Battling Depression

Don’t Pretend! It Doesn’t Help!

HART (1-800-HART) — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 16:47:20 +0000

By M Walker

I think for most of my post-natal depression I felt as if I was permanently constrained by chains and that someone else had control of my life. It was as if even though I desperately wanted to break free, I just didn’t know how to.

The funny thing is too, I love writing and I love to keep a diary on my children when I remember, but in the throws of my depression I just didn’t know how to even pick up a pen, let alone describe what I was going through. How could I tell others what I was experiencing when I didn’t even know myself? How could I tell people that I wasn’t enjoying motherhood? Needless to say my diary during my thickest bout of depression was quite slim and in fact only 2 lines were taken up to discuss months of torment and anguish and the confusion that I felt at that time in my life.

How could I write when I could barely sit still for longer than 2 minutes? I was way too agitated to sit down, to type at a computer, analyse me thoughts and put them to paper in a logical fashion. Infact I was way too agitated to barely do anything. For me, everything at this time was a real struggle.

Infact it was at least 12 months later that I was able to write about my experiences with post-natal depression and start telling more people about my time back then. I was so ashamed that I had failed in my parenting duties, that I just didn’t want anyone to know the truth. So emotionally I guess it took quite some time before I could accept the illness as a part of me, without me having to have been the cause of it. In time I eventually learnt to come to terms with what went on at that time in my life and how to move forward.

I remember telling everyone I was exhausted and that the exhaustion and anxiety only lasted 2-3 weeks, but the reality is that it lasted for 2-3 months, if not longer. There were still times in January when I fretted if I was left alone or around too many people-but I think by the time we got into mid February I was almost back to normal. I know 2-3 months is not very long at all compared to what some women have been through, but for me it was still a very frightening and uncertain time in my life.

I tell everyone now that that was when I had my little breakdown-trying to make light of it-and you know what, I feel like I did. I was at the lowest point that I had been since I had Abbey and I guess from there the only way was up-mind you it took me a long time to figure out which way was up.

In my diary I say Christmas came and went without too much hassle-what a lie that was. I was at a Christmas party over the road and had to leave early as I started freaking out with so many people around-I made a very quick exit and a feeble excuse about a bad headache. Christmas day with my family was okay, but I hated every minute with Paul’s family-there were so many adults and kids there and I felt so claustrophobic that I just needed to run and scream. None of Paul’s family knew so I had to continue on as best as I could-god I hated that day and quite possibly myself for having to pretend.

We then went to Adelaide for a 2 week holiday and I also started freaking out-I desperately wanted to be left alone but just couldn’t stand to be on my own-it was such a weird time. I think for Paul (my husband), he felt like he couldn’t ever do or say the right thing. We also had Paul’s 10 year old son (Taylor) on holiday with us for the first time-so it was even extra trying than it would normally have been. I remember thinking I just want to go home and see Mum. Eventually I was able to settle down a bit and we moved onto a beautiful spot in the country where we had our own house and plenty of room to move. There I felt at peace, at least for a little while anyway.

From M.Walker. For more information on post-natal depression and where you can go to get help, please visit my website at www.mothersinneed.com

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10 Questions to Ask Before Hospitalizing Your Kid in a Psychiatric Facility

HART (1-800-HART) — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 04:28:46 +0000

By: Mike Shery

As a parent, you are likely to be one of the first to recognize when your child may have a serious emotional or behavioral problem. What do you do first? What if someone you consulted has recommended that your child be hospitalized in a psychiatric facility?

Before doing anything else, gently engage your child in a dialogue about his or her feelings. You should also discuss your concerns with your kids teachers, coaches, school counselors or any other adults who may know him or her well. In many circumstances, this alone may be sufficient to begin the process of a sound resolution to the problem without more serious interventions, like hospitalization.

However, the following are some red flags which would indicate that it may be appropriate for you to assess the need for professional treatment options, such as, a psychiatric evaluation.

If you discover that your child has been sexually abused, delinquent, abusing drugs or alcohol or getting in trouble with the law, you may feel furious or panicked. As a matter of fact, you may not know what to say or do.

