Depression is a serious mental disorder not to be confused with "normal" bad or depressed mood experienced by everyone sometimes. If a depression sufferer does not realise that he is depressed his life may be virtual hell without any obvious exit scenario. Many such patients drag along for years without treatment that could easily alleviate their depression. Therefore, it is very important to know the symptoms of depression and to be able to read the signs of depression when they occur. An early realisation that one experiences the symptoms of depression can in the most extreme cases virtually save lives, and even in light cases of depression often guarantee proper treatment of the disorder and a reversion to a good and joyful life. So what are the signs of depression most commonly seen?
One of the common signs of depression is a general loss of energy leading to persistent lethargy and to a lack of interest in most daily activities or even ones that one previously liked, such as hobbies. This goes often also hand in hand with social withdrawal. Another symptom of depression, probably the one most often associated with this mental disorder, is a deep and prolonged sadness, commonly without any apparent cause, which may even lead to unexplainable crying spells. Feelings of worthlessness and guilt without a rational cause are also usual signs of depression. The depressed patient also suffers from a profound pessimism about his own future and the future of his social network and often even the world in general. This is often coupled with a total indifference towards almost anything and anyone. Indecisiveness and an inability to concentrate properly on tasks at hand are also symptoms of depression that occur regularly.
The depressed patient may have problems to fall asleep and to keep sleeping without waking up in the middle of the night, leading to permanent sleepiness during the day. Interestingly there are also cases where the patient sleeps more than usual. Another, though relatively minor, symptom of depression is loss of appetite. Among the most serious signs of depression is obsessive thinking of disease and death, and even suicidal thoughts, which in the worst case may lead to suicide attempts. Anxiety is also often associated with depression as is a general irritability and agitation. Besides those more well-known signs and symptoms of depression organic diseases are often associated with depression. Patients suffering from unexplainable organ pains are sadly often treated purely for the organic disease, while the underlying cause may well be depression or another mental disorder.
Concluding it must be pointed out that one does not necessarily need to experience all symptoms of depression to be regarded depressed. Also, the intensity of the symptoms of depression may vary over time and from patient to patient, also depending on the kind of depression she has. In any case, if you or anyone you know shows all or more of the signs of depression listed above it is definitely advised to take action sooner rather than later. To get a proper diagnosis of the condition the first way should lead to a medical practitioner who will also be able to verify the symptoms of depression and to advise on the best treatment for the specific depression case. Always keep in mind: Depression is a disease that affects millions of people worldwide, but there are many highly effective ways available to treat it once it is properly diagnosed.
To check out the common symptoms of depression, and more on depression go to
www.beatdepression.org.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Alex_Matis
Wednesday, 25 August 2010
Tuesday, 24 August 2010
Depression: Based on a True Story
"Ring, ring." The crisis operator answers the phone to a woman pleading to let her daughter know that she loves her. The woman spent her day writing letters to friends and loved ones, expressing her thoughts and emotions. From the loaded gun on the table to the rope hanging from the attic, it was a well-thought out plan (Lewis, Pamela, 2003).
Have you ever felt life was not worth living? Have you wished you were dead? Have you had any thoughts of taking your own life? It began October of 1998, while my husband and I were on our way home from the grocery store. The cellular phone rings. My husband answers. He then tells the caller that we are on our way there. His tone of voice sounded frightened and worried. I repeatedly asked, "What is going on? Why are you driving so fast?"
"Something has happened to your mother!", he exclaimed. I had fifteen minutes to prepare myself for the worst, yet I did not know exactly what I was preparing for. As we arrived to the scene, numerous police vehicles, two ambulances, the local rescue squad, private investigators, negotiators, and the SWAT team had one half of a mile from my house blocked off. As we came to a stop, I jumped out of the car crying and screaming, while trying to find answers as to what has happened. A police officer then pulled me aside. The young man explained that my mother was attempting suicide due to her depression.
As the number one public health problem, four to 8 percent of the U.S. population experience or have experienced a clinical depressed syndrome (Klerman, Gerald, pg. 27). Depression is a mental illness that requires immediate medical attention. Because depression is so widespread, it is often called the 'common cold' (Koop, Everett, 1996). The difference between a cold and depression is that depression, if not treated, can lead to the death of an individual.
Depression occurs when nerve cells, or neurons, fail to communicate with each other due to a chemical imbalance in the brain (Koop, Everett, 1996). A neuron is a specialized cell that conducts messages through the nervous system. Two neurons communicate with each other by electrical impulses or signals. The point of communication where electrical signals carry a message between two neurons is called a synapse. Separating the sending neurons and receiving neurons from the axon terminal are tiny, fluid-filled gaps called synaptic clefts. Chemicals called neurotransmitters dock at receptor sites, thus igniting the electrical signal of that neuron. After the signal is delivered, the neurotransmitters float back to the neuron that sent them. This process is called reputake.
Researchers have found many causes or reasons for depression. Usually, depression is caused by a deficiency in the neurotransmitter serotonin or norepinephrine (Morgan, Marie, pg. 75). Serotonin helps regulate mood, sleep, aggression, and appetite. Norepinephrine affects wakefulness, alertness, and also appetite. In some cases hereditary, personality traits, stress, and lack of supportive relationships are linked to depression. Other causes for depression are helplessness, sense of loss, isolation, and unresolved anger (Koop, Everett, 1996). Through your eyes, you see the world as a series of positive, neutral, or negative events. These events are interrupted through a group of thoughts that constantly flow through your mind. This is called your internal dialogue. Created by your thoughts is your feelings or mood. Before an emotional response can be experienced what you are feeling or what is happening to you (Burns, David, pg. 30). Therefore, the negative thoughts that process through your mind are actually the cause of your emotions.
Your negative thoughts, or cognitions, are the most overlooked symptoms of depression. Symptoms are feelings or behaviors that disturb normal functioning (Heitler, Susan, pg.47). A depressed person may show signs, such as a loss of pleasure or interest in usual activities, feelings of worthlessness, guilt, decrease in the ability to think or concentrate, and a loss of energy and appetite (Koop, Everett, 1996). The assessments of symptoms include specifying troubled behaviors and feelings, the history of the symptoms and diagnosing the problem (Heitler, Susan, pg. 49). Other symptoms include crying excessively, negative thoughts about the future and even thoughts of death or suicide (Koop, Everett, 1996).
Suicide is the deliberate taking of one's own life, which accounts for 5 percent of clinically depressed patients (Burns, David, pg. 383). Suicide rates have increased in children and adolescents since the 1990's (Burns, David, pg. 9).
Why do depressed individuals often think of suicide? Persuasive and pessimistic visions dominate their thoughts. To them, life seems to be a nightmare. When a depressed person thinks of the past, she only remembers moments of suffering and pain (Burns, David, pg. 384). Researchers have proven that the unrealistic sense of hopelessness is one of the most important factors in the plans for a serious suicidal wish or thought (Burns, David, pg. 385). A famous myth remains today: An unsuccessful suicide attempt is simply a means of getting attention and is not to be taken seriously (Burns, David, pg. 387). The fact is that all attempts are to be taken very seriously. Because a depressed individual's pain and suffering may feel unbearable and never ending, she may conclude that suicide is the only escape. In reality, medical treatment and attention will help the individual overcome depression.
Many researchers have described therapy as an opportunity for people to deal with their conflict of everyday living (Heitler, Susan, pg. 7). Consulting with a professional, such as a psychologist or a psychiatrist, can be a nice beginning for treatment. With a Ph.D. in psychology and other related fields, a psychologist serves the public through research, testing, and psychotherapy (Hauck, Paul, pg. 134). Psychotherapy is an important means of treatment for certain types of emotional or mental disorders. Usually working with the patient alone, a psychologist allows her to express feelings and emotions of life's battles. At the end of each session, the psychologist gives simple, step by step advice to the patient. A psychiatrist is a medical doctor who specializes in counseling clients with psychiatric, neurologic, and medical conditions (Reference International Publishers, LTD, pg. 18). During a period of one to six visits, the doctor will be discussed with the patient and followed upon regularly (Reference International Publishers, LTD, pg. 187). A psychiatrist also prescribes and administers medication, usually antidepressants, with the referral from a psychologist (Hauck, Paul, pg.135).
Antidepressants are drugs that are prescribed to treat depression and some anxiety disorders. The most widely prescribed drugs, tricyclic antidepressants, enhance the potency of the brain's neurotransmitters in the synapse. Some agents of tricyclic drugs are Imipramine, Desipramine, Amitriptyline, Nortriptyline, Protriptyline, and Doxepin (Burns, David, pgs. 430-432). Side effects, such as dry mouth, constipation and blurred vision, disappear after the first few days (Burns, David, pg. 432). MAO inhibitors cause elevations in the levels of amine neurotransmitters, thus, correcting the chemical imbalance in the brain. The most commonly prescribed trade names for MAO inhibitors are Marplan, Nardil, and Parnate. Similar to tricyclic drugs, the side effects of MAO inhibitors are dry mouth, lightheadedness, trouble urinating, a rash, and constipation or loose stools (Burns, David, pg. 440). MAO inhibitors, if not taken properly can produce serious effects. Blood pressure may rise of certain foods or drugs containing a substance called tyramine, which interferes with the brain's ability to regulate blood pressure, while taking a MAO inhibitor (Burns, David, pg. 441). Lithium carbonate is another antidepressant drug used to treat severe depression. Although lithium is simply salt, it does have many side effects, such as hand tremors, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, that usually taper off within a week or soon after (Morgan, Marie, pg. 78). Long term effects of lithium include blackouts, headache, slurred speech, weight changes, fatigue, and hypotension (Morgan, Marie, pg. 70). Valium is an antidepressant that suppresses anxiety and covers up symptoms rather than getting at the causes (Morgan, Marie, pg. 78).
Although addictive and may worsen depression, some doctors use minor tranquilizers or sedatives to treat anxiety and nervousness (Burns, David, pg. 444). Sleeping pills are used to help treat insomnia. These pills become highly addictive as they disrupt normal sleep patterns and greatly worsen the sleeping problem. For example, my mother was given the drug, Ambien, because she was having trouble falling and staying asleep. She awoke often only to take another pill because she was still not able to sleep well. Ambien gave her short-term amnesia and disrupted her sleep instead of helping her sleep. She ended up in the emergency room for an accidental overdose (Lewis, Pamela, 2003). I almost lost her again to a drug that was supposed to help her. There are at least a dozen different antidepressants that are effective for some patients, while for others, the results may be disappointing or harmful. Reoccurrences of depression can happen at any time a person stops taking medication as prescribed just because they 'think' they are better. In some cases a depressed person may need an increase or even a change in medication after an evaluation with a doctor or therapist. In the near future, researchers will hopefully advance the understanding of antidepressant drugs and how they affect the human brain.
It sometimes, seems that the more hopeless and severe the depression was, the more extraordinary and delicious the taste of happiness and self-esteem is. As you begin to feel better, the pessimistic thoughts will go away like the melting of the winter snow when spring arrives. You may even wonder how you ever could believe such thought in the first place. Because the change of negative to more neutral or positive thinking can be so dramatic, a person may be convinced that the depression has vanished forever. But that simply is not true because there is a mood disorder that remains. A depressed person who feels better must understand what caused the depression and be able to apply and reapply self-help techniques whenever needed. Acquiring self-confidence and self-esteem is a must to getting better. Focusing on happy memories and keeping positive thoughts will decrease the recurrence of depression. Lowering one's standards to prevent disappointment and learning from one's own mistakes will also help a person overcome depression.
My mother has beat the battle of depression after six months in Zellar, the old local mental institution, and years of learning how to cope with life's emotional stress. Trying to resume her original lifestyle was the most difficult obstacle to getting better. Her suicidal attempt was reported on the front page of the Peoria Journal Star. Not only did they have the wrong information about the depressing event, they also labeled her and tried to press charges against her for trying to take her own life. Returning to work, she was stereotyped as 'crazy' or 'insane' instead of strong and hopeful for fighting the horrifying condition. It has been five years since her breakdown and she now lives a wonderful and happy life. She states, "I am proud to be here today!" (Lewis, Pamela, 2003). If you know anyone who shows any signs of depression or has thoughts of death, help them. Be their friend and give them positive reinforcement. Show them they are loved and needed in your life and many others. Most important, get them help because not every depressed person knows they are depressed, therefore they may not be able to help themselves.
References:
Burns, David D., MD. Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy. Avon Books Printing. New York, New York: 1980.
Hauck, Paul A. Overcoming Depression. The Westminster Press.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: 1987.
Heitler, Susan M., Ph.D. From Conflict to Resolution.W.W. Norton and Company, Inc. New York, New York: 1990.
Klerman, Gerald L. Interpersonal Psychotherapy of Depression. Jason Aronson, Inc. Northvale, New Jersey: 1984.
Koop, Everett C., MD. Depression at Time of Diagnosis. Time Life Medical. Patient Education Media, Inc. New York, New York: 1996.
Lewis, Pamela. Interview. Edelstein, Illinois: 2003.
Morgan, Marie. Breaking Through: How to Overcome Housewives' Depression.
Winston Press, Inc. Minneapolis, Minnesota: 1983.
Reference International Publishers, Ltd. Good Housekeeping: Family Health and Medical Guide. Hearst Books. New York, New York: 1979, 1980.
