Depression Treatment

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Understand Different type of Depression Treatment Regimens

Depression has become one of the most prevalent health issues in many countries around the world. In fact, studies reveal that a majority of people will experiencing clinical depression at some point during their lifetimes. As a result, we should at least have a basic awareness of what different depression treatment regimens are available in the market.

Change of lifestyle

If an individual is suffering from a mild, isolated case of depression, the effective depression treatment regimens may include change of lifestyle including more sleep, diet adjustment and increased exercise. In some circumstances, a combination of these resources gives effective result in beating the blue.

Professional advice and Medication

Some of the people find themselves suffering a more serious bout of depression. In that case, a depression treatment program must include professional assistance. When consulting with a qualified health care professional, a depression treatment program that includes therapy and medications are likely to be recommended.

Therapy is an important element in the depression treatment regimens as it assists the afflicted patient discovering the root causes of the depressive illness. While medications are helpful to aid in the reduction of the symptoms that commonly associated with a depressive illness.

Hospitalization

In some condition, a depressive illness is so serious that the depression treatment regimens include inpatient hospitalization. Normally, a person who is hospitalized for depressive illness will only be confined for a short period of time, with the purpose of emotion stabilization. The long term treatment will be conducted on an outpatient basis.

EST (electro-shock therapy)

EST is one of the depression treatment regimens that used by some of the mental health care professionals for patients who have a more profound depressive illness. For some period of time in the 1970s and 1980s, EST as a depression treatment option was frowned upon by a wide sector of the mental health care professional community.

In recent years, the techniques associated with EST have been refined and some doctors have come to see beneficial results in their patients who are subjected to a depression treatment regimen that using EST. Anyway, EST is mean to use only in a limited number of cases, normally in a more severe and unabated patient. Similar with other depression treatment regimens, patients who receive EST also participate in a course of therapy to try and discover the root causes of the depressive illness.

EEG Biofeedback (Neurofeedback) Training

One of the depression treatment regimens is EGG Biofeedback, using the brain wave training mechanism. Without any medication, a lot of people have encouraged results using it. The overall success rate (with good and bad clinicians) is considered to be about 85%. Anyway, the cost of 60 recommended sessions with half hour each time in conjunction with the professional advice is ranging from $4500 to over $10,000. It is expensive and is above the ability of most mid and low income families.

Indeed, when it comes to depression treatment, there are a number of different options available in the market. Every depression symptoms should be treated case by case basis, and please consult with your physician before starting any depression treatment regimens.

Friday, October 16, 2009

Causes of Depression

Depression is a mental disorder that we really should take a look at its causes. In any given year, there are over 14 million adults in the U.S. are affected by major depressive disorder, or with its common name as depression. From that figure, there are approximately 10% of women and 4% of men with aged 18 and older take antidepressant for depression.

In fact, there are many theories about causes of depression but nobody knows exactly what they are. Anyway, studies have revealed some of the factors that contribute to the probability of people developing depression.

1) Stress
Stress takes the first place prize in the causes of depression. It is true that any stressful environment or situation can lead to depression, including social stress, loss a job, relationship difficulties, worry about money, overload of duties, lifestyle out of control, pressures of school homework and getting good grades. Stressful situations just keep changing.

2) Drinking and Drugs
Studies reveal that people who take drugs and alcohol are more prone to depression. When these substances are used at a young age, they can effect a person's brain in negative ways in long run. These substances help make the person feel good temporarily, but in most cases, people become addicted afterwards.

Drugs can assist in dopamine releasing in the pleasure center of the brain. For instance, delicious food boosts dopamine release by about 50%. However, drugs can increase dopamine release anywhere from 4 to 10 times. This unnatural high almost certainly leads to depression after the high goes away.

This substance is the surest way to fry brain circuitry. Drugs make a person depressed more than it makes him happy in the long run. This effect will spiral downward until the person doing drugs will want more and more of it in order to break the cycle of depression that follows each high and so the addiction is born.

3) Physical Changes to the Body
Physical changes that occur to our bodies can also lead to depression. Severe medical conditions such as Parkinson's disease, heart attacks, strokes and diabetes can make the people believe that there is nothing worthwhile living for because the body can no longer do the things their mind expect it to do. This can create a believe that life tends to be meaningless and it becomes easier for them to slip into negative spiral of emotions. When individual feel depressed, it will delay the rate of recovery.

4) Lack of Sleep
Researches indicate that up to 40% of adults do not get the proper amount of sleep per day and among students, up to 71% complain of sleep disorders and lack of sleep. We know that sleep is essential to an individual's health. During sleep, the body repairs itself and reorganizes thought. Lack of sleep contributes to a lack of coherence in brain waves. This scenario can lead to depression. Sleeping during the day and staying up late also interferes with the body's natural rhythms. This can lead to a sense of depression too.

