Archive | Depression

There Is Always Hope For Anxiety

Anxiety can be a life-altering occurrence. It can happen without our knowledge and can change a life forever. That is not to say the changes are for the worse. If we are aware, early on, that we are experiencing stress and dealing with anxiety then we have a great opportunity to promote positive behavior. This positive behavior can then dominate our lives.

There are varying effects anxiety has on the human body, mind and spirit. Anxiety can often times be a silent killer. Stress and anxiety go hand in hand and both promote heart problems, respiratory problems and can cause us to age more rapidly than if we were to have a healthier, slower paced lifestyle.

Yoga, deep tissue massages, and even routine exercising can be beneficial in reducing anxiety. All it takes is a phone call, a minute of searching the Internet, or even a chat with your physician or pastor to begin the process of healing. Once you have discovered on your own or been diagnosed by a physician that anxiety is the culprit for what ails you, the healing process is as difficult as you want it to be.

Being in denial about anxiety is a step in the wrong direction. When you discover you have symptoms of an illness serious or otherwise and all physical elements are ruled out you must look long and hard at how you are living. There is part of us that most are not even aware of until our health plummets and we are forced to look more closely at how we live.

Most of us can fully benefit by slowing everything down and easing up on what we cram into one day. Sometimes it is as if we have to fill each moment of everyday to the bursting point in order to feel as if we have accomplished something. Stepping back and doing nothing is a challenge. And it is challenge well worth the effort and one we must take into serious consideration.

Slowing down is the first step to forcing out the anxiety that is easily accessible to all of us as humans. Forming a plan of attack on the urges and pitfalls that lead us further into the darkness of anxiety is essential. The war against anxiety begins with the acknowledgement that it exists. When you replace stressful, anxious behavior with positive, relaxed behavior you have the beginnings of a beautiful life.

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Prevention of Suicide is Everybody’s Business

Prevention of Suicide is Everybody’s Business

We are losing approximate one million human lives a year worldwide due to suicidal deaths. It is not only the case of death and births subject, which keeps statistics of human counts. Today is September10, an international suicide prevention day . International Association for Suicide Prevention IASP a world health organization’s help group is seriously working on this subject. Now days we are passing through commercializationIndustrializationcapitalist regime, western countries has experienced it much earlier then us. They are facing bio products of this so called revolution as suicidal syndrome in these societies. Developed nations has high suicidal death rate than those developing nations which are passing through commercializationIndustrialization but rate are on rising side for developing nations if not minded will lead towards infinity.

As our Indian society is going through these conditions most affected are those urban areas where commercializationIndustrialization has taken place. Cut throat competitions in every sphere of life lead to mental pressure on these citizens. When our mind could not able to cope up with these men made pressures resulted into a suicide. It is not merely a criminal physical action but result of mental malfunction, which comes into health domain. It should be treated as well established man made disease like HIVAIDS. Today its occurrence is approximate one million worldwide but it is still more lives lost than

In all wars and homicides worldwide every year.

Three times the catastrophic loss of human lives in the tragic Tsunami disaster.

. One suicide represents

A lost life, lost talents, lost creativity, lost contribution made to society.

A lost son or daughter, a lost father or mother, a lost friend or colleague.

A wound that does not easily heal in those who left behind.

The health administrators in developing nations are not giving attention on this especially in country like India and china are in transformation era of commercialization Industrializationcapitalist regime in check list. As in case of HIVAIDS origin was in western part of globe developed nations. It remained confined till it was in this part of world. When it reached in Asia the population basket of world it becomes manifold in its number in few years. Similar to this suicidal syndrome which is resultant of commercializationIndustrializationcapitalist regime, western countries has experienced it much earlier then us. It is now time to keep check on this syndrome otherwise HIVAIDS type threat to human races is in waiting in coming year in our part of world.

Last not least is national level initiatives to fight against suicidal syndrome at medical and social fronts should be included in national health programme.

Why prevention of suicide is everybody business?

Answer to this is of English poet John Donne

No man is an island, entire of itself..any man’s death diminish me, because I am involve in mankind; and therefore never send to whom the bell toll; it toll for thee.

Dinesh Singh Rawat
Special correspondent
www.abcnewsnetwork.com

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The Effect of Depression in Women

Women, regardless of nationality or socioeconomic status, have a higher chance to have depression than men. The reasons for such higher chance appear to be a combination of biological and cultural factors.

