Sociologist. Bookmark this page now and click here to review preliminary plans for organizational development of Wonderful Life Foundation currently published on www.ServeNet.org. ServeNet.org, Idealist.org, and Network-for-Good.org are associated with the government web site portal, www.freedomcorp.gov, an initiative of President George W. Bush to promote volunteerism and provide services to help Not-for-Profit organizations.
For information about Zoloft antidepressant, visit
http://yourdepressioninfo.com/antidepressantzoloft/
Monday, August 6, 2007
8 Things You Can Do For Someone Suffering from Depression
Someone suffering a clinical depression needs medication and therapy. In addition, here are some things you can do for them as a loving person in their life, or as their personal life coach.
1. Be clear in your mind that they need medication and therapy, and project this. Encourage them to continue both. Make it clear it's now the new routine.
2. There should be Guide Dogs for the Depressed. If the depressed loved-one or client in your life doesn't have a companion pet, give them a well-trained, easy-to-manage, older one. This is particularly important if they live alone. Specify that you will take care of the dog in terms of vet care and bills, and provide a starter-kit--huge bag of dog food and container, food and water dishes, bedding, etc. In other words, make it easy for them to accept this healing gift. I have a depressed coaching client in Manhattan suffering the aftermath of Nine One One who mostly talks to me about her beloved companion dog. I consider “Cody” part of the healing team for this woman.
3. Make any decision you can for the person. In other words, don't say "Would you like to go out for dinner tonight? Where would you like to go?" Say instead, "We're going to Bijan's tomorrow night for dinner. I'll pick you up at 7:00. Just wear your jeans." Once there, offer to order for the person.
4. Speak in normal, modulated tones. Avoid an overly-'compassionate' look of concern or a patronizing tone of voice. If they have trouble making a decision or remembering something, keep your eyes from looking overly concerned or worried. This will only add to their worry and confusion.
5. Just be with them. Don't hover, try to cheer them up, argue, try to 'get a rise out of them,' or ask them 'talk about it.' Cognitive processes are slowed, and emotionally, they're in conflict. Under those circumstances, it's difficult to talk. It's hard to connect with people, even best-beloved ones, when you're clinically depressed--hard to maintain eye-contact and to follow long sentences and thoughts. A metaphor I use is play lacrosse with them, don't face off with them on the football line. Be 'around' them, not 'in their face.'
6. Don't put them in a position that would arouse emotions. Celebrations, holidays, receiving gifts, or a long discourse on foreign policy all require a level of involvement the depressed person is not capable of.
7. Be grounded and stay centered yourself. Remind yourself of your love for them that will endure "even this."
8. When the person begins to heal is a wonderful time for them to have a coach.
Susan Dunn is a personal and professional life coach, and author of the hot new ebook "Secrets to Marketing Prof. Services Online (on her web). Email her for FREE ezine, 100% FREE.
For information about antidepressant withdrawal, visit
http://yourdepressioninfo.com/antidepressantwithdrawal/
1. Be clear in your mind that they need medication and therapy, and project this. Encourage them to continue both. Make it clear it's now the new routine.
2. There should be Guide Dogs for the Depressed. If the depressed loved-one or client in your life doesn't have a companion pet, give them a well-trained, easy-to-manage, older one. This is particularly important if they live alone. Specify that you will take care of the dog in terms of vet care and bills, and provide a starter-kit--huge bag of dog food and container, food and water dishes, bedding, etc. In other words, make it easy for them to accept this healing gift. I have a depressed coaching client in Manhattan suffering the aftermath of Nine One One who mostly talks to me about her beloved companion dog. I consider “Cody” part of the healing team for this woman.
3. Make any decision you can for the person. In other words, don't say "Would you like to go out for dinner tonight? Where would you like to go?" Say instead, "We're going to Bijan's tomorrow night for dinner. I'll pick you up at 7:00. Just wear your jeans." Once there, offer to order for the person.
4. Speak in normal, modulated tones. Avoid an overly-'compassionate' look of concern or a patronizing tone of voice. If they have trouble making a decision or remembering something, keep your eyes from looking overly concerned or worried. This will only add to their worry and confusion.
5. Just be with them. Don't hover, try to cheer them up, argue, try to 'get a rise out of them,' or ask them 'talk about it.' Cognitive processes are slowed, and emotionally, they're in conflict. Under those circumstances, it's difficult to talk. It's hard to connect with people, even best-beloved ones, when you're clinically depressed--hard to maintain eye-contact and to follow long sentences and thoughts. A metaphor I use is play lacrosse with them, don't face off with them on the football line. Be 'around' them, not 'in their face.'
6. Don't put them in a position that would arouse emotions. Celebrations, holidays, receiving gifts, or a long discourse on foreign policy all require a level of involvement the depressed person is not capable of.