5) Low self esteem
Low self esteem and pessimism are one of the factors that relate to the causes of depression. With these negative mood traits, an individual may regard themselves with feelings of hopeless, worthlessness, a desire to end their life and may even attempts for a suicide. The worse thing is people who suffers from low self esteem tend to see their lives in the negative perspective. These low self esteem and pessimistic feelings, together with other factors such as stress, can create a potential for depression and may indeed invoke a response towards depression.

Besides the 5 causes of depression mentioned above, other causes of depression include death, change of job, genetic traits, moving from one place to another etc. Even the fear of the unknown can cause depression and the list is endless. While some of these events cannot be avoided, we must come up with an effective depression coping mechanism and get some overcome depression tips to be able to thrive in any situation.

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Use Natural Remedy to Beat Depression, Anxiety and Stress

There are a lot of natural remedies for depression treatment in the market that you can use to relieve and also prevent your depression, anxiety and stress. The use of herbal remedies can help you with your depression and anxiety naturally, safely and effectively. One of these natural remedies for depression treatment is Rhodiola Rosea. Rhodiola Rosea is considered as one of the best natural remedies that efficiently addresses the different and devastating symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress.

Also known as Golden Root or Rose Root, Rhodiola Rosea is a native plant of arctic Siberia and is a popular plant in traditional medical systems in Eastern Europe and Asia. For centuries, it has been used with a reputation for stimulating the nervous system, decreasing depression and fatigue, enhancing work performance, treating nervous system disorders and preventing high altitude sickness.

Besides Rhodiola Rosea, there are over 200 different species of Rhodiola have been identified and at least 20 of them are used in traditional medical systems in Asia. They include Rhodiola Alterna, Rhodiola Brevipetiolata, Rhodiola Crenulata, Rhodiola Kirilowii, Rhodiola Quadrifida, Rhodiola Sachalinensis and Rhodiola Sacra.

In fact, Rhodiola Rosea has been intensively studied in Russia and Scandinavia for more than 35 years, and it has been included officially in Russian medicine since 1969. Despite its long history, the western world has just recently become aware of the health benefits provided by Rhodiola Rosea. It has caught the attention of many natural health practitioners because of studies which tested its affects on beating anxiety and stress, and thus help in depression treatment.

Rhodiola Rosea is considered as an adaptogen by Russian researchers. This is because it has an overall stabilizing effect on the body without disrupting other functions. Its ability to normalize hormones may be effective for treating depression and anxiety. Researches about Rhodiola Rosea reveal that it stimulates neurotransmitters and enhances their effects on the brain. This includes the ability for the brain to process serotonin which helps the body to adapt to stress.

Since adaptogens improve the body's overall ability to handle stress, it has been further studied to identify it's effects on biological, chemical and physical stress. A research was performed to test the effects of Rhodiola Rosea when stress is caused by intense mental work such as final examination. Such tests concluded that using Rhodiola Rosea improved the amount and quality of work, increased the mental clarity and reduced the fatigue effects.

Apart from that, the effect of Rhodiola Rosea has also been tested on stress and anxiety from both physical and emotional sources. A study by the American Botanical Council indicates that "Most consumers discover that it improves their mood, energy level, and mental clarity". Besides, it was also reported that the indicated Rhodiola Rosea could increase stress tolerance while at the same time protecting the brain and heart from the physical affects of stress. These studies reveal that Rodiola Rosea does help in treating or preventing depression as stres and anxiety are one of the main cause of depression.

If you want to try Rhodiola Rosea, the common recommended dose is 200-600mg/day, while the active properties should be a minimum 0.8% of salidroside and 3% of rosavin. When you are on the shop, please be aware because Rhodiola may be sold using other species that do not share the properties of Rhodiola Rosea, or at ineffective strengths for treatment. Make sure you buy the correct one.

If you suffer from any depression symptoms such as anxiety, feelings of helplessness, loss of sound sleep etc, please check with a health professional when treating these symptoms using Rhodiola Rosea.

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Relationship Between Depression and Anxiety

Depression and anxiety appear to be two different conditions but they can both exist at the same time and many of the symptoms overlap and can intertwine over time. Researches have indicated that the two disorders coexist more often than not. From the study, 60% to 70% of people who suffer from depression also suffer from anxiety disorder.

