Understanding Sadness and Clinical Depression

Sibling rivalry has survived as long as families and has been a concern for most parents. Even though parents usually try to equally distribute their love among all their children, they do feel differently about them depending on their personalities, different needs, dispositions and place in the family. Although they are known to be impartial, at times they may favor a child who they perceive to be similar to them, in terms of values ​​and belief. Studies have revealed that kids who considered themselves closer to their mothers experienced less closeness with their siblings. Surprisingly, these children also reported higher depressive symptoms, especially when they were both favored and provided care by their mothers.

Among other reasons, being the target of sibling rivalry and feeling obliged towards their parents are two other important reasons that take a toll on their mental well-being. The influence of siblings on one another can be intense and that parental favoritism is associated with lower self-esteem and higher rates of anxiety and depression in the favored child.

What causes sibling rivalry?

Studies suggest that children are highly sensitive of how they're being valued by their parents. They may pick up on any kind of disparity and act out to get attention. When a parent showers more love and attention to his or her favorite child and is unable to monitor the problems between children, often the siblings and their relationships suffer. The following reasons can be held responsible for conflicts among the young siblings:

• Position in the family: Based on age and maturity level, the oldest child may be burdened with responsibilities of the younger children. At times, a youngger child makes concerted efforts to be at par with the older sibling, even if it damages his self-esteem or psychological well-being.
• In certain families, a son may hate his sister because parents are gentler with her, while a daughter may wish she could go on outdoor trips more often like her brother.
• Age: With rising age, siblings may become poles apart in terms of behavior and habits.

Study on siblings in midlife

Appropriately, these feelings do not diminish with time and can take a toll even on the favored, leading to depression and anxiety in them. A study by researchers at Purdue University suggests that adults who believe they are their mother's favorite child are at an increased risk of depression and anxiety. In the study, the researchers analyzed the data of 725 adults, with their mothers aged between 65 and 75 years, from 309 families. Starting in 2001, the study was conducted in two phases seven years apart.

The researchers focused on the children's relationships with their mothers with greater emphasis on four dimensions of favoritism – emotional closeness, conflict, pride and disappointment. Interestingly, the siblings continued to compare themselves with each other well into middle age and these constant assessment and judgments were the root cause of unhappiness. The children who were close to their mothers were more likely to experience tension from their siblings and feel a greater responsibility for taking care of their aging mothers.

The finds shed light on the role of relationships among adult siblings in midlife, by taking into consideration the children's perception regarding their mother's favoritism.

“Adult children who reported that they were most emotionally close to their mothers also reported higher depressive symptoms,” the study found. “Depressive symptoms were also higher when respondents identified themselves as being the children with what their mothers had the greatest conflict, and in whom the mothers were most disappointed,” it said.

The way forward

Whatever be the cause of anxiety or depression, it is treatable – the sooner the better. Psychotherapy can help in case of mild to moderate anxiety disorders and depression as it works by understanding and changing thoughts and behaviors that contribute to how your children feel. Most children are usually unable to get over their problem without professional help.

If your loved one is dealing with an anxiety disorder that needs medical intervention, get in touch with one of the good anxiety treatment centers .

So the other day I was through Tumblr when I saw a post about depression. Now, for many of you active Tumblr users, I'm pretty sure this would not surprise you too much. There are tons of people on Tumblr who are actively battling and bravely fighting the battle against depression. Some people will tell you how it feels like to be depressed, to wake up everyday wishing you had not, to feel empty and purposeless, hollow and pointless.

Many people do not take depression seriously though. They do not see how terrible it really is. Even I have only glimpsed into the minds of those who have and I salute them right from the bottom of my Heart. My full respect goes out to them.

Despite contradictory conviction, depression is much, much more than just feeling sad. It's a complex mixture of many emotions which churn up and eat you away until you reach a point of not caring about anything or anyone, a point where everything is meaningless.

Here's the thing, depression is not something new. It's been here for a while. It's known as something like a psychosomatic disease – A disease that involves both the Mind and Body. Lately depression rates have gone up, especially among those of the younger generations, the Gen Y's and Gen Z's (Millennials). So, you have to stop and wonder, why is that?

Why are the newer generations suffering from serious diseases like depression and anxiety?

Well, one of the reasons is because the Gen Y's and Z's are being forced to live in a Gen X world (The generation before them). The Gen X's want the generations after them to continue where they left off; to continue making and accumulating money; opening businesses; sitting in boring classes and learning things which we might not need to know in the future; these are all things which the people in our generation do not really like to do or want.

The Gen Y's and Z's are more into experiencing living; traveling the world; using the resources we have instead of keeping them; saving our planet; the internet and basically anything that can help us connect with each other no matter where we are. The Gen Y's and Z's need to start listening to their heart and taking action!

So in the two extremes of characteristics, how can one generation be asked to live as another?

The Gen Y's can not be asked to do Gen X stuff. Sitting in class is not something we like, nor is working a 9 to 5 job, sitting in an office in a concrete jungle. We need to explore, to find our own path, to stop living in the boring, pointless cycles that we are told is life. We need to find out what life really is!

And guess who the ones who can help us do that are?

