Meat - Your Key to Attacking Anxiety and Depression

There is no question that vegetarianism is a noble and worthwhile cause. That said, if your car requires gasoline to run, you would never dream of trying to put water in the gas tank. In a similar way, when you do not give your body the proper balance of foods, it simply will not run correctly. Oddly enough, meat deprivation can easily lead to all kinds of mental and emotional problems. Therefore, you may be surprised to find that attacking anxiety and depression may be as simple as eating more beef, or other meat that includes a full range of meat protein.

During the process of attacking anxiety and depression, you need to find out what your body requires in order to function properly. This includes finding out which proteins and other nutrients are required in order to produce hormones and other chemicals that make you feel better. No matter how bad you may feel about eating meat, you may be one of those people that simply needs to rely on a source of meat protein in order to have a normal sense of well being. Today, you don't have to buy meats that come from commercial farms, let alone the oceans. In fact, you may be able o find several small farms right in your area that sell meat from free ranging animals.

While you are attacking anxiety and depression, you have an opportunity to improve many aspects of your health. Are you anemic, or always tired? These may not be just symptoms of an emotional problem. Instead, they may be key indicators that you are not eating the right foods. Even though you may find it difficult to eat certain foods, you should do what you can to make sure that you listen to what your body needs, instead of what others try to tell you it needs.

Severe Depression at Its Best and Worst

In its worst stages depression becomes severe depression. Until it's so severe that months or even years of treatment are required, most people do nothing about it. Depression of some type afflicts 15 million people in the USA annually. Unfortunately 2/3 of these people never seek medical treatments. They try to hide it, wish it away, because of fear of being labeled crazy or insane. But there's no good fairy to magic away severe depression. Those who suffer this disease have no control over it and the condition will only get worse with time.

Five (or more) of the following symptoms have been present during the same 2-week period and represent a change from previous functioning; at least one of the symptoms is either: (1) depressed mood or (2) loss of interest or pleasure. (Note: Do not include symptoms that are clearly due to a general medical condition, or mood-incongruent delusions or hallucinations.)

* depressed mood most of the day, nearly every day, as indicated by either subjective report (e.g., feels sad or empty) or observation made by others (e.g., appears tearful). Note: In children and adolescents, can be irritable mood.
* markedly diminished interest or pleasure in all, or almost all, activities most of the day, nearly every day (as indicated by either subjective account or observation made by others)
* significant weight loss when not dieting or weight gain (e.g., a change of more than 5% of body weight in a month), or decrease or increase in appetite nearly every day. Note: In children, consider failure to make expected weight gains.
* insomnia or hypersomnia nearly every day
* psychomotor agitation or retardation nearly every day (observable by others, not merely subjective feelings of restlessness or being slowed down)
* fatigue or loss of energy nearly every day
* feelings of worthlessness or excessive or inappropriate guilt (which may be delusional) nearly every day (not merely self-reproach or guilt about being sick)
* diminished ability to think or concentrate, or indecisiveness, nearly every day (either by subjective account or as observed by others)
* recurrent thoughts of death (not just fear of dying), recurrent suicidal ideas without a specific plan, or a suicide attempt or a specific plan for committing suicide

Many sufferers won't admit they show the signs of this condition. Severe Depression is no reflection on you as a human being. You're still a full person. Depression is a disease like any other disease. Medical aid is required. The normal symptoms of depression are multiplied in severe cases. Everything associated with the illness becomes more intense. It becomes harder to deal with every day situations. Negative feelings intensify to make you a total loner. This disease can't be avoided. But it can be addressed. Early detection is vital to success.

When you hear the term severe depression, it merely means the depression is severe enough to require treatment. When a person is badly depressed during a single severe period, he or she can be said to have had an episode of clinical depression. More severe symptoms mark the period as an episode of major depression (also known as unipolar depression and major depressive disorder). Many mental health experts say the key to judging this gradation lies in the amount of change a person undergoes in his or her normal patterns along with a loss of interest and a lack of pleasure in them. An almost-daily tennis player, for instance, who began to break her court dates frequently, or a regular bridge player who lost interest in weekly games, might be edging into an episode of major depression. The more severe the depression, the more it is likely to affect its sufferer's life.

Diagnosis and treatment require an expert eye to notice the signs of depression. Depression is associated with many symptoms. A transparent one is that the sufferer will withdraw into themselves. They find it hard to deal with those around them. Hopelessness, helplessness and even remorse consume them. They are constantly agitated and irritable. It's been known to have a patient claim the devil speaks to him in severe cases. Suicide often becomes a way out for victims of severe depression. Only treatment and the support of family and friends can help.

The diagnosis of major depressive disorder is based on the patient's self-reported experiences and behavior reported by relatives or friends. There is no laboratory test for major depression, although physicians generally test for physical conditions that may cause similar symptoms. The course of the disorder varies widely, from a once-only occurrence to a lifelong disorder with recurrent major depressive episodes. The most common time of onset is between the ages of 30 and 40 years, with a later peak between 50 and 60 years. Major depression occurs more often in women than men, although men are at higher risk for suicide.

Severe Depression is a terrible disease. Those who suffer it cannot live normal lives, as they once knew it. Losing the ability to control your own life is terrible. Treatment is the only option.
Depression often co-exists with other illnesses. Such illnesses may precede the depression, cause it, and/or be a consequence of it. It is likely that the mechanics behind the intersection of depression and other illnesses differ for every person and situation. Regardless, these other co-occurring illnesses need to be diagnosed and treated.

Anxiety disorders, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder, social phobia and generalized anxiety disorder, often accompany depression. People experiencing PTSD are especially prone to having co-occurring depression. PTSD is a debilitating condition that can result after a person experiences a terrifying event or ordeal, such as a violent assault, a natural disaster, an accident, terrorism or military combat.

People with PTSD often re-live the traumatic event in flashbacks, memories or nightmares. Other symptoms include irritability, anger outbursts, intense guilt, and avoidance of thinking or talking about the traumatic ordeal. In a National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)-funded study, researchers found that more than 40 percent of people with PTSD also had depression at one-month and four-month intervals after the traumatic event.

Typically, anti-depressants and 'talk therapy' are prescribed to treat depression. Discussing the issues in a support group can also be effective. Once victims seek treatment they can be put on the road to a better life. They can again be the ruler of their own domain. But first the illness must be admitted and treatment sought.

Herbal Supplements For Depression - Taking a Natural, Well-Rounded Approach to Treatment

If you're considering herbal supplements for depression, the most important thing to find out is whether they are effective and how they compare to prescription drugs. In this article, you will learn how taking a natural, well-rounded approach may be just what you need to get your life back.

In our culture, we have been trained through advertising and media that when something is wrong, we need to take a drug to fix it. What most people do not realize is that drugs do not cure anything, instead, they only suppress the symptoms. If you have ever taken a prescription depression medication, then you know that once you get off it, the symptoms will return.

Worse yet, drugs can worsen the symptoms of depression with side effects like weight gain, a sense of impending doom and suicidal thoughts. When a drug worsens the symptoms that it is designed to correct, you have to be concerned about both its short term and long term effectiveness and safety.

This is why more and more people realize that treating depression involves more than just taking synthetic drugs. Treating depression in such a way that you emerge from it and free yourself from the symptoms often involves taking a multifaceted approach and making small changes in lifestyle over time.

Problem is it is almost impossible to change when you're feeling depressed. This is where herbal supplements for depression are extremely helpful. Instead of taking a drug (which has side effects that can make your symptoms worse), you are taking a natural medication made from medicinal herbs that have stood the test of time. Many of these herbs have been used since the dawn of man to elevate mood by producing feel-good neurotransmitters in the brain.

When compared with drugs, these remedies have few side effects. Most people can tolerate them well and will see an improvement in symptoms fairly quickly. Unlike drugs, these remedies do not have long term side effects and will not cause interactions with other medications that you might be taking. In fact in countries that are more progressive in terms of natural health, herbal supplements for depression that contain proven ingredients like St. John's Wort and Passion Flower are the preferred treatment.

Once you're taking the supplements and start to feel a shift in mood, you'll want to add some other elements to your feel-good program. First, start to add more natural foods to your diet. Chemicals in processed foods can adversely affect your moods and do not give your body the nutrients needed to create good health. So eat more fresh green vegetables, fruit, lean meats, nuts and beans. Slowly substitute healthy foods for junk food and soon, you will stop craving the junk food altogether. Also make sure to drink lots of water. In fact, make it your primary beverage.

Next, support your use of herbal supplements for depression with regular exercise. Moderation is the key here. Start small and always begin with an activity that you enjoy. Just going out for a walk in the sunshine has benefits that will lift your mood, release endorphins in your brain and help you feel better about your life. Take time to breathe deeply as you walk and take in the beauty of the natural world around you.

In addition to taking herbal supplements for depression, you may also want to add behavioral therapy to the mix, but start taking the supplements first, so you will be more receptive to treatment. Behavioral therapy teaches coping mechanisms that will teach you how to prevent negative thinking from spiraling your life out of control.

So there you have it: putting aside the prescription drugs and taking a natural, well-rounded approach to depression may be exactly what you need to regain control of your life.

Treating EBV - Dealing With Depression

Depression is an important condition that must be addressed when treating EBV, particularly when the illness is in the chronic stage.

