Dealing With Depression And Pregnancy

Pregnancy is a wondrous moment. It is the time when women are excited to be called moms. It is a great opportunity to learn about child's growth and development. But sometimes it can be the other way around. Pregnancy is not always such a happy experience for some. Pregnancy can also be a time for worry. It can also be a moment of confusion.

A woman's decision to begin a pregnancy carries with it the acceptance of the lifelong responsibility to be a parent. Ideally, effective parenting begins even before the moment of conception, when the woman confirms her desire to have a child and is physically and mentally prepared for the challenges of pregnancy, birth, and parenting.

However, most women go through a lot of changes during pregnancy that sometimes, it is causing them stress as well as numerous emotional and physical changes. As a result, many pregnant women develop depression during their pregnancies.

Depression is the most common psychiatric disorder, so it's a commonly encountered pre-existing condition during pregnancy. Depression has both physiological as well a sociological causes. It is actually caused by a number of different factors. But, it is most likely to be linked to a change in the levels of chemicals in the brain. These chemicals govern our moods, and when they become disrupted, it can lead to depression.

During pregnancy, the rapid change in a woman's body's hormones can trigger a change in the levels of these chemicals, resulting in depression. Interestingly though, women have it twice as often as men, and among women, there is an increased tendency toward it during the reproductive years.

It has been proven that the rapid rise in hormone levels during pregnancy is actually a very common trigger for depression. At least 20% of pregnant women experience some depressive symptoms during their pregnancies, while 10% of pregnant women develop full-blown clinical depression. Depression during pregnancy is actually much more common then many people realize. At one time, health care professionals thought that pregnant women couldn't suffer from depression because of their pregnancy hormones. It was believed that these hormones protected against mood disorders like depression.

Any pregnant woman can be dealing with depression at any point throughout her pregnancy. There are several causes of it during pregnancy, some of which are the following:

∑ having a personal or family history of depression
∑ relationship or marital conflict
∑ age at time of pregnancy
∑ unplanned pregnancy
∑ living alone
∑ limited social support
∑ previous miscarriage
∑ pregnancy confusions and complications
∑ history of emotional, physical or sexual abuse

Dealing with depression can often drain a woman's desire and energy, pregnant women with the disorder may not seek appropriate prenatal care. Depression during pregnancy may also increase the likelihood that a pregnant woman will abuse alcohol, cigarettes, or drugs during pregnancy. When it is most severe, clinically diagnosed depression can be a psychiatric emergency. Because a woman is in a very difficult period of adjustment and less likely to climb out of her despair, hopelessness, and suffering, she poses a danger to herself and her new baby.

Pregnancy is a particularly active field for depression to either start anew or worsen if already a problem. The extra physical, financial, marital, and sexual stresses come whether one is ready or not. On top of that, any new feelings of poor self-image can reinforce depression's already negative self-image problems.

Preparing for a new baby is a lot of hard work, but a woman's health should come first. A pregnant woman should resist the urge to get everything done, she should limit her activities and do things that will help her relax. Talking about things that concern a pregnant woman is also very important during these difficult times. A pregnant woman should ask for support, which most often than not, she will get. Remember that taking care oneself is an essential part of taking care of the unborn child.

Clinical Depression - How Deep Brain Stimulation Can Help

Deep brain stimulation is one of the ways that anyone can use to help with many emotional problems. The psychology behind emotional scarring and depression is that the wound lies not within the physical dimension within the body, but it is reproduced within specific parts of the mind. These are where the centres of emotion, the centres of memory and subconscious lie - working together like a VCR set to loop. This is an extreme example of how the normal functions of the conscious mind and the functions of the preconscious can be disturbed to such an extent. Usually, our physical awareness is able to filter all the negative emotions and rationale thought and critical thinking is able to diffuse these feelings into broken down aspects of thought, which can be subjected to critical thought.

But there is always the problem of emotion, and emotion comes in when there is a certain amount of trauma involved. Prolonged or serious bouts of depression is caused when someone is subjected to a traumatic even or experience, which is so catastrophic that it penetrates the defences of the conscious mind, erupts the emotional stimulus within the body and implants the image and all the sharp emotions within the subconscious mind. When the subconscious mind gets such a direct and heavy bombardment of such stimuli, it will usually stick and stay for a long time. Our normal mechanisms of memory will replay the event and thus create the same emotional pain that leads to a constant state of depression. Depression is really a very serious problem and it can cause much physical deterioration.