Jamie Herold
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jamie_Herold
Have you ever felt life was not worth living? Have you wished you were dead? Have you had any thoughts of taking your own life? It began October of 1998, while my husband and I were on our way home from the grocery store. The cellular phone rings. My husband answers. He then tells the caller that we are on our way there. His tone of voice sounded frightened and worried. I repeatedly asked, "What is going on? Why are you driving so fast?"
"Something has happened to your mother!", he exclaimed. I had fifteen minutes to prepare myself for the worst, yet I did not know exactly what I was preparing for. As we arrived to the scene, numerous police vehicles, two ambulances, the local rescue squad, private investigators, negotiators, and the SWAT team had one half of a mile from my house blocked off. As we came to a stop, I jumped out of the car crying and screaming, while trying to find answers as to what has happened. A police officer then pulled me aside. The young man explained that my mother was attempting suicide due to her depression.
As the number one public health problem, four to 8 percent of the U.S. population experience or have experienced a clinical depressed syndrome (Klerman, Gerald, pg. 27). Depression is a mental illness that requires immediate medical attention. Because depression is so widespread, it is often called the 'common cold' (Koop, Everett, 1996). The difference between a cold and depression is that depression, if not treated, can lead to the death of an individual.
Depression occurs when nerve cells, or neurons, fail to communicate with each other due to a chemical imbalance in the brain (Koop, Everett, 1996). A neuron is a specialized cell that conducts messages through the nervous system. Two neurons communicate with each other by electrical impulses or signals. The point of communication where electrical signals carry a message between two neurons is called a synapse. Separating the sending neurons and receiving neurons from the axon terminal are tiny, fluid-filled gaps called synaptic clefts. Chemicals called neurotransmitters dock at receptor sites, thus igniting the electrical signal of that neuron. After the signal is delivered, the neurotransmitters float back to the neuron that sent them. This process is called reputake.
Researchers have found many causes or reasons for depression. Usually, depression is caused by a deficiency in the neurotransmitter serotonin or norepinephrine (Morgan, Marie, pg. 75). Serotonin helps regulate mood, sleep, aggression, and appetite. Norepinephrine affects wakefulness, alertness, and also appetite. In some cases hereditary, personality traits, stress, and lack of supportive relationships are linked to depression. Other causes for depression are helplessness, sense of loss, isolation, and unresolved anger (Koop, Everett, 1996). Through your eyes, you see the world as a series of positive, neutral, or negative events. These events are interrupted through a group of thoughts that constantly flow through your mind. This is called your internal dialogue. Created by your thoughts is your feelings or mood. Before an emotional response can be experienced what you are feeling or what is happening to you (Burns, David, pg. 30). Therefore, the negative thoughts that process through your mind are actually the cause of your emotions.
Your negative thoughts, or cognitions, are the most overlooked symptoms of depression. Symptoms are feelings or behaviors that disturb normal functioning (Heitler, Susan, pg.47). A depressed person may show signs, such as a loss of pleasure or interest in usual activities, feelings of worthlessness, guilt, decrease in the ability to think or concentrate, and a loss of energy and appetite (Koop, Everett, 1996). The assessments of symptoms include specifying troubled behaviors and feelings, the history of the symptoms and diagnosing the problem (Heitler, Susan, pg. 49). Other symptoms include crying excessively, negative thoughts about the future and even thoughts of death or suicide (Koop, Everett, 1996).
Suicide is the deliberate taking of one's own life, which accounts for 5 percent of clinically depressed patients (Burns, David, pg. 383). Suicide rates have increased in children and adolescents since the 1990's (Burns, David, pg. 9).
Why do depressed individuals often think of suicide? Persuasive and pessimistic visions dominate their thoughts. To them, life seems to be a nightmare. When a depressed person thinks of the past, she only remembers moments of suffering and pain (Burns, David, pg. 384). Researchers have proven that the unrealistic sense of hopelessness is one of the most important factors in the plans for a serious suicidal wish or thought (Burns, David, pg. 385). A famous myth remains today: An unsuccessful suicide attempt is simply a means of getting attention and is not to be taken seriously (Burns, David, pg. 387). The fact is that all attempts are to be taken very seriously. Because a depressed individual's pain and suffering may feel unbearable and never ending, she may conclude that suicide is the only escape. In reality, medical treatment and attention will help the individual overcome depression.
Many researchers have described therapy as an opportunity for people to deal with their conflict of everyday living (Heitler, Susan, pg. 7). Consulting with a professional, such as a psychologist or a psychiatrist, can be a nice beginning for treatment. With a Ph.D. in psychology and other related fields, a psychologist serves the public through research, testing, and psychotherapy (Hauck, Paul, pg. 134). Psychotherapy is an important means of treatment for certain types of emotional or mental disorders. Usually working with the patient alone, a psychologist allows her to express feelings and emotions of life's battles. At the end of each session, the psychologist gives simple, step by step advice to the patient. A psychiatrist is a medical doctor who specializes in counseling clients with psychiatric, neurologic, and medical conditions (Reference International Publishers, LTD, pg. 18). During a period of one to six visits, the doctor will be discussed with the patient and followed upon regularly (Reference International Publishers, LTD, pg. 187). A psychiatrist also prescribes and administers medication, usually antidepressants, with the referral from a psychologist (Hauck, Paul, pg.135).
Antidepressants are drugs that are prescribed to treat depression and some anxiety disorders. The most widely prescribed drugs, tricyclic antidepressants, enhance the potency of the brain's neurotransmitters in the synapse. Some agents of tricyclic drugs are Imipramine, Desipramine, Amitriptyline, Nortriptyline, Protriptyline, and Doxepin (Burns, David, pgs. 430-432). Side effects, such as dry mouth, constipation and blurred vision, disappear after the first few days (Burns, David, pg. 432). MAO inhibitors cause elevations in the levels of amine neurotransmitters, thus, correcting the chemical imbalance in the brain. The most commonly prescribed trade names for MAO inhibitors are Marplan, Nardil, and Parnate. Similar to tricyclic drugs, the side effects of MAO inhibitors are dry mouth, lightheadedness, trouble urinating, a rash, and constipation or loose stools (Burns, David, pg. 440). MAO inhibitors, if not taken properly can produce serious effects. Blood pressure may rise of certain foods or drugs containing a substance called tyramine, which interferes with the brain's ability to regulate blood pressure, while taking a MAO inhibitor (Burns, David, pg. 441). Lithium carbonate is another antidepressant drug used to treat severe depression. Although lithium is simply salt, it does have many side effects, such as hand tremors, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, that usually taper off within a week or soon after (Morgan, Marie, pg. 78). Long term effects of lithium include blackouts, headache, slurred speech, weight changes, fatigue, and hypotension (Morgan, Marie, pg. 70). Valium is an antidepressant that suppresses anxiety and covers up symptoms rather than getting at the causes (Morgan, Marie, pg. 78).
Although addictive and may worsen depression, some doctors use minor tranquilizers or sedatives to treat anxiety and nervousness (Burns, David, pg. 444). Sleeping pills are used to help treat insomnia. These pills become highly addictive as they disrupt normal sleep patterns and greatly worsen the sleeping problem. For example, my mother was given the drug, Ambien, because she was having trouble falling and staying asleep. She awoke often only to take another pill because she was still not able to sleep well. Ambien gave her short-term amnesia and disrupted her sleep instead of helping her sleep. She ended up in the emergency room for an accidental overdose (Lewis, Pamela, 2003). I almost lost her again to a drug that was supposed to help her. There are at least a dozen different antidepressants that are effective for some patients, while for others, the results may be disappointing or harmful. Reoccurrences of depression can happen at any time a person stops taking medication as prescribed just because they 'think' they are better. In some cases a depressed person may need an increase or even a change in medication after an evaluation with a doctor or therapist. In the near future, researchers will hopefully advance the understanding of antidepressant drugs and how they affect the human brain.
It sometimes, seems that the more hopeless and severe the depression was, the more extraordinary and delicious the taste of happiness and self-esteem is. As you begin to feel better, the pessimistic thoughts will go away like the melting of the winter snow when spring arrives. You may even wonder how you ever could believe such thought in the first place. Because the change of negative to more neutral or positive thinking can be so dramatic, a person may be convinced that the depression has vanished forever. But that simply is not true because there is a mood disorder that remains. A depressed person who feels better must understand what caused the depression and be able to apply and reapply self-help techniques whenever needed. Acquiring self-confidence and self-esteem is a must to getting better. Focusing on happy memories and keeping positive thoughts will decrease the recurrence of depression. Lowering one's standards to prevent disappointment and learning from one's own mistakes will also help a person overcome depression.
My mother has beat the battle of depression after six months in Zellar, the old local mental institution, and years of learning how to cope with life's emotional stress. Trying to resume her original lifestyle was the most difficult obstacle to getting better. Her suicidal attempt was reported on the front page of the Peoria Journal Star. Not only did they have the wrong information about the depressing event, they also labeled her and tried to press charges against her for trying to take her own life. Returning to work, she was stereotyped as 'crazy' or 'insane' instead of strong and hopeful for fighting the horrifying condition. It has been five years since her breakdown and she now lives a wonderful and happy life. She states, "I am proud to be here today!" (Lewis, Pamela, 2003). If you know anyone who shows any signs of depression or has thoughts of death, help them. Be their friend and give them positive reinforcement. Show them they are loved and needed in your life and many others. Most important, get them help because not every depressed person knows they are depressed, therefore they may not be able to help themselves.
References:
Burns, David D., MD. Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy. Avon Books Printing. New York, New York: 1980.
Hauck, Paul A. Overcoming Depression. The Westminster Press.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: 1987.
Heitler, Susan M., Ph.D. From Conflict to Resolution.W.W. Norton and Company, Inc. New York, New York: 1990.
Klerman, Gerald L. Interpersonal Psychotherapy of Depression. Jason Aronson, Inc. Northvale, New Jersey: 1984.
Koop, Everett C., MD. Depression at Time of Diagnosis. Time Life Medical. Patient Education Media, Inc. New York, New York: 1996.
Lewis, Pamela. Interview. Edelstein, Illinois: 2003.
Morgan, Marie. Breaking Through: How to Overcome Housewives' Depression.
Winston Press, Inc. Minneapolis, Minnesota: 1983.
Reference International Publishers, Ltd. Good Housekeeping: Family Health and Medical Guide. Hearst Books. New York, New York: 1979, 1980.
Jamie Herold
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jamie_Herold
Monday, 23 August 2010
Depression Treatment - 101 Ways to Beat Depression Naturally
Depression is a mental health disorder which affects the way a person eats, sleeps, feels about oneself and the way he perceives things around him. Depression should not be considered as just a passing mood, because it is not. It is also not a personal weakness that can be wished away. It is a disease which is curable and from there you can start a new lease of life. If a depressive episode is left untreatable, it can last for months and even years. The worst thing about depression is that ignorant people don't consider it as a real disease at all and think that a person can actually snap out of it. Depression requires medical attention and treatment.
Below are 101 ways to beat Depression at home without any prescription drugs.
1)Find hope. Understand that today may be a bad day, but tomorrow will not be the same. Whenever feelings of depression hit you, find something you can look forward to. Start concentrating on things which you like.
2) Eat apples everyday. They contain Phosphorus, Vitamin B and potassium which build the nerve cells and help keep depression at bay.
3) Practice positive self-talk. Speak to yourself about the goodness in your and the people around you. Make yourself say everyday that you will enjoy life no matter what.
4) Believe in God. No matter what religion you follow, try to understand the meaning of the principles and draw happiness from its teachings. Get inspired by the beliefs.
5) Make new friends. Start conversations with people you like and form new friendships. Talk to them regularly and try to be a good friend.
6) Be around people. Try not to be alone. Chat, share a joke and laugh with friends or family. Make the home environment a pleasant one to be in. It is true that "An idle mind is a devil's workshop". So try not to give any chances for this.
7) Join a Social club, take a class, meet someone for lunch or just chat with your next-door neighbor. Simple mundane talking can take care of a lot of mental unhappiness.
8) Find a hobby. Collecting stamps, reading and listening to music are a few of the common hobbies people enjoy. Find out what you like and spend a few hours everyday doing it.
9) Do what makes you laugh. Watching a funny sitcom on television, reading the daily newspaper cartoons or watching a funny movie on DVD, do things regularly that make you giggle.
10) Make New Friends. Find people on the street who look like they are having a good time. Get the spirit from them and pump fresh energy when ever you meet people like that.
11) Listen to Music.If you listen to music, chuck the melancholy ones and listen to music that makes you feel happy. Music can actually lift your mood. This can touch your soul and give an immediate cure to most of the problems.
12) Volunteer for helping out somewhere. You can opt for a pantry centre that feeds the poor or an abused women's shelter. You will feel a peace within yourself that you have never known.
13) Go for a walk. Walking is the best thing to do when you are depressed because it does not require a lot of motivation and is healthy as well. Stop thinking about your past while walking. Try to enjoy the nature and motive yourself to be like a great leader.
14) Make exercise a part of your daily routine. Exercising releases the endorphins of the body and helps you feel positive. It will also make you feel happier. Choose an exercise you are comfortable doing everybody.
15) Physical closeness is a mood-lifter. Give somebody a hug when you are feeling low. It may be a friend, a colleague at work or your mom. It works wonders. This is the best medicine found for depression and most recommended by any physician. A sharing of love and care will lift your spirits. Try to get a hug from a person whom you love the most.