Everyone has days when they feel a bit low or sad - especially when battling a debilitating condition like Epstein Barr. True depression is a feeling of sadness or loss of interest in life that lasts a couple of weeks or more. Depression is a serious illness that causes both physical and psychological symptoms.

So how do you recognise if you have depression? Firstly check out the physical symptoms below to see if they are familiar to you. Physical signs (which are similar to those seen when treating EBV) include lethargy and fatigue, headaches, muscle aches, insomnia and poor appetite.

Psychological symptoms can include feelings of being overwhelmed, frustrated, guilty, irritable and being a failure. There may be behavioral changes like withdrawing from family and friends, poor concentration and reliance on stimulants like coffee, alcohol or drugs.

If you feel that you may be suffering from depression it is important to seek advice from your doctor or health professional. Support and understanding from your family, friends and work colleagues is also essential.

Many cases of depression are caused by low serotonin levels in the brain which can be rectified. The natural approach to treating EBV and depression includes supporting the nerves of the body and brain with nutrients like zinc, the B complex and fish oils. Herbs like St Johns Wort can also help in relieving symptoms.

Many of my patients get good results with treating EBV and depression from a graded exercise program. It can be as simple as a daily walk and a bout in the sunshine. Research also supports the fact that exercise and sunshine can help depression. Other lifestyle habits which are important are eating a healthy diet, managing stress, resting the body and drinking plenty of water.

Do I Have Bipolar Disorder? The Three Sides of Manic Depression

Are you wondering if you have bipolar disorder? Maybe you aren't quite sure of the signs to look for, but you have a hunch that you may have manic depression. The three indicators of bipolar disorder are depression, mania, and mixed states.

1.) Mania

What is mania and what are some of the warning signs? Mania is a period of excitability that involves increased energy and a lack of sleep. You may be able to work for days on end and your productivity will go through the roof.

Unfortunately, as mania progresses, thoughts will become confused, and you won't be able to get enough done, with thoughts and ideas flowing too fast until everything in your head becomes cluttered and frustrating.

2.) Mixed State

Anxiety is a common feeling in a mixed state, which combines features of both depression and mania at the same time. You may feel like you are having a panic attack, where you become so worried that breathing becomes difficult, and you feel like your life is out of control. Even the littlest thing can set off a chain of fear that ruins your life.

3.) Depression

Depression is marked by a lack of energy to go about your daily routine. Maybe you lose interest in hobbies, friends, or family. While you may have been the life of the party when manic, now you just want everyone to leave you alone, while you crawl up in a ball and sleep. You may also experience weight gain, despair, and a low sense of self worth.

Are You Depressed? Take the Quizzes

"Am I depressed?" You're not the first person to ask the question. Usually when you have been crying for days or have been in no mood to do anything, you immediately think you have fallen into a state of depression.

To know if you do, your first course of action is to take the depression test.

What Is a Depression Test?

It's simply a quiz, exercise, or examination that assesses if you are at risk of depression. The questions are based on the common symptoms of depression. The examination usually consists of multiple-choice questions, and you choose the answer that you think is the most honest or reflective of your present state or experience. There's no right or wrong choice.

Depression tests can be found anywhere. Some are given by therapists and doctors, while others are created by those who have gone through depression themselves. A number of them are also found online.

Taking the Online Depression Test

Online, you can easily find a free depression test. All you need to do is to type "free depression quiz" in search engines such as Google.

The main issue with free depression quizzes, however, is that the diagnosis may not be completely accurate. After all, the tests have been pre-programmed to display a certain result based on your list of chosen answers.

Meanwhile, you'll chance upon a depression symptoms test that has a fee. There's a possibility that a therapist or a doctor will be the one to assess your answers. This may be costly and the report doesn't arrive immediately, but it's worth it if you like to know if you're at risk from a professional.

Important Things to Remember about Depression Tests

Majority of the reports would only say that you are at risk of the medical condition. It would never tell you are suffering from depression. There are far too many factors that can cause depression in a person, and a lot of them may not be covered by the questionnaire.

Moreover, there are many types of depression, and it's important you'll get a specific diagnosis. Otherwise, the treatments may not be suitable to your medical condition or need. Some of the specific tests you can take include a clinical depression test and a manic depression test.

Though you can present your depression test to your doctor, it is only part and parcel of the factors that could determine if you are officially depressed.

Treatment of Depression: What Are the Options?

As mentioned, the treatment will depend on what kind of depression you have. Usually it includes medications such as antidepressants. Psychological counseling or behavior cognitive therapy may also be provided by therapists.

A lot of therapists, doctors, and even other depression sufferers are now using subliminal messages or affirmations. They do so in order to improve their mood and mode of thinking. Affirmations help create positive thoughts, which can greatly reduce their somber or sad feeling. To make them more effective, they combine subliminal messages with the other mentioned treatments as well as visualization and hypnosis.

NLP & Hypnosis Can Help Overcome Postpartum and Perinatal Depression

Everyone has feelings of sadness. In most cases, these occasions last for a few hours or days. Nearly one-fifth of the people in the world, however, are diagnosed with major depression, which causes depression that lasts for weeks, months, or longer. These moods result in problems performance in career, family, or interpersonal interactions, which can become severe.

Females who have signs of depression when they become pregnant may be treated for perinatal depression. This condition may develop any time after pregnancy begins, or any time thereafter, until the infant is one year old. Typically, however, those who develop this illness after the child is born are diagnosed with postpartum depression.

Perinatal depression or postpartum depression may be caused by a number of factors. These factors can be physiological. For example, women with a previous or family history of clinical depression or mental illness are more susceptible to developing perinatal depression or postpartum depression. Furthermore, alterations in hormone levels in postpartum mothers, such as decreases in estrogen and progesterone amounts, can cause this illness. Postpartum thyroid problems can cause signs of depression such as exhaustion, irritability, and hopelessness.

At times, mental depression is a result of emotional issues. Women may are fatigued and overwhelmed in learning to cope with the needs of the new infant. These issues are sometimes magnified by a lack of support from family, friends, or spouse. Money problems may also assist in causing postpartum depression.

Perinatal depression and postpartum depression often have grave consequences for both the woman and her new child. Worry and depression may prevent a woman from connecting fully with her baby or being capable of meeting her child's physiological and emotional requirements. This may worsen the mother's feelings of insignificance, guilt, and low self-worth.

The infant is also affected by the new mother's problems. Failure to bond with his or her mom may cause the baby to develop trust problems in emotional relationships throughout life. Further, infants who do not have their physiological or emotional requirements met typically do not grow and develop properly. This condition, called "failure to thrive," may be very serious or even fatal to the infant.

Perinatal depression or postpartum depression can damage everyone in the family. The spouse or significant other can feel ignored or unable to help the woman's depression symptoms. This can severely damage their partnership. Other children in the family may experience similar emotions, and develop school-related or peer problems as well.

Depression harms the whole family. Therefore, women who have perinatal depression or postpartum depression should seek depression treatment as quickly as possible. Numerous approaches can be used, such as talk therapy and medication treatments. Medicines, however, can be risky for nursing babies, and sometimes yield erratic outcomes due to the tremendous hormonal fluctuations a woman has during these hectic months. Furthermore, traditional counseling therapies can be lengthy and expensive.

Two therapies for dealing with depression that do not involve medicines and may quickly yield dramatically effective outcomes are hypnotherapy and Neuro-Linguistic Programming, or NLP. Traditional Hypnotherapy is most effective for clients who can be easily hypnotized or are capable of accepting ideas without needing to analyze or comprehend them. Ericksonian Hypnotherapy is very useful for persons who often overanalyze. These techniques aid individuals to relax and get rid of tension.

For clients who are more critical or analytical individuals, NLP is often more effective. With NLP, trained practitioners give people depression help by coaching them to restructure their thought processes. This strategy can, quite literally, allow a client think past the depressive mood and conquer it.

Individuals can conquer depression by developing NLP techniques such as anchoring. They learn to remember times when they felt happy and controlled their situations. Remembering the event renews these emotions. Clients are instructed to put two fingers together and remember these feelings. The unconscious mind connects the touch of the two fingers with the emotions. Hence, the finger touch becomes an "anchor."

Then, when the individual begins to feel overwhelmed, he or she sparks the anchor by touching these identical two fingers together again. This brings back emotions of self-control and results in empowerment.

Through another strategy called the Flash, individuals learn to think away harmful feelings. They program their unconscious minds to instantly substitute positive thoughts for negative ones. When negative thoughts arise, the mind instantly exchanges them for positive thoughts. After learning this technique, individuals find it nearly impossible to conjure up negative thoughts!

Summary: Perinatal depression and postpartum depression may have harmful results for a woman and her new baby. The rest of their family is also profoundly affected because of these problems. Because of the probable severity of the consequences of this condition, females with depression should seek treatment as soon as symptoms begin. Two very effective strategies that do not require medication or great outlays of time and money are hypnotherapy and Neuro-Linguistic Programming.

The Truth About Teen Depression

With all of the suicides in recent years, teen depression has gotten a lot of press. This is a good thing because it helps alert us all to how serious this problem can be for them. Not all cases of teen depression end in suicide, but the increase in the rate is alarming.

Many parents these days work outside of the home. This means that the amount of time that they actually get to spend with their child is often limited.

Between the demands placed on families and the unwillingness of many teens to share with their parents, it becomes more important for everyone to be involved. This means that no matter how you are involved with teens, recognizing the signs of depression and reacting to them quickly can mean the difference between life and death for them.

