Margaret Morris, a clinical psychologist and health tech researcher for the Intel Corporation is designing an interesting cell phone app that can instantly access stress levels and provide real-time advice to cope in that moment.  This can be beneficial to people suffering from depression.

The exercises range from breathing visualizations that are managed by following graphic images on the screen to practical stress-relieving tips to detach from negative thoughts  in the moment.  The app will track and chart sleep patterns, energy levels, diet, and much more.  These charts can be printed out and discussed with a doctor or therpist to identify stress and depression triggers and plan solutions.

This kind of ‘mobile therapy’ is just the beginning.  There are dozens of new apps being created to help people with not only mental disorders but other medical issues as well.

More to come soon.

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 Anxiety Attacks In Children:  Inherited?

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Anybody who’s experienced an anxiety attack before knows just how terrifying they can be. People who suffer from an anxiety disorder, who have frequent anxiety and panic attacks, also understand how debilitating they can become. Panic and severe anxiety can result in a disruption of daily life that can lead to a downward spiral of isolation and depression.

Modern medicine has created several drugs to control anxiety disorders. These drugs fall into several categories including MAOI’s (Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors) and SSRI’s (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors). SSRI’s such as Paxil, Prozac, Zoloft, Luvox, and Celexa are the most commonly prescribed. 

While effective in most patients, antidepressant treatments usually come with a cost. Antidepressants are powerful prescription drugs that have negative side effects to many people that take them. Common side effects of SSRI’s include nausea, headaches, diarrhea, weight gain, sedation, and sexual side effects. Antidepressants have even been linked to suicide in young patients. 

Prolonged usage of antidepressants frequently result in a higher drug tolerance in patients leading to increased dosages to receive the same desired effect. Further, there is a risk of addiction to these antidepressants.

Fortunately, there are now many natural anxiety treatments that mirror the positive treatment effects of antidepressants. They fall into two categories – cognitive behavioral therapy and natural (or herbal) dietary supplements.

Cognitive therapy involves the participation of a psychotherapist or psychiatrist who have one on one sessions with the patient. This approach focuses on changing the patient’s thinking patterns and developing coping mechanisms such as slow breathing techniques. Patients learn how to detect faulty fight-or-flight response mechanisms within the body that are triggered during panic attacks. 

The second category of anxiety treatments are dietary supplements. Natural dietary supplements offer effective treatment for anxiety and panic attacks with far less risk of adverse side effects or possible addiction often caused by antidepressant drugs. 

Herbal remedies have been used for centuries around the globe in many cultures to treat anxiety symptoms. There is now a growing trend towards more natural alternatives to powerful antidepressants. Natural herbs and vitamins can boost one’s overall immune and nervous system creating more resistance to stress. Further, select supplements found in nature can be very effective to treat anxiety and panic attack symptoms.

A new website offers help with selecting the right natural antidepressant and anti anxiety treatment that may help you.    

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But now, a recently conducted study is shedding some light on the ability of cigarette
smoke to act like an antidepressant in brain stem cells.

Research has discovered that chemicals inhaled in cigarette smoke may have a similar effect
on the brain as antidepressant drugs do.  This may help to explain why smoking is
more prevalent in persons with major depression than in the general population.  And it
might also explain why people who have recovered from depression and then stop smoking
have a greater likelihood of having their depressive symptoms return.  This in turn causes
many recovering smokers to strike up the habit again.

Some of the studies findings:

• Adults with depression were more likely to smoke than those without depression.
• The percentage of adults who were smokers increased as the severity of depression increased
• More than one in four adult smokers with depression smoked more than a pack a day
• Adults with depression were less likely to quit smoking than those without depression.

If you need help quitting smoking click here

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While many postpartum depression treatments involve medicine (usually pharmaceutical drugs of one kind or another) there are risks involved for nursing mothers in addition to the other risks of side effects posed by prescription drugs.

Several studies have confirmed the belief that there is a non-drug simple way to alleviate postpartum depression in just a few hours:  sleep deprivation.  That’s correct… getting less sleep  Could it really be that simple?

Yes, according to nearly forty years of research and studies involving more than 1,700 patients and resulting in 75 published papers* documenting the results.

While this sounds too good to be true it really works.  If a depressed mother stays up all night, or even the last half of the night, it is likely that by morning the depression will lift.  Its certainly worth trying especially for new mothers hesitant to turn to drugs for help.

If you do try this simple technique please understand that this is far from a ‘magic pill’ form of postpartum depression treatment. There are obviously drawbacks to getting less sleep including including drowsiness during the day, decreased cognitive functioning and memory.

