Depression, A State

by depressiondoctor on May 11th, 2007

Depression is generally boxed out a feeling of blue and mostly it is being told by different people as to what it is and what are the different signs and symptoms from which others can detect that the individual is going through depression, but I say that depression is a state of mind and it has a lot to do with the mood swings that we go through every single day.

Have you ever thought that in a day’s time, how many times are there where you go through different mood swings and how many times did you fall in the feelings of depression, have you ever seen that, calculated that on your fingers, I think there might be some people who very closely observe the different changes that they go through in their moods and they are able to ascertain as to how many times they are going through the different feelings.

Depression is just like a cloak, which we wear when it comes on. It can be triggered by anything, anything that we can think of. For example a child can get depressed if he or she did not get the toy that they wanted for their birthday. An employee in a company can get depressed when they were not able to get the pay raise on the due time as outlined by the company. A mother can get depressed when her children are not listening to her and are making a mess of things at home. So there are so many different people in so many different situations who are going through the feelings of depression, which is a state or a cloak that just comes over us and we wear it.

It is natural to get depressed on different things, we should not take it as an ailment, but a natural response of our body. What we need to understand that being in depression can be something that is going to be harmful for our bodies. For example as know in general that anything in excess is going to bring a negative aspect along with it, such as if you are going to eat too much, you will start to gain weight, and there will be hormonal changes that will be brought upon and therefore this needs to be corrected by eating less and exercise.

The same is the case with depression, if you are going to feed your depression then it will grow and will reach the excess point, which is certainly not reasonable. The thing that you need to see is that as you can fix your eating habits, in the same way you can fix your depression. Try to remove the source that is causing depression. See and open your eyes, come out of it and look for yourself how much is out there for you and it is not the time to nurture depression but to get rid of it and learn as to what are the different ways that you can take care of it without having the need ever to take medicines to fix it.

Just remember that we have in our mind and soul the power to eliminate depression, it is when we not explore it, we stay in it, and need the help of the medicines, I am not saying that you should not take medicine, if you feel you need to take the medicines, you must take them, but I am just making you aware that there are ways that you can get out of depression on your own in a positive way by using the strength and power of your mind and soul. I go through mood swings as well and I try to put myself back on track, sometimes it takes me less time and sometimes it takes me more, but I am able to get myself back on track. I think if I can do it, so can you.

Symptoms Of Depression In Ill Elderly

by depressiondoctor on September 3rd, 2006

Depression is not limited to a specific age, gender, class or group and it does not know of any boundaries and is something that is widespread throughout the world. A group of people who are really affected by it are the elderly. Depression in the elderly coexists with the different disease processes that they are going through and the situation becomes worse and worse if their clinical condition just does not come under control.

There are a lot of different health problems that the elderly people are going through such as diabetes, chronic hypertension, back problems, joints aches and pains, cardiovascular problems, problems of the gastrointestinal tract such as constipation, diarrhea, polyps or masses in the colon, prostatic problems, etc. and all these problems just cause a lot of trouble that the elderly have to go through.

The one thing that we all really need to understand is that the depression in the elderly is an ongoing thing because the status of their disease process is chronic and they suffer from pain on a constant basis. They need a constant level of care and supervision in order to help them perform their activities of daily living. These illnesses just put these elderly people into a lot of negative thinking and they then fall deep into the color of depression.

According to a recent report, the rate of suicide is double in the elderly white in America in the ages of 80-84, which is more than twice of the general population. Depression in people who are at the age of 65 is considered to be a pretty major health problem according to the National Institute of Mental Health.

Depression in the elderly just worsens their healing process and the problems that they are suffering from just lingers on and just takes away from them the will to live. It is so sad to know all this that the elderly people in our community are going through these problems and what is being done about it. Do we realize that we are going to be elderly individuals in a matter of years and as this article is being written there is a giant block of people who are reaching into their elderly ages.

Are these people who are being moving on to be in the elderly group are going to suffer and go through the same things, if the answer is a yes, then we should know that we are the next ones in the line, and if we see that there are things that can be done to help prevent the elderly from going into depression or to help them out from getting into that state, then we can say that we do have a chance to live a better life in our later years.

We should contribute our best to help our senior citizens and help them maintain their activities of daily living and help them being alive inside themselves and prevent them from shutting themselves out. I believe that we can give a part of our time to the elderly people and therefore we will be able to contribute a greater value to our system to make it much better, may be tomorrow someone is going to think the same about us and we will have better times when we cannot do much for ourselves.

Tags: depression symptoms, depression doctor

Reaction Of People To Depressed

by depressiondoctor on June 20th, 2006

There are people who could feel as to what other people are going through and there are people who do not care as to what others are going through. There is a wide range of differences in human beings who move on in totally opposite directions. It is strange but it is true. There are a lot of people who would care so much and would try to help people in whatever way possible, but on the other hand some people would try to hurt.