Believe it or not, it's the Gen X's! Once they see that the Gen Y's are nothing like them and that they are destined to do something greater, they will began to work together and share their experiences with the new generation. Only with the combination of supporting Gen X's, who in the end only care and mean no harm, and the adventures Gen Y's, can we really put an end to depression. Together we can work together to bring the light, the actually joy of life that we have lost, back to the world

While there are some people who like to wake up early, there are other people who do not. If one does like to wake up early, they could describe them as a 'morning person', and this is likely to mean that they generally find it easy to wake up.

And when they do, they could feel as though they are ready to embrace the day; it could then be said that their batteries have been recharged, so to speak. There is then going to be no reason for them to stay in bed any longer.

Alternatively

When one does not like to wake up early, they are generally going to find that they function better if they wake up later. They may even describe themselves as a 'night owl' and find that they have more energy towards the end of the day.

Therefore, if they have to wake up early, they are unquestionably to be the kind of person who wants to talk to others. They can find that it takes them a while before they are able to function, and if other people were to spend time with them during the early hours of the day, they may say that they are moody.

Finding the Right Fit

Thus, if one finds it easy to wake up early, it could be said that they will be a good fit for a career where it is necessary for them to wake up early. Through doing this, they will be working with themselves and this can then allow them to have a more fulfilling career.

Whereas if they were in a position where it was not necessary for them to work until later in the day, they may find that they are unable to take advantage of some of their most productive hours. It could then be said that the sooner they change their circumstances, the better their life will be.

The Other Experience

And if one finds that that they can not handle early mornings and that their energy comes in as the day passes, it will be a good idea for them to find the right career. They will then be working with themselves and they could then have a career that is far more fulfilling.

But if they were in a position where they had to get up early to start work, they could find that they are not taking advantage of some of their most productive hours. So unless they change their circumstances, they might miss out on the chance to make their life better.

Other Factors

However, even though one might not be doing something that allows them to wake up at the right time, it does not mean that they can just do something else. It could be a time in their life where they have other priorities.

For example, if one has young children, they may have a job where they start early and then finish early, and it might not matter what time of the day they feel productive. In this case, they may find that it might be better for them to start their own business, for instance.

Sleep

But regardless of whether someone is a morning person or not, there is also going to be a difference when it comes to how many hours they need. It has been said that most people need about eight hours sleep.

Yet it is clear that some people do not need as long as this and there are going to be others who need even longer. Also, there are going to be people who prefer to sleep in two four-hour blocks.

Time

When one goes to bed, they may find that it does not take them very long to get to sleep, or they may find that it takes a while for this to happen. If they are able to get to sleep without too much time passing, they may find that they generally wake up feeling fine.

Alternately, if it takes them a while to get to sleep at night the opposite could be true. In this case, they could feel as though they have not even slept, and it will then be normal for them to want to sleep for even longer.

Drained

They can end up feeling drained and it can then be a challenge for them to function. If this was something that took place everywhere now and then it might not be seen as a problem, but if it was something that took place on a regular basis, they would have a greater need to look in because this is happening.

They may find that the reason they can not get to sleep at night is because they have many going on in their life. Or it could be a sign that they need to engage in some kind of exercise or look into their diet, for instance.

Another Occurrence

However, while one may find that they feel drained when they wake up because it takes them a while to get to sleep; they may feel this way even when they can get to sleep. And then as the day passes, they may find that they start to feel better.

It is then going to be similar to someone who has not played a certain sport for a while; in the beginning they might not be very good but as time passes, they may begin to improve. Once they get towards the end of the session, they may have forgotten all about how they were before.

Depressed

One may even say that they feel depressed, and this is because they could feel down, hopeless, and as though they have not got what it takes to face the day. But if they start to feel better as the day goes on, they might find it hard to understand what is going on.

When one wakes up, they are likely to be in touch with their body, but as time passes, they can be more in touch with what is taking place in their mind. So if one has an emotional build-up in their body, they can be in touch with it when they wake up and then as the day passes, they can end up losing touch with how they feel.

Emotional Build-Up

Through losing touching with how they feel one can then come to believe that the pain they experienced when they woke up has disappeared. At the same time, they may be only too aware of the fact that they are likely to feel the same next time they wake up.

Ultimately, the pain they experience when they wake up does not disappear as the day goes on; it just ends up being repressed. So until they are able to process the emotional build-up that is within them, they may not be able to change how they feel when they wake up.

Awareness

The reason one has an emotional build-up could be because they have not taken the time to grieve a loss or a number of losses in their life. This could be the loss of a loved one or it could relate to the pain that they experienced through not getting their developmental needs met during their child years, amongst other things.

If one can relate to this, it will be important for them to reach out for support, and this can be provided by a therapist and / or a support group. This can be a time where they will be crying out the pain that is within them.

Having the blues and feeling depressed are some of the usual accompaniments to the winter season. With shorter days and little sunshine, our mood takes a beating and we find ourselves surrounded by problems such as sleep disorder, loss of appetite and low energy level. Such issues that occur annually during the winter season are normally caused by seasonal affective disorder (SAD), and most of us feel depressed during this time.

SAD impacts about 1 to 2 percent of the population, women and young people in particular, while as many as 10 to 20 percent people face a milder form of these nagging winter blues.

