Ashi Jas asked:




Depression is perhaps the most common of all mental health problems, currently felt to affect one in every four adults to some degree. Depression is a problem with mood/feeling in which the mood is described as sad, feeling down in the dumps, being blue, or feeling low. While the depressed mood is present, evidence is also present which reflects the neurochemical or “brain chemistry” aspects of depression with the depressed individual experiencing poor concentration/attention, loss of energy, accelerated thought/worry, sleep/appetite disturbance, and other physical manifestations.

Depression is a serious medical condition, which can lead to suicidal thoughts and behavior. Children, adolescents, and young adults taking antidepressants may be at increased risk for suicidal thoughts and behavior within the first few months of treatment. This risk must be balanced with the medical need. Those starting medication or changing doses should be watched closely for suicidal thoughts, worsening of depression, or unusual changes in mood or behavior. In children and teens, Zoloft is only approved for use in those with obsessive-compulsive disorder. A patient Medication Guide about “Antidepressant Medicines, Depression and Other Serious Mental Illnesses, and Suicidal Thoughts or Actions” is available.

Treatment and symptoms of Depression:

Symptoms of Depression:

Dysthymia is less severe than major depression but usually goes on for a longer period, often several years. There are usually periods of feeling fairly normal between episodes of low mood. The symptoms usually do not completely disrupt one’s normal activities.

Bipolar disorder involves episodes of depression, usually severe, alternating with episodes of extreme elation called mania. This condition is sometimes called by its older name, manic depression. The depression that is associated with bipolar disorder is often referred to as bipolar depression.

Major depression is manifested by a combination of symptoms (see Symptoms below) that interfere with the ability to work, sleep, eat and enjoy once pleasurable activities. These symptoms occur without any apparent cause and deepen and persist day-in and day-out for two weeks or longer.

Disturbed thinking, a symptom developed by some severely depressed persons. For example, severely depressed people sometimes have beliefs not based in reality about physical disease, sinfulness, or poverty.

Physical symptoms, such as headaches or stomachaches.

The symptoms of Dysthymia are:

poor school/work performance

social withdrawal

shyness

irritable hostility

conflicts with family and friends

Treatment for Depression:

The wrong diagnosis. It’s not always easy to diagnose depression and other mental disorders. In particular, some forms of bipolar disorder are commonly misdiagnosed as depression because manic phases may be less pronounced while depression phases are more pronounced – it may look more like depression.

Your social or life situation. If you’re under constant stress or anxiety because of situations in your life that aren’t getting better, medication alone might not help. These situations may include relationship trouble, financial instability or inadequate housing, for example. In addition, a childhood marked by severe adversity – such as abuse or neglect – can continue to affect you throughout adulthood.

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors(SSRIs): This class of antidepressants works by selectively keeping increased levels of serotonin available in the brain. Although there is no evidence that any of the SSRIs are more effective than the older antidepressants, individuals who take SSRIs appear to experience fewer side effects. As a result, the SSRIs are often tried first and have become the most commonly prescribed class of antidepressant.

Harold Cortez asked:




Depression is quite a troubling name for human beings. More than millions of people every year get affected by depression. The affects of depression may vary according to the types of depression. The most troubling forms of depression are major depression or clinical or chronic depression. The criteria for depression depend upon the signs and symptoms of depression, for example (If it is severe the criteria for the diagnosis is different as compared to the mild depression and vice -versa). Therefore it is very necessary to first identify the symptoms and then after diagnosis criteria. Following are the signs and symptoms that most of the specialists are looking for, for the diagnostic criteria of major depression.

For the diagnostic criteria of depression, a person has to exhibit five to six of the following symptoms for more than two weeks. Sadness, irritation, or anger whole day, you feel disturbed all the time. You might put on or loose significant amount of weight in only a few days. Your diet gets hugely affected; you might suffer from eating disorders as well. Loss of interest in all sorts of activities that gave you pleasure in the past. You would not even like to talk about your favorite activities. It has been noticed that people suffering from depression get easily retarded almost everyday. As a result of which sufferer is not able to perform daily duties, life gets completely slowed down. Fatigue or loss of energy almost entire day. One of the biggest symptoms is negative thoughts. Negative thoughts become a permanent part of your thinking. Even positive things appear negative to you. Feelings of worthlessness, hopelessness and guilt occur in your minds on regular basis. Suicidal thoughts are also one of the biggest symptoms of major depression. Sleeping problems such as insomnia and hypomania. Both are sleeping disorders that cause too much or too less sleep. Physical problems such as stomach pain, pain in the chest and headache is also another symptom. Consider this one as a symptom if the pain persists for more than two weeks. They also make sure that the symptoms do not meet the criteria of mixed episodes. The symptoms of depression that cause significant amount of stress at job, social life or friendship. Specialists also make sure that the symptoms are not due to drugs abuse or any other medicine. The symptoms are not because of grief. For example, after a death of loved ones, the symptoms may continue for more than month or two. They also make sure that symptoms are not due to impairment, mere worthlessness etc. These symptoms are not considered for diagnosis criteria because these symptoms automatically disappear with the passage of time.

