Hope for the Hopeless - Depression and Eating Disorders

Approximately 80% of all severe cases involving anorexia or bulimia have a coexisting major depression diagnosis. Depression is a very painful and all consuming disorder in and of itself. However, in combination with an eating disorder, depression is beyond devastating and is often masked within the eating disorder itself. Depression in eating disorder clients looks different than it does in clients who have mood disorder alone. One way to describe how depression looks in someone who is suffering with an eating disorder is: hidden misery. For eating disorder clients, depression takes on a heightened quality of hopelessness and self-hatred, and becomes an expression of their identity, not a list of unpleasant symptoms. The depression becomes intertwined with the manifestations of the eating disorder, and because of this interwoven quality, the depressive symptoms are often not clearly distinguishable from the eating disorder. One purpose of this article is to highlight some of the distinctions and differences in how depression manifests itself in someone suffering with anorexia or bulimia. Another purpose is to provide suggestions that will begin to foster hope for these hopeless clients within the therapy setting.

When dealing with eating disorder cases, it is important to understand that if major depression is present, it is most likely present at two levels. First, it will be evident in a history of chronic, low level, dysthymic depression, and secondly, there will be symptoms consistent with one or more prolonged episodes of acute major depressive disorder. The intensity and acuteness of the depression is not always immediately recognizable in how the client is manifesting their eating disorder. Clinical history taking will reveal chronic discouragement, feelings of inadequacy, low self-esteem, appetite disturbance, sleep disturbance, low energy, fatigue, concentration troubles, difficulty making decisions, and a general feeling of unhappiness and vague hopelessness. Since most eating disorder clients do not seek treatment for many years, it is not uncommon for this kind of chronic dysthymic depression to have been in their lives anywhere from two to eight years. Clinical history will also reveal that as the eating disorder escalated or became more severe in its intensity, there is a concurrent history of intense symptoms of major depression. Oftentimes, recurrent episodes of major depression are seen in those with longstanding eating disorders. In simple words, eating disorder clients have been discouraged for a long time, they have not felt good about themselves for a long time, they have felt hopeless for a long time, and they have felt acute periods of depression in which life became much worse and more difficult for them.

Unique Characteristics
One of the most unique characteristics of depression in someone who is suffering with an eating disorder is an intense and high level of self-hatred and self-contempt. This may be because those who have these major depressive episodes in conjunction with an eating disorder have a much more personally negative and identity-based meaning attached to the depressive symptoms. The depressive symptoms say something about who the person is at a core level as a human being. They are much more than simply descriptive of what the individual is experiencing or suffering from at that time in their life. For many women with eating disorders, the depression is broad evidence of their unacceptability and shame, and a daily proof of the deep level of "flawed-ness" that they believe about themselves. The intensity of the depression is magnified or amplified by this extreme perceptual twist of the cognitive distortion of personalization and all-or-nothing thinking. A second symptom of major depression shown to be different in those who suffer with severe eating disorders is that their sense of hopelessness and despair goes way beyond "depressed mood most of the day, nearly every day." The sense of hopelessness is often an expression of how void and empty they feel about who they are, about their lives, and about their futures. Up until the eating disorder has been stabilized, all of that hopelessness has been converted into an addictive attempt to feel in control or to avoid pain through the obsessive acting out of the anorexia or bulimia.

Thirdly, this hopelessness can be played out in recurrent thoughts of death, pervasive suicidal ideation, and suicidal gesturing which many clients with severe anorexia and bulimia can have in a more entrenched and ever-present fashion than clients who have the mood disorder alone. The quality of this wanting to die or dying is tied to a much more personal sense of self-disdain and identity rejection (get rid of me) than just wanting to escape life difficulties. Fourth, the feelings of worthlessness or inadequacy are unique with eating disorders because it goes beyond these feelings. It is an identity issue accompanied by feelings of uselessness, futility, and nothingness that occur without the distraction and obsession of the eating disorder.

A fifth, distinct factor in the depression of those with eating disorders is that their excessive and inappropriate guilt is tied more to emotional caretaking issues and a sense of powerlessness or helplessness than what may typically be seen in those who are suffering with major depression. Their painful self-preoccupation is often in response to their inability to make things different or better in their relationships with significant others.

A sixth factor that masks depression in an eating disorder client is the all consuming nature of anorexia and bulimia. There is often a display of high energy associated with the obsessive ruminations, compulsivity, acting out, and the highs and lows in the cycle of an eating disorder. When the eating disorder is taken away and the individual is no longer in a place or position to act it out, then the depression comes flooding in, in painful and evident ways.

Compassion for the Hopelessness
The reality of working with people who are suffering in the throws of depression and an eating disorder is that it is difficult not to feel hopeless for their hopelessness. Their hopelessness is extremely painful. It is an inner torture and misery, and it is encompassed by intense feelings of self-hatred and self contempt. For many, their emotional salvation was going to be the eating disorder. It was going to be thinness, physical beauty, or social acceptability. Many come to feel that they have even failed at the eating disorder and have lost the identity they had in the eating disorder. Hence, the hopelessness goes beyond hopeless, because not only is there nothing good in their lives, there is nothing good in them. Not only is there no hope for the future, there is nothing hopeful at the moment but breathing in and out the despair they feel. It feels to them like the suffering will last forever. Therapists who work with eating disorders need to be prepared for the flood of depression that pours out once the eating disorder symptoms and patterns have been stabilized or limited to some degree.

It is my personal observation that clinicians need to change what they emphasize in treating depression in those engaging in recovery from eating disorders compared with those for whom depression is the primary and most significant disorder. Therapists need to find ways to foster hope for the hopeless, much more so for someone with an eating disorder because oftentimes these clients refuse comfort. They refuse solace. They refuse support. They refuse love. They refuse encouragement. They refuse to do the things that would be most helpful in lifting them out of the depression because of their intense inner self-hatred.

For the therapist, the pain that fills the room is tangible. Clients are often full of sorrow and anger for who they are, which takes the symptoms of depression to a deeper level of despair. In working with eating-disordered clients with this level of depression, it is important for the therapist to show a deep sense of respect, appreciation, and love for those who feel so badly about themselves and who are suffering so keenly in all aspects of their lives. In spite of all the suffering, these people are still able to reach out to others with love and kindness and function at high levels of academic and work performance. They are still able to be wonderful employers, employees, and students, but they are not able to find any joy in themselves, or in their lives. These clients tend to carry on in life with hidden misery, and a therapist's compassion and respect for this level of determination and perseverance provides a context for hope. As therapists it is important that a sense of love and compassion grows and is evident in these times when the client feels nothing but hopeless and stuck.

Separating Depression from Self-hatred
One of the key components of working with the depression aspects of an eating disorder is to begin to separate the depression from the self-hatred. It is important to help the client understand the difference between shame and self-hatred. Shame is the false sense of self which leads someone to believe and feel that they are unacceptable, flawed, defective, and bad, an inner sense that something is wrong with their "being." They feel unacceptable to the world and to themselves, and feel that somehow they are lacking whatever it is they need to "be enough." Self-hatred is the acting out of that shame within and outside of the person. The self-hatred can be acted out in the negative mind of the eating disorder, that relentless circle of selfcriticism, self-contempt, and negativity that is a common factor in all who suffer with eating disorders. The shame can be acted out through self-punishment, self-abandonment, emotional denial, avoidance, minimization, self-harm, self-mutilation, and through impulsive and addictive behaviors both within and outside of the eating disorder. Self-hatred is the ongoing gathering of evidence within the client's own mind that they are broken, and unacceptable. In time, the eating disorder becomes their main evidence that there is something wrong with them and that they are unacceptable. And so, in a sense, the eating disorder is their friend and their enemy. It is a source of comfort and it is the reason they will not be comforted, and until they can achieve perfection in the mind-set of an eating disorder, they have great cause to hate themselves for who they are and who they are not.

All of these examples of self-hatred become intertwined with the symptoms and the expression of the depression, and so it becomes important in therapy to help the client to separate what depression is and what self-hatred is for them. It has been my experience that focusing on the aspects of shame and self-hatred has been more helpful to those who have eating disorders than focusing only on the depression itself. The self-hatred amplifies the intensity and the quality of the depressive symptoms. By focusing on the self-hatred aspects we begin turning the volume down on how the depressive symptoms manifest themselves with the client.

I have found that emphasizing the separation of self-hatred from the depression and its symptoms, and then beginning to change and soften the expressions of self-hatred fosters hope and generates hopefulness. Clients begin to see and sense that maybe the problem is not entirely who they are. Some hope comes from knowing that the feelings and the sense of self they have may not be accurate and true. They may recognize that some of what they have done forever and what has felt very much a part of their identity is really a chosen and acted out pattern of self-hatred. Somewhere in this separation of self hatred and depression they begin to feel hope in themselves, hope in letting go of pain, and hope in having their life feel, look, and be different.