With depression, a subject can lose interest in his or her appearance and would also refuse to eat or even drink water. Sleep doesn't come easily and malnutrition can even set in. Some cases of depression can lead to violent acts of murder and suicide, or subjects can simply just waste away with no medical explanation. The power of depression has the 'killing effect' on the body that so many doctors have recognised. Immune-response systems decrease rapidly and the bodies own natural defences simply disappear or lose their effectiveness because of the patients will to not live. While drug and therapy may help, the effects are not guaranteed and they may only bring about dangerous side effects or even overdose.

Depression will eventually lead to despair. The root of the problem lies in the subconscious and the new methods of battling depression that doctors and psychologists have been using is brain wave entrainment. What they do is they use entrainment technology, which is in essence evoking the brain into specific states so that they can either evoke feelings or happiness or even use the power of inserting positive messages into the subconscious that will eventually remove the images and feelings of depression.

The success of this technology is well documented, with reports from the U.S.A and Japan of the success of technology like autogenics, biofeedback and binaural beats in the application of the removal of mental disturbances and emotional issue problems like deep anxiety or depression. Even if you are suffering from mild depression that you cannot get rid of, this is a great way for you to use the deep brain stimulation effects of brainwave entrainment to reset yourself and have a much better outlook in life.

Three Great Happiness Quotes

It's not often we take the opportunity to praise fellow writers, but these three quotes I found in the one location; a discovery like gold. Enjoy them with me, and the thoughts that go with them:

"Happiness comes of the capacity to feel deeply, to enjoy simply, to think freely, to risk life, to be needed." -Storm Jameson.[1]

Five things, according to Jameson, are required to feel lasting and authentic happiness. And these cascade. When we feel deeply without fear, courage has taught us there's really nothing to fear; being one with our feelings is to be truly "us." 

To enjoy simply is to keep things simple--there's far too much complexity in our lives these days. The simplest people are happiest. To be able to feel deeply and enjoy simply means to be able to think freely, reconciled to life on life's terms. Guilt doesn't run our bus.

To risk life is the key to success because how many of us lag behind in life because of fear of things that will probably never happen--and what if they did? Big deal! To be able to risk, we need to feel deeply, enjoy simply and think freely.

Finally, the more functional we get in life i.e. from doing the first four, the more we find we are needed. And this is self-sustaining. In fact, taken too far 'being needed' can be burdensome, but not if we have the first four underpinning and balancing our lives.

"Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony." -Mahatma Gandhi.[2]

What a contribution Gandhi's made. He describes in this quote, alignment and congruence, authenticity no less. 

This quote reminds me of Rotary's Four-way Test for the things they think, say and do. This is: 1) Is it the truth? 2) Is it fair to all concerned? 3) Will it build goodwill and better friendships? 4) Will it be beneficial to all concerned? Every thought, decision and action is to pass through these four questions. If it fails one of these then they don't proceed.

Happiness is achieved when we become true to ourselves and there's nothing to hide. There's no cognitive dissonance.

"What if you began to expect the best from any situation?  Isn't it possible that you could write new chapters in your life with happy endings?  Suspend your disbelief?  Take a leap of faith?  After all, what have you got to lose but misery and lack?" -Sarah Ban Breathnach.[3]

When we're open to the possibilities, it's amazing what we'd otherwise miss out on. Even if we suspended our doubting genuinely for one month and lived by faith, there is little we'd lose--and how much we'd gain? 

We must do this today and waste no more time!

Copyright © 2009, S. J. Wickham.  All Rights Reserved Worldwide.

[1], [2], [3] sourced from Ruth Hegarty, EzineArticles author.

Depression After Break Up: How To Overcome It

Are you currently having problems with depression after a break up? It's likely that you are depressed if you are experiencing symptoms like extreme need to contact your ex, sadness and overeating or not eating at all. Following are some tips you can apply to your situation in order to get over depression following your break up and move on.

First of all, you should know that what you're going through is not unusual. Relationships are very important to us and once we lose them, we can get hurt badly.