There are other drug-free postpartum depression techniques that can also work wonders including:

1. support groups (in person or online)
2. family and friends
3. eating healthy foods
4. a good cognitive behavior therapy such as the highly rated Cure Postpartum Program

[*]J. Christian Gillin, Monte Buchsbaum, Joseph Wu, Camellia Clark, William Bunney Jr., Sleep deprivation as a model experimental antidepressant treatment: Findings from functional brain imaging, Depression and Anxiety 14 (1), 37-49, 2001

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Answer:  I can boil it all down to one word: exercise

Now I know what you’re saying. “Yah, yah, yah… I’ve heard that again and again and again.” Or “I just don’t have enough time in the day to exercise”. Or perhaps your telling yourself “My depression keeps me from exercising”.  The excuses are almost automatic.  We’ll address those later.

Let me be blunt here: YOU MUST EXERCISE.

I’m not a sports physiologist so I cannot explain it in scientific terms. I just know what exercise does and how it makes you feel afterwards. These depression-busting and mood lifting benefits are also backed up by extensive scientific research.  Exercise and depression are almost like two opposing forces that collide and all of the physical benefits released by the exercise overcomes every time.

Regular exercise, and I’m talking about blood- pumping, get that sweat-going aerobic exercise, reduces the symptoms of anxiety and depression and may also help keep these symptoms from coming back. If that’s not motivation enough for you to get started I don’t know what is.

Ideally, you should do aerobic exercise for at least 20 minutes three times week. It sounds alot harder than it really is. You don’t have to start at 20 minutes per day. You just have to START. If you need to start at 5 minutes per day and work your way up. Not only will you be amazed at how much better you’re feeling after about a week but how addictive exercising is.

Aside from the reduced depression you’ll lose weight, you’ll increase stamina, you’ll boost your confidence level, and you just plain feel better!

Now let’s address the most common excuses you probably use now to avoid exercise:

• If you don’t have time – make time
• If you can’t do it at home join a gym or run, walk, or bike outside
• If you can’t do it alone hire a personal trainer or ask a friend or family member to help you
• If you feel you’re not in good enough shape to start exercising start getting yourself into shape
• If you are too lazy to exercise shut off the TV for a half and hour and get it done!
• If you don’t know how to exercise effectively buy a book on it or read up for free on the internet
• If you are physically disabled consult with your doctor about what you CAN do

Don’t underestimate the power of exercise to keep the troubling thoughts and depression symptoms at bay and fill you with enthusiasm and energy.

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The most commonly used herb used for depression treatment is St. John’s Wort.  However there are dozens of other herbs for depression that also work very well.  For a comprehensive list of these depression herbs please visit this page: herbs for depression.

2) Exercise For Depression – Depression often causes feelings of hopelessness that lead to inaction, so the last thing you’ll feel like doing is exercise. But studies suggest that regular, moderate physical activity may lessen depression symptoms as much as some medications can.

Exercise affects the brain in several ways.  Exercise can break the pattern of negative unproductive thoughts and help you get back to your past level of activity.  Motion creates emotion.  Exercise alone and can often prompt an upward cycle of emotion and energy, inspiring you to return to work and connect again with friends and family, ultimately providing motivation for you to stay on course. Such connections are crucial for beating depression.

3) Supplements For Depression – Depression supplements typically consist of a combination of several herbs and vitamins that treat depression.  The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not regulate dietary supplements for depression so care must be given to locating a safe and effective product.

Just because these supplements are all-natural doesn’t mean that you can’t overmedicate on them because you can.  Special care should be taken if you plan to take depression supplements along with prescription drugs.  Its very important to ask your doctor if its safe to combine any dietary supplement with conventional medical treatments.

4) Depression Diet – Everyone knows that food soothes.  While diet alone will not cure depression, it can certainly boost your mood and provide much needed energy to fuel your motivation.

5) Hypnosis For Depression – Treatment by hypnosis or “Hypnotherapy” teaches you to mentally counter and refute negative, pessimistic thoughts that often fuel your depression.  Using deep breathing combined with imagery and suggestion, the process imprints new coping skills directly into your subconscious.  All of this leads to conditioning yourself mentally to reject negative and depressing thoughts and install new empowering thoughts.

Hypnotherapy can be very effective in treating depression especially when combined with other depression treatments.  If you need guidance on how to find a certified hypnotherapist in your area or self-help programs please click here:  hypnosis for depression.

