The Importance of Recognizing Depression in Friends
Imagine a friend who has always been the life of the party, the one you'd run to for a good laugh. Suddenly, you notice they aren't as lively anymore. Would you know if it's just a passing phase or a sign of something deeper?
Understanding depression
Depression isn't just a bad day or a fleeting mood. It's a lingering cloud, a weight that doesn't easily lift. Affecting one's thoughts, feelings, and daily activities, it can creep in silently, often masquerading as mere tiredness or moodiness.
The role of friends in mental well-being
Friends are like mirrors reflecting back what we sometimes miss in ourselves. They play a crucial role in noticing changes that may be subtle to the person experiencing them. Friends can offer a supportive shoulder, a listening ear, or simply a presence.
Hey there! Have you ever stopped to wonder why anxiety and depression seem to be skyrocketing in recent times? Let's dive deep into this silent epidemic and uncover how modern society may be fanning its flames.
The Birth of a Silent CrisisHistorical overview of mental health Historically, mental health was often misunderstood and stigmatized. From being labeled as witchcraft in ancient times to being dismissed as simple hysteria in the Victorian era, it's only recently that we've truly started recognizing and addressing these issues for what they are.
Rise of modern society and its impact But as we've grown as a society, so have the challenges. Modern life, with its hustle and bustle, brings with it a new set of problems. You ever felt that? The constant rush, the never-ending notifications, the looming deadlines? Yeah, it's a lot.
How Technology Amplifies AnxietySocial media's double-edged sword Remember the time when...
A new study reported in the American Journal of Epidemiology, found that women were at more risk for depression if they were less physically active and/or watched more TV.
It’s a pretty commonly accepted theory that physical activity has benefits in the mind and thus this isn’t a big surprise. Especially when the findings found that walking briskly was one of the activities that lowered the risk the most. Such exercise often releases endorphins in the blood that make the person happier, not sadder.
A lot of talk, and rightfully so, of depression centers around the loss of a loved one, which is one of the most painful things that one can feel, especially if they were close such as a parent and child or siblings or that significant other. People generally understand that and can relate to it, but many don’t seem to have that same feeling towards depression from other types of loss, such as a job, especially if it had been a long term employment.
One of the main signs and triggers of depression is the loss of self worth. I don’t have to tell you how this relates to a much needed job. The loss of income can be devastating taking someone who was reasonably adjusted and sending them into a deep spiral when a new position does not present itself. Last night I was watching the OWS protesters getting kicked out of Zucotti Park and while this is not the time or place to debate the validity or lack thereof, the point I came away with was that people are scared...
I was shocked when researching an article about Xanax that many people were advising others to just stop taking it. Now I’m not a doctor, so I’m not qualified to say whether you should or shouldn’t be prescribed the medication often used to treat anxiety, but I have done enough medical research as a writer to know that stopping cold turkey can be a dangerous and life threatening mistake. And I wanted to say something here about it in case anyone is considering it.
Xanax is a highly addictive medication that is certainly useful, but can have serious consequences when one wants to get off of it. I’m sure you’ve seen people on TV going through withdrawals, usually for illegal drugs like cocaine and such. They are in extreme pain, sweating, hearing or seeing things that aren’t there, basically living in a man made Hell. But in the end, they come through to the other side no worse for the wear, returning back to normal without any complications. But even if you...
You know, this should be filed under the “Captain Obvious” category because anytime someone is experiencing pain, whether it is the head or somewhere else, they aren’t happy and being that migraines can be devastating, it isn’t at all a surprise that there would be higher percentage of people that would experience depression than those that don’t have these horrible headaches. But yet to prove and quantify that theory, a study was done and what they found out is what we would expect.
First of all, a migraine is not just a headache, it’s an event that can have detrimental effects on a person’s mental health, especially if they are happening often, rather than infrequently. A typical migraine can last anywhere between 4-72 hours and are often accompanied by flashing lights, or blind spots. In the lead up to a migraine, patients may also experience things like tingling in the arms and legs (like one’s limbs falling asleep), nausea, vomiting, increased...
Ah, is there anything the Internet can’t do? Well except find my keys. But can online websites make a difference in helping someone with depression? Well a study in Australia along with online programs have been found to treat depression, showing that 24/7 interactivity in an anonymous environment can help indeed.
Everyone knows that if you don’t get much sleep for a few days, you usually get a bit slow and perhaps even cranky, the world becoming a much harsher place because your mind is literally exhausted. But now researchers at the University of Gronigen in the Netherlands are conducting tests to understand how sleep deprivation creates symptoms that mimic or even cause depression.
Because rats have basically the same brain structure as humans, the rodents were used in an experiment to see what effects the lack of sleep has on the brain. They were only allowed to sleep four hours a day, rather than their normal sleep cycle for the test. After a week, their brains seem to exhibit the same types of issues that were found in the brain of a depressed human. For instance, the mood centers, responsible for handling emotion, mood and stress, had a reduced sensitivity to stimulus. After a month, even memory and cognitive issues started to fail. Scientists even injected...
You know, sometimes I admire scientists ability to get paid for obvious studies like this one. The research found that mothers who work are happier than those that are stay at home moms. I could have told them that and I’m not even a woman or a parent.
But I am a work-at-home blogger and I’ll be honest, I miss going to work and socializing with my co-workers. It got me out of the house and into society. I’ve also seen what my stay at home niece goes through with her kids crying, screaming and sometimes even fighting over the stupidest things with their siblings like they both want to play with the same toy. It makes me wonder if I was ever that bad as a kid?
Anything that is part of the human condition is up to debate as to why evolution would have a need for that particular element. Of course, some have easy answers like why is it necessary to have two eyes. We all know that the two eyes give us depth perception which helps us to avoid running into things and helps us understand how far we are from a particular object. But when it comes to mental disorders, the answer is not always so clear.
Back in the 1960’s, psychedelic drugs as they were called, were all the rage and many of these “trips” were created by ingesting what some called Magic Mushrooms, a particular type of fungi. By eating these naturally growing items, users would experience hallucinations and other mental journeys. The reason was because of a substance called psilocybin that had significant impact on the brain’s normal functions. Some scientists had surmised that they had a long term effect of causing panic attacks, depression and paranoid delusions. But a new set of studies are questioning whether these could actually be useful in alleviating the symptoms rather than creating them.
Now, before I go on, we are not advocating that anyone start gobbling down these at all. They can be very dangerous with horrific reactions in some people, including intense fear and anxiety. Even the researchers were quick to point out that these are just some preliminary findings that may...
I am trying very hard not to be a bit snarky over this study, but I’m having a difficult time. It is a pet peeve of mine that people actually study what is pretty much known by the general population already. That working long hours for little pay, struggling to make ends meet or have time with family, causes stress and later on depression.
Research out of England polled 2123 male middle-aged civil servants and followed them over a 6 year period. All were considered healthy from a mental health point of view and not depressed at the start of the study, but by the end, 3% had been diagnosed as clinically depressed. But only those that worked more than 9 hours on average and were at the junior or mid level jobs seemed to be affected. In those groups, the added risk was considered around 2x what was normal.
A lot of it depends on how much one likes the job. Some people love to get up and face the challenges of the day. They strive in that environment of...