Another reason for the emphasis on self-hatred is to help clients begin to recognize and challenge the unique quality of the all-ornothing thinking that leads them to filter everything about their lives in this most negative, personal, and self-contemptuous way. Hope is generated by learning that everything does not say something bad about who they are, that normal life experiences are not evidence that there is something wrong with them, and that negative feelings do not prove as true, what they have always felt about themselves. The unique perfectionism inherent in this all-or-nothing thinking allows no room for anything but perfection in any area of thought, feeling, or behavior. To be able to let go of the self-hatred filter and begin to see many of these thoughts, feelings, and behaviors they experience every day as typical, usual, and acceptable begins to foster hope, more importantly the kind of hope that is not tied to the false hopes of the eating disorder itself. Part of what has made the eating disorder so powerful is that clients put all of their hope in the eating disorder itself. Eating disorders are hopeless because after clients have done everything in their power to live them perfectly, they have only brought misery, despair, dysfunction, and more hopelessness. The attempt to generate hope through anorexia and bulimia has failed. By focusing on the self-hatred, they begin to separate their eating disorder from themselves. They also begin to separate the eating disorder from their source of hope. They begin to recognize that hope is within themselves and hope is within reach if they will soften how they view themselves and if they will change how they treat themselves internally and externally. Separating the depression from the self-hatred can help clients see the eating disorder for what it really is, with all its lies and consequences, and can help them begin to see who they are in a more honest and accurate way.

Renaming the Depression
I have also found it helpful in working with this clientele to rename or re-frame the depression and its symptoms within some kind of specific pain they are experiencing. I emphasize the pain aspects because part of what makes the depression so painful for those with eating disorders is the internalization of hopelessness. We can remove the global, ambiguous, and future sense of the depression, and break it into smaller pieces, more specific, immediate, and emotionally connected to their experiences rather than to their identity. We talk a lot about their feelings of hurt and sadness, and explore and deepen their understanding about their sense of feeling unloved, or their sense of inadequacy, or their feelings of rejection and disapproval, etc. I try to underpin the depression in very specific and emotionally-connected understandings and expressions. Rarely do I talk to them about their depression explicitly while we are trying to understand, validate, and generate hope in specific areas of their pain. I have found it more helpful to spend sessions talking about how to generate hope for themselves over a sense of loss, a sense of powerlessness, a sense of disappointment, etc., rather than to keep talking about depression and what to do to help lessen it. The realization is that in the process of fostering hope by focusing on and discussing the different kinds of pain, we are also de-amplifying and de-escalating the depression. It is impossible to get to the bottom of depression and avoid the specific pain, since avoiding the pain is what clients have been trying to do through the eating disorder.

It is important to note here that there certainly can be, and usually is, biochemistry involved in the quality, intensity, and type of depression they are experiencing, and that careful evaluation and utilization of antidepressant medications is strongly encouraged as an active part of the treatment. It is also important to remember that clients with severe eating disorders often resist the notion of medication or sabotage use of the medication as an attempt to control their body and weight, and to foster a sense of control. It is important to be very attentive and regularly follow up on taking medication and continue to help them in the positive interpretation of the use of medication. Too often, medicine represents weakness and becomes evidence to again engage in self-hatred rather than being viewed as one more piece of the puzzle that will help generate hope in their recovery. It is my experience that clients often respond to and benefit from medication if we can reframe the medicine as a hopeful part of their healing and their recovery from both the depression and the eating disorder.

When dealing with eating disorders it is also important to continue to evaluate and recognize the impact of malnourishment on clients' ability to process and/or modify the way they process information about themselves and about their lives. It is important to stabilize the eating disorder as a primary intervention and to emphasize renourishment before there will be a lot of success in treating the depression. Renourishing the brain and body is an important early framework for fostering hope.

Reducing Isolation
Another important component in treating depression among eating disorder clients is moving them out of isolation. It is often a very powerful intervention for clients to re-engage and reconnect with other people. Moving out of isolation and reconnecting with others in their lives generates hope. Pursuing a re-connection with others emphasizes opening themselves up to feel connected, to feel the love, compassion, and interest from others towards them and in expressing their own compassion and love toward family members, friends, other clients or patients, etc. Involving families in family therapy, partners in couple therapy, and friends in the treatment are often very powerful ways to lessen the depression and increase hope for clients because they feel comforted and supported by those who love them and care for them. Helping clients to communicate again with people in their lives brings hope and renewed ability to feel something different than self-hatred. To receive expressions of someone else's love, concern, and genuine caring is hopeful and becomes a very important part of treatment for the depression.

Letting go of False Guilt
Another aspect of the treatment of depression relates to the intense and unrealistic levels of guilt. Again, the reason the guilt becomes unique for those with eating disorders is because of the self-hatred. The guilt tells them to feel bad and terrible about themselves because they are not perfect, or not in complete control, or not accomplished, or not accepted or liked by everyone, or because there are people in their lives who are unhappy. A pain that will not heal is the false guilt associated with untrue or inaccurate realities. It is helpful in working with eating disorder clients to help them clarify the difference between real guilt and false guilt. We can help them recognize that real guilt is associated with having literally done something wrong. Their recognition of that fact can lead them to correct it. False guilt tells them to feel bad and terrible about themselves, and whatever has happened becomes the evidence against them which supports the feeling of guiltiness. Oftentimes I try to help clients understand specific ways that false guilt enters the picture and feeds the self-hatred. It is frequently tied to areas of their lives where they feel or have felt powerless but have made themselves emotionally responsible. An example of this might be feeling bad about themselves because they feel responsible for a specific relationship outcome they do not really have the power to create on their own. They may feel badly about themselves because they cannot fix a situation or problem someone they love or care about is experiencing, or because they could not prevent a tragedy. False guilt is a sense of shame, feeling like they "should have known better" or had it "figured out" beforehand. False guilt is often an expression of what they are not, rather than who they are or what they are capable of doing. Sometimes the false guilt is just an active expression of the intense pattern of negative comparison between themselves and others that is so common with eating disorders. Eating disorder clients are constantly comparing themselves to someone else, both physically and behaviorally, and end up feeling a great deal of guilt about who they are because they do not match up in their comparison with someone else. Sometimes false guilt is an expression of self-hatred for some wrong done in the past, something they will not let go of or forgive themselves for. They continue to actively punish themselves for what happened or what they felt bad about doing, sometimes a very long time ago. They hold it against themselves mentally as support for their self-rejection.

Often the false guilt and feeling bad about themselves is tied directly to how important people in their lives are behaving or acting. They tend to somehow feel responsible or accountable for someone else's negative choices or behaviors. False guilt gives them a sense of hopelessness because their ability to change it or re-frame it differently is impeded by their all-ornothing filter of self-contempt. They may compare themselves to unreasonable self-standards that no one could live up to, and therefore they become the exception to all the rules of normalcy. Somehow they have to live above acceptable, and the sense of guilt is evidence that they are not living at that expected, higher level of performance. Oftentimes when they hear feedback from other people about their behaviors, in particular their eating disorder, it becomes another encouragement to feel false guilt. The problem with self-guilt is that it produces intense feelings of fault, blame, guiltiness, shame, anxiety, and sadness, but instead of moving them to correction and change, it moves them to selfhatred, self-criticalness, self-doubting, and self-punishment. False guilt always leads to more hopelessness. Releasing false guilt fosters hope because it leads to an increased sense of freedom and choices through the setting of clear emotional boundaries.

In conclusion, it is important to emphasize that in order to truly intervene in the area of depression with those who have an eating disorder, we need to first stabilize and lessen the intensity and the acting out of the eating disorder. Until we do that, we are probably not going to truly see the depth and the extent of the depression and the very personal nature of how the depression manifests itself in eating disorder clients. It is also important to increase our awareness and understanding of how depression is uniquely different in those who suffer with eating disorders because it gives us therapeutic options and a framework to intervene in a more compassionate and hopeful way with those who have these coexisting disorders. The most helpful thing we can do in every session with these clients is to generate hope. Nurturing hope is not always a clear-cut and obvious list of techniques or interventions, but rather a willingness by both client and therapist to face the hopelessness in a kind and loving context. I hope that these therapeutic distinctions and suggestions will begin to foster some hopefulness for clients suffering with a coexisting depression and eating disorder. In facing the hopelessness, pain, selfhatred, guilt, and isolation, we can, little by little, foster and generate hope and decrease the depression. New hope will lead to answers. Genuine hope will lead to something better. Honest hope will lead to change.

The Dangers of Accutane Acne Treatment

Don't panic! If you been identified as a candidate for Accutane acne treatment, your doctor has probably weighed the risks and discussed everything with you. This is just a refresher, in case you missed anything and aren't good at deciphering the confusing print in the product information pamphlet!

First, the good stuff - for people who take isotretinoin, or Accutane, acne usually clears up within a month or two and stays gone - for a while, at least! Accutane works by drying up the oil in the sebaceous gland that commonly blocks the pores and causes acne.

Accutane acne medicine does have some side effects, the most common of which are dried lips, skin and nose, nosebleed and irritated eyes and eyelids. These can usually be handled by upping your vitamin E consumption (gotta love those fish oil capsules!) and using a good non oily moisturizer.

Now for the bad stuff. The main danger with Accutane acne medication is birth defects. If you are a woman, you really, really can't risk getting pregnant when you are taking Accutane. Even men who take Accutane are warned not to impregnate a woman while taking it.

If you are female and you want to be prescribed Accutane, you will have to take a pregnancy test - possibly two. Then you have to sign a waiver stating that you understand the risks, and that you understand an abortion might be advised if you do become pregnant (I told you, this is bad stuff!).

The best course of action is to double or triple up on birth control - some physicians say a form of hormonal birth control (such as a patch, pill or shot) plus a spermicidal (foam, lubricant) plus a barrier (condom, etc) is the best way to go. This should give you an idea how serious it is!