Women’s Hormonal Variation and Life Phase

Extreme hormonal changes can trigger the reaction of emotional swings for all women. There are studies that show how the hormones can contribute in depression but the reason is not yet totally clear.

Female hormones undoubtedly play a big role in premenstrual dysphoria, postpartum depression, and the SAD moment. These forms of depression draw back or stop after the menopausal stage.

In early puberty a girl who reaches the age of 11 years old or younger are more prone to experience depression during adolescence than those girls that are more matured.

By the time of pre-menopausal, women between the ages of 20 and 45 are most at risk to get depression. Based on the record of the study, 34 of this age group are complaining of having symptoms of major depression.

Depression usually occurs around menopausal stage, it is the stage when the women’s hormonal secretion changes. Usually symptoms like lack of sleep, mood swing, hypertension, and loss of appetite are experienced.

Once the women pass into the postmenopausal stage, some of the studies show that the average depression scores are nearly as low as those women that are under premenopausal stage. As a matter of fact, there are women cases that shows that after they had experienced menopause, they had also suffered from depression. One of the particular cause in that case is the seasonal changes.

There are other studies in United States that have reported that even grandmothers who shows care for their grandchildren and family, not considering the situation in which they work outside or at home, have a high risk for depression, other factors may be involved.

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The Really Great Depression

For almost 10 years, from 1929 to the late into the 1930′s the word went into a massive economic decline. The entire world was hit with the decline, however the most industrialized nations were hit the hardest. These nations included the United States, Europe and Japan. Due to the nature of the depression economies that were built around industry were hit the hardest.

Although every industry was during these years, industries such as agriculture were hit less hard due to the fact that they remain basic necessities no matter what the economic situation of an economy is. This doesn’t speak true however for industries such as construction which come to a complete halt when there is no economic activity.

The two main causes for the great depression was the vast unequal distribution of wealth during the 1920′s as well as extensive stock market speculation that started to take prominence the the later 1920′s. Imbalance in wealth creates a largely unstable economy, and this resulted in several parts of the world. During the 1920′s because it was the biggest boom the United States economy had ever seen, the stock market, despite speculation, remained artificially high. Once the legs fell out from underneith the stock market, the unstable economy created from the maldistribution of wealth made the entire economy of America to collapse.

America right now looks to be headed in the same direction once again the gap is growing between the rich and poor, and we are again in a major bust where we the majority of us are living beyond our means. Will history repeat itself? Are we smart enough to avoid another great depression? These are both questions that we will probably see answered in our lifetime.

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Understanding Mood Disorders

Its shocking to note that mood disorders these days are not uncommon. In the United States alone it is estimated that between 15 and 20 million people suffer from depressive disorders. Most symptoms of depression would be characterized as overwhelming sadness and loss of joy and pleasure in daily activities. Depression has been called the “common cold of mental illness,” not indicating that symptoms of depression are mild, but because they are widespread.

Bipolar disorder is one of many types of depression that affects many individuals. More recently this disorder has been given more public light. Symptoms of this disorder often include mixed states of mania and depression. Often times during the depression phase of bipolar disorder patients are plagued with thoughts of suicide, while during the manic phase the patient has far more energy than normal. Often times they are very talkative, and experience a huge boost in self-confidence.

It is estimated that bipolar disorder affects about 2.3 million adults in the United States in any given year. A worldwide accounting of bipolar disorder in adults is alot higher. Statistical numbers of mood disorders cannot, however, descibe the pain and suffering that such ones go through.

Depression

Everyone experiences a “case of the blues” from time to time, but most often it only lasts a relativly short time. This would not be considered clinical depression, which is far more serious than a “case of the blues.”

What causes clinical depression? While it is not fully understood as to all the causes of clinical depression it is noted that there are many biological and emotional factors that contribute to the development of a severe depressive disorder. It effects more than 19 million American’s a year, and it is estimated that approximately 3 to 5 of teenagers suffer from clinical depression every year.

Those suffering from chronic depression often fail to realize the seriousness of their condition. Just how serious is it? It has often been linked to lack of performance, alcohol and drug abuse, severe feelings of worthlessnes and guilt, and in many cases suicide.