Light at the end of the tunnel

Some recent studies have corroborated the fact that light therapy can be used to get rid of this malady to a great extent. Richard S. Schwartz, MD, an associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, says that light therapy “can be an important and effective treatment of depression, with more rapid onset than anti-depressant medication and minimal side effects.”

A similar view is put forward by Stephen Ilardi, author of The Depression Cure: The 6-Step Program to Beat Depression without Drugs , who says, “Light therapy is fast-acting with fewer side effects. within five days, versus two to four weeks with antidepressants. ”

However, another school of thought says that light therapy alone can not fight SAD and calls for a judicious mixture of other treatments like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to treat seasonal depression. In a study named “Outcomes One and Two Winters Following Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy or Light Therapy for Seasonal Affective Disorder,” published by the American Journal of Psychiatry, the researchers concluded that after two winters of receiving either CBT or light therapy, those who received CBT experienced a smaller proportion of recurrence as measured by SIGH-SAD, a primary measure of SAD symptoms, when compared with those who received the light therapy. The outcomes were 27.3 percent and 45.6 percent favorably respectively. Moreover, there was a great remission from SAD with CBT.

The CBT is a highly practiced method for treating depression. If you look into any dression help you will observe that it is an established form of treatment in psychiatry. Being in line with the best in the country, the depression rehab centers have been curing depression patients using this technique.

CBT

Pitting one treatment against the other is not a healthy way to counter SAD. The light therapy gathering steam is a good sign for it to be combined with other conventional techniques to treat SAD. There is nothing which contradicts using both cognitive and light therapies as part of depression-fighting strategy. Merging both these practices with other effective methods like physical exercise, taking antidepressants, improving sleep hygiene or meditation and mindfulness, etc. can only expedite the fight against depression.

Deborah Serani, author of Living with Depression, says, “I recommend Bright Light Therapy for all my patients who struggle with a mood disorder,” and “for some, it is helpful long term, for others it is not.”

Two ways of administering light therapy

The Light Box, which is a 10,000 lux light box, emits a controlled amount of white light and the person suffering from SAD has to sit in front of it at a distance of 12 inches for 15 to 30 minutes every morning. The box filters out the harmful UV rays and emits a controlled amount of light which helps in fighting SAD.

The Dawn Simulator is a device that simulates the rays of the sun in your room in the morning with a gradual increase and the gloomy winter mornings suddenly turn into bright sunlit mornings and you wake up to welcome a sunny day ahead.

Doctors are meant to treat patients, but many of them, particularly the young doctors, are often depressed themselves, according to a recent study. The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), found that nearly one-third of the young doctors are depressed. But what are the reasons?

Looking at their demanding career and the grueling training they need to undergo, the young doctors have to tackle high stress, less sleep and long hours of work. Typically, these factors are responsible for depression in them. It has been observed that the rise in cases of depression over the years is due to survivor patient turnaround time and use of complicated technology in today's medical system. Almost one in three resident doctors in the world is a victim of some kind of mental health-related problem.

The study – led by Dr. Douglas A. Mata, MDMPH, Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts – analyzed data involving 17,560 physicians undergoing training with his team. The data was compiled from 54 studies published between January 1963 and September 2015. The participants in the study included new doctors, interns and those who had practiced for up to six years.

The analysis was done on the basis of a questionnaire, which the researchers believed would be more honest and accurate than an interview with a psychiatrist. The results disclosed that 29 percent of the doctors had depression or shown signs of it. Another set of analysis involved 5,425 trainees who were tested using a high-quality survey questionnaire. Surprisingly, 20 percent of them had signs of major depressive disorder.

Considering a doctor's responsibility, it's dangerous if he or she does not have a sound mental health. With errors and worse patient care, depressed doctors bring a stigma to the medical fraternity. Although these practitioners may not be diagnosed with a severe depressive disorder, they may show significant symptoms that meet the criteria.

Physicians dealing with depression often feel hopelessness and show a decreasing performance at work and personal lives. They may be related to seek help, especially when it comes to mental health problems. The fear of social stigma and downfall in their career surrounds them, further affecting their mental health and hence the career.

Path to recovery

Even though significant efforts have been made to reduce stress and workload of doctors by limiting work hours and introducing shift working model, these have failed to provide the much needed relief. Moreover, efforts have been made by introducing surveys and questionnaire-based programs in medical schools to help them voice any traumatic events. The resident doctors are given a healthier environment to avoid stress in the first place.

Various corrective measures may also include providing better mental health care to depressed physicians and those in training, limiting resident doctor's exposure to the training environment and system that may lead to poor mental health, and making positive fundamental changes in the medical training system.

There are specialized physician health programs that understand the confidentiality and offer assistance to suffering doctors. These programs are generally associated with licensing boards and agencies that help physicians receive treatment and rehabilitation.

However, if need be, expert's help can be thought. There are many good depression treatment facilities . Mental health professionals specializing in helping youths with mental illnesses, including depression, anxiety and other problems can also be reached for help by calling Depression Treatment Centers in your area.

Why are you angry? A thought popped into your head, and suddenly you find yourself reliving an unpleasant moment of your past! Your blood pressure goes up. You become consumed by mentally reliving this dark moment in your life. The thing may be so intense that you mumble out loud or even throw your hands around in clenched fists!