The other serious side effects sometimes reported include liver problems, loss of night vision, headaches and depression. Regular blood tests can keep an eye on your liver, and just tell your doctor if you have any vision problems or headaches, and definitely if you become suicidal depressed.

These last few symptoms are very rare (only occurring in less than 5% of patients on Accutane), so you have a very slim chance of experiencing them - it is just good to be prepared just in case, so if you do have a problem you can find out if it is the drug causing it.

Back to the good points - Accutane often will keep working for months or even years after you quit taking it, so if you are a good candidate you might want to try it. Lots of teens have benefited from Accutane, and adult acne sufferers also have experienced success!

Like any prescription medication, Accutane has certain risks, and you are the only one who can decide if they are acceptable or not! Just be sure you know all the facts before signing up for Accutane acne treatment yourself.

Why Funny Quotes About Life Are Good For You

The modern-day world can be quite stressful. It seems that no matter how much money you have, or how little money you have, everyone has got something to worry about. This is especially so with the way that the modern-day economy is going. For the last few years there have been small economic crises which have resulted in a time of economic recession.

If the worries get too much we can sometimes let it get to us. It can cause depression and other illnesses because of this. Worries sometimes turn into more serious issues when people start losing their jobs, or will have to take pay cuts in their jobs, or simply having to take on jobs that they don't like.

They say that laughter is the best medicine and I thoroughly agree with this. But the best ways to have a little chuckle is to read some funny quotes about life. Funny quotes about life will make you smile at the very least, and most of the time they will stick in your memory and you can tell others which spread the humor and the smiles.

What is it about funny quotes about life that are so good? Well for a start it's because they are about life in general. They take a fact about life, or a worry, or something that we all take very seriously, and they turn it on its head and point out the lighter side. They are way of expressing that we shouldn't take life too seriously. Life is short after all and to be honest we all should be laughing at every opportunity.

Marijuana Withdrawal Symptoms - What Are They and How to Avoid Them?

There are a number of marijuana withdrawal symptoms experienced by regular marijuana symptoms. These range from physical symptoms, like sweating, to psychological symptoms, such as anxiety. This article provides a list of common symptoms and what you can do to beat them!

1. Sweating.

When you are addicted to marijuana and try to quit it, your body will demand that you smoke. It will do so by provoking sweats. This is a side effect to the anxiety that you may go through when you quit. It is common to sweat and be anxious in situations which you have been calm in before.

2. Anger and Moodiness

When you quit smoking marijuana, you can get easily irritated. It is kind of like being around someone who just stopped smoking regular cigarettes, but about 10 times worse. This marijuana withdrawal symptom can be lethal to your close relationships. When you go through it, you need to make sure you remember that you love the people around you and let them know why you are on edge.

3. Lack of sleep.

This is one of the most common marijuana withdrawal symptoms. The insomnia that exists in the first couple of nights can be so strong that people never get through it. The good news is that gradually, you will regain a normal healthy sleep schedule. It takes time and patience.

4. Egoism.

This is common not only for marijuana but also other strong drugs. People who use drugs tend to put them in the center of their lives. When they remove this center, they are lost and confused. Make sure you know how to fill the time when you quit smoking marijuana.

5. Depression.

This is a tough period, that's why another one of the most common marijuana withdrawal symptoms is depression. When you are going through detoxification you may have a really low self esteem and not believe you can overcome their addiction. That is why you need all the family and friend support you can get.

Everybody is different. These are among the most common symptoms. What have you experienced?

Common Clinical Depression Symptoms

General Background Information About Clinical Depression

It is estimated that clinical depression affects approximately 10 percent of all Americans older than 18 years of age, and a vast majority of those suffering from it do not even know that it is depression.

Commonly, depression is attributed to a simple feeling of sadness or unhappiness, however that is an extremely ignorant oversimplification of clinical depression symptoms. Depression is defined by the Mayo Clinic as a disorder that affects the physical, mental, and emotional state of well-being of humans, and it is not something that is "in your head" as many would try to make you believe.

Though it can be caused by a recent event that triggers a dose of sadness, clinical depression is caused in most by an imbalance of chemicals in the brain that prevent the successful transmission of endorphins to the nerve receptors where they are needed most. Many medications are available to help combat this condition, though there is no singularly effective treatment method or indefinite cure. One of the most defining characteristics of depression is that a sufferer is feeling down during an event or activity that would generally make him or her incredibly happy.

Symptoms And Indicators Of Depression

There are many indicators that can determine whether or not a person is suffering from depression, and a couple of these include:

• Decreased ability to focus, especially on tasks and activities that would generally interest the afflicted.


• Decreased energy and motivation.


• Little or no feeling of worth to the world.


• Loss of hope.


• Problems with successful sleep, including insomniac behavior.


• Inability to sit still, overcome with feelings anxiety. Feeling restless for an unknown reason.


• Lessened importance of sexual intercourse or activities that once held your interest.


• Increased or decreased appetite; generally drastic and causes weight problems such as sudden weight loss or excessive weight gain.


• Pain in the abdominal region, headaches, etc.


• Episodes of crying or excessive sadness that can overtake your day.


• Entertaining the idea of committing suicide to escape the pain that often comes with depression.

While there are a great deal of clinical depression symptoms, there are also many treatments available to help you break free of the chains associated with depression and continue your life. If you are feeling any of the side effects listed above, contact a psychiatrist or psychologist as soon as possible to ensure that you are able to get the help you need.

Anti-Depressants No Better Than Placebos for Depression

There are powerful economic, social, and political reasons to call depression a disease. not even counting the billions of dollars for the pharmaceutical industry. Actress Patty Duke wrote in her book, A Brilliant Madness,how "relieved" she was to find she had an "illness," how comforting to know that her depression and her behavior had not been "her fault." These are the first four words in her book, all in caps: A DISEASE? THANK GOD! There are insidious and seductive social forces urging us to accept this doctor-approved "relief" from thinking our behavior and our thinking is our responsibility.

The idea that depression and manic depression are physical illnesses has for years gone unchallenged in the mainstream medical and psychological community, except for a few stalwart souls such as psychiatrists Thomas S. Szasz and, to a lesser degree, retired Chief Psychiatrist of Johns Hopkins, Paul McHugh.

But the public is slowly waking up as medical journals and even the mainstream media is starting to question the value of anti-depressants. This is difficult for the mainstream magazines because a lot of their advertising dollar comes from the pharmaceuticals. A cover story in Newsweek magazine (January 29, 2010) heralded "the depressing news about anti-depressants." The article goes on to say that the latest research shows that anti-depressants are no more effective than placebos in the treatment of depression. The article says that "as more and more scientists who study depression and the drugs that treat it are concluding...antidepressants are basically expensive Tic Tacs."

Of course Newsweek is decades behind many alarmed whistle blowers in the psychiatric industry like Szasz and McHugh who have been warning us for years. In Szasz's many books, including The Myth of Mental Illness and Psychiatry: The Science of Lies and others, he debunks the whole idea that people can be mentally rather than physically ill, with mental symptoms in need of a doctor's treatment rather than physical symptoms.

Dr. Szasz, psychiatry's most dissident psychiatrist, was once dismissed from his university position for insisting that physicians were trained to treat bodily malfunctioning, not "economic, moral, racial, religious, or political 'ills'...That doctors were trained to treat bodily diseases, not envy and rage, fear and folly, poverty and stupidity, and all the other miseries that beset man."But now his controversial first book, the Myth of Mental Illness, published over forty years ago has been re-released this year in paperback.

Szasz claims that the concept of mental illness came about because it is "possible for a person to act and to appear as if he were sick without actually having a bodily disease." He believes that mental illness is not a useful concept, that it is scientifically worthless and socially harmful because mental illness is not so much a disease as it is a metaphor for something the person is trying to communicate.

"People have been convinced that "what are really matters of their individuality are, instead, medical problems," reiterates Chief Psychiatrist McHugh. "Restless, impatient people are convinced that they have attention-deficit disorder (ADD); anxious, vigilant people that they suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder; stubborn, orderly, perfectionist people that they are afflicted with obsessive-compulsive disorder; shy, sensitive people that they manifest avoidant personality disorder, or social phobia."

And, insists McHugh, "wherever they look, such people find psychiatrists willing, even eager to accommodate them or, worse, leading the charge."McHugh at least is questioning much of the present-day diagnosis of social phobia and multiple personality disorders. Even manic depression, admits McHugh is a presumed disease. The presumption, he declares, "carries the implication that some as-yet-undemonstrated pathological mechanisms and etiological agencies will emerge to explain the stereotyped set of symptoms."To me this seems like pretty thin stuff to trust one's life to and yet this "disease theory" of bipolar disorder still persists as present-day medical orthodoxy.

It is a slow process for the whole medical industry to embrace the idea of exercise for depression or cognitive behavioral techniques such as brainswitching. They can't make any money if we learn how to get out of depression by ourselves.

A Simple Explanation of Bipolar Disorder

Imagine that each of us has a horizontal line that represents our moods. A "flat line" would symbolize a steady and unwavering mood that is always the same without the variation of healthy emotions which are unique to man. But living life on the line without variation isn't reality.

We all have days when our mood makes a slight loop above the line and days when the loop goes below the line. A birthday celebration may cause an upward loop while a loss would result in a downward loop.

