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Many people are familiar with depression, but only some are aware that there are actually numerous different forms of it. Below, we explore four of the most common types of depression. 1. Major Depressive Disorder For someone to be diagnosed with major depressive disorder, they must have experienced at least five symptoms of depression for […]
Many people are familiar with depression, but only some are aware that there are actually numerous different forms of it. Below, we explore four of the most common types of depression.
For someone to be diagnosed with major depressive disorder, they must have experienced at least five symptoms of depression for at least two consecutive weeks, with at least one symptom being depressed mood or loss of interest or pleasure (this is referred to as a “major depressive episode”). Many people with this disorder experience major depressive episodes on a recurring basis.
Also referred to as “dysthymia,” persistent depressive disorder occurs when someone experiences a low-level depressed mood for an extended period of time. When compared to the symptoms of major depressive disorder, the symptoms of persistent depressive disorder typically aren’t as severe.
As its name suggests, seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is associated with a change in the seasons. Although it can occur during spring and summer, it most commonly affects people during fall and winter.
Postpartum depression can cause a woman who recently gave birth to feel sad, indifferent, anxious, and exhausted. This is different from “baby blues,” which usually last for only a couple weeks after childbirth—postpartum depression can persist for months or even years.
If you think you might have depression—one of the types described above or a different form—I can help. I have extensive experience treating depression, and I can provide you with customized recommendations for how to move forward and start feeling happier. Contact me today to schedule a therapy session.
Do you experience persistent feelings of sadness, emptiness, hopelessness, worthlessness, or guilt? Are you feeling fatigued, anxious, restless, or like you can’t focus? Have you lost interest in the activities you once enjoyed, or have your coworkers or loved ones noticed that you’ve been more irritable than usual? If this sounds familiar, you might have […]
Do you experience persistent feelings of sadness, emptiness, hopelessness, worthlessness, or guilt? Are you feeling fatigued, anxious, restless, or like you can’t focus? Have you lost interest in the activities you once enjoyed, or have your coworkers or loved ones noticed that you’ve been more irritable than usual?
If this sounds familiar, you might have depression, a common but serious mood disorder. You should schedule an appointment with a therapist as soon as possible, but in the meantime, here are some practical steps you can take to help manage your depression:
Are you having trouble overcoming sadness? We can help you take the first step toward conquering your depression and improving your quality of life. Contact us today to schedule a therapy session.
If you live in a colder climate, you know it can be challenging dealing with a lack of sunlight and being stuck inside due to frigid temps during winter months. It is for these reasons many people experience what is called “the winter blues.” But seasonal depression goes much deeper than this. Also known as […]
If you live in a colder climate, you know it can be challenging dealing with a lack of sunlight and being stuck inside due to frigid temps during winter months. It is for these reasons many people experience what is called “the winter blues.”
But seasonal depression goes much deeper than this. Also known as Seasonal Affective Disorder – or SAD – seasonal depression results in fatigue, a loss of interest in socializing and activities, weight gain and more. Symptoms usually begin to present in the fall and last until the sunnier, warmer days of spring.
If you suffer from seasonal depression, there are things you can do to stop it in its tracks this year:
When winter comes, the light goes. It gets darker earlier and we simply can’t spend as much time in the sun. To combat this, it is recommended those with seasonal depression use a light therapy box. And best to start using it each year in the beginning of fall, before your SAD symptoms even have a chance to take hold.
When it’s cold and nasty out and we’re feeling sad and depressed, most of us will reach for those comfort foods that are laden with processed sugars and trans fats. But these foods will usually make us feel even more tired and depressed. To add insult to injury, eating bad foods only helps us to gain weight, which can make us feel more depressed. Best to stick to a diet consisting of whole foods rich in healthy fats and carbs, some quality protein and vitamins and minerals.
People with seasonal depression tend to isolate themselves during the winter months, and this can, again, exacerbate the depression. Do your best to stay involved with your social circle. Friends can be a great support during this challenging time.
You may also want to speak with someone about how you’re feeling. A therapist can offer tools and advice that will help you navigate your feelings. If you’d like more information about how counseling can help with seasonal depression, please give my office a call!