Depression can be anything from a simple episode where they are upset briefly because of a break up, a missed opportunity, or a failure in some area of their life. It can also be a constant, heavy cloud that they can not get out from under. This heavy cloud can and does destroy lives.

There are many things that parents, counselors, teachers and even friends can do to keep them out of this deep, dark depression. Teen depression is serious and should be handled carefully.

Knowing and watching for the tell-tale signs can help you to determine when a simple case of depression is not so simple and needs some intervention.

• Pulling away from friends and activities that they are involved with.


• Loss of appetite, or weight loss.


• Restless sleep. Waking up still tired is a sure sign of this.


• Pulling away from social situations is a key sign of teen depression. Any teen that is not interested in socializing should be a signal that something is not quite right.


• Consistently down in the dumps. Occasionally being down is normal, but if you notice a pattern of the blues that lasts, it may be time to get help.


• Isolation. A teen or even a young adult that stays locked away in their room.


• Consistently quitting activities may be an indication that they do not feel worthy of being included with others.

Although teen depression does not always lead to suicide, it can lead to other serious problems. Teens that are depressed may be more likely to turn to drugs or alcohol to help ease their pain. These same teens are also less likely to do well in school.

Teens often times withdraw from the company of their parents in favor of other teens, it is difficult sometimes to get them to talk. They may even appear to be sullen and moody normally. They can retreat so far into themselves that they may become ill or harm themselves in some way.

One of the things to remember about teen depression is they are able to hide it very well. It is normal for teens to have bouts of depression, but these should be short-lived. It is when their depression becomes more serious that they hide it from those around them.

You may not even realize that they are in trouble until it is too late. Partnering with your teens friends and the other adults in their lives, then acting on any suspicions is the surest way to help keep your teen safe from serious depression.

Antidepressant Foods, and Their Help With Depression

Eating foods you like can improve your mood, at least for a short period of time.

So why not try out some foods that are useful in dealing with depression? According to a study by Massachusetts Institute of Technology, there are some foods that are closely associated with offsetting depression symptoms. Here are some of the best foods to improve your mood:

1. Carbohydrates

Both whole grains and fruits have serotonin, which induces a state of wellness and relaxation.

2. Bananas

They contain a substance called tryptophan which has the ability to stimulate the release of serotonin, which improves your mood.

3. Raw sunflower seeds

They are very rich in folic acid and magnesium, both with significant effects in changing bad moods that you may face. Due to the high content of vitamins and minerals, sunflower seeds helps relieve stress, anxiety, fatigue and depression.

4. Raw Nuts

They contain two essential ingredients (omega-3 fatty acids and uridine) which together provide the most powerful antidepressant medicine, according to a study by Harvard University and published in Biological Psychology.

5. Dark chocolate

The requirement is that the chocolate you eat has more than 70% cocoa -- many of the less expensive chocolates don't have this high of a percentage. However almost all the ingredients of a chocolate bar will provide a little help in improving your mood: sugar, fats, caffeine, phenylethylamine, theobromine and tryptophan.

Overweight and obesity are fast becoming an epidemic and a major health problem worldwide - these conditions may also contribute to bad moods and depression. The increase in obesity is associated with many problems related to food, of which the most serious are: diabetes, heart disease, stroke, hypertension and some forms of cancer, draws attention the World Health Organization.

Our body needs some essential elements in order to function within normal parameters: protein, carbohydrates, unsaturated fats, vitamins and minerals, Omega 3 fatty acids, fiber, water sports and relaxation, lists.

To operate at maximum capacity, and thereby helping avoid depression, your body needs:

1. Proteins. They are necessary for forming and maintaining muscle mass.

2. Carbs. Main source of energy.

3. Unsaturated fats. Make your heart healthy.

4. Vitamins and minerals necessary for growth and harmonious development.

5. Omega 3 fatty acids are important for heart health, brain, eyes, skin, joints, hair and the immune system.

6. The fibers are recommended for easy digestion.

Also, the body needs water for hydration and exercise and relaxation.

To help combat depression, while also staying away from the negative things that an overweight condition can bring, the right balance of healthy foods and the antidepressant foods discussed above is needed.

The Depressed Man - Is a Testosterone Deficiency the Cause of His Depression?

Testosterone deficiency is one of the undiagnosed causes for depression in men.

Testosterone is known as the 'male' hormone, the hormone that gives assertiveness, sex drive, and mental and physical energy. It also helps maintain muscle and bone growth. When there's a testosterone deficiency not enough testosterone is produced to meet the body's needs. It's common to hear people joke about men with 'too much testosterone' as being over aggressive and assertive. And while too much testosterone can be a problem, low testosterone also brings along issues. These issues are both physical and mental.

Testosterone deficiency symptoms include increased body fat (obesity), decreased muscle mass and strength, erectile dysfunction and lowered sex drive. Another major sign of this hormone deficiency includes psychological changes including depression, fatigue, reduced assertiveness, poor memory and lowered self-esteem.

Recent scientific studies reveal that men with depression are nearly three times more likely to have low testosterone levels than men without depression. In addition, aging men with low testosterone levels are five times more likely to have symptoms of depression than men with normal testosterone.

The following questionnaire can be used as a screening tool for a testosterone deficiency.

1. Do you have a lack of energy?


2. Do you have a decrease in strength, endurance, or both?


3. Do you have loss in height?


4. Have you noticed a decrease in enjoyment in life?


5. Are you sad, grumpy, and/or irritable?


6. Have you noticed a recent deterioration in your ability to play sports?


7. Are you falling asleep after dinner?


8. Has there been a recent deterioration in your work performance?


9. Do you have a decrease in libido?


10. Are your erections less strong?

If you answer yes to more than half of these questions, then it may indicate that your testosterone levels are low.

As men go through the natural aging process they experience a decrease in testosterone at a rate of ten percent, per decade from the age of thirty. It has been shown that thirty percent of men after the age of fifty-five have a testosterone deficiency.

Because these hormone levels decline with age, it is often misinterpreted that the symptoms of a testosterone deficiency i.e. "depression, muscle loss, memory loss, lower sex drive", are just a normal part of the aging process. And although it is part of the aging process, you simply don't have to put up with the associated negative feelings and physical symptoms. A testosterone deficiency can be easily treated with testosterone medications. Injections, pellets and creams are available by prescription.

Vitamins for Depression

Depression is a disabling condition that is described by unhappy feelings of hopelessness, which can be a result from stressful events, hormonal imbalances, or many other causes. Those people with depression tend to withdraw themselves from the world, get angry easily, and lose the interests once enjoyed doing - exactly changes in mood! Didn't you ever wish that you can just take vitamins to treat your depression? Well, it may work for some people, but definitely not for everybody. There are actually several vitamin deficiencies that may lead to depression.

There are a lot of ways to overcome depression, such as change in lifestyle on top of medication and counseling and taking vitamins for depression. A change in lifestyle includes keeping healthy eating habit, proper exercise, and taking vitamins for depression. If these things are being followed, you're treatment will be as effective as you want it to be.

Deficiency of certain vitamins has been shown to have some effect in someone's mood, with which should be taken care of immediately by taking supplementation. Let us see what possible vitamins for depression are available that you can use to avoid both deficiency and depression. Here are some of the vitamins for depression that you might want to start taking to combat your condition:

Vitamin B-complex is important to keep us emotionally and mentally balanced. And since they cannot be stored in our body, we simply depend on our daily food and vitamin intake to replenish them. Unfortunately, B vitamins can easily be destroyed by alcohol, refined sugars, caffeine, and nicotine. Therefore, it is not surprising to know that many of us may be deficient in B-complex vitamins.

Vitamin B1 or Thiamine is being utilized by our brain to convert glucose or blood sugar into fuel for the brain to function properly. Insufficient supply of this vitamin can lead to fatigue, depression, irritability, anxiety, or worse, negative thoughts of suicide. Also, deficiencies can result to memory problems, loss of appetite, trouble sleeping, and constipation. Just by simply consuming refined carbohydrates, like simple sugar eats away the supply of vitamin B1.

Vitamin B3 or Niacin deficient can result to pellagra, which produces psychosis and dementia, and many other symptoms. At present, many commercial foods already contain niacin, keeping pellagra out of the scene. But, sub-clinical deficiencies in vitamin B3 may produce agitation and anxiety, and mental and physical slowness.

Vitamin B5 or Pyridoxine helps in the processing of amino acids, which is considered to be the building blocks of all proteins and other hormones. It is an essential element in manufacturing serotonin, melatonin, and dopamine. Although deficiencies in vitamin B6 are rare, it can result to impaired immunity, skin wounds, and mental confusion.

Vitamin B12 is essential to red blood cell formation. Therefore, deficiency on this will lead to an oxygen-transport problem, most commonly known as pernicious anemia. This condition can possibly cause mood swings, paranoia, dementia, hallucination, irritability, confusion, or mania and eventually followed by loss of appetite, weakness, dizziness, shortage of breath, palpitation, and more.

Folic acid is needed for DNA synthesis and for the production of Sadenosyl Methionine. Usually this is taken together with vitamin B12.

Vitamin C is needed, especially if you are pregnant or lactating, or under a lot of stress.

Deficiencies in minerals such as calcium, magnesium, zinc, iron and manganese can also lead to depression. So, make sure to take not only vitamins for depression, but also certain minerals.