Diagnosis needs to be done if you find more than five to six of the above symptoms lasting for more than two weeks. After proper diagnosis proper treatment method needs to be considered to get rid of depression.

Samantha Weaver asked:




Who could dispute that animals can have a positive effect on emotional well-being? With research being conducted into the field of alternative medicine on an on-going basis, more and more people are beginning to realize the cathartic effects that animals are having on individuals well-being, especially so in those patients suffering with depression.

While some people recover from depression using medications alone, there are many others, who would prefer to use a combination of alternative therapies to try to alleviate the symptoms of depression. One of these treatments being studied is ‘Pet Therapy’, but what is this alternative and how could it help?

Many scientists have spent endless hours looking into the different types of therapy available for treating depression as an illness; ‘Pet Therapy’ has been concluded as one of these therapies. Animals have long been recognized as being a positive force in the healing process.

Dogs notably have a calming and therapeutic effect on people. They can help individuals to cope with the emotional issues related to their illness. They also offer physical contact with another living creature and help to divert a person’s attention from their pressing daily problems. Owning a dog brings about a sense of responsibility. Dogs rely on their owners for feeding, walking, attention and love. What better excuse for a depressed person to get out of bed in the morning?

Dogs love almost everyone without any degree of prejudice or rejection. You do not need to speak any type of language to communicate with a four-legged friend. Give them a treat, tickle their tummy and they will love you without bounds. Dogs are aware of illness and sadness and genuinely want to provide companionship and comfort; they show an abundance of intelligence and are both intuitive and compassionate. Any dog owner will relate and agree with me when I say that it is a warm feeling when their dog can detect their sorrow and lick their tears away.

Pet Therapy can facilitate many positive changes one such example being increased socialization skills. Animals can be used as part of group therapy programs to encourage communication and increase the ability to focus. Helping to develop a person’s self-esteem and reducing their loneliness and anxiety are just some potential benefits of individual-animal therapy.

The bond between humans and animals is demonstrated every day in millions of homes around the world. It is also becoming a powerful, common mode of therapy in many facilities such as hospitals, schools and residential homes.

While it is difficult to measure and quantify the benefits of dog therapy with hard scientific fact, there is no question that the magical interaction possible between animal and human is unmistakable. Tears can be dried. Scowls transform into smiles. Silence is broken and lastly but not least importantly loneliness and isolation can be ejected from a person through mere touch and cuddles. Dogs offer their owner’s absolute and unconditional love and a level of boundless patience that no human could ever possibly give. The love of a dog is unlimited, what better form of alternative therapy could there be?

Author reserves all rights to this work.

(c) Samantha Weaver 2006

Frank D. Miller asked:




Depression takes a heavy toll on our lives. In the current era, almost every individual experiences symptoms of depression at some point in their life. Interestingly, causes of depression are varied. Some of them include genetic traits, escalating tensions, ever demanding work pressure, anxiety, stress and traumatic events happening in life such as an accident, death or divorce. In fact, the effect of depression on human life can be best understood by glancing through some of the depression statistics that are summarized below.

As per the records of the Commission on Mental Health, 1 out of every 7 Americans is seeking professional help and medical treatment for emotional disturbances. These numbers are just an approximate figure that the authorities had deduced through some statistical analysis. Actual figures seem to be much more than this. Interestingly, there has been no improvement in depression statistics over the last decade.

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Crazy_person asked:


Like symptoms other than the obvious ones like feeling down.

When does someone get the point where help from medication is needed. I know someone who is suffering from a form of depression but is worried that the antidepression tablets will have worse side effects. Its hard to know if its severe depression or even depression at all.

Harold Cortez asked:




Depression is quite a common mental illness among people. Every year millions get affected all over the world from severe to mild forms of depression. According to a study women are more susceptible to depression. Suffering from depression puts a big break on your daily activities. Depressed person is always found in the state of blues or sadness. The most common symptoms of depression are, Restlessness, feelings of guilt, feelings of worthlessness, hopelessness, helplessness, Fatigue, social withdrawal or decreased interest in social activities, sleeping problems, suicidal thoughts or suicidal tendencies, decreased interest in sexual , poor self confidence, poor appetite which results in sudden weight loss or weight gain, irritation specially in children and poor concentration level etc. The symptoms of depression vary person to person. The types of depression are identified according to sign and symptoms.