SOURCES:
https://www.mytransformations.com/post/12-things-you-can-do-today-to-get-ahead-of-your-seasonal-depression-this-year
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/9293-seasonal-depression
Seasonal depression, also referred to as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), refers to a type of depression that relates to changes in the seasons. Most people with SAD feel symptoms come on in the fall and generally feel them all through the winter. Symptoms, which include lethargy, sadness, and general depression, usually dissipate once spring arrives. […]
Seasonal depression, also referred to as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), refers to a type of depression that relates to changes in the seasons. Most people with SAD feel symptoms come on in the fall and generally feel them all through the winter. Symptoms, which include lethargy, sadness, and general depression, usually dissipate once spring arrives.
With the warmer months here, it’s a great time to get into some healthy mental habits, so you’ll be ready to fight the blues come fall. Here are some ways you can hold onto your good mental health all year long:
Stay Physically Active
Inactivity can definitely worsen depression symptoms. And several recent studies suggest people who exercise regularly have better mental health than those who do not. One of the best habits to get into is to ensure you move your body every day, even if that means going for a walk around the neighborhood.
If you live in an area of the country that experiences cold, snowy winters, think about taking up a fun activity like skiing or snowshoeing. If that’s just not your thing, consider getting a treadmill, stationary bike or mini trampoline for your home.
Reduce Social Media Use
Social media is fun once in a while and a way for us to stay connected to others. But too much social media use has been shown to cause mental health issues. Be sure to limit your social media use to only 30 – 60 minutes a day.
Take Up a Hobby
Doing something you really enjoy is obviously great for your mental health. But so many people feel they are too busy with work and family responsibilities. Make time! Learn to paint or play an instrument. Take salsa lessons or start writing that novel you’ve always dreamed about.
Relax More Often
Chronic stress is a killer. It can cause the development of diseases such as heart disease and cancer. At the very least, chronic stress will dysregulate your nervous system, which will then cause a depression.
Take time every week to check out and destress. Get a massage, take a long hot bath, sit in a sauna, or just lie in the hammock in your backyard.
You may also want to consider working with a mental health specialist so you always have someone to freely talk with about whatever’s bothering you. If you find your therapist now, you will have formed a relationship come fall when the blues tend to settle back in.
If you’d like to learn more about treatment options, please feel free to reach out to me.
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As our parents age, we want to treasure them for as long as we can, so we look for ways to help them stay healthy and active. But many older people suffer from depression, a condition that is not always easy to battle. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, depression affects more than 6.5 […]
As our parents age, we want to treasure them for as long as we can, so we look for ways to help them stay healthy and active. But many older people suffer from depression, a condition that is not always easy to battle.
According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, depression affects more than 6.5 million of the 35 million Americans aged 65 or older. Some have experienced episodes of depression throughout their life, while others may experience the first onset later in life, even well into their 80s and 90s.
What Causes Depression in Older People?
As mentioned, preexisting depression often leads to episodes later in life, particularly if the person has never been officially diagnosed or treated. Individuals with a history of anxiety often become more fearful as they age as well. As a result, they often isolate themselves, rarely participating in social activities, which, in turn, leads to depression.
Some older people have difficulty reviewing their lives. They may not feel proud of the life they’ve led and may get stuck dwelling on the more negative aspects. Perhaps they feel they did not accomplish enough, or they harbor resentment toward an old friend.
And of course, older people have to not only deal with declining abilities but also the loss of loved ones. A unique reality of aging is that your friends start to die, one by one. It is not uncommon for older people to go to several funerals in a single year.
How You Can Help
The very best thing you can do for your parent who you think may be suffering from depression is to offer your love and support. Let them know that you are there for them and happy to help with whatever they may need.
Having said this, it is equally important that you respect their needs for independence. Don’t try to take control of their life and act as if you know what’s best.
Also, consider visiting a therapist who can help your parent work through any unresolved issues and offer management strategies. A professional mental health professional can assess your parent to see if they are a good candidate for medication. Sometimes medication can help, other times, it can impair cognitive function. A therapist will know the right approach to take.
If you or someone you know has been watching their aging parent become more and more depressed, please get in touch with me. Let’s discuss treatment options and see how I may be able to help.
Our mental health significantly impacts our quality of life, so it makes sense that we would want to do all we can to improve it. This may include things like eating healthy foods, exercising, and getting enough quality sleep each night. But there is something else that greatly influences our mental health and that is […]
Our mental health significantly impacts our quality of life, so it makes sense that we would want to do all we can to improve it. This may include things like eating healthy foods, exercising, and getting enough quality sleep each night.