Often times having an empathetic friend that will lend a listening ear can bring great relief. However because the biochemical factor that is involved with the disorder it is not often realistic to rely solely on your friends listening ear.

Mood disorders such as clinical depression often have a great impact on family members. However, there are things that family members can do to help those ailing from the condition. Wholehearted support is vital when a loved one is suffering from this disorder. It is often helpful to study up on the condition and become thoroughly familiar with the disorder. This will allow ones to be able to better cope and deal with the sufferer.

Bipolar Disorder

Living with depression can be a great challenge, but the challenge is even greater when it is coupled with mania, a mood swing in bipolar disorder. Family members may often be confused as to the erratic behavior of those suffering from bipolar disorder. States Becky, “Its hard to see my brother switching from a happy person to such a sad person so suddenly. It’s very hard on all of the family, we all feel helpless like there is nothing we can do.”

Bipolar’s effects are not just directed one way. Often times the pain is reflected inwards as well to the sufferer. The patient suffering from bipolar disorder may often be left confused at the lack of stability in their life.

What is the cause of bipolar disorder? Through several studies scientists are trying to uncover the cause of bipolar disorder. While there is no known single cause of bipolar disorder it is know that genetics plays a big part in the cause. Family members that are directly related to ones who suffer from bipolar depression have a greater chance of developing the bipolar or major depression in your lifetime.

Bipolar disorder knows no gender, and has an equal opportunity of affecting both sexes. Most often the disorder starts developing in young adulthood, however cases studies have shown development of the disorder in younger age groups. Since the symptoms are so wide in their range it is often hard to detect, especially when intervals between mania and depression can last years.

While living with depression or bipolar depression may be hard, and equally as hard to diagnose there is hope for those that suffer from them.

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An Introduction to Mobile Psychiatric Rehabilitation

People who are mentally ill also seem to be chronically afraid of hospitals, or at least seem to want to avoid medical attention in a hospital setting. Looking at it from the perspective of someone who is confused or otherwise mentally unstable, the sterile and instrument-laden halls of a hospital are indeed terrifying, and can even be considered “creepy” by a person who is not suffering from a mental condition.

Mentally ill people do not want to come to a hospital, and they do not want to seek treatment, making it difficult to get that treatment to them. This is why mobile psychiatric rehabilitation units have been established. Mobile psychiatric rehabilitation is designed to help people who are suffering from a mental illness regain or maintain the skills that will help them function in society, allowing them the comfort and security of being treated in an individualized fashion by a caring person in their own homes.

The mobile psychiatric rehabilitation program is individualized to each person, with a specialist conducting an assessment of each person to whom the mobile psychiatric rehabilitation unit is assigned. They work with the mentally ill individual to determine their strengths, and their personal and community resources. From there they work to determine a plan of service to help outline the tasks and goals of the individual. Both the patient and the representative have tasks between each visit to make progress toward these goals.

The mobile psychiatric rehabilitation units are tailored to meet the wants as well as the needs of each individual. They can meet an individual in their own home, at their school, their work, or even in their neighborhood. These services are short term and are goal oriented, allowing people, through their own personal choice and at their own speed, to develop the skills and the support that they need to become self-sufficient and to have a more satisfying life.

Mobile psychiatric rehabilitation can help to allow a person to manage their own home through the acquisition of new skills such as budgeting, nutrition, and other self-care skills, as well as skills in areas such as the use of public transportation. Mobile psychiatric rehabilitation can help to teach mentally ill individuals or mentally deficient individuals to use their time more productively, both in the community and at home, and can help them to manage mental health issues like their medications.

Mentally ill people can also benefit from mobile psychiatric rehabilitation to help them use community resources such as employment specialists, advocacy groups, program participant groups, and other community support to their advantage. They will learn how to enjoy and make use of the love and support of their family, friends, and community, even co-workers, and will work on their ability to coordinate their care between their service providers and their support systems at or near home.

Mobile psychiatric rehabilitation focuses not on medicating or treating mentally ill patients, but on helping individuals medicate themselves and assisting them in managing their own diseases so that they can live out their lives as best as they can. A mentally ill individual could make use of mobile psychiatric rehabilitation to learn how to live on their own and how to use the features available to them, from busses and trains to employment specialists.

