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on: Friday, 08 August 2008 13:52
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QUOTE (stuguinea @ Nov 28 2007, 09:09 PM) *
DF is a wonderful site that I stumbled upon during one of my greatest bouts of depression. Considering the large number of topics and threads available on the site I believe there is something for everyone here. In many cases I considered DF my therapist. The warm, inviting community provides a safe place to discuss your innermost thoughts (regardless how disturbing you think they may be) without fear of being judged or labeled. The community is understanding and the advice provided by the moderators and members is very good.
I have told others who I know are suffering from depression about this great website. What is disappointing is that when I try to illicit feedback from them about the site, they reply they have not had time to look at it. I tell them that they do not realize what a valuable resource this is. I believe all therapists should direct their patients to this website in order to ease their suffering. Unfortunately my therapists have never heard of it when I mention the name. At first they seem curious but nothing is ever mentioned after the initial conservation.
Great website. Very thankful it is available.
(QUOTE (stuguinea @ Nov 28 2007, 09:09 PM) *)
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Depression & Mental Health FAQs
US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimated 40 million Americans living today will suffer from major depressive illness during their lives. Seasonal affective disorder is major depression that appears in the fall or winter and goes away in spring, thought to be caused by lack of sunlight.
Postpartum depression occurs within four weeks of a women giving childbirth. Most new mothers suffer from some form of the �baby blues.� Postpartum depression, by contrast, is major depression, thought to be triggered by changes in hormonal flows associated with childbirth. Catatonic depression is a rare form of major depression characterized by (at least two): Stupor, excessive motor activity, extreme negativism, peculiarities in voluntary movement, and repetition of other people's words or actions. - mcmanweb.com
Psychotic depression is a rare form of depression characterized by delusions or hallucinations, such as believing you are someone you are not and hearing voices.
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, approximately 18.8 million American adults, or about 9.5 percent of the US population age 18 and older in a given year, have a depressive disorder. Depression is a chronic illness that exacts a significant toll on
America's health and productivity. It affects more than 21 million
American children and adults annually and is the leading cause of
disability in the United States for individuals ages 15 to 44.
Lost productive time among U.S. workers due to depression is estimated
to be in excess of $31 billion per year. Depression frequently
co-occurs with a variety of medical illnesses such as heart disease,
cancer, and chronic pain and is associated with poorer health status
and prognosis. It is also the principal cause of the 30,000 suicides
in the U.S. each year. In 2004, suicide was the 11 th leading cause of death in the United States, third among individuals 15-24.
According to the World Health Organization, depression is presently on track to becoming the world's second-most disabling disease (after heart disease) by the year 2020. Depression is responsible for some $87 billion a year in lost productivity in the US (a conservative estimate), and according to Bank One, is responsible for most lost work days in its employees after pregnancy and childbirth. Additionally, one million people worldwide die by their own hand, most as a result of a mood disorder. Finally, the linkage between depression and a host of physical illnesses makes it arguably the world's greatest killer.
Research presented at the 56th Annual Conference of the Canadian
Psychiatric Association shows a marked link between bipolar disorder
and migraines. The odds of migraine in persons with bipolar disorder were 40% higher than the general population. Data
obtained from 36,984 people aged 15 and over, who screened positive for
manic or depressive episodes with migraine, were compared against those
who screened positive for mania but who didn�t suffer from migraines. Amongst
males, 14.9% of those with manic episodes were also diagnosed with
migraines compared with 5.8% of the general population. Amongst
females, 34.7% had both migraines and bipolar disorder compared with
14.7% who only had migraines.unquote.gif While the research was
skewed towards persons who were already diagnosed with bipolar
disorders, what does it mean for people who suffer from migraines but
who may have an undiagnosed bipolar disorder?
Migraines and headaches aren�t fully understood but the manifestations are very real and debilitating for their sufferers: Throbbing pain Nausea Heightened sensitivity to light or sound Seeing dots, wavy lines, flashing lights, or blind spots Difficulty with speech, sensation, or movement
An estimated 2.1 million
American adolescents have experienced major depression within the last
year, according to a new comprehensive government study. Researchers
surveyed more than 67,000 young people ages 12 to 17 and found that one
in 12 had suffered from serious depression in the previous year.Nearly
13 percent of girls had struggled with depression, compared to less
than 5 percent of boys. Odds of depression increased with age -- just 4
percent of 12-year-olds experienced depression but that climbed to 11
percent for older teens.
Our DF Members
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Depression, Pets and Unconditional Love
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02-19-08
Hello, my name is Wayne Lamb and I am a Veterinarian and one of the Administrators here at Depressionforums.org.