16) Spend time with nature everyday. Gardening, walking or just sitting and breathing in the fresh air early in the morning will make you feel thankful to god that he created you. It will definitely improve your mood.
17) Spend time with yourself. Meditate, pray or just think about the positive qualities you have and the people who love you. But do remember that too much solitude may make you more depressed.
18) A lot of people feel depressed because they feel they are guilty of something. Face your demons. Ask for forgiveness from the person concerned and then put the whole episode behind you. Don't drag out the issue everyday and brood about it.
19) Let go of grudges. If you feel someone has done you wrong, forgive him or her. This is important to make peace with yourself. For instance, divorced people often hold grudges against their ex-spouses and feel angry and depressed. It is important to let go.
20) Open yourself to love. Embrace the love of family members and friends and try to reciprocate it. Basking in the warmth of love is the best way to reduce depression. Sharing of thoughts and true love will change the face of problems. You can get so many shoulders to share the responsibility and all off a sudden, all your problems might be solved.
21) Count your blessings. Instead of thinking about the negative things in your life, spend time everyday thinking about the positives. It could be anything; a great job, your best friend, your loving family or even your beautiful skin.
22) Reduce stress. Find out the areas in your life that make you most stressed and think about how to improve them. Eliminating stress will give you greater control of your life.
23) Do not procrastinate. When you keep off till tomorrow the work that can be done today, you are spending time thinking about ways you can avoid working instead of doing the work. Don't waste your time and energy in doing something so useless. Try to make the best use of your time.
24) Eat fats which are good for the body. Eat foods like fish, pork, beef and dairy because these contain Omega-3 and Omega-6 which help in the creation of new brain cells. Healthy food habits will keep away ugly thoughts and make you fresh.
25) Eat granola, sweet potatoes, starchy vegetables, whole fruits, stone ground bread, potatoes with their skin and popcorn. They provide the necessary carbohydrates to the body.
26) Eat a balanced diet. Have little protein at night and instead have complex carbohydrates. They help in the production of serotonin.
27) Having fruit before going to bed is a very good idea. The fruit will help you sleep and keep your depression at bay. On the other hand, it will supply all the essential nutrients and keep you healthy.
28) Take Vitamin B-6 supplements everyday. It will increase the levels of serotonin in the body. If you have a medical condition, consult your doctor before starting.
29) Eat your meals at approximately the same time each day. This is important as your body will not be starved of energy at any point of time.
30) Don't skip meals. When you skip meals in the condition of depression, your body cannot produce energy. This will make you feel down. Skipping meals is something you just can't afford to do.
31) Chinese medical research suggests that acupuncture can help to balance the positive and negative energies of the body. You can try it as it is a well-known way of treating depression.
32) Try not to be anxious in your day to day life. Everyday you may feel that you are constantly fighting with certain situations and people. Have a composed life style and try to balance all your feelings.
33) Don't while away time doing nothing. If you are a student, make notes or study or go out. If you are a housewife, you can find a job or start a small business. Being busy does not let you have time to think any depressing thoughts.
34) Be Social. Go out with friends for shopping or coffee. Meeting people and talking about mundane things will release happy-hormones and make you feel good. Try to spread happiness like a forest fire. You will never be depressed.
35) Get a massage done. It is a mood lifter and it help in alleviating depressive symptoms. The anticipation of a massage is almost as good as the massage itself. The massage should be got from a professional person so as to relieve all the stress.
36) Eat dark chocolate. Eating a small square of chocolate everyday will not make you fat. It has anti-oxidants which will help your mood. Anti-oxidants will help you to keep fresh the whole day and you will never have the feeling of being tired or depressed.
37) Eat less of refined sugar. Your body craves sugar when you are depressed but in the long run it actually makes you more depressed. Cut it out from your life as much as possible.
38) Even if you are eating well, you may not be getting all the essential nutrients your body requires. Consult your doctor and have a multivitamin everyday. Health supplements are important and play a vital role to eliminate stress.
39) Go swimming. It is a great exercise and gives your body a natural adrenaline rush. You will be happy and refreshed after a half-hour spent in the pool. Time spent in the pool will pump in fresh energy.
40) Don't spend the entire day in a cold grumpy office or house. Get some sunlight for at least 15 minutes. It is a wonderful natural mood-lifter. Start enjoying the beauty of nature outside.
41) If you live in an area where there is little sunlight, buy yourself a light box and look into it everyday for 15-20 minutes. It a great way of relieving depression.
42) It is important that you get enough sleep. Though it varies from person to person, 8 hours sleep a night is enough for most of the people. Make sure to have a regular routine and timing to sleep. If you change it frequently, the body system will get confused and you might face sleepiness all the day.
43) Napping in the afternoon for 30 minutes does not make you lazy. It could actually energize you and make you ready to spend the rest of the day productively. However, make sure that you do not become an addict to it.
44) Do not hide from the world. Make friends. The internet is a wonderful place for making new friends. Find online friends with whom you can share your thoughts, dreams and passions.
45) Break up your goals into smaller achievable parts. It will be easier to achieve them and make you feel confident. Pat yourself when ever you achieve a short term goal. You are the best motivator for yourself and take pride of all your actions.
46) This is important. Do not blame yourself or anyone else for your depression. You have it in you to overcome it yourself.
47) Don't decide on important things of your life such as divorce, marriage and career before you get out of the depressive state.
48) Accept the love and support your friends and family offer you. Be grateful for it. Reciprocate in the same way. The feeling of helping others and to see a smile in their face is a great way to root out depression.
49) Don't hide your depressive state. Let people around you know you are depressed. Get the help from professionals.
50) Take steps everyday to build confidence and self-esteem. A confident person can beat all odds. It will give the power to win odd situations.
51) Always remember that there is someone who is less fortunate than you. You are a lucky person. Think that you are having 10 full fingers with which you can win the world.
52) Find happiness in little things such as a great book, your favorite TV show or just the fact that your mother made your favorite baked roast today.
53) Eat cashew nuts everyday because the Riboflavin and Vitamin B it contains is good for you.
54) Another option is to have Vitamin B supplements.
55) Whenever depression hits you, get up and get active. Don't while away time in your bed brooding. Do not let depression to depress your mind state. Get going with your daily routine inspite of difficulties.
56) Whenever you feel one of your moods coming, try to shift you attention to someone else's problems. Try to find solutions instead of worrying.
57) Pamper yourself by having a bubble bath or buying an expensive book you have been eyeing to get the happy hormones flowing.
58) Understand what it is that depresses you. Stop doing it. Getting to the core of the issue is important.
59) Try to have beautiful relationship with your partner. Bickering, arguments and quarrelling are no-no's. You can have them once in a while. If this persists for a long time, try to find an immediate long term solution.
60) Smile to yourself at the mirror everyday. It will make you want to do it all day. Start developing the sense of feeling that you are the most beautiful or handsome person in this world. It will boost your confidence level.
61) Smile to people around you. On the road, at your office or in the departmental store, smile! A gentle smile would pave way to beautiful relationships.
62) If you have diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes, kidney or liver trouble get them treated as soon as possible. Make sure that you are under proper medication and do not feel the pinch of diseases.
63) Make a schedule of your daily life. Follow it religiously. Stick to your own rules. Act accordingly. It will give you a disciplined life and will make you fit.
64) Laugh everyday. Join a laughing club or just laugh looking at yourself in the mirror. This has become a rare commodity. However, you do not give a chance. Share a good joke with your friends and family members.
65) Don't live in denial. Accept the fact that you are depressed and take steps to treat it. The state of being denied is very painful. Hence, find an immediate answer and try to analyze the causes for that.
66) Know your limitations and liabilities. It will help you look at life with a practical eye. A practical approach to all the problems would find the much awaited key. Do not be extravagant while finding a solution. Be calm.
67) Stop worrying about things that are not in your control. Do as much as you can and then let go. Accept the proceedings of fate. But do not be idle and a mute spectator.
68) Patience is a virtue you need to develop. You won't just snap out of depression one day, it will take time and effort but will surely go away. Have this in your mind. There can be no problems which are permanent in life.
69) Always take one step at a time. Everyday try to do a little bit more to get rid of your depression. Find out the ways and things that will cheer you up. So stick to activities of that kind.
70) Practice a healthy lifestyle. Sleep, eat a balanced diet and get proper exercise to stay happy. A life with a perfect combination of all these activities will give you more.
71) Avoid consuming alcohol. It will make you more depressed. Don't try burying your sorrows in alcohol. Consuming alcohol is not good for health. It means you are inviting problems on your own. There might be health complications too because of this problem.
72) If you are a smoker, quit. Nicotine may make you feel good as long as you have the cigarette in your hand, but it is actually bad for your mood in the long run. It will make you an addict to this habit.
73) Popping pills to treat everyday ailments without them being prescribed by a doctor will ultimately make you feel down. Stop this habit. This will further lead to complications. Do not encourage self medication.
74) Take a carrot and some spinach and put it in the blender. Drink the juice everyday. Prefer fresh juices instead of junk food items. You will get tons of energy and it will make good for the health.
75) Bananas contain serotonin, norepinephrine and potassium. Have two ripe bananas everyday. You can stay healthy for the life time.
76) Avoid having too much coffee. If you cannot do without it, limit yourself to a couple of cups everyday. The main ingredient will make you an addict which is not good.
77) Drinking ginger tea everyday improves the blood and oxygen circulation of the body and keeps you feeling good. Having a proper supply of oxygen is very important for the health. This will make you a fit personality and will keep you fresh round the clock.
78) Have sage tea with honey. It will sharpen your brain power and alleviate depressive symptoms.
79) Drinking peppermint tea will relax your system and improve your mood. Have it everyday. A happy mood will find a solution to any of the problems.
80) Do not have sugar with your tea. You can have honey or jaggery instead.
81) Have milk with apple and honey every alternate day. It may not sound very appetizing but the combination will improve your mood.
82) When shopping for groceries, load up on citrus fruits and vegetables. They help in lifting the mood. They will lift up your spirits.
83) Try yoga. A lot of people all over the world are effusive about the usefulness of yoga in treating depression. This will improve your concentration level and also will help you to remain calm at times of problems. A calm mind is very much essential to analyze the root causes of the problems.
84) If it is something in the earlier part of your life that makes you depressed, try to put it all behind you. Remember, tomorrow is a new day. Make your day as the best one as you will never get a chance to make a better yesterday.
85) Boil a cup of water and put fresh rose petals in it. Drink it after straining the petals. This is a nice way to enjoy the beauty of life.
86) A lot of people have found relief from depression by drinking 2-3 cups of liquorice tea everyday. Take the help of medicinal herbs like these and get rid of depression.
87) Dry root of asparagus, if eaten daily after being crushed and mixed with honey, is known to help in depression.
88) Have a good breakfast. All types of foods, that is, proteins, carbohydrates and fats should be a part of your daily breakfast.
89) Have a glass of orange juice early in the morning. The Vitamin C boost will be good for you.
90) Soak 5-10 almonds in water at night and eat them first thing in the morning everyday. This will make your body light and will keep you away from all the worries. You will never think about the problems and instead will solve it easily.
91) If tiredness and lethargy is what you feel even after waking up after 8 hours of sleep, you have to make the effort to get out of the cycle. Remember, the moment you decide you are going to give in, your depression wins over you.
92) Don't indulge in self-pity. It is a cycle that you have to end the moment it starts. Do not get in to this bad habit. You will never be able to come out of this problem and it might spoil your character too.
93) If you are depressed about a relationship with somebody, may be your spouse, a parent or a friend, speak to the person about it. You need to get it solved. Don't brood over it. A gentle conversation sparked will solve all the misunderstandings. Remember that communication is the shortest distance between two people.
94) Keep a diary. Vent all your frustrations, anger and moments of happiness in it. Keep a track of how you feel everyday. This will help you plan the next day better.
95) Research has shown that watching too much television can actually make you feel more depressed. You will be better off doing something productive. Those television programs will make you think about them and not about your problems. Do not waste much of your time. On the other hand, do not miss out on the entertainment too.
96) Painting, clay modeling, stitching and knitting make you feel at peace with yourself. Do take out sometime everyday for any one of these everyday. People who have interests on these kinds of activities might pursue this. This will give those good hopes and satisfaction.
97) Reading good books is a great mood enhancer. But when you are choosing books, make sure you don't choose depressive dark and sad books. Comics are something that will always help.
98) Consult your doctor and ask him to recommend a good calcium and magnesium supplement that you can take everyday.
99) Cooking is something that will make you happy whether you are a man or a woman. Cook with love, involve your partner and get creative with your cooking. It will make you a lot happier.
100) Drinking green tea is another home remedy that works to treat depression. Green tea contains natural antioxidants which will help you deal with stress better.
101) It`s a good idea to look for a professional counselling. Depression is a disease which is completely treatable. A therapist or counsellor can lead you to the path of complete recovery.
A huge percentage of people around the globe are suffering from depression and the number is increasing everyday. The one thing worse about depression is not to take any steps to treat it. If you are depressed, follow the tips given here. Depression if left untreated may even lead to self-harm and suicide. Don't wait before it's too late. A lot of people will be cured by following the tips, but some may need professional help. If you deal with depression with courage and confidence, nothing can stop you from winning the battle. Have a wonderful life ahead of you free of depression.
Do you want to learn how to treat Depression without Prescription Drugs?
I have just completed my brand new free eBook on Natural Cures of Depression.
Download the eBook for Free here: Depression Treatment 101
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kriti_Arora
Below are 101 ways to beat Depression at home without any prescription drugs.