Bipolar Disorder is a condition in which an individual experiences moods where the loops rise or drop significantly above and below the line. When the loop is far above the line we describe the mood as "manic" and when it is far below the line we describe the mood as "depressed". Years ago, this disorder was called "Manic-Depressive" but, more recently has been renamed to indicate that there are two opposite poles or extremes and therefore the term "Bipolar". The word "Disorder" indicates that "dis"-ease has disputed the expected "order" of the mood.

Those who are "manic" tend to experience either elated or agitated moods that result in little need for sleep, risk-taking behaviours and an unrealistic sense of self. Because people who have Bipolar Disorder often believe that "mania" is the "normal" and "desired" mood, they tend to not want to move closer to the line with medication or treatment. The result is that they often stay in a state of mania until their minds and bodies are exhausted. They then usually plunge well below the line to a depressed state where they can find themselves immobilized, unable to care for their daily needs, or requiring hospitalization.

When the client is manic they might not want treatment because they feel invincible and when they are depressed they might not be able to access treatment because they feel helpless.

The rise and fall in Bipolar Disorder can be triggered by a number of factors and may occur quite suddenly. At times, the mood swings can occur quite rapidly and be difficult to treat.

Bipolar II is a disorder similar to the above but with highs and lows that are less pronounced. It is therefore more difficult to diagnose. There has been considerable discussion over the years about whether children can or should be diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder. Many of the symptoms are similar to behaviours which are evidenced during the "growing up" years and this can cause a great deal of confusion.

Because of the complexity of Bipolar Disorder, it is important that diagnosis and treatment is provided through a competent professional. Those who have symptoms of Bipolar Disorder generally seek the services of psychiatrists and Clinical Psychologists. Their family members can also benefit through group or individual therapy as well as educational programs offered in community or mental health settings

The popular actress Patty Duke and her psychiatrist Gloria Hochman have co-written an interesting book about her illness that is entitled "A Brilliant Madness". www.pattyduke.blogspot.com also offers supplemental information through the Patty Duke Online Center for Mental Wellness.

If you have any questions about this topic, do not hesitate to contact a health professional who will provide you with appropriate resources or referrals.

The good news is that Bipolar Disorder is a treatable illness and many people do extremely well in managing it so that they have full and satisfying lives.

Depression Treatment Center for Regaining Mental Stability

It's a rat race. People are so engrossed in their work that they don't find any time for themselves. In the pursuit of luxuries of life, people have forgotten to cater to their soul. This lack of self-attention gives rise to a feeling of self-alienation and subsequently feelings of negativity. When a person is sad for longer periods of time he is termed to be 'depressed'. It is not easy to deal with such a feeling. Depression is the result of a series of negative feelings one after another. People often wonder whether it is possible to treat depression. Yes, depression can be treated. A depression treatment center can help people deal with such problems. The experts here understand the feelings of a person suffering from depression and try to help him come out of it.

Depression makes life unbearable and unlivable. It is a widespread problem today faced by both men and women. Some people are aware of the symptoms of depression and some are not. Feelings of hopelessness, helplessness obsessive negative thoughts, loss or gain in appetite, insomnia, social withdrawal, irritability and loss of memory or concentration, and suicidal tendency are some of the symptoms of depression. All these problems can be managed and appropriately dealt with at the depression treatment center. Depression usually leads to various types of mood disorders like anxiety, personality split etc. A person can also get treatment at the anxiety treatment center in order to come out of such negative feelings. These centers don't just help patients get rid of their negativity, but also make them regain a positive view of life and lend a new meaning and happiness to their existence. All you need to do is search online for contact details of specialist who treat such patients.

Mood disorder is also known as 'manic depression'. It is determined by extreme mood swings. Here, the victim exhibits sudden changes in his or her way of thinking and behavior. This disorder is observed in people of all ages. It is easy to determine the type of a particular depression with the help of its symptoms. Manic depression treatment center identifies the problems and deals with them thoughtfully. It is imperative to treat this problem soon as it can really aggravate. Depression can be treated only if the patient has the willingness to come out of it. Depression treatment centers have qualified psychologists who can easily read the human mind and attend to each patient's problems. They plan their treatment according to the nature of each patient's problems.

Many people suffer from depression due to broken relationship. Such nasty experiences can bring in personality disorders in a person. These disorders are properly managed and dealt with scientifically at personality disorder treatment centers. It is not easy to understand patients who suffer from such disorders. Hence, their family members search for a depression treatment center to seek help. An online search can show them various efficient and reliable options.

How to Deal With Depression

It is natural for a person to feel sad and blue in certain moments of his or her life. Various types of problems, death and loss of someone or something you truly love are just few of the reasons why you may feel sad, and it may continue to become depression if you are not able to overcome it. But worrying about being depressed will not help, as it can only aggravate the misery you are experiencing. Instead, if you want this kind of emotional dilemma to pass, there are several self-help ways you can follow on how to deal with depression. Below are the easy ways to help you with your journey towards successful recovery from depression.

1. Identify the signs of depression

Being able to determine if you have signs of depression is the essential first step towards combating this emotional problem. Listed below are signs associated with depression, and if you have some of these, then it will be best to start seeking for professional help.

• Your everyday life is not functioning normally.

• Feeling of sluggishness and fatigue every time you are doing something

• Feeling blue for two weeks or so

• Constant sadness and emptiness and easily wanting to cry

• Insomnia or sleeping a lot than the usual

• Pessimism and thinking that your life is hopeless anymore

• Thinking about or attempting suicide

2. Establish supportive and healthy relationship

Now is perhaps the best time to get support from people you love and trust, as they play a big role in encouraging you to lift up your spirit a little higher. Recovering from depression is difficult to do and maintain on your own, as loneliness can only make it even worse for you. At first, you may feel that reaching out to friends and family can be exhausting and overwhelming but just stay focused and always remember that people around you care a lot for you.

• Talk to friends and relatives. This is just one of the best ways on how to deal with depression, as it lets you share and express what you are currently experiencing to the people you trust the most.

• Join a support group. This process will let you learn more about what you are feeling as it gives you connection to people who are also in the same place as you are. They can give you the encouragement and advices that you really need.

• Engage in social activities. This self-help way of coping with people encourages you to be around people, lessening the times that you will isolate yourself from the world and feel sad again.

3. Start doing things that you previously enjoy doing.

The next great way on coping with depression is try to do things, no matter how small they are, that truly make you happy about yourself. If you were into arts before, why not do artworks where you can express your feeling? If you enjoy music, try to listen to songs about depression such as Beautiful World by Carolina Liar, Any Man in America by Blue October, Counting Crows' Come Around, Crescent Noon by the Carpenters and a lot more. Listening to them can somehow make you realize that you are not alone in this battle, thus inspiring you even more to get through with it with flying colors.

4. Learn how to take care of yourself again

This is a basic step on how to deal with depression that you can easily follow. Some of the healthy habits you can start doing without costing you a lot are:

• Get 8 hours of sleep

• Exercise. Take a short walk or jog every day.

• Get out. Feel a little sunlight every morning.

• Eat healthy.

• Learn some few relaxation techniques.

Elderly Depression Symptoms - What You Need to Know

About 6 million Americans age 65 and older suffer depression. The sad fact is only 10% seek and receive treatment. Many times other illnesses and disabilities accompany the onset of late-life depression. When people reach this age, oftentimes, their support system begins to crumble. Spouses, siblings and friends die. They face retirement or relocation. People who suffer depression are likely to see a diminished quality of life. This can rob them of personal joy and the productivity once felt.

Elderly people with depression may be delayed in proper and effective treatment by doctors due to their transformation in certain situations and the very fact that they are expected to slow down. Even the family members may not rightly understand them. This leads to further suffering which could have been easily treated during initial stages.

Depression in elderly adults with other physical illnesses increases their risk of death. For example, nursing home studies have shown that depression correlates with higher chances of dying after a heart attack. Additionally, depression generally lasts longer in elderly adults. That's why it's very important to make sure that any elderly person you care about is treated promptly if they show symptoms of depression, even if the symptoms are mild.

Depression in the elderly is more likely to lead to suicide. The risk of suicide is a serious concern among elderly patients with depression. Elderly white men are at greatest risk, with suicide rates in people age's 80 to 84 more than twice that of the general population. The National Institute of Mental Health considers depression in people age 65 and older to be a major public health problem. Weight changes unrelated to physical problems and changes in sleep pattern are a few symptoms depression elderly.

Many common, long-term illnesses in the latter parts of life like diabetes, stroke, heart disease, cancer, chronic lung disease, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and arthritis can trigger depression. Suicide is also more common among older adults with depression than younger people with depression. Older individuals, aged 65 and older, account for 19% of all deaths by suicide. Elderly people with depression also will have roughly 50% higher health care costs than non-depressed seniors. Elderly depression costs are estimated to be nearly $22 billion a year.

Factors that increase the risk of depression in the elderly include being female, unmarried (especially if widowed), stressful life events, and lack of a supportive social network. Having physical conditions like stroke, cancer and dementia further increases that risk. While symptoms depression elderly may be an effect of certain health problems, it can also increase a person's risk of developing other illnesses, primarily those affecting the immune system, like infections.

Depression Attracts the Person Like Sea Waves!

A state of low mood and aversion to activity is a situation that can be defined in a single word 'depression' which, by the passage of time kills the ability of forbearance in a person, or in another way if we go in the depth of this word, we will fine its hidden meaning in the word itself and that is:

Damage of

Emotions

Purely by

Rebating

Economical,

Social and

Sensitive

Issues by an

Output equal to

Null.