Depression is a treatable mental illness. Proper treatment is required if you identify the symptoms of depression in you or someone you know. Suffering from depression is as bad as living in hell. If proper treatment is not sought for depression, it may become a life long problem for you.

Help is available for depression for all the sufferers in the form of special psychiatrists, psychotherapists, counselors and in the form of Medication etc. all you need to do is visit a specialist so that proper help can be provided to you. Most widely used treatment methods to help you getting over depression are:

MEDICATION: Depression is treated with drugs in this type of treatments; this is the most commonly used treatment method for depression. MAOIs (Monoamine oxidase inhibitors) and SSRIs (Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) drugs are used to balance the serotonin level in the brain. SSRIs and MAOIs are the oldest and probably the best drugs for the medication of depression, the side effects of these two is less as compared with other drugs, therefore these two drugs are more suggested by specialists.

PSYCHOTHERAPY: It is the best help method for a person suffering from depression. Cognitive therapy, talk therapy and interpersonal therapies help big way to get over depression. Therapists through various sessions with sufferer observe the cause of depression, after the proper analysis the cause of depression is removed from sufferers mind. People feel relaxed and positive after going through therapy methods. People rate this form of help for depression at very high position in the list of available help methods.

ELECTROCONVULSIVE THERAPY (ECT): This is by far he fastest help available for the sufferer to get over depression. It even works in treatment resistant depression cases. People who have gone through ECT treatment, they have only good things to say about it. Electric current is used in this type of treatment. It is always performed with utmost care and in the administration of a specialist.

SELF HELP: You can try these self help techniques as well to avoid depression: Be positive and optimistic about life. Exercise, Meditation, Deep breathing, Be Socially active, do not bother about your past, have healthy food.

Samuel Depak asked:




If you are looking for information on a natural depression cure then this article will be of interest to you. In this article we will take a brief look at what depression actually is, and we will also look at some of the best natural forms of treatment. These include St John’s wort, licorice, Gingko balboa, kava kava, and Siberian ginseng. By the end of this article you should be familiar with the properties of these natural herbs for treating depression.

Depression is a very common condition. In fact it is estimated that around 19 million Americans are affected by this disorder every year. The symptoms can range from mild to severe and in the worst case scenario they can lead a person to commit *******. There are many forms of medical treatment available to treat this condition, but many people choose not to use them because of their undesirable side effects which include nausea, headaches and sleep problems to name but a few.

Herbs are becoming a popular alternative to traditional medication because they can relieve the symptoms of depression, and they have fewer side-effects than medication. Let’s take a look at some herbs that can treat depression:

St John’s wort: this herb has been used for centuries and it has many properties that make it good for treating depression. These include its ability to improve the quality of sleep and relieve sadness and other negative emotions associated with this condition. If this herb is used properly its user will suffer from very few side-effects.

Licorice: when this is taken as recommended by a herbalist it acts as a natural anti-depressant. However there are side-effects and these include headaches, high blood pressure and feeling lethargic. So it is important that the recommended dosage is not exceeded.

Ginkgo balboa: this herb is known for its ability to improve circulation in the brain, it can help to treat some of the mental symptoms of depression as well improve memory. It is commonly use by the elderly for its memory boosting properties and studies backup the effectiveness of this herb.

Kava kava: one of the symptoms that a depressed person may experience is anxiety. If you suffer from this symptom then this herb is highly recommended because it treats this problem. However you should not use this herb if you are driving or operating heavy machinery because one of the side-effects is drowsiness.

Siberian ginseng: the cause of depression is believed to be due to a chemical imbalance in the brain, these chemicals include dopamine, serotonin and epinephrine. Siberian ginseng balances the neurotransmitters in the brain, this basically resolves the chemical imbalance.

The herbs mentioned above are the most common herbs that are used as a natural depression cure. Now that you have read this article you should have an idea of how each of these herbs can benefit someone who suffers from depression. A word of warning, if you decide to use the herbs mentioned above make sure you buy them from a reputable seller because there are many people who sell fake herbs (particularly on the internet) and these can be dangerous.

John Samson asked:




If you’re currently feeling so out of it, totally out of your normal system and just basically hating and ignoring almost, always everything and anyone that comes along, try to get yourself checked by a psychiatrist because you those little mood swings and erratic Ally McBeal-ish behavior that you’re trying to ignore for some long may actually be symptoms of depression. Act fast because if you do, it’ll certainly be a lot harder for you to be able to have yourself cured from this illness, especially once self-delusion starts to kick in.