Almost as suddenly as it came, the moment passes to leave you in a weakened and depressed state. If this happens to you, most likely you remember many details about this event because you focus on it intensely during every angry episode. Think about that event now.

The anger is a reaction. Something happened to you that you wish had turned out differently. You have a regret. Most regrets are about what we did not do, did not say, or in general, you were caught flat-footed and missed an opportunity. If your regret fits there, take heart. You can make this regret go away!

First, try to douse the anger in you as if it were a fire. As soon as the memory flares up, seek an alternative to reacting. Comedy works for me. If I can get to the internet, I will web search a You tube video of the Gong Show. My anger will instantly turn to laughter when I see host Chuck Barris do his silly introduction dance before he introduces a comedian. If that is not enough, I will search for my favorite Gong Show comedian, The Unknown Comic.

If shifting your attention from anger does not stop this regret from returning, it is time to teach your mind a new trick. Why does this unwanted thought stick to you like cotton on a velcro suit? The answer is that your human mind works to keep you safe and to maintain your body in good working order. The regret is in the stored memory of your mind, in the category called “unfinished business.” Your mind does not want to retain unfinished business because that is unhealthy. So, maybe should finish that business, but be careful how you do that.

Try to trick your mind into building that regret into the category called “that is done, forget about it.” Call up your unpleasant memory. Think about what happened. You will probably get angry. Now, identify what lessons you learned from the event. Especially, if you had recognized the unpleasant moment as it began, how might you have walked away from it. Changing the scenery is an acceptable outlet for most unpleasant events. Convince yourself that you got value out of the event the way it turned out. Do that, and you no longer have a regret stored in unfinished business. But, you still have a regret.

In your mind, play out the alternatives of how you wished that you had said or done something differently, but do not let those alternatives lead to a happy conclusion. Instead, honestly think of how each alternative might have led to a more dangerous exit and a worse regret!

If this invalid moment should return to your mind, immediately recall your lessons learned. Remember that you avoided a dangerous exit because you did not do or say something different. At some point, your mind will let you forget it.

Postpartum depression (PPD) is one of the few mental disorders, broadly held to be associated with post-natal blues. Many a number of psychologists believe that postpartum depression differs from other types of depression only in the timing of depressive episodes. To put it in words of one syllable, it is triggered within four weeks of childbirth and is characterized by any major or minor depressive episode, for that matter. Various factors contribute to this bio-psycho-social phenomenon. Apart from this, many psychologists are of the opinion that unlike other mental disorders, PPD is not something which is inherent from childbirth. Rather, it is something which grows out of underlining condition.

Symptoms

Symptoms of this concern include but are not limited to anxiety, sadness, and loss of sleep, among others. Further, these symptoms close in on a person after delivery of a child and trail away in 10 to 12 days after the birth. It is the case that a mother needs assistance with household chores and baby care as she deals with general debility, following the childbirth. In many instances, it has been observed that more than 20% women, confronting this mental concern, are at the risk of bearing the lasting effect of depression. As a result, consultation of a psychologist should be thought if these symptoms extend beyond two weeks.

Causes

The exact cause of this condition is still unknown among medical professionals. However, some doctors are of a view that the body undergoes a number of hormonal changes in the wake of childbirth, which trigger postpartum depression. Estrogen and progesterone tend to increase tenfold during pregnancy.

Corresponding to it, a sharp drop-off in these hormones, in addition to endorphin and corticotrophin-releasing hormones, is witnessed after the childbirth. These hormonal changes may contribute to the development of this mental disorder The condition may also aggravate as a result of energy-sapping neo-natal days and stress faced by a woman, in the initial days of childbirth

Factors Contributing to Gravity of it

Generally, it is the case that women with a history of mental disorders are more prone to fall victim to postpartum depression. Further, there are certain factors, concurring to occurrence of it:

• Deprivation of a loved one because of their death
• Differences or conflicts with your partner
• Unhealthy eating habits
• Insomnia
• Unwanted pregnancy
• A complicated pregnancy
• Series of depressive episodes during pregnancy
• A history of moderate to severe premenstrual syndrome (PMS)
• Severe anxiety during pre-natal and ante-natal phases of pregnancy

Corporations can help. Obviously by helping people get hurt for depression it is going to enrich the bottom dollar for the organization.

Statistics from the CDC on workplace depression:

• Depression is the major cause of absenteeism, presenteeism, and productivity injury in adults.
• 18.8 million American adults (9.5% of the adult population) will suffer from a depressive illness
• Approximately 80% of people with depression reported some level of functional impairment due to their depression, and 27% reported serious difficulties in work and home life
• In a 3-month period, patients with depression miss an average of 4.8 workdays and suffer 11.5 days of reduced productivity
• In 2003, national health expenditures for mental health services were estimated to be over $ 100 million
• Depression is estimated to cause 200 million lost workdays each year at a cost to employers of $ 17 to $ 44 billion

Diagnoses of depression in the workplace is a difficult challenge. By the inclusion of employee engagement / satisfaction surveys into the health and fitness assessment, it provides vital clues to the possibility of depression. Assessment in health and fitness programs can be used to gather information, potential clues that a person is displaying signs and symptoms of depression.

