If the 20th century was considered the most tensed-up period in history, the 21st century is set to exceed it by far. Depression is one of the most serious health hazards of today, and has reached epidemic proportions. We live in a disorderly world where people are highly competitive, commercialized and power hungry. This leads to a lot of stress and anxiety. It is estimated that about 40% of the population is on tranquillizers. WHO figures say that 5-12% of people are depressed. In India, there are 50 million sufferers of which 5-10% have major depression. Almost 50-75% of suicides are by people who are depressed. In Zimbabwe, depression is called "shona," meaning "thinking too much."

No one is immune to Depression. It affects all ages from young children to senior citizens, manual labourers to corporate heads, literate or illiterate. Winston Churchill who suffered from depression called it the "black dog." Abraham Lincoln also suffered from bouts of depression. "It hits the most ambitious, creative and conscientious," says Jeffrey Spellar, a psychiatrist.

Women are three times more likely to suffer from depression due to their varying hormonal cycles, and are vulnerable premenstrually, after delivery, and during the perimenopausal years. Though about 80% of women suffer from post partum "baby blues" which last for a few days and resolve spontaneously, about 20% suffer from severe depression leading to suicidal tendencies, harming or killing their babies, or refusing to breast feed. Irritability, sleeplessness, weeping without reason, are some of the signs that warn of severe depression.

Men are depressed on specific issues like failure in business or loss of a job. The elderly, who live alone or who are totally dependant on others also suffer anxiety and depression.

During adolescence, both boys and girls are equally vulnerable. The transitory period before adulthood is a bewildering time of experimentation. They feel unsettled and out of control and scared because of the physical and emotional changes taking place. About 2-3% of adolescents are depressed.

According to Indian Council of Medical Research in 2001, 12.8% young children are found to be depressed. As they are unable to express sadness, they show it through aggression, refusal to eat, insomnia and other ways. When parents set impossible standards, the constant fear of failure makes them depressed.

Care givers of the ill or disabled, who are under constant stress, also suffer from depression. Stephen Hinshaw a Californian psychiatrist says, "Many people, especially those caring for others, get to a point when there is an imbalance between their own feelings of being human and their confrontation with difficult, distressful issues on a day to day basis. Things go tilt."

Depression has a genetic component and may run in families. Identical twins are at a greater risk. Environmental factors however, are the main reasons for depression. Loss of a job, divorce, marital friction, bereavement, financial difficulties, fear of failure, unreached goals, too many deadlines to keep, the struggle to keep up with the Joneses, are some of the exogenous causes that trigger depression. Recently there have been many suicides due to disappointment in love.

There are different grades of depression. Dysthmia is a less severe mood disorder, but lasts for about two years. Seasonal Affective Disorders (SAD) occur during winter months when energy levels drop. People become sluggish and tend to eat more sweets and carbohydrates.

Depression may manifest itself as lack of energy, withdrawal, unexplained sadness, feeling of worthlessness, suicidal tendencies, lack of libido, or irritability. In major depression, there may be a total disinterest in food, hobbies, sex and everything that is pleasurable.

All of us go through periods of depression, but we soon bounce back to normal. When symptoms persist for more than two weeks, it is a sign of clinical depression and must be treated. Depression is more harmful than chronic diseases. It aggravates the symptoms of arthritis, angina, diabetes, asthma or other medical problems. A research paper published in the Lancet says, "Depression impairs health state to a substantially greater degree than other diseases."

Depression is caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain. Neurotransmitters that carry messages to the brain and nerves such as serotonin and noradrenaline are reduced in the synapses along the nerve paths. Thought processes become impaired, and depression sets in. Heavy drinking and drugs reinforce depression.

There are many ways to take charge of one's depression.

• Tackling the cause of depression and remedying it. It may involve a change in life style, change in attitude to events or situations or people. Focus must be on living positively, and converting anxiety into positive energy.