1)Find hope. Understand that today may be a bad day, but tomorrow will not be the same. Whenever feelings of depression hit you, find something you can look forward to. Start concentrating on things which you like.
2) Eat apples everyday. They contain Phosphorus, Vitamin B and potassium which build the nerve cells and help keep depression at bay.
3) Practice positive self-talk. Speak to yourself about the goodness in your and the people around you. Make yourself say everyday that you will enjoy life no matter what.
4) Believe in God. No matter what religion you follow, try to understand the meaning of the principles and draw happiness from its teachings. Get inspired by the beliefs.
5) Make new friends. Start conversations with people you like and form new friendships. Talk to them regularly and try to be a good friend.
6) Be around people. Try not to be alone. Chat, share a joke and laugh with friends or family. Make the home environment a pleasant one to be in. It is true that "An idle mind is a devil's workshop". So try not to give any chances for this.
7) Join a Social club, take a class, meet someone for lunch or just chat with your next-door neighbor. Simple mundane talking can take care of a lot of mental unhappiness.
8) Find a hobby. Collecting stamps, reading and listening to music are a few of the common hobbies people enjoy. Find out what you like and spend a few hours everyday doing it.
9) Do what makes you laugh. Watching a funny sitcom on television, reading the daily newspaper cartoons or watching a funny movie on DVD, do things regularly that make you giggle.
10) Make New Friends. Find people on the street who look like they are having a good time. Get the spirit from them and pump fresh energy when ever you meet people like that.
11) Listen to Music.If you listen to music, chuck the melancholy ones and listen to music that makes you feel happy. Music can actually lift your mood. This can touch your soul and give an immediate cure to most of the problems.
12) Volunteer for helping out somewhere. You can opt for a pantry centre that feeds the poor or an abused women's shelter. You will feel a peace within yourself that you have never known.
13) Go for a walk. Walking is the best thing to do when you are depressed because it does not require a lot of motivation and is healthy as well. Stop thinking about your past while walking. Try to enjoy the nature and motive yourself to be like a great leader.
14) Make exercise a part of your daily routine. Exercising releases the endorphins of the body and helps you feel positive. It will also make you feel happier. Choose an exercise you are comfortable doing everybody.
15) Physical closeness is a mood-lifter. Give somebody a hug when you are feeling low. It may be a friend, a colleague at work or your mom. It works wonders. This is the best medicine found for depression and most recommended by any physician. A sharing of love and care will lift your spirits. Try to get a hug from a person whom you love the most.
16) Spend time with nature everyday. Gardening, walking or just sitting and breathing in the fresh air early in the morning will make you feel thankful to god that he created you. It will definitely improve your mood.
17) Spend time with yourself. Meditate, pray or just think about the positive qualities you have and the people who love you. But do remember that too much solitude may make you more depressed.
18) A lot of people feel depressed because they feel they are guilty of something. Face your demons. Ask for forgiveness from the person concerned and then put the whole episode behind you. Don't drag out the issue everyday and brood about it.
19) Let go of grudges. If you feel someone has done you wrong, forgive him or her. This is important to make peace with yourself. For instance, divorced people often hold grudges against their ex-spouses and feel angry and depressed. It is important to let go.
20) Open yourself to love. Embrace the love of family members and friends and try to reciprocate it. Basking in the warmth of love is the best way to reduce depression. Sharing of thoughts and true love will change the face of problems. You can get so many shoulders to share the responsibility and all off a sudden, all your problems might be solved.
21) Count your blessings. Instead of thinking about the negative things in your life, spend time everyday thinking about the positives. It could be anything; a great job, your best friend, your loving family or even your beautiful skin.
22) Reduce stress. Find out the areas in your life that make you most stressed and think about how to improve them. Eliminating stress will give you greater control of your life.
23) Do not procrastinate. When you keep off till tomorrow the work that can be done today, you are spending time thinking about ways you can avoid working instead of doing the work. Don't waste your time and energy in doing something so useless. Try to make the best use of your time.
24) Eat fats which are good for the body. Eat foods like fish, pork, beef and dairy because these contain Omega-3 and Omega-6 which help in the creation of new brain cells. Healthy food habits will keep away ugly thoughts and make you fresh.
25) Eat granola, sweet potatoes, starchy vegetables, whole fruits, stone ground bread, potatoes with their skin and popcorn. They provide the necessary carbohydrates to the body.
26) Eat a balanced diet. Have little protein at night and instead have complex carbohydrates. They help in the production of serotonin.
27) Having fruit before going to bed is a very good idea. The fruit will help you sleep and keep your depression at bay. On the other hand, it will supply all the essential nutrients and keep you healthy.
28) Take Vitamin B-6 supplements everyday. It will increase the levels of serotonin in the body. If you have a medical condition, consult your doctor before starting.
29) Eat your meals at approximately the same time each day. This is important as your body will not be starved of energy at any point of time.
30) Don't skip meals. When you skip meals in the condition of depression, your body cannot produce energy. This will make you feel down. Skipping meals is something you just can't afford to do.
31) Chinese medical research suggests that acupuncture can help to balance the positive and negative energies of the body. You can try it as it is a well-known way of treating depression.
32) Try not to be anxious in your day to day life. Everyday you may feel that you are constantly fighting with certain situations and people. Have a composed life style and try to balance all your feelings.
33) Don't while away time doing nothing. If you are a student, make notes or study or go out. If you are a housewife, you can find a job or start a small business. Being busy does not let you have time to think any depressing thoughts.
34) Be Social. Go out with friends for shopping or coffee. Meeting people and talking about mundane things will release happy-hormones and make you feel good. Try to spread happiness like a forest fire. You will never be depressed.
35) Get a massage done. It is a mood lifter and it help in alleviating depressive symptoms. The anticipation of a massage is almost as good as the massage itself. The massage should be got from a professional person so as to relieve all the stress.
36) Eat dark chocolate. Eating a small square of chocolate everyday will not make you fat. It has anti-oxidants which will help your mood. Anti-oxidants will help you to keep fresh the whole day and you will never have the feeling of being tired or depressed.
37) Eat less of refined sugar. Your body craves sugar when you are depressed but in the long run it actually makes you more depressed. Cut it out from your life as much as possible.
38) Even if you are eating well, you may not be getting all the essential nutrients your body requires. Consult your doctor and have a multivitamin everyday. Health supplements are important and play a vital role to eliminate stress.
39) Go swimming. It is a great exercise and gives your body a natural adrenaline rush. You will be happy and refreshed after a half-hour spent in the pool. Time spent in the pool will pump in fresh energy.
40) Don't spend the entire day in a cold grumpy office or house. Get some sunlight for at least 15 minutes. It is a wonderful natural mood-lifter. Start enjoying the beauty of nature outside.
41) If you live in an area where there is little sunlight, buy yourself a light box and look into it everyday for 15-20 minutes. It a great way of relieving depression.
42) It is important that you get enough sleep. Though it varies from person to person, 8 hours sleep a night is enough for most of the people. Make sure to have a regular routine and timing to sleep. If you change it frequently, the body system will get confused and you might face sleepiness all the day.
43) Napping in the afternoon for 30 minutes does not make you lazy. It could actually energize you and make you ready to spend the rest of the day productively. However, make sure that you do not become an addict to it.
44) Do not hide from the world. Make friends. The internet is a wonderful place for making new friends. Find online friends with whom you can share your thoughts, dreams and passions.
45) Break up your goals into smaller achievable parts. It will be easier to achieve them and make you feel confident. Pat yourself when ever you achieve a short term goal. You are the best motivator for yourself and take pride of all your actions.
46) This is important. Do not blame yourself or anyone else for your depression. You have it in you to overcome it yourself.
47) Don't decide on important things of your life such as divorce, marriage and career before you get out of the depressive state.
48) Accept the love and support your friends and family offer you. Be grateful for it. Reciprocate in the same way. The feeling of helping others and to see a smile in their face is a great way to root out depression.
49) Don't hide your depressive state. Let people around you know you are depressed. Get the help from professionals.
50) Take steps everyday to build confidence and self-esteem. A confident person can beat all odds. It will give the power to win odd situations.
51) Always remember that there is someone who is less fortunate than you. You are a lucky person. Think that you are having 10 full fingers with which you can win the world.
52) Find happiness in little things such as a great book, your favorite TV show or just the fact that your mother made your favorite baked roast today.
53) Eat cashew nuts everyday because the Riboflavin and Vitamin B it contains is good for you.
54) Another option is to have Vitamin B supplements.
55) Whenever depression hits you, get up and get active. Don't while away time in your bed brooding. Do not let depression to depress your mind state. Get going with your daily routine inspite of difficulties.
56) Whenever you feel one of your moods coming, try to shift you attention to someone else's problems. Try to find solutions instead of worrying.
57) Pamper yourself by having a bubble bath or buying an expensive book you have been eyeing to get the happy hormones flowing.
58) Understand what it is that depresses you. Stop doing it. Getting to the core of the issue is important.
59) Try to have beautiful relationship with your partner. Bickering, arguments and quarrelling are no-no's. You can have them once in a while. If this persists for a long time, try to find an immediate long term solution.
60) Smile to yourself at the mirror everyday. It will make you want to do it all day. Start developing the sense of feeling that you are the most beautiful or handsome person in this world. It will boost your confidence level.
61) Smile to people around you. On the road, at your office or in the departmental store, smile! A gentle smile would pave way to beautiful relationships.
62) If you have diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes, kidney or liver trouble get them treated as soon as possible. Make sure that you are under proper medication and do not feel the pinch of diseases.
63) Make a schedule of your daily life. Follow it religiously. Stick to your own rules. Act accordingly. It will give you a disciplined life and will make you fit.
64) Laugh everyday. Join a laughing club or just laugh looking at yourself in the mirror. This has become a rare commodity. However, you do not give a chance. Share a good joke with your friends and family members.
65) Don't live in denial. Accept the fact that you are depressed and take steps to treat it. The state of being denied is very painful. Hence, find an immediate answer and try to analyze the causes for that.
66) Know your limitations and liabilities. It will help you look at life with a practical eye. A practical approach to all the problems would find the much awaited key. Do not be extravagant while finding a solution. Be calm.
67) Stop worrying about things that are not in your control. Do as much as you can and then let go. Accept the proceedings of fate. But do not be idle and a mute spectator.
68) Patience is a virtue you need to develop. You won't just snap out of depression one day, it will take time and effort but will surely go away. Have this in your mind. There can be no problems which are permanent in life.
69) Always take one step at a time. Everyday try to do a little bit more to get rid of your depression. Find out the ways and things that will cheer you up. So stick to activities of that kind.
70) Practice a healthy lifestyle. Sleep, eat a balanced diet and get proper exercise to stay happy. A life with a perfect combination of all these activities will give you more.
71) Avoid consuming alcohol. It will make you more depressed. Don't try burying your sorrows in alcohol. Consuming alcohol is not good for health. It means you are inviting problems on your own. There might be health complications too because of this problem.
72) If you are a smoker, quit. Nicotine may make you feel good as long as you have the cigarette in your hand, but it is actually bad for your mood in the long run. It will make you an addict to this habit.
73) Popping pills to treat everyday ailments without them being prescribed by a doctor will ultimately make you feel down. Stop this habit. This will further lead to complications. Do not encourage self medication.
74) Take a carrot and some spinach and put it in the blender. Drink the juice everyday. Prefer fresh juices instead of junk food items. You will get tons of energy and it will make good for the health.
75) Bananas contain serotonin, norepinephrine and potassium. Have two ripe bananas everyday. You can stay healthy for the life time.
76) Avoid having too much coffee. If you cannot do without it, limit yourself to a couple of cups everyday. The main ingredient will make you an addict which is not good.
77) Drinking ginger tea everyday improves the blood and oxygen circulation of the body and keeps you feeling good. Having a proper supply of oxygen is very important for the health. This will make you a fit personality and will keep you fresh round the clock.
78) Have sage tea with honey. It will sharpen your brain power and alleviate depressive symptoms.
79) Drinking peppermint tea will relax your system and improve your mood. Have it everyday. A happy mood will find a solution to any of the problems.
80) Do not have sugar with your tea. You can have honey or jaggery instead.
81) Have milk with apple and honey every alternate day. It may not sound very appetizing but the combination will improve your mood.
82) When shopping for groceries, load up on citrus fruits and vegetables. They help in lifting the mood. They will lift up your spirits.
83) Try yoga. A lot of people all over the world are effusive about the usefulness of yoga in treating depression. This will improve your concentration level and also will help you to remain calm at times of problems. A calm mind is very much essential to analyze the root causes of the problems.
84) If it is something in the earlier part of your life that makes you depressed, try to put it all behind you. Remember, tomorrow is a new day. Make your day as the best one as you will never get a chance to make a better yesterday.
85) Boil a cup of water and put fresh rose petals in it. Drink it after straining the petals. This is a nice way to enjoy the beauty of life.
86) A lot of people have found relief from depression by drinking 2-3 cups of liquorice tea everyday. Take the help of medicinal herbs like these and get rid of depression.
87) Dry root of asparagus, if eaten daily after being crushed and mixed with honey, is known to help in depression.
88) Have a good breakfast. All types of foods, that is, proteins, carbohydrates and fats should be a part of your daily breakfast.
89) Have a glass of orange juice early in the morning. The Vitamin C boost will be good for you.