Apart from categorization of people into the two major categories, it is important to know that it is not necessary that the people would be able to see as to what the different individuals are going through. When an individual starts to drift from their normal self, this is something that the family members are able to see and spot very quickly, but there are times when the parents and siblings are unable to see the change coming across.

When the parents and the loved ones find that the individual is going through the depressed feeling, they will try to comfort the individual with the love and kindness and support them in hopes that their bad feelings and the sadness that is making them feel so bad inside just passes and they are able to be their normal self. The loved ones try to talk out things to know the source of these feelings and to determine as to what can be done to overcome these feelings. It must be known that you being the loved one is unable to get the bad feelings out, then you must advice them to seek the help of a professional.

There are some individuals who do not really understand as to what is really going through in the lives of the individuals who are going through depression and they think that they are just going through a lazy period in their life. These people just scold the individual who is going through depression and will make them feel worse and will criticize them to the point that they can take a very wrong step in their lives. Therefore it is really very important to be very careful in the way we treat the individuals who are going through depression.

We need to be very polite when we determine that the individual is going through depression. It is going to be good when you are able to persuade the individual to talk and share their feelings and if the condition is extreme just talk them into see a doctor who will be able to prescribe the medications and explain them the different signs and symptoms to them that should be on the look out for.

Tags: depression help, mental disorders

Don’t Try To Fight Depression Alone

by depressiondoctor on June 15th, 2006

There are a lot of people who are living their own lives and do not have anyone to share the things that they are going through on a day to day basis even though they are surrounded by people. This is becoming a very common thing these days and the people are getting lonelier in this fast paced world.

Since the people are living a very isolated life, there are a lot of people who are slowly developing the signs and symptoms of depression, but they keep that to themselves and are not interested in talking with any one as to what are the different things that they are going through inside.

We just need to be on the lookout as to what are the different things that are just winding down our loved ones into its affects. We need to observe them very closely and see as to what are the changes in the behaviors that are there along with the passage of time. Our loved ones depend on us and we need to take care of them.

It is really important that the individuals who are going through such feelings where they want to isolate themselves and feel more quiet on the inside, they must realize that being quiet is only one option, but if they open themselves up, they will be much more able to find out as to what is going on with them by sharing their thoughts with the ones who they trust.

Just remember that there are a lot of people who are going into the depressive symptoms who are really close in your surroundings, they may be at your work, your home, your school etc. and if you are close with them, you can cheer them up and can help them go through the feelings so that they are not closing out on everyone.

Depression is not something that can be fought alone, but is something that needs the help of people surrounding you, so that you can share as to what are the things you are going through and how you would be able to take care of the emerging problems.

We humans are made for each other and we are there to support each other and listen to each other to help make our lives smooth. We are not the only ones in the world who are going through these feelings of depression but there are a lot of people throughout the world who are going through these feelings.

There is a survey that there are a lot of people who are going through depression and thus are receiving medications to manage it and the numbers are rising higher and higher each year.

Just remember that if you are able to share the feelings and you tell different people that you were able to handle it because of sharing your feelings with the different people, then I hope that there are a lot of people who would follow in your foot steps.

Keywords: depression help, mental health, depression treatment, fight depression

Coping With Side Effects Of Antidepressant Medications

by depressiondoctor on June 9th, 2006

The medications that are being prescribed by the doctors have their side effects and just like any other medication, the antidepressants cause side effects as well. It is not necessary that every person will display the same set of problems with the antidepressant medications, the side effects vary from one individual to another.

There was one question that arose as to why people leave the antidepressant medications, the answer that was detailed was that the people when start to have side effects from the medications, leave those medications so as to prevent themselves from the side effects that they are suffering from. This conclusion was being drawn from a group of people who were surveyed and they called the side effects the major reason for their not taking the medication.

It is really important for all the people who are reading this article to know that the antidepressants are really important for the individuals to recover because they help to take the individuals to recover from the effects of depression and this will ultimately help them to lead their normal lives again. It is also being said by the physicians that the individuals who are going through depression must keep taking the antidepressant medications so that they just prevent themselves from relapsing back into the same problem of depression.

There are a lot of new antidepressant medications that are there in the market, which includes Prozac, Paxil, Zoloft, Effexor, Cymbalta and Wellbutrin and these are the antidepressant medications that have very few side effects than the previous antidepressant drugs.

The side effects that the antidepressant medications include insomnia, sleepiness, increased anxiety, nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, lack of sexual drive, headaches, dizziness, weight gain or weight loss. These are the side effects that the individuals can suffer from, which varies from individual to individual or they might not suffer from any side effect at all.