6) Depression Meditation – The ancient discipline of meditation is increasingly being embraced within traditional medical circles as a powerful healing tool.  It has been shown to be of medical benefit in a number of ways, including lowering blood pressure and stress levels.  The most helpful and gentle form of meditation for your depression is the repetition technique, done silently or aloud, using a word, sound, symbol, mantra, prayer, movement, or breathing pattern.  Any practice that can evoke the relaxation response in you is of benefit as long as it is repetitive.

7) Light Therapy For Depression – “What’s light therapy?” you ask. Light therapy (also called phototherapy) consists of exposure to daylight or to specific wavelengths of light using lasers, light-emitting diodes, fluorescent lamps, dichroic lamps or very bright, full-spectrum light, for a prescribed amount of time and, in some cases, at a specific time of day. Bright light to the eyes treats psychiatric disorders such as depression.

A meta-analysis of bright light therapy commissioned by the American Psychiatric Association found it to be more effective than placebo—usually, dim light—for both seasonal affective disorder and for nonseasonal depression, with effect sizes similar to those for conventional antidepressants.

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Select natural supplements for depression can be an effective alternative to antidepressant drugs and other pharmaceutical treatments that are commonly linked to side effects, addiction, and other scary things.

Even though herbal supplements for depression are ‘all-natural’ you should treat them just as seriously as any doctor-prescribed medication to ensure your safety and the product’s effectiveness.  Because there is a potential for drug interactions, please make your doctor and/or pharmacist aware of any herbs you are taking if you take other prescription medications.

Natural depression supplements are not regulated by the Food & Drug Administration since the FDA regulates only prescription drugs so only purchase them only from manufacturers with proven integrity.  We have listed below some reputable natural depression treatments below:

Native Remedies MindSoothe

Native Remedies MoodCalm

• Reduces mood swings
• Calms temper and anger outbursts and agitation
• Balances extreme emotional highs
• Eliminates uncharacteristic hyper behavior
• Reduces impulsivity
• Improves balanced mood

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What Is Depression?

Everyone occasionally feels blue or sad. But these feelings are usually fleeting and pass within a couple of days.

When a person has a depressive disorder, it interferes with daily life, normal functioning, and causes pain for both the person with the disorder and those who care about him or her.

Depression is a common but serious illness, and most who experience it need treatment to get better. Many people with a depressive illness never seek treatment. But the vast majority, even those with the most severe depression, can get better with treatment. Intensive research into the illness has resulted in the development of medications, psychotherapies, and other methods to treat people with this disabling disorder.

There are several forms of depressive disorders. The most common are major depressive disorder and dysthymic disorder.

Major depressive disorder, also called major depression, is characterized by a combination of symptoms that interfere with a person’s ability to work, sleep, study, eat, and enjoy once–pleasurable activities. Major depression is disabling and prevents a person from functioning normally. An episode of major depression may occur only once in a person’s lifetime, but more often, it recurs throughout a person’s life.

Dysthymic disorder, also called dysthymia, is characterized by long–term (two years or longer) but less severe symptoms that may not disable a person but can prevent one from functioning normally or feeling well. People with dysthymia may also experience one or more episodes of major depression during their lifetimes.

Some forms of depressive disorder exhibit slightly different characteristics than those described above, or they may develop under unique circumstances. However, not all scientists agree on how to characterize and define these forms of depression. They include:

Psychotic depression, which occurs when a severe depressive illness is accompanied by some form of psychosis, such as a break with reality, hallucinations, and delusions.

Postpartum depression, which is diagnosed if a new mother develops a major depressive episode within one month after delivery. It is estimated that 10 to 15 percent of women experience postpartum depression after giving birth.

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD), which is characterized by the onset of a depressive illness during the winter months, when there is less natural sunlight. The depression generally lifts during spring and summer. SAD may be effectively treated with light therapy, but nearly half of those with SAD do not respond to light therapy alone. Antidepressant medication and psychotherapy can reduce SAD symptoms, either alone or in combination with light therapy.

Bipolar disorder, also called manic-depressive illness, is not as common as major depression or dysthymia. Bipolar disorder is characterized by cycling mood changes-from extreme highs (e.g., mania) to extreme lows (e.g., depression).

People with depressive illnesses do not all experience the same symptoms. The severity, frequency and duration of symptoms will vary depending on the individual and his or her particular illness.

Symptoms include:

Depression often co–exists with other illnesses. Such illnesses may precede the depression, cause it, and/or be a consequence of it. It is likely that the mechanics behind the intersection of depression and other illnesses differ for every person and situation. Regardless, these other co–occurring illnesses need to be diagnosed and treated.

