The Lily Pond
An information site for fellow "surfers" with depression
~ Mission Statement ~
To offer an arena where others can share their solutions on
battling depression, provide insight on what depression
is medically and personally through Lily Pond Net surfers
who drop in to share their hope.
Please email me your successes and tips for managing your
depression or SAD. I will include what I can on the page according
to space and relativity. Please include a valid return email address
so I may obtain clarification if needed.
If you have found information on depression that you believe
would benefit our fellow "surfers" please let me know
and I will see what I can do to include it here.
To
be completed with your responses
"I talk with my closest friends about how I am feeling so I know others are aware and I am not alone." Anon |
"I write poetry or my thoughts, whatever comes to mind. Writing seems to help me release some of the energy surrounding the emotions." JaF |
Since I have been exercising regularly I have been feeling better. Its hard and the only activity I do at the moment involving other people but I am sticking with this. |
Getting morning light exposure helps me with SAD - anon solution |
Lily Pond Surfer suggestion |
"I suggest you seek help from someone who specializes in treating depression". MkS |
Lily Pond Surfer solution |
Lily Pond Surfer solution |
Lily Pond Surfer suggestion |
Lily Pond Surfer suggestion |
Medical
Views on Depression
The following is an
excerpt from the October 1997
Taking Care
Newsletter, Volume 19 Issue 10. A
winner of the C. Everett Koop National Health Award. The article was titled
Depression in Men.
Nearly 2/3rds of the 19 million people who suffer from clinical depression are women, but about 10% of all men face major depression at some point in their lives. Unfortunately, most people with depression never seek help.
Ignoring or denying depression can cause serious problems. Untreated depression often causes outbursts of temper, domestic violence, divorce, alcohol/drug abuse and reckless driving. It kills, too; 16,000 Americans die by suicide each year.
Many people think depression is due to emotion weakness or bad parenting. But current medical thinking is that depression is, at least in part, a physical illness, resulting from an inherited imbalance of chemicals in the brain called neurotransmitters. In fact, it can be a side effect of certain medications.
The good news it that, once recognized, depression is very treatable. When the symptoms are mild, self-help measures such as exercising regularly, increasing pleasurable activities and limiting alcohol intake can be effective. Talk to family, friends, clergy or, if available, your company's employee assistance program. However, if you don't feel improvement, see your doctor or health care practitioner right away.
Signs
of Depression
If you have four
or more of the following symptoms, especially
one or both of the first two, for longer than two weeks,
you should see a doctor. Your doctor can rule out a physical
illness, which may have similar symptoms.
Feeling sad, anxious or "empty" most of each day
Loss of interest or pleasure in activities that were once enjoyed
Feelings of hopelessness, pessimism
Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, helplessness
Insomnia, early-morning awakening or oversleeping
Weight gain or loss
Decreased energy, fatigue, being "slowed down"
Restlessness, irritability
Difficulty concentrating, remembering, making decisions
Persistent headaches, digestive disorders, chronic pain
Thoughts of death or suicide; suicide attempts *
*If you have experienced this symptom, seek help immediately.
Information
on Seasonal Affective Disorder
(SAD)
What is Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)?
Many people complain of feeling down, having less energy, putting on a few pounds, and having difficulty getting up in the morning throughout the dark, short days of winter. People suffering from SAD experience these and other symptoms to such a degree that they feel unable to function normally. They often feel chronically depressed and fatigued, and want to withdraw from the world and to avoid social contacts. They may increase their sleep by as much as two hours or more per day, have greatly increased appetite--sometimes accompanied by irresistible cravings for sweet and starchy foods--and gain a substantial amount of weight. Women frequently report worsening of premenstrual symptoms. People with SAD suffer in the extreme the kinds of changes that many others experience to a much lesser degree in wintertime. An individual SAD sufferer, however, need not show all the symptoms described above. Sleep duration, for example, may be normal, while carbohydrate craving may be extreme, or vice versa. Sometimes a symptom in the cluster is actually opposite the norm, such as insomnia as opposed to excessive sleep. A diagnosis of SAD requires a professional evaluation by a psychiatrist, psychologist, or social worker. We caution against attempting self-diagnosis; it is easy to misinterpret symptoms or incorrectly rate their severity.
Recent studies indicate that about five times as many people may suffer from "winter doldrums," a sub-clinical level of SAD, than from a level of clinical severity. These people notice the return of SAD-like symptoms each winter and are bothered by them, but remain fully functional. About 25 percent of the population at the middle-to-northern latitudes of the United States experience "winter doldrums."
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This site was conceived
on October 9th, 1997
and last updated on August 18th, 2001
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