How Depression Effects Learning Disabilities

Depression and learning disabilities are frequently misunderstood. Learning disabilities and depression are common mental illnesses that affect millions everyday.

Studies has shown that children suffering with learning disabilities have complexity learning to speak fluently, take care of their health and bodies, and often suffer with the inability to cope with stress and the common pressures of everyday living.

A lot of the patients that suffer depression and learning disabilities are claimed to be borderline retards. Depression is related to emotional scaring, childhood traumas, chemical imbalances, insufficient nutrition's, and other factors, so therefore it makes sense that it is believed a form of retard ness.

Learning disabilities are often stemmed from lack of education, positive influences, and miscommunications. Often people that suffer from depression and learning disabilities are overwhelmed, and this too creates a problem for the patients.

If you notice anyone around you that is suffering from symptoms of depression and learning disabilities, such as lack of enthusiasms while playing, unhappiness, feelings of despair, suicidal tendencies, and negative thinking then you should immediately contact a professional to avoid risks.

Depression is serious mental health disorder and it should not be taken lightly. Often people that suffer depression or learning disabilities use alcohol and/or drugs as a source for relief. This only creates a bigger problem, and help is needed immediately.

Depression also causes fatigue, lack of interest, and behaviors that could lead to criminal prosecution. Many people that suffer depression are affected by common problems, such as debts, deaths in the family, and so on. They often have the inability to cope with stressors, and often need support as a result.

Doctors often treat such patients with medications, including Prozac, however, recent studies has proven that the many medications used for treating depression and learning abilities have side affects that complicate the diagnose.

It is recently been discovered that depression may be linked to propensity for perception after the fact, for immersion in the mind's eye, a normal accompanying friend to the restraint, if not antisocial, depressive irritation. I beg to differ with this philosophy, since most encounters I've come across with patients that suffer depression and learning abilities, they often strive for attention.

This is a complete contradiction of antisocial, since antisocial is a diagnosis where the patient refuses to associate in society. Commonly depressive maniacs, or handicaps that include depression and learning abilities they often strive to find the answers to their suffering, yet neglect to see the answers when it is in front of them.

The mind is a tricky thing, and when someone tells someone that his or her emotions are not real, it is only denying the true problem. It is important to recognize the problem, without promoting a label on the patient.

Regardless of the many philosophies available to us, one being that when a person is labeled they are often sees as a label by counselors, and other individuals. The key to eliminating any problem is learning to accept your disability. Once you accept and recognize the problem, in my experience it has proven successful in treating the diagnosis.

The problem then is not necessarily on the diagnose itself, rather it is on the many professionals, patients, and others that refuse to accept that the problem exists. Instead of examining the mind, it is also important to examine the diagnosis closely and pay thorough attention to the symptoms.

Once you start dealing with each individual symptom separately, you can then work through the other problems gradually. The problem many times is professionals want to turn to medication verses treating the patients with effective therapy.

Let's look at a medicine that is given to patients with schizophrenia, antipsychotic, and other related diagnosis. Ziprasidone (ZIH praise ih dohn) for example, has possible risks including Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome, affect on glucose or sugar level, affects blood pressure levels, and promotes involuntary movement disorder.

Now anyone that knows depression and learning disabilities should be wise to avoid risking or promoting such complications. The listed risks are often direct links to the central nervous system, and most people with depression and learning disabilities need to avoid any areas, including medicines that affect the nervous system.

Powerful James Allen As A Man Thinketh Quotes

Some As A Man Thinketh quotes by James Allen can save you money and suffering. Many of his quotes are deceptively simple but have a powerful effect when put into practice. There is one that comes to mind every time I see an ad for antidepressants "There is no physician like cheerful thought for dissipation the ills of the body." What a silly idea you may say but it is true.

The fact that drug companies are willing to place high dollar full page ads in newspapers and spots on TV indicate many people are not following James Allen's sage advice. What fascinates is that many people are willing to suffer maladies caused by drugs taken to cure depression when they already possess the remedy.

A drug vendor stated in an ad that their antidepressant medicine's most common side effects include disturbance in speech, fatigue, dizziness, constipation, dry mouth, drowsiness, stuffy nose, upset stomach, weight gain and increased appetite. In addition to those common side effects the reader was cautioned to be on the lookout for high fever, stiff muscles, confusion, sweating, changes in pulse, heart rate or blood pressure, muscle pain, weakness and even death. Readers were also cautioned not to forget the risk of suicidal tendencies and loss of control of the face, tongue or other body parts. And last but not least caution was advised before operating machinery or driving after taking the medicine.

It is a shame that many people will spend money and suffer the harsh side effects of drugs to cure depression when they have the remedy right there in their own minds.

If a person could wipe out the negatives from their mind and only allow positive thoughts of happiness, success and motivation to come in a positive change in attitude followed by a favorable change in circumstances would result. The analogy of the farmer reaping the harvest of whatever seeds he planted in his fields applies to the mind. Whatever ideas are planted in the mind will produce like fruit in thought, actions and results.

Constantly thinking doom and gloom will cause depression. If you sit around and think of things like I am probably going to lose my job, I may go bankrupt, I'm getting sick, my 401k plan is going in the tank, I'm gaining weight and my children are going to use drugs you will be depressed. These are the seeds of negativity that will cause havoc in your mind and bring wretchedness to life whether rich or poor.

Each person is the doorkeeper of their mind and control what thoughts are allowed to enter. It is very easy to let negative thoughts come in. They are everywhere because negativity sells. We are bombarded with bad news from every direction, the news on TV, negative people and institutions to name a few.

With a little practice it becomes easy to lock out the negative thoughts and only allow positive thoughts into your mind. Doing this will help you live a better life and save money by not having to buy antidepressant drugs.

Menopause Depression Symptoms - Understanding And Overcoming Menopause Depression

Menopause can cause depression because of a hormonal imbalance in the system which causes a chemical reaction in the brain. Many menopausal women complain of merely going through the motions of living, and having lost their enthusiasm for anything they used to do. All of us experience sadness or depressed feelings once in a while, but if you become constantly mired in the symptoms, it's time to do something about it.

The hormonal imbalance causing your depression during menopause is absolutely a physical occurrence and can be controlled by providing your body with what it needs to restore balance and end the feelings of sadness. Menopause depression is often diagnosed as clinical depression and treated with antidepressants. This type of medication does help lessen menopause depression symptoms, but it isn't getting to the root cause of the depression - hormonal imbalance.

To restore balance to your system naturally, you can begin a regimen of essential nutrients and vitamin supplements based on your symptoms. Diet and exercise are very important ingredients in this formula to success when dealing with menopause depression symptoms. Exercise helps support healthy neurotransmitter and mental functions and a healthy diet is vital to your overall health and well-being.

A program that deals with natural supplements can help restore your body with estrogen and progesterone without having to resort to the possibly harmful side effects of Hormone Replacement Therapy. A great, tailored program to fit your needs would include endocrine support based on balancing estrogen and progesterone.

During menopause, it's a good idea to factor in mental support to help fight depression. Learn how to reduce stress and anxiety in your life and support yourself by taking time to do something just for you. slow down a bit from your normal pace and meditate by listening to music you love, reading that book that you never seem to get around to - or anything that helps you relax.

It's also a good time to face those unresolved problems that keep you agitated. Is there a relationship in your life that you're not pleased with? Develop a plan to deal with it. Are you unhappy in your job or chosen career path? Make plans now to change it. Dealing with niggling problems in your life in a positive way will help you feel good about yourself.

Menopause is a time in your life when dealing with "toxic stress" becomes mandatory. Toxic stress can cause menopause depression symptoms and occurs in women who have excess demands place on them at a time when they should be slowing down. This type of stress could include difficulties at work, running a home efficiently and sometimes the added factor of dealing with aging parents.

Depression - Reasons, Symptoms - What Can You Do?

Depression is a state of mind in which a person goes into extreme sadness for longer time and becomes very unstable. The person suffering from depression may feel really low and depressed all the time. There are many reasons due to which a person develops such a state of mind. Anyone suffering from depression need to have very warm any loving atmosphere around. It is a serious illness that can have affects for a longer time. Such an illness can affect the daily life of the sufferer. Depression is a common illness found in our country. The number of women suffering from depression is more than the number of men suffering from this disease. Depression can affect people of any age, including children. It is also considered as hereditary illness. It is very important to cope up with this illness. The family and friends of the sufferer has to provide with good and loving atmosphere around so that the patient is free to express his feeling with others. Psychiatrist should be consulted and proper medication should be given to the patient so that he/she can cope up with depression.

There are different stages of depression such as mild depression, moderate depression and severe depression. It is good to cure the illness at early stage. Mild depression is a stage in which the sufferer can cure himself without any outside help by reading good book. In the second stage i.e moderate depression one can talk about it with friends and family and can be cured. Severe depression is the worst kind of all, as it takes longer to get cured. Special effort are made to get a patient out of severe depression. At times the patient tries to commit suicide in this stage. The person suffering from severe depression should consult a psychiatrist as soon as possible. When the number of symptoms are more it means that a person is suffering from severe depression.

DEPRESSION SYMPTOMS-The symptoms of depression are when a person feel tiredness, loss of appetite, depressed, lack of energy, etc. A person suffering from depression lose interest in the things that he used to enjoy. Through these symptoms depression can be diagnosed. The patient should consult a psychiatrist should be consulted. There are no tests that can diagnose depression but questionnaire are used for diagnose. The signs of depression are when a person starts feeling helpless, low self-esteem, feeling of guilt. In women when changes to the menstrual cycle starts taking place, it also symbolizes illness.

