Natural Cures for Depression

Zen Meditation to Alleviate Depression

2009-03-08T19:06:00.002-07:00

Regular meditation can help us burn off the neuroses and anxieties that have built up over our lifetimes. It can help us in times of crisis. In the video below, a Zen abott introduces us to Zen meditation and how it can bring us great and genuine relief in terms of freeing us from neurosis and depressive ways of looking out at what is around us and in us.

Zyprexa Depresses the Pharmaceuticals

2007-03-08T11:16:00.000-08:00

Zyprexa, an antipsychotic drug approved for the treatment of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, has been used by over twenty million people in the past ten years. But now Zyprexa is in the headlines because it looks like serious side effects were downplayed and not reported. These include diabetes and weight gain.So far Eli Lilly has agreed to pay $1.2 billion to 30,000 people who are part of a

The Happiest Man: Matthiew Ricard

2007-02-22T13:47:00.000-08:00

Who is the happiest man alive? We don't know the real answer to that but of all the people US neuroscientists have tested, Matthiew Ricard came in happiest by a large margin. Matthiew Ricard, age 61, a Buddhist monk, was initially a biologist but discovered Buddhism in his twenties. He has just written a new book; Happiness: A Guide to Developing Life's Most Important Skill.

Britney Has a Psychotic Breakdown?

2007-02-17T10:51:00.000-08:00

It looks like Britney Spears is in the midst of a psychotic breakdown. She showed up at a tattoo parlor with her head completely shaven last night. Employees at the tattoo shop said she seemed very distraught. She said she had shaved her head because she didn't want people touching her and because she didn't want to be 'plugged in'. It's an individual decision to shave your head and if it was

Getting Enough Tryptophan?

2006-11-14T10:20:00.000-08:00

Dr Emmons has written a book about a natural way to alleviate depression. His cure emphasizes dietary changes as well as partaking in regular meditation. In his book, The Chemistry of Joy he differentiates between three different kinds of depression;Anxious Depression is characterized by low levels of serotonin and feelings of inadequacy and excessive worry, together with insomnia and potential

Success despite Clinical Depression

2006-11-13T16:11:00.000-08:00

Alastair Campbell has begun to speak openly about his experience with alcoholism and clinical depression. Last month he revealed that aside from a "work-induced, drink-induced, pressure-induced psychotic breakdown" at the age of 28 while working as an editor at a newspaper which led him to enter recovery from alcoholism, he also recently suffered recurring episodes of clinical depression while

The Truth is Less Stressful

2006-10-30T09:43:00.000-08:00

There's been a lot of lie detection research going on, mostly funded by the military. One of the more interesting findings is that "the truth is always simpler. To make a lie you have to know what is true, and you have to distort it. That is the extra work that goes into lying." It lights up the parts of the brain that control behavior, watch for mistakes, and create physical reflections of your

A Boost for Cognitive Therapy

2006-09-17T19:09:00.000-07:00

Cognitive therapy has just received a prestigious boost as it's founder Aaron T. Beck has been awarded the Lasker Award.Dr. Aaron T. Beck is the psychiatrist who developed cognitive behavioral therapy and thus helped to transform the treatment of depression.It's a counseling technique where patients learn to let go of negative thoughts. Cognitive therapy has been shown to reverse serious

Depressed kids need more Omega 3's

2006-09-12T12:12:00.000-07:00

As a natural alternative to antidepressants for children, Gwen Olsen recommends a diet high in Omega-3 essential fatty acids, including foods such as flax, krill or fish oils. She also recommends eliminating refined carbohydrates and aspartame form your children's diets. Gwen Olsen used to work as a pharmaceutical rep. She made her living promoting anti-depressants to doctors. But she has major

Masako's Depression

2006-09-05T22:00:00.000-07:00

Masako may be a prime example of someone who's vitality has been worn down and who has succumbed to depression and a 'nervous breakdown' due to life circumstances that she feels she is powerless to change.Masako is the Crown Princess of Japan. She married relatively late in life by Japanese standards. Her husband, the Crown Prince of Japan, proposed to her twice and she declined because she was

Depressed Children of Narcissistic Parents

2006-08-09T15:02:00.000-07:00

Are people who were raised by narcissistic parents more likely to experience depression as adults?Alice Miller thinks so. She wrote a bestseller The Drama of the Gifted Child: The Search for the True Self about this a couple of decades ago and the book continues to be popular today.In the first months and years of a child's life it's especially important for the parents to show their love and

Did Pink Floyd Abandon Syd Barrett?