By recognizing the signs and symptoms of depression in an assessment such as:

tardiness

complaints of fatigue

productivity strain

loss of focus

changes in attitude, mood swings

assessing perceiving workplace pressures

could easily help in the early identification of depression, enabling a prompt, confidential referral to further diagnostics and treatment services for the employees.

Even if diagnosis is difficult, or the employee is resistant to further diagnostics – by introducing a thorough health and fitness program, we can alleviate the symptoms of depression. At that point, when the person feels less threatened – maybe then the employee can be approached again to seek further assessments and treatments.

Studies have consistently demonstrated that a physical activity, healthy lifestyle program is excellent adjunct therapies in the treatment and prevention of depression.

The first thing to be clear here – it is not just about going out and working out faster, stronger, harder. In many cases, that could actually contribute to worsening symptoms of depression. Yes, physical activity and nutrition are from and center to adjunct therapies – as part of an encompassing healthy lifestyle program.

A note about medications:

Antidepressants – there is no question have their place. However, speak to your health care professional about potential side effects:

nausea

increased appetite and weight gain

loss of sexual desire and other sexual problems, such as erectile dysfunction and reduced orgasm

fatigue and drowsiness

insomnia

dry mouth

blurred vision

constipation

dizziness

agitation

irritability

anxiety

Sounds quite contradictory for the treatment of depression – knowing potential side effects and discussing them with the health care professional is a must. Antidepressants work by manipulating body chemistry.

One of the many magical rewards of fitness is the power to regulate hormones and brain chemistry, which are often altered due to the daily mayhem in our lives.

The Mayo Clinic clearly states that regular exercise, physical activity and the right nutrition can dramatically reduce the symptoms of depression. Psychology Today returns to over 25 studies that tells us:

Sweat = Bliss!

This epidemiological study by the University of Toronto concluded:

Moderate Exercise Could Replace Costly Medicures with Side Effects

We have a serious myth though that dictates exercise requires a gym and time we think we do not have – just not true. A properly designed health and fitness program is planned along with the employee balances:

what is right for the employee

what will they actually embrace

What will provide the physiological reward for adherence (not rejection)

the medical needs of the process

adjusting gut health … yes a huge part of dealing with depression, far too often only included in holistic / naturopathic remedies …

Again, corporations have a golden opportunity here:

Physiological and Psychological empowerment of Employees

Be the hero – show management truly cares for employees

Save precious dollars by reducing absenteeism, presenteeism, improving productivity, mood

Reducing healthcare costs

There are now scientific studies that support the health benefits of being in nature. Our hectic schedule of inside activities where air pollution is greater is slowly killing us. Here are the key health benefits of nature and why we need to be connected:

1. VITAMIN D “Those who do not get enough Vitamin D are more likely to suffer from osteoporosis, cancer, and Alzheimer's (1)” Less comprehensive studies show a relationship with heart disease and diabetes. Getting your Vitamin D from natural sources is an improvement over supplements because its absorb better.

2. IMPROVED SLEEP Americans generally do not get enough sleep. We all have an internal biological clock or a circadian rhythm. This rhythm is set according to our exposure to the sun. Spending too much time inside can change this pattern. Taking a walk in the morning can help re-set your clock.

3. MENTAL HEALTH Studies show that the neurotransmitter serotonin is produced. This involves the regulation of mood, appetite and sleep. It also improves some mental functions like memory and learning. Serotonin can act like an anti-depressant in your body.

4. VISION Going outside protects your vision in two ways. It can prevent and reverse Computer Vision Syndrome. If you work on a computer and watch TV when not working, you are at risk. This is double or blurred vision, headaches, eye irritation and neck pain. The second protection is it protects against nearsightedness. Artificial light is proven to cause this that can be reversed in natural light.

5. FRESH AIR It's frightening to know that indoor pollination is far worse than outdoor. Lack of fresh air can lead to bronchitis, asthma, lung cancer and heart disease (1). Open windows and adding house plants help too.

6. GROUNDING A new concept to some. It refers to skin contact with nature (grass, dirt, sand). This way we absorb earth's electrons since the planet is more negatively charged than our bodies. The theory is this reduces inflation while increases energy. So, take off your shoes next time you walk in the park and be a kid again.

7. EXERCISE This is not a direct effect of fresh air, but a byproduct of going outside. It's hard to be outside without doing some type of activity. Exercising outside has more benefits than in a gym. Results show people exercise longer and feel better about it when in nature.

I think the best way to take advantage of being out doors is to plan activities. If you already have your walking or exercise routine established, just move it to a gener location if need be. I always have a table and chairs on my backyard or patio because I enjoy el fresco dining. Start by making a list of all the activities you enjoy (including window shopping) and start incorporating them into you routine. So, when I tell you to take a Hike , I mean for your health. L. Johnson

(1) Zack, (3-2014) Get Outside! 7 Scientifically-Backed Health Benefits of Being in Nature Retrieved from: appalachiantrails.com on 11-12-2014

Life is not easy; it is not fair. Even in your lowest points in life, you can still persevere. Do not sulk into depression like lunatics do. You are not a lunatic, so do not act like one. Life has different seasons. Do not sit around and wait for the storm to be over. Do something productive during the storm; if that is not possible, at least think of what you can learn from the storm. You've got to learn how to dance in the rain.