Anxiety disorders, such as post–traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), obsessive–compulsive disorder, panic disorder, social phobia and generalized anxiety disorder, often accompany depression.3,4 People experiencing PTSD are especially prone to having co-occurring depression. PTSD is a debilitating condition that can result after a person experiences a terrifying event or ordeal, such as a violent assault, a natural disaster, an accident, terrorism or military combat.

People with PTSD often re–live the traumatic event in flashbacks, memories or nightmares. Other symptoms include irritability, anger outbursts, intense guilt, and avoidance of thinking or talking about the traumatic ordeal. In a National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)–funded study, researchers found that more than 40 percent of people with PTSD also had depression at one-month and four-month intervals after the traumatic event.

Alcohol and other substance abuse or dependence may also co–occur with depression. In fact, research has indicated that the co–existence of mood disorders and substance abuse is pervasive among the U.S. population.

Depression also often co–exists with other serious medical illnesses such as heart disease, stroke, cancer, hiv/aids, diabetes, and Parkinson’s disease. Studies have shown that people who have depression in addition to another serious medical illness tend to have more severe symptoms of both depression and the medical illness, more difficulty adapting to their medical condition, and more medical costs than those who do not have co–existing depression. Research has yielded increasing evidence that treating the depression can also help improve the outcome of treating the co–occurring illness.

There is no single known cause of depression. Rather, it likely results from a combination of genetic, biochemical, environmental, and psychological factors.

Research indicates that depressive illnesses are disorders of the brain. Brain-imaging technologies, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), have shown that the brains of people who have depression look different than those of people without depression. The parts of the brain responsible for regulating mood, thinking, sleep, appetite and behavior appear to function abnormally. In addition, important neurotransmitters–chemicals that brain cells use to communicate–appear to be out of balance. But these images do not reveal why the depression has occurred.

Some types of depression tend to run in families, suggesting a genetic link. However, depression can occur in people without family histories of depression as well.9 Genetics research indicates that risk for depression results from the influence of multiple genes acting together with environmental or other factors.

In addition, trauma, loss of a loved one, a difficult relationship, or any stressful situation may trigger a depressive episode. Subsequent depressive episodes may occur with or without an obvious trigger.

Depression is more common among women than among men. Biological, life cycle, hormonal and psychosocial factors unique to women may be linked to women’s higher depression rate. Researchers have shown that hormones directly affect brain chemistry that controls emotions and mood.

For example, women are particularly vulnerable to depression after giving birth, when hormonal and physical changes, along with the new responsibility of caring for a newborn, can be overwhelming. Many new mothers experience a brief episode of the “baby blues,” but some will develop postpartum depression, a much more serious condition that requires active treatment and emotional support for the new mother. Some studies suggest that women who experience postpartum depression often have had prior depressive episodes.

Some women may also be susceptible to a severe form of premenstrual syndrome (PMS), sometimes called premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), a condition resulting from the hormonal changes that typically occur around ovulation and before menstruation begins. During the transition into menopause, some women experience an increased risk for depression. Scientists are exploring how the cyclical rise and fall of estrogen and other hormones may affect the brain chemistry that is associated with depressive illness.

Finally, many women face the additional stresses of work and home responsibilities, caring for children and aging parents, abuse, poverty, and relationship strains. It remains unclear why some women faced with enormous challenges develop depression, while others with similar challenges do not.

Men often experience depression differently than women and may have different ways of coping with the symptoms. Men are more likely to acknowledge having fatigue, irritability, loss of interest in once–pleasurable activities, and sleep disturbances, whereas women are more likely to admit to feelings of sadness, worthlessness and/or excessive guilt.

Men are more likely than women to turn to alcohol or drugs when they are depressed, or become frustrated, discouraged, irritable, angry and sometimes abusive. Some men throw themselves into their work to avoid talking about their depression with family or friends, or engage in reckless, risky behavior. And even though more women attempt suicide, many more men die by suicide in the United States.

Depression is not a normal part of aging, and studies show that most seniors feel satisfied with their lives, despite increased physical ailments. However, when older adults do have depression, it may be overlooked because seniors may show different, less obvious symptoms, and may be less inclined to experience or acknowledge feelings of sadness or grief.

In addition, older adults may have more medical conditions such as heart disease, stroke or cancer, which may cause depressive symptoms, or they may be taking medications with side effects that contribute to depression. Some older adults may experience what some doctors call vascular depression, also called arteriosclerotic depression or subcortical ischemic depression. Vascular depression may result when blood vessels become less flexible and harden over time, becoming constricted. Such hardening of vessels prevents normal blood flow to the body’s organs, including the brain. Those with vascular depression may have, or be at risk for, a co–existing cardiovascular illness or stroke.

