P.S. Orr asked:




There is help for depression for countless numbers of people who suffer from this oftentimes difficult mental issue. Sometimes people who suffer from depression do not even realize that they are clinically depressed. Symptoms of real depression include: a general lack of interest in life, weight loss or weight gain, irritability, fatigue, and hopelessness.

There are many ways of dealing with depression. For a person who generally does not suffer from depressive feelings but who has recently suffered a trauma such as a job loss, divorce, or another major change in life, general therapy can often help. Finding a good psychologist might take time but therapy can offer much relief to someone who is suffering from typical depression.

Sometimes a cure for depression requires more than therapy alone. A counselor is highly beneficial, but a patient might need more than a few weekly sessions to work out of a more serious depression. It may be necessary to go to a psychiatrist who can prescribe an anti-depressant. Anti-depressants such as Proxac, Zoloft, Celexa and more recently, Cymbalta, can offer much relief and help depressive symptoms while therapy can help with underlying emotional issues.

A person who suffers from depression can gain much needed emotional relief from therapy as well as sometimes taking the proper anti-depressant. In cases of deep depression, it can become necessary to hospitalize a patient until he or she is more stable emotionally. Counseling, medication and group therapy are often used together in these situations. You can find depression help through your community agencies, nonprofit organizations or through private mental health practices.

senses fail!! asked:


I wnat to know the difference and is clincical depression the same as chronic depression?
Im 14 F
And i have been diagnosed with chronic depression and in not sure what exactly that means?
And what the differance between normal depression and chronic dep
Thanks
I have taken a number of anti depressants (zoloft, wellbeautrin, prozac, trazdon, and now serequal)

Marsha Jordan asked:




Sharon was talking to a friend on the phone one night. When her friend asked, “How are you?” Sharon suddenly exploded with emotion. Without warning, she began sobbing and literally collapsed in a heap on the floor. Her friend came over and took Sharon’s kids for the night. Sharon cried for hours till she fell asleep. It was only the first of many sleepless nights.

She cried every day for months, never knowing when she might break down. She didn’t need a reason. While driving to work in the morning, she would burst into tears. She worried about embarrassing herself, so she stayed home more and avoided people as much as she could.

Isolating herself made her feelings of loneliness worse. “Nobody understands what I’m going through,” she told herself. She felt that her life was worthless because she could no longer function. She couldn’t sleep, eat, or focus on anything. She was irritable and couldn’t seem to get along with anyone anymore. She was disappointed and ashamed that she had let herself sink so low. She tried her best to pull herself out of this “funk.” But she felt stuck. She felt guilty because her family deserved better treatment than she was able to give them. She concluded that they would be better off without her.

One day, while having an annual medical exam, Sharon’s doctor asked how things were at home. Sharon began crying uncontrollably. When her doctor suggested that she was suffering from clinical depression, Sharon was surprised. She should have known, but she didn’t.

The doctor prescribed anti-depressants and made an appointment for Sharon to talk with a therapist. Sharon didn’t notice any improvement for a couple of weeks. It started slowly, but she gradually began to feel more peaceful and content. At this point, she was able to think more clearly and tackle small steps, one at a time, to work toward taking charge of her mental health. As Sharon took better care of herself, she grew stronger, which helped her to continue on the path to wellness.

When she met with her doctor for a six week follow up, she told him, “I just wish I had sought help earlier. I could have avoided so much pain.”

Karen Cioffi asked:




Depression is a crippling disorder and a frightening one for the individual and his/her family. I recently read a book, The Closet Depressionist by Robert Sisti, which clearly conveys the demons that depression can conjure up. While I wouldn’t recommend this book for casual reading or for the young, if you want a glimpse into depression, this will give it. Here is a tidbit from his poem, The Gift of Insomnia: “A beaten man, time feels still. Days are longer, crawl to my fill. Can’t eat, can’t sleep, wrinkles grow under my eyes. Daily emotional breakdowns are my demise. Fallen deeper onto this path, a life is gone.” This depicts the overwhelming sense of despair that depression can cause.

When I struggled with anxiety I heard, “Pull yourself out of it; go for a walk, you’ll feel better.” I’m sure the same is true for the depressed person. Unfortunately, depressed people, just like those suffering from anxiety, cannot will themselves well. According to the University Health Services, Tang Center, “Cinical depression is a serious illness that lasts for weeks, months and sometimes years.”

The three most common forms of depression are: major depression, dysthymia (a lesser form of depression), and bipolar disorder (also known as manic-depressive). According to research it is has not been determined if depression has a biological component to it or the depression causes biological changes. But, either way it is treated with anti-depressants to rebalance the chemical imbalance. Anti-depressants along with some form of therapy is the standard Western medical remedy.