In fact, depression is a serious illness and is the most common type of mental illness. When you picture someone in depression, you may think of all the common depression symptoms associated with it such as despair, hopelessness, anger, fatigue, an unwillingness to be a part of society and a feeling of being overwhelmed by everyday life. A depressed individual usually withdraws into themselves and seek to cut off all ties with the outside humanity.

Anxiety attacks on the other hand seem to take place without any reason at all. Feelings of worry and panic take place in situations in which the majority people would be completely c alm. These anxiety attacks occur on suddenly with no alarm and with no outright reason for them to occur. After a short time, a sufferer of these attacks begins to live in fear, wondering what time the next one is going to take place. Before long, and without treatment, both anxiety and depression can commence to affect the sufferers lives in pessimistic ways such as not allowing them to last a occupation, maintain a relationship, or even mix up into society.

What many sufferers of these two diseases do not realize is that either one can be in the lead to the other. Being depressed can weigh heavily on the mind and causing the depressed person through a maze of uncommon emotions. This can lead to anxiety and eventually panic attacks. Panic attacks indicate a loss of control and when this happens more and more often, the sufferer can get in depression their state of not knowing if and what time the subsequent attack will occur.

The reason why these two disorders seem to occur at the same period is still largely unknown. Many studies reveal that serious depression is often accompanied by an anxiety disorder. Both are likely caused by an imbalance inside brain chemistry, but why the two seemingly opposite disorders can coexist in the same person cannot be justified exactly. What is understood regarding anxiety disorder is that the fight-or-flight reaction inside the brain does not act the way it is supposed to. It can go off at any moment, even in seemingly peaceful situations.

One phenomenon that psychologist consent on is that having a combination depression and anxiety is much more devastating than having solely one or the other, which take longer time and harder effort to resolve. Study has also revealed that individuals who suffer from anxiety and depression both come up with a much higher suicide rate.

Luckily, depression and anxiety may still be treated. Anyway, we need to aware that treating depression and anxiety is a long process, which length depends on the response of the patient. The common ways of treating depression and anxiety include using antidepressant medications, where when these medications are used in conjunction with psychotherapy therapy, individual has a higher success rate of beating the blues.

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

The Relationship Between Diet and Depression

We know that our diet plays an important role in maintaining overall health. However, not much people understand the relationship between depression and diet. In fact, diet has direct link to depression, and we may make use of correct diet and some supplements instead of antidepressant to ease the depression and depression symptoms.

Essential fatty acid
Studies have revealed that there is a strong relationship between the lack of essential fatty acid ie. omega-3 fatty acid consumption and many behavioral conditions like depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder and Alzheimer's disease. In fact, lack of omega-3 fatty acid can weaken the cellular function and brain metabolism. Besides stay physically active and make effort to reduce stress, we can actually reduce the symptoms that come with depression by consuming more omega-3 fatty acid.

The good sources of omega-3 fatty acid in your diet include deep water fish like salmon, mackerel, sardines, and anchovies, nuts and olive oil. Anyway, you can take fish oil supplementation if you want as it is also a good source to get enough omega-3 fatty acids.

Carbohydrates
There is a research that indicates that carbohydrates are one of the anti-depression diet. It can lessen the premenstrual syndrome. By eating a high density of carbohydrates can aid in diminishing the effect of depression as carbohydrates can repair the imbalance ration of the specific fatty acid, and thus help in reducing the risk of depression. Of course, it is recommended you consume complex carbohydrates such as vegetables, fruits and whole wheat products rather than simple carbohydrates like sweet, doughnut and white bread for overall health purpose.

Caffeine drinks
There is also a study reveals that moderate consumption of caffeine drinks can lower the symptoms of depression. Of course any excess can heighten the risk, and is not good for health. Although the doctors have formulated that you can reduce the effect of depression by drinking coffee or tea from this study, further researches are needed to support this recommendation.

Vitamin and minerals
Vitamins and minerals such as vitamin B, Iodine, vitamin C, calcium, and amino acid have been associated with some protection against depression. Niacin is also a very important in the production of tryptophan that helps promotes Vitamin B3 and it has been found out that it regulates blood flow in order to avoid mental depression. In addition, Vitamin B12 and calcium ingredients may help in reducing depression symptoms that take place especially during the monthly menstrual period. There was a study conducted in the year 2001, showing that this vitamin and mineral can prevent postpartum depression.

In fact, choosing the right diet for depression is one of the most effective weapons to vanish the blues. You can see some improvement by only changing your diet and have some supplements. Of course, you need to aware that there are also certain habits that contain harmful substances that may trigger the symptoms of depression, such as drink alcoholic beverages, too much cigarette smoking, and drug overdose. So, choose your food wisely and have a proper diet in order to get rid of depression.
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Sunday, September 13, 2009

Flowers do Minimize the Feeling of Depressed?

