|
|
|
|
|
|
|
• Treating Depression Arguably the most prominent depression treatment, the cognitive behavioral therapy is commonly used for handling the condition. There has been extensive research and medical studies that conducted to check or assess the safety as well as the effectiveness in treating depression using this type of therapy.
|
|
• Natural Treatment For Depression - It Is Possible! Are there any solutions and treatments available to stem depression? Fortunately, the answer to this is yes. Unfortunately again, many of these treatments involves a soup of medicines that may have some form or side effect. Psychotherapy is another solution that is gaining popularity due to the favorable results they have exhibited.
|
|
• St. John's wort - Alternative Depression Treatment Why is St. John's wort used as an alternative depression treatment? Some patients who take antidepressant drugs do not experience relief from depression. Other patients have reported side effects from their prescription medication.
|
|
• Antidepressants There are several types of antidepressant medications used to treat depression disorders. These include newer antidepressant medications-chiefly the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)-the tricyclics, and the monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs). The SSRIs-and other newer antidepressant medications that affect neurotransmitters such as dopamine or norepinephrine-generally have fewer side effects than tricyclics. Sometimes the doctor will try a variety of antidepressants before finding the most effective antidepressant medication or combination of medications.
|
|
• Can Antidepressant Medications Ever Cure You? Why antidepressants cannot provide a cure and how they can help a sufferer take the first step towards recovery. Stress, depression and anxiety are on the increase every year and they show no signs of ending their relentless onslaught. Over 40 million people are affected by these illnesses annually, and for the majority, powerful antidepressant drugs offer the only solution.
|
|
• Basics of a Healthful, Antidepression Diet For some people, the phrase healthful diet is enough to send their mood tumbling. "Guess I'll have to give up everything I enjoy, like chocolate and hamburgers and french fries," sighed one patient. "That's enough to make me even more depressed!" But healthful need not be equated with unappetizing or boring. Different, perhaps, and for some people a change to a more healthful diet requires big adjustments -- in the foods they buy, where they eat out, and how they prepare their choices. The rewards, however, are many, including improved mood, more energy, enhanced immune system, better concentration, and invigorated sex drive, to name but a few.
|
|
More...
|
|
|
Help for Depression, Anxiety and Stress.
Help for all whose lives are touched by depression and anxiety. Learn how to help yourself or someone who has depression more...
Medications for treatment of Depression and Anxiety.
Antidepressant and Antianxiety medications used by people just like you to treat depression, anxiety and stress. more...
Treatment for Anxiety and Depression
Learn about new depression and anxiety treatments. Learn about natural and conventional anxiety and depression treatments more...
Medications for treatment of Depression and Anxiety.
Comprehensive online resource for anxiety and depression medications more...
|
|
|
|
|
Postpartum Depression
Depression that occurs during pregnancy or within a year after delivery is called perinatal depression. The exact number of women with depression during this time is unknown. But researchers believe that depression is one of the most common complications during and after pregnancy. Often, the depression is not recognized or treated, because some normal pregnancy changes cause similar symptoms and are happening at the same time. Tiredness, problems sleeping, stronger emotional reactions, and changes in body weight may occur during pregnancy and after pregnancy. But these symptoms may also be signs of depression.
Depression after pregnancy is called postpartum depression or peripartum depression. After pregnancy, hormonal changes in a woman's body may trigger symptoms of depression. During pregnancy, the amount of two female hormones, estrogen and progesterone, in a woman's body increases greatly. In the first 24 hours after childbirth, the amount of these hormones rapidly drops back down to their normal non-pregnant levels. Researchers think the fast change in hormone levels may lead to depression, just as smaller changes in hormones can affect a woman's moods before she gets her menstrual period.
Psychosocial interventions commonly used for bipolar disorder are cognitive behavioral therapy, psychoeducation, family therapy, and a newer technique, interpersonal and social rhythm therapy. NIMH researchers are studying how these interventions compare to one another when added to medication treatment for bipolar disorder.