People working with mobile psychiatric rehabilitation can learn how to utilize their co-workers as a support system, and about how to reach out for the help that they need in managing their everyday life. The mobile psychiatric rehabilitation programs can also help people to learn about their own homes and lives, allowing them to learn about things such as budgets so that they can become even more independent.

It feels good to work with a friendly person to reach a goal that you personally have set. Whether your goal is to learn how to get to work all by yourself or how to buy groceries or clean your own house. Mobile psychiatric rehabilitation is a wonderful service for the mentally ill, and can help people who might otherwise fall apart to get on their feet and learn to move forward, perhaps for the first time in their lives.

Mobile psychiatric rehabilitation is for anyone who is a functional mentally ill person. This program, if it is available in your area, can help you or a loved one learn to make use of their functional capacity to live independently.

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Overcoming Depression with a Childs Heart

With a child’s heart
Go face the worries of the day
With a child’s heart
Turn each problem into play
No need to worry no need to fear
Just being alive makes it all so very clear

Although this is no way is a pro-Jackson article, this is actually an excerpt from a personal Jackson 5 favorite entitled With a Childs Heart

Sung by a pre-adolescent Michael Jackson, the words of this song made such an impact on me most recently when I played the CD a few days back.

The lyrics of the song reminded me of what the renowned psychologist Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, once stated in his book- that children are indeed the group of humans who ironically are most gifted in the art of faith and positive thinking.

These are two essentials for overcoming depression, and it is no co-incidence that they are abundant in a childs heart.

Children are more expert in happiness and faith than adults and indeed the adult who can carry the spirit of a child into middle and old age is truly a genius. Why?
Well this is quite simply because such an adult will preserve the happy and carefree spirit that only the young seem to be endowed with and this of course will be vital and necessary for dealing with depression and problems and keeping their effects on us minimized.

The subtlety and wisdom of Jesus Christ is truly remarkable.
When it comes to dealing with depression or dealing with life, period-the good and the bad of it, He suggests that one should have a childlike heart and mind.

In other words, have you ever noticed how a kid believes moms kiss actually made the pain of a bicycle fall go away, well that same childlike faith is actually what God requires of us in believing that what He says Hell do for us will come to pass.

Now, in regards to overcoming depression, it is clear to see that approaching our problems with a childlike yet powerful faith that things will be better would make a huge difference in our situations and circumstances.

This doesnt mean that no work will be required of us on our part, remember
faith without works is dead,” James 226. However, it is the believing that what we are doing to make things better in addition to trusting what God says about our situations and challenges that would make the difference.

Just like a child will ask a parent for help on how to do something and totally rely on the parents instruction to get it done, it is very much the same way that we have to accept and follow Gods advice and help in order to deal with our problems and challenges in life.

A young Jackson ends the song above soulfully stating that
With a childs heart, nothing is gonna get me down!
Indeed with the childlike faith in God and His promises and a childlike obedience to do as instructed by a wiser Being, nothing not depression, not lifes problems can get us down.

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Anxiety Depression Learn How to be worry free.

From a religious stand-point, Jesus once asked his 12 disciples Which of you by worrying can add a single strand of hair to your head? Now, you may be of a religious background or maybe not, but, think about that statement and youd see why worrying, a main symptom of anxiety depression is quite unnecessary.

Reduced to its simplest form, what is worry? It is simply an unhealthy and destructive mental habit that- believe it or not folks-you were not born with but simply acquired out of practice. The good news is, with aggressive actions, as with any habit and acquired attitude; we can be worry free and eliminate it from our lives successfully.

In the words of Dr. Smiley Blanton, a noted Psychiatrist Anxiety depression is the great modern plague. Other psychologists go on to say worry a noted symptom of any form of depression, is the most subtle and destructive of all human diseases. When we worry excessively, we disintegrate our inner workings as humans and really put a lot of things out of order. Needless to say avoiding worry as a step of treating depression and anxiety will be the first step for our own benefit.

Anxiety Depression Steps to take to be Worry Free

The following steps should be used to deal with anxiety depression and its main symptom, worry. When used wisely and effectively, you will inevitably be successful at these natural depression help techniques.