We know that flowers are the most popular gifts for variety occasions such as birthday, wedding, graduation, valentine's day, and mother's day etc. Have you ever wondered why flowers play such as important role in any function? Why do people spend so much time planting and caring for flowers although they do not provide us with food, clothing fibers or any other item that considered a need for survival?

The answer is simple but very important. Flowers do provide us happiness, and thus help in depression in certain extent. Study conducted at Rutgers University, the State University of New Jersey offers scientific proof that flowers do provide happiness, and play an important role in our emotional well being. The study was lasted for 10 months and conducted under the direction of Jeannette M. Haviland-Jones, Ph.D., who is a psychologist and internationally known expert in emotional development in human behavior. The most interesting about this study is that it challenges established scientific beliefs about how people can manage their day-to-day moods in a healthy and natural way. Study shows 3 main results: 1) Flowers immediately affect happiness; 2) the impact of flowers is positive and long-term; 3) flowers do help in building connections between people.
With the stress of modern life nowadays, isn't it nice to know that by taking the simple step of purchasing flowers, you can quickly improve your own mood or someone else's? And the best part is, the flowers you buy for yourself will make those who see them happy as well. You can place them in a high-traffic area like the entry way to your living hall, on your kitchen table, or in the family's sitting room. Dr. Haviland-Jones agrees and says: "Flowers create positive motional feelings in those who enter a room. They make the space more welcoming and create a sharing atmosphere."

If you feel depressed, just use some flowers decorating your house. You will feel much better. You can also buy flowers for someone who is ill or being depressed and this is one of the kindest things that you can do. It is an easy task that you can accomplish very quickly with just a few clicks of your mouse, or you may even plant your own flowers and add some simple decoration before send them out. When you find out that someone is not feeling well or having medical problems, just send them something that will show them how much they mean to you. And flowers are always a good choice.

Besides that, you can always boost the mood of your employees and customers by placing flowers in your lobby and in areas used by your employees, such as the break room, cafeteria, or meeting rooms. You will be benefited by having a more beautiful workplace and you'll see more smiles around the office.

In fact, some flowers are used to come up with remedies that are said to be a good cure for many emotional disorders such as stress and anxiety caused by a variety of reasons. In some cases, the flower essences worked better than other forms of treatment that used to treat the negative emotions in humans. So, do not underestimate the positive power of flowers offer us. Make use of these natural blessings if you or your friends feel depressed.

How Do You Know If You Are Diagnosed with Depression?

Depression is a mental disorder that affects your life because it affects your behavior towards yourself, the people around you, your work, your hobbies and almost every thing you see. Although everyone has experienced sadness, down in their lives and feelings of being depressed, people that are suffering from true depression have many frequent and recurring long-term symptoms, causing them view life as something not worth living. In fact, depression happens to at least 20 million American adults every year.

How would you know if you are diagnosed with depression issue? Below are common depression symptoms that you need to aware. These symptoms might vary in different people, and if these happen to you, it might be wise for you to get medical advice.

Lack of interest in activities that you previously enjoyed, very low levels of energy
Sadness that is prolonged
Crying spells that are unexplained
Significant and abrupt changes in sleep patterns,whether sleep too little or too much, always falling asleep, wake up several times during the night
Unexplained changes in weight or appetite
Constant anger, irritability, anxiety, worry, agitation
Pessimistic approach to life, feeling of hopelessness
Recurring and frequent thoughts of death or suicide
Feeling of ezcessive guilt and unexplained sense of worthlessness
Lower concentration level and indecisiveness
Social withdrawal
Unexplained pains and aches
Extreme fatigue when you have not done much
Easily annoyed or irritable without reason

If you experience at least 5 of the above depression symptoms and have begun interfering with family activities or work for more than a week, you may be depressed. That is, however, not necessarily true. Never diagnose yourself. Likewise, you cannot rely to a friend or a member of your family for diagnosis. The best course of action is to consult a psychologist or ask your doctor for a thorough checkup. This will most probably include having a comprehensive physical examination, as some symptoms might be caused by other health problems that you have. Just be honest and open on what and how you feel.

If you want, you can try having self-evaluation tests available on the internet that could help you gauge the symptoms you have, or at least, can prepare you when you visit your doctor. Think of these tests as a way of communicating your symptoms better to a healthcare professional when you go in for a visit. Of course, online tests prove no match to an actual consultation. Just treat it as an additional reference.

