Category Archives: Mood Disorders (clinical depression)

16 May

7 Reasons Why We Miss the Signs of Depression

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What do a 45-year-old professor, several well-educated parents, a retired psychotherapist, a concerned husband, and a college student all have in common? These are people suffering–or intimately connected to someone suffering–from clinical depression who didn’t know it.

How, in this day and age, with so much information available, is it possible that depression can still go undiagnosed and therefore untreated? Perhaps this is part of the reason why the blog “Depression Part Two” on Hyperbole and a Half  just went viral (besides how extraordinarily creative it is). Here are some reasons why smart people can miss the signs of depression:

http://blogs.psychcentral.com/parenting-tips/2013/05/7-reasons-why-we-miss-the-signs-of-depression/

16 May

5 Tips for Managing Anxiety During Transition

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According to psychologist Douglas Eby, one of the primary characteristics of a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) is the inability to process change. The uncertainty of a new path generates anxiety, sometimes so crippling that the person is unable to move forward on the new path in front of her. I am reminded of that this month as I make the significant transition from a job as a defense contractor–a communications advisor to a cloud computing company, with comfortable benefits– to an unstable gig as a freelance writer crafting pieces of mental health. I am following my heart alright, as it’s racing to catch up with me. Every time I sit down to write a piece, I second guess myself and list all the reasons why I’m unqualified to write articles that will technically be read by a few people.

http://www.everydayhealth.com/columns/therese-borchard-sanity-break/5-tips-for-managing-anxiety-during-transition/?xid=nl_EverydayHealthLivingWithDepression_20130516

16 May

Serotonin And REM Sleep Linked To Depression

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All mammals sleep, as do birds and some insects. However, how this basic function is regulated by the brain remains unclear. According to a new study by researchers from the RIKEN Brain Science Institute, a brain region called the lateral habenula plays a central role in the regulation of REMsleep. In an article published in the Journal of Neuroscience, the team shows that the lateral habenula maintains and regulates REM sleep in rats through regulation of the serotonin system. This study is the first to show a role of the lateral habenula in linking serotonin metabolism and sleep.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/260527.php

16 May

A Time-Tested Organic Medicine for Stress, Anxiety and Depression

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Everyone has tough days and for some the days seem to be a never ending string of murkiness. All of our mental afflictions, stress, anxiety, depression, addictive urges and trauma responses are experienced as contractions in the body. An antidote to this would naturally be opening the body up and that is one among many reasons why yoga can be helpful. But to take it one step further, laughter opens our bodies up, vibrates core areas where the stuck energy resides while simultaneously igniting resiliency centers of the brain.

Do yourself a favor, simply watch this 3-minute video and see what you notice:

http://blogs.psychcentral.com/mindfulness/2013/05/a-time-tested-organic-medicine-for-stress-anxiety-and-depression/

16 May

Being Married to a Person with Depression

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Some sobering statistics:Depression has a much greater impact on marital life than rheumatoid arthritis or cardiac disease. Ninety percent of marriages where one person isbipolar ends in divorce. Persons diagnosed with bipolar disorder have three times the rate of divorce as the general public, which is about 50 percent.

http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2013/05/13/being-married-to-a-person-with-depression-or-bipolar-6-survival-tips/

 

16 May

What Depression Is & What It Is Not

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Depression is quite complicated. It entails a host of symptoms that perplex even the savviest therapist. Depression is even more complicated in children and men because the expression of symptoms is not as clear-cut for them as it is for others. Nonetheless, depression is one of those “diseases” that requires a compassionate, caring, knowledgeable, and understanding individual to identify it. Families, caregivers, and friends who suspect a loved one experiencing depression ought to know that depression can entail lots of symptoms. Sadly, many people believe depression is a sad mood, bad mood, or negative thinking that can be overcome through will power. This is not always the case. Depression often requires treatment.

http://blogs.psychcentral.com/caregivers/2013/05/understanding-what-depression-is-and-what-it-is-not/

08 May

Are You Clinically Depressed or Just Feeling Blue?

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Wondering if your sadness is just a case of the blues or true clinical depression? Learn how to tell the difference and find out if you need professional help.

Bad things happen, and we all experience periods of sadness in life. Sadness is a normal, healthy reaction to many events, and most people start to feel better over time as they deal with their emotions. But people who are clinically depressed can’t beat their feelings of extreme sadness, no matter what they do, and their clinical depression symptoms can continue for a long period of time. Clinical Depression is not just a matter of feeling blue; it’s an illness that needs treatment.

http://www.everydayhealth.com/healthy-living/depression-symptoms.aspx?xid=nl_EverydayHealthEmotionalHealth_20130507