90) Soak 5-10 almonds in water at night and eat them first thing in the morning everyday. This will make your body light and will keep you away from all the worries. You will never think about the problems and instead will solve it easily.
91) If tiredness and lethargy is what you feel even after waking up after 8 hours of sleep, you have to make the effort to get out of the cycle. Remember, the moment you decide you are going to give in, your depression wins over you.
92) Don't indulge in self-pity. It is a cycle that you have to end the moment it starts. Do not get in to this bad habit. You will never be able to come out of this problem and it might spoil your character too.
93) If you are depressed about a relationship with somebody, may be your spouse, a parent or a friend, speak to the person about it. You need to get it solved. Don't brood over it. A gentle conversation sparked will solve all the misunderstandings. Remember that communication is the shortest distance between two people.
94) Keep a diary. Vent all your frustrations, anger and moments of happiness in it. Keep a track of how you feel everyday. This will help you plan the next day better.
95) Research has shown that watching too much television can actually make you feel more depressed. You will be better off doing something productive. Those television programs will make you think about them and not about your problems. Do not waste much of your time. On the other hand, do not miss out on the entertainment too.
96) Painting, clay modeling, stitching and knitting make you feel at peace with yourself. Do take out sometime everyday for any one of these everyday. People who have interests on these kinds of activities might pursue this. This will give those good hopes and satisfaction.
97) Reading good books is a great mood enhancer. But when you are choosing books, make sure you don't choose depressive dark and sad books. Comics are something that will always help.
98) Consult your doctor and ask him to recommend a good calcium and magnesium supplement that you can take everyday.
99) Cooking is something that will make you happy whether you are a man or a woman. Cook with love, involve your partner and get creative with your cooking. It will make you a lot happier.
100) Drinking green tea is another home remedy that works to treat depression. Green tea contains natural antioxidants which will help you deal with stress better.
101) It`s a good idea to look for a professional counselling. Depression is a disease which is completely treatable. A therapist or counsellor can lead you to the path of complete recovery.
A huge percentage of people around the globe are suffering from depression and the number is increasing everyday. The one thing worse about depression is not to take any steps to treat it. If you are depressed, follow the tips given here. Depression if left untreated may even lead to self-harm and suicide. Don't wait before it's too late. A lot of people will be cured by following the tips, but some may need professional help. If you deal with depression with courage and confidence, nothing can stop you from winning the battle. Have a wonderful life ahead of you free of depression.
Do you want to learn how to treat Depression without Prescription Drugs?
I have just completed my brand new free eBook on Natural Cures of Depression.
Download the eBook for Free here: Depression Treatment 101
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kriti_Arora
Friday, 20 August 2010
Seven Ways To Deal With Your Depression
It has just been announced, after a study by a team from King's College Hospital, that depression is now the biggest reason for people claiming long-term sickness benefit in the UK, having taken over from musculoskeletal problems such as back
problems. The research shows that 176 million working days were lost because of depression in 2003. Depression now affects 1 in 5 of the population, with most people using various types of medication. Most people would like other types of treatments, such as 'talking cures', but there is a huge shortage of such therapies or therapists in the NHS system.
The aim of this article is to highlight 7 things that anyone with depression can do to
help themselves. This is not meant to be instead of any treatment you may be
having, rather, these are things you can do in addition that will help you to regain
control of your life as quickly as possible.
1. Change Your language
2. Focus on a better future
3. Stop blaming yourself
4. Stop telling yourself you are a failure
5. Have a safe moment every day
6. Have a fun moment every day
7. Get reading
These may seem simple, and to some of you may seem difficult, but the more you
practice these 7 things, the more you will help yourself to get over your depression.
I want to say a little bit about each of these things, so you know exactly what I
mean.
1. Change Your Language
The language we use expresses how we understand ourselves and our world. Too
much language around depression is the language of the victim or is the language
of a war. Indeed, put them both together and you can be a depression war victim.
Stop saying things like, 'I suffer from depression'...', or 'I am going to beat this
damn illness.' Change you language to one of experience, if you have to use
language at all. If you stop telling yourself you are a suffering victim in a battle, you
will stop being one.
2. Focus On A Better Future
This can be a tough one, for depression is so often about the inability to see a great
future. But, too much depression is actually about a morbid focus on the past and
what went wrong, and this will only make you feel more depressed. Start to
daydream what you would like your great future to look like, or build up a
scrapbook of lots of photos and ideas about what it will look like. Think about or
write down how you would like to feel in this glorious future.
3. Stop Blaming Yourself
Most people with depression go through the blame thing. You will start to blame
yourself for being weak, not being able to cope, letting friends and family down and
that sort of thing. Apart from the fact that it is wrong, blaming yourself for your
depression is about as useful as blaming yourself for the weather - and I'm sure the
really depressed among you might have even done that! But seriously, there is
nothing to blame yourself for; your only job is to deal with your depression and get
your life back on track.
4. Stop Telling Yourself You Are A Failure
When depression strikes, apart from blaming ourselves, we often combine this with
the belief that we are failures. I have failed at my job, my life, my relationships and
so forth. Many of you might see depression itself as some sort of failure to cope.
Again, this is not true, and neither is it helpful. You have not failed just because
you've got depression, and the more you tell yourself that you are not a failure the
more you will begin to believe it.
5. Have A Safe Moment Every Day
Depression makes us feel unsafe. Feeling safe is essential to good health and well-
being, so it is important to practice feeling safe again. You need to find something
that you can do, that you know that you can do without thinking - something you
feel safe just doing. It could be cooking, reading, making something, writing or
whatever. Once you have found something that you feel safe doing (or several
things) you then need to make sure you do this for at least 30 minutes a day. At
first it may seem pointless or difficult, but very soon you will start to feel much safer
again, and therefore much better.
6. Have A Fun Moment Every Day
One of the most damaging things about depression is that it takes the fun out of
life. This may seem trivial until you have had the fun removed, then you know what
a serious business it is to have fun. Life feeling safe, it is important to establish a
fun moment every day in order to practice having fun again. So, as with the feeling
safe, you need to think of some things that are (or were) fun for you, and start to do
them for 30 minutes a day. It does not matter how silly your fun thing is, and it
doesn't matter if it doesn't feel like fun at first. Give it a chance, and those feelings
of fun will begin to return.
7. Get Reading
There is an old saying that knowledge is power, and in terms of depression this is
absolutely true. It is important to understand what depression is, and what it is not,
so start to read some good books about it so you know what you are dealing with.
But, even more importantly, there are millions of people that have had depression,
got over it and built wonderful new lives, and many of them write about it in
magazines and books. Start to read inspirational stories about how other people
have dealt with their own depression and see what you can learn from them.
Reading can also mean listening or watching as you will also find great stuff on the
radio, television and in some films.
These 7 things are not a miracle cure, but I do know from my own experience that
they will help you to transform your depression. The problem with depression is
that it is like a prison and it is very easy, and sometimes actually easier, to just stay
put in this bleak and depressing place. These few things will help you to unlock the
door of that prison, walk out and throw away the key.
Remember that depression is now a very common complaint, so you are not alone.
The more you practice these 7 things, and embed them into your life, the more you
will start to regain control of your life. Depression is a temporary phase, and you
have the tools to create a new and wonderful life. Good luck.
Rick is a licensed master Practitioner of NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming), and the developer of the unique, From Mess to Success coaching programme. He runs workshops and works with people on a one-to-one basis, helping them to heal and transform their lives. He suffered from manic depression and agoraphobia for 7 years. He has been totally cured for over 10 years.
Rick’s unique combination of skills and experience, both professional and personal, combined with his work as a highly successful guide and coach make him supremely qualified and experienced to help you create the life you want and deserve.
Further details can be found on his website at: [http://www.inspiredways.com]
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rick_Thorn
problems. The research shows that 176 million working days were lost because of depression in 2003. Depression now affects 1 in 5 of the population, with most people using various types of medication. Most people would like other types of treatments, such as 'talking cures', but there is a huge shortage of such therapies or therapists in the NHS system.
The aim of this article is to highlight 7 things that anyone with depression can do to
help themselves. This is not meant to be instead of any treatment you may be
having, rather, these are things you can do in addition that will help you to regain
control of your life as quickly as possible.
1. Change Your language
2. Focus on a better future
3. Stop blaming yourself
4. Stop telling yourself you are a failure
5. Have a safe moment every day
6. Have a fun moment every day
7. Get reading
These may seem simple, and to some of you may seem difficult, but the more you
practice these 7 things, the more you will help yourself to get over your depression.
I want to say a little bit about each of these things, so you know exactly what I
mean.
1. Change Your Language
The language we use expresses how we understand ourselves and our world. Too
much language around depression is the language of the victim or is the language
of a war. Indeed, put them both together and you can be a depression war victim.
Stop saying things like, 'I suffer from depression'...', or 'I am going to beat this
damn illness.' Change you language to one of experience, if you have to use
language at all. If you stop telling yourself you are a suffering victim in a battle, you
will stop being one.
2. Focus On A Better Future
This can be a tough one, for depression is so often about the inability to see a great
future. But, too much depression is actually about a morbid focus on the past and
what went wrong, and this will only make you feel more depressed. Start to
daydream what you would like your great future to look like, or build up a
scrapbook of lots of photos and ideas about what it will look like. Think about or
write down how you would like to feel in this glorious future.
3. Stop Blaming Yourself
Most people with depression go through the blame thing. You will start to blame
yourself for being weak, not being able to cope, letting friends and family down and
that sort of thing. Apart from the fact that it is wrong, blaming yourself for your
depression is about as useful as blaming yourself for the weather - and I'm sure the
really depressed among you might have even done that! But seriously, there is
nothing to blame yourself for; your only job is to deal with your depression and get
your life back on track.
4. Stop Telling Yourself You Are A Failure
When depression strikes, apart from blaming ourselves, we often combine this with
the belief that we are failures. I have failed at my job, my life, my relationships and
so forth. Many of you might see depression itself as some sort of failure to cope.
Again, this is not true, and neither is it helpful. You have not failed just because
you've got depression, and the more you tell yourself that you are not a failure the
more you will begin to believe it.
5. Have A Safe Moment Every Day
Depression makes us feel unsafe. Feeling safe is essential to good health and well-
being, so it is important to practice feeling safe again. You need to find something
that you can do, that you know that you can do without thinking - something you
feel safe just doing. It could be cooking, reading, making something, writing or
whatever. Once you have found something that you feel safe doing (or several
things) you then need to make sure you do this for at least 30 minutes a day. At
first it may seem pointless or difficult, but very soon you will start to feel much safer
again, and therefore much better.
6. Have A Fun Moment Every Day
One of the most damaging things about depression is that it takes the fun out of
life. This may seem trivial until you have had the fun removed, then you know what
a serious business it is to have fun. Life feeling safe, it is important to establish a
fun moment every day in order to practice having fun again. So, as with the feeling
safe, you need to think of some things that are (or were) fun for you, and start to do
them for 30 minutes a day. It does not matter how silly your fun thing is, and it
doesn't matter if it doesn't feel like fun at first. Give it a chance, and those feelings
of fun will begin to return.
7. Get Reading
There is an old saying that knowledge is power, and in terms of depression this is
absolutely true. It is important to understand what depression is, and what it is not,
so start to read some good books about it so you know what you are dealing with.
But, even more importantly, there are millions of people that have had depression,
got over it and built wonderful new lives, and many of them write about it in
magazines and books. Start to read inspirational stories about how other people
have dealt with their own depression and see what you can learn from them.
Reading can also mean listening or watching as you will also find great stuff on the
radio, television and in some films.
These 7 things are not a miracle cure, but I do know from my own experience that
they will help you to transform your depression. The problem with depression is
that it is like a prison and it is very easy, and sometimes actually easier, to just stay
put in this bleak and depressing place. These few things will help you to unlock the
door of that prison, walk out and throw away the key.
Remember that depression is now a very common complaint, so you are not alone.
The more you practice these 7 things, and embed them into your life, the more you
will start to regain control of your life. Depression is a temporary phase, and you
have the tools to create a new and wonderful life. Good luck.
Rick is a licensed master Practitioner of NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming), and the developer of the unique, From Mess to Success coaching programme. He runs workshops and works with people on a one-to-one basis, helping them to heal and transform their lives. He suffered from manic depression and agoraphobia for 7 years. He has been totally cured for over 10 years.
Rick’s unique combination of skills and experience, both professional and personal, combined with his work as a highly successful guide and coach make him supremely qualified and experienced to help you create the life you want and deserve.
Further details can be found on his website at: [http://www.inspiredways.com]
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rick_Thorn
Monday, 16 August 2010
Types of Depression, Where Do They All End?
Depression is complex. It can linger and grow for months or even years before being detected . Studies have shown that millions of Americans will suffer some form of depressive disorder this year. Unfortunately fewer than 1/3 of these people will look for help. Often the sufferers don't even know they're sick. Every day stress is common in the modern world. It's more difficult to navigate the obstacles in life. Many families are surviving week to week. Trouble in the economy has made it more difficult than ever to keep a good job. Stress leads to depressive feelings. There are many different types of depression. Some of the labels mean the same thing. There is mental, medical, clinical and manic depressive disorder. There is also the fact that it gets severe enough to allude to the final stages of the disease. Depressive disorder can result from a variety of causes. One of these is simple biology, brain chemistry issues. DNA also carries it. Those with family histories of the disorder are at risk.