Occasionally, levels of thyroid hormones may also drop after giving birth. The thyroid is a small gland in the neck that helps to regulate your metabolism (how your body uses and stores energy from food). Low thyroid levels can cause symptoms of depression including depressed mood, decreased interest in things, irritability, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, sleep problems, and weight gain. A simple blood test can tell if this condition is causing a woman's depression. If so, thyroid medicine can be prescribed by a doctor.
Other factors that may contribute to postpartum depression include:
. Feeling tired after delivery, broken sleep patterns, and not enough rest often keeps a new mother from regaining her full strength for weeks.
. Feeling overwhelmed with a new, or another, baby to take care of and doubting your ability to be a good mother.
. Feeling stress from changes in work and home routines. Sometimes, women think they have to be "super mom" or perfect, which is not realistic and can add stress.
. Having feelings of loss - loss of identity of who you are, or were, before having the baby, loss of control, loss of your pre-pregnancy figure, and feeling less attractive.
. Having less free time and less control over time. Having to stay home indoors for longer periods of time and having less time to spend with the your partner and loved ones.
What is the difference between "baby blues,"postpartum depression, and postpartum psychosis?
The baby blues can happen in the days right after childbirth and normally go away within a few days to a week. A new mother can have sudden mood swings, sadness, crying spells, loss of appetite, sleeping problems, and feel irritable, restless, anxious, and lonely. Symptoms are not severe and treatment isn't needed. But there are things you can do to feel better. Nap when the baby does. Ask for help from your spouse, family members, and friends. Join a support group of new moms or talk with other moms.
Postpartum depression can happen anytime within the first year after childbirth. A woman may have a number of symptoms such as sadness, lack of energy, trouble concentrating, anxiety, and feelings of guilt and worthlessness. The difference between postpartum depression and the baby blues is that postpartum depression often affects a woman's well-being and keeps her from functioning well for a longer period of time. Postpartum depression needs to be treated by a doctor. Counseling, support groups, and medicines are things that can help.
Postpartum psychosis is rare. It occurs in 1 or 2 out of every 1000 births and usually begins in the first 6 weeks postpartum. Women who have bipolar disorder or another psychiatric problem called schizoaffective disorder have a higher risk for developing postpartum psychosis. Symptoms may include delusions, hallucinations, sleep disturbances, and obsessive thoughts about the baby. A woman may have rapid mood swings, from depression to irritability to euphoria.
What steps can I take if I have symptoms of depression during pregnancy or after childbirth?
Some women don't tell anyone about their symptoms because they feel embarrassed, ashamed, or guilty about feeling depressed when they are supposed to be happy. They worry that they will be viewed as unfit parents. Perinatal depression can happen to any woman. It does not mean you are a bad or "not together" mom. You and your baby don't have to suffer. There is help.
There are different types of individual and group "talk therapies" that can help a woman with perinatal depression feel better and do better as a mom and as a person. Limited research suggests that many women with perinatal depression improve when treated with anti-depressant medicine. Your doctor can help you learn more about these options and decide which approach is best for you and your baby. The next section contains more detailed information about available treatments.
Speak to your doctor or midwife if you are having symptoms of depression while you are pregnant or after you deliver your baby. Your doctor or midwife can give you a questionnaire to test for depression and can also refer you to a mental health professional who specializes in treating depression.
How is depression treated?
Talk therapy. This involves talking to a therapist, psychologist, or social worker to learn to change how depression makes you think, feel, and act.
Medicine. Your doctor can give you an antidepressant medicine to help you. These medicines can help relieve the symptoms of depression.
Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding should talk with their doctors about the advantages and risks of taking antidepressant medicines. Some women are concerned that taking these medicines may harm the baby. A mother's depression can affect her baby's development, so getting treatment is important for both mother and baby. The risks of taking medicine have to be weighed against the risks of depression. It is a decision that women need to discuss carefully with their doctors. Women who decide to take antidepressant medicines should talk to their doctors about which antidepressant medicines are safer to take while pregnant or breastfeeding.
