Wing of Madness Depression Guide Depression Symptoms, Causes and Treatment

Frequently Asked Questions about Light Therapy for Seasonal Affective Disorder – Depression

Deborah — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 16:43:32 +0000

February is just about upon us and this is frequently a time when Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD is most prevalent. There have been a lot of questions about the affectiveness and logisitcs surrounding light therapy to treat Seasonal Affective Disorder. In this sharepost Id like to address some of the Frequently Asked Questions regarding light box therapy as a course of treatment for SAD. 1. Do I need to see a doctor to diagnose and treat my Seasonal Affective Disorder SAD?As with any mood disorder, a formal diagnosis is highly recommended. For one thing, its essential to rule out any hidden conditions that might be causing the depression, like thyroid dysfunction. For another, you will need the SAD diagnosis to have your health insurance provider pay for treatment.

via Frequently Asked Questions about Light Therapy for Seasonal Affective Disorder – Depression.

Using a Light Box for Seasonal Affective Disorder – Therapy – Depression

Deborah — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 14:32:04 +0000

Most people with winter-onset SAD can benefit from light therapy, but in light therapy, the devil is in the details. A very basic, bottom line description of light therapy is that it consists of light entering the patients retina from a prescribed distance for a prescribed amount of time. But distance and angle of the light, time of day the therapy is performed and amount of light need to be taken into account, tested and possibly tweaked to get the best result for each patient.

Read on.

Celiac Disease in Women Linked to Depression Risk

Deborah — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 14:43:49 +0000

HealthDay News — New research shows that women with celiac disease face a higher risk for also suffering from depression and so-called "disordered eating," regardless of whether they stick to a gluten-free diet."We found that most [study] participants frequently adhered to a gluten-free diet, and this greater compliance with diet was related to increased vitality, lower stress, decreased depressive symptoms and greater overall emotional health," study co-author Josh Smyth, a professor of bio-behavioral health and medicine at Penn State University, said in a university news release."However, even those people who were managing their illness very well reported higher rates of stress, depression and a range of issues clustered around body image, weight and shape when compared to the general population," he added.The study results appear online and in an upcoming issue of Chronic Illness.

via Celiac Disease in Women Linked to Depression Risk.

Keep the Holiday Support Going

Deborah — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 12:30:03 +0000

You may be breathing a sigh of relief now that the holidays are over. There’s no question that there are many aspects of the holiday season that are tough on someone with depression. Things that tax your energy like shopping and cooking, parties and gatherings that require you to attempt a smile and engage in chit-chat, and of course, spending time with friends and family when you’d rather curl up in bed by yourself. All in all, an experience to be endured, and the worst part is that you’re supposed to be enjoying yourself!

And since you’ve heard that the holidays see the highest rate of suicide all year, you may also be confident that you’ve passed the danger zone. Well, not exactly. The thing is, we’re heading into the danger zone for suicides, not away from it. Contrary to popular belief, the holidays are not the time of the year when we see the most suicides. The beginning of the year, after all the festivities and for many people, in the dead of a dark, endless winter, can be the time when they lose hope.

Now, I have no idea how this myth originated that the holiday period sees a spike in suicides. Maybe the irony appeals to a lot of people. And we also don’t know exactly why major holidays seem to put a damper on suicides. One theory is that people put off a suicide attempt until after the holidays because they don’t want their family and friends to always be thinking of the holidays as a time that they lost someone. That’s definitely a possibility, and I’m not going to discount it.

But in addition, it’s believed that suicides go down during major holidays, when people gather, because we’re in contact with our support network of family and friends. So the family who you probably love dearly, but who can absolutely drive you nuts, is literally what keeps you alive. The best thing that you can do for yourself after the holidays is stay in touch with family and friends.

That’s a bit of a problem. Most people with depression prefer to be alone. Depression can make most of us fairly inarticulate, for one thing. It can be really difficult to hold a conversation with someone other than your cat. Also, we know that we’re a downer when we’re depressed. So being with other people, even close friends and family members, can be such a challenge that it doesn’t really seem worth it.