But there is something else that greatly influences our mental health and that is a community and a sense of belonging. Human beings are wired for connection. When we feel connected to others, we feel loved and supported. Friends can often help alleviate the stress in our life because our friends are there for us to lean on.
If you have been feeling alone and isolated, here are some ways you can find your own community and begin to connect with others:
What activities and hobbies do you have? You may want to join a book club or take a painting lesson. If you’re athletic or used to playing a sport in school, maybe you could join a local team. You’ll no doubt find it easier to connect with others who enjoy doing the same things you do.
Being of service to others is highly rewarding, and volunteering is also a great way to connect with others who share similar values. What causes do you feel passionate about? What charities do you support? Check out their website or give them a call to see what volunteering opportunities they may have available.
Do you have a particular religion or spiritual practice you connect with? Maybe it’s time to get back to your church or try taking that meditation class you’ve been thinking about. Is there a political cause that speaks to your heart? Helping others reach a meaningful goal can be a great way to find purpose in your own life.
Humans are not meant to be alone. We need to socialize. If you have been feeling down, now’s the time to go out and make some new connections.
And if you’ve been dealing with depression and anxiety for some time and could use someone to talk to, please give me a call.
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There are plenty of things that occur in our daily lives that cause us stress: commuter traffic, hassles at work, and tension in our personal relationships to name just a few. If we don’t find healthy ways to deal with this stress, it can fester, eventually causing anxiety, depression, and even health issues such as […]
There are plenty of things that occur in our daily lives that cause us stress: commuter traffic, hassles at work, and tension in our personal relationships to name just a few. If we don’t find healthy ways to deal with this stress, it can fester, eventually causing anxiety, depression, and even health issues such as hypertension and heart disease.
One of the best ways to beat stress is through mindfulness meditation. This practice helps train you to keep your attention “in the now.” By training your mind to stay in the present moment, you stop it from ruminating on all of the things that bring you stress. While it can be challenging in the beginning, many practitioners of meditation receive amazing benefits:
If you’re someone who suffers from a lack of sleep, you know how it can affect your mood and ability to focus clearly. Research has found that in adults diagnosed with sleep disturbances, meditation improves the quality of sleep obtained each night.
Studies have also found that mindfulness meditation can reduce the cortisol levels produced in the body. Cortisol is a stress hormone. When levels of cortisol remain high, it can negatively impact your health.
Many older adults experience loneliness and isolation due to the loss of their spouse combined with an inability to lead an independent social life. One study found that an 8-week mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) program decreased loneliness and related pro-inflammatory gene expression in seniors.
These are only a handful of the many benefits of practicing meditation.
Starting a meditation practice does not have to feel overwhelming and it doesn’t require you to make big lifestyle changes. It simply requires you to dedicate 10-20 minutes each day in your practice.
You may want to look for group meditation classes in your local area to get a feel for how it works. There are also plenty of guided meditations online to choose from.
The biggest thing to remember is that it is called a meditation practice for a reason: you won’t get it “right” right out of the gate. And truthfully, there is no right or wrong. There is only a desire and intent to let go of the chatter in your mind and focus on the present moment. That’s it. Once you get the hang of things, you too can experience some amazing benefits.
One only needs to read a few lines from poets such as Frost, Wordsworth, and Thoreau to recognize the love for and connection to nature human beings have always had. Nature stirs our souls and imagination and brings beauty to our everyday lives. But it turns out, nature also brings a slew of benefits to […]
One only needs to read a few lines from poets such as Frost, Wordsworth, and Thoreau to recognize the love for and connection to nature human beings have always had. Nature stirs our souls and imagination and brings beauty to our everyday lives. But it turns out, nature also brings a slew of benefits to our mental and physical health.
Research is now clearly indicating that spending time outdoors can have a positive impact on our health. Whether you bike, hike, or simply sit under a tree enjoying the sights and sounds, time in nature has shown to reduce stress, slow heart rate, improve pain, lower cortisol, and stimulate the immune system by boosting the production of natural killer cells that fight disease and infection.
In addition, time outside means time in the sun, and THAT means getting a nice boost of vitamin D, which can do everything from preventing disease, make our bones and teeth stronger, and improve our mood.