• Expressing feelings of fear, anger or sadness. Talking to a sympathetic counsellor or a psychotherapist. Talk Therapy or Cognitive Behaviour Therapy is a valuable adjunct to medication. Putting feelings into words makes sadness or anger less intense. It reduces suicidal tendencies. Speaking about one's negative feelings activates that part of the brain which is responsible for control of emotions. Within the context of a caring relationship, Psychotherapy helps a person to identify the cause of his depression, enables him to cope, by identifying his positive resources and using them to change his attitude to problems. It helps him let go of negative attitudes and teaches him to discipline his mind.

• Regular Exercise. Brisk walking, jogging, cycling, swimming or any kind of physical activity, releases beta endorphins which neutralize stress hormones.

• Listening to music, singing or playing an instrument helps to ease depression by releasing hydrocortisone, which is an anti-stress hormone.

• Putting a stop to multitasking, which makes a person feel out of control. Trying to do one thing at a time will yield better results.

• De-stressing muscles through relaxation techniques, yoga or breathing exercises. The Art of Living guru Sri Sri Ravi advocates a special breathing technique called Sudharshan Kriya, which involves hyperventilation. It is supposed to be a mood lifter.

• Consciously avoiding comfort eating. Stress related fat is very difficult to shed.

• Medication should be under a doctor's supervision. Drugs alone don't address the cause, and must go hand in hand with psychotherapy.

• Spending time with the family and doing what is enjoyable. Seeking the company of happy people. Those who stay happy are seldom depressed. "Our brains are designed to reflect and catch the state of the person we're with," says Daniel Goldman, psychologist. "An unhappy person floods our minds with negative emotions that trigger stress centres."

• Hypnotherapy is useful for resistant cases. It relieves tension, helps deal with traumas, fears and phobias that cause stress.

• Meditation and Prayer will increase spiritual well being and help a person understand the meaning and purpose of life. It will change depressive attitudes into positive thinking.

By: Eva Bell
http://www.evabell.net
Eva Bell is a doctor of Medicine and also a freelance writer of articles, short stories, children stories. Published in Indian magazines and newspapers, anthologies and also on the web. Author of two novels, one non-fiction, two children's books. Special interest- Travel and Women's Issues.

Depression is one part of bipolar disorder. Depression has been the subject of much writing, as the country has sought to reevaluate an era that dumped financial as well as emotional catastrophe on its people. Depression is so common that over 1 in 5 Americans can expect to get some form of depression in their lifetime.

Depression

Depression is a serious medical illness that involves the brain. Depression is one of the most common and most serious mental health problems facing people today. Depression can interfere with a person's ability to function effectively throughout the day or even to have the motivation to get out of bed in the morning. Depression is a real illness; it is treatable; and men can have it. Depression is not a normal part of aging. Depression without sadness: alternative presentations of depression in late life. Depression is a serious health problem that impacts a youngster's feelings, thoughts and actions, and can appear as a physical illness or behavior problem.

Depression can also be expressed as apathy, or an inability to feel anything. Depression gets in the way of dieting, exercising, and even taking the medicines that can control diabetes. Depression is a chronic disorder and it has long term affects on a person life feelings associated with depression are not just over a specific event but are persistent and the person suffering from depression cannot just take over their feelings as they wish or like and get better.

Depression is not something you can just "snap out of. Depression, like other medical conditions, has a chemical and biological basis. Depression is not simply a passing sadness or blue mood that lifts in a few hours or days, but is persistent. Most people with a depressive illness do not seek treatment, although the great majority even those whose depression is extremely severe can be helped.

By: Matt Bush
Matt Bush recommends the etherapy center for those seeking online therapy.

The key to self help for anxiety and depression is to understand that for all but severe cases anxiety and depression are manageable syndromes. Most techniques center on refocusing your thoughts from yourself and your problems to thoughts and activities “outside” of yourself. Unless your symptoms are such that medical intervention is warranted, self help for anxiety and depression is within your reach.

Ask yourself if you make a habit of replaying negative and stressful events over in your mind again and again. This replaying of “mental movies” is a key factor in much anxiety and depression, and learning how to “re-edit” these mental movies is an effective technique for alleviating many symptoms.

Habits Are Key

Did you realize that you have COMPLETE, 100%, ABSOLUTE CONTROL over what you think and how you think it? Tell me, does anyone or anything force you to think and react the way you do? Might I suggest that your customary thought patterns and reactions are nothing more than “habits” and as such can be changed by you at will. This might sound difficult before you try it, but the simple fact is that you can completely and forever change your mental states by changing your mental habits. This one tip may be all you ever need to know about effective self help for anxiety and depression.