Psychology Information Online provides information on the following depressive disorders:
* Major Depression - This is the most serious type, in terms of number of symptoms and severity of symptoms, but there are significant individual differences in the symptoms and severity. You do not need to feel suicidal to have a major case, and you do not need to have a history of hospitalizations either, although both of these factors are present in some people with major depressive symptoms.
* Dysthymic Disorder - This refers to a low to moderate level that persists for at least two years, and often longer. While the symptoms are not as severe as the major version, they are more enduring and resistant to treatment. Some people with dysthymia develop a major case at some time during the course of their disorder.
* Unspecified - This category is used to help researchers who are studying other specific types, and do not want their data confounded with marginal diagnoses. It includes people with a serious case, but not quite severe enough to have a diagnosis of a major form. It also includes people with chronic, moderate, which has not been present long enough for a diagnosis of a Dysthymic disorder. (You get the idea!)
* Adjustment Disorder,- This category describes that which occurs in response to a major life stressor or crisis.
* Bipolar - This type includes both high and low mood swings, as well as a variety of other significant symptoms not present in other forms of the disease.
Other Types of Depressive Categories:
* Post Partum - Major depressive episode that occurs after having a baby. Depressive symptoms usually begin within four weeks of giving birth and can vary in intensity and duration.
* Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) - A type of depressive disorder which is characterized by episodes of a major case which reoccur at a specific time of the year (e.g. fall, winter). In the past two years, depressive periods occur at least two times without any episodes that occur at a different time.
* Anxiety - Not an official type (as defined by the DSM). However, anxiety often also occurs with depression. In this case, a depressed individual may also experience anxiety symptoms (e.g. panic attacks) or an anxiety disorder (e.g. PTSD, panic disorder, social phobia, generalized anxiety disorder).
* Chronic - Major depressive episode that lasts for at least two years.
* Double - Someone who has Dysthymia (chronic mild) and also experiences a major depressive episode (more severe depressive symptoms lasting at least two weeks).
* Endogenous - Endogenous means from within the body. This type is defined as feeling depressed for no apparent reason.
* Situational or Reactive (also known as Adjustment Disorder with Depressed Mood) - Depressive symptoms developing in response to a specific stressful situation or event (e.g. job loss, relationship ending). These symptoms occur within 3 months of the stressor and lasts no longer than 6 months after the stressor (or its consequences) has ended. Depression symptoms cause significant distress or impairs usual functioning (e.g. relationships, work, school) and do not meet the criteria for major depressive disorder.
* Agitated - Kind of major depressive disorder which is characterized by agitation such as physical and emotional restlessness, irritability and insomnia, which is the opposite of many depressed individuals who have low energy and feel slowed down physically and mentally.
* Psychotic - Major depressive episode with psychotic symptoms such as hallucinations (e.g. hearing voices), delusions (false beliefs).
* Atypical (Sub-type of Major or Dysthymia) - Characterized by a temporary improvement in mood in reaction to positive events and two (or more) of the following: o significant weight gain or increase in appetite
o over sleeping
o heavy feeling in arms or legs
o long standing pattern of sensitivity to rejection
* Melancholic (Sub-type of Major Depressive Disorder) - Main features of this kind of depression include either a loss of pleasure in virtually all activities or mood does not temporarily improve in response to a positive event. Also, three (or more) of the following are present:
o Depressed mood that has a distinct quality (e.g. different from feeling depressed when grieving)
o Depressive feeling is consistently worse in the morning
o Waking up earlier than usual (at last 2 hours)
o Noticeable excessive movement or slowing down
o Significant decrease in appetite or weight loss
o Feeling excessive or inappropriate guilt
*Catatonic - (Sub-type of Major Depressive Disorder) - This type is characterized by at least two of the following:
o Loss of voluntary movement and inability to react to one's environment
o Excessive movement (purposeless and not in response to one's environment)
o Extreme resistance to instructions/suggestions or unable/unwilling to speak
o Odd or inappropriate voluntary movements or postures (e.g. repetitive movements, bizarre mannerisms or facial expressions)
o Involuntarily repeating someone's words or movements in a meaningless way Treatment will differ depending on the type of depression based on its severity and various symptoms.
For example, the focus of therapy may vary or different antidepressants may be prescribed targeting certain symptoms. Common factors can lead to different types. Substance abuse can lead to depressive disorder. Both alcoholics and drug abusers can contract it. Mental disorder historically has a stigma associated with it. Prior to mental illness being recognized as a disease it was considered by many to be a personal defect. As a result treatment wasn't applied in a way that could help the patient. Negative effects persist through all the stages of depression. Therefore treatment requires early detection.
Major depressive disorder is probably one of the most common forms. You probably know a handful of people who suffer from it. The sufferer seems to walk around with the weight of the world on his or her shoulders. He or she seems disinterested in becoming involved in regular activities and seems convinced that he or she will always be in this hopeless state. There is a lack of interest in sexual activity and in appetite and a weight loss.
TYPES
Atypical: is a variation that is slightly different from it's major variety. The sufferer is sometimes able to experience happiness and moments of elation. Symptoms of the atypical type include fatigue, oversleeping, overeating and weight gain. People who suffer from it believe that outside events control their mood (i.e. success, attention and praise). Episodes can last for months or a sufferer may live with it forever.
Psychotic: sufferers begin to hear and see imaginary things - - sounds, voices and visuals that do not exist. These are referred to as hallucinations, which are generally more common with someone suffering from schizophrenia. The hallucinations are not "positive" like they are with a manic depressive. The sufferer imagines frightening and negative sounds and images. Dysthymia: Many people just walk around seeming depressed - - simply sad, blue or melancholic. They have been this way all of their lives. This is dysthymia - - a condition that people are not even aware of but just live with daily. They go through life feeling unimportant, dissatisfied, frightened and simply don't enjoy their lives. Medication is beneficial for this type.
Manic: can be defined as an emotional disorder characterized by changing mood shifts can sometimes be quite rapid. People who suffer from manic depressive disorder have an extremely high rate of suicide.
Seasonal:, which medical professionals call seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, is something that occurs only at a certain time of the year, usually winter. It is sometimes called "winter blues." Although it is predictable, it can be very severe.
Cyclothymic Disorder:A milder yet more enduring type of bipolar disorder. A person's mood alternates between a less severe mania (known as hypomania) and a less severe case.
Mood Disorder, due to a General Medical Condition caused or precipitated by a known or unknown physical medical condition such as hypothyroidism.)
Substance Induced Mood Disorder may be caused or precipitated by the use or abuse of substances such as drugs, alcohol, medications, or toxins.
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD):This condition affects people during specific times or seasons of the year. During the winter months individuals feel depressed and lethargic, but during other months their moods may be normal.
Postpartum:A rare form occurring in women within approximately one week to six months after giving birth to a child.
Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder:This is an uncommon type of depressive disorder affecting a small percentage of menstruating women. It is a cyclical condition in which women may feel depressed and irritable for one or two weeks before their menstrual period each month.
What exactly is a depressive disorder?
Depressive disorders have been with mankind since the beginning of recorded history. In the Bible, King David, as well as Job, suffered from this affliction. Hippocrates referred to it as melancholia, which literally means black bile. Black bile, along with blood, phlegm, and yellow bile were the four humors (fluids) that described the basic medical physiology theory of that time. It is also referred to as clinical depression, has been portrayed in literature and the arts for hundreds of years, but what do we mean today when we refer to a depressive disorder? In the 19th century, it was seen as an inherited weakness of temperament. In the first half of the 20th century, Freud linked the development of depressive feelings to guilt and conflict. John Cheever, the author and a modern sufferer of depressive disorder, wrote of conflict and experiences with his parents as influencing his development of the disease.
The symptoms that help a doctor identify the disorder include:
* constant feelings of sadness, irritability, or tension
* decreased interest or pleasure in usual activities or hobbies
* loss of energy, feeling tired despite lack of activity
* a change in appetite, with significant weight loss or weight gain
* a change in sleeping patterns, such as difficulty sleeping, early morning awakening, or sleeping too much
* restlessness or feeling slowed down
* decreased ability to make decisions or concentrate
* feelings of worthlessness, hopelessness, or guilt
* thoughts of suicide or death
If you are experiencing any or several of these symptoms, you should talk to your doctor about whether you are suffering. From chronic illnesses such as heart disease to pain perception, sex, and sleep.
Sexual Problems - Learn how medicines can affect sexual desire and sexual performance.
Sleep Problems - Find out how this disease disturbs sleep and get some effective tips to help your sleep problems. Warning Signs
Learn more about suicide, including who is at risk, warning signs, and when to call for medical assistance.
Once the disease has progressed to a severe enough level that the illness must be treated. The calls for assistance weren't answered and now the chance to solve the problem is fading. Medications and therapy combine for a working treatment. Also available are support groups that can help. You can also find many natural herbal medications that have been proven effective in clinical studies. The good news is that very effective treatments are available to help those who are depressed. However, only about one-third of those who are depressed actually receive treatment. This is unfortunate since upwards of 80-90% of those who do seek treatment can feel better within just a few weeks. Some believe that depression is the result of a personal weakness or character flaw. This is simply not true. Like diabetes, heart disease, or any other medical condition.
Help is out there no matter the type is affecting someone. Seek medical help if you or anyone you know shows signs. We have more great articles for you to browse, why not check them out!
RockinJay gathers information for a variety of helpful sites. Learn more about depression and how you can help yourself @ RelieveDepressionToday.com
RockinJay@creativeheadspace.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jay_Wyshak
Psychology Information Online provides information on the following depressive disorders:
* Major Depression - This is the most serious type, in terms of number of symptoms and severity of symptoms, but there are significant individual differences in the symptoms and severity. You do not need to feel suicidal to have a major case, and you do not need to have a history of hospitalizations either, although both of these factors are present in some people with major depressive symptoms.
* Dysthymic Disorder - This refers to a low to moderate level that persists for at least two years, and often longer. While the symptoms are not as severe as the major version, they are more enduring and resistant to treatment. Some people with dysthymia develop a major case at some time during the course of their disorder.
* Unspecified - This category is used to help researchers who are studying other specific types, and do not want their data confounded with marginal diagnoses. It includes people with a serious case, but not quite severe enough to have a diagnosis of a major form. It also includes people with chronic, moderate, which has not been present long enough for a diagnosis of a Dysthymic disorder. (You get the idea!)
* Adjustment Disorder,- This category describes that which occurs in response to a major life stressor or crisis.
* Bipolar - This type includes both high and low mood swings, as well as a variety of other significant symptoms not present in other forms of the disease.
Other Types of Depressive Categories:
* Post Partum - Major depressive episode that occurs after having a baby. Depressive symptoms usually begin within four weeks of giving birth and can vary in intensity and duration.
* Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) - A type of depressive disorder which is characterized by episodes of a major case which reoccur at a specific time of the year (e.g. fall, winter). In the past two years, depressive periods occur at least two times without any episodes that occur at a different time.
* Anxiety - Not an official type (as defined by the DSM). However, anxiety often also occurs with depression. In this case, a depressed individual may also experience anxiety symptoms (e.g. panic attacks) or an anxiety disorder (e.g. PTSD, panic disorder, social phobia, generalized anxiety disorder).
* Chronic - Major depressive episode that lasts for at least two years.
* Double - Someone who has Dysthymia (chronic mild) and also experiences a major depressive episode (more severe depressive symptoms lasting at least two weeks).
* Endogenous - Endogenous means from within the body. This type is defined as feeling depressed for no apparent reason.
* Situational or Reactive (also known as Adjustment Disorder with Depressed Mood) - Depressive symptoms developing in response to a specific stressful situation or event (e.g. job loss, relationship ending). These symptoms occur within 3 months of the stressor and lasts no longer than 6 months after the stressor (or its consequences) has ended. Depression symptoms cause significant distress or impairs usual functioning (e.g. relationships, work, school) and do not meet the criteria for major depressive disorder.
* Agitated - Kind of major depressive disorder which is characterized by agitation such as physical and emotional restlessness, irritability and insomnia, which is the opposite of many depressed individuals who have low energy and feel slowed down physically and mentally.
* Psychotic - Major depressive episode with psychotic symptoms such as hallucinations (e.g. hearing voices), delusions (false beliefs).
* Atypical (Sub-type of Major or Dysthymia) - Characterized by a temporary improvement in mood in reaction to positive events and two (or more) of the following: o significant weight gain or increase in appetite
o over sleeping
o heavy feeling in arms or legs
o long standing pattern of sensitivity to rejection
* Melancholic (Sub-type of Major Depressive Disorder) - Main features of this kind of depression include either a loss of pleasure in virtually all activities or mood does not temporarily improve in response to a positive event. Also, three (or more) of the following are present:
o Depressed mood that has a distinct quality (e.g. different from feeling depressed when grieving)
o Depressive feeling is consistently worse in the morning
o Waking up earlier than usual (at last 2 hours)
o Noticeable excessive movement or slowing down
o Significant decrease in appetite or weight loss
o Feeling excessive or inappropriate guilt
*Catatonic - (Sub-type of Major Depressive Disorder) - This type is characterized by at least two of the following:
o Loss of voluntary movement and inability to react to one's environment
o Excessive movement (purposeless and not in response to one's environment)
o Extreme resistance to instructions/suggestions or unable/unwilling to speak
o Odd or inappropriate voluntary movements or postures (e.g. repetitive movements, bizarre mannerisms or facial expressions)
o Involuntarily repeating someone's words or movements in a meaningless way Treatment will differ depending on the type of depression based on its severity and various symptoms.
