Friday, September 21, 2012

HEALTH ANXIETY DISORDER



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Tips On How Making Changes Can Help Depression

Clinical depression can affect people of any age and is usually related to a chemical imbalance in the brain. You can get help if you are depressed. Read this wonderful tips for how to overcome this condition.

Find a few friends, a mentor, or family member whom you can meet for coffee or with whom to play games or chat. Social interaction can help alleviate your symptoms of depression.

It is important that you understand the depression you face. Depression affects people both physically and psychologically. Serotonin levels in your brain are inhibited by excess amounts of stress and anxiety. This may lead to increased feelings of depression. Anti-depressants are often prescribed for depression, as they can encourage the brain to make extra seratonin. Be aware though that there are alternative natural methods to raise the levels of seratonin. Simple things like getting enough sleep, avoiding caffeine and alcohol, eating healthy and exercising all contribute to serotonin production.

One natural way to fight off unhappy feelings is to decorate your home in upbeat designs and colors. This will cause you to naturally feel brighter yourself.

Try not to speak of your self as depressed or experiencing depression. Labeling yourself with a vocabulary that specifies depression will exacerbate the stigma attached to them. Forget depression; call it a bad mood instead and reclaim the authority that's rightfully yours in the first place. Thinking about just lightening a mood of the moment works better than feeling you have to slay a daunting dragon called "Depression." It may amount to the same thing, but the former is easier to take on than the latter.

If you suffer from depression, you should avoid alcohol. Alcohol acts as an additional depressant on your system, and has been proven to increase symptoms in those who already have depression. To avoid accidental slip-ups, remove any alcohol from your home. If you find that you have trouble avoiding alcohol, you may want to seek support.

If you are just starting to feel a little down because of something in your life, you may not have depression. Make sure you speak with a professional to find out what is troubling you.

Although it is difficult, it is important to keep in mind that you have the power to control your thoughts. Take the word "depressed" and remove it from your vocabulary! It's a negative word for describing feelings, and it can create negative thoughts. You should instead use words like 'low mood' to describe how you feel, and it will no doubt help you feel better.

Take one step at a time. Trying to accomplish too much, too quickly, can overwhelm anyone, especially someone with depression. Taking small steps that are achievable is the best way to get started because they are simple, and you will succeed at them, motivating you to make further changes.

Help to release endorphins within your brain with exercise. Endorphins will help to improve your mood and make you feel good. Try exercising when you feel depressed. The more rousing and fast-paced, the better. Endorphins are neurotransmitters that act as the body's natural pain killer and are known to induce positive feelings and euphoria.

Make sure you keep your well-plan up. Meet with your therapist regularly and join any group activities your therapist may recommend. Keep a list of issues that you want to talk to your therapist about. This will help you focus during your sessions.

You can make a huge dent in lifting your depression by following the advice given in this article. Make sure if you make changes in your life you do so slowly so that you can see what is really helping you and what really didn't make much of a difference.
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Ways to Detect Teen Depression
 
Depression is much more common than most of us realize — but the signs of depression are often difficult to detect. This is especially true when it comes to teen depression. The teenage years are already difficult, with emotional, physical, and hormonal changes that often cause confusion and anxiety. These years are so tumultuous that signs of depression can often be mistaken for normal teenage angst or moodiness. For many parents, it’s not easy to recognize the signs of depression in teens. But depression affects up to one in eight teens. Learning how to recognize the signs of teen depression is crucial for parents. Untreated depression can cause serious problems for teens and their families. Take a look at some of the indications and warning signs to look for in your teen.

Causes of Teen Depression

Causes of teen depression are similar to the causes of adult depression. When looking for signs of the condition, it’s important to consider what kinds of factors might be triggering your teen’s depression. Taking note of possible risk factors makes it easier to pick up on any signs of depression that might develop.

Major life events such as the death of a family member or friend, or the separation or divorce of parents may trigger depression. Certain medical conditions, particularly those that affect hormones, can also cause depression in teens. Substance abuse; poverty; physical; emotional or sexual abuse and violence can all set off teen depression. Genetics plays a role too, as children with family members who have suffered from depression are more susceptible to becoming depressed themselves.

Signs of Teen Depression

Teen depression was particularly difficult to diagnose in the past. Teenagers are less likely than adults to articulate their feelings — and this means it’s more difficult for adults to recognize when teens are feeling depressed. A teenager who is at risk of depression will likely show signs of at least five of the following symptoms for two weeks or longer:

• Withdrawal from friends and family
• Lack of interest in hobbies and activities
• Persistent feelings of guilt, anxiety, hopelessness, pessimism or sadness
• Insomnia
• Excessive fatigue, often accompanied by excessive daytime sleeping
• Physical symptoms such as headache, stomach ache, backache, cramps, digestive problems, with no apparent cause, which do not respond to depression help
• Overeating or lack of interest in food, with rapid weight gain or weight loss
• Lack of interest in the future
• Reduced attention span and concentration ability
• Poor memory, inability to make decisions
• Academic performance below normal level
• Risky or rebellious behavior, such as substance abuse or sexual promiscuity


Teen Depression and Suicide Warning Signs

Persistent, severe depression carries a risk of suicide. The warning signs indicating that a teen is at risk of attempting suicide should always be taken extremely seriously. If you notice these signs, call a suicide hotline, mental health worker or family doctor. Talk to your teen. Do not ignore these warning signs:

Worsening depression

Sudden emotional change from sadness to being calm or happy
Talking about suicide or death, or talking about being worthless or hopeless
Loss of interest in things the teen once cared about, such as hobbies and other activities
Reckless behavior that endangers the teen’s life
Giving away treasured possessions, writing goodbye letters, or writing a will
Lack of interest in life and the future

Teen Depression Diagnosis and Management

While there are no medical tests used to diagnose teen depression, doctors and mental health professionals are able to identify the condition by talking to the teen and perhaps family members or teachers. Based on a psychological evaluation, a doctor can assess the severity of the teen’s depression and determine if he or she may be at risk of attempting suicide.

During the diagnostic process, a doctor will probably also look for signs of any other mental health problems such as schizophrenia, bi-polar disorder, or anxiety disorder, which might exacerbate depressive symptoms.

Treating teenage depression usually involves a combination of medication and psychotherapy. Antidepressants may help to restore disrupted brain chemistry to normal levels, while psychotherapy provides the teen with an outlet to talk about his or her feelings and behavior in a non-confrontational and nonjudgmental setting. It is particularly important that these two modes of therapy are combined, to give the teen a chance to articulate feelings or talk about life events that may have triggered the depression.

Parents can help their teens by allowing them some breathing room, even though their instinct may be to take care of them or force them to talk about what’s bothering them. Still, without being overbearing, it’s important to make yourself available to your teen if he or she does want to talk. A depressed teen will often respond more positively to a third party such as a psychotherapist, than they will to a parent, but it’s important to try to establish open lines of communication.
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