Depression is a kind of illness that can be cured. Person suffering from should share his/her feelings with others. Consulting a psychiatrist is the best way to deal with depression. There are various therapy treatment through which one can overcome his/her depression counseling can also help the patient. There are certain medicines, which can be consumed by the patients under the guidance of the doctor, through which one can overcome depression. Some of the medicines are cipramil, cipralex, anafranil, etc. There are some side affects of these medicines that can overcome with passage of time.

There are different kinds of depression such as bipolar depression, manic depression, etc. Bipolar depression is a condition that affects one's mood and results in swinging of mood. If one is suffering from bipolar depression than he/she can have episodes of feeling very high and very low.
Manic depression is a kind of depression whish is quite similar to bipolar depression. In this kind of illness the patient feels very high at times and gets very excited or the patients becomes really low and sad.

Therefore depression is an illness in which a person goes in extreme sadness and its curable.

List of Foods That Fight Depression Symptoms

Feeling sad and blue for a moment is part of life. However when it is always what you feel and would not go away which then affects your daily life, it may be already called depression. The causes of depression not only include biological reasons but it is also linked to the psychological, physical and social happenings in your life. These reasons can lead to further problems.

If you feel helpless and hopeless that it seems that the world has turned against you and you can never do anything to make the situation better, then you are experiencing one of the symptoms of depression. Aside from that you might be experiencing loss of weight and lack of appetite. Your activities of daily living can be affected and even sleeping problems are experienced.

If ever this happens to you or to someone you know, you must know how to fight it. You can get rid of depression to a lot of natural ways and one of that is through the choice of foods. There are certain types of food groups that will help you get rid of depression. Through this, you can go back to your normal life or help a friend fight the depressing moments of life.

First of all, you need to include in your diet foods which contain Vitamin B and iron. Lack of these contents in food can lead to depression especially on the different types of Vitamin B which is for mental health and balance. Eat foods rich with Vitamin B and iron like sweet potatoes, chicken, avocado, black beans and meat, green leafy vegetables and cereals.

Next on the list are foods that are rich in Vitamin E and zinc. Vitamin is known for its antioxidant effects and strengthens the red blood cells of the boy while zinc is the food that increases energy and fights the weakness felt. They are contained in foods like wheat, whole grains, nuts, pumpkin seeds and of course in vegetables and fruits. They are said to fight the symptoms of depression.

Calcium and selenium helps get rid of depression. Calcium is thought to induce sleep wherein a depressed person finds difficulty in doing. Moreover, selenium boosts the energy and thus creates an uplifting mood to a person. Calcium is found in milk, dairy products, cheese and broccoli while selenium is commonly found in mushrooms, wheat and sea foods and poultry products.

Lastly, carbohydrates and omega 3 fatty acids have been proven to fight depression symptoms. Carbohydrates in particular provide you with a happy mood with the increased level of tryptophan that leads to the production of serotonin. They can be found in wheat products and bread. Omega 3 essential fatty acids which are good for the heart and relieve depression are found in fishes like tuna and salmon and canola oil.

Depression can be relieved with the help of these vitamins and minerals that you can include in your diet. To be able to get rid of this suicidal deviated condition, make sure that you have the right choice of food in your diet.

Bipolar II Disorder - Do You Suffer From This Mild Form of Bipolar Disorder?

If you have bipolar II, you should consider yourself lucky. Bipolar II is defined as a person having at least one incidence of depression in their lifetime, in additional to one episode of hypomania, an excited state.

As opposed to bipolar I, bipolar II doesn't interfere with your working schedule, due to a lack of severe manic episodes. Some symptoms of bipolar I include, hypersexuality, hypomania, and mild depression.

1.) Hypomania

Hypomania can also be quite pleasant, and offer you a boost in your productivity. People in a hypomanic state will be happy and very sociable, the life of any party.

2.) Hypersexuality

Hypersexuality is an increase in sexual desire, which can lead to indiscretions such as affairs or promiscuous encounters.

3.) Mild Depression

Someone with bipolar II will have down swings in mood, but these usually aren't so severe as to affect work. Maybe you will feel tired after work for an entire week, or lack the energy to conduct your usual hobbies. Generally, mild depression will not force any major lifestyle choices.

Bipolar II can usually be treated with fish oil, such as the omega-3 at your local drugstore, and therapy can be used to understand your feelings, and learn to control impulses.

Some forms of therapy that can help include social rhythm therapy, which can help you maintain a regular schedule, as well as behavioral therapy, which can teach you to maintain a healthy body and eschew crutches like alcohol and tobacco. Two other forms are light therapy, which uses full spectrum lighting to treat depressive symptoms, and cognitive therapy, which can help you think positive thoughts and overcome irrational depressive thoughts.

Clinical Depression in Men

Studies have shown that, although there are more women who get treated for clinical depression, there are actually about the same number of men who suffer the condition, but they do not admit it or seek treatment for it. Society often mistakenly labels men who get clinically depressed as 'weaklings.' This causes men to hide their conditions rather than come forward and seek medical attention.

Figures

About six million men in the United States suffer from depression every year. Men seem to manifest depression differently from women. In general, men are more disposed to recognize exhaustion, petulance, loss of interest in work or hobbies, and sleep disturbances' not 'emotions,' such as sadness, guilt, or worthlessness.

Because of this, men also have a different way of coping with depression. Denial is common. When clinical depression starts conflicting with a man?s pride and self-image, it is almost impossible for him to come clean and admit that he is suffering from this debilitating mental state. Clinical depression slows down the male libido, causing the man?s sexual energy to suffer. Instead of seeking professional help, a man usually find other sources such as alcohol or drugs to vent their frustration. Unknowingly, the intake of prohibited drugs can actually cause permanent damage to sexual performance.

In severe cases, men who do not seek help for their depression commit suicide. Women make more suicide attempts in the United States, but four times as many men actually commit suicide.

Further research must be conducted to understand all aspects of depression in men. The most pressing need is to make men more comfortable in acknowledging depression and getting treatment. Family members, friends, and co-workers have vital roles in identifying depressive symptoms in men and helping them get help.

Moms With Postpartum Depression Should Seek Out Hormone Therapy

Quite often a person will experience a time in their lives when they will have periods of depression. It is very normal to have these feelings, especially when you have had a death in the family, or you are getting much older and you feel you have no useful reason to be alive. It is even normal to have a small amount of postpartum depression after the birth of your child. It's when this lingers or becomes severe that it may demand treatment with hormone therapy.

Other depressions come from a physical problem in your body, usually a hormone imbalance, which will then need some medical treatment. Hormone replacement therapy then is needed, to bring your hormone levels back to where they should be.

There are hormone therapies available for all different types of conditions, because our bodies produce hormones in every cell of the body. Even though they are very little amounts, they still are important for the well being of a person's moods and physical health. So many times, when a person is having mood swings, lethargic, sleep disorders, etc. most often their hormones are out of balance.

In a woman, it can be caused by her menstrual cycle coming to an end, causing all kinds of symptoms, depression being at the top of the list. There are synthetic hormones that are derived from animal hormones, but there are also natural products which will work much better. They call these bio-identical and if you're a candidate for hormone therapy, go this route, not the synthetics. They also will not give you the side-effects of the synthetic therapy, such as heart problems, cancer and they will help to alleviate the onset of osteoporosis as you get older. Talk to your natural health provider, to see which natural hormone therapy would be the best one for your situation. When it comes to postpartum depression if recognized and treated properly, it usually subsides rather quickly.

Women are not the only ones to experience hormone imbalances, men also have some problems, which are directly related to an imbalance in their hormones. They could have a thyroidal problem, with all kinds of symptoms, sleeping all the time, lethargic, mood swings, dry mouth, dehydration, but a simple blood test will determine which physical ailment is causing these various problems. At that time, hormone therapy would be needed to regulate the male hormones as well.

A natural hormone or bio-identical hormone is a substance which is the closest to the human hormone. They are made from a plant substance, which is identical in all the ways that a human body makes them. The synthetic ones, which we will not name here, are made from pregnant mare's urine (YUCK!) and are not identical to a human being's hormones. We recommend bio-identical hormone therapy if at all possible and it's not a bit more expensive.

Don't be embarrassed or feeling guilty about your postpartum depression if you are subjected to this. Try to realize that it's because of the hormone imbalance and nothing to do with being a bad mother.

Foods That Help Depression - Time For Happy Foods

Did you know that there are foods that will help you fight your depression a lot better? Yes, that's right! With the right foods and a healthy attitude to life, you can get rid of depression. This article throws light on some such foods.

Spinach: It contains Vitamin B Folate which helps in raising the levels of endorphins in the body. Endorphins are the so-called "happy hormones" which help you relieve yourself of depressive episodes.

Salmon: It is a fish that contains a lot of Omega-3 fatty acids which is not only beneficial for your overall health, but it also has a positive effect on the neurotransmitters in your brain.

Asparagus: This food item is extremely beneficial for people who are suffering from clinical depression. It rejuvenates the nervous system and stimulates brain activity which results in helping you fight depression.

Ginger root: It is a very good source of antioxidants, which fight the free radicals of the body. It is not only responsible for slowing down the aging of the brain, but it also keeps you happy.