1. Practice Mind-drainage Empty your mind of pessimistic and negative thoughts, especially before going to and after waking up from sleep. This involves some degree of imagination friends. the same imagination-mind you-that you are actually using to aggravate your present situationsdidnt realize that eh?. This mind-draining strategy cannot be overemphasized as I will let you know, if you fear something for a long period of time, it may actually come to pass. For the thing which I feared has come upon me Job 325

2. Fill up the mind with powerful thoughts of faith and success to fill up the vacuum now left in the mind. You become a worrier by practicing it, you can be worry-free by practicing the opposite.

3. Say positive things about those things you previously spoke negatively of.

4. Never participate in a worry conversation. Induce your conversation with faith and worry-free statements.

5. Make friends with optimistic people, practice prayer and meditation.

6. Exercise and eat right. Youll be making yourself look and feel better and consequently stronger through the process for overcoming depression, anxiety and becoming worry free.

No one is saying things will be automatically changed overnight. No, it takes work. However with direct and equally aggressive actions as the destructive worry habits one may be indulging in, anxiety depression can be overcome and you too can be worry free if you believe in your mind you can.

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Postpartum Depression

Women around the globe are resenting the day that their bodies will go through a transformation.

When postpartum depression kicks in women often feel sluggish, unconnected to reality, and often undergo several other symptoms that include depression.

Women that undergo postpartum depression PPD often go through bouts of crying uncontrollable and very seldom do they understand the cause. There thinking is often irrational and their emotions are often tangled. One minute they are struggling to go to sleep and the next minute they cant seem to wake up.

Once a baby is born the family, friends, mother and so forth a suppose to join in a joyful expedition. Sometimes mothers go through postpartum depression however, and the birth seems more like a curse than a joyous moment.

Instead of sharing a happy moment mothers often feel a sense of guilt because they simply because they may resent the birth of their baby. All of a sudden, you begin feeling sadness, despair, worthlessness, and insomnia kicks in.

Then you go through panic attacks while feeling a sense of shame. In addition, it doesnt stop there. Next you begin feeling fear of loosing control of your actions, you start feeling like your mind is tumbling, and your concentration has vanished. Still, you feel nausea, agitated, your heart races, and you breathing is complicated. The symptoms are increasing as you feel an imbalance level of worry toward your child, hopelessness since you have no control, exhausted from all the mental changes, and suicidal because you see no way out.

The battle is just beginning. Mothers than suffer from postpartum depression often have an underlying psychological impairment, possible biological imbalances, including Posttraumatic Stress if the mother undergoes a horrible birthing. Most professionals will treat postpartum depression with antidepressants combining it with therapy.

It is important for mothers with postpartum depression to seek help immediately, since the diagnose does not only affect the patient, it affects everyone around you, including your baby. Babies need their mother, and when the mother is unable to provide emotional nourishment and loving care, and then a baby will suffer as it grows into adulthood.

Just like any diagnose there are triggers that may interrupt the mother, including difficult births, isolating one self, death, changes in living arrangements, hereditary, financial difficulties and so forth. Unfortunately, some of these triggers are going to happen.

Most therapists have found treating women with postpartum depression, treating them with antidepressants and therapy has worked wonders. Recently studies are finding that depression may also be treated with Electromagnetic therapy. Scientists are constantly searching for a solution to treat depression so the end of the world hasnt arrived.

There is hope. Studies have also shown that writing down your episodes, feelings and so forth is a great therapeutic relief. Talking is also a great source for eliminating stress, which is often linked to depression. It is important to get regular checkups after your baby is born to eliminate biological reasoning for the postpartum depression.

In most cases, doctors may prescribe Valiums, Prozac, or Zoloft. It depends on the person, but for some mothers one or the other medications work, while others have no results. If you are suffering postpartum depression, it is also important for the family to offer support and understanding.

Since, you may have suicidal thoughts the last thing anyone needs to do is push you over the edge. It is also important that the resentment you feel is not necessary toward your baby. It could be that you resent an area of your life, or an occurrence and the baby seems to be the target.

You might want to try listening to easy music when you feel a sense of loss, or episodes of the diagnose erupt. Music has proven to heal the soul. In addition, you might want to start exercising since this too has proven to do wonders with people that suffer mental or physical illnesses. Exercise relieves the mind often because you are doing something to better yourself and improve your health.

Therefore, if you are in postpartum depression, there are answers and you should never give up hope!

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