In Eastern medicine, specifically Chinese medicine, Dr. Henry Zhen-Hong Lee explains that depression comes from low energy in the kidneys and heart. There is also low energy and an imbalance in the neuro-transmitters. Chinese medicine attacks the root cause of the illness with acupuncture focused on the problematic organs and with individually designed herbs. This treatment increases and normalizes the low energy to the kidneys and heart and evens out the balance in the neuro-transmitters. The treatment should produce effective results within two to three months. Once the body is regulated, the acupuncture and herbs are no longer needed.

He goes on to clarify that as with any type of medicine, different practitioners have different views on causes and methods of treatments. Through years of study and practice Dr. Lee has devised his own unique understanding of this illness. When asked what his depressed patients can do at home to help themselves he advises the single most important thing to do is to avoid junk food and processed foods. Along with this, he recommends: eat healthy (natural and organic foods), do breathing exercises, and mediate. Dr. Lee is a NYS Licensed Acupuncturist and an NCCA DPL. Herbalist. He also has degrees in Eastern medicine from Traditional Chinese Medical College, and in Western medicine from the Beijing Medical College.

If you or someone you know is suffering from depression you should consult a doctor. If you’d like to learn more about depression you can visit:

University Health Services – Tang Center
http://www.uhs.berkeley.edu

The Mayo Clinic – www.mayoclinic.com/health/clinical-depression/AN01057

Alan Hands asked:




Did you know that depression is becoming more common and is affecting many more of us or our fiends and family than ever before?

The impact of this illness on society is ever increasing and therefore it is important that we try to overcome depression as soon and as best we can.

Conventional anti-depressants are not the answer for everyone unfortunately and many people these days are looking to other treatment and self help treatment to help themselves beat depression.

So what are the best Self Help Techniques to battle depression?

1. Research it.

Find out as much as you can about depression, its causes, signs and symptoms, what conventional treatments are available. The more you know and understand about depression, the better prepared you will be to beat it.

2. Talk to someone about it.

A problem shared is a problem halved. Have you ever felt better by getting something off your chest? Of course you have. Did talking about a problem in the past help to put it into perspective and perhaps make it easier to deal with. I would guess you have probably been there too. Depression is no different.

Find someone you can trust and get talking about it. Friends, family, your doctor, support groups both online and off….You might even find that someone comes up with an idea you have never thought of which just might work for you.

3. Don’t be afraid to try new things. Everyone is different and some people respond better to some things than others. Don’t give up if you haven’t found something that works for you yet. Keep trying! Everything you try that doesn’t work brings you one step closer to finding the things that will work for you.

4. Keep a Depression Diary.

Like number 2 above, this can also help you unload your problems, thoughts and feelings but this time onto paper instead of to a real person. A depression diary can also be used as a mood barometer and help you keep track of your depression and your recovery. You will be able to see patterns of good times and bad, identify triggers and help you see if any particular treatment is having a positive effect on you. If so do more of it.

5. Improve your diet.

I’m sure you will agree that many of us should try this whether we have depression or not. In relation to depression improving your diet can help improve your shape, appearance and fitness which in turn can help with self esteem and as many depressed people have self esteem issues then this could obviously be of benefit.
In addition there are many foods or substances in our food which are know to help with depression. Foods such as oily fish, kiwi fruit and walnuts contain Omega 3 which is known to help with depression. Another substance which is thought to help is Trypotphan which is found in chicken, turkey, pumpkin seeds and almonds.

There are many more things you can do to help yourself overcome depression – too many to list here.
For many other tips to beat depression you may want to take a look at the Self Help pages on my site
http://www.self-help-mental-health-depression.com/depression-help-self.html

Please try some of these ideas and let me know how you get on and if you have any other tips I would love to know about them.
Good luck!

Merri Ellen Giesbrecht asked:




A group of Australian scientists did some research to discover more than 2214 self-help strategies to beat depression. Their findings were published in the Journal of Affective Disorders in Oct 2008. After getting rid of complicated strategies that they found to be difficult to implement, the team selected a final list of helpful strategies. What were the top strategies?

The list included…

-physical activity,

-proper sleep habits and regular sleep schedule,

-doing enjoyable things,

-getting involved in activities with a purpose,

-rewards for reaching small goals,

-relaxation methods,

-talking over problems or feelings with someone supportive and caring,

-informing family and friends,

-and eating a healthy, balanced diet.

When you discover that your head is attached to your body and that you must take care of your body in order to have a healthy mind, beating depression is closer than you think. For some reason, in our modern lifestyles, we incorrectly assume that what we choose to do and consume will not affect our health. As a result, our health care systems cannot possibly provide us adequate care. Proper health care begins with each individual. Please don’t sacrifice your long term health for short term comforts.

With help from your doctor, you can start making life changes today to beat your depression. Your doctor can only guide you but he/she will not cure your depression. Only you can. My own life is an example of that.