Flaxseeds: One of the topmost "happy foods" known to us is flaxseeds. It contains lots of Omega-3 fatty acids and lignans. When you eat them on a regular basis, they help keep your blood glucose levels under control. This enhances the mood.

Stevia: It is a natural replacement for sugar. The people of Brazil and Paraguay have used this herb for centuries as a way to sweeten meals. Not only does it contain no calories or fats, it is also 30 times sweeter than sugar itself! When you control your sugar intake, your mood too stabilizes.

Iron: Include iron-rich foods in your diet such as meat, legumes, quinoa, fortified cereals, kale and leafy vegetables.

Business Marketing Strategies-Your Guide To Creative Ideas and Implementation

Today, most of the world is struggling. The economy is struggling, people are struggling, small businesses are struggling, congress is struggling, and just about everyone else is struggling. These times are probably making you doubt whether or not you can survive in today's world.

Not too long ago, you were able to run to the bank and take out a loan for any unexpected costs, or to help pay for expansion or new marketing ideas. But not in today's world. There have been small businesses that have taken out loans before, and paid it off earlier than expected, and have been denied today, because all of a sudden they are a "high risk loan." How that works, I'm not sure. When people are scared, we do irrational things that can actually make things work while we think we're looking out for our best interest.

One of my favorite quotes is by Harry Vardon: "There are two types of people-those who keep there nose up while in despair and win championships-and those who do not."

So you want to be one of the small businesses that, against the odds, still comes up with creative ideas, implements effective strategies, and will be one of the businesses people look up too.

I believe that if one person, or business, so can any other business. All we have to do is look at how companies during the Great Depression survived. And you'll see companies that didn't sit back and wait for things to get better. They increased their marketing efforts and took their fate into their own hands.

Another thing is to look at successful marketing campaigns and see why there are successful and try to modify that to your product or service.

For example, these are some of the things you should try to implement into your marketing campaign and show your potential customers:

1. Incorporating cool, on-point technology helps you stand out in a crowded market and woo tech-savvy consumers.


2. If you add value to customers' lives with real content and helpful, fun services, they won't soon forget you.


3. Demonstrate the value of your product by bringing it directly to where consumers happen to be. You'll be that much closer to making a sale.


4. Give customers an experience they'll want to brag about to their friends (aka your future customers).

These are just a couple of values you should keep in mind while creating your marketing campaign.

Is Depression a Real Disease Or Just a State Of Mind?

Depression is a serious malfunction of transmitters in the brain that control our emotions. Dopamine and serotonin are the leading cause of this mental illness. When these two chemicals are out of check then serious effects are noted in the persons mental state.

Serotonin and dopamine are our wake and sleep alarm clock for the body. With their release, they control our wake-sleep cycle, our pleasure senses, mood and motor functions.

They work on the cellular level and work in the nerve junction synapse(the small space between the nerve cells). There are many chemicals that work at this area but these two are believed to be the main reason for this debilitating illness that is not cured in 1-2 weeks. It sometimes takes months before the medication is effective in the mental state. It is thought to be in lack of one and too much of the other. Too much serotonin can lead the body to want to sleep all the time. Dopamine controls the motor functions of the body and the shakes that follow depression is conjuncted with this chemical. As in the disease Parkinson's, where the body shakes uncontrollably, dopamine is believed to be lacking in the receptor sites. That is why it is given orally to these patients. To try to level out these low, unbalanced transmitters.

Now that depression has a foundation for the cause, it can be treated with mostly success. Therapy is also required to help the individual become more rational thinkers and how to handle situations more productively. Having a rational head on your shoulders is a great asset and things don't seem to be as bleak and out of control.

Recognizing the condition is of up most importance. Leaving these at a unchecked imbalance has malfunctioning effects. Some of the symptoms for depression are: no energy, no appetite or too much appetite, no entrust in any of the usual activities, in a sad state of mind, crying without real reason and no interest in the significant other and the guilt of that feeling is overwhelming. Other people will notice that there is something wrong with the normal personality and will begin to ask if there is anything wrong with the person's health. These are only a few of the symptoms that can follow depression.

Depression is a long term disease and must be treated as such. There are no quick cures. It usually takes years for the person to completely recover and then it is usually a life altering condition. People with this disease are different than they where before it hit them. Their personality are totally changed and their demeanor is altered.

However, with medications these symptoms can be relieved to a degree of equality and continued therapy can help balance the imbalance in the transmitters in the brain.

A Story About Candida Die Off Symptoms - Difficulties at Work and Depression

My friend shares her experience to me, and this article is about her. I hope you can get the positive value from this experience. Today is a rough one, die-off symptoms run rampant and she is having difficulties in the work realm as well. And she is afraid she is just making mountains of molehills anyway. But the fact remains, that she has received her final warning at the workplace: the quality of her work must approve or she will be terminated!

Now, how does a woman who speaks six languages, graduated in the top her class and got accepted (and dropped out of) to a top 20 law school become unable to keep a simple customer service job answering telephones?

She has been diagnosed with depression, and used that and a traumatic childhood as excuses for her poor success. She is barely able to function, and fall on the couch after a day of sitting down in the office. She cries a lot, and feels like she is caught up in a nightmare with no way out. Even the smallest of an obstacle makes her want to crawl up in a ball in her desperation.

Her loving and supportive boyfriend is at his wits end when she shared his understanding "all will be okay" to pieces demanding him to explain how it will be accomplished. The good thing is that these darkest moments only last a brief while, but she would rather not have them at all. Her home that was previously perfect is a mess and she just does not have the energy to get it straightened out.

She has been sugar (carbs) free and on an anti-yeast supplement for 5 days now, and all she can do is to hope these feelings are related to candida, that she is not crazy, and that all this agony will correct itself once those pesky little creatures leave her body.

As long as she can remember, she has had a sweet tooth. Her mother used to hide sweets and pastries from her, but she would find them anyway, she finally stopped baking and buying sweets altogether and put her on a "carrots and fruit for snacks" diet. There has been times when she has been fairly healthy (sugar-free) but that was accomplished due to wanting to be thin. Her sugar and carbs cravings have been horrible, but they subsided fairly soon after she stopped eating sugar containing foods.

Teenage Depression - Understanding Teenage Depression

While depression is a serious clinical condition, it is often missed in the teenage population. The main reason is that the signs and symptoms known to depression often occur in mild forms at the onset of pubescence. The teen years have long had the bad reputation for being the period in a person's life characterised by fluctuations in mood, irritability, rebellious behaviour, and the increased need for sleep often misinterpreted as lack of motivation. The important distinction to make is that the depressed feelings and behaviour displayed in the teen is experienced in such overwhelming levels that it impacts on every aspect of the teenager's functioning. Where rebellion and anger in normal teenage behaviour would usually present itself in one aspect of his or her functioning, depression is pervasive across the life areas.

Essentially the key to distinguishing depression from typical teen behaviour is to observe the frequency, duration and intensity of the signs of depression as well as the degree the signs or symptoms deviates from his or her normal pattern of interests and behaviour. Typically, major depression is diagnosed if a teenager displays depressed moods or irritability and a loss of interest in activities he or she usually engages in, for a period of at least 2 weeks, in conjunction with other symptoms such as weight loss and inability to concentrate. The onset of these symptoms usually increases in intensity with time, and the teen experiences feelings of loneliness, sadness or anger recurrently rather than episodically. Depression is also characterised by feelings of worthlessness, helplessness and hopelessness, causing the teen to withdraw from social interactions in a period of development where social interaction is usually an important element in the teen's life. Another important factor in teen depression is when the teen lacks motivation or drive to pursue activities that are usually valued and meaningful in this age group. Other signs include frequent tearfulness or crying, withdrawal from friends and family, changes in eating and sleeping habits, restlessness and agitation, and thoughts of death and suicide.

So what causes teenage depression? Teenagers face many social pressures, as this is a crucial stage when teens are discovering their true identities and therefore measure their worth by their acceptance from their peers. The pressures of fitting in, discovering their sexuality, and identifying their direction in life can prove cumbersome to many teens. But when this challenging time in a teenager's life is compounded by perceived failure, rejection, or negative life events, a teen that is not very resilient can easily fall victim to the onset of teenage depression. Another area of difficulty in the teen years is the lacks of effective communication teenagers endure due to feelings of inadequacy and mistrust, particularly of the adults in their lives who should be a source of support during difficult times. Teenagers tend to alienate themselves from adults because they often have the perception that adults such as parents and teachers do not understand them. Thus, when teenagers face emotionally difficult times, and do not seek support, this can aggravate their feelings of loneliness and feelings of helplessness and hopelessness can begin to set in.

Once you suspect the onset of depression in a teenager, the first thing you should do is to talk to the teenager about it. Be sure to approach the teen with a non-judgmental attitude and share your concerns in a caring way. Describe the specific signs of depression you have noticed that are concerning you and encourage the teenager to open up about his or her feelings. It is important to listen without lecturing, to validate his or her feelings, and to offer unconditional support. The next step is to seek the opinion of a health professional such as a general practitioner or a psychologist who can make a definitive diagnosis and assist in the management of the depression. It is important to remember that even if you have a vague suspicion of depression, it is vital that you address your suspicions rather that risking a depressed teen not receiving the support he or she needs.

How to Deal and Cope With a Loved One When They Are Sick Or Feeling Down

To see those you love in pain whether it is emotional or physical can be difficult. It often begins to start affecting you. Fear of loss can increase as well as a sense of hopelessness.Those are the moments when
you need to take some space to get yourself together.