Ecotherapy, which is also sometimes referred to as nature therapy, is a practice in the emerging field of ecopsychology. The idea behind this practice is that many modern people, whether they are aware of it or not, feel a massive disconnect from the natural world. When you think about it, our ancestors spent hundreds of thousands of years living WITH nature, feeling it under their bare feet, being outside, ebbing and flowing with the shifts in seasons.
But today, most of us are only connected to a digital device. Ecotherapy gets us away from our screens and out into the beauty of the natural world. Many clinicians, including myself, believe that the earth has a natural ability to balance us. When we get back in touch with the systems of nature, we can experience improved mental health.
If you are feeling out of sorts and like the idea of trying ecotherapy, you can simply spend more time outside. If you would like someone to help you reconnect with nature, please get in touch with me. I am a big proponent of nature therapy and use it in my practice.
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We live in a society that values things that appear perfect. And I suppose there are things that can be perfect. Architects can draw the perfect straight line, mathematicians can solve an equation with a perfect calculation, and a chocolate cake can be perfectly moist. But as human beings, we can never reach a state […]
We live in a society that values things that appear perfect. And I suppose there are things that can be perfect. Architects can draw the perfect straight line, mathematicians can solve an equation with a perfect calculation, and a chocolate cake can be perfectly moist.
But as human beings, we can never reach a state of perfection because we will always be a work in progress. Perfection indicates a finality – a finished product – but we as humans are always growing and changing.
Many people view perfectionism as a positive attribute. They believe the more “perfect” they are, the more success they will have in life.
Perfectionism is NOT the same thing as always doing your best. It is important that we always do our best. By doing so, we can experience healthy achievements and growth. But perfectionism takes this concept to the extreme.
People with perfectionist tendencies often have self-defeating thoughts and/or behaviors that actually make it HARDER to achieve their goals. Perfectionism also can make the individual feel stress, anxiety, and depression.
Most human beings, from time to time, will strive for perfectionism in some aspect of their life. As an example, that “perfectly moist chocolate cake” I mentioned earlier got that way because the person who baked it was trying to get everything JUST RIGHT as a gift for someone’s birthday.
But there are those people who are “full-time” perfectionists. They strive for perfection in all aspects of their life.
Here are some signs you may be a perfectionist:
Again, perfectionism is not the same thing as doing your best. It is a condition whereby the individual is almost incapable of feeling joy or pride at what they accomplish because in their own minds, they are never quite good enough.
If you believe you may have traits of perfectionism and it is causing you stress, there are things you can do to change your behavior so you can live a healthier and happier life.
If you’d like to explore treatment options, please reach out to me.
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Are you an emotional eater? When you’re feeling stressed, do you find yourself ordering in pizza? When something sad happens, do you drown your grief in sugar? If so, you’re not alone. A majority of people deal with the challenges of life by turning to their favorite comfort foods. The trouble is, these foods are […]
Are you an emotional eater? When you’re feeling stressed, do you find yourself ordering in pizza? When something sad happens, do you drown your grief in sugar? If so, you’re not alone. A majority of people deal with the challenges of life by turning to their favorite comfort foods.
The trouble is, these foods are only a temporary fix. They fill a void, and in the case of sugar, give our mood a boost. But then we come crashing down again and may even experience shame and guilt for having binged on food we know is not good for us. This can lead to a vicious cycle of more emotions, more eating, more emotions, more eating. This cycle can ultimately lead to weight gain and even the development of certain chronic diseases like heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
We are what we eat is a very true sentiment, especially when it comes to our brain. When life throws us challenges, we need our brain to work optimally so we can figure out the best way to deal with our circumstances or to process emotions. The trouble with reaching for comfort foods is, they are actually harmful to your brain.
Think of your brain like the engine in a car. You wouldn’t put frozen lattes in your gas tank because you know your car needs the right kind of fuel to run well. Your brain also needs the right kind of fuel. Your brain requires high-quality foods that are loaded with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. These nutrients nourish your brain and protect it from oxidative stress.
Did you know that studies have shown a direct link between a diet high in refined sugars and impaired brain function? And even a worsening of symptoms such as depression?
The bottom line is, while your instinct in the moment may be to reach for those processed comfort foods, do your best to make better food choices. It will be hard at first, but good habits can be formed over time. Your brain will thank you.
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