At this point it may be appropriate to consult a mental health professional ,apprise him or her of the situation, and ask for a recommendation.

If treatment in a psychiatric facility was recommended for your child, you may be frightened and confused. Hospitalization can be one of a range of viable options for your son or daughter. As a parent, however, you will gain a better understanding of your childs proposed treatment by receiving answers to the following questions:

1. Exactly why is inpatient treatment being recommended and how is it supposed to help?

2. What other alternatives are appropriate for my son or daughter besides treatment in a hospital, and how do they compare?

3. Specifically, what type of therapies will be included while he or she is in the hospital and how are they better than outpatient therapy?

4. How will our child be able to keep up with his or her school work while in the facility?

5. Will my child receive in depth psychological testing and psychotherapy by a clinical psychologist while hospitalized? Or will the treatment mainly consist of drug therapy by a psychiatrist?

6. How long do you expect that our child will be in the hospital, what are the fees and what avenues are open to us to pay for these services?

7. If the insurance company denies or severely restricts coverage and we can no longer afford to keep our child in the hospital, what alternatives are available if inpatient treatment is still necessary?

8. As parents, how will we be involved in our childs treatment, including the decision for his or her discharge and after-care? Will we be attending family counseling sessions regularly?

9. What criteria will be used to discharge our kid from the facility?

10. When our child is discharged, will it be necessary for him or her to receive follow-up care? If so, will it include regular psychotherapy to get to the heart of the matter, or just refinement of the medication plan? How will the family be involved and how much will it cost?

Hospital treatment is an important matter. You should raise the above questions before your child or adolescent is admitted to the hospital. It is crucial that you are informed and included as part of your childs treatment. Only then can you become all important contributors to it.

If after asking the above questions, you still have concerns, never hesitate to get a second opinion.

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Dr Shery is in Cary, IL, near Algonquin, Crystal Lake, Marengo and Lake-in-the-Hills. He’s an expert psychologist. Call 1 847 516 0899 and make an appt or learn more about counseling at: Raise Capital in 90 Days Online - Now! Learn How This Works .. Bedzzz Inn, Inc Raised $92,867 with this system!

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Facing Depression

HART (1-800-HART) — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 12:47:40 +0000

By Nancy Hine

These days hardly a week seems to go by without my hearing some news item relating to depression. You would have to have your head buried in the sand not to be aware that diagnosis is increasing, that prescription of antidepressants has reached an all time high and that the effectiveness of antidepressants is being challenged.

So how does all this affect you if you are depressed? Despite NICE guidelines recommending counselling rather than antidepressants for mild to moderate depression, you are still likely to find your GP offering you antidepressants. If your doctor is enlightened enough to refer you for counselling you are likely to face a wait of several weeks, or perhaps even months, for an initial assessment and then sometimes a further wait of weeks to start your therapy. The counselling itself is then likely to be limited to six to twelve weeks, although the Department of Health’s own report in 2001 stating that ‘often 16 sessions or more may be required for symptomatic relief and longer therapies may be required to achieve lasting change in social and personality functioning’.

The government is promising to pour money into the provision of more NHS counsellors, but this is going to take some time to have any impact on the patient in the doctor’s surgery. So if you are facing depression now what can you do to help your recovery?

Private Counselling

This is an obvious alternative to waiting for limited counselling on the NHS and for those that can afford it and I would certainly recommend it as your first step. There is much talk today about Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). This has gained in status because it has been subjected to more scientific studies than other forms of therapy. This is largely because CBT has its roots in behavioural and cognitive science. Other forms of counselling have traditionally focused more on case studies, individual success stories, and so there is less scientific data to support their effectiveness. Governments like to look at hard data to make policy. However, a good therapist from any of the disciplines will be able to help you.

The most important factor in the effectiveness of counselling is the relationship between the client and the therapist. Sometimes therapy may be difficult and you may not always feel comfortable in the therapy room, but you should feel at ease with your therapist. There needs to be a degree of trust and you need to feel safe in order to explore your inner world and move forward. So if you don’t feel that the relationship with your therapist works then it may be better to try someone else.