Over
the years I have volunteered to bring pets on a regular basis to
senior's homes, mental health wards and schools for autistic children
and have always been astonished at how even nearly catatonic seniors,
isolated patients and hard to get thru children come out of their
shells with an animal around.
Sharing your life with a cat or
dog seems to definitely help your mental health. A study conducted at
Australia's University of New England found that people who own feline
friends may experience fewer psychiatric disturbances than those
without cats. I'm sure the same could be proven about dogs.
Pets
can help their owners overcome depression through their companionship
and unconditional love. They seem to possess the natural ability to
help you relax and enjoy life more. Pets can also help when you
experience times of loneliness.
English poet, Alexander Pope, has stated that histories are more full of examples of the fidelity of dogs than of friends.
According to a Chinese proverb, dogs have so many friends because they wag their tails, not their tongues.
When
you take care of a pet you have to develop a routine of getting out,
buying food and providing exercise. This can help fight off depression
and loneliness. The simple responsiblity of pet care can help you get
your mind off yourself and your problems.
Unconditional love is
what we seek as human beings. Our pets give us that, and nearly always
it comes right from the start. Unless an animal is in recovery in a
rescued situation or have been wild-caught, they stand ready and
waiting with open hearts to love us.
Through the unconditional
love of our pets, we learn what true loyalty is, what true acceptance
is, and what true companionship is. This unconditional love is a true
gift, one we may not always deserve but one that is always there.
In
my profession I see this all the time and you don't know what spiritual
joy it gives me to be able to return a pet to its love ones when they
thought they had lost one of their dearest friends. And I don't know
how many times I have stood with owners crying with them when they have
lost their friend.
So, share with us what your loving pet has
meant to you, especially in terms of your mental well being. We, here,
all want to share your joys with you as much as we are willing to share
your bad times. So get out the hankies and share........
Throughout
our lives, we have all heard a tremendous amount about unconditional
love. We hold it as the ultimate form of love. We feel it for our
children, and for many of us, we feel it for our parents. But even
those bonds can be torn within the realm of human experience, for we
easily become victims of hurt feelings or the backlash of our own words
towards others. Most of us are fortunate to have had loving families
and have been the recipient of the true unconditional love from our
parents. And every parent knows the unconditional love for a child,
even if the child does not return the love.
Sadly, many people
have never known what it feels like to share true unconditional love
between other human beings. Many have become disillusioned at what they
thought was unconditional love, only to find in the end that there were
indeed conditions in place that were not met. In fact, except in the
case of parent's instant and lasting unconditional love for their
child, nearly all human relationships begins with conditions in place
before we trust other human beings with our hearts. The unconditional
love of adults for other adults generally is a gift of the heart that
is opened and offered over time as trust, respect and character are
observed and friendship develops.
So where is the unconditional
love in this world that we hear about? We hear that Love loves us
unconditionally, and yet we do not see it or feel it or receive it from
most of our human relationships. If one has never had children or did
not grow up in a loving home, they might never have experienced that
instant and lasting love that is beyond conditions and stands through
all time.??
Where do we find this love within our daily lives
pouring from Love's heart and falling directly upon us in a personal
way, through relationships of others in our lives? We truly do know
that Love loves us. It provides many miracles in the lives of each of
us and we see Its protection, Its mercy, Its grace, Its guidance and we
feel Him in our hearts. And yet, because we are human, despite Love's
gentle hand upon our lives, we still reach out to find expressions of
Its unconditional love through our interpersonal relationships with
others.
We need that living love to be expressed to us and from
us in a reciprocal "real" relationship, for Love has created us as
social human beings. We need the love of others in our lives or we fall
into depression and despair. it is a proven fact that those that have
someone to love live longer lives and remain healthier for a longer
period of time. Having someone to care for and having someone in our
lives that cares for us in return is actually important for our
physical and mental health, as well as our longevity!
So where
do we find this unconditional love within the expression of our
interpersonal relationships? Where do we find the ones that love us
without conditions, who stand by us no matter what is going on in our
lives? Who loves us no matter how we look, no matter what we weigh, no
matter how many wrinkles we have or what our hair looks like? Who
thinks we are beautiful from the inside out because they do not care
about physical appearance? Who loves us when we come home from a bad
day at work and is happy just to have us with them even if we are in a
horrible mood?
Who loves us the same and expresses that love
without question? One of the most common reasons that marriages break
up between "soul mates" are financial problems. Who loves us just the
same even if we are unable to pay our bills, if we have found ourselves
deeply in debt or unable to balance a bank account? Who loves us the
same whether we are meticulous housekeepers or creatively messy slobs?