Changing old habits takes a little effort. Studies say that in order to break an old habit and completely replace it with a new habit requires about three weeks of focused activity. So, the question is whether or not you are willing to commit 21-days to getting a handle on your anxiety and depression? You may not have eliminated your symptoms in that time, but after three weeks (if you have seriously put in the effort) you will be well on your way to a lifelong change for the better.

What to Do

First, monitor your thoughts for negative replaying of your mental movies. Every time that you catch yourself replaying a negative mental movie STOP the tape immediately. Change the channel if you will. Think about shopping, think about the beach, go for a bicycle ride -- think about anything other than the negative thought that you were just about to replay in your mind.

At first, during the first few days especially, this will be difficult. The old mental movies will keep trying to muscle their way into your thoughts. This is okay. This is normal. If this is happening to you it means that you are on the right track. You just keep on keeping on! After 3-5 days you will notice it getting ever so slightly easier to do. After 7-14 days you will notice it getting considerably easier (but not completely) to control your mental habit. If you stick to it and do not give up, by the end of 21-days you should have replaced your old, negative mental habits with new and empowering ones.

You must make the commitment to manage your symptoms and break your negative habits. Get on the internet to find some other useful techniques of self help for anxiety and depression. Do not ignore this valuable tip -- know that self help for anxiety and depression is possible with just a little practice and concentration.

By: John Michailidis
The first step to relief comes in asking the question, "What is stress?" Find answers at http://facts-about-stress.info/self-hel ... ssion.html, where you’ll discover proven tips and techniques for managing stress, and how effective treatment can reduce anxiety symptoms and causes.

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The term 'depression' is variedly used and understood. When we see someone who was a cheerful fellow sink into melancholy and lose interest in most of the things what he does, the obvious conclusion is that the fellow is 'depressed'. Depression, in other words, is a state wherein a person undergoes a sudden loss of interest in what he or she enjoyed earlier.

Such a person carries around a rather sad look on his face and his body language consistently suggests lack of human warmth. At times, the affected person might not even be aware of his condition.

Among other things that are symptomatic of depression is an irregular sleep pattern. A person who is reeling under depression would fail to have a regular sound sleep. A normal person would sleep for around 7 or 8 hours a day, while a depressed person may fail to sleep even for a few hours. He or she would either keep awake the whole night or would keep rising every hour or so. At times, the person may sleep all through the day and may stay awake the whole night.

Appetite changes are also noticed. Some would stop eating while some would turn into walking, talking gluttons. This means some people would gain weight while others would shed some. Among adults, loss of libido is also symptomatic of depression.

A depressed person fails to concentrate on work and may be easily provoked. Adults tend to lose interest in work and prefer seclusion while children may stop playing and turn very quiet and lost. A dip in self-esteem is often noticed, which causes isolation. And isolation tends to worsen the problem. The depressed people tend to cry for no reason at all. This is because they feel sad deep inside and cry out of helpless. If a child is depressed, he or she might throw unreasonable tantrums and expect you to do meet his utterly unreasonable demands. When someone is depressed everything appears dark and pointless. He or she has a very negative take on life and is utterly hopeless towards the future.

Depression can manifest itself in physical pains like body pain, headache etc. Problems like constipation, joint pain and tiredness are also associated with depression.

If one or more of the above symptoms are noticed, it is better that a psychiatric help is sought at the earliest because depression can get more intense, and may also become life threatening in certain cases.

By: Javier Fuller
The author writes articles on different topics. To get more disability articles visit http://www.about-disability.com.

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There is an old saying, "laughter is the best medicine". Why not treat yourself to some laughter? Visit our jokes index and relax with some jokes, humor and humerous anecdotes.

Comments: For those of you that would like to comment on this or any other post in this blog, go to the Contact me link on the upper right hand side of this page and send your comment via that link. If your comment is on topic, whether pro or anti, and even fairly well written, we will post it with the article. If you have a site that you would like to be linked to your comment please supply it and we will include it.