Some people might experience recurring depression, which means that they experience depression episodes often, maybe once or twice in a month, at least once a year, or many times throughout their lifetimes. The important thing is do not feel embarrassed, shy, or ashamed of your depression problem. People of various ages, ethnic groups, races, and social classes get this problem. Although depression can happen at any given age, it is commonly developed in people whose ages lie between 25 and 44 year old.

So, if you have depression problem, you are not the only one. As mentioned earlier, there are more than 20 million American adults that are experiencing depression problems every day. Be persistent and patient and you will find the method or treatment that suits you best for beating the depression. You can alos get more overcome depression tips and read useful overcome depression articles as you are no risk reading them.

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

4 Useful Techniques in Managing Depression

Depression can come on us at any time of the year. In fact, managing depression is not an easy job, and sometimes depression and fears can conquer us. As a result, here is a short list of techniques that a person can use to help managing their depression besides getting their depression treatment.

1) Challenge Your Thinking
One of the overcome depression tips is to challenge and replace your negative thinking with positive statements and realistic thinking. Whenever encountering thoughts that make you down or depressed, challenge those thoughts by asking yourself questions that maintain objectivity and let you think out of the nutshell. For example, your afraid that if you do not get that job promotion then you will be stuck at your job forever. This sounds depressed for you, right? Now you can think the other way round. In fact, there are all kinds of jobs available in the market, if you do not get this job promotion it does not mean that you will never get one. In addition, people change jobs all the time espcially when there are better job opportunities. You always have that option of going elsewhere with better job opportunities if you are not happy at your present career.

2) Start a Day with the Thing You Like
Some people get depressed and have a difficult time getting out of bed in the mornings. When this happens, a person should take a deep breathe and try to find something to do to get their mind off of the problem. Always start a day with the thing you like such as a beautiful song or music, your favorite breakfast, or being waken up by alarm clock with your favorite happy song. Do something you like will get your mind off of the negative thinking and give you confidence to do other things in the rest of the day.

3) Practise Self-Visualization
Sometimes, we can get depressed over a task that we will have to perform in the near future. When this happens, visualize yourself doing the task in your mind perfectly. Visualization is a powerful tool and it has been helped over millions of people get their duties done. In fact, a lot of success people, top sales people and even athletes perform visualization before things getting happen. For example, you and your team have to play in the championship volleyball game in front of a large group of people in the next few days. Before the big day comes, visualize yourself playing the game in your mind. Visualize that you are playing in front of a large audience. By practicing the game in your mind once, you are better prepared to perform for real game when the time comes. Self Visualization is indeed a great way to reduce the fear and stress for a coming situation.

4) Always Standby a Notebook with Positive Statements
Another overcome depression technique that is very helpful is to have a small notebook of positive statements that make you feel good. Whenever you come across an affirmation that makes you feel good or happy, write it down in a small notebook that you can carry around with you in your pocket. In fact, you can write down whatever success experiences in your life that make you feel good, including how you learn a new dish, make a new friend, climb over a mountain, do some charity job etc in your notebook. Whenever you feel depressed, open up your small notebook and read those statements. Your down feeling will be lesson or swept away immediately by those positive statements.

The above 4 techniques are some basic ways to manage your depression. However, your best depression treatment is always getting some help from professional medical advice.

Understand Different Type of Antidepressant Medications

There are different types of antidepressant medications available in the market for depression treatment. These medications include monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs), tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs), selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), novel antidepressants, and tetracyclic antidepressants.

MAOIs function by inhibiting monoamine oxidase, a complex enzyme system that metabolizes excess serotonin and epinephrine. It holds the negativity of inducing potential life-threatening problems and therefore cannot be used in patients with congestive cardiac failure or in those with a history of liver disease. It is unsafe for those who are hypersensitive to its ingredients. Apart from that, it should be used only after other available antidepressant medications options to treat depression.

TCAs work mainly by inhibiting the reuptake of both norepinephrine and serotonin. In fact, patient experiences quite similar side effects from MAOIs and TCAs. However, the frequency of TCAs side effects is much lesser than MAOIs and thus TCAs enjoy a higher acceptance rate by the patients. The potential side effects of TCAs include allergic reactions, blood cell problems, blurred vision, dry mouth, weakness, fatigue, weight gain, constipation, difficulty with urination, sexual dysfunction, sweating, muscle twitches, rash, dizziness, tremors etc.

SSRIs serve by inhibiting the serotonin reuptake and are considered the most popular, effective and safe prescription medications. Prozac, a drug of this class, has shown significant success in the treatment of depression and prevention of suicide. It exhibits less potential side effects as compared to TCAs and MAOIs, and is well tolerated.