2006-07-14T12:22:00.000-07:00

Syd Barrett founded Pink Floyd in 1965. Within two years his schizophrenia made it impossible for him to continue with the band. (See more about his schizophrenia here.) Pink Floyd went on to make hundreds of millions in royalties over the years. When someone has a serious accident or physical illness people are usually sympathetic. But when it comes to mental illness quite often people just go

The Judgmental Brain can cause Depression

2006-05-14T10:07:00.000-07:00

A recent study has shown that people who can turn off the judgmental part of their brain are less likely to suffer from depression. This part of the problem-solving, judgmental part of the brain is closely linked to depression.After eight weeks of practicing meditation the study participants were more likely to use the part of their brain that relates to body awareness. "And this move is very

Self-Medicating Depression with Alcohol

2006-04-19T07:58:00.000-07:00

The Mental Health Foundation in the U.K. has just released a study about the relationship between mental health and drinking alcohol.They note that the idea that people 'self-medicate' their depression or other mental health problems using alcohol is well known and documented. They note that as far as this notion goes,"the basic premise is that the psychopharmacological properties of alcohol help

Pharmaceuticals depressed over 'Sicko'

2006-04-02T22:26:00.000-07:00

Some pharmaceuticals are showing signs of feeling anxious about an upcoming movie due to be released late this year. It's a new Michael Moore film and it's called "Sicko".According to The Independent, at least one drug company, GlaxoSmithKline, is training its 8,000 US workers to become public relations ambassadors in preparation for the outfall that may result from this film.Sicko is Michael

Help for Troubled Teens

2006-04-02T12:59:00.000-07:00

The TeenHelp.org forum has over 23,000 members and a helpful thread on teen depression here.If you need to speak to someone immediately for help, there is a free phone line for teenagers in North America here. It's sponsored by the non-profit Covenant House. This service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.The Covenant House also offers live phone help for teenagers who are feeling

Angelina Jolie's Cure for Depression

2006-03-24T13:34:00.000-08:00

Angelina Jolie was depressed as a teenager. According to the website Religion Facts, she was a"troubled and intense young woman. She has openly spoken of her teenage self-loathing, which led to cutting herself with knives, early and intense sexual experience (at 15, her boyfriend moved in with her), her fascination with death (she planned a career as a funeral director in her teens), thoughts of

Paxil Withdrawal Anxiety

2006-03-16T19:23:00.000-08:00

If you've been taking Paxil for a while and your doctor now believes you are ready to wean yourself off this anti-depressant, be prepared that the going may not be a smooth one. There is a very good summary at The Anxiety Community about the withdrawal effects you may experience as you go off this drug. Here you will also find dozens of notes from different people about their personal experiences

Ambien Sleeping Pill Causes Car Accidents

2006-03-10T08:27:00.000-08:00

Ambien is a prescription drug for sleep disorders. Over 26 million Americans take it to help with insomnia or other sleep disorders. But a recent study has found that Ambien has been responsible for some serious car accidents. After taking Ambien, some people are sleepwalking to their cars and driving while still asleep. The Ambien label warns about side-effects of sleepwalking and hallucinations

Insomnia as a Sign of Depression

2006-03-07T08:33:00.000-08:00

Insomnia is often listed as a potential symptom or sign of depression. It can also indicate the onset of a manic episode for people with bipolar disorder.If you are experiencing insomnia on a regular basis it's really important to discuss this with your doctor. There are several natural remedies for insomnia including the Valerion root which have been shown to be quite effective. Pharmacy

New Depression Treatment: the Patch

2006-03-01T08:33:00.000-08:00

An antidepressant patch (Emsam) has just been approved by the FDA for the first time.This antidepressant is different from the pills now most commonly prescribed (such as Paxil and Zoloft). It is intended only for those people suffering from the most severe form of depression and who have failed other treatments.The patch releases selegiline into the bloodstream. It is similar in composition to

Depression Treatment - Therapy CD's

2006-02-23T13:38:00.000-08:00

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a treatment for depression that has proven to be effective for many people.But do you need to visit a qualified therapist to benefit from CBT? Not anymore, apparently.For the first time, a cognitive behavioral therapy CD-based program has been approved as effective treatment for mild to moderate depression.It's called Beating the Blues and was developed in