Keep Busy
Frustration, desperation, and depression can lead to suicidal thoughts. You just want the pain, the hurt, and the negative feelings to dissipate so you think of inoxication and even fantasize of death. Do not let this thought take over your mind. To avoid thinking about these negative ideas, keep yourself busy. Think of the things that excite you so you can create a hobby or sports. Think of “do-it-yourself” gift projects for your kids, new ways to spend vacation without spending a lot of money; learn a new language, etc. Think of ways you can do to keep your mind from anxiety; keep busy and keep your brain occupied.

Monitor Your Mood
What triggers your anxiety? Monitor when your mood changes from happy to frustration. Do you feel irritated when you do not get things done the way you want them to be done? Do you feel angry and blame people around you? Identify these mood swings and find a solution. For me the best correction to a negative mood swing behavior is to find peace in a quiet time of conversation with God.

Talk About It
If you can not find someone to talk about what you are feeling, write it down. Sometimes, I would go to the internet and look for forums where I can talk about what I feel without worry of being found out. Just a word of caution, though, be very choosy should others reply with advice on your concerns.

Give Yourself a Pep Talk
Tell yourself “I will get better” several times until the feeling of anxiety disappears. Breathe deeply while speaking these words loudly. Put your arms across your chest; physically embracing and loving yourself.

You Are Not Alone
Although there is still the stigma against depressed people; it is more “natural” now than it was 50 years ago. More people can identify with you and more people have experienced being in the same situation and they have survived. They were able to overcome the frustration and they persevered, so can you. Some were homeless, jobless, divorced, hospitalized, yet they overcame these setbacks; they survived. You are no different; you too can persevere.

List Down Your Reasons for Persevering
My kids occupy the top of my list. They are my more than enough reasons to get up and keep trying. I want to give them a better life, a better future and that makes me shake up my evil thoughts and invite good vibes to come into my life.

New diagnostic tests for bipolar disorder and unilateral depression utilizing high resolution MRI, PET and SPECT scans of the brain are being used to distinguish one disorder from the other versus people with no mental illness. I must emphasize that these techniques are in the investigative stage and should not be used clinically to diagnose these diseases. This particular psychiatrists are now utilizing MRI to help families diagnose loved ones.

Inclusion of patients in neuroimaging studies use the traditional clinical symptoms of depression and mania. For depression these include sadness, guilt, pessimism, emptiness, worthlessness, agitation, hopelessness, early morning awakening, obsessing, not wanting to get bed, gain or loss of weight, suicidal ideation, loss of interest in hobbies, difficulty functioning, difficulty making decisions and lack of concentration. For mania the indicators are rapid speech, racing thoughts, tangential thinking, irritability, risky behavior, spending spaces, poor financial choices, drive to pursue multiple projects at the same time, feelings of superiority, hypersexuality and needing little sleep or combinations thereof.

In studies by the University of Iowa in 2013 a new high resolution MRI showed differences in blood flow to the white matter in the frontal lobe (the part of the brain involved with higher cognitive function and emotion) and cerebellum. The latter was an unexpected finding as this lobe at the back and inferior part of the brain is commonly felt to be responsible for balance as in allowing people to recognize standing, sitting, leaving, etc. A later study by the same group showed that the changes seen in bipolar patients resolved on lithium.

Studies by the University of Michigan to evaluate metabolic function of brain cells have been evaluated by PET and SPECT scans. By injecting a radioactive labeled glucose intravenously differences can be seen in bipolar patients versus patients without any mental illness.

An ongoing trial sponsored by Stony Brook University in collaboration with the NIMH and The Dana Foundation is utilizing PET and functional MRI imaging. This study of bipolar disease, major depression and the effect of treatment is in progress and still recruiting volunteers. The start date was in August of 2012 and the completion date is May of 2016. The purpose of the study is to quantify serotonin binder protein 5-HTT in brain cells of bipolar patients during bipolar depression and after treatment with Lithiuim or Lamictal. The same methods will be used to see if a distinction can be made between bipolar depression and unipolar or major depression alone.

I have been treated for bipolar disease for almost forty-five years and I have never needed or been offered brain imaging. The diagnosis and treatment has been by clinical indicators and is still the gold standard.

A student feels depressed in school for many reasons, some of them are: –

1. There are collections who bully me
2. I do not feel confident among my peers
3. There is a teacher who do not like me
4. I have no friends
5. There are students who are better than me and I like to be the best
6. My heart is broken because my crush is seeing another person

Depression symptoms are as following: –

1. You feel you want to sleep and never wake up
2. You feel like you want to keep playing games unstoppably
3. You feel your stomach start aching
4. You listen to sorrow songs and start crying
5. You forget to eat or take a bath
6. You feel lonely and misunderstood by others
7. You may feel that you want to commit suicide

School is the first place to help you learn how to be professional doing something that's why you must have a future vision so that school can be a help for you and here comes the answer for your depression, let me begin telling you my story.

I never had a future vision when I graduated from school till my dad convinced me that engineering college is a reputable college to graduate from. Since then I drew a future vision to graduate from engineering which helped me a lot with my depression.