When anti depressants brought on thoughts of , I did my own depression research reading through the medical journals. Then I took it to my doctor and he suggested how to implement the research safely and effectively. But, it took discipline on my part (not his) for me to implement it. Three months later, I was out of the tunnel because I diligently made the necessary lifestyle changes. You can make these simple changes too.

There is hope! You are worth it!

Sandra Thomson asked:




People suffering anxiety and panic disorders suffer various emotional and mental trauma and depression. Life can be a constant battle worrying about certain situations. It is almost like everything that you think of would finally lead you to panic about some imagined condition. It is also common for people going through depression to experience sleeplessness or insomnia.

People experiencing anxiety disorders suffer poor self image and tend to avoid all social gatherings. They live in their own inward world that they consider to be safe and keep worrying endlessly about things that would at normal times appear very trivial. The worst part about going through a depression is that most of the times, people are depressed about the fact that they are going through a depressed phase in life. This stops them from enjoying the joys of the present moment.

A lot of people seek medical help to treat depression. Unfortunately, anti-depressants and drugs cause severe side effects and they tend to be very addictive. Further, anxiety disorders are a problem with the mind and by trying to treat the physical symptoms like nervousness, sleeplessness; we are always trying to play to catch up rather than getting head on with the root cause of the problem and treating it.

As long as you live in the comfort zone, it is going to continue to be painful for the rest of your life. To get rid of depression and anxiety disorders and to start enjoying your life like you used to while you were a child, you need to make a commitment to walk out of the comfort zone and have an attitude to conquer your anxiety problems to enjoy a life of free self expression.

Even if you have tried a lot of methods and failed, One Move Method by Dr. Joe Barry will help you get rid of all your anxiety and depression related disorders forever in quick time like how it has helped several thousands of people get rid of panic attacks and anxiety related disorders. You will be amazed that some of the most profound solutions are actually simple and straight forward.

Snowpeaaa asked:


i’ve been feeling very depressed lately.
most nights ill cry myself to sleep; for no reason.
if someone says something wont happen like planned, ill get upset and most likely cry.
i’ve been over eating, and not always when i’m hungry.
i’ll eat when i’m sad.
i pik at my fingernails and the skin around them to the point that they bleed.
my friend told me that i should go see a doctor and get anti-depressants.
what do you think?

thanks in advance.

Tim F Clark asked:




To a person with depression, it is an intimidating mission to think of conquering it. Luckily there are a number of ways by which a person can try to overcome depression. As individuals we are responsible for our thoughts (and to a certain extent) control our thoughts and the direction of our thinking. Normal thoughts and feelings can be given a direction with a certain amount of labor and effort.

To start with, check and obtain information on the medications you are taking. Confirm from your doctor if your medications are causing depression. A number of medications such as tranquilizers, hypertension medicines, and hormonal medicines induce depression. Some anti-inflammatory or anti-infection drugs also induce depression. In most cases, merely stopping the medication will help a lot.

In addition to this, there are a number of ways by which it is easy to conquer depression. When people are diagnosed for depression, they usually accept the diagnosis and do not want to do anything about it. They also want every body else to accept it and leave them on their own, labeling themselves as such to avoid complications in their lives.

I am not blaming any body for their behavior. I know that the above statement sounds unprofessional. But I simply want you all to know this that I have gone through all that you are going through now. And it was worse than anyone can imagine. But among all this, what I have learnt is that it is easy to overcome depression or it is easy to begin the course of being free of depression.

Lately a new trend is observed among the patients of depression. As more and more patients are getting treated, they are opting for medications and not bothering about therapy. This is because the treatments are being done by primary care physicians and not professionals. These physicians just give prescription drugs like anti-depressants, anti-anxiety medications without recommending complementary therapy.

This has resulted in an increase in the percentage of depressed people who are only on prescription drugs. Statistics reveal that in 1997, there were 80% of depressed people on prescription only, while in a decade back only 45% of them were on prescription medication only. In this period there were about 70% to 60% individuals who were receiving psychotherapy in addition to medications.

This does not mean that antidepressant medications are ineffective. A majority of them are very efficient in treating depression. But the fact remains that they do not address to the problem absolutely. Treatment of depression encompasses treating the lifestyle and habits of the individual.

Individuals relying only on medication might not get the benefits of psychosocial therapy. This therapy educates patients on living a better and stress free life, and also ways to cope with the strains and stresses of every day life. Studies have also revealed that in certain cases, psychotherapy has proven to be more beneficial than medications. When given by specialists, psychosocial therapy is as beneficial as the prescription medications, as it imparts far reaching benefits to the depressed person. A research in 2003 revealed that psychosocial therapy was more efficient in treating those individuals who had endured early childhood distress.

This same study also noted that medication along with psychosocial therapy has been more effective in treating depression than either of those treatments. Persons who are too depressed need to be prescribed medications and only then they can get the advantage from psycho-social therapy.