I would recommend using the Therapist Directory on the BACP or UKCP websites to locate a therapist in your area. This ensures that your therapist has been properly trained and is following an appropriate Code of Ethics. Or, if you have found someone locally check whether they are a member of either of these bodies.

However, not everyone can afford to go private, so what other options are there?

Exercise

Exercise is increasingly being recognised as a useful tool in aiding recovery from depression. We are not yet sure why it helps. It may be to do with the effect it has on body chemistry, the social impact of exercising with others or the psychological impact of getting out of the house and doing something. Any exercise is helpful, but it is particularly beneficial if you can get out in the open air and/or exercise with other people. It can be very difficult to motivate yourself to do anything when you are depressed, so it may be a good idea to recruit a friend to help you exercise. Perhaps arrange to go to a class with someone else, if you know that will make you more likely to make the effort. Yoga postures and breathing have been suggested as particularly helpful.

Diet and Nutrition

There is some evidence that diet may be a factor in depression for some people. Certain foods can have a direct impact on your body’s physiology and hence your mood and are best avoided or reduced when depressed. These include alcohol, caffeine and sugary foods. It is also thought that deficiencies in certain substances can contribute to depression e.g. omega 3 oil and the Vitamin B complex. Some people have even found that food intolerances have contributed toward their depression. I would recommend visiting a qualified nutritionist for advice on changing your diet. Food is often a difficult issue for those who are depressed as appetite is often affected and our relationship with food is highly emotional. You may therefore find that you need to make changes gradually if they are to be effective. It is best to discuss this with your nutritionist so that they can put together a schedule for change that is manageable for you.

Herbs

The herb most commonly associated with the treatment of depression is St John’s wort. This has been widely researched and it is widely prescribed for depression in Germany where the most research has been done. Some people do seem to find it helpful, although (as with antidepressants) there is some debate over whether the effects are more of a placebo. If you want to try taking St John’s wort then you need to stop taking antidepressants first, as there are reports of negative interactions. In fact there is an increasing list of reactions with various medications, so if you are taking any medicine it is best to check with your GP for interactions first. You should also be aware that there are some reported side effects with St John’s wort, although these are relative minor e.g. dry mouth, dizziness, gut problems. As with all herbal medicines, the safest way to take them is to consult a qualified herbalist.

Complementary Therapies

There are a number of complementary therapies that claim to be able to help with depression. The most common are probably homeopathy, acupuncture and reflexology. There is anecdotal evidence of success with all three of these, but little scientific evidence at this stage. More research is needed and new ways need to be found to gather evidence as many complementary therapies are not easily tested by traditional scientific method due to their nature. If you can afford it then there is no harm in trying any of these approaches and they may actually help.

Self Help

There are things that you can do to support yourself whilst undergoing or waiting for treatment. Many of these are simple steps to surround yourself with positivity, rather than negativity. For example:

* Watch funny films, comedy TV shows, etc.
* Avoid watching the news
* Read inspiring books
* Listen to music that makes you feel good, avoid music that makes you feel bad
* Have a regular massage to help you relax
* Where possible avoid people who make you feel worse
* If you can spend more time with supportive family and friends See if there is a Depression Alliance local group in your area

Self Acceptance

Many of my clients talk about feeling guilty or lazy. They feel they should be able to ‘just snap out of it’, that they are letting other people down. There is often a lot of self hatred associated with depression. This will not help you. Accepting that you feel how you feel, that you are who you are, is the first step to recovery. This does not mean that you will never get better, or that you don’t want to get better, it’s not giving up, and it’s just accepting that in this moment this is how you feel and that’s ok. This level of self acceptance allows you to let go of a lot of guilt and negativity, which will have been using up a lot of energy and blocking your path to recovery.

Hopefully this has given you an insight into some of the steps you can take to aid your recovery. Just the act of taking a small step to help yourself can have a positive impact. However bad you may be feeling and however hard it is to believe right now, it is important to remember that most people do recover from depression.

Nancy Hine is a qualified counsellor and the author of ‘THE DEPRESSION TRAP: Ten Ways to Set Yourself Free.’ She also writes a blog on depression. For more information visit www.thedepressiontrap.com or www.nancyhine.co.uk

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Physical Causes of Anxiety

HART (1-800-HART) — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 12:43:07 +0000

By Joanne King

If you experience Anxiety & Panic Attacks it may very well be a “secondary” condition to another physical illness.

Of course, the only way to know for sure is to be as open and honest with your doctor about your symptoms and your lifestyle as possible (even if it is embarrassing).

There are so many things that can contribute or have caused your anxiety disorder and panic attacks that the list is just incredibly long.

Here are just a few possible physical causes of anxiety disorder and panic attacks:

* Low potassium levels
* High potassium levels
* Diabetes
* Depression
* Cigarette smoking
* Alcohol consumption
* Recreational Drugs
* Medications (including the one’s that are prescribed for anxiety & panic)
* Cancer
* Aids
* Malnutrition
* Kidney Disease
* Work place stress
* Marriage breakdown
* Witnessing or being a part of a traumatic event
* Dehydration
* Asthma
* Heart conditions

If your anxiety & panic attacks have become a disorder then you’re not only going to have to treat the primary cause (which could be anything from the list above and more), but also treat the anxiety & panic disorder as you have developed a new response to fear and stress.

Note: Never self diagnose. Make sure you visit your local GP first. All material provided is for informational or educational purposes only. No content is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Consult your doctor regarding the applicability of any opinions or recommendations with respect to your symptoms or medical condition.

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Depression Can Effect Seniors Too

HART (1-800-HART) — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 12:44:53 +0000

By Joanne King

One common myth about aging that many people believe is that as you grow older, you have a significantly greater risk of suffering from depression. That is simply not true, just because you are aging, does not mean you have to suffer from depression as well. All of us have to face difficult situations as we age, the loss of loved ones, the inability to do the things we once could, health issues, etc., but there are ways of dealing with all of these problems without letting yourself succumb to depression.

Current depression studies indicate that out of all adults who are at least sixty-five years young, only about fifteen percent show any symptoms that could be associated with depression. Since many of the symptoms that accompany depression can limit one’s ability to perform even daily care tasks, factor that in with the similar problems that come with aging, and many of those adults end up needing help in caring for themselves. So, if you are a senior citizen, it is important that you find ways to deal with your depression before it impacts your life, especially if you value your independence.

Another scientific study shows that elderly people who often have symptoms of severe depression for at least a six year time period are at a much greater risk of being diagnosed with cancer sometime in the near future. Not only are you more prone to develop cancer, leaving your depression untreated can also put you at risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease, which is the reason that many seniors end up in skilled care facilities each year. Family members just do not have the skills needed to handle this disease, no matter how much they want to care for their elderly, they are just unable to do so. Sooner or later, they will realize that they have got to seek help.

Depression should be treated, before it impacts your life. It is often more difficult to diagnose and treat in aging adults, but it can still be done. There are many diseases that have similar symptoms, which may cause a physician to overlook the underlying cause of all of the problems, severe depression. If there is a simultaneous medical illness, it is easy to focus on treating the illness, bypassing the depression altogether.

Elderly people often feel ashamed or embarrassed to discuss their feelings. They fail to seek treatment, thinking that they are just in a funk, and will get out of it on their own. Another reason that many elderly fail to seek medical treatment for their depression is the fact that they often live off of very limited incomes, and simply cannot afford to pay for an extra visit to the doctor, or for a new medication each month. If they do have Medicare, chances are they will still be left with a hefty bill that Medicare will not cover, especially due to all of the prescription plan changes that have been taking effect recently. They may have family that they could turn to for financial help, but for many it is a matter of pride, they don’t want to ask their children for money because they feel as though they should be helping their children, not the other way around.

If they do bite the bullet and schedule an appointment with their physician, they may have problems with the medication that is prescribed. The elderly tend to be more susceptible to the dangerous side effects of many medicines, and antidepressants have a long list of side effects with them. If they are taking medicine for other conditions, their antidepressant medication may cause dangerous interactions, especially if they see a new doctor and forget to tell him all of the medications they currently take. Seniors are often on so much medication that they have a hard time remembering when they are supposed to take what, and what the correct dosage of each is. The best thing that a senior who is suffering from depressive symptoms can do is talk to their physician. The physician should be told what medications are currently being taken, what the problem is, and how the patient feels about treatment. The physician should work with the patient to help find the best treatment plan, so they can start feeling normal again.

Seniors may respond better to treatment sessions with a mental health therapist, or a combination of therapy and medication. If you seek help and don’t feel that your treatment program is working for you, don’t be afraid to speak up and say so. You are the best judge of how you feel, and your doctor cannot help you if there is a communication problem. They take the information that you give them, and combine that with test results to try to come to a diagnosis and treatment plan. You are in integral part in your own treatment, regardless of the condition!

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Treatments Are Available For Clinical Depression

HART (1-800-HART) — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 18:09:43 +0000

By Thomas Henricks

There is a wide variety of labels placed on depression disorders. Depression is a condition that affects the way a person reasons out issues, interacts with his external environment, performs at the workplace, and views his relationship with other people.

Thanks to modern techniques, people suffering from depression can be successfully treated and relieved of the symptoms with professional diagnosis and timely treatment. When symptoms are evident one should seek assistance as soon as possible. A professional can then suggest the appropriate treatment required to alleviate the condition.

Treatments that are Available For Clinical Depression?

Several avenues of treatment are available today. Learning as much as possible about the cause and treatment will help sustain your ability to see the treatment through and achieve total relief now and in the future. It may be found that a combination of treatments is required to achieve relief from the symptoms as quickly as possible.

Proper diagnosis may reveal that successful treatment may need to combine allopathic treatment with alternative medicines or natural remedies. Careful and qualified observation throughout the treatment process will indicate the path of treatment required for each particular individual.

It is always wise to consult with your personal doctor when seeking treatment and follow advice from him. Your actual treatment will most likely be supervised by a specialist in mental disorders but your medical doctor should be fully aware of the condition as well.

Clinical depression is a very serious mental disorder which can lead to fatal results due to a variety of reasons. Professional assistance is definitely indicated. Learn as much as possible about the various treatment options and consults with experts. It is important to act quickly and seek a program that will target your individual needs.

Clinical depression treatments basically fall into two basic types of treatment. The first type would be described best as medically approved treatments, The second avenue of treatment might be classified as alternative medicine and cures.

The types of Medically Approved Treatment

Medication and psychotherapy requires the use of prescribed drugs that will control the most severe symptoms. In combination, there would be mental therapy treatments. These sessions will serve to reveal the causes of mentally stressing conditions. The cause of the mentally stressing condition must be revealed, rationalized and relieved.

Once revealed, a professional can then suggest a proper course of action to deal with the issues that have been nagging at your brain and contributing to the stressing condition.

ECT or the electro-convulsive therapy can best be described as a treatment that utilizes electric shock therapy. This may seem a bit medieval and sounds like a disturbing course of treatment. In fact the process had become very refined and scientific. The professionals administering this treatment precisely understand every region of the brain and will know in advance the areas that need and will be affected by electrical stimulation.

Trans Cranial Magnetic Stimulation is a clinical depression treatment that may only be in the infancy stage at this point. It is showing positive results when conducted in the presence of persistent mental disorders that are proving difficult to treat by more conventional methods.

This technique to treat mental disorders makes use of a mild electro-magnetic current passing through the brain to stimulate the certain brain cells. Understanding which brain cells require stimulation and the action resulting from that stimulation is the key to using this method effectively.

The Second Broad Treatment Group

Some people will experience relief from mental stress and depression through the practice of Yoga. This simply incorporates a course of physical and mental exercises which help to relax both body and mind. The meditation that yoga prescribes in combination with a number of predefined postures (asanas) have proven to be very effective in reversing clinical depression in many people.

This is not really anything new. Several eastern cultures have successfully made use of yoga to treat a wide range of medical and physical conditions over hundreds of years.

Although in many instances they would not be the first choice of professional psychiatric practitioners, there is available a multitude of herbal and home remedies.

Similarly to the practice of Yoga, many old cultures incorporate the use of herbs to treat a wide range of medical and physical conditions. In fact it has been clearly shown that many herbs act as natural anti-depressants and have been shown to provide mental stimulation. For these reasons many herbalists will suggest the use of these herbs to reverse the effects of and eliminate clinical depression completely.

To learn more about depression please visit please visit www.stopdepression-tgh.com

For Information about Caring For The Elderly please visit www.eldercare-tgh.com

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Symptoms of Depression

HART (1-800-HART) — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 12:19:51 +0000

By Christina Tasnadi

More and more people right across the world are reporting to suffer from the symptom of depression. More and more people are seeking information on depression.

Symptoms of Depression

What are the symptoms of a mild depression?

* Feeling sad and low, and tired.

* Restlessness or irritability.

* Sleep problems - insomnia or sleeping to excess.

* Worry.

* Weepiness, crying at inappropriate times.

* Difficulty in concentrating, and forming and carrying out plans and ideas.

* Lack of appetite and spirit.

What are the symptoms of a serious, major depression?

* Deep feeling of sadness, despair, misery, gloom and blackness.

* Loss of affection towards oneself and others, empty mood.

* A sense of failure, self-criticism, feeling of unworthiness, even self-loathing.

* Loss of interest in life, in former favorite activities, inability to take pleasure in life.

* Decreased energy, fatigue, sluggish.

* Loss of sex drive.

* Loss of self-esteem and confidence.

* Altered appetite, usually a loss of appetite and weight (seldom overeating and weight gain).

* Weight fluctuation.

* Lethargy, slovenliness, apathy.

* Insomnia or sleeping for long periods as a means of escape.

* Early morning awaking - typically between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m.

* Thoughts of death or suicide, even attempt of suicide.

What might be the physical symptom of depression?

* persistent headache

* persistent digestive disorders

* chronic pain

* appetite irregularities: irregular eating, overeating or loss of appetite

* weight alteration: gain or loss of weight, weight fluctuation

* changed sleep pattern: insomnia, early morning waking or oversleeping

* decreased libido, loss of sex drive.

Cause of Depression

Depression can be caused by environmental factors like emotional traumas or climatic conditions as too little sunshine. Endogenous factors, like hormonal changes or reduction of certain neurotransmitters in the brain also may cause depression. The tendency of being depressed often runs in the family, so there are genetic causes as well.

Learn more about the symptoms of depression!

Christina Tasnadi is a medical doctor, a homeopathic doctor and an expert of home remedies. Christina’s Home Remedies

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Post-Natal Depression IS Treatable

HART (1-800-HART) — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 06:35:19 +0000

Anywhere from 5-25% of women who give birth get some form of post-natal depression. One reason for the wide range in the numbers is the difficulty of pinning down exactly what it is. But women who have had it know too well what it feels like.

Anywhere from a few days to a few weeks after giving birth, some women will feel ‘the blues’, a moodiness that seems unrelated to external events. It may last only a few days, or as long as a couple of weeks. Longer depressions may be a sign of something more fundamental. Here again, one difficulty in discussing the condition is the widely varying time period that women experience.

Symptoms vary, too. Spontaneous crying may be more common and a general malaise may linger. Women may experience an inability to take pleasure in otherwise enjoyable activities. The new mother may have trouble sleeping and feel fatigued during the day.

Women suffering from post-natal depression commonly become obsessively worried about the health of the baby, an exaggerated reaction to a normal concern. She may have a loss of appetite or impaired concentration. Wide mood swings are a normal part of the condition - feeling elated one minute and extremely sad the next. A sense of worthlessness is not uncommon.

In some extreme cases, she may have suicidal thoughts. In severe cases, women have considered killing their infants in order not to leave them helpless after her suicide. Sometimes these go beyond the normal postpartum depression into a condition called postpartum psychosis. Having a thought, no matter how troublesome, is no cause for alarm. Taking steps to act on it may indicate a more serious problem.

The causes are not known with certainty, but they’re almost certainly (at least in part) the result of rapidly changing hormones. Both estrogen and progesterone increase considerably during pregnancy, then drop rapidly back to non-pregnant levels within 24 hours after birth.