7. Be grounded and stay centered yourself. Remind yourself of your love for them that will endure "even this."
8. When the person begins to heal is a wonderful time for them to have a coach.
Susan Dunn is a personal and professional life coach, and author of the hot new ebook "Secrets to Marketing Prof. Services Online (on her web). Email her for FREE ezine, 100% FREE.
For information about antidepressant withdrawal, visit
http://yourdepressioninfo.com/antidepressantwithdrawal/
Sunday, August 5, 2007
Depression/Anxiety-Art Healing Therapy Book “The Color of Grace”-a highly potential bestseller looking for US/Canada publisher
The mission of Art Against Depression and Anxiety (Art-A-DAY), a non-profit, non-government organization from Belgrade, Yugoslavia is to provide spiritual, educational, and marketing support to art creation of people who suffer from developmental and adjustment-related problems, such as major and/or moderate depression, anxiety and panic disorders and other forms of mood disorders (the artworks produced by this type of artists who lack formal artistic training are generally recognized and labeled by art historians and critics as a “raw art/outsider art” or “art brut"
In addition, Art-A-DAY will strive to provide the latest and the most relevant information related to both the mainstream (pharmacotherapy, psychotherapy and art therapy) and the alternative modes of healing (acupuncture, herbal therapy, aromatherapy, light therapy. etc) of depression-anxiety disorders.
Majority of Art-A-DAY's activities are supported by the sale of our book – “The Color of Grace”. Filled with hope and love, the book represents an unique encouragement for all those who 'still search for a meaning', and will, with no doubt, soon became a classic and bestselling text in the emerging field of alternative and complementary therapies in mental health. An original self-massage method is included in the book's Appendix. Highly recommended for mental health experts, as well.
“CLEARLY WRITTEN…FASCINATING…TRUTHFUL…SPIRITUAL…BRILLIANT… A MUST-HAVE FOR EVERY HOME AS A PREVENTION…THE BOOK OF HOPE AND LOVE…INTERACTIVE…” Dusica Babovic-Vuksanovic, M.D.
Consultant, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
“Beautifully-written, fascinating…a delight to read. Mr. Djurovic has made a profound contribution to our knowledge of depressive disorders and alternative modes of healing.”
Milena Janjic
Psychologist, London, UK
“This book is one of the kind; it is extremely valuable, accurate…useful…understandable…spiritual…truthful. This is the book of truth about depression and the ways the disease can be conquered. One of the best books I have ever read about depression and applied psychology, in general. I warmly recommend this book to everyone, especially at this global time of “sinking souls”. ”
Vladimir Pavicevic, Ph.D. Ambassador
Geneva, Switzerland
“This is one of the most easily readable and well thought-out guides and compendiums on the potentials of self-conducted art therapy for alleviating distresses of people who suffer from mood disorders. A must-have for every home as a prevention.”
Dejan Miljkovic, M.D.
Belgrade, Serbia
“This extraordinary book offers a great deal of suggestions and examples aimed at people with depressive disorders to acquire new skills necessary for their recovery. The book illuminates an aspect of art-therapy and personal struggle for dignity and hope. It deserves everyone's attention.”
Ksenija Sredanovic, M.D.
Montreal, Canada
“As a professional therapist dealing with peoples mental and emotional problems on a daily basis, I find this book both enlightening and refreshing.
Mr. Nebojsa Djurovic has captured the very essence of feeling encountered by depressives, but has gone further by giving a clear and honest insight into how a person can find the light at the end of the tunnel. This book
should be compulsory reading for everyone therapist and patient alike. Truly brilliant.”
Keith Jones, C. HYP. M.P.H. M.I.H.T
HEAD TUTOR, THE LA ROCHE INTERNATIONAL COLLEGE
Scarborough, North Yorkshire, England
“…And finally, allow me to give you my personal impression about the book; the book is read with a feeling “Yes this is it”, it overwhelms and colors your feelings and has almost a mesmerizing effect on a reader so that it makes difficult for the reader to makes a distance from the presented material; however, at the same time, the book provide the assurance and hope which can be summarized in the words: “nothing is lost, I can do something by myself in order to feel better”. The book that I’ve just read speaks about a great personal strength and the authentic altruism.”
Snezana Milutinovic, Psychologist and Therapist
Belgrade, Serbia
“Through his art and writing Mr. Djurovic shows us that the medical and
spiritual both have a place in healing the mind and body. Utilizing
artwork in his book makes the reader more able to grasp the despair,
pain, courage and hope that physical and mental illnesses evoke.”
Anna Claxton, Interior Designer
St. Pauli, MN, USA
The book is currently at the stage of “in print” preparation in Russia and Ukraine. We are in need of a good quality publisher in the USA and Canada. Please contact Mr. Djurovic for information regarding publishing this rare and helpful book in either Canada or the United States.