Prescriptions for Conflicts of Interest

2006-02-19T11:15:00.000-08:00

Did your doctor recommend you buy anti-depressants because she had just received a big perk from the pharmaceutical company?A recent study warns about doctor's often being in a conflict of interest situation when they prescribe drugs to you as treatment for various ailments.Pharmaceutical companies now spend an average of $13,000 per doctor to influence them to prescribe certain drugs to patients

Addictions: Breaking Habitual Patterns

2006-02-12T15:35:00.000-08:00

If addictions or negative habitual patterns are contributing to your depression, a helpful natural treatment could be Pema Chodron's audio CD entitled: Getting UnstuckPema Chodron is a Buddhist abbott who's written several very popular books about meditation and how it can help transform your world for the better. On this CD she discusses how we reinforce our addictions and habits by giving in to

Meditation Helps Alleviate Depression

2006-02-01T17:53:00.000-08:00

Meditation can be the ultimate path out of depression. For me personally, it transformed my life in a profound way. I now know what real joy is. And life in general is so much more interesting. Whereas in the past I was susceptible to long bouts of depression and also experienced a few psychotic and manic episodes, I don't believe that will happen to me again. Of course I will experience natural

Exercise can Boost your Mood Immediately

2006-01-25T06:46:00.000-08:00

Lots of studies have now confirmed that exercise can help relieve depression. But these studies usually conclude that it will take several weeks of regular exercise to see an improvement in your mental state. (This is similar to how long it takes anti-depressants to kick in.)But a new study performed at the University of Texas in Austin has found that people who engaged in thirty minutes of

Overweight and Depressed

2006-01-19T14:20:00.000-08:00

If you suffer from depression in addition to being overweight or obese, you may be interested to know that the best natural cures are similar for both ailments.The most common cause of obesity is a poor diet and lack of exercise. According to the nutritional bible; Prescription for Nutritional Healing"other factors that can lead to obesity include glandular malfunctions, diabetes, hypoglycemia,

P11 Protein Discovered : A Major Finding

2006-01-07T10:52:00.000-08:00

When it comes to physical pain, a doctor can prescribe medications to relieve your pain right away. But if a doctor prescribes anti-depressants to you, you'll be told it will take several weeks for the drug to take effect.This may all change in the next few years as scientists have made what seems like a major discovery. They've discovered a new protein in the brain and named it 'P11'.P11 appears

Monday Blues - Not quitting that Job

2006-01-03T18:27:00.000-08:00

I've been writing on this site for almost a year. Since I installed a webcounter, I've noticed that I get a lot more visitors on Sunday evenings and Monday mornings than during any other time of the week.I wonder about this correlation between feeling depressed more on Sundays and Mondays. I think it must relate to a lot of people who don't enjoy their jobs or their daily grind at work and this

Walnuts Help Fight Depression

2006-01-02T11:30:00.000-08:00

Walnuts are second only to flaxseed in terms of vegetarian sources of Omega 3 fatty acids. An increased intake of Omega 3 has been shown to be very helpful in fighting depression and bipolar disorder.This is a continuation of the previous post which listed the five foods highest in Omega 3. A reader left the following comment there;Thanks for the site, I check it intermittently and I find it very

Valerian for insomnia and Anxiety

2006-01-02T05:38:00.000-08:00

Valerian is a natural herb that's been shown to be effective in alleviating insomnia and anxiety.Europeans have been using it for centuries as a sleep remedy. The Valerian herb grows in the wild in Europe, North America and Asia. Many clinical scientific studies have been undertaken in the past couple of decades and the results are conclusive that valerian is very helpful as a sedative. Valerian

Best Omega 3 Foods to Fight Depression

2005-12-18T18:14:00.000-08:00

The Christian Post has just written a good summary of the top five Omega-3 foods. The top five Omega-3 rich foods are; Cold water fish Flaxseeds or flaxseed oil Nuts - especially walnuts Omega-3 Eggs Fish Oils See their article about Omega-3 rich foods here. For info about the benefits of omega 3 in fighting depression, see the earlier post about depression and diet

Meditation: Transforming the Depressive Personality

2005-12-08T15:02:00.000-08:00

What would be considered as the state furthest from depression? We might imagine it to be 'joy' or 'bliss'.For me personally, a regular practise of meditation was able to transform the way my brain functioned and to make me a much happier person in the most fundamental underlying sense.But to say that I am much happier now is just brushing the surface in my transformation. The changes to my way