SNRIs (desipramine, duloxetine, nefazodone, and venlafaxine) serve a depression patient by aiming to keep both serotonin and norepinephrine at the right level. Nefazodone alleviates anxiety, causes some sedation and positively affects sleep. Venlafaxine (Effexor) has significant anticholinergic effects such as dry mouth, blurred vision, urinary hesitancy, and constipation, induces sedation and has potential withdrawal effects.

The drug bupropion (Wellbutrin, Wellbutrin SR) is the most commonly used member of the novel antidepressant class. It is unique in its efficiency to inhibit the reuptake of dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine.

The most common adverse effects of mirtazapine, a tetracyclic antidepressant include increased appetite, weight gain, lethargy and dizziness. Mirtazapine acts by increasing the amount of noradrenaline and serotonin, and is of benefit in particular for the treatment of depression accompanied with anxiety, agitation and /or sleep disturbances.

We need to aware that these therapeutic groups noramlly share the similarity of relieving depressive symptoms in the same period of time, about 1 to 4 weeks. Always go for medical advice before have them. Apart from that, you can always improve your depression status by adopting some overcome depression tips in your daily lives.

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Acknowledge Your Depression

We need to know that depression is an illness and needs to be acknowledged as such so that treatment can be done as early as possible. It is not a reason to be ashamed. The reason so many people fail to seek help for depression treatment is that they are ashamed. Unfortunately, this is also one of the feelings associated with depression that makes the illness difficult to be acknowledged.

Acknowledge and Get a Talk
Everyone got up and down in their lives. It is normal that we feel sad at some point in our lives but depression is far more than that. In some cases, acknowledging depression might be difficult because you have lived with it for so long that you don't even aware it is a depression. If you have grown up with depression it is possible not to realise that you are actually depressed because you have no idea on how normal people should feel. You may feel angry all the time or you may feel like going to the middle of an empty field and simply screaming. You may feel anxious, suffer from loss of sleeping or even sleep too much. You may think that your family would be better off without you, and actually believe that to be true. You may have considered running away or suicide, and worry about death. You just think negatively all the time.

If you constantly feel particularly low, well-meaning friends might tell you this scenario and try to cheer you up. Anyway, sometimes they can get irritated by your mood too and start to avoid you. Your depression will feed off this negativity and you start to wonder why you can't step out of the moody situation. By then, you start to feel that there are something wrong with you and you feel so bad all the time. You might feel everything just not go to your way and you start to lose temper easily, especially to your close family members and friends.

If you feel any or all of the above symptoms, then you need to talk to someone. Even it is just a friend or family member to start with, they may be able to advise you and encourage you to seek professional help. Once you have acknowledged that you have this symptoms please remember that it is a medical condition and can be cured. Remember, you don't have to feel this way for the rest of your life. Just talk to someone.

Seek for Medical Advice
When you acknowledge there is something wrong with you right now, it is better to go for a medical advice besides talk to someone because you deserve treatment in the same way as any other illness. It is just similar to the case that if you had a cold for six months, you won't ignore it and hope it recovering by itself. What you normally do is you will dose yourself up with anything you can find. The bigger possibility is you will see a doctor and find out if there is an underlying reason for it to last so long.

Go for Counseling
If your doctor cannot help you they may refer you for counseling. Don't be embarrassed to go for counseling but do make sure you are comfortable with your counselor. If you don not feel comfortable with that particular counselor, try another practitioner. In any situation, counseling should not be discounted, therefore you need to get a counselor that you can trust and feel comfortable to get along. Anyway, you must be sure that it is a personality clash and not just that you don't agree with what they are saying if you need a counselor change. A general rule is to go with your instincts. If you like the person and seemed to get on well in the first couple of sessions then stick with it because they might just have touched on your root causes of depression.

Please don't give up trying ways to conquer depression if you have suffered from it. Get overcome depression tips, seek and accept help and you will find that there is a different way of seeing life. Remember, you are definitely can live as other people live, and do whatever thing worth doing in your live.

4 Effective Ways for Minor Depression Treatment

Depression can be a serious disorder that affects day to day life and has destroyed over millions of families. If you or any of your family members have depression symptoms, then you need to aware and acknowlegde it, and look for ways to beat the blues or seek help from others as soon as possible. It is usually easier to handle and treat at the initial stage of depression.

Below are 4 effective ways for minor depression treatment:
1. Adopt a pet
Studies reveal that individuals who own pets such as cats or dogs, live a happier and healthier life. The main reason is because pets provide companionship and unconditional love. You can always share out your secret pleasant or unpleasant things with them, and you will feel better immediately after you speak out the sad things. Besides, when you touch or hug your pets, the action itself also helps in eliminating depression and stress.