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is useful, particularly for individuals whose depression is severe or life threatening or who cannot take antidepressant medication. ECT often is effective in cases where antidepressant medications do not provide sufficient relief of symptoms. In recent years, ECT has been much improved. A muscle relaxant is given before treatment, which is done under brief anesthesia. Electrodes are placed at precise locations on the head to deliver electrical impulses. The stimulation causes a brief (about 30 seconds) seizure within the brain. The person receiving ECT does not consciously experience the electrical stimulus. For full therapeutic benefit, at least several sessions of ECT, typically given at the rate of three per week, are required.
Some herbal supplements are frequently used for treatment of depression. Any herbal supplement should be taken only after consultation with the doctor or other health care provider.
What effects can untreated depression have?
Depression not only hurts the mother, but also affects her family. Some researchers have found that depression during pregnancy can raise the risk of delivering an underweight baby or a premature infant. Some women with depression have difficulty caring for themselves during pregnancy. They may have trouble eating and won't gain enough weight during the pregnancy; have trouble sleeping; may miss prenatal visits; may not follow medical instructions; have a poor diet; or may use harmful substances, like tobacco, alcohol, or illegal drugs.
Postpartum depression can affect a mother's ability to parent. She may lack energy, have trouble concentrating, be irritable, and not be able to meet her child's needs for love and affection. As a result, she may feel guilty and lose confidence in herself as a mother, which can worsen the depression. Researchers believe that postpartum depression can affect the infant by causing delays in language development, problems with emotional bonding to others, behavioral problems, lower activity levels, sleep problems, and distress. It helps if the father or another caregiver can assist in meeting the needs of the baby and other children in the family while mom is depressed.
All children deserve the chance to have a healthy mom. All moms deserve the chance to enjoy their life and their children. Don't suffer alone. If you are experiencing symptoms of depression during pregnancy or after having a baby, please tell a loved one and call you doctor or midwife right away.
Source: National Institute of Mental Health
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Depression
Depression Signs
Depression Symptoms
Depression Treatment
Depression Medications
Depression Help
Bipolar Depression
Major Depression
Postpartum Depression
Clinical Depression
Anxiety Depression
|
|
• Techniques For Women Who Deal With Depression Some women have a difficult time in managing their depression. Sometimes, their depression and fears can be very difficult to manage and overcome. As a result, here is a short list of techniques that a women can use to help manage their depression.
|
|
• Bigger than the Baby Blues - Signs of Postpartum Depression The joy of bringing a child into the world, a baby to love and cherish, may be the plan but to 50-80% of new mothers suffering from a form of depression known as the Baby Blues that dream is not the reality. While not serious, the baby blues can leave a new mother despondent, tired, and subject to emotional swings and loss of appetite.
|
|
• Coping with Depression Often a person who's suffering from depression will feel disconnected from society and reality. It can cause isolation and can also pull them away from friends, family, work and can lead to loneliness. However there are a few things depression suffers can do to lighten things up.
|
|
• Depression in Women Women Are At Greater Risk For Depression Than Men. Major depression and dysthymia affect twice as many women as men. This two-to-one ratio exists regardless of racial and ethnic background or economic status. Men and women have about the same rate of bipolar disorder (manic-depression), though its course in women typically has more depressive and fewer manic episodes. Also, a greater number of women have the rapid cycling form of bipolar disorder, which may be more resistant to standard treatments.
|
|
• Child Depression Before adolescence, there is little difference in the rate of depression in boys and girls. But between the ages of 11 and 13 there is a precipitous rise in depression rates for girls. By the age of 15, females are twice as likely to have experienced a major depressive episode as males.
|
|
• Depression In Elderly Women and Men Research and clinical evidence reveal that while both women and men can develop the standard symptoms of depression, they often experience depression differently and may have different ways of coping with the depression symptoms.
|
|
• Menopause And Anxiety The mid-life phenomenon known as menopause and the stresses of anxiety go hand in hand. Panic attacks, rushes of energy, burning in the chest, unusual vibrations throughout the body, and warm sensations are some of the physical effects you may feel under this condition. When menopause hits, there is a greater chance women will go through anxiety and depression.
|
|
More...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