Buying Anti-Depressants from Canadian Pharmacies

2005-12-08T09:20:00.000-08:00

This site is not about anti-depression medications. However I want to bring up a startling point for people who want to take anti-depressants and have been recommended anti-depressants by their doctors but are not able to afford the high costs.More and more people are buying their prescription drugs online - often from Canadian online pharmacies. Why are they doing this? Because the same product

Walking to Beat Depression and SAD Syndrome

2005-11-28T13:37:00.000-08:00

Exercise has been shown to be even more effective than anti-depressants for relieving mild to moderate levels of depression. (See McMan's website for some of the study results.) If someone is in the midst of a depression, it's not easy to get motivated about a regular exercise schedule. But if you are able to keep it up for at least a 30 minute walk four times a week over one month, the odds are

Major Depression is More Common than We Thought

2005-11-20T18:34:00.000-08:00

An alarming eight percent of people in the total US population experienced major depression sometime over the past year. This would theoretically mean every twelfth person you pass on the street today has experienced major depression sometime in the past year.Major depression is defined (using the DSM-IV diagnostic test) as a period lasting two weeks or longer during which there is either

A Growing Criticism of Anti-Depressants

2005-11-17T08:34:00.000-08:00

There seems to be a growing backlash against anti-depressant prescriptions. Fortune has a very detailed article on "Prozac Backlash: Trouble in Prozac Nation" in the November 28th issue of their magazine. Apparently about 150 million prescriptions were dispensed in 2004 for SSRI's (such as Prozac, Paxil and Zoloft) and similar antidepressants called SNRIs. But a growing backlash may indicate

Yoga to Alleviate Mental Angst

2005-11-10T13:30:00.000-08:00

A new book has just been released by the world's leading yoga master. Iyengar is 87 years old. He first took up yoga as a young boy. In his youth he suffered from ill health and he says; "My poor health was matched, as it often is when one is sick, by my poor mood. A deep melancholy often overtook me, and at times I asked myself whether life was worth the trouble of living." His book examines how

An interesting appraisal of Melancholy

2005-11-04T10:44:00.000-08:00

Slate Magazine has just published an interesting article on the subject of how 'melancholic personalities' have contributed so much to the evolution of the human race. The article is a review of Joshua Wolf Shenk's new book; Lincoln's Melancholy : How Depression Challenged a President and Fueled His Greatness, and it looks at some of the philosophically deeper and positive aspects of depression

Starting Over: Wanting 'a New Life'

2005-10-30T14:12:00.000-08:00

Someone I know wants to leave her husband. She feels her life is in a rut and she wants to go out and get a new life. A new man for sure and maybe a new city too. In this case, the husband is a kind and intelligent person, not much wrong with him. They've been together for about twenty years.She may find someone new, it may be in a different city, her circumstances will undoubtedly change, but

Let them Eat Prozac

2005-10-26T09:55:00.000-07:00

A good book was published last year about the relationship between the pharmaceutical companies and North America's high reliance on anti-depressants such as Paxil and Prozac. Let Them Eat Prozac: The Unhealthy Relationship Between the Pharmaceutical Industry and Depression looks at the development of anti-depressants since they were first introduced about fifty years ago. The book is written

Why Does Alberta have such a High Rate of Depression?

2005-10-22T16:01:00.000-07:00

Alberta has the highest rate of depression of all Provinces in Canada and the number of people there who suffer from mental disorders is up to eight times higher than in other Provinces. What could possibly cause such a concentration of mental illness in one geographic area?The recent study citing these statistics was authored by Gus Thompson and published in the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry.

Drug Companies Plot to Kill Pill Sales

2005-10-17T10:28:00.000-07:00

This story is too outrageous to be true, but apparently it really happened. The pharmaceutical industry recently paid some authors to write a 'thriller' book which would frighten people away from buying their drug prescriptions online from Canada.The pharmaceutical industry is missing out on at least one billion dollars per year because many people are buying their drugs online from

Chromium Deficiency and Depression

2005-10-12T13:42:00.000-07:00

A recent study has found that a chromium deficiency can contribute to depression and that taking chromium picolinate supplements is effective in relieving depression for some people. If you are depressed AND you find you crave carbohydrates, then eating more chromium rich foods or taking chromium supplements may help alleviate your depression.The subset of people in this study who had

