Social Anxiety During the Holidays (for Adults)
We spent Halloween at my sister’s house this year. Every year, most of the houses on the block she lives on decorate their garages as one of the locations in the Harry Potter books. The crowd that comes is by now completely insane. You can barely move through the…
Depression and Illness
Last November I started getting sick with a sinus headache and fever. At the end of a week, I was so sick that I ended up throwing up in a bathroom stall at work. The doctor diagnosed a sinus infection. Not unusual for someone with allergies, but I hadn’t…
Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence
I’m reading “Green Eggs and Ham” to my son Lawrence before bed. Actually, he’s reading it to me, which is very exciting. He’s doing really well. I only have to help him with about one word out of ten. I read way ahead of my level when I was…
Does my son have ADHD?
Around January this year, my husband and I got the dreaded summons from our son’s kindergarten teacher to meet with her about a problem with Lawrence. It was not a complete surprise – she had told us that she had some concerns. Lawrence was having some mild behavioral problems,…
My history with antidepressants
I’ve been taking antidepressant medication for almost thirty years, with the exception of the period when I was switching antidepressants and when I was pregnant. The first antidepressant my depression was treated with was Norpramin, also known as Desipramine. I was very lucky, as it worked very well for…
Managing Antidepressant Side Effects
The other day, I took an impromptu break at work to buy something to drink. “I’m just so dehydrated,” I told my boss. “My blood pressure medication does that to me – maybe yours is having the same effect.” Aha. That was probably it. Due to my elevated blood…
Depression in Seniors
For many older adults, the “golden years” are indeed golden. My parents, who are both over the age of 65, are enjoying their retirement here in Northern California. My father is supervising the building of their new house and my mother runs a website she created for senior women.…
10 Tips for Staying Sane when Your Partner has Depression
If you’re involved with someone who’s depressed, you’ve probably seen quite a few articles and videos that tell you how to be supportive of your partner. And yes, these are a great idea, as the person who is depressed is in hell, plain and simple. (I was diagnosed with…
Enhancing Antidepressant Treatment with Folic Acid
A few months ago, my psychiatrist recommended that I take folic acid supplements, as they might boost the effectiveness of my antidepressants. I was surprised to hear his recommendation, as the idea was completely new to me. I had of course taken folic acid when my husband and I…
Dysthymia (Persistent Depressive Disorder)
For much of my childhood and young adulthood, I suffered from depression. Although I did have some periods of major depression, the bulk of the time my depression was a type called dysthymia. Dysthymia is also known as “persistent depressive disorder.” Dysthymia is a low-grade form of depression that lasts…