Years ago depression was considered a weakness, suffered by weak people, some citing a higher rate of depression among women. This chauvinistic, repressive attitude toward depression and its sufferers has been changing, allowing the depression to come out from under the cloak of shame and seek help for their illness. Depression shows itself through a prolonged period of sadness or anxiety. I have seen firsthand the link between anxiety and depression. The possibility for the chronically anxious person to become depressed is real, and the reasons can be compelling. Earlier I likened the anxious state to being constantly on red … Continue reading →

Most people don’t start out in life intentionally headed toward depression. Life just takes you down that detour sometimes, for a whole host of reasons. Sometimes it’s a traumatic event that shakes your world and shatters your confidence. Sometimes it’s the cumulative effect of anxiety and fear about yourself and your future. Sometimes it’s the sheer weariness of never seeming to get on the right road to happiness. Sometimes it’s the constant criticism and negativity of the people you travel with. Sometimes it’s because no matter how fast you go, you can’t seem to outrun your past. Sometimes it’s because … Continue reading →

Apparently coffee is good for your mental health, at least if you are a woman. A new study released in the Archives of Internal Medicine followed over 50,000 women over a 10 year period and discovered that women who drank 4 cups of caffeinated coffee a day were 20% less likely to suffer from depression than women who did not drink coffee on a regular basis. In an article on Reuters.com, they break down the findings and discuss the implications. The interesting things that stood out to me were the sheer numbers the researchers were working with and how careful … Continue reading →

A few years ago I worked for the federally funded AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) and until today I had no idea there was another ADAP out there. While I like to think of myself as one who keeps up with the times when it comes to great programs, this one somehow slipped by me. This ADAP is the Adolescent Depression Awareness Program. The program is sponsored by John Hopkins Medicine and is designed to “increase awareness about depression and the need for evaluation and treatment”. I felt a little better about my lack of knowledge of the program when … Continue reading →

A recent survey in California and published in the Annals of Family Medicine showed nearly half of people with depressive symptoms did not speak to their primary care physician about it. The biggest reason? Worry about being put on anti-depressant medications. The next biggest reason was that people did not think their primary doctor was responsible for their emotional help, with a third reason of worrying that others would find out. Both Reuters and Huffington Post have interesting looks at the research. I found the data interesting because we in America are accused of being a drug nation all of … Continue reading →

Maybe this should say “madness” instead. I am just not sure. Like many in this country I was recently laid off. It was unexpected, and overwhelming. I now get up every morning and take my kids to school, and then wander around the house wondering what to do with myself. After reading the job postings for the day and applying to any I actually qualify for (not a lot of jobs in mental health out there) I feel lost. Sure, I made a list of all of the things I would accomplish during this time: organize my bathroom, go through … Continue reading →

When I saw a recent headline about so-called supermoms being at a higher risk for depression my first thought was “Who isn’t a supermom these days”? Whether you work outside of the home or not the pressure on moms is high. There seems to be an expectation that regardless of what is going on mom needs to keep the household running. That may not mean she has to do it all, but certainly she has to make sure it all gets done. I don’t consider myself a supermom at all. Until recently I worked a full and part time job, … Continue reading →

I suppose it is a no brainer to say that someone who is maltreated as a child has a higher likelihood of being depressed as an adult. You may wonder why researchers would even spend their time looking into this. But the research that came out of this week focused on those who have hard to treat depression. The study was published in the American Journal of Psychiatry. The basics of the study, summarized by CBS news, is that maltreatment in childhood alters the course of depression and its treatment outcomes. People who were maltreated as children had higher rates … Continue reading →

Interesting research was released this month in the journal Frontiers in Psychology regarding antidepressants and reoccurrence of depression. The full article is called “Blue again: perturbational effects of antidepressants suggest monoaminergic homeostasis in major depression”. Ya, I know – what?? If I had not come across a summary article I would have never even looked into this. The research is worth reading if this is something of importance to you. Otherwise, a summary will do. Here are the basics: people who take anti-depressants have a higher rate of “relapse” than those who never take medications. Relapse in this case would … Continue reading →