For example, the focus of therapy may vary or different antidepressants may be prescribed targeting certain symptoms. Common factors can lead to different types. Substance abuse can lead to depressive disorder. Both alcoholics and drug abusers can contract it. Mental disorder historically has a stigma associated with it. Prior to mental illness being recognized as a disease it was considered by many to be a personal defect. As a result treatment wasn't applied in a way that could help the patient. Negative effects persist through all the stages of depression. Therefore treatment requires early detection.
Major depressive disorder is probably one of the most common forms. You probably know a handful of people who suffer from it. The sufferer seems to walk around with the weight of the world on his or her shoulders. He or she seems disinterested in becoming involved in regular activities and seems convinced that he or she will always be in this hopeless state. There is a lack of interest in sexual activity and in appetite and a weight loss.
TYPES
Atypical: is a variation that is slightly different from it's major variety. The sufferer is sometimes able to experience happiness and moments of elation. Symptoms of the atypical type include fatigue, oversleeping, overeating and weight gain. People who suffer from it believe that outside events control their mood (i.e. success, attention and praise). Episodes can last for months or a sufferer may live with it forever.
Psychotic: sufferers begin to hear and see imaginary things - - sounds, voices and visuals that do not exist. These are referred to as hallucinations, which are generally more common with someone suffering from schizophrenia. The hallucinations are not "positive" like they are with a manic depressive. The sufferer imagines frightening and negative sounds and images. Dysthymia: Many people just walk around seeming depressed - - simply sad, blue or melancholic. They have been this way all of their lives. This is dysthymia - - a condition that people are not even aware of but just live with daily. They go through life feeling unimportant, dissatisfied, frightened and simply don't enjoy their lives. Medication is beneficial for this type.
Manic: can be defined as an emotional disorder characterized by changing mood shifts can sometimes be quite rapid. People who suffer from manic depressive disorder have an extremely high rate of suicide.
Seasonal:, which medical professionals call seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, is something that occurs only at a certain time of the year, usually winter. It is sometimes called "winter blues." Although it is predictable, it can be very severe.
Cyclothymic Disorder:A milder yet more enduring type of bipolar disorder. A person's mood alternates between a less severe mania (known as hypomania) and a less severe case.
Mood Disorder, due to a General Medical Condition caused or precipitated by a known or unknown physical medical condition such as hypothyroidism.)
Substance Induced Mood Disorder may be caused or precipitated by the use or abuse of substances such as drugs, alcohol, medications, or toxins.
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD):This condition affects people during specific times or seasons of the year. During the winter months individuals feel depressed and lethargic, but during other months their moods may be normal.
Postpartum:A rare form occurring in women within approximately one week to six months after giving birth to a child.
Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder:This is an uncommon type of depressive disorder affecting a small percentage of menstruating women. It is a cyclical condition in which women may feel depressed and irritable for one or two weeks before their menstrual period each month.
What exactly is a depressive disorder?
Depressive disorders have been with mankind since the beginning of recorded history. In the Bible, King David, as well as Job, suffered from this affliction. Hippocrates referred to it as melancholia, which literally means black bile. Black bile, along with blood, phlegm, and yellow bile were the four humors (fluids) that described the basic medical physiology theory of that time. It is also referred to as clinical depression, has been portrayed in literature and the arts for hundreds of years, but what do we mean today when we refer to a depressive disorder? In the 19th century, it was seen as an inherited weakness of temperament. In the first half of the 20th century, Freud linked the development of depressive feelings to guilt and conflict. John Cheever, the author and a modern sufferer of depressive disorder, wrote of conflict and experiences with his parents as influencing his development of the disease.
The symptoms that help a doctor identify the disorder include:
* constant feelings of sadness, irritability, or tension
* decreased interest or pleasure in usual activities or hobbies
* loss of energy, feeling tired despite lack of activity
* a change in appetite, with significant weight loss or weight gain
* a change in sleeping patterns, such as difficulty sleeping, early morning awakening, or sleeping too much
* restlessness or feeling slowed down
* decreased ability to make decisions or concentrate
* feelings of worthlessness, hopelessness, or guilt
* thoughts of suicide or death
If you are experiencing any or several of these symptoms, you should talk to your doctor about whether you are suffering. From chronic illnesses such as heart disease to pain perception, sex, and sleep.
Sexual Problems - Learn how medicines can affect sexual desire and sexual performance.
Sleep Problems - Find out how this disease disturbs sleep and get some effective tips to help your sleep problems. Warning Signs
Learn more about suicide, including who is at risk, warning signs, and when to call for medical assistance.
Once the disease has progressed to a severe enough level that the illness must be treated. The calls for assistance weren't answered and now the chance to solve the problem is fading. Medications and therapy combine for a working treatment. Also available are support groups that can help. You can also find many natural herbal medications that have been proven effective in clinical studies. The good news is that very effective treatments are available to help those who are depressed. However, only about one-third of those who are depressed actually receive treatment. This is unfortunate since upwards of 80-90% of those who do seek treatment can feel better within just a few weeks. Some believe that depression is the result of a personal weakness or character flaw. This is simply not true. Like diabetes, heart disease, or any other medical condition.
Help is out there no matter the type is affecting someone. Seek medical help if you or anyone you know shows signs. We have more great articles for you to browse, why not check them out!
RockinJay gathers information for a variety of helpful sites. Learn more about depression and how you can help yourself @ RelieveDepressionToday.com
RockinJay@creativeheadspace.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jay_Wyshak
Sunday, 15 August 2010
10 Things You Should Know About Depression
Always feeling under the weather? Always not in the mood to be around others and have a good time? If you're suffering from prolonged sadness for quite some time now, you should face these bouts of depression and get yourself diagnosed by a psychiatrist, they're doctors who can actually help you out with your problem. Here are 10 Things You Should Know About Depression.
1. In the US alone, depression affects an approximate of 10 million citizens every year. An estimation of 1 out of 4 adults is said to have experienced depression throughout their existence. When it comes to treating depressed women, antidepressants and psychotherapy are commonly used - selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors or SSRIs to be particular. Both of these methods can effectively deal with mild to moderate depression.
2. Genuine depression is more than a mood. It's a mental illness brought on by a physical cause, a psychological cause, or both. Major depression is an extreme condition where there is no interest in activities of daily life, like eating, personal hygiene...even getting out of bed, and may be accompanied by attempts at suicide. When it's that extreme, psychiatric care and medication are almost always required. Chances are, someone suffering from major depression would not be interested in reading this article or taking any actions to recover. So this article is written for and to those less extreme cases, where you know something is wrong and want to find some things you can do to aid in recovery.
3. Anxiety depression is actually characterized by all sorts of irregularities and erratic behavior from the person who is suffering from it, this is usually due to certain stress triggers that may tend to easily cause a person undue jitters and stress. Also, a lot of people who tend to get easily nervous over stressful activities are actually prone to having anxiety depression; it's just a matter of being strong-willed when it comes to facing difficult and stress-prone activities. It may be pretty hard to overcome at first, but trying to be calm and cool in times of extreme pressure is what'll actually save your mental health from going totally downward spiral.
4. Clinical depression or as some might call as 'major' depression, is actually the medical term for depression. Actually clinical depression is more of a disorder rather than an illness since it basically covers only those who are suffering from symptoms related to depression. Clinical depression is how doctors usually refer to "depression" when giving a diagnose of their patient. It's basically just a medical term.
5. There's a wide variety of anti-depressant depression medications available to help treat those who are suffering from depressive disorders. The more popular ones are those that are of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors or SSRIs variant then there are the tricyclics while the other popular variant is the monoamine oxidase inhibitors or MAOIs. These depression medications (the SSRIs variant as well as the other newer depression medication available in the market) actually to be a much safer alternative than the tricyclics, since they have fewer side-effects as opposed to the tricyclics depression medication variant.
6. Manic depression or Bi polar manic depression is a serious medical condition that causes alterations in a person's mood, energy, and ability to function. Unlike the typical mood swings a normal person experiences, the symptoms of bi polar manic depression are much more severe. It often attacks when a person experiences an unusually great deal of stress, whether from work, school or family. Research also suggest that Bi polar manic depression could be hereditary, or that there may be a physical problem with the brain systems that control our mood. For women, it can also be triggered by childbirth or during menopause.
7. The majority people with depression never look for help, although the majority will react to treatment. Treating depression is above all important because it affects you, your family, and your work. Some people with depression try to harm themselves in the false belief that their feeling will never changes.
8. By eating the right, you can boost your brain chemicals and fight off the effects of depression. Extreme sugar levels can also cause brain cells to die and the chemicals to decrease production, once again allowing depression to set in. When people get depressed, their appetite is also affected and they eat too much or not enough. Proper diet can help you maintain not only your weight, but also keep depression away.
9. Antidepressants prescribed for depression work by slowing down the absorption of neurotransmitters in the brain. These chemicals are what help the brain function normally and they are directly involved in influencing a person's mood, appetite, concentration, sleeping, and pain receptors. The medication restores the chemical balance in the brain and eases the symptoms the patient is suffering from.
10. Depression and its normal symptoms should not be ignored. It is an abnormal emotional state that can be introduced by severe sadness, despair and discouragement. It might even lead to a lamentable outcome. However, treating it can be done in many ways.
My name is David and I am a freak of lists. That's why I build the 10 about site. If you want to learn more "10 things you should know" about different topics just come to 10about.info.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=David_Zysblatt
1. In the US alone, depression affects an approximate of 10 million citizens every year. An estimation of 1 out of 4 adults is said to have experienced depression throughout their existence. When it comes to treating depressed women, antidepressants and psychotherapy are commonly used - selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors or SSRIs to be particular. Both of these methods can effectively deal with mild to moderate depression.
2. Genuine depression is more than a mood. It's a mental illness brought on by a physical cause, a psychological cause, or both. Major depression is an extreme condition where there is no interest in activities of daily life, like eating, personal hygiene...even getting out of bed, and may be accompanied by attempts at suicide. When it's that extreme, psychiatric care and medication are almost always required. Chances are, someone suffering from major depression would not be interested in reading this article or taking any actions to recover. So this article is written for and to those less extreme cases, where you know something is wrong and want to find some things you can do to aid in recovery.
3. Anxiety depression is actually characterized by all sorts of irregularities and erratic behavior from the person who is suffering from it, this is usually due to certain stress triggers that may tend to easily cause a person undue jitters and stress. Also, a lot of people who tend to get easily nervous over stressful activities are actually prone to having anxiety depression; it's just a matter of being strong-willed when it comes to facing difficult and stress-prone activities. It may be pretty hard to overcome at first, but trying to be calm and cool in times of extreme pressure is what'll actually save your mental health from going totally downward spiral.
4. Clinical depression or as some might call as 'major' depression, is actually the medical term for depression. Actually clinical depression is more of a disorder rather than an illness since it basically covers only those who are suffering from symptoms related to depression. Clinical depression is how doctors usually refer to "depression" when giving a diagnose of their patient. It's basically just a medical term.
5. There's a wide variety of anti-depressant depression medications available to help treat those who are suffering from depressive disorders. The more popular ones are those that are of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors or SSRIs variant then there are the tricyclics while the other popular variant is the monoamine oxidase inhibitors or MAOIs. These depression medications (the SSRIs variant as well as the other newer depression medication available in the market) actually to be a much safer alternative than the tricyclics, since they have fewer side-effects as opposed to the tricyclics depression medication variant.
6. Manic depression or Bi polar manic depression is a serious medical condition that causes alterations in a person's mood, energy, and ability to function. Unlike the typical mood swings a normal person experiences, the symptoms of bi polar manic depression are much more severe. It often attacks when a person experiences an unusually great deal of stress, whether from work, school or family. Research also suggest that Bi polar manic depression could be hereditary, or that there may be a physical problem with the brain systems that control our mood. For women, it can also be triggered by childbirth or during menopause.
7. The majority people with depression never look for help, although the majority will react to treatment. Treating depression is above all important because it affects you, your family, and your work. Some people with depression try to harm themselves in the false belief that their feeling will never changes.
8. By eating the right, you can boost your brain chemicals and fight off the effects of depression. Extreme sugar levels can also cause brain cells to die and the chemicals to decrease production, once again allowing depression to set in. When people get depressed, their appetite is also affected and they eat too much or not enough. Proper diet can help you maintain not only your weight, but also keep depression away.
9. Antidepressants prescribed for depression work by slowing down the absorption of neurotransmitters in the brain. These chemicals are what help the brain function normally and they are directly involved in influencing a person's mood, appetite, concentration, sleeping, and pain receptors. The medication restores the chemical balance in the brain and eases the symptoms the patient is suffering from.
10. Depression and its normal symptoms should not be ignored. It is an abnormal emotional state that can be introduced by severe sadness, despair and discouragement. It might even lead to a lamentable outcome. However, treating it can be done in many ways.