The majority of older adults with depression improve when they receive treatment with an antidepressant, psychotherapy, or a combination of both. Research has shown that medication alone and combination treatment are both effective in reducing the rate of depressive recurrences in older adults. Psychotherapy alone also can be effective in prolonging periods free of depression, especially for older adults with minor depression, and it is particularly useful for those who are unable or unwilling to take antidepressant medication.

Scientists and doctors have begun to take seriously the risk of depression in children. Research has shown that childhood depression often persists, recurs and continues into adulthood, especially if it goes untreated. The presence of childhood depression also tends to be a predictor of more severe illnesses in adulthood.

A child with depression may pretend to be sick, refuse to go to school, cling to a parent, or worry that a parent may die. Older children may sulk, get into trouble at school, be negative and irritable, and feel misunderstood. Because these signs may be viewed as normal mood swings typical of children as they move through developmental stages, it may be difficult to accurately diagnose a young person with depression.

Before puberty, boys and girls are equally likely to develop depressive disorders. By age 15, however, girls are twice as likely as boys to have experienced a major depressive episode.

Depression in adolescence comes at a time of great personal change–when boys and girls are forming an identity distinct from their parents, grappling with gender issues and emerging sexuality, and making decisions for the first time in their lives. Depression in adolescence frequently co–occurs with other disorders such as anxiety, disruptive behavior, eating disorders or substance abuse. It can also lead to increased risk for suicide.

An NIMH–funded clinical trial of 439 adolescents with major depression found that a combination of medication and psychotherapy was the most effective treatment option.25 Other NIMH–funded researchers are developing and testing ways to prevent suicide in children and adolescents, including early diagnosis and treatment, and a better understanding of suicidal thinking.

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Now I know what you’re thinking. “C’mon… hypnosis for depression?”

And you’re right to thing that.

“When you hear the word hypnosis, you may picture the mysterious hypnotist figure popularized in movies, comic books and television. This ominous, goateed man waves a pocket watch back and forth, guiding his subject into a semi-sleep, zombie-like state. Once hypnotized, the subject is compelled to obey, no matter how strange or immoral the request. Muttering “Yes, master,” the subject does the hypnotist’s evil bidding.

This popular representation bears little resemblance to actual hypnotism, of course. In fact, modern understanding of hypnosis contradicts this conception on several key points. Subjects in a hypnotic trance are not slaves to their “masters” — they have absolute free will. And they’re not really in a semi-sleep state — they’re actually hyperattentive.

Our understanding of hypnosis has advanced a great deal in the past century, but the phenomenon is still a mystery of sorts.” *

The truth is that people have been pondering and arguing over hypnosis for more than 200 years, but science has yet to fully explain how it actually happens. So what the heck is hypnotherapy anyway? And how can it possible help depression?

Simply put, hypnotherapy is therapy by hypnosis. It is often applied in order to modify one’s behavior, emotional state, and attitudes, as well as a wide range of conditions including dysfunctional habits, anxiety, stress-related disorders, pain management, and even personal development.

Hypnotherapy has been used as a treatment for different types of physical and mental conditions for decades. Hypnotism was originally used to treat the condition known in the Victorian era as ‘hysteria’. In the mid 20th century, a modernized version of it was introduced as a medical technique that has since been widely recognized and used effectively in various cultures around the world.

Last year (2007) a study was published in the International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis. The study investigated the efficacy of cognitive therapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy in relation to treating depression.

The study consisted of 84 participants who had been diagnosed with depression. They were randomly put into either the hypnosis group or the therapy group. All participants received 16 weeks of treatment.

Results of the study showed that both groups greatly improved their scores and thus greatly decreased their symptoms of depression. However, the group that received hypnotherapy received a 6% reduction in depression, 5% reduction in anxiety, and 8% reduction in hopelessness compared to the cognitive-behavioral therapy group. The results of this study were maintained during the six month and one year follow-ups.

What is so important about this study is that it “represents the first controlled comparison of hypnotherapy with a well-established psychotherapy for depression, meeting the APA criteria for a ‘probably efficacious’ treatment for depression.” The fact that this is the first quality study performed using hypnotherapy to treat depression also means that more should be done to realize the full benefits that hypnosis can have on people suffering from depression.

Hypnotherapy for depression is not for everyone but can be a very effective treatment method that is worth a look.

If you decide to give depression hypnosis a try you have basically two treatment options:

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