2. Perform Regular Exercise
A regular fitness regimen may help to treat depression, including walking, swimming, a leisurely jog or performing regular exercise at fitness center. Any regular exercise will do because your body will produce more "happy chemicals" named endorphins when you exercise, and this help in reducing stress and making you feel happy. In fact, experts believe that walking for 30 minutes each day may help to ease stress and anxiety, which often lead to depression, besides improve the cardiovascular health.

3. Find a Hobby that you Enjoy
If you have too much time on your hands, you can consider a volunteering job at a local hospital or get yourself involved in some type of community activities that offers you personal satisfaction and enjoyment. After all, busy hands are happy hands especially when you have chances to help those unfortunate people. What you need to do is just stepping out and find something that you feel meaningful and enjoy to do.

4. Get Enough Sleep
The loss of sleep is one of the leading causes of stress and anxiety, which are directly related to depression. In order to improve your sleep quality, make sure your mattress is comfortable, along with your pillow. Keep your bedroom at a comfortable temperature so that you can sleep soundly through the night without being disrupted by hot or cold temperatures. Besides, paint soft and light color in your bedroom instead of hot color such as red that keep you awake all night long. You also can get help of some music to sleep well.

Besides apply the above overcome depression tips, it would be the best if you can find out the root cause of your depression and try to remove it from your life. If your work is too stressful due to the amount of hours spent on the job, consider cutting back overtime in exchange for more enjoyment at home and with family members. If your schoolwork is too demanding, discuss with your family members and consider evaluating your courses.

If relationship issue is what has you in a rut, consider a counseling session for couples or talk with your partner about whatever thing that border you. If the problem is too great to work through, consider some time apart to reevaluate your relationship and see if the depression eases after a trial separation. In fact, there are always choices in any situation. List out the alternative ways in a paper and you will know there is always a solution for every question.

Lastly, please bear in mind that always seek professional medical advice relating to the depression treatment. Listen to their advice for proper diagnosis or treatment recommendation.

Top 5 Overcome Depression Tips

Life is always an interchange of up and down. So, we need to accept that being lonely is a normal part in our daily lives. Let us face it, we have all been there. Normally, We get depressed when we fail in our examination, when we are rejected by the person we love, or when someone very close to us passes away. Those things are sometimes inevitable and are just part of our lives.

Depression, however, can be more fatal than just plain loneliness. It could render life-long consequences that could ruin your self-esteem, health, and also well-being in the whole process. So, i would like to share 5 overcome depression tips with you.

1. Keep Yourself Busy with what you Love to Do
You will be more likely to overcome any feeling of depression if you keep yourself busy doing the activities you love doing the most. If you are a little short on cash, you can always engage in simple activities such as take a leisurely stroll in the park, play any type of sports, read a motivation book, or engage in any activity that you have passion for and would love to pursue. Besides, set a goal on the thing you love to do. For example, if you like to cook, then set a goal to cook at least one new dishes in a week time. You will feel satisfied when you can serve your family members or friends a new dish and they will thank you for the effort.

2. Get enough Exposure of Light and Sunshine
Lack of exposure to sunlight leads to the secretion of the hormone called Melatonin, which can trigger a dispirited mood and/or a lethargic condition. Melatonin is only produced in the dark, and it lowers the body temperature and makes you feel sluggish. If you are always cooped up in your room especially with the curtains closed, it would be difficult to restrain yourself from staying in bed. This is the reason why many people suffer from depression much more often in winter than in other seasons. It is simply because the nights are longer. If you can't afford to get some sunshine, then you can always lighten up your room with brighter lights to help offset the darkness. In normal day, you can have lunch outside the office to get sun exposure, or take frequent walks in the early afternoon instead of driving your car over short distances.

3. Allow yourself a Break
We are normal human beings and not a robot. Sometimes we need to sit back and just relax.
I mean it. You can either listen to some soft or soothing music you like, or soak in a nice warm bath. Simply take a break from your stressful workload and spend the day just goofing around doing nothing or the things you love. Just get out of your job and have fun. Life is too short as it is.

4. Maintain Healthy Diet and Perform Regular Exercise
You need to concern about diet habit for maintaining good health purpose. Avoid food with lots of sugar, caffeine or alcohol. Sugar and caffeine may give you a brief moment of energy, but they will later bring about anxiety, tension and internal problems. Alcohol on the other hand is a depressant. There are many people drink alcohol simply to "forget their problems" for temporary. After all, drinking won't help in solving problems, and just aggravate the whole conditions.

Apart from that, please exercise regularly, at least 3 times a week. In fact, exercising regularly is a vital depression buster. This is because when you exercise, your body will produce more endorphins than usual. With the name of "the happy chemicals", endorphins are good stress-reducing and happiness-inducing properties.