The biggest risk or the biggest side effect that is being linked to the antidepressant medications is the suicidal ideation in children and in adults. These are the symptoms that can creep in and can cause hazardous effects, so it is really important that when an individual is taking the antidepressant medications, that they consult their doctor on a routine followup basis so that they are able to get the proper guidance as to what are the different signs and symptoms they are developing and how they will be able to get out of it.

These symptoms of suicidal ideation occurs mostly in times of recovery and it is when that a keen sight should be on the individual as to the changes in behavior etc. so that this thing can be caught at a very early stage and reported to the concerning physician.

Apart from this, the antidepressants that lie in the tricyclic category, which includes Elavil, Pamelor and Tofranil can cause severe side effects or can either result in severe drug drug interaction. The side effects that these medicines cause include blurred vision and fatigue. It is to be known that these drugs are not safe for people who are suffering from heart problems and if these medicines are given in high potencies then they can really cause severe damage to life.

There is another category in the antidepressant drugs known as the monoamine oxidase inhibitors, which include Nardil, Parnate, and Marplan that have the potential to cause serious interactions with some foods, which include red wine, cheese, beans, as well as some medicines and the interaction of these medicines can be really dangerous and can cause extremely high blood pressures.

Whenever you have a feeling that you are feeling different and you are not yourself, you must report immediately to your doctor and should learn as to what are these symptoms that you are going through so that you are able to get the right diagnosis and a proper dosing so that the side effects that you are going through can be averted.

Depression & Mania

by depressiondoctor on May 4th, 2006

There are conditions where depression does not present itself as a single entity, but present themselves with some other behavioral disorder known as mania. This condition where both the depression and the mania present itself are known as bipolar disorder.

Bipolar means that we need to consider to poles at the opposite extreme direction, where one entity lies such as depression and on the other end lies mania. The individuals who are going through this condition just oscillate between these two feelings and they either display the symptoms of depression or mania.

In mania the individual is pretty hyperactive and they talk and move pretty fast. In this state the individual has extreme sex desire and decreased inhibition. These individuals then switch from being into the manic state to depressive state in which they feel sad, hopeless and filled with despair.

It is also being said that the individuals who suffer from the bipolar illness might have the genetic predisposition of this illness and thus suffer through the symptoms of bipolar disease.

It is always best that this problem is being diagnosed in the earlier stages and thus would help the individual from suffering the symptoms of this problem. Therefore, whenever you feel that you are going through the symptoms of bipolar disorder, you must seek the help of a physician who could analyze your condition or you could simply refer yourself to a psychiatrist so that you can get the treatment for this condition as soon as possible.

You must realize that this problem is seriously affecting the mental health of your family and for that matter it is really necessary that you realize that the treatment of this condition is really necessary for you.

Some people do not opt to get themselves checked by a doctor or a psychiatrist because they think that nothing is wrong with them and they keep on spending their lives the way they had been and the situation gets worse and worse with time. This will not only uproot your life, but will also put your family into a life full of flames and anger and distorted mind. So it is vital that you opt to have treatment for your family and your loved ones so that you all can spend a happy life.

Call Or Visit Your Doctor To Seek Help

by depressiondoctor on April 27th, 2006

When you feel that you are going through severe bouts of sadness and those feelings are something that you are unable to manage, then you must take these feelings into consideration and do not just keep that inside you. This is something that you need some professional help with.

The sooner you find these symptoms inside of you, the sooner you should contact your doctor to ask them to make an appointment so that you could explain to them as to what are the different feelings that you are going through and how these feelings are affecting your life.

In your appointment, the doctor or your primary physician is going to ask you different questions as to what are the feelings that you are going through, what is the cause of those feelings, were there any traumatic episodes that you have gone through with. They will also ask you as to whether you are taking any medicines for different conditions, as those medicines can also cause depression as a side effect.

Just remember that you need to be totally honest about everything and tell them exactly as to what you are going through because if you will keep something to yourself then the doctor cannot help you with your problem entirely. Because there are times when the drug is enough to help a person, but there are situations in which the individuals need some counseling on a weekly basis where they can share their feelings with the counselor and are able to overcome the feelings over the passage of time.

The doctors can also ask you whether you have any feelings where you want to hurt yourself and if you do have feelings of hurting yourself, then the doctor can ask you to sign a contract for safety so that it can be assured that you would not be hurting yourself.

Your doctor will also prescribe you the medicines specific for depression and will ask you to come back for another visit where he will ask you regarding any benefit that you have gained from the medicine, so that they can make a decision as to continue the medicines or to change them. Your doctor will also give you his or her number so that you can contact them and ask for help at whatever time you would like.