When a person is mentally ill or upset, obviously he is not able to concentrate on anything not even his favorite activities.

The control on our sentiments and reactions is in our own hands. Our Lord has given us senses to identify what is beneficial and we can easily figure out things which are harmful for us.

It is unfortunate how and we let negativity capture our minds and take control! Why not let happiness and positive thoughts fill up our mind leaving no space for negative thoughts.

In every human beings life a long or short span of depression takes place but it is his own decision that either he continues it for the life time or minimize its affect by controlling it initially.

Sometimes, people try to find shelter in their desolation but they are totally unaware of this fact that depression is like sea waves.If we stand idle by the sea shore, the waves pull us towards the centre of the sea and we get dragged with them, same is the case with depression, it also does the same with our mind and drags us in the depth of the sea of depression.

When we are in a happy mood, how relaxed we feel? As we accept the gloominess, in the same way we can develop a good humor in our personality which is an opponent or can say an antidote for depression and that is the direct way of contentment for a person. As in a gloomy state of mind, a person does not take interest in anything, similarly in a happy mood he overcomes the negative issues in a light way.

Low depressed mood, lack of energy, feeling of little or no worth, withdrawal and being unable to cope with daily tasks are those problems which are faced by the people with manic depressive illness and these problems can be sorted out by fighting against your own weakness and overcoming the affects of such problems.

Life is the drama of the world, we are the actors and our Lord is the director but He has given us the authority to decide, which character we would like to play, happy and a lively character or a sad and gloomy one.

Depression Symptoms and Treatment

Depression Description

Now a days many people are experiencing a common health problem Depression and many other disorders caused by it in their daily lives. Most of the people do not know the cause of disorder they face till they get diagnosed and find it as the depression symptoms. We can assume around 3 out of 10 people will experience this problem in their lives at some point. The causes of this disorder is still a question to many doctors even today, just what they can suggest is to observe all the symptoms and get the treatment for the disorder before it causes severe problems in your daily life. Depression disorder causes severe stress and anxiety and makes life horrible. It makes people lose their mental ability and makes them think in a complete negative way. The negative thoughts start eating away your brain and slowly cause major problems and leads to personality disorders. Most of the people never concern about these negative thoughts because they are not aware of the symptoms of depression which are carrying them towards the serious mental illness (Schizophrenia).

Causes of Depression

Mentally disturbed due to some kind of physical or emotional abuse can cause depression in life. This may result from many causes like conflicts in the family, friends etc or any sudden death or loss of loved ones may cause grief which later turns into depression. One important thing about this disorder is, this passes genetically from one generation to another and has the highest risk of getting the disorder. Some kind of serious illness also sometimes causes depression. Excessive pressure on mind it may be a parental pressure or work pressure can cause this.

Most common types of depression observed these days are childhood depression, teenage depression, adult depression, clinical depression, reactive depression, chronic depression, mental depression, postpartum depression, bipolar disorder and neurotic depression, psychotic or psychological depression and has many other names basing on the seriousness of the disorder. Almost all these have the same symptoms except the root cause differs in each case.

Depression signs and symptoms

The child, teenage and adult depression symptoms are almost the same except the behavioral aspects differ in those ages. Children are not able to express what they are feeling; the most common signs of depressed children will be sadness, fearful appearance, shyness, irritability. Sometimes some physical symptoms which cannot be explained can also be observed like headache, stomach ache, wetting the bed, unable to sleep and getting nightmares. The teen and adult symptoms has to be considered very seriously as they may create severe consequences in their lives leading them towards drug addiction, attempting suicide etc. These adolescents suffer from serious panic disorder, eating disorders and have the tendency towards violence and suicide and try to be isolated from others.

Clinical depression (major depressive disorder) symptoms can be explained as these people loses their energy levels at the work place and feels low esteemed and loses interest on things gradually making them isolated from all the enjoyments and pleasures they used to have before. All the other types also come under this clinical depression.

Chronic Depression (Dysthymia) is less severe from the other types. People suffering with dysthymia act not so abnormal but they just feel consistently unhappy compared to others.

Postpartum depression is only seen in women mostly after giving birth to their baby and less slightly in men. These symptoms are seen from first few months after the baby born to some months even up to a year. The symptoms include sadness, changes in eating and sleeping timetables, anxiety and irritability in the new mother or father.

Whether the depression disorder may be major or mild disorders both have almost the same symptoms but the grievance of the disorder varies. Most commonly seen depression symptoms can be noted as getting isolated from the outside world, feeling sad, getting irritated and short-tempered, changes in eating and sleeping timetables, getting nightmares, trying to indulge in cruel and violent activities, feeling hopeless and helpless, and the most important thing NEGATIVE THINKING "The King for all sorrows".

Depression Treatment

This depression can be treated in two popular ways through medication and psychotherapy counseling. Although the later gives the best results without any side effects depending on the patients conditions.

There are a number of antidepressants available in the market to cure all kinds of disorders but the best way to treat depression is through counseling by a psychiatrist. Besides the treatment everyone should always be positive minded and should control their stress and anger through anger management and stress management. Try always to get rid of the pills which cause the main disease and follow natural treatment for depression and live a joyful life!

The Beck Depression Scale - What You Need to Know

The Beck depression scale is a common diagnostic tool for mental health professionals. They use the scale or inventory to help diagnose individuals and it can be used in a wide variety of settings. For individuals who question whether they are depressed or not, the Beck Depression Inventory can help them learn more.

The scale can be used with anyone as long as they have at least fifth or sixth grade reading level skills. Generally, those who are 13 or older will be able to take the inventory. The scale has been updated several time since its inception in the 1960s.

The BDI, as the scale is also known, features a 21 item self report scale. The questions measure different manifestations of depression, including aspects like social isolation, sadness, pessimism, guilt, and self accusation among other symptoms. The test takes about ten minutes to complete for most people and can give an indication about the presence and severity of a person's illness.

The scores on the inventory can tell a mental health professional about an individual's state of mind and whether the individual is suffering from depression. It's important to remember that the test isn't fool proof and that an individual could manipulate the scores if they didn't answer the questions honestly.

The overall reliability of the scale is a factor to keep in mind: taking the inventory at a different time can produce different results if the symptoms have increased in severity or gotten better since the first test. Experts also caution that the environment that the individual takes the test in can also influence results. Social expectations may influence certain answers if others are present.

The Beck Inventory does not produce a diagnosis, but it can be a tool in understanding whether the illness is present and how severe it is. Individuals should talk to their mental health professionals about the results and what those results might mean for diagnosis and treatment options.

If you are interested in learning more about the Beck Depression Scale, talk to a mental health professional about the inventory and what you can expect when you answer the questions. You should also talk to the professional about any symptoms that you may be having and what treatments may be available to help you.

What's the Reason Women Suffer More From Depression Than Men?

Why do women suffer depression more than men? Put on a skirt and blouse and find out! Sorry, that's facetious.

First of all, let's refresh our memories by naming the three main depressive states.

There's Major, or Clinical, Depression, number one.

Dysthymia, number two and

Bipolar, number three.

Clinical Depression, sometimes known as unipolar, can occur several times in your life.

Dysthymia, same symptoms, but milder. However, it can last for two years, during which major depressive episodes may be experienced.

Then there's Manic Depression, or Bipolar. Not nearly as common as straight depression, but it involves cycles of major depressive symptoms, alternating with euphoria, irritable excitement and mania.

There's also a condition known as 're-active depression,' which occurs during or following a major crisis in one's life.

Now, until puberty, boys and girls suffer equally, indeed it's been found that boys may suffer depressive episodes just a little more than girls. Then puberty strikes, and the incidences of depression are greatly reversed.

To begin with, women's bodies are far more complex than men's, and re-act totally differently to stress than men. This is hardly surprising when you consider that they have to go through menstrual cycles, maternity and menopause.

Yes, we all know about male menopause, but this usually results in men rushing forth to what they think are greener pastures, or doing strange things.

The father of a friend of mine, a bank manager, decided to learn the trumpet. He was a man of staid and regular habits and his son, who was my best friend at the time, told me horror stories of the sounds emanating from the spare room his father had set up as what he euphemistically termed a 'music room.'

If his wife, a charming and very mentally stable lady, had been prone to depression, this would have been the final nail in the coffin of her sanity. In the event, she read him the riot act, threatened to leave, and the offending instrument was quietly sold.

Personally, I don't remember going through any sort of menopause. I was too busy being depressed at the time!

But the change in a woman's body at maternity must be shattering. Then she gives birth, having carried the child for nine back-breaking months, and it's up to her to look after him or her. True, there are a lot of husbands who genuinely do all they can to help. I know I did. I was too frightened of being yelled at!

But half the time, we don't have a clue what to do. Then, with another mouth to feed, the woman, if she hasn't done so already, finds a job and starts working outside the home. Now, she may thoroughly enjoy the experience. It takes her out of the house, she meets new people, makes new friends, etc., but always at the back of her mind she's thinking of baby.

Not only that, but is the day care centre good enough? If the husband's earning a good salary, then she might have the 'luxury' of staying at home. At least she should have time to prepare a meal for her husband when he returns home, but she's expected to greet him with a rose in her teeth and a diaphanous nightgown.

If she works, home she comes to find the king sprawling in front of the television, or a message from the great one to say he won't be in until midnight.

No, let's be fair. There are some first class husbands around, but later on we'll have a look at other reasons a woman is naturally more prone to depression and perhaps what she may be able to do about it.