5. Get a Social Life outside of work
We live in a society, and no one means to stay alone. We all need friends because they are the people who can give you moral support. Spend time and engage in worthwhile activities with them can give you a very satisfying feeling. And we all know that nothing feels better than having a group support. You will feel being cared and loved by simply a touch, a hug or a pat on your back. So, do establish close ties with your family and friends. The love and care expressed by others could tremendously boost your immune system and fend off illnesses.

Please give above 5 overcome depression tips a try and see how they work out for you. It is important that no matter how difficult or discouraging life can be, always remain firm and have an unshakable belief that you are capable of doing anything you desire. With this kind of positive attitude, you will attain a cheerful disposition to beat the blues.

Saturday, August 22, 2009

Know the 10 Common Symptoms Of Depression

There are approximately 9.5% of the American population suffers from depression every year. Depression in fact is a grave disorder that affects day to day life and destroys families. It is a illness that controls the mind and its functions causing loss of appetite, sleeplessness, mood swings, and a deep sense of despair.

The symptoms of depression are varied and the severity varies from people and time. According to experts, depression can be either an inherited disorder, or caused by life threatening illnesses, or stress. Other causes of depression include certain diseases, medicines, drugs, alcohol, or mental illnesses. Women are seen to experience depression possibility more than men due to hormonal swings, menstrual cycle changes, pregnancy, miscarriage, pre-menopause, and post-menopause.

Depression Symptoms
Common depression symptoms include:

Unshakeable sadness, anxiety, or emptiness.
Overwhelming hopelessness accompanied by pessimistic feelings.
Extreme guilt, feelings of helplessness, and no sense of self worth.
Loss of energy, a slowing down of metabolism, and activity levels. Being plagued by constant fatigue.
A sense of helplessness along with an increasing inability to focus and indecisiveness.
Loss of sound sleep and development of extreme insomnia.
Inexplicable weight loss or weight gain. Triggered by loss of appetite or eating binges.
Brooding and suicidal inclinations.
Irritability, short temper, as well as restlessness.
Physical afflictions like headaches, digestive disorders, and chronic pain for no particular reason.

If you or your partner experiences any of the above along with a mass change in behavior, please consult a doctor. He will give you a thorough examination to rule out physical causes for depression as well as any underlying medical problems. He will recommend that you consult a psychiatrist or psychologist if it is neccessary.

Get Rid of Depression
Actually, we should live our lives in positive way, no matter you experience depression or not. Always care for yourself and your friends surrounding you, by reminding each other the below positive steps:

Cut out from you life terms like exhaustion, worthlessness, and hopelessness.Take matters in hand and try and erase negative mindset from your mind.
Change your life by setting yourself a few new goals: learn a foreign language, cook a new dish once every week, have a short vacation once every month etc.
Try to relax through meditation and soft music.
Start new activities that absorb your time as well as interests such as read positive motivational books. You can easily find a role model in your life from these books.
Go out and meet people and participate in group activities such as cooking class, yoga class etc.
Avoid the company of negative people. Run away from them if you can!
Make up your mind to enjoy a movie, ballgame, family outing, picnic, or trek.
Be positive, self confident, and have faith in yourself. Faith itself is a great healer.
Decide to change your world for the better. Yes, your world is starting to change at the moment you make the decision.

If you suffer from depression, please take necessary steps include having depression treatment as recommended by doctor. Depression treatment can includes: Anti-depressant medicines, psychotherapy, as well as lifestyle changes. In extreme cases, electroconvulsive therapy or light therapy are prescribed. If your depression escalates or you are suicidal, please seek help from your family physician or health care provider. Do call a local health department, a community mental health center, or hospital or clinic. Always remember, there is someone will always extend a helping hand and guide you through the crisis.

Depression Treatment

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Understand Different type of Depression Treatment Regimens

Friday, October 16, 2009

Causes of Depression

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Use Natural Remedy to Beat Depression, Anxiety and Stress

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Relationship Between Depression and Anxiety

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

The Relationship Between Diet and Depression

Sunday, September 13, 2009

Flowers do Minimize the Feeling of Depressed?

How Do You Know If You Are Diagnosed with Depression?

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

4 Useful Techniques in Managing Depression

Understand Different Type of Antidepressant Medications

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Acknowledge Your Depression

4 Effective Ways for Minor Depression Treatment

Top 5 Overcome Depression Tips

Saturday, August 22, 2009

Know the 10 Common Symptoms Of Depression

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Sunday, September 13, 2009

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Saturday, August 22, 2009

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