Meditation For Depression
By Justin Meyer


How to meditate, it's an unusual topic for this series. However, it is very applicable. As we discuss the problems of losing your temper, a serious problem in depression, it is helpful to know how to meditate, because meditation is a very effective technique for calming yourself.

The first step towards meditation is to turn off the TV, the radio, try to eliminate as much noise as possible. Meditation will encourage you to focus on your own breath, and that is what you want to be listening for. You want to try and avoid any distraction at this point. Second, close your eyes. You may want to open them to see what is going on, but remember, you are focusing on the internal right now, not the external. It doesn't matter what is going on in the other room. All that matters is what you are doing. Take deep breaths. Get into a rhythm of deep breaths in and out. Try to extend your exhalation so it is longer than your inhalation. Begin counting to ten with the odd numbers on the inhale and the even numbers on the exhale. This will put you in your body's natural rhythm. With your eyes closed, imagine a shade of purple that just gets darker and darker without ever turning to black. This will give you your focal point. The deep purple will soothe you, as will the counting of your breath.

Eventually, you might find that you only need to breathe and be able to go into a meditative state. That is fine. Always remember to count from one to ten in cycles, though because you do want to bring your body to that calming rhythm. The pace of your breathing is what will maintain your calm and without that, you will not be able to move on.


You can read more about depression at http://www.curemydepression.com

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Depression: A Treatable Illness
By Jay Villaverde


Depression is a serious medical condition that involves the body, mood, and thoughts. It affects the way a person eats and sleeps, the way one feels about oneself, and the way one thinks about things.
A depressive disorder is not the same as a passing blue mood. It is not a sign of personal weakness or a condition that can be willed or wished away. People with a depressive illness cannot merely "pull themselves together" and get better. Without treatment, symptoms can last for weeks, months, or years. Appropriate treatment, however, can help most people who have depression.

Types of Depression

Depression comes in different forms, just as is the case with other illnesses such as heart disease. The three main depressive disorders are: major depressive disorder, dysthymic disorder, and bipolar disorder.

Major depression (or major depressive disorder) is manifested by a combination of symptoms (see symptom list below) that interfere with the ability to work, study, sleep, eat, and enjoy once pleasurable activities. A major depressive episode may occur only once, but more commonly, several episodes may occur in a lifetime. Chronic major depression may require a person to continue treatment indefinitely.

A less severe type of depression, dysthymia (or dysthymic disorder), involves long-lasting symptoms that do not seriously disable, but keep one from functioning well or feeling good. Many people with dysthymia also experience major depressive episodes during their lives.

Another type of depressive illness is bipolar disorder (or manic-depressive illness). Bipolar disorder is characterized by cycling mood changes: severe highs (mania) and lows (depression), often with periods of normal mood in between.

When in the depressed cycle, an individual can have any or all of the symptoms of depression. When in the manic cycle, the person may be overactive, over-talkative, and have a great deal of energy. Mania often affects thinking, judgment, and social behavior in ways that cause serious problems and embarrassment. For example, an individual in a manic phase may feel elated and full of grand schemes that might range from unwise business decisions to romantic sprees.

Symptoms of Depression

Not everyone with a depressive disorder experiences every symptom. The number and severity of symptoms may vary among individuals and also over time. In addition, men and women may experience depression differently. Symptoms of depression include:

- Persistent sad, anxious, or "empty" mood

- Feelings of hopelessness, pessimism

- Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, helplessness

- Loss of interest or pleasure in hobbies and activities that were once enjoyed, including sex - Decreased energy, fatigue, being "slowed down"
- Difficulty concentrating, remembering, making decisions

- Trouble sleeping, early-morning awakening, or oversleeping

- Appetite and/or weight changes

- Thoughts of death or suicide, or suicide attempts

- Restlessness, irritability

- Persistent physical symptoms, such as headaches, digestive disorders, and chronic pain, which do not respond to routine treatment

Some Facts About Depression

Depressive disorders are common: they affect an estimated 9.5 percent of adult Americans in a given year, or about 19 million people. Depressive disorders often begin between ages 15 and 30 but also can appear in children.

The World Health Organization's World Health Report, 2001 states that in the year 2000, depression (not including bipolar disorder) was the leading cause of years lived with a disability among men and women of all ages in the U.S. and worldwide.

Treatments

More than 80 percent of people with depressive disorders improve when they receive appropriate treatment. The first step to getting treatment is a physical examination by a physician to rule out other possible causes for the symptoms. Next, the physician should conduct a diagnostic evaluation for depression or refer the patient to a mental health professional for this evaluation.

Treatment choice will depend on the patient's diagnosis, severity of symptoms, and preference. A variety of treatments, including medications and short-term psychotherapies (i.e., "talking" therapies), have proven effective for depression. In general, severe depressive illnesses, particularly those that are recurrent, will require a combination of treatments for the best outcome.

It usually takes a few weeks of treatment before the full therapeutic effect occurs. Once the person is feeling better, treatment may need to be continued for several months-and in some cases, indefinitely-to prevent a relapse into depression.

Jay Villaverde is the owner, and customer, of CardiacPower.com, An alternative health company developed out of the rising need for alternative methods in dealing with heart disease. The site is designed for those seeking safe and effective cardiovascular products.

For more information on the right combination of vitamins, minerals, and glandular concentrates that can lower cholesterol, prevent heart attack symptoms, and reduce your chances for coronary heart disease, visit Cardiac Power today.