Post Natal Depression (PND) - Will PND Woman Harm Their Baby?

Having a baby could be a challenging life experience to most moms. One of them is PND that stands for Postnatal Depression. Following childbirth, it is common for women to experience a period of low mood. The severity can vary from a mild (baby blues), through to PND and to the most severe but very rare postnatal psychosis.

Statistically, around 10% of women will experience PND. It is a depressive illness that occurs after having a baby. In most cases, PND will generally start within 1 month after giving birth, but records also show that some moms experienced PND around six months or even within the first week after giving birth. For most women, it passes quickly; for others, professional help is needed and without treatment, it can last for months or rarely years.

So far, expert still cannot find the exact cause of PND. Postnatal depression is most common after the first pregnancy. PND women have symptoms that are similar with ordinary depression although two of them are not the same, they are lack of confidence, anxiety, negative thoughts, difficulty sleeping, feelings of being unable to cope or that life is meaningless, loss of appetite, and so on. Theses will be explained further below.

There are some factors that give a woman more chances to experience Postnatal Depression. However your doctor can work with you to reduce the risk of getting it. Those factors are:

• If you have previous record of PND with your previous pregnancies, you are at a very high risk of experiencing it again. Pay attention to any warning signs of depression recurring. It is the first step in preventing PND in this case.


• If you have a depression during pregnancy and being treated but then you have to stop the medication in order to avoid side effects to your fetus, you might be in a risk of getting PND. In this case, you will need to restart the depression medication process after birth to prevent PND and that would mean there is a possibility that you cannot breast feed.


• If you experienced bipolar depression in the past, you are at a high risk getting PND. Pay attention to any warning signs and by understanding what treatments to ease the bipolar depression would be important to prevent PND in this case.

Symptoms of Postnatal Depression

PND symptoms are very similar to "ordinary" depression, such as:

• Irritable. You might have sensitive and irritated feelings. Although mostly it happens with your partner, sometimes you can have irritated feelings with your baby too.


• Depressed. You may frequently feel low and unhappy during the day. It can be peak at certain times of the day. For example: in the mornings when you wake up or evenings when you are about to sleep. You may have hope from some good days but then are followed by bad days which make you despair.


• Hard to Sleep. PND women can have insomnia. No matter how tired you are, you simply can't fall asleep.


• Can't easily enjoy anything. You will find plain life. It is hard for you to enjoy or be interested in anything.


• Guilty. PND like ordinary depression, changes the way you think and makes you see things negatively. Feeling of guilty, useless is most common in PND women.


• Overloaded. PND can make you feel overloaded in everything. You may feel that you have no time in doing things and organize daily routine in your life especially with your baby.


• Anxiety. You might worry too much about your baby. You might have feared that your baby will be harmed in some way that you don't want to leave your baby alone.

PND woman have a symptom of disorder that she tends to withdraw from people including her baby. PND mother might think that she does not have good relationship with her baby. She thinks that the relationship should happen immediately within first few days or weeks after birth or it will not happen at all.

It is normal in PND and does not mean that she is a bad mother. However, once the depression has gone, the mother will be able to feel her full range of emotions and can enjoy her baby more. During this time, she just needs some help and assurance from family and friends.

So, Will PND women harm their baby?

It is very common that depressed mothers often worry that they might harm their baby. It is very normal that through tiredness and desperation, you might have feeling to hit or shake your baby. This happens to mothers and also fathers and not only to those who has PND. The fact is that most of them would never act on them. But if you do feel this, tell someone. They might help you. Your health visitor or doctor will also be able to help you with this.

However, for those who have a history of being harmed, abused, mistreated when they were young may sometimes do harm their babies (battered babies) and this case does not relate directly to PND.

Very rarely a mother with PND may harm her baby. On the other hand, mothers may kill their babies before committing suicide thinking that it is better for both of them to be dead. Fortunately it is very unusual.

Just remember that PND is treatable illness and the sooner they are treated the better it will be. Speak with your family members or professional as soon as possible.

Some tips if you have PND

The most common in PND women is they feel embarrassed, ashamed, or guilty about feeling depressed that make them reluctant to talk about their problem with somebody.

Talking about the problem with somebody, such as a health professional, can be very helpful. Most PND mother often worry that people will see them as unfit parents.

Postnatal Depression or PND can happen to any woman. You and your baby don't have to suffer and it does not mean that you are a bad mum.

Here are some useful tips:

• Rest as much as you can. Sleep when your baby sleeps.


• Do not give too much pressure on yourself. Do as much as you can and rest. You can ask your partner, parents, other family members or even your friends to help you out with looking after your baby, household or other things surround you.


• Talk about how you feel to your husband, partner, family members or trusted friends. Spend time with them.


• Talk to other mothers so you can learn from their experiences.


• Join parent group in your local community.Try not to spend a lot of time alone. You need to leave the house sometimes. Take a short walk might help you. Research says that the sun can help reduce depression.

In some cases, anti-depressants are necessary. Although this can affect breast milk, there are drugs that are safe. Talk to your doctor or midwife.

Finally, even if you have been depressed for a while, support, counseling and medication can all help you to get better. It's never too late.

Social Security Disability Exam - What Should You Expect?

If you are filing for social security disability (SSD) or supplemental security income (SSI) benefits, you may have to submit to a consultative exam (CE), which is a physical or mental exam scheduled by the social security administration.

Not all individuals filing for SSD or SSI are required to go to a CE, but for those who have not been to a doctor within the last 60 days, or who have other medical conditions listed in their medical records for which they have not received prior treatment, a CE will in all likelihood be required before a disability examiner can render a decision on your claim.

A consultative medical exam is not scheduled for the purpose of prescribing medical treatment, nor is it a means to arrive at a diagnosis that will prove or disprove a medical disability. In fact, most CEs are fairly brief, and may last as little as 10 minutes, because their sole purpose is to meet the requirement that a disability examiner consider "recent medical evidence" before closing a case. In other words, it's more of a formality, and will not overrule the other medical evidence which a claimant has supplied to the social security administration in his or her medical history.

However, sometimes doctors' notes make reference to secondary medical conditions for which the claimant is not seeking benefits, such as depression, or insomnia, etc., fairly common complaints for those who are under the stress of dealing with chronic pain or fatigue, or for anyone who must consider leaving the workforce for that matter. If your physician has noted that you seem depressed or are suffering other mental symptoms for which you have not had treatment, your CE may consist of a mental exam, and yes, you must attend. Not only is not attending a scheduled CE grounds for denial of your disability claim, but it could also mean that you short yourself from receiving full compensation for any other impairments you might have. Either attend the scheduled CE or reschedule it if you are unable to make it that day.

Not all CEs are medical exams; some may require that a patient have recent medical tests to provide the disability examiner with a snapshot of their physical state as it is now. New X-rays, MRIs, or spirometry testing of pulmonary function may be required before a case is closed to show how your condition has improved, worsened, or if it remains stable.

One thing that you should prepare yourself for if you are scheduled for a consultative exam, and this is really word of mouth from those who have attended them before-many of the physicians who conduct CEs do not come off as the most caring individuals. While this is not true of all of them, to be sure, many social security disability claimants leave these exams feeling defensive, and that the doctor performing the exam doesn't really care about them, or even believe that they are disabled. If this is your experience, do not put to much stock into what the physician performing the CE thinks or doesn't think, because in the end it is really your treating physician's opinion that will be given the most weight by the disability examiner.

During Pregnancy, Is Diet Coke Harmful Or Not?

Love diet coke? You need not stop drinking this drink during pregnancy period. This is because there is no strong evidence that suggests that it poses harm to either the mother or baby during pregnancy. But yes, but you need to drink it in moderation; there is no doubt about that!

What Does Diet Coke Contain?

It contains aspartame, better known as "NutraSweet", which is a sweetener without calories. It is used in various diet sodas and foods. This substance has two amino acids. Till now, there has been no proof that suggests that diet coke and pregnancy do not go together. However, makes sure to have ONLY ONE per day.

The best pregnancy diet would not suggest taking more than one can per day as they are devoid of any nutrition. It is better to indulge in fruit juices, milk, and water instead of it. But, for those pregnant women who cannot live without gulping a can of diet coke a day, a little indulgence does not pose any harm.

Diabetic Women, Beware!

Although there is no concrete evidence of any harmful effects, it's advisable for diabetic women to stay away from such beverages. It has been found that aspartame disturbs the blood sugar level. Hence, it may pose a threat to diabetics. The right pregnancy diabetic diet would never recommend the intake of such drink.

Consuming large amounts of aspartame leads to memory loss in diabetics, as phenylalanine and aspartic acid become neurotoxic in the absence of other amino acids present in protein. They break the blood brain barrier and impair the neurons in brain, leading to brain damage, depression, seizures, panic attacks, manic depression, violent behavior, and rage.

The Deadly Saccharin

Although moderate amount of pregnancy diet coke containing aspartame is not harmful in healthy women, soft drinks containing saccharin are best to be avoided. Studies have shown teratogenic effects in rodents who had been given saccharin. Teratogenic effect means that they were the cause of birth defects and abnormal development of fetus.

Saccharin has also been found to be carcinogenic in rats. So, if you are fond of picking those pink sachets that are commonly found lying on coffee shop tables, you need to change this habit fast. They are saccharin packets!