Email: artworks@art-a-day.org
Attn: Mr. Djurovic
Art-A-DAY
Treci bulevar 172
11 070 Novi Beograd
SERBIA
Please visit our site to find out more about making donations and sponsoring Art-A-Day “The Color of Grace” book. http://www.art-a-day.org/english/donations_sponsor.htm
Art- A- Day.com
Website http://www.art-a-day.org/
Email : ndjurovc@EUnet.yu
For information about antidepressant history, visit
http://yourdepressioninfo.com/antidepressanthistory/
In addition, Art-A-DAY will strive to provide the latest and the most relevant information related to both the mainstream (pharmacotherapy, psychotherapy and art therapy) and the alternative modes of healing (acupuncture, herbal therapy, aromatherapy, light therapy. etc) of depression-anxiety disorders.
Majority of Art-A-DAY's activities are supported by the sale of our book – “The Color of Grace”. Filled with hope and love, the book represents an unique encouragement for all those who 'still search for a meaning', and will, with no doubt, soon became a classic and bestselling text in the emerging field of alternative and complementary therapies in mental health. An original self-massage method is included in the book's Appendix. Highly recommended for mental health experts, as well.
“CLEARLY WRITTEN…FASCINATING…TRUTHFUL…SPIRITUAL…BRILLIANT… A MUST-HAVE FOR EVERY HOME AS A PREVENTION…THE BOOK OF HOPE AND LOVE…INTERACTIVE…” Dusica Babovic-Vuksanovic, M.D.
Consultant, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
“Beautifully-written, fascinating…a delight to read. Mr. Djurovic has made a profound contribution to our knowledge of depressive disorders and alternative modes of healing.”
Milena Janjic
Psychologist, London, UK
“This book is one of the kind; it is extremely valuable, accurate…useful…understandable…spiritual…truthful. This is the book of truth about depression and the ways the disease can be conquered. One of the best books I have ever read about depression and applied psychology, in general. I warmly recommend this book to everyone, especially at this global time of “sinking souls”. ”
Vladimir Pavicevic, Ph.D. Ambassador
Geneva, Switzerland
“This is one of the most easily readable and well thought-out guides and compendiums on the potentials of self-conducted art therapy for alleviating distresses of people who suffer from mood disorders. A must-have for every home as a prevention.”
Dejan Miljkovic, M.D.
Belgrade, Serbia
“This extraordinary book offers a great deal of suggestions and examples aimed at people with depressive disorders to acquire new skills necessary for their recovery. The book illuminates an aspect of art-therapy and personal struggle for dignity and hope. It deserves everyone's attention.”
Ksenija Sredanovic, M.D.
Montreal, Canada
“As a professional therapist dealing with peoples mental and emotional problems on a daily basis, I find this book both enlightening and refreshing.
Mr. Nebojsa Djurovic has captured the very essence of feeling encountered by depressives, but has gone further by giving a clear and honest insight into how a person can find the light at the end of the tunnel. This book
should be compulsory reading for everyone therapist and patient alike. Truly brilliant.”
Keith Jones, C. HYP. M.P.H. M.I.H.T
HEAD TUTOR, THE LA ROCHE INTERNATIONAL COLLEGE
Scarborough, North Yorkshire, England
“…And finally, allow me to give you my personal impression about the book; the book is read with a feeling “Yes this is it”, it overwhelms and colors your feelings and has almost a mesmerizing effect on a reader so that it makes difficult for the reader to makes a distance from the presented material; however, at the same time, the book provide the assurance and hope which can be summarized in the words: “nothing is lost, I can do something by myself in order to feel better”. The book that I’ve just read speaks about a great personal strength and the authentic altruism.”
Snezana Milutinovic, Psychologist and Therapist
Belgrade, Serbia
“Through his art and writing Mr. Djurovic shows us that the medical and
spiritual both have a place in healing the mind and body. Utilizing
artwork in his book makes the reader more able to grasp the despair,
pain, courage and hope that physical and mental illnesses evoke.”
Anna Claxton, Interior Designer
St. Pauli, MN, USA
The book is currently at the stage of “in print” preparation in Russia and Ukraine. We are in need of a good quality publisher in the USA and Canada. Please contact Mr. Djurovic for information regarding publishing this rare and helpful book in either Canada or the United States.
Email: artworks@art-a-day.org
Attn: Mr. Djurovic
Art-A-DAY
Treci bulevar 172
11 070 Novi Beograd
SERBIA
Please visit our site to find out more about making donations and sponsoring Art-A-Day “The Color of Grace” book. http://www.art-a-day.org/english/donations_sponsor.htm
Art- A- Day.com
Website http://www.art-a-day.org/
Email : ndjurovc@EUnet.yu
For information about antidepressant history, visit
http://yourdepressioninfo.com/antidepressanthistory/
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)