Postpartum Depression

by depressiondoctor on April 25th, 2006

Depression that occurs during the period of pregnancy or within one year after the delivery is known as postpartum depression. This condition is one of the main complications of pregnancy. Our article today is to inform you about this condition so that the women who are going through the pregnancy or have been within a year of their delivery can learn the different aspects of postpartum depression.

Now as we know as to what postpartum depression is, we must now know as to what are the different reasons that cause this depression. There are a lot of factors that lead to postpartum depression, which includes anxiety regarding the concerns for the health of the baby, little or no support from family and friends, excessive workloads. There could be a bout of severe depression if the individual has gone through problems with previous pregnancy, financial problems, marital issues, pregnancy at young age etc.

All these factors lead to excessive bouts of depression and can affect the health of both the mother and the child and thus can complicate the pregnancy. Apart from all the reasons mentioned above, doctors state that during pregnancy, the women have very high levels of estrogen and progesterone and when the women have given child to birth, the levels of these hormones rapidly turn back to normal and the sudden drop of these hormones to reach the normal levels make the women go through the bouts of depression.

The doctors also state that after giving birth, the levels of the thyroid hormones also drop very rapidly and then decreased levels of thyroid hormones cause depressed mood.

Some other factors that cause depression after birth are decreased sleep, doubts of being inability to take care of the child, thoughts about whether she will be a good mother or not, thoughts about whether the figure would ever be regained or not. All of the symptoms mentioned above leads to excessive crying episodes, feeling a whole lot irritable, trouble focusing on things, a feeling of being worthless, emotional lability etc.

It is being seen that women normally do not discuss about postpartum depression because they feel that it would be perceived in a very odd way and no one will understand them and due to the fact, they do not discuss anything about what they are going through. When you feel that you are going through the symptoms that are mentioned above, you must share your thoughts with your doctor and ask for their help. You can also sought help through a counselor and can attend group sessions where different women who are pregnant are attending a group meeting and discussing the different things that they are going through, which will give you strength and will help you get out of the depression problems you are going through.

What To Do When You Know You Are Suffering From Depression

by depressiondoctor on April 11th, 2006

When you have determined the fact that you are going through the signs and symptoms of depression, you need to know as to what is the next best thing to do. Because if you let those feelings go unnoticed, they are just going to grow and grow and will be taking all over you.

The best thing to do when you have determined that you are going through depression is that you must share your feelings with the ones who you trust. Those can be your parents, anyone in the siblings who you are close with, your friends, any one with whom you will be feeling comfortable to share your feelings with.

The most important thing to know is that you must talk and not isolate yourself, because if you are going to isolate yourself, you are going to try to fight it alone, and believe me it is not easy to fight the feelings of depression alone. You need to talk with someone because you will feel the weight being lifted off of your chest and you will get the smooth feeling inside you.

Even if you get that smooth feeling inside you for a few moments, it is going to be amazing because it is then that you would be starting to open yourself more and not let the bad feelings grow inside you and let them out. What you need is a vent out of the feelings, so that you are able to feel yourself again.

Do not get me wrong, but you will see that when you will start to open up, you will feel much much better than you had been and once you have crossed that barrier of not sharing to sharing, you must not go back in your shell and keep sharing things that grow inside of you, because this is going to save you come out of the feelings you are in and in a matter of days you will be in the moment of clarity, which will pull you out of what you are in now.

Depression & You

by depressiondoctor on April 7th, 2006

Depression is a psychiatric disorder in which the individual can go through any of the symptoms such as they can lose the ability to concentrate, loss of sleep, loss of appetite, lack of interest in the activities that one used to have, extreme degree of sadness, feelings of guilt, feelings of helplessness and feelings of hopelessness and even to the extreme degrees one thinks about death.

Now you need to know as to what are things that you are going through from as mentioned above. It is really important that you need to identify and differentiate your different feelings so that you are able to know as to exactly the nature of your feelings. If you are able to identify any one of the feelings inside you, then you can say that you are going through a bout of depression.

You need to remember and know as to how many times you have been through these feelings so as to understand as to how long you have been going through the bouts of depression and you and neither the people around you noticed the changes in your feelings.

Do you see as to how the depression is affecting your life and how it is progressing to deteriorate the balance in your life and uprooting you slowly and gradually. You need to take this very seriously and know the fact that you need to get out of this situation you are in.

Just remember that you are the captain of your ship and you are the one who is going to steer yourself out of this situation rather than any other person. You need to grip yourself and need to know that you need to stop the things that are growing inside of you and see as to how you would be able to come out of it.

This is a war between you and your state that is trying to overcome you and you can beat this thing that is creeping up on you. It is really very important that you feel your heart and do not let yourself drown in the feelings that you are in because this is the time that you realize that you need to take off the cloak of the feelings that you are getting into.

I believe that you can come out of it and can win over the feelings that are trying to cover you all.