Relationship Break-up and Emotional Breakdown

2005-10-09T11:38:00.000-07:00

A relationship break-up can be one of life's most extremely stressful and depressing events. On the scale of life's stressful events divorce ranks second only to the death of a spouse. It's considered to be a much more stressful event than even a jail term or getting fired from a job.If you are undergoing a relationship break-up, take heart that it is normal to feel as though you are having an

Obesity and Depression

2005-10-01T16:51:00.000-07:00

Millions of people are now taking diet pills such as phentermine in the hope that this will help them beat obesity. These diet pills have similar chemical structures to amphetamines. Most of them (including phentermine) have adverse side effects which include the possibility of mental depression and mania. Many people who are not seriously overweight are also taking these drugs in the hope of

Romantic Love and Breakup

2005-09-26T16:33:00.000-07:00

If you are feeling depressed because you've recently experienced a break up of an ecstatic, romantic and undoubtedly short term relationship, take heart that this is a natural feeling, that it is even a healthy reaction to go through great emotional turmoil, anguished crying and a whole mix of other emotions.Romantic love seldom lasts. In my own personal experience, the most romantic man I was in

Meditation and Personal Metamorphosis

2005-09-21T13:11:00.000-07:00

There's been enough studies conducted now to show that a regular practice of meditation can rewire brain pathways and transform a person with a depressive personality into a generally joyful being filled with zest for life.But this cure for depression is not a quick pill. It requires commitment, faith and time. See some of the previous articles about the benefits of meditation here on this site.

Help Lines for a Depressive or Manic Breakdown

2005-09-14T16:52:00.000-07:00

If you are experiencing a depressive or manic breakdown there are places where you can get help right away.If you live anywhere in the United States, call 1-800-784-2433. This is a telephone number for the National Hopeline Network. This network is managed by the Kristin Brooks Hope Centre. They have over 160 crisis centres networked into this phone number in the United States (and hope to have

Depression due to Early Childhood Environment

2005-09-08T11:18:00.000-07:00

This month's issue of The Walrus has an excellent article on how psychoanalysis is making a strong comeback as a treatment for depression. In the article, Wendy Dennis makes a point of how important the early childhood environment is in terms of building the foundations of the personality and a person's defense against the onset of later illnesses such as depression and bipolar disorder. Here's

Loneliness and Sex

2005-09-01T12:58:00.000-07:00

Have you ever had sex with someone because you were feeling lonely?I think one merciless Buddhist explanation of loneliness would be that a person is stuck in a cycle of negative introspection and their loneliness is a result of their mind's intense focus on their problems. In this sense loneliness could be seen as a form of self-pity.A direct path out of this predicament would be to meditate

Depression due to Infertility

2005-08-27T19:12:00.000-07:00

When I was in my thirties I really wanted to have children. For a couple of those years I was with a partner who wasn't sure if he wanted children. By the time he told me he didn't want children I was heartbroken, not only because our relationship was falling apart at the same time, but because I felt that my window of opportunity to have a child was now closed.Soon thereafter however I met the

Depressed Philosophers

2005-08-21T10:47:00.000-07:00

I wonder if some professions have a much higher tendency toward depression than others.I would guess that professional philosophers as well as amateur philosophers may be more prone to bouts of existential depression than people taken from a random population sample.I don't have any evidence for this but I think people drawn to philosophy are more likely to spend time pondering questions such as

Constipation as a cause of Depression?

2005-08-15T00:07:00.000-07:00

Constipation is recognized by the medical profession as one of the possible symptoms of depression. But can the relationship also be reversed? Can being constipated cause at least a mild level of depression in many people? When someone is constipated, the usual descriptions that come to mind are "feeling sluggish, bloated, lethargic or tired". Their mind may also feel a bit fuzzy. A constipated

Treating Depression with Integral Therapy

2005-08-11T09:16:00.000-07:00

Integral therapy is a new approach to treating major depression by prescribing multiple treatments based on the analysis of the person's level of development. The approach was developed by Ken Wilber and has gained a respectable following.Wilber has named four dimensions which define any one person. The fist dimension (or 'quadrant') is composed of the psychic, soul and spirit. Here depression

Smiling and Meditation

2005-08-04T08:40:00.000-07:00

People who have meditated for an extended period may be more skilled at reading the real emotions of others than the rest of us, including highly trained mental health professionals.Here's an interesting test (at BBC's web site) to see if you can spot another person's fake smile. Some people are better at this than others but it's a rare person that can achieve a very high score on this test.To

