Depression+Causes+&+Treatment

= **__Depression__ ** =



=**__A Few Fast Facts__ ** = = = **//Did you know... //**  1) Depressive disorders affect approximately 18.8 million American Adults, about 9.5% of the U.S. population age 18 and older, in any given year 2) At least 4% of pre-schoolers are clinically depressed; that's over one million children 3) 15% of depressed people will commit suicide 4) Antidepressants work for only 35 to 45% of depressed people taking them; new studies now suggest only 30% 1 

Feeling sad every once in awhile is a normal part of life, but feelings of emptiness and despair may be depression. The important thing to remember is that though these feelings can be quite overwhelming and hopeless, there is always hope, and the feelings can go away with help. Common symptoms and signs of depression are; feeling helplessness and hopelessness, loss of interest in daily activities, appetite or weight changes (both weight gain and weight loss, though weight loss is the more common change in weight, atypical depression is when one gains weight), sleep changes, irritability or restlessness, loss of energy, self-loathing, concentration problems, and even unexplained aches. 2

** Unhealthy Diet **
 Food is the essential building block of all life, physical, mental, and spiritual. It stands to reason that if your body doesn’t get what it needs to sustain this life, it’s going to make you suffer in return. Bodily discomfort results from an excess of acid. Acidic foods include all animal products (meats, dairy, fish) and pre-packaged, fried, or microwavable meals. To counterbalance the acids we take in; fruits and vegetables need to be consumed—they’re the only foods that offer alkalines. If alkalines aren’t present in the body, we become overtired, stressed, and unhappy. Minerals are possibly the most important part of an alkaline rich diet; they are the catalyst that ignites every metabolic action in our body. Whole foods (as opposed to just the pea and not the pod) are far richer in minerals and much healthier for us. Eating good fats is also very important. In a culture obsessed with “fat free,” people are unaware that these kinds of “healthy” foods can actually cause you to gain weight because of their sugar content. Fats, such as Omega 3, feed our skin and make it glow, reduce hunger cravings, and actually make us smarter. Friendly bacteria found in probiotic formulas aid digestion and keep the unfriendly bacteria under control. Recent studies suggest that there are a number of nutritional imbalances that can make one prone to depression, such as; not having enough Omega 3, not enough vitamin B, serotonin levels being too low, a non-healthy blood sugar balance, and not getting enough chromium in one’s diet. A recent study published in the American Journal of Psychiatry tested the effects of giving twenty people suffering from depression highly concentrated forms of Omega 3 fat. The patients showed drastic improvement in their moods by the third week. Deficiency of vitamin B causes homocysteine, linked to depression. Serotonin is made in the body from 5-Hydroxy Tryptophan, an amino acid, and not getting enough in one’s diet can lead to depression. A recent survey found that people fed food that was deficient of tryptophan became rapidly depressed within hours. Serotonin can be found in meat, fish, beans, and eggs. Exercise and sunlight also tend to promote serotonin. There is a direct link between the balance of blood sugar and mood; since all carbohydrates foods are broken down into glucose which is the fuel for the brain, meaning the more uneven one’s blood sugar level is, the more ‘uneven’ one’s mood is. So, stay away from refined foods, and eat whole foods, fruits, and vegetables instead. Finally, chromium is essential to one’s diet because it helps insulin clear glucose from blood. Dr. Malcolm McLeod, a clinical professor of psychiatrist at the University of North Carolina conducted a double-blind study. He gave ten patients suffering from atypical depression chromium supplements and five others a placebo for eight weeks. The results were staggering; seven of the ten taking supplements showed large improvements while none of the placebo recipients did. Your body needs proper nutrients to keep itself healthy, and a healthy body is a happy body. [|3] 4

**Lack of Exercise**
It's a well known fact that exercise makes you feel good and a study  of 276 women in New Orleans confirmed it. They were grouped in three clusters according to scores on a General Well-being Schedule--relatively depressed, average, and positive. These women were given accelerometers (wrist watch type devices that measure movement) to wear for a week to measure their activity level. Those who ranked in the positive third of the group chronicled .14 million more accrometer counts than the average women and .29 million counts greater than the depressed women. They also logged 70 more minutes of per week than those who were relatively depressed and 85 more minutes per week than women who have been diagnosed with clinical depression. Katie Thomas, the lead researcher in this study, feels that she has accomplished her goal of affirming a definite correlation between positivity and exercise level--a topic sensationalized by health experts everywhere. 5

**Too Much Sleep **
Sleep is wonderful. It restores our minds, bodies, and spirits. While we all know the benefits of a good night's sleep, many people suffer from depression due to this good rest. The secret in curing this type of sleep-related depression is harnessing the power of the body's natural chemicals released in sync with our circadian rhythm (sleep cycles). Researchers still have yet to figure out the entire secret, but they have found that a thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), which controls our metabolism and energy levels, is inhibited by sleep. Experiments show that staying awake a full night boosts the levels of this hormone considerably. A research center in Freiburg, Germany manipulated sleep cycles of several depressed individuals, resting them for a full 31 hours and slowly returning them to a normal sleep cycle and forcing them to stay awake in the early hours in the morning for an extended period of time. Their symptoms dissipated and they did not relapse. If individuals want to manipulate their own sleep cycles as the German scientists did, they should do so under professional supervision, but there are several methods of safer sleep deprivation like practices, such as being exposed to excessively bright light upon waking, or simply staying up a few hours later. 6

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**__How To Cope__ **
If you, or a loved one, is experiencing symptoms of depression, please take the time and read below, and educate yourself so that you, or your loved one, can get better. If you think you are depressed, take an online quiz online that screens for depression 7 <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">. Please understand that this is not to replace a medical professional, but is designed for a depressed person to complete and take to their doctor so as to guide the doctor, and help them understand just how sick they are. If a loved one is depressed, it is important to remember these tips: 1) Educate yourself. 2) Put yourself in //their// shoes. 3) Take care of yourself, depression can be contagious. 4) It's //ok// to feel upset, angry and frustrated; join a support group. 5) Be there for them. Give them a shoulder to cry on or just listen while they spill out their hearts to you. 6) Remember that the depressed person's behavior isn't indicative of the "real" person 7) Remember that depressed people aren't lazy, they're ill. Everyday activities like cleaning house, paying bills, or feeding the dog may seem overwhelming to them. Lastly, love them unconditionally and let them know it's their illness that you are frustrated with, not them. 8

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">//Sources//
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">1. @http://www.upliftprogram.com/depression_stats.html 2. @http://helpguide.org/mental/depression_signs_types_diagnosis_treatment.htm 3. @http://www.jaredstory.com/depression_food_therapy.html 4. @http://www.foodforthebrain.org/content.asp?id_Content=1635 5. @http://www.acsm.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Home_Page&Template=/CM/HTMLDisplay.cfm&ContentID=7501 6. @http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=50800 7. @http://depression.about.com/cs/diagnosis/a/wakefield.htm 8. @http://depression.about.com/cs/basicfacts/a/howtohelp.htm