But for your own sanity, you really need to stay in touch and make plans to see people instead of cocooning at home with the remote control.

Also, If you don’t have a therapist, and you’re feeling particularly depressed, this might be the ideal time to start talk therapy. If you do have a therapist, don’t skip appointments because you’re really down – you need them now more than ever.

Depression: My Story (VIDEO)

Deborah — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 17:53:26 +0000

Hi everybody. Cara Santa Maria here. As we’ve been discussing mental health this month, I’ve read some pretty cynical comments on my blog posts about how people with depression should “just get over it.” About how “we all get sad sometimes and it’s hard to deal…what makes you so special?” Well, for anybody watching who feels that way, I have to tell you: depression is a brain illness. It is caused by a combination of genetic, biological, environmental, and psychological factors.

Read on.

Light Therapy for Seasonal Affective Disorder

Deborah — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 17:05:48 +0000

If you have episodes of depression that occur only in the fall, winter and early spring, you may have Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). The hallmarks of SAD are excessive sleeping, carbohydrate and sugar cravings, lethargy, difficulty concentrating and depression. Although many of the symptoms are similar to non-seasonal depression, if your symptoms go away with the return of longer days, you probably have SAD, and your doctor is likely to recommend light therapy before any other treatment.

Note: Although light therapy may sound like the ultimate do-it-yourself depression treatment, before doing anything, you should get a formal diagnosis of SAD from a doctor, and preferably have them guide your treatment.

Love Hormone May Buffer Kids From Moms Depression

Deborah — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 16:23:53 +0000

HealthDay News — Children born to mothers with postpartum depression are at increased risk for mental health problems, but a hormone called oxytocin may reduce the risk, according to a new study.Oxytocin, which is produced naturally in the body and has been associated with feelings of love and trust, may help protect kids from the negative effects of maternal depression, the researchers found. A synthetic version of the hormone is available as medication.

via Love Hormone May Buffer Kids From Moms Depression.

Spending on Depression Up From 1996 to 2005 –Doctors Lounge

Deborah — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 23:27:01 +0000

(HealthDay News) — Spending for Florida Medicaid enrollees with depression increased considerably from 1996 to 2005, according to a study published in the December issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry.

Catherine A. Fullerton, M.D., M.P.H., from Harvard Medical School in Boston, and colleagues assessed longitudinal trends in health service utilization, spending, and quality of care for depression, among Florida Medicaid enrollees (aged 18 to 64 years), between July 1, 1996, and June 30, 2006. Mental health care expenditures, including inpatient, outpatient, and medication spending were assessed after adjusting for inflation and case mix, and quality-of-care measured, were evaluated.

via Spending on Depression Up From 1996 to 2005 –Doctors Lounge.

Could acute postpartum blues signal bipolar disorder? | Reuters

Deborah — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 12:14:42 +0000

(Reuters Health) – Women treated for severe psychiatric conditions including major depression shortly after giving birth were more likely to be diagnosed as bipolar later in life compared to those whose first psychiatric episode happened at any other time, in a new study from Denmark.

Researchers said they didn’t know if some postpartum depression or schizophrenia-like episodes were actually misdiagnosed bipolar disorder — or if more women with those initial diagnoses developed bipolar disorder over time.

via Could acute postpartum blues signal bipolar disorder? | Reuters.

Best Antidepressant May Depend on Patient: Study

Deborah — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 12:12:25 +0000

(HealthDay News) — Newer antidepressants seem to be about as effective as one another, a new analysis indicates.

This suggests that the choice of which drug is appropriate for which patient should be made on the basis of such considerations as side effects, cost and patient preference.

“They’re all equally effective,” said Dr. David Schlager, a clinical assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral science at Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine.

“They’re interchangeable except for side effects,” he added, so psychiatrists do tend to “exploit the side-effect profile” to find suitable medications for individual patients, he added.

According to the background information in the new study, appearing in the Dec. 6 issue of Annals of Internal Medicine, some 27 million people in the United States had taken antidepressants as of 2005.

via Best Antidepressant May Depend on Patient: Study.