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Signs That Someone You Love Is Depressed
By Sandy Baker

Depression is something that many people face throughout their lives. There are many causes and even more ways in which it can effect an individual. No matter what type of depression someone has, though, they need to seek treatment for it. As someone looking into their world, you may not notice it right away. But, there are some signs and symptoms that can tell you to start paying attention a little better.

Here are some things to watch for in those that you love. If you see any of these things happening to your loved one, encourage them to seek help from a professional to safeguard their health.

• A withdrawal from any activities that they would normally participate in. This usually happens over time and can be something that becomes more and more frequent. Also, a withdrawal from the social scene that they are commonly part of is also a key factor.

• A sudden loss of weight, a loss of appetite, moody behavior and sudden change in life outlook can all be signs of depression especially when they worsen over time.

• Unhappy thoughts and feelings that come through in their everyday life. Not only with withdrawal but often with anger and crying as well.

• You can notice it in the way that they dress and care for their belongings and their feelings for others.

The most noticeable sign that someone is dealing with depression is simply a change in who they are and what they do throughout the course of a few months, weeks or even longer. They will pull back from the things that they enjoy and do and will become more out of the loop.

In any of these cases it is important for you, as their loved one, to help them to seek the help that they need. Depression often times can be treated and it will improve as long as help is sought in a timely fashion.


Sandy Baker is a well respected writer and recommends visiting bipolar disorder, to learn more about depression, so you can empower yourself and be of postive support to those suffering from depression.

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Bipolar Disorder 101- What You Absolutely Need to Know
By Mansi Aggarwal


Introduction

Bipolar disorder, also known as manic-depressive illness, is quite prevalent in USA and the numbers are on a rise with the stressors of life on a rise.

What is bipolar disorder?

Bipolar disorder is a mental illness in whish one faces unpredictable mood swings ranging from depressive symptoms to manic symptoms. It is not necessary that a person has depression to be labeled as bipolar disorder, episodes of mania are sufficient. The most frequent age of onset is between 20 and 30 years but the variations are still present.

What are different types?

There are basically two different types of bipolar disorder type I or type II based on the amount of depressive and manic episodes. For characterizing a person as full-blown mania one should have the symptoms of mania for one week and of depression for two weeks.

How to diagnose Bipolar disorder?

To diagnose bipolar disorder one should have symptoms of mania or symptoms of mania and depression. The symptoms of mania are unrestrained buying sprees, talkativeness, inflated self-esteem, flight of ideas, sleeplessness, distractibility, etc.

To diagnose depression the symptoms are recurrent thoughts of death, insomnia, loss of energy, weight loss, psychomotor agitation, markedly diminished interest, etc.

What are differential diagnoses?

The differential diagnoses are hyperthyroidism, AIDS, Huntington’s, Wilson’s disease, alcohol abuse, etc.

What is the cause?

The cause is not very well understood but it is hypothesized that patients are genetically predisposed. Some give the theory of deficiency of some chemical transmitters. Others give the theory of neurostructural changes.

What is the management?

According to the physicians it is a disorder in which the patient comes to the physician by himself for his problems. For treating the bipolar disorders the treatment options available are lithium, carbamazepine (Tegretol) and valproic acid (Depakote). The side effects of using lithium are fine tremor, hypothyroidism, and neutrophilia besides others. The main problem with lithium is that its blood level should be monitored. Also the effects of it wont appear until 7-10 days of treatment. Carbamazepine has the side effects of rashes, hyponatremia, agranulocytosis, etc. Valproic acid has the adverse effects of tremors, pancreatitis, liver problems, etc.
Besides the medications there are certain other treatment modalities available such as cognitive behavior therapy, yoga therapy and herbal medicines. Through the cognitive behavior therapy the subjects learn to change the negative thoughts. Yoga therapy, thing primarily of the east but now gaining good ground in the west, aims at channelising positive energy throughout the body. As these therapies are not inducing certain chemicals into the body, they are said to be without any side effects.

What are the precautions?

Because of the side effects profile of all the drugs and way the patients behave, the physicians should be extra alert. It is said that the most important time to look after the patient is when he is recovering because it is the time when he is getting energy and hence he can fulfill his thoughts of suicide.


Mansi gupta writes about Bipolar disorder topics.

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Understand the Different Types of Depression
By Justin Meyer


Depression is not a straight-forward thing. There are different kinds with different causes. If you suspect that you are depressed, the first thing to do is examine the cause. That cause will help you to determine what kind of depression you suffer from.

There are different types of depression. The two main classifications are clinical and situational. These are not mutually exclusive – you can suffer from both, but to know which is the primary cause is important.

Situational depression is just how it sounds, depression based on what is going on in your life. Have you just lost your job? Did your girlfriend just break up with you? It's common to be depressed after these events. While therapy would be beneficial here, medication most likely would not.

Are you depressed for no reason? If you have trouble getting out of bed on a daily basis, or you feel down and don't enjoy things that you used to with more frequency, then you might suffer from clinical depression. Clinical depression is caused by changes in brain chemistry and can be treated with medication.

While situational depression is more common, people who suffer from one can frequently suffer from both. What is important is to find the cause and get treated for all parts. Situational depression can frequently exacerbate clinical symptoms.


You can read more about depression at http://www.curemydepression.com

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