Existential Depression and Ken Wilber

2005-08-02T22:59:00.000-07:00

According to Ken Wilber some people move to a higher state of awareness than others in the scale of human development, and at a certain stage they may experience a state which (probably unbeknownst to them at the time) could be characterized as 'existential depression'.Wilber is possibly the most interesting self-taught and original philosopher of our time. He has devised a theory of life-span

Signs of Depression

2005-07-31T19:29:00.000-07:00

Many people are depressed without consciously realizing it. But the majority of people will know there is something wrong and will realize they have symptoms of depression.If you go see your doctor about your condition, they will probably ask you some questions to gauge the severity of your depression. Their questions will likely be based on a doctors manual called "DSM-IV-TR criteria for

Yoga for Relieving Depression

2005-07-30T15:08:00.000-07:00

Practicing yoga can alter your brain chemistry. Some yoga positions in particular are effective in stimulating the pituitary gland to release endorphins and to reduce the level of cortisol (the stress hormone).Inverted yoga positions are the most important positions in terms of yoga's health effects on the mind and body. This would include the shoulder stand, plow and headstand. Unfortunately, if

Flaxseeds, Omega-3 and Depression

2005-07-26T10:46:00.000-07:00

A daily tablespoon of flaxseed can be a very effective natural anti depressant for many people. Over the past twenty years, several detailed studies have confirmed that flaxseed (due to its high concentration of omega 3 fats) can alleviate depression for a high percentage of people if taken regularly for several weeks.A deficiency of omega 3 fatty acids has been shown to be strongly correlated

Depression due to External Life Events

2005-07-11T22:08:00.000-07:00

If you've experienced some highly stressful events recently, this level of stress can overwhelm your immune system and result in a much higher susceptibility to many physical illnesses but also mental illnesses such as depression, manic depression, psychotic depression and even schizophrenia.The bottom line is that external life events can lead to serious mental illness and that some people are

The Right Diet can Alleviate Depression

2005-07-09T21:05:00.000-07:00

A poor diet can contribute to depression. It can even be the primary cause of depression, anxiety or other mental disorders if your brain is deficient in certain chemicals.Drugs such as Zoloft, Prozac and Paxil work by altering your brain chemistry and increasing the amount of serotonins in your brain. The right diet can also help achieve this objective without the dangerous side effects. Eating

Impotence medications can cause blindness

2005-07-09T16:45:00.000-07:00

Depression and erectile dysfunction are frequently co-existing conditions in men over fifty. But the latest frightening news is that treatment of this condition with anti-impotence drugs can lead to blindness in one or both eyes.The FDA has required impotence drug makers Pfizer, GlaxoSmithKline and Bayer to put new warnings about this possible side-effect on all their labels.The risk of blindness

Health Benefits of Meditation

2005-06-26T14:24:00.000-07:00

Several studies have confirmed meditation is effective in alleviating mild to moderate depression.Other proven benefits of meditation include the reduction of anxiety, anger and high blood pressure. Meditation is also often effective in curing insomnia and infertility.One doesn't need to spend countless hours to achieve these effects. Fifteen minutes a day has been found to have significant

Existential Depression

2005-06-25T09:23:00.000-07:00

Existential depression is a more common ailment than most people realize. It is very common particularily with 'intellectuals'; people who are primarily analytical and tend to process their emotions mentally with their minds and thought processes. Existential depression is what I suffered from in my twenties and early thirties. I didn't see much meaning to life. I was very aware of the human

Depression and Diet: Nutritional Deficiencies

2005-06-18T21:01:00.000-07:00

This page has been moved. See the link between depression and nutrition here.Some very good books have been written in the past few years on the connection between dietary habits and depression. Click on the title links (not the images) if you'd like to view these books at Amazon.POTATOES NOT PROZAC: A NATURAL SEVEN-STEP PLAN TO: CONTROL YOUR CRAVINGS AND LOSE WEIGHT RECOGNIZE HOW FOODS AFFECT

Personal Stories of Depression

2005-05-14T12:55:00.000-07:00

When you are depressed, it's sometimes very helpful to read about other people's experiences. I wrote about my experiences with depression in an earlier post here.There are many personal accounts about depression you can find online. Kim's Clinical Depression Page has some great links to personal accounts of depression and bipolar disorder. There are also several outstanding personal accounts of

