Depression

Struck By Living: From Depression to Hope
Any memoir opening with “I tried to kill myself three times” has the imperative to deliver on the promise of importance, conflict, and resolution inherent within that declaration. For author Julie K. Hersh, Struck by Living: From Depression to Hope is a promise as well—a promise that she will continue to do whatever it takes [...]
The Efficacy of Postpartum Depression Screening
How effective is postpartum depression screening? More than one in 10 new mothers is thought to experience significant postpartum depression. The condition has a substantial impact on the whole family, and while effective treatments are available, fewer than half of cases are detected in routine care. Postpartum depression is typically diagnosed a month to a year after [...]
What to Expect from an Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) Treatment
Electroconvulsive Therapy — or ECT as it’s commonly known — is a brief medical procedure that involves applying short electrical bursts to the brain through external electrode pads on your head. These electrical bursts create a seizure, which has been shown to help relieve symptoms associated with severe depression. The entire procedure lasts about 15 [...]
Risks of Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT)
Modern electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is generally considered a safe and effective treatment for severe, chronic depression and treatment-resistant depression, although it may occasionally be used to treat other conditions as well. Despite its general safety and efficacy, like psychiatric medications, it carries with it a number of side effects. Your doctor or psychiatrist should go through [...]
Depression and Teenage Pregnancy
Research suggests that childbearing does not necessarily cause psychological distress among teenagers. Dr. Stefanie Mollborn of the University of Colorado and her team investigated stress and depression using a large group of teenage girls and adult women. In the Journal of Health and Social Behavior, they explain that teenage mothers’ high depression rates have received “considerable [...]
The Importance of Omega-3 Fatty Acids in Pregnancy
How important are omega-3 fatty acids in a pregnant woman’s diet? Pregnant women are advised to eat about 12 ounces of fish a week, including one of oily fish. Raw fish or seafood, swordfish, tilefish, king mackerel, and shark are best avoided due to risk of food poisoning and heavy metal toxicity. Eating fish is good for [...]
An Overview of Depression and Money Issues
Being in debt, broke, and unemployed can lead to depression but the converse is also true: Depression can precipitate financial meltdown. There is the issue of lost wages. People who are depressed take off more time from work. In fact, according to a 2008 study reported in the American Journal of Psychiatry mental illness costs America [...]
A High School Project on Depression
I tutor a number of students from my local high school, which offers a remarkable English course called Psychology and Literature. What an idea! Although I’d never heard of such a course at any other school, Psych and Lit is extremely popular here, and I’ve been very impressed with the concept and the content. My favorite [...]
Edward Cullen and the Allure of Depression
It’s fairly clear at this point that Twilight’s leading vampire, Edward Cullen, is the heartthrob of the generation. Millions of teen and tween girls (along with a not inconsiderable number of women, boys, and men) are obsessed with this brooding, tortured, self-loathing boy, enamored of his darkness. Edward Cullen is in many ways [...]
Depression and Alcoholism: Five Tips for Recovery
Alcoholics go through a period of grieving when they give up drinking. For those dually-diagnosed with alcoholism and depression, the grief over not being able to drink is intensified. That’s usually because once people with co-occurring disorders stop drinking, all the feelings that have been medicated over the years by alcohol start to surface. This [...]
Depression and Teenage Identity Building
One day of high school, I distinctly remember realizing that I had more friends who were taking some form of psychiatric medication than friends who were not. The vast majority of them were on antidepressants. As more and more teenagers are prescribed pills for depression, nearly every student in high school and college [...]
Top 10 Daily Habits To Keep Depression Away
There are certain things that, done regularly, help keep my depression symptoms at bay. Some are very familiar while others are not always at the forefront of our thoughts, but can make all the difference in my mental health. While not every habit may be helpful for you in fighting back your depression, I’ve found [...]
Depression Myths and Facts Demystified
Almost 15 million Americans suffer from clinical depression, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. Depression is also the leading cause of disability among 15- to 44-year-olds. Still, even though depression is so common, there are many misconceptions about its symptoms, causes and treatment. The problem is that misinformation gives rise to stigma and [...]
Three Faces of Depression
Is depression a single thing? It seems to me that depression has many faces. One of the fascinating segments of my job as a private tutor is my role as home school teacher. I take on referrals of students who can’t attend school. Sometimes the causes are physical (for example, a student with cancer undergoing radiation [...]
Replacing Your Negative Thoughts
Negative thought replacement is a method for reducing the amount of depressive thoughts in a person’s mind. In the first article of this series, you learned about becoming more aware of your negative thought patterns. In the next article, you learned about letting go of these negative thoughts as they came to you. [...]