Actually start by hauling your depressed *** into the hospital and get yourself diagnosed by a reputable psychiatrist, one that’ll actually help you with your depression concerns, answer all the possible questions that you may have when it comes to depression as well as provide you with the best available to depression treatment that’ll make you give yourself some good-old, yet extremly effective depression help. All it needs is the right attitude.

After actually being honest with yourself when it comes to actually being a patient who is suffering from depression, quit turning youself into a victim and find out from these various types of depression the actual one that you’re suffering from: Manic or Bipolar depression – characterized by sudden and extreme changes in one’s mood wherein one minute he or she is in an elevated state of euphoria while the next minute (day or week) he or she is feeling to be in a personal hell, Postpartum depression – characterized by a prolonged sadness and a feeling of emptiness by a new mother wherein physical stress during child birth, an uncertain sense of responsibility towards the new born baby can be just some of the possible factors why some new mother go through this, Dysthimia – characterized by a slight similarity with depression, although this time, it’s been proven to be a lot less severe, but of course with any case, should be treated immediately, Cyclothemia – characterized by a slight similarity with Manic or Bipolar depression wherein the individual suffering from this mental illness may occasionally suffer from severe changes in one’s moods, Seasonal Affective Disorder – characterized by falling in a rut only during specific seasons (i.e. Winter, Spring, Summer or Fall) studies however, prove that more people actually fall in to a rut more during the Winter and Fall seasons and lastly, Mood swings, wherein a person’s mood may shift from happy to sad to angry in just a short time. But in spite of how scary or how daunting a task is the road towards a sound mental health is, depression help abounds and is just up to you if you’re willing to take in some of that depression help, may it be from your family, friends, support group and mainly starting from yourself, there really is a lot of depression help to go around. 

The old adage, slowly but surely greatly applies in trying to treat depression, as the patient continues taking the prescribed medicines for his/her depression treatment, as well as the corresponding therapy sessions with the cognitive behavior therapist, a patient being treated from depression needs all the support and depression help that he or she can get.

While being treated for depression, the patient as well as his or her family and other loved ones are advised to make realistic goals concerning depression wherein, to not assume that their depression can be easily treated in a snap. Depression help begins with trying to understand the patient’s situation and continue on being patient as well as always extending your help because depression help is never easy nor is the depression treatment itself, which is why both patients and loved ones need to help each other out through every step of the way. Never set goals that are high above your reach, give yourself some depression help by not being too hard on yourself, believe that you are good and strong enough to achieve your goals but only one step at a time.

Ashish Jain asked:




There is a phase in everybody’s life when one does not feel nice about many things or anything, and for no particular reason. If it is a short period, there is nothing to worry about, but if it stretches too long it could be depression. This kind of depression is some times disabling. When the patient is considered as a disabled person, s/he is also eligible for social security benefits.

But, how to treat depression?

This condition can be diagnosed by a psychiatrist. He can help you overcome the condition. However, in this case no help is better than self-help. Besides, no amount of help from anyone can actually work without your own effort.

Depression is found to be very common among Americans, as around 9.5 percent of the population in the United States suffers from the problem. The worst part is that people suffering from depression normally do not get themselves treated, which, in turn, makes this disease worse. For a layman, cheering up someone may look like a very easy task, but when it comes to someone suffering from depression, it is an uphill task.

For one who is suffering from chronic depression, it is necessary to visit a cognitive behavioral therapist and to take the medicines as and when prescribed by him. No doubt the treatment for depression often comes with a heavy expense but that is nothing compared to the pain borne by the patient.

Often considered as a mild problem, depression can sometimes even lead to *******. It also affects the normal day-to-day activities of a person and the person starts loosing his self-confidence and begins keeping himself or herself secluded.

There are different symptoms of depression which include gradual loss of interest in something that the patient used to enjoy a lot, getting sleep disorders, becoming unfriendly, preferring isolation or talking about deaths. The list of symptoms is endless. And if such symptoms are noticed in someone, it is important that the person is rushed to the psychiatrist at the earliest so that the progression of depression could be checked in time.

Depression not only affects the patient but also the near and dear ones of him, as they feel helpless in doing anything for the patient. After spending some time with the patient, even the relatives start feeling completely out of sync with the patient.

The best way to deal with depression is to face it full and square. Normally, cognitive negative reinforcement therapists prefer cognitive behavioral talk or interpersonal talk with the patient as they are considered to be among the best methods. Efforts have to be made to make the patient realize that depression is nothing but a state of mind and he or she can get rid of it by trying to be happy.

Medications do help but nothing helps better than the patient’s determination to fight depression. The moment he or she realizes that the cure lies in believing and fighting back, half the battle is won.