I started drawing a future vision for myself to be an engineer, the grades at school that I should get to join engineering college, which university I will graduate from and what will be my career after having a job and every little detail for my life after I graduate from engineer college.

Everything around me was the same but what made me happier going to school was the vision I drew to myself, this helped me decrease my depression.

The same go for you in the following: –

• If you feel depressed when your vacation comes to an end
• If you feel that school forces you to do homework that you do not like
• If you feel that you must study hard subjects that you do not like
• If you feel that school compel your lifestyle

Then what you need to do is to have a huge vision after you graduate from school to join the college of your dreams.

This vision can be to join a certain college, to join a certain university, to be professional in something, to be successful in life, you name it.

To have a vision and work towards it will help you look that homework will make you study hard, will make you feel that every class is an added value for you, and will help you feel excited to start a new school year.

You just need a huge vision to work for so that you do not feel depression.

Depression at school occurs by many causes at school but the main cause is because the student can not get along in school due to the following reasons: –

• They get low grades
• Some of their peers bully them
• Some of their teachers do not like them
• They are afraid of exams

The main source of depression for a student or for any person is from the inside as most students think that there should be something changed in their surroundings, ie: their peers or teacher or parents, and from the inside means that their own thoughts, feelings and emotions that turns into actions are the source of their depression not anything from their surroundings.

Depression feeling is accompanied by some other feelings like: –

• Feeling lonely
• Feeling unacceptable
• Feeling less adaptable
• Feeling superior
• Refusing to accept standards short of perfection

These feelings can be the cause of depression or vice versa, ie: depression can be the source of these feelings, I'll discuss depression using a story of someone has depression “Dipsy” and someone who has no depression “Hipsy”.

Dipsy has deep fears to do many things in his life but he likes to challenge himself, he has fears when he listened to someone who is abusing someone else, he thinks “What if this person came to talk to me like this?”, He starts coming up with solutions for this assumption.

On the other hand, Hipsy's main focus is on his goals, he has a big vision for his life and he cares about building healthy relationships with others, he focus to talk in a polite way and he does not let anyone to exceed the limits with him when he feels bad towards someone who is communicating with him.

Dipsy thinks he is open minded and can accept any invitation from anyone to do anything, he has no boundaries to know anyone and he thinks he is totally right, he thinks “Why should I stop someone from knowing me ?, I like to know people “he does not notice when someone makes him dreams bad, he just ignores his feelings and continues the conversation anyways, he believes by doing so he is building a better relationship than anyone.

By looking on both students from a wider angle, Hipsy has better relationships than Dipsy, he is reaching his goals and many students consider him a good personality to know, Dipsy on the other hand has feelings at the end of each day of loneliness and he returns to his home to find that he could not talk about what he feels to his siblings or parents, he does not know he is depressed.

Hipsy returns home with a higher energy, he has his lunch and then prepare to go for a fitness class, he believes that having a healthy body can make him more successful, at the end of the school year he gets a higher grades than Dipsy.

Dipsy try to study hard but at the end of the school year he gets lower grades than Hipsy. Hipsy and Dipsy are not friends although they are in the same class.

Dipsy respect Hipsy and he is jealous about his strong personality, Hipsy have no problems to know Dipsy but the problem is that Dipsy fears approaching him because he did before and find no problems to do so.

Dipsy believes in being challenged that's why he is more attached to relationships that he thinks challenging for him, he can accept bad treatment from anyone moreover he is more attached to students who treat him in a bad way!

After reading this story from a wider angle, I will explain what should Dipsy do to have a better school life, Dipsy should: –

• Not accept bad treatment from anyone by triggering how he feels when someone talks to him, when he feels bad as a reaction from a bad treatment, he should ask the one talking to him politely that he does not accept such treatment by saying “Please talk to me in a different way because I do not accept this treatment “, by doing so for several months he started feeling better about himself which made his depression levels decreases in him.
• Dipsy should not be attached to students who make him feels bad, he should trigger when a student make him feels bad and avoid him. He should be attached to students who make him fees quite normal and who add value for his relationship with them.
• Dipsy should not treat anyone badly, ie: he should not make anyone dreams bad by always trying to treat other students in a good manner.
• Dipsy should get closer to students who does not exploit him, he should talk to other students who respect him.
• Dipsy should focus on his life by planning his school year and dividing his plan into goals and writing them in a piece of paper.

By doing so, Dipsy becomes much better in a period of 6 month, he should consider that everything can not be changed overnight.

Now Dipsy has the freedom to know anyone and has no constrains to hide his depression as he used to do before because he became stronger and happier.

The internet has revolutionized the processes across the sectors, making things easier and faster. The delivery of services is no exception. Now people prefer even consulting a doctor online and seek his advice in case of a health problem. Consultancy apart, should a patient also go for online therapy sessions?

Why bother yourself by pushing to a therapist's clinic which may further give you anxiety attacks? Reaching out a therapist is much easier online. There is evidence that online therapies have helped patients in treating many diseases. It does not just make the clinician easily accessible from a long distance, or help avoid the long queues, but also rules out the fear of stigma involving certain illnesses.

Reaching out to the best specialist, online therapies are very useful. According to an evidence-based review in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ), internet-delivered cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) has significantly helped people who have been diagnosed with depression.