Meditation and the Brain

2005-05-07T12:18:00.000-07:00

Until a few years ago (in the late 1990's) the medical profession and the neuroscientists operated under the belief that no new neurons were created in the brain once the brain was fully formed. The pervasive belief was that once brain cells died, that was it, they were not replaced by new ones. Recent findings however, have proven that the brain is much more flexible and that new neurons do

Existential Crisis and John Kennedy Toole

2005-04-28T14:22:00.000-07:00

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;gt;One of the best books I've ever read is "The Confederacy of Dunces". It was written by John Kennedy Toole when he was in his 20's and it is an 'existential' masterpiece of the 20th century.Along with Kafka's "Metamorphosis" this is one of the best portrayals of existential angst that I've ever read. The author was not able to find a publisher

Mental Breakdown and Crisis

2005-04-26T08:52:00.000-07:00

If you are in the midst of a mental crisis at this moment, it's very important to talk to your doctor about this as soon as possible. There is also immediate personal counselling help available for free; see the Help Line page here.If your situation is not critical but you are looking for more information about potential causes of mental breakdown, you may find this book helpful. Sometimes a

Exercise Helps to Beat Depression

2005-04-13T10:40:00.000-07:00

Exercise can be more helpful in beating depression than the use of anti-depressant medications. If you are experiencing mild or moderate depression, exercise will likely provide you with better relief than prescribed medications.Multiple studies have found that exercise can be very beneficial in treating clinical depression and anxiety. One study which specifically compared exercise compared to

Positive Thinking Doesn't Work

2005-04-03T22:20:00.000-07:00

I read my share of pop psychology books when I was younger. The main premise of some of these books was that if you adopt a positive attitude and practice positive thinking, you can dispel many of your life's woes and become a happier person with a better life.Now that I've had some practice with meditation I realize this kind of advice is not very helpful. I don't think it's possible to change a

Melancholic: The depressive personality

2005-03-31T22:17:00.000-08:00

The term 'clinically depressed' is a very modern one.Until the mid-20th century, a depressed person was typically labeled as a 'melancholic' personality. For several hundred years (actually originating with the Greek philosophers over two thousand years ago) a common way of distinguishing different personalities was a classification based on the elements of water, fire, air and earth. These

Chemical Reactions in the Brain

2005-03-29T15:02:00.000-08:00

There definitely exists some kind of link between chemical reactions in the brain and the flow of thoughts through the psyche.This fact has only recently been widely accepted. It was in the mid 1970's when scientists first began to seriously study the receptors in the brain and their relationship to what goes on in the mind. In 1989, an entertaining book was published which summed up the euphoria

Anti-depressants versus meditation

2005-03-23T07:20:00.000-08:00

Someone asked me in the previous post if the Paxil I took was helpful in overcoming my depression. This question hits on the key objective of this site. Please see my response in the comments in the last post but in summary, I went to the doctor to get the appropriate medication when I was in the midst of a serious depression. I'd personally recommend that route to anyone in the same position.

Overcoming Depression : My Personal Story

2005-03-18T13:29:00.000-08:00

I came very close to committing suicide in my mid thirties. To continue from my previous post, I had just been laid off from a job where I had worked for six years. Most of my self-esteem was invested in my job. I was alone and had recently ended a brief relationship. I felt very afraid that I would not be able to find work. I felt completely alone in the world. This was the blackest period in my

My Experience with Depression

2005-03-12T17:13:00.000-08:00

As a result of growing up with a mentally ill parent (see Part I) I entered adulthood with a low opinion of myself, a fear of the future and a predisposition toward depression. The following is meant only to sum up my personal experience with depression, psychosis and the blackest periods of my life. As such it is a one-sided view of my early adulthood. I should explain that my life felt

The Beginnings of My Depression: Childhood

2005-02-13T10:41:00.000-08:00

I grew up in a very depressive environment. My father had uprooted our family to a new country when I was seven. He was not successful in finding work and became progressively more and more depressed. My mother did not have much time for fun or hugs. She was the breadwinner and commuted to a demeaning job six days a week.The way I remember my father is his sitting on the living room couch,

My Ordeal with Depression

2005-02-12T12:28:00.000-08:00

Here I'd like to summarize my personal experience with depression.I'm 43 now, and have not been depressed since my mid thirties, but before this time I experienced severe depression many times, psychotic episodes at least a couple of times and very serious suicidal thoughts at one point in my life. Here’s my personal experience with depression divided into three parts: