Depression Treatment & Information

When I came home one day and found Lynn on the floor, hardly breathing and with a vacant stare, 2 little kids crying in their bedrooms, I knew we were in trouble. The doctor came, she went to hospital for sleep therapy, then medication, thoughts of suicide by Lynn, then clinical psychologists, psychiatrists and more hospital and more medication. It was a blur for a month or two.

Once things started to calm down, I started to crystallize a system to manage Lynn’s condition. She came off medication as soon as we could convince the doctors and psychiatrist to allow this. Panic attacks came, but we overcame them quickly. Depression threatened, but we managed it.

Panic attacks are “attacks” of extreme, overwhelming anxiety, causing the sufferer to breathe rapidly and shallowly, eventually resulting in lack of oxygen to the brain, so the person becomes sort of semi-conscious. They cannot help themselves, as their normal logical thinking process is disturbed. To overcome a panic attack, the person needs to be TOLD to BREATHE DEEPLY. They need to breathe in to their maximum lung capacity, abd then hold their breathe for 5 seconds, then blow it ALL out again. This sends lots of oxygen to the brain, and calmness returns to the person within a few minutes. They also need reassurance and a hug while they are recovering. I have helped Lynn over the phone. She feels herself getting more and more anxious, so she phones me at work for help. I tell her to breathe deeply, and I listen carefully for her to do it. Then after a minute or two I get her to breathe deeply again. And a third time. Then I reassure her. After 5 or 10 minutes she’s good enough to last till I get home in the afternoon, or longer.

Major Depression, which often brings on the panic attack syndrome, is usually because of a long drawn out time of stress, anxiety, health problems, etc etc. Lynn had problems with her second baby that drained her before the birth and after, with lack of sleep, worry about the welfare of the baby and life threating problems herself. People with major depression need the help of others, lots of sleep to build up their strength again, and if possible, removal of the “stressors” the things that are causing the stress. In extreme cases, medication will help a person to get some sleep and be calm, but it is advisable to come off the medication as soon as you can.

Once you have started recovery, you need to look for the positive things in your life - THERE ARE ALWAYS POSITIVE THINGS, EVEN IF YOU LIVE IN A SEWER AND HAVE NO FRIENDS. If you have a tongue, you can taste - this is a positive thing. Can you breathe? Wow! That’s great! It’s better than suffocating!! I know it sounds stupid, but it really helps to concentrate your mind on the positive - it trains your subconscious to do the same. Make a list of all the good and positive things in your life, and read it over and over: add to it daily - you’ll be amazed at how long that list gets!

We all know that exercise has numerous benefits on the physical body, but there is now substantial evidence to prove that exercise is also a great tonic for balancing a person’s mental and emotional well-being. Depression affects nearly 19 million adults each year. It is a serious and life-shattering mental illness that is often misunderstood, misdiagnosed and ridiculed. When you are depressed, you cannot simply ’shake off the blues’ - this is a debilitating disease which makes you feel isolated and fatigued, full of self-doubt and eternal hopelessness.

Counseling and anti-depressant medication are the principal forms of treatment, but these can become addictive and do little to boost a sufferer’s self-esteem. Furthermore, the number of clinically depressed adults is growing year by year, so scientists have spent years researching new ways to treat and combat the illness.

One on-going review of studies, stretching as far back to 1981, show that those who regularly partake in exercise are less likely to develop clinical depression. In addition, regular physical activity is correlated with the improvement in clinical depression and anxiety, and also mild to moderate depressive symptoms such as insomnia, and resilience under stress.

A study published in 2005 found that walking fast for 35 minutes a day five times a week, or 60 minutes three times a week, had a significant influence on mild to moderate depression symptoms. A follow-up study also found that the beneficial effects of exercise lasted longer than those of antidepressant medication. In addition, people who exercised regularly after completing the study were less likely to relapse into depression. Smaller amounts of activity, as little as 10 to 15 minutes at a time, also proved to lift mood in the short term. However, it is not how much a person exercises, how intensely or how long. What mattered was only how long the exercise program lasted - at least two months.

To summarise, regular exercise is not only beneficial in relieving depressive symptoms, but also prevents relapses of and the onset of depression.

Manic depression is a disorder that is characterized by mood swings ranging from elation to depression so severe that the patient can only think of suicide. It is also known as bipolar disorder and it can be so disabling that the patient cannot function normally in social or professional settings. It can be treated once properly diagnosed by a medical doctor and with care and patience, patients can move on to live a productive life. Manic depression cycles between two states: mania and depression.