You were actually happy and satisfied with your life prior to being with your ex. You might feel depressed now (and no one can blame you for that), but it would definitely lighten up over time. That being said, here are some ways that you can handle your feelings right now.

You Control your Feelings through your Thoughts

If you think about the break up often, you will only find yourself feeling worse. More to the point, thinking about negative thoughts will always make you feel bad. You see, your life is based from your actions and decisions which are based on how and what you think about. Once you learn how to control your emotions, you will find that you can change your perspective of the world into something more positive. This will help you turn your life around.

You can also overcome a depression after breakup while going through these exercises.

All you need is a simple, ordinary mirror.

You need to use the mirror every day, look into it and reaffirm some things about yourself.

Your affirmation should include positive statements such as:

"I am a good person."

"I am worthy of both love and happiness."

"I love being me."

Say these affirmations as often as possible - when you wake up, before you go to bed and anything in between. This would allow you to recondition your inner thoughts. You're really just wallowing in sadness, lack of self esteem and other negative emotions right now. You need to change your mindset so that you can overcome feelings of depression after a breakup.

Chances are you are constantly worrying about your situation and the loss of your ex. Your social life might also have suffered after the break up. Make sure to remedy this and start getting out again. Build stronger ties with your family and friends as well as acquire new hobbies.

Squeeze in about two social activities every week. This will shift your focus and help you heal. Hanging out with other people and learning to laugh with them allows you to focus your mindset away from your love problems.

If you want to get your ex back then try to pursue them when you no longer feel motivated by feelings of depression or desperation.

Other than the breakup, have you had any experience that dented your confidence? Chances are you got over that situation too. The same goes for this situation and it will only turn you stronger in the long run. Better people are those that deal with adversities.

A Word for Carers of People With Depression

A word for you; for carers and others:

This article is intended for carers, friends, family members or other significant people of those who are experiencing problems with Depression.

As a carer, a family member or somebody who is close to or who loves a person with depression, it can be frustrating to say the least as to know what to do about the situation. You may feel mentally exhausted and/or perhaps physically, spiritually drained or perhaps in any other way and just not know what you can do or where to turn. You might be exhausted of ideas or maybe wonder why the person with depression just doesn't get better or show signs of getting better. What does depression feel like? What does it feel like for those suffering it and what does it feel like for carers and others? Well, this is a very personal feeling and unique to every individual. However, as a carer or other significant person, you may ask "but, what about MY feelings"? Or perhaps you may feel that you've tried everything and yet the person you are caring for is still in the rut of depression. Maybe you feel frustrated, irritated, annoyed, or maybe even angry about the situation. As a carer or somebody significant to the person with depression, you will likely play a huge or significant role in their recovery (remember that there are good treatments for depression), but yet it may certainly not feel like it or it could be a long, long time before you start seeing any 'fruit' or results of your work and efforts. As a carer or significant person, your feelings are also important and deserve to be validated, although in saying this it is worth talking a little about walking in the shoes of somebody with depression as if you can develop sincere empathy it can go a long way towards understanding the situation and in reducing a bit of distress for you as a carer or somebody else significant to the person experiencing depression.

This article is not proposed to be anything spectacular or enlightening and indeed it is not intended to offer any 'quick-fix solutions' or to minimise or exaggerate the reality of depression, and this article may be common knowledge to many people, but the intention is to mention a few things which can help in dealing with living with depression such as developing and practicing true empathy and accepting people unconditionally. There may be more to these aspects than originally meets the eye. The idea with this article is to try to encourage carers or significant others of those with depression to adopt a true empathic attitude towards the person who is battling with depression and to accept them for who and where they are at this point in their lives.

True empathy is not easy to achieve. Empathy has different components to sympathy and empathy can be a real 'skill' to master or achieve. Empathy involves seeing the subjective world from a person's point of view who has depression. A person with depression is not their 'normal' selves and therefore many things in their life can seem bleak or totally useless, pointless or hopeless (among many other ideas, thoughts and feelings). What can YOU do? One thing you can do is to develop true empathy. But, how? There are several elements to this and seeing things the way the other person does can be a real challenge. As carers or significant others, you may rightfully or justifiably know how to help or think you can help if they would just listen to you. For example, you may have told a person with depression a thousand times to talk to a counsellor, to join a support group, to exercise, to go for a walk or whatever and you justifiably think that the person would benefit, and yes, they probably would. However, the point here is to try to see and feel things as the person with depression does. Personally speaking, I remember from my own experience with a Major Depressive Disorder and looking back on it now I wonder how I could have ever sat on the veranda all day staring at nothing and smoking cigarettes, but at the time it seemed all I was capable of doing. We know that exercise has its benefits along with many other things that a person with depression 'can' do, yet in the midst of depression even reading a simple birthday card can literally take an enormous effort. Depression is a sickness, it is NOT an imaginary syndrome or where somebody is indulgent just in self-pity alone. Self-pity may be a part of particular problems in life, but depression has its own set of symptoms such as loss of hope and this is different to self-pity.

One may argue that we have choices and yes we do, and choices can influence how we feel, yet depression is a medical disorder and not just something in the mind. Brain imagery proves such things. A point here is that as somebody who wants to help somebody else with depression, you may very well have some ideas, but forcing these ideas may be counter-productive. Empathy can be a huge asset in supporting somebody with depression and empathy goes hand-in-hand with understanding as best we can. To understand can foster empathy. Understanding, acceptance, empathy and sympathy are all different. Understanding one's problems may not entail demonstrating true empathy. We can understand signs and symptoms of depression and try to give advice or suggestions to the person with depression, yet still not see the subjective, unique and individual world of the person with depression. If a person feels as though somebody can truly empathize with them, it can be a huge asset in facing, overcoming or beating symptoms of depression. Validation can be very powerful. To feel heard and acknowledged can lift a huge weight off the shoulders of somebody with depression. The last thing a person with depression needs to hear are comments such as "why don't you just do something, go for a walk, try a new hobby, something.....!" In the best intention and by the goodness of your heart you may be trying to help, but perhaps other things may be more useful to say such as:

* "Tell me how you are feeling, I'll listen".
* "I love you no matter what".
* "I won't leave you".
* "I don't expect you to suddenly get better".
* "I am by your side, here with you. You are not alone".
* "Things seem pretty tough for you just now and I can try to imagine what it must be like"
* "You are not weird or lazy or anything. I understand that this is medical problem that anybody can get"
* "I believe in you".

Validation, listening and empathy can be a great friend in the lonely and frustrating times of depression. Try to empathise with the person you love or care for. It is NOT to say to get bound-up in pity, but to validate the person even though you may be able to see that what they are doing (perhaps nothing) is not working for them or getting them anywhere.

Depression actually has a good prognosis (likelihood of recovery) in that most people recover. Yes, some perhaps (or do) relapse, but depression may not necessarily hinder a person or incapacitate them for life. Depression can pass.. Bear the pain and ride the pain together with the person you love or care for. A listening ear can be so reassuring even if we don't have answers. Sometimes a person just wants to be heard, listened to, validated. You may not feel as though you are helping at all, and only realise years down the track how much support you were to that person. True empathy is riding the waves together, going up mountains and down into valleys in life together and 'feeling' things as the other person does. We can obviously only do what is humanly possible, but empathy through a non-critical ear can be a cornerstone of one's sense of self and a part of one's recovery of depression.

Empathy also involves discarding your own philosophies and beliefs and adopting those of the other person in order to see their situation through THEIR eyes. It DOESN'T mean that you have to change yourself, but when the other person feels heard, they often feel validated and they can feel empathy from YOU. Well, we might be able to show or demonstrate empathy yet still feel like we are going around in circles or stuck in some sort of rut or maybe it may all seem a bit like feeling pity for the person. What can we do though if nothing is happening? Focus on the positives. Positives can come from almost any situation (or arguably from any situation) and hence the proverb 'every cloud has a silver lining'. Positives may not reveal themselves for a while though so focus on the here-and-now, the present and any little positives at all. Statements including "you should", "you ought to", "why do you...?" and so-forth will not sound very positive to a person with depression. It is not easy though to always identify positives in a situation where somebody has depression. However, the simplest of tasks such as answering the telephone or even still being alive can be seen as positives (although a person in the midst of depression may not agree with such things or see things in such ways). As a carer or significant other (person) what can be some positives? Well, the person with depression may not have committed a crime, or perhaps be drunk today, or have taken their medication or is not going to kill themselves today (plans/thoughts) among many other hypothetical situations. It is normal to focus or think or concentrate on negatives such as a parent who is on the lookout for a child's bad behaviour and forgetting or not acknowledging when the child is good. We can get bound up in the symptoms or problems of depression and sometimes not acknowledge the simplest of positives. Life is not falling down, it is staying down. All of us have falls or maybe only stumbles. We can recover from a fall of depression. It takes time and people to listen, acknowledge, show empathy and focus on positives which can aid a lot in the management of depression.