If you are pregnant, it's best to cut down on diet coke. However, if you are crazy about cokes, you need not stop it altogether for the full nine months.

Child Obesity and Depression

Child obesity and depression are not alien with each other. In fact the two, more often than not, always go to together. When there is child obesity there is a possible presence of depression. When depression is prevalent, most likely obesity is expected to be present too. Child obesity and depression are two of the most debilitating health problems that have affected more children than before.

The number of children suffering from the ill effects of obesity is increasing which is conversely proportional to the rising number of children suffering from depression. Though it has not been established that the main cause of depression is obesity likewise the sole contributing factor of obesity is depression is yet to be proven, but the link between child obesity and depression is so clear that its needs immediate attention.

Obesity among children can be traumatic. It causes social stigma, which makes children withdrew from socializing with their peers. Children may develop a poor self-image of them and continue to harbor thoughts of not being liked at all. Because society views obesity as something negative and unwanted, obese children are incapacitated to interact with children their age. They tend to shy away from children's group activities. Their ability to think creatively is hampered, thus they become too dependent. They prefer staying at home than spending time with their friends. These scenarios may already be early signs of depression. Any indication of depression among children is alarming, which must be corrected right away.

Depression regardless of its cause can also be a cause of obesity. Children suffering from depression stay at home more often. Since they have difficulty relating with other children they prefer to stay at home and watch television instead. They become couch potato. They have the tendency to eat more than what is being required of them. If this continues these children will gain weight above the ideal weight for their age. Overtime, these children become obese. They have less time engaging in physical activities too, which could aggravate their weight problem.

Child obesity and depression seemed to be inseparable. Regardless of which comes first obesity and depression should not be taken for granted. Statistics from health organizations show that today more children are suffering from depression and obesity or both.

Programs that are geared towards improving the lives of children should be implemented. Quality living should not be deprived from them because it is their right too. Child obesity and depression has to be stopped.

Coping With Depression - Antidepressants, Serotonin, Exercise, Sleep and Drinking Tea

Are antidepressant drugs better than counseling or psychotherapy at helping people with clinical depression? Usually it is better to combine medicines and psychotherapy for the best results. Keep in mind that finding the right therapy is often a process of trial and error. Be patient, do not give up and keep searching.

Where do we get our information concerning depression treatments from? The usual places are our doctors, therapists, the mass media or the internet. Sometimes it is a combination of all these sources that defines our current view of treatment options. Keep in mind that the mass media is either biased or it is manipulated by interest groups and companies that wants to keep the image of their products and public relations as high as possible. Getting to the heart of the matter or sniffing out the truth is quite difficult in such an environment. Information concerning depression treatments and medications that are less than flattering to doctors or pharmaceutical companies do not get the mainstream exposure it deserves.

Antidepressants help to control or influence the way the brain uses serotonin, the chemical that is very important in regulating your moods. It is given off by brain cells in response to other signals traveling through the brain. This substance is very important for brain signals since it helps the messages to travel from cell to cell. Cells also absorb any unused serotonin. Antidepressants basically interfere with this absorption process which keeps more serotonin between cells. When there is enough serotonin available, you should feel calm and not anxious or depressed.

Medication is not the only option open to you. Other natural treatments for depressive disorder may include B-complex supplements and omega-3 fatty acids. A hyperactive or under active thyroid may also cause depressive moods.

Antidepressant medication can cause dryness in your mouth. This may lead to mouth problems such as tooth cavities and yeast infections. It is important to keep your mouth wet. Try chewing gum or rinsing your mouth regularly.

Exercise is also a good way to stop depression from taking root in your life. People who do no exercise are more likely to develop a mood disorder than people who exercise regularly. Also, keep doing exercises since abruptly quitting an exercise routine for a few weeks may lead you to experience fatigue, irritability and a worsening mood.

It is also important to get enough sleep, but not too much. Persons who suffer from depression may either experience insomnia or hypersomnia. So how many hours of sleep should we get each night? I recently read about a study which concluded that 6 to 7 hours per night is the best. Insomnia is very uncomfortable, but it is better than taking sleeping pills where your health is concerned.

Some research are suggesting that drinking a lot of ordinary black or green tea may be a good thing. Tea contains an amino acid called L-theanine which can positively influence the chemical mixture in the brain to reduce stressful feelings. It may also increase the levels of tryptophan in the brain. Tryptophan is an amino acid and a precursor to serotonin. Serotonin is a chemical that alters the mood in a relaxing way. If you ever needed a reason to drink five cups of tea per day, this is it. Remember that it is usually better to drink it without any milk. It is much more traditional as well, especially when drinking green tea.

This article has touched upon more than one subject concerning depressive disorder, but it may give you a few ideas you can pursue further. It is good to learn about developments and other treatments in the area of coping with depression disorders.

Manic Depression or Bipolar Disorder - Safe Treatment Through Dream Translation

Manic depression or bipolar disorder is a mental disorder characterized by the abrupt change of mood. On one hand, it generates exaggerated feelings and reactions (euphoria). Bipolar individuals feel so positive they believe they can do even what is beyond human capacity. On the other hand, it generates depression. Depending on the case, this disorder can have the characteristics of a psychosis.

This mysterious mental disorder could be enlightened thanks to the discoveries of the psychiatrist Carl Jung concerning the meaning of dreams, and thanks to my discoveries. I continued Jung's research, completing his arduous mission. Today we know that whenever someone suffers from manic depression or bipolar disorder, they are controlled by their anti-conscience.

The anti-conscience is the wild and primitive side of our conscience, which didn't evolve like our human side. This primitive content generates mental illnesses and mental disorders within our human conscience.

Whenever the absurd content of the anti-conscience invades the human side of our conscience, we have absurd thoughts and feelings, and we show abnormal behavior. However, this content cannot remain in our conscience if we don't follow the absurd thoughts imposed by our evil anti-conscience.

The anti-conscience is our wild personality, which refuses to be tamed by our sensibility and sensitivity. Some people are inclined to follow its absurd thoughts, and this is why they suffer from bipolar disorder, or any other mental disorder or mental illness.

Depending on the degree of domination of the anti-conscience into someone's conscious field, they will suffer from a different mental disorder or mental illness. Manic depression or bipolar disorder is only one mental disorder among an infinite list of mental disorders, which are all generated by the craziness of the anti-conscience.

Now that this mystery was solved, we can cure individuals who suffer from manic depression by eliminating their anti-conscience through consciousness. This is done through dream translation.

Carl Jung discovered the importance of the unconscious mind that produces our dreams. I discovered proof of the unconscious sanctity. My discoveries are gradually putting an end to the atheism that characterizes our civilization. The unconscious mind is a saintly mind that works like a natural doctor. It can be absolutely trusted without fear.

When we master the dream language we understand the wise unconscious guidance in our dreams. The dream images are the unconscious words. All dream images have a symbolic meaning and give us precious information.

I greatly simplified Jung's method of dream interpretation. Today everyone can easily learn how to translate dream images into words that they understand. Thus, everyone can fight against manic depression or bipolar disorder through dream therapy. The unconscious treatment is safe and effective in all cases. Numerous people were cured from all types of mental disorders and mental illnesses through dream translation.

However, individuals who suffer from manic depression need the support of someone else in order to follow dream therapy without giving up. This happens because they are controlled by their anti-conscience most of the time. Their anti-conscience doesn't let them accept passing through a process of consciousness that eliminates its influence.

In case you suffer from manic depression yourself and you don't have anyone's support, you must be insistent. Keep following the unconscious guidance in your dreams. You will surely find peace and sound mental health. The unconscious mind will help you build a uniform and self-confident personality. You'll stop suffering, and become a wise human being.

The Gift of Depression-Getting Your Life Back on Track

Depression is a signal that one has gotten off track - that your life is not in alignment with your deepest needs, values, interests and gifts. What does that mean? What track have you gotten off of? One way to think of it is to think of people you know who have obviously gotten themselves into situations that are a mismatch for them. For example, an artistic person who works in a Fortune 500 company for job security would be an example of a person who is off track. Sometimes people make marriage choices for all the wrong reasons.

Two reasons your life may get off track is because of conformity and the need for security:

Conformity

One of the main reasons you might make a bad choice that is out of line with your own real interests and desires is to conform to the expectations of others. Many times, parents' expectations set a person on a life course. Conformity may also come from friends, peers, media or other larger cultural forces.

Need for Security

Another reason you might ignore your own internal signals is that the need for security can overpower your own sense of what is essentially meaningful. The need for security can take other forms such as staying in relationships that are familiar or safe. Or you may fail to take necessary risks to make your dreams come true. Sometimes depression occurs and makes you so miserable in your current lifestyle, to make it clear to you that the comfort of familiarity also comes with a price. Depression can serve as an inducement for taking risks. You begin to realize that though there are costs to moving away from security, the cost of depression for not taking any risks is already a high price to pay. Depression reminds you that you
are losing your life while you are not risking.

Is the Future of Cognitive Therapy Similar to Training One's Abdominal Muscles?

The Wall Street Journal had a very interesting article yesterday, titled To Be Young and Anxiety-Free, focused on the value of cognitive behavioral therapy to help children with high levels of anxiety learn how too cope better and prevent the snowball scenario, when that anxiety grows and spirals out of control resulting in depression and similar

- "...new research showing that treating kids for anxiety when they are young may help prevent the development of more serious mental illnesses, including depression and more debilitating anxiety disorders."