These feelings combined transform into a catastrophic mindset.The key is to prevent that from occurring. When the person who you view as a pillar of strength is now fighting for their life let alone strength can leave an uneasy feeling; thought as well as position.

Life has a consistency of change. We must learn to adapt and fight for the sake of the small hope we have inside of us. You must learn how to switch into the roll of a leader.

Take some space to relax, think and most importantly build yourself up. In order to deal with any situation you must be mentally prepared.

You do this by encouraging yourself. You can begin by working out and eating right. Read positive messages and quotes. Constantly remind yourself that you are more then able to succeed if you begin to look deep in yourself and discover your strength.

It is important to encourage those who are feeling down and sick. When someone is ill creating a positive mindset changes everything.

Often times a person who is sick weather they are suffering from depression or cancer will become
mentally drained. These people need to hear empowering words so their bodies can properly fight their symptoms. As well as recharge their mind and sooth their soul.

Being there for a loved one can be tough because of the love or relationship you share. Simply remember
that you must build yourself up so you in return can be able to build up your friend or loved one back to their happy state with encouraging words.

When Depression and Anxiety Coexist

While the condition of anxiety and depression are two different medical conditions, it is extremely common for individuals who suffer from depression to also have some form of an anxiety disorder. It is also very common for individuals who have an anxiety disorder to develop depression.

When an individual has both depression and an anxiety, this can be very challenging to treat as the symptoms are typically more severe than when they occur independently. While there are certain lifestyle changes which can be made to alleviate the symptoms of these illnesses, it is essential that a medical assessment is obtained in order to make a proper diagnosis.

The Links between Depression and Anxiety

While the reasons are unknown, individuals who suffer from depression commonly have an anxiety disorder as well. One study that was conducted showed that eighty five percent of individuals who had major depression also suffered from "general anxiety disorder" or "GAD".

Studies conducted also show that the number one risk factor when it comes to developing depression is having an anxiety disorder. When anxiety disorders and depression coexist, the process of recovery is much longer and the potential for relapsing is much greater than in individuals who have only one of these illnesses.

The diagnosis of having both of these conditions can also be very difficult to make as the symptoms of these disorders are very similar and often times the symptoms of an anxiety disorder will over shadow the symptoms of depression, therefore, a diagnosis of depression will sometimes be missed.

Other medical conditions also frequently pose a problem with the diagnosis of anxiety and depression as medical experts have concluded that approximately only one out of every five individuals with anxiety and depression receive the proper treatment for their mental illness.

Symptoms and Treatment when Depression and an Anxiety Disorder Coexist

Individuals who suffer from depression have a deep feeling of sadness and most of the time can not enjoy or get any pleasure out of life while individuals with an anxiety disorder feel constant or persistent fear and worry. When these two conditions are combined, an individual not only has the symptoms of depression, but also feels nervous and agitated.

These symptoms often cause the individual to have trouble sleeping with the inability to get to sleep or stay asleep. Treatment for these co-existing illnesses is a combination of psychotherapy and medication. While the "Food and Drug Administration" has not yet approved any drug specifically for the treatment of these dual disorders, anti-depressants - typically "selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors" or "SSRIs" are prescribed for the treatment of these co-existing disorders.

SSRIs have been proven to be effective in all types of anxiety disorders as well as the treatment of depression. Cognitive behavioral therapy is also the most commonly used therapy in the treatment of both depression and anxiety.

When following the proper medical treatment plan, along with monitoring diet and nutrition as well as learning relaxation and exercising techniques, it is possible for individuals who suffer from the combination of these disorders to recover and live full and productive lives.

Major Depression - Symptoms, Causes and Management

Major depression is a type of a mental disorder that is characterized by low mood, low self-esteem, and loss of pleasure or interest in activities that were normally enjoyable. Other terms for this form of depression are clinical depression, major depressive disorder, unipolar disorder and unipolar depression.

Depression is considered as a disabling condition that affects an individual's general health, eating and sleeping habits, school or work, family, and friends. In the United States alone, sixty percent of those who died of suicide have depression, and three to four percent of people who are suffering from major depression commit suicide.

The Signs and Symptoms
People who are suffering from this type of depression generally show a loss of pleasure that were once enjoyed and a low mood that encompasses all aspects of life. These people may be preoccupied with inappropriate regret or guilt, self-hatred, and feelings and thoughts or hopelessness, helplessness and worthlessness. Other symptoms include difficulty in sleeping, withdrawal from social activities and situations, poor memory and concentration, suicide attempts, and thoughts of death. In severe cases, people who are depressed may experience the symptoms of psychosis, such as hallucinations and delusions.

Causes of Major Depression
Psychological, social, and biological factors are said to play a role in causing depression. Psychological factors refer to the person's coping ability in response to problems and stress. Also, a distorted way of thinking and low self esteem has been linked with depression. Persons who are suffering from other psychological conditions such as schizophrenia and anxiety are also likely to suffer from depression.

Social factors include social isolation and poverty. A study has shown that those people who had experienced child abuse (emotional, sexual, physical, neglect) when they were young are more likely to develop major depression later in life. Other social factors that can contribute to the development of depression include death of a loved one, divorce or marital conflict, parental depression, financial problems, and family problems.

Biological factors refer to those imbalances in the brain chemicals that can alter the brain activities. People with depression usually show a disturbed pattern of the relationship between the different parts of the brain, which means to say that the brain activities are altered.

Management of the Condition
The most commonly used treatments for depression are medication, psychotherapy, and electroconvulsive therapy. Medication for depression is called antidepressants. These medications are effective, however, they have numerous side effects and they can only relieve the symptoms and not cure the condition itself. Psychotherapy is best for those who are 18 years old and below. Psychotherapy, however, may not work for some especially to those people who are not comfortable talking about their personal life. Electroconvulsive therapy on the other hand, should be used as the last resort as it makes use of electricity and may impose harm to patients if not done in the right manner. These are the reasons why some people opt for natural cures, which are 100% safe, fast acting and with permanent effects.

Major depression is really a serious disorder and can be hard to live with. But with proper management it can easily be treated.

How to Recognise Depression

This article contains a list of common symptoms that are displayed when somebody is suffering from depression. If you feel any of these, or notice them in somebody else, it does not necessarily mean that depression is a problem, but it is an option, especially if 4 or more of these symptoms is evident consistently. Bear in mind that there are some physical illnesses which can bring on some of these, and there are some drugs which can also produce similar side-effects.

Depression is not the same as feeling "blue" for a while. People with depression can not simply "snap out of it" and get better. It is not a sign of weakness or a character flaw. Without treatment, symptoms can last weeks, months, or even years. Sometimes this happens to people for no obvious reason, even when their lives are going well. Other times, lifes events can play a major roll, e.g. stressful exams, a separation, a bereavement etc.

Listed here are common symptoms of depression

- Sadness

- Loss of enjoyment from things that were once pleasurable

- Feelings of hopelessness or worthlessness

- Difficulty concentrating

- Uncontrollable crying

- Difficulty making decisions

- Irritability

- Loss of motivation

- Insomnia or excessive sleep

- Stomachache and digestive problems

- Sexual problems (for example, decreased sex drive)

- Pains and aches (for example, headache)

- A change in appetite causing weight loss or gain

- Thoughts of death or suicide

- Attempting suicide

It is important to recognize the signs of depression and seek help if you or your loved one is exhibiting any of the above symptoms.

Physical Tests for Depression

I'm looking online now for different ways to determine the source of your depression.

Here is what I've found so far.

- Bionetics. Apparently this test requires a hair sample and some electronic equipment to determine physiological depression causes - infections, illnesses, viruses, parasites, toxins and chemicals, lack of certain nutrients or damage by certain diets. The convenience of this test is that the results include recommendations for certain natural remedies to help with your depression and dietary advice. The results also can be received online or by post within a week, and are relatively inexpensive.

- Spit sample. Researchers found that they can monitor levels of stress and signs of impending depression by checking the levels of stress hormone cortisol in your saliva. If they are too high you're most likely depressed. But you would want to confirm this with blood test as well.

- Physical exam. When you go to the doctor, he/she might decide to do the physical exam to rule out the problems with your nervous system or hormonal imbalance causing your depression disorder. As you know, any major physical illness may cause depression.They will check for hyperthyroidism, tumors of central nervous system, head trauma, different types of cancers, multiple sclerosis, stroke and even syphilis. Consequently they might require a CT scan or MRI of your brain to rule out brain tumors, electrocardiogram (ECG) to check how your heart functions and electroencephalogram (EEG)to check your brain activity.

Of course, physiological tests don't exclude in any way psychological ones, where you have to answer certain questions to a mental health practitioner to determine if you have depression disorder and how severe it is. The questions will include your symptoms and how long you had them, the history of alcohol and drug abuse, physical illnesses and family mental history.

But nearly all the physicians agree that if your depression is sudden, happens in later years, you had no prior history of mental health problems or certain problems in your environment causing your depression disorder to develop slowly over time, then they should check your blood, urine, thyroid, kidneys and liver functions, and also heart and central nervous system for underlying physical illness. So don't be surprised if you have to go through additional tests, be grateful that you are being checked thoroughly. And as I said before, if you don't agree with the diagnosis, always try to obtain second and even third opinion. Better be safe than sorry.

I'm really curious if anyone knows any other tests you can go through? If you do, please, share!