How to Break the Depression Cycle

Depression affects millions of people every year. I suffered from depression for many years, trying to feel "normal" again was a daunting task. I spent thousands on doctors, therapy, hospitalization and medications, which helped but it just wasn't enough. I never really felt happy, like I had at a younger age, until I incorporated simple day-to-day changes in my routine that I was able to break the cycle of depression.

Changes you can make in your life to help break the cycle of depression:

1. Avoid triggers that cause negative thoughts and emotions - Sounds simple, but it takes hard work. First, start a journal. Write down all the negative thoughts and feelings you had during the day, try to remember what triggered them. Ask yourself who you were with? Where were you? Look for patterns, common denominators. When you find these triggers to negative thoughts try to avoid them, or work to come up with new ways to think about them.


2. Change - Find new hobbies, ones that make you feel good and help to take your mind off the negative thoughts associated with depression. Set new rules for yourself to stay away from bad habits that keep you stuck in the cycle of depression. Find these habits by journaling. If you're stuck in a cycle of depression, change your environment. Try to paint your rooms with brighter colors, take a different route to work, try a different restaurant, or find new hobbies. Change can help shake off the old stale ways of doing things that keep you in a pattern of negativity.


3. Schedule your activities around bad and stressful experiences - Don't let life's difficulties derail your achievements. When life throws you a monkey wrench, such as a death of a friend or family member, financial loss, or divorce; Schedule positive and relaxing activities around the event. Don't let yourself slip.


4. Laugh - Find something that makes you smile, or laugh everyday. Make it a routine to do this and stick with it. You'll find that not only will you feel better, but also the people you interact with will react more positively to you.


5. Exercise and diet - Develop a daily exercise plan and stick to it. The chemicals released when you exercise help to promote positive thought and feelings. Positive thinking is one of the best ways to break the cycle of depression. Make sure that you eat right, drink lots of water, eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, and complex carbohydrates and proteins.


6. Don't isolate - Stay connected with friends and relatives. But be wary of whom you associate, stay away from negative thinkers and anyone that reinforces the negative thinking patterns that you're trying to break. If you are like me and have associated yourself with negative friends, try taking a class, or volunteering, talk to a therapist, but get positive feedback and stay away from negativity.

It took years of trial and error for me to break the cycle of depression. If I had known how effective these simple changes would have been to my overall well-being, perhaps I would have recovered and stayed happy sooner. It took many years of failures, trial and error before I finally achieved the happiness I feel today. The important thing is to keep trying, making changes in your daily routine and staying positive and healthy.

Postnatal Depression - What it is and the Treatment Available

Postnatal treatment is key to ensure you and you child stay healthy. 1 in 5 women suffer from postnatal depression and if left untreated can cause lasting effects for years. If you are having feelings of sadness, fatigue but not being able to sleep, fear, and mood swings after giving birth you may be suffering.

The time after child birth is a very traumatic time for a new mother. 2 to 14 days after birth a mother can expect to experience what is known as "baby blues". This is a short lived period of time when you may feel slightly sad or out of it. It is important to remember that these baby blues are in fact perfectly normal and nothing to be worried about.

What is not normal is any severe depression that occurs after the first 2-3 weeks. If you are experiencing these symptoms it is very likely that you are suffering from Postnatal Depression. You should first and foremost is consult with your physician. Make sure you explain everything that you are feeling to them. Insist that the doctor also take a simple blood test to check your thyroid. An over or under active thyroid can produce similar symptoms.

There are many remedies out there that your doctor may talk to you about. They include drugs, natural solutions and reading specialized books. Whatever method you choose make sure that you are ready to commit to a plan in order to cure yourself. Remember that when it comes to Postnatal Depression you are not alone.