- "But the use of antidepressants in children has come under fire because of recent evidence showing an increase in suicidal thoughts in kids taking the drugs. Partly as a result, many doctors and psychologists employ as a first line of treatment cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, which is often just as effective as medication."

What is Cognitive Therapy (the most common type of cognitive behavioral therapy) and what are its cognitive and structural brain benefits? Judith Beck guides us here, explaining that "Cognitive therapy, as developed by my father Aaron Beck, is a comprehensive system of psychotherapy, based on the idea that the way people perceive their experience influences their emotional, behavioral, and physiological responses. Part of what we do is to help people solve the problems they are facing today. We also teach them cognitive and behavioral skills to modify their dysfunctional thinking and actions."

Cerebrum, a publication by the Dana Foundation, just released an excellent article titled A Road Paved by Reason, with background on cognitive therapy: how the technique was developed and refined, its short and long-term benefits, and future trends. A few quotes:

- "Psychological problems result from the erroneous meanings that people attach to events, not from the events themselves."

- "In cognitive therapy, patients learn through a variety of strategies to test their faulty beliefs. They then learn to appraise themselves and their futures in a way that is realistic, unbiased and constructive."

- "Various managed-care companies and mental health centers now expect their therapists to be trained in cognitive therapy. The British government has recently set up a large program for training over 6,000 mental health workers to do cognitive therapy. There are now dozens, if not hundreds, of researchers focusing on the theoretical underpinnings of cognitive therapy, or on its applications."

In short, here we have a number of major societal problems (anxiety, depression...) that affect people of all ages, and an intervention that teaches people cognitive skills to be able to manage those related challenges better. Talk about "teaching how to fish" vs. simply handing out fish (which we could argue is what antidepressant medications do).

Why don't more people benefit today from that approach? A major problem, in my view, is the lack of a scalable distribution model. Meaning, using the traditional face-to-face approach, one needs to create, train, certify, ensure quality of, a very large network of practitioners. Which is what, as mentioned above, the British government is doing: training 6,000 mental health workers.

This is certainly a worthy initiative. Now, is it the most scalable one to deliver results while being cost and resource efficient? Perhaps not.

We can view cognitive therapy as a method for well-structured cognitive exercise, where a key factor of success is practice. Same as training your abdominal muscles: if you just join the local club, which has a set of superb machines for abdominal training, but don't use abdominal training those machines in a disciplined manner, your abdominal muscles are unlikely to become very impressive.

We can then view the therapist as the personal trainer who motivates you to stay on track, to propose the right exercise routine based on your personal goals. If the trainer is with you the whole time, encouraging you to do and monitoring your abdominal exercises, you are most likely to complete them. But it is a very expensive approach.

Perhaps a hybrid approach makes more sense: the personal trainer helps you define goals, supervise progress and make modifications to the training regime, AND you do your own abdominal exercises with the machine that has been designed precisely with that goal in mind. There were no such mainstream machines only 50 years ago, before physical fitness became a popular concept and practice. Now there is one in every health club and TV infomercial.

Let's go back to cognitive therapy. Of course there is a need for more and better trainer professionals who can help patients. But of course technology will help complement existing approaches, reaching corners we can not even predict now, and helping more people of all ages better cope with change, life, anxiety, a range of cognitive and emotional challenges. Without any stigma. Just as naturally as one trains abdominal muscles.

There is already research showing the value of computerised cognitive therapy. A recent systematic review published in the British Journal of Psychiatry concluded that "There is some evidence to support the effectiveness of CCBT for the treatment of depression. However, all studies were associated with considerable drop-out rates and little evidence was presented regarding participants' preferences and the acceptability of the therapy. More research is needed to determine the place of CCBT in the potential range of treatment options offered to individuals with depression."

Yes, more research is always needed. However, we also need to refine the questions. Not so much "Will computerized cognitive therapy leave thousands of therapists out of work?" but "How can computerized cognitive therapy be used to increase the reach and effectiveness of therapists" and "Can computerized cognitive therapy help reach populations that receive no intervention whatsoever today?"

Please think about that next time you see someone training his or her abdominal muscles.

Depression and Bloating, Are These Systemic Yeast Infection Symptoms?

A Systemic Yeast Infection is something that can become very serious. Any person affected by this will undoubtedly have a variety of symptoms. You may have been to your doctor, or doctors, over and over with no results. Often the Infection goes misdiagnosed and the person who has it will suffer needlessly for months, maybe even for years.

The first thing to do is to listen to your body. We all usually can tell when something is not right. There are many symptoms that can come along with this type of infection. Some of the most common systemic yeast infection symptoms are.

• Generalized Symptoms-Dizziness, fatigue, weakness and migraine headaches


• Digestive Symptoms-Oral Thrush, Constipation, diarrhea and rectal itching.


• Women can have-Yeast vaginitis, UTIs, bladder infections, problems with your period.


• Skin symptoms can be eczema, or acne.

You can also experience depression, memory loss and insomnia. If left untreated this type of infection can lead to other conditions like multiple sclerosis (MS).

There is bacterium called candida albicans in our digestive tract already. If an overgrowth of this bacterium starts, due to some upset in the bowels bacterial balance, then you will develop a yeast infection. The upset is usually caused by taking some type of medication, like an antibiotic, or by some other underlying condition that affects the immune system like stress,or illness.

You usually develop these infections in your mouth or vaginal area, but when they are left untreated they can spread inside the body. The yeast then changes into a more invasive form and it starts to break down the barrier between the intestinal system and the blood circulatory system. What this means is that the stuff in our intestines can get into our bloodstream and other areas inside our body and cause major problems. When this happens it becomes a systemic yeast infection. Your doctor can confirm the infection through a stool sample.

Guess what the treatment is-adjusting your diet and lifestyle. Changing your eating habits to make sure you stay away from foods containing simple sugars, mold and yeast. No more beer, at least for a little while. You will focus on whole foods like fruits, vegetables and whole grains. You will also have to stay away from dyes and artificial sweeteners.

You are also advised to avoid any antibiotics or artificial hormones. It may take months for someone to fully recover from the Systemic Yeast Infection symptoms. But with the knowledge you receive in treating your infection, you will be able to remain healthy.

The number one treatment is to take a natural approach. Adjusting your diet and lifestyle so as not to encourage any further development and growth of the yeast.

Thirteen Signs of Clinical Depression

Clinical depression is the same as the terms "major depressive disorder" and "unipolar depression." This condition is accompanied by an intense feeling of sadness, melancholy or despair. Such condition of the person results in self-isolation and disruption of the person's daily activities. The signs of clinical depression must be identified early.

This condition is different and more serious than mere anxiety depression that we normally experience from time to time. Having a progressive clinical depression could lead to substance abuse such as drugs and alcohol and self-harm. Worst cases could lead to suicidal ideation.

It's Normal To Get Depressed And Anxious

Depression and anxiety are normal reactions of the human brain and its way of meeting stressing situations head on. It's human's defense mechanism. Nonetheless, a person must know how to bounce back from a cycle of depression and anxiety quickly. It must not take longer than a few days and without help from any types of medications for anxiety and depression.

How To Spot Clinical Depression

If the person has an intense sadness that stems from reasons that happened in the past two months or longer, or is having a melancholic feeling and despair for no apparent reason, it will be best to watch out for the other signs of clinical depression.

Shown here are thirteen signs of clinical depression. If the person experiences a combination of these signs for more than two weeks, it is better to address the situation. Seek professional psychiatric or medical help. Clinical depression can be more easily treated at the earlier stages.

• The concentration of a person with clinical depression is impaired.


• 
  A clinically depressed person is unable to feel pleasure. Even the things that used to please him before seem to have no effect once he is into depression.


• The sleep of a depressed person is disturbed. Once he wakes up in the middle of the night, he finds it hard to fall back to sleep again.


• 
  A depressed person has no appetite for food. Even favorite foods seem to be tasteless.


• The depressed person still feels tired even after sleeping for long hours.


• There is an intense feeling of guilt, hopelessness and helplessness in a depressed person. There is an event that happens in the past that seems to nag the person and caused him not to forgive himself or to feel extremely hopeless.


• At work, the depressed person seems to decline in productivity. He no longer delivers the way he used to.


• 
  There is a remarkable change in the personality of the person that other people might find weird.


• Some people with depression experience extreme promiscuity.


• Others tend to isolate themselves, as if building a world of their own.


• Others resort to substance abuse such as alcohol and drugs.


• A sign of clinical depression in the worst stage is a small voice that continuously nags the person, providing negative thoughts. This small voice is created by the person's continuous self-critical thoughts until it gained momentum and became independent. The person will no longer be able to control it once it has the momentum. It is the reason that causes the person to commit homicidal acts and suicide.


• Some depressed persons want to commit suicide.

Clinical depression is a progressive mental disease. The ability to spot the earlier symptoms of clinical depression and having the proper medical and psychological treatment will prevent the onset of the more serious signs. If the person reaches the latter signs as mentioned above, hospitalization might be necessary to keep him from inflicting self-injuries.

How To Treat Clinical Depression

If you have signs clinical depression, a psychiatrist will conduct different types of tests to know if what you are feeling is just a simple case of normal blues. There are written tests and interviews. After a few visits to a psychiatrist's clinic, he will then know if you have clinical depression or other types of mood disorder. Clinical or major depression requires medications. A psychiatrist may also recommend hospital confinement, especially if the manic behavior is already in an advanced stage.