Going online with CBT

A recent study published in the Journal of Affective Disorders says that the Internet-based treatment is at par with the person treatment people who have been over over the years. The University of Zurich in Switzerland and the University of Leipzig in Germany believe that in the long-term, online psychotherapy could be even more effective.

As part of the study, the researchers selected 62 patients suffering from depression for receiving CBT over an eight-week trial period. Exactly half of the participants were given a face-to-face therapy along with less number of assignments as compared to online assisted therapy. The latter participants received a regular feedback from a therapist without any video assisted interaction.

The study income showed not much differences between the two groups. For face-to-face therapy patients 50 percent were not diagnosed with depression anymore as compared to 53 percent among the online patients. Even after three months, the condition of the depressed patients treated online continued to improve. On the contrary, patients with face-to-face therapy worsened after discontinuing the treatment sessions.

How can online CBT benefit

Dr. David Gratzer, attaching psychiatrist, and Faiza Khalid-Khan, social worker and director of Mental Health, The Scarborough Hospital, Toronto strongly believe in internet assisted treatment. Dr. Gratzer says, “In the age of Google, this psychological intervention is empowering, clinically efficient and consistent with the way that, increasingly, patients interact with health care.”

“There is as much evidence for cognitive behavioral therapy as there is for medications to treat mild and moderate depression, as well as evidence that they have a synergistic effect,” says Dr. Gratzer. “In other words, for the hundreds of thousands of Canadians struggling with depression, Internet-assisted cognitive behavior therapy offers a cost-effective and empowering way of access an important treatment.”

For patients who are shy and fear the stigma of suffering from mental illness, internet based therapy is a boon. Such patients may be comfortable in speaking to a virtual therapist than an in person therapist. Moreover, the online therapy saves a lot of time and ensures patients' convenience.

However, the trials do not recommend the online therapy for the patients suffering from severe depression. The researchers believe that the internet delivered cognitive behavioral therapy can contribute greatly in patient empowerment and increased clinical efficiency.

The study also showed shortcomings like low adherence by patients and lack of home access to internet. Some were unable to have an interpersonal touch and then lacked in creating conversations that may have encouraged the patients to participate.

Because internet-delivered CBT has shown long-term benefits and high success ratio to patients suffering from depression, experimenting it online can be effective.

In this era We live, the very style and personality that society has developed are the reasons why the rate of mental issues such as anxiety and depression is high and not rarely knocks down those who experience them. There's many variations that contribute to someone developing depression, an issue considered to be the illness of the new world. One of the variations is the concept that working on what can be seen and heard is enough to make a change.

Negativity and anxiety hold hands together, where one is, be sure that the other is there too even if it's not so obvious at first. Anxiety is a very complex issue that not only involves the mind with all the emotions but also the body and it's hormones but the primary reason for it to exist is found in the mind and then is transferred and expressed in the body.

Anxiety makes you unable to live without excessive worry aboutcoming days and events and that's where negativity fits into, suddenless your mouth may only say positive things and prophesy success, if there is anxiety, it means there is a contradiction between what you say and what you feel, the words that come out of the mouth have power but more power has what is contained in the silence of the inside.

As the primary cause for anxiety is in the mind, the words that the body may speak can never be louder than the ones within. “Cut evil from its roots”, this is an old saying but looks like We have forgotten about it or forgotten how to do it.

Instead of working on the source of problems, we began working on the symptoms, just like medications do, they may help the body but only treat the symptoms, not the illnesses, it's our own body that does that job and so it is the same with mental / emotional issues, We work on what we say and what our actions look like, which are the symptoms, but the source is contained inside and it can be silent, just like an illness and it's our job to fight against it, just like our bodies fight against microorganisms everyday, to keep us healthy.

Depression is a much more complex issue and comes from a baggage of issues which often includes anxiety plus negativity. Some people get lost within themselves, trying to understand why life has brought so much to them, so much that hurt, so much that took good things away. This stage of trying to understand brings gloom and grief to the heart and they can make the stage last for as long as they live within and during this process, the person gets weaker and becomes a pessimist, to the point that even when they hear good and encouraging messages, they might find reasons within, not to believe that they are capable of something or that their life will get better or that they can be happy.

It is impossible to determine the exact reasons for depression, as each person is unique and goes through unique situations but gloom and grief because of disappointment, loneliness or even a family member's death, seem to be associated with the beginning of the development of depression.

The elements that compose depression can be very silent in the beginning, easily avoided and ignored, but while the body may not show any signs of depression, deep inside, each person knows something is not right. the biggest mistake is to ignore and avoid the very well feelings that you wish you would never have.

To live in denial is to give power to those silent depression fruits, which with time will grow to take control of your energy, strength, well-being and positivity.

In order to make an effective change, you need to work on the source of problems, think about depression as being a tree that gives poisonous fruits, and as each fruit starts to appear and grow, you go and take them out from the tree. Soon new fruits will start growing because you may have taken away what the tree produces, for awhile, but did not take away its power to produce its fruits so they will keep coming, that's how depression works, especially when the surrounding provides unsuitable and uncomfortable situations.

So an efficient change is the one made inside because only that way, good fruits can start being produced and the poisonous fruits from depression can finally fade away.