But, that is also a reason to be optimistic. When hormones change rapidly, the body has a remarkable ability to bring things back into equilibrium. Expectant mothers can take comfort in knowing that the condition is (usually) short-lived and that it rarely interferes with her ability to care for her baby.

The condition has been widely studied and there are a number of approaches to treatment. Some new mothers benefit from mild anti-depressants for a short while to get them over the period when the symptoms are most severe. Talk therapy is often helpful. Being with not only a professional, but hearing the stories of women who have gone through similar experiences often helps.

Knowing that the condition is normal, short-lived and treatable gives women reason to persist through a difficult time. It’s important that women not feel embarrassed to report her symptoms to a spouse or even a professional. Seeking help is the first step to recovery.

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How To Identify The Symptoms Of Bipolar Disorder (Mania & Depression)

HART (1-800-HART) — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 06:12:48 +0000

By Nafa Danfad

Bipolar Disorder involves problems with the emotions that can deeply affect your mental and physical health. It is a disease that can be present in anyone who develops the signs and symptoms of it.

The symptoms are sub-categorized into two components: mania and depression.

Here are the following symptoms of mania:

1. A sudden growth in self-worth and the act of being lavish.

2. Little needs to have a good sleep. Someone with this symptom would feel that he or she had rested enough even with only three hours of sleep.

3. Becomes a bigger chatterbox than usual.

4. Develops a feeling that his or her mind keeps pacing up

5. Tends to get unfocused. He or she will pay more attention to things that are less essential rather than things that he or she ought to pay more attention to.

6. A sudden growth in involvement in activities that have an aim to achieve be it in school or work.

7. Tends to get too pro-active in too many activities, probably to preoccupy his or her mind from the sorrows and pains that he or she does not wish to think about.

Here are the following symptoms of depression:

1. Being moody and less cheerful throughout almost the whole day.

2. Does not find any keen interest to take part in any activity. He or she just

wants to lay down and do nothing except to ponder on anything that is causing this depression.

3. A drastic increase or decrease in weight and appetite.

4. Will either have little sleep or too much of sleep.

5. Tends to get easily irritated.

6. Tends to get easily exhausted and less energetic.

7. Develops a feeling of low self-esteem. He or she would feel useless and feel guilty over everything that surrounds him or her, even though it is totally not his or her fault.

8. Tendency to be fickle-minded. He or she would lack of focus in whatever that needs to be done, and would not be able to make decisions well.

9. Always have the urge to commit suicide.

Bipolar Disorder is a serious illness that can affect the way you live your life, as well as your dearest ones who would constantly have to worry about your condition. It should definitely not be taken for granted. Fortunately, it is treatable. So if you notice that you develop the following symptoms, you can still do something to prevent yourself from Bipolar Disorder.

It is advisable to relate your problems and emotional roller coasters to a professional and get yourself treated as soon as possible.If you have a loved one whom you think is facing this problem, you can do your part by getting him or her to seek professional help.

Some say that emotional illnesses are much harder to handle compared to physical illnesses. But no matter what, emotional illnesses can still be cured if you make an effort to cure them. Bipolar Disorder is no exception. Problems cannot be avoided, but you can make sure that these problems do not bring you down.

So get help today and start a new and better life.

Nafa Danfad

Article Source: EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nafa_Danfad

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Battling-Depression.com is moving - Sort of.

HART (1-800-HART) — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 20:12:57 +0000

OLD SITE: Battling-Depression.com
OLD NAME: Battling Depression

NEW SITE: depression.BattlingForHealth.com
NEW NAME: Battling For Health: Depression

SAME RSS FEED: feeds.feedburner.com/Battling-depression

I am consolidating all of my “Battling” series of blogs into one mega site called BattlingForHealth.com (Battling For Health)

The plan is: First the transfers, then the testing, .. and finally the 301 redirects to ensure link popularity and let the search engines know we moved!

This move should be completed by October 1, 2007. As for moving, it’s all really the same old site and all of its’ existing settings .. it’s just a new URL location .. that’s all~

Thank-You For Your Patience! // HART

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