Who stays with us and stands by us when we lose our jobs, lose our
health, lose our own dignity and self-respect, lose our financial
stability or our ability to function under such stresses? Who stands by
us when we make poor decisions or make mistakes that cost us through
misjudgment or ignorance?
Who forgives us when we make mistakes,
or worse yet, continually make the same mistakes? Who stands with us
without question even though we are so flawed in our humanness? Who is
glad to see us even when we are very late coming home? Do our human
family members jump up and greet us excitedly with smiles and jump for
joy just for the mere fact that we have walked through the door? Who
loves us in such a way as this? Where is this unconditional love to be
found? We all know that except for most parent-child relationships,
most human love does indeed have its limitations and conditions.
The
ones that bring us this unconditional love are our pets. These are the
ones that provide us with Love's Living Love and become our loyal
companions, who stand by us through thick and thin. These are the
innocent hearts that are able to love us in the way that they do
because love is who they are. They accept us as Love accepts us. They
forgive our shortcomings and mistakes. They don't care what we look
like and see our hearts clearly as if our bodies were transparent. This
is how Love sees us. It created our bodies and knows its limitations,
but It looks at our hearts. Animals bring us unconditional love in a
personal way so that we can feel that love of Love in our everyday
lives.
This is especially important for those who are alone in
this world, having lost their human loved ones along the way or for
those that are loners or for other reasons such as physical
disabilities remain cut off from their communities. Our pets are like
little droplets of Love's love that have rained down from heaven into
our lives, bringing us tidings of great joy.
We hold
unconditional love as the highest expression of love and we know
intuitively that it is divine in nature. And our pets bring us that in
their innocence because that is the only way they know how to love us.
It takes a great deal of abuse, neglect or even training to turn
domesticated pets from naturally reaching out to a human being with
their open hearts. We find pets that have become dangerous or vicious,
if it cannot be explained by ill health or pain that the pet is
suffering, we can generally trace such behaviors back to mistreatment,
abuse or neglect of the animal in the hands of people. It takes a lot
to turn pets away from their natural state, which is so accepting and
expressive of joy and love.
Unconditional love is what we seek
as human beings. Our pets give us that, and nearly always it comes
right from the start. Unless an animal is in recovery in a rescued
situation or have been wild-caught, they stand ready and waiting with
open hearts to love us. They are Love's innocent messengers of Its
ever-present grace and love. And through our close relationships with
these special little souls, we ourselves are brought to our higher
expressions of living spirit and grow in our own spiritual development.
Through the unconditional love of our pets, we learn what true loyalty
is, what true acceptance is, and what true companionship is. These are
the spiritual gifts that our pets show us for they are given these
qualities from the Father and are born with the natural ability to
express them.
Unconditional love from our pets comes directly
through the grace of Love. When they pass away, we miss them often more
than we miss our human loved ones and often grieve more deeply for
their loss. Why? Because they loved us unconditionally and there is
perhaps no one on earth who imparted to us that highest form of love,
that most spiritual form of love, or perhaps called it up from within
our own hearts, than our beloved pet. They call US to love another in
that divine, unconditional way.
For Love is great and in Its
infinite wisdom, It knows that even when we are not able to love our
brethren of our human family, we are able to love Its creatures because
they bring sweet messages of a love much greater than human love - that
love which is Divine.
Source:
Depressionforums.org
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Depression & Mental Health FAQs 2
What is Clinical Depression? Clinical
depression can affect your body, mood, thoughts, and behavior. It can
change your eating habits, how you feel and think about things, your
ability to work and study, and how you interact with people. Clinical
depression is not a passing mood, a sign of personal weakness or a
condition that can be willed away. Clinically depressed people cannot
"pull themselves together" and get better. Depression can be
successfully treated by a mental health professional or certain health
care providers. With the right treatment, 80 percent of those who seek
help get better. And many people begin to feel better in just a few
weeks.
Depression a Big Factor in Poor Health World Health Organization Finds Depression Often Goes Untreated By Salynn Boyles WebMD Medical News Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD Sept.
6, 2007 -- Depression has a greater impact on overall health than
arthritis, diabetes, angina, and asthma, but it all too often goes
unrecognized and untreated, a report from the World Health Organization
(WHO) suggests. more... Depression a Big Factor in Poor Health
For Additional Information About Depression Write To: The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)6001 Executive Boulevard, Room 8184, MSC 9663 Bethesda, MD 20892-9663
For free brochures on depression and its treatment call: 1-800-421-4211. or visit: http://www.nimh.nih.gov
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