What are the symptoms of the mania state?

A manic episode is where the patient experiences happiness and enjoyment that can last for a week or longer. This mood lasts all day, every day during this episode and it can be characterized by three more symptoms. Increased activity and energy, euphoric moods, and increased sex drive are just some of the more positive attributes of this state. Irritability, racing thoughts out of control, the inability to concentrate, talking too dast, drug or alcohol abuse, and poor judgement are the negative side of the state. When three or more of these symptoms are present, the patient can be considered in a manic state. Hypomania is a mild to moderate episode, leaving the patient feeling good and being able to be productive. It is a dangerous and misleading state and if left untreated can send the patient suffering manic depression into a deeper depression than before.

What are the symptoms of depressive state?

On the opposite side of the coin is the depressive state of manic depression. Like the manic state, it can last from a day to more than two weeks. Five symptoms are usually present when a patient is in this state including anxiousness, feeling as if their life is empty, hopelessness, worthlessness, loss of interest in things they used to enjoy, fatigue, and more. Chronic pain with no apparent cause is another common symptom for people suffering manic depression and when it is left untreated, the patient could slip into suicidal tendencies. When this happens, immediate medical attention should be sought out.

How is manic depression diagnosed and treated?

Through a series of psychological and medical testing, a doctor can help a person determine if they are suffering from manic depression. These tests include a physical and lengthy discussion about the symptoms the patient has been experiencing. The patient may be referred to a psychological expert for more treatment and testing to help find the root of the problem and the proper treatment plan.

Manic depressives can find relief and live a productive life by working with their doctor on a treatment plan designed specifically for them. They will have to work at it for the rest of their lives as short-term treatments will not cure the disorder. Medication such as antidepressants, mood stabilizers, and antipsychotics may be prescribed. Psychotherapy will help patients learn how to change their behaviour, show them that they are not alone, and can even guide friends and family members in helping the patient and themselves understand what they are suffering. If the depression is severe enough and there is danger to the patient, the patient’s doctor may recommend a brief hospitalization. source

There are many reasons why a person gets depressed. A survey quoted that a person was found in the state of depression because he did not have cappuccino in the morning. Few of the symptoms of depression are clearly noticeable by others. Symptoms like excessive sleep, not talking to family members or friends properly, or moving on with a sad expression on the face throughout the day when you are with your loved ones. People have a wrong outlook towards depression, depression does not mean that a person is feeling sad about something and he or she will be all right after two days.

According to the DSM-IV-TR which stands for diagnostic and statistical Manual of Mental disorders, a clinical case of depression is a disorder of both mental and physical characteristics of a person. According to DSM a person suffering from depression will stay in that state for a minimum of two weeks. An individual when found in the state of depression often ends up not working and will find it difficult to adjust with any social network or at the work place. In such a situation people are negatively disturbed and cannot cope with the responsibilities and end up withdrawing themselves.

A research even states that at any given time in the United States around 16 percent people are found to be in depression. This condition can also lead to disability throughout the nation. If these figures keep on rising then towards the end of 2020 the second major cause for disability will be depression all over the globe, that’s an estimate made by the World Health Organization (WHO).

The rate at which depression is growing is very high. The need for a treatment has become a necessity for everyone of us. Before we find out about the treatment we must first understand why we are getting ourselves into depression. A depressed mood or loss of interest in something is still acceptable as a temporary depression period caused by minor problems. The extreme cause of depression can be caused when a person is feeling sad excessively or he or she has a certain kind of fear. Gaining and losing weight at a very high rate without external physical involvement is another reason. A situation of helplessness, guilt for some reason, decrease in self esteem and many more conditions are root causes of depression.

The only way to get rid of depression fast is you start realizing it. Hypnosis can help you in discarding depression out of your life. With help of hypnosis you can get rid of depression in a much better way than having to consume medicines regularly. Depression is related to changes in the mood of a person, which lead to chemical changes in the brain. You might be thinking how hypnosis can help you with depression as it is due to the chemical changes. That is a correct thought coming, the answer to it is that hypnosis will help you revive faith and confidence and elevate your mental condition by prohibiting you from withdrawing. There are a wide range of mp3 and videos available on the internet for you. You just have to press the download button and go through the sessions and then just welcome yourself in a new world which has good impressions, not depression. source