My name is David and I am a freak of lists. That's why I build the 10 about site. If you want to learn more "10 things you should know" about different topics just come to 10about.info.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=David_Zysblatt
Friday, 13 August 2010
Manic Depression is Tearing Apart My Soul
When people discuss bi-polar disorder they refer to a condition known as manic depression. This is associated with unusual and quick switches from a good mood to a sour mood, when someone says "wow, they're bi-polar". It is just another in the many forms of depression. Manic depression is not the same as just being sad or upset for over something in particular. Everyone has occasional highs and lows in their moods. But people with bipolar disorder have extreme mood swings. They can go from feeling very sad, despairing, helpless, worthless, and hopeless (depression) to feeling as if they are on top of the world, hyperactive, creative, and grandiose (mania). This disease is called bipolar disorder because the mood of a person with bipolar disorder can alternate between two completely opposite poles, euphoric happiness and extreme sadness. Manic depression is a much more serious condition. Another stage of depression is the diagnosis for bi-polar disorder.
Millions of people in the United States are diagnosed with Manic Depression every year. In general 17 million people battle depression each year in America. Genetic factors are the main cause of bipolar disorder genetics. Life experiences and psychological processes do not seem to have any aetiological effect. Bipolar disorder is often treated with anti-manic, and sometimes other, psychiatric drugs. Psychotherapy only has a role in helping to gain insight once there has been substantial recovery from acute symptoms. In serious cases in which there is a risk of harm to oneself or others involuntary commitment may be used; these cases generally involve severe manic episodes with dangerous behaviour or depressive episodes with suicidal ideation. There are widespread problems with social stigma, stereotypes and prejudice against individuals with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder.
The symptoms of manic-depressive illness or bipolar disorder are classified according to either manic or depressive episodes. Manic depressive states are diagnosed as:
* Manic episode: A manic episode is diagnosed if elevated mood occurs with 3 or more of the other symptoms most of the day, nearly every day, or for 1 week or longer. If the mood is irritable, 4 additional symptoms must be present.
* Depressive episode: A depressive episode is diagnosed if 5 or more of these symptoms last most of the day, nearly every day, or for a period of 2 weeks or longer.
* Mixed bipolar episode: In some people, however, symptoms of mania and depression can occur together in a mixed bipolar state. A person could have a very sad, hopeless mood, while feeling energized at the same time.
Unfortunately only about1/3 of those will be diagnosed and receive help. When the sufferer refuses aid, there can be no cure. Mental illness is a red stop sign for many Americans, they don't want to deal with it. Being crazy isn't something people want associated with themselves. Sometimes, severe episodes of mania or depression include symptoms of psychosis (or psychotic symptoms). Common psychotic symptoms are hallucinations (hearing, seeing, or otherwise sensing the presence of things not actually there) and delusions (false, strongly held beliefs not influenced by logical reasoning or explained by a person's usual cultural concepts). Psychotic symptoms in bipolar disorder tend to reflect the extreme mood state at the time. For example, delusions of grandiosity, such as believing one is the President or has special powers or wealth, may occur during mania; delusions of guilt or worthlessness, such as believing that one is ruined and penniless or has committed some terrible crime, may appear during depression. People with bipolar disorder who have these symptoms are sometimes incorrectly diagnosed as having schizophrenia, another severe mental illness.
It's very complex when a disease impacts the brain. The deep mood swings of bipolar disorder may last for weeks or months, causing great disturbances in the lives of those affected, and those of family and friends, too. Today, a growing volume of research suggests that bipolar disorder occurs across a spectrum of symptoms, and that many people aren't correctly diagnosed. Left untreated, bipolar disorder generally worsens, and the suicide rate is high among those with bipolar disorder. But with effective treatment, you can live an enjoyable and productive life despite bipolar disorder. It is hard to shake the stigma that comes with the diagnosis. But it's not a sign of being less when this disease is diagnosed. You're not crazy. This is a disease like any other. Unlike ordinary mood swings, bipolar disorder is much more intense and disruptive to everyday functioning, affecting energy, activity levels, judgment, and behavior.
During a manic episode, a person might impulsively quit a job, charge up huge amounts of debt, or feel rested after sleeping two hours. It can be treated. First it has to be identified. A depressive disorder is a syndrome (group of symptoms) that reflects a sad and/or irritable mood exceeding normal sadness or grief. More specifically, the sadness of depression is characterized by a greater intensity and duration and by more severe symptoms and functional disabilities than is normal.
Depressive signs and symptoms are characterized not only by negative thoughts, moods, and behaviors but also by specific changes in bodily functions (for example, crying spells, body aches, low energy or libido, as well as problems with eating, weight, or sleeping). The functional changes of clinical depression are often called neurovegetative signs. This means that the nervous system changes in the brain cause many physical symptoms that result in diminished activity and participation.
All forms of depression are still being studied by doctors and researchers. It has been shown that depression can be brought on by many possibilities. It is known that biological, genetic, and environmental factors have to be taken into consideration. We know that it seems to be caused by a chemical imbalance on the brain. Stress is another major factor in depression. Life is full of stress. Work related issues or the dynamics of a dysfunctional family can create it. Depression knows no bounds. Both the rich and the poor contract it. It doesn't care about race. Color or nationality provide no protection from this illness.
"How do you recognise if you are manic or depressed? When you take medication, what do you expect to happen? Medical descriptions aren't particularly helpful. This chapter describes things to look out for when manic, depressed, and on some drugs.
"All you have to do is take the tablets - why, I take vitamins every morning." When you get that comment, and you will get that comment, what exactly do you tell them to make them understand...
When I am Hypomanic / Manic
Twenty specific symptoms I use to identify if I am becoming manic.
When I am Depressed
Twenty patterns of behaviour I associate with being depressed.
When Official Signs of Depression / Manic Depression
Taken from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition. (DSM-IV).
The drugs are not going to work quite the way the psychiatrist said they would, or the way you expect them to, or the way anybody else expects them to. You are warned.
About Taking Drugs
So you start taking the drugs your doctor prescribed, and everything is fine, yes? No.
When I am on Tegretol
Tegretol is an effective antimanic for me. But it stops working after a while. How I feel when I am taking it and the side effects.
When I am on Epilim (Depakote)
Epilim stabilises me, but I can't function at normal. And I get unpleasant side effects which vary by dosage.
When I am on Prozac
Prozac seems to work well on countering my depression. I'm not getting any side effects either.
When I am on a High Dose of Prozac
Taking 80 mg Prozac works to stabilise my mood swings. With side effects.
When I am on Wellbutrin (Zyban)
Finally, a drug that seems to work the way I want!
When I Found Out I was Manic Depressive
How I felt in the psychiatrist's office immediately after I was diagnosed."
http://www.livingmanicdepressive.com/0_contentsC.html
There are similar symptoms no matter the type of depression. The frequent change in personality, the mood swings that go up and then goes down. Depression can result in insomnia. If you have no hope, feel helpless or desperate, that could be depression. Depression is real when it interferes with your ability to live your life. But people with depression have a light at the end of the tunnel. There is assistance. Doctors can administer drugs or herbal remedies to treat it. There are also medical professionals that can help your illness through 'talk therapy'". Support groups can be of assistance with manic depression. Look for assistance first.
Feel free to browse around at more of these articles. Thanks for taking the time to read.
RockinJay gathers information for a variety of helpful sites.
Learn more about depression and how you can help yourself @ RelieveDepressionToday.com
RockinJay@creativeheadspace.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jay_Wyshak
Millions of people in the United States are diagnosed with Manic Depression every year. In general 17 million people battle depression each year in America. Genetic factors are the main cause of bipolar disorder genetics. Life experiences and psychological processes do not seem to have any aetiological effect. Bipolar disorder is often treated with anti-manic, and sometimes other, psychiatric drugs. Psychotherapy only has a role in helping to gain insight once there has been substantial recovery from acute symptoms. In serious cases in which there is a risk of harm to oneself or others involuntary commitment may be used; these cases generally involve severe manic episodes with dangerous behaviour or depressive episodes with suicidal ideation. There are widespread problems with social stigma, stereotypes and prejudice against individuals with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder.
The symptoms of manic-depressive illness or bipolar disorder are classified according to either manic or depressive episodes. Manic depressive states are diagnosed as:
* Manic episode: A manic episode is diagnosed if elevated mood occurs with 3 or more of the other symptoms most of the day, nearly every day, or for 1 week or longer. If the mood is irritable, 4 additional symptoms must be present.
* Depressive episode: A depressive episode is diagnosed if 5 or more of these symptoms last most of the day, nearly every day, or for a period of 2 weeks or longer.
* Mixed bipolar episode: In some people, however, symptoms of mania and depression can occur together in a mixed bipolar state. A person could have a very sad, hopeless mood, while feeling energized at the same time.
Unfortunately only about1/3 of those will be diagnosed and receive help. When the sufferer refuses aid, there can be no cure. Mental illness is a red stop sign for many Americans, they don't want to deal with it. Being crazy isn't something people want associated with themselves. Sometimes, severe episodes of mania or depression include symptoms of psychosis (or psychotic symptoms). Common psychotic symptoms are hallucinations (hearing, seeing, or otherwise sensing the presence of things not actually there) and delusions (false, strongly held beliefs not influenced by logical reasoning or explained by a person's usual cultural concepts). Psychotic symptoms in bipolar disorder tend to reflect the extreme mood state at the time. For example, delusions of grandiosity, such as believing one is the President or has special powers or wealth, may occur during mania; delusions of guilt or worthlessness, such as believing that one is ruined and penniless or has committed some terrible crime, may appear during depression. People with bipolar disorder who have these symptoms are sometimes incorrectly diagnosed as having schizophrenia, another severe mental illness.
It's very complex when a disease impacts the brain. The deep mood swings of bipolar disorder may last for weeks or months, causing great disturbances in the lives of those affected, and those of family and friends, too. Today, a growing volume of research suggests that bipolar disorder occurs across a spectrum of symptoms, and that many people aren't correctly diagnosed. Left untreated, bipolar disorder generally worsens, and the suicide rate is high among those with bipolar disorder. But with effective treatment, you can live an enjoyable and productive life despite bipolar disorder. It is hard to shake the stigma that comes with the diagnosis. But it's not a sign of being less when this disease is diagnosed. You're not crazy. This is a disease like any other. Unlike ordinary mood swings, bipolar disorder is much more intense and disruptive to everyday functioning, affecting energy, activity levels, judgment, and behavior.
During a manic episode, a person might impulsively quit a job, charge up huge amounts of debt, or feel rested after sleeping two hours. It can be treated. First it has to be identified. A depressive disorder is a syndrome (group of symptoms) that reflects a sad and/or irritable mood exceeding normal sadness or grief. More specifically, the sadness of depression is characterized by a greater intensity and duration and by more severe symptoms and functional disabilities than is normal.
Depressive signs and symptoms are characterized not only by negative thoughts, moods, and behaviors but also by specific changes in bodily functions (for example, crying spells, body aches, low energy or libido, as well as problems with eating, weight, or sleeping). The functional changes of clinical depression are often called neurovegetative signs. This means that the nervous system changes in the brain cause many physical symptoms that result in diminished activity and participation.
All forms of depression are still being studied by doctors and researchers. It has been shown that depression can be brought on by many possibilities. It is known that biological, genetic, and environmental factors have to be taken into consideration. We know that it seems to be caused by a chemical imbalance on the brain. Stress is another major factor in depression. Life is full of stress. Work related issues or the dynamics of a dysfunctional family can create it. Depression knows no bounds. Both the rich and the poor contract it. It doesn't care about race. Color or nationality provide no protection from this illness.
"How do you recognise if you are manic or depressed? When you take medication, what do you expect to happen? Medical descriptions aren't particularly helpful. This chapter describes things to look out for when manic, depressed, and on some drugs.
"All you have to do is take the tablets - why, I take vitamins every morning." When you get that comment, and you will get that comment, what exactly do you tell them to make them understand...
When I am Hypomanic / Manic
Twenty specific symptoms I use to identify if I am becoming manic.
When I am Depressed
Twenty patterns of behaviour I associate with being depressed.
When Official Signs of Depression / Manic Depression
Taken from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition. (DSM-IV).
The drugs are not going to work quite the way the psychiatrist said they would, or the way you expect them to, or the way anybody else expects them to. You are warned.
About Taking Drugs
So you start taking the drugs your doctor prescribed, and everything is fine, yes? No.
When I am on Tegretol
Tegretol is an effective antimanic for me. But it stops working after a while. How I feel when I am taking it and the side effects.
When I am on Epilim (Depakote)
Epilim stabilises me, but I can't function at normal. And I get unpleasant side effects which vary by dosage.
When I am on Prozac
Prozac seems to work well on countering my depression. I'm not getting any side effects either.
When I am on a High Dose of Prozac
Taking 80 mg Prozac works to stabilise my mood swings. With side effects.
When I am on Wellbutrin (Zyban)
Finally, a drug that seems to work the way I want!
When I Found Out I was Manic Depressive
How I felt in the psychiatrist's office immediately after I was diagnosed."
http://www.livingmanicdepressive.com/0_contentsC.html
There are similar symptoms no matter the type of depression. The frequent change in personality, the mood swings that go up and then goes down. Depression can result in insomnia. If you have no hope, feel helpless or desperate, that could be depression. Depression is real when it interferes with your ability to live your life. But people with depression have a light at the end of the tunnel. There is assistance. Doctors can administer drugs or herbal remedies to treat it. There are also medical professionals that can help your illness through 'talk therapy'". Support groups can be of assistance with manic depression. Look for assistance first.
Feel free to browse around at more of these articles. Thanks for taking the time to read.
RockinJay gathers information for a variety of helpful sites.
Learn more about depression and how you can help yourself @ RelieveDepressionToday.com
RockinJay@creativeheadspace.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jay_Wyshak
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