Handling a Depressed Person

The person who is suffering from depression, also effects the surroundings, and everyone who comes in contact do feel an impact. Therefore it becomes very important and necessary to help the person to come out of the problem, thus making the journey of life easy and meaningful. There are three main steps which come in the way to improve the state of depressed person.

Recognizing the problem

The very first step to help any way to a sick person is to recognize the root cause of the problem. Though it is not easy, but still it is far much easier to find the problem as compared to the person concerned. Sometimes it is very difficult for the patient to actually know what had happened to him. If one notice a marked and lack of enthusiasm, negative thinking, disturbed sleep and eating pattern, perhaps an increase in alcohol consumption and loss of libido, then one should consider depression as the cause.

Understanding the Problem

It is very important that one has to understand the problem as lot of the anguish surrounding the disease is caused by frustration engendered by misunderstanding. Yes, there is a fact related to depressed person who is not responding, and whose behavior is strange and erratic and refusing to seek help is very daunting and struggle full.

There are a few very important facts one need to recognize if one is dealing with a depressed person:

- Depressed people are more dangerous to themselves then to their surroundings.
- One should be aware that teenagers and children can also experience depression.
- Depression is an illness like cancer or heart disease, there should be no shame or blame attached to being depressed.
- The depressed people cannot take in what the other person say or react usefully to help and advice in the way they normally would.
- The depression sufferer cannot cheer themselves up more nor do they snap out of it.
- One should always be aware that there are very successful treatments for alleviating the symptoms of depression and now with EPA they don't involve side effects.
- One should actually work toward the root cause of the problem to save depressant from the subsequent impact on relationship, both at home and at work as if the depression goes unrecognized it can be devastating.

Treatment

The best solution to any problem is to recognize the problem then finding the solution and finally helping the facts and solutions to improve the state of person who is suffering from the phase of depression. As the person who is feeling depressed will take very long to even admit the fact that is actually suffering from the disease. They may not response at once, but keep trying, or get someone else close to them and let them know how they are feeling and that they have your full support.

The most difficult task is to recognize the depression in children and teenagers, not at least because you don't expect them to get the illness so young. But one needs to be very careful to actually find the difference between a sulky mono syllabic teenager who refuses to eat what you cook or get out of bed or function in a way that you consider appropriate. If you think someone you know is in danger of harming themselves, you must seek help immediately by contacting their practitioner and explaining the problem. Thus making life seems more relaxed and beautiful to them.

Manic Depression Symptoms and Natural Remedies

Manic depression is also known as bipolar affective disorder, or simply bipolar. It is a form of mood disorder in which the subject suffers wide mood swings between extreme elation (mania) and extremely low depression. It is a serious condition that first occurs in either gender at the age of 18-24. The condition can be triggered by medical illness or stress.

What are the symptoms of manic depression, and how can it be distinguished from general depression? The first sign is that the depression involved is more than just feeling temporarily down, but is deeper and more serious than that. The subject is unable to cope with normal everyday problems and the depressive state lasts longer.

Symptoms of the Depressive State

Here are a few other symptoms that you can expect to be exhibited by a manic depressive:

• The depression and feeling of unhappiness remains and can't be shrugged off.


• The subject will lose interest in what is going on around, and will feel no enjoyment about anything.


• A feeling of guilt and excessive worthlessness.


• Unable to make decisions.


• Unable to focus or concentrate on anything.


• Sleeping excessively or an inability to sleep.


• General tiredness.


• A disinterest in sex.


• An inability to handle crows of people.


• Unable to function at work.


• Unable to see any future.


• Restlessness and fidgeting.

There are others, and most of the above are also symptoms of general depression. However, what distinguished someone suffering clinical depression and somebody with bipolar affective disorder is the rapid swing from the depressed state to elation, otherwise known as mania. So what are the symptoms of the manic state that distinguished between general depression and manic depression?

Symptoms of the Manic State

Having been depressed, the patient can then spend a week or so in a hyper manic state. Sometimes the subject will behave strangely and lose any sense of reality. They will be unable to make proper decisions, and in fact behave in strange ways that are both embarrassing and dangerous. Some of the outward signs of the manic state are:

• An apparent lack of sleep.


• An exceptionally good mood - a euphoric state where they have a profound sense of well-being within themselves.


• They will talk quicker and louder than normal, and try to keep up with their racing thoughts.


• They may come out with unattainable grandiose ideas that are unrealistic to achieve.


• A lack of inhibitions that may lead them to very inappropriate behaviour well outside their normal character.


• Euphoric delusions and sometimes even hallucinations that underline their excessive believe in themselves.


• Increased sexual drive, and an increased need to spend money quickly.


• Very dogmatic, provocative and aggressive, particularly when people disagree with them.

In fact, the manic state is practically the diametric opposite of their character in the depressed state. It is a form of Jekyll and Hyde situation, though not in the sense of schizophrenia where mood changes are not associated with the accompanying depressive or manic states. Also, manic depressives can go long periods between bouts of depression and mania. Nevertheless, the two have occasionally been misdiagnosed as the other.

Treatment for Manic Depression

The traditional treatment for the depressive aspect of manic depression is by antidepressant drugs, while manic episodes are treated using antipsychotic medication. Medication that helps to stabilize mood may also be used, examples of these being Valium and Tegretol. However, the treatment most commonly given in this respect is lithium.

Each of the various drugs have side effects, and it makes sense to use one or more of the natural herbal treatments that have been shown to be at least as effective as the drugs above with a minimum of half of the adverse side effects. Here are some herbal treatments that have been successfully used in treating manic depression, or bipolar disorder.

Herbal Treatment for Manic Depression

Herbs are used by many people to treat their manic depression, often because they could not tolerate the side effects of the regular drugs or perhaps because of a distrust of artificial drugs. Whatever their reason, they do take them, even though most are not as effective a regular drugs and take longer to be absorbed into the body and to have an effect.

Here are some typical; herbs that are used for manic depression. Keep in mind that there are two aspects of dipolar affective disorder: the depressive and the manic stages, and any remedy or treatment must deal with each of these. A herb that can help with depression (there are several of these) may not be able to handle the manic behavior of the subject.

It has been reported by the University Of Maryland Medical Center that herbs are effective treatment for depression and have fewer side effects, but not much mention of the manic condition.

St. John's Wort

St. John's wort is one of the most powerful herbal treatments available for depression, and is at least as good as the best prescription drugs, if not better. With significantly fewer side effects it is an excellent treatment for the depression part of manic depression. However, this is a serious condition, and while it is very effective with mild to medium depression, the severe form of depression brought about by bipolar disorder is a challenge and you must take the herbal treatment every day without fail. It might not cure the condition but it should be able to contain and stabilize it.

Amoryn

Amoryn is a good herbal treatment for anxiety and sadness. It contains hyperforin, also present in St. John's wort, and so has a similar effect. The main effect of hyperforin is to increase the availability of serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine in the brain. These are neurotransmitters than help you to feel good about yourself rather than depressed.

Valerian and Passion Flower

Valerian is a strong herbal treatment for insomnia, and helps those suffering stress, anxiety and depression to get to relax and get to sleep. It also works to reduce your anxiety, but should be taken every day, and at the same each day. Because it is calming valerian is good to take during the manic stage of bipolar affective disorder. Passion flower is another possible herbal treatment during this stage since it too is calming and relaxing.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids

These constituents of fish oil may not strictly be herbal, but they are natural and while not a rapid solution to manic depression, it does reduce your depressive feelings over time if taken regularly.

There is no magic pill for manic depression - if there was everybody would take it and the disorder would no longer be a problem. However, there are natural remedies, most of them herbal, which can help you too feel a lot better with the potentially nasty side effects of pharmaceutical treatments.

Marijuana and Depression - Is it Time to Quit Smoking Marijuana?

There is much controversy surrounding marijuana and depression. Some people say it helps the depressed to get rid of the symptoms if they smoke weed, other people claim that marijuana just adds to their illness. I wanted to write this article to let you know what happened in my case as I used to be a depressed marijuana smoker.

It seems like it helps.

When you're depressed, you really don't care about much. You don't even want to do anything or see anyone. I remember there were times in my life when I didn't even want to leave my bed. I know, it sounds scary and strange but it's true. You really lose the drive for life.

As you probably know, weed makes some people very happy, and to be honest with you, when you first start smoking it, you actually feel that it's helping you a bit. You start to regain the desire to go out and actually do something productive. You start looking at the world in a more positive way...

Then the dreadful day comes...

Unfortunately, after using weed for a long time you start to feel that marijuana and depression build on top off each other. The more you smoke, the more depressed you get, which obviously causes you to smoke even more. It becomes a vicious circle.

What's more, if you smoke enough, you can't really perform all that well. All you do requires a lot of effort and it just seems like your general ability to do things is much lower than it used to be before you started smoking. I know this sounds wild, but again, it's true.

You can regain your ability to function properly!

So, speaking of marijuana and depression, I don't think weed is a very effective way to fight depression. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. It might seem like you're doing better at first if you smoke, but then after some time things get much worse than they were before you first started.

Of course, I can't make you to do anything. After all, it's your life and you're responsible for it, but I would like you to at least consider becoming clean. When you do, it will be a great achievement that will definitely make you feel great about yourself and might even serve as a basis to getting rid of your depression all together. This was my path, and I am enjoying my first winter, without the winter blues!