Depression Kannapolis NC

Depression affects all different kinds of people with different lifestyles from all over the world. If you or someone you know suffers from depression and you want to learn about it and treatment options, read on.
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Depression: The Spouse’s Side of the Story

Depression pushes its way between two spouses when it shows up. Maybe only one person is diagnosed, but depression puts its mark on both people. That's the trickery of depression — the deception that if you even realize that's what it is, you just think it is about the person with the symptoms.

Depression Management

Anyone who’s had depression even once has to be aware of it creeping into their lives once more. Will it hit like a ton of bricks? Will it slide in from the back door? Everyone’s experiences are probably different, and particular to their patterns and diagnosis. One thing’s for sure. It’s still out there.

How to Overcome Depression

Depression can't be fixed. Nope, working through depression requires a process. That's layers of awareness, understanding, challenging, accepting, persevering, reaching out, and doing it all over again.

Motherhood and Depression

Many mothers around the world can go about the challenging and rewarding job of parenting without experiencing mental illness. Clearly the majority of mothers can weather the storms without having their boat completely capsize. But the reality is that a modest percentage of mothers do experience depression , excessive anxiety , and other mental illnesses.

12 Depression Busters

A list of a dozen depression busters to direct me toward mental health, and an emergency lifeline in case I get lost along the way. Here they are: twelve strategies to take us all to the promised land of recovery from depression.

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"Next Generation" Depression Treatment

In preparation for advanced space travel scientists with the National Space Biomedical Research Institute (NSBRI) are developing a software program can provide self-guided treatment for depression.

10 Reasons People have Trouble Expressing Their Emotions

Learning why you have trouble expressing your feelings can go a long way into changing that behavior. Saying how you feel is something you can learn how to do, just as readily as you can learn how to fix a faucet or mend a button on a shirt. Here are ten common reasons why people find it difficult to express their emotions to someone else.

12 Depression Busters

A list of a dozen depression busters to direct me toward mental health, and an emergency lifeline in case I get lost along the way. Here they are: twelve strategies to take us all to the promised land of recovery from depression.

12 Depression Busters for New Moms

It’s supposed to be the most exciting time of your life… And everyone is telling you how lucky you are to have a beautiful baby, but all you can do is cry. This article is about the author's experience of baby days, with the purpose to share them with you, so that you don’t have to feel so bad … or, you know, all alone.

12 Steps to Sanity

People often ask me what I did to get better. I compiled the exercises that made me feel better into a personally designed 12-step mental health program, related to but different from the 12-step program practiced by addicts and their kin. Hope them will help you.

5 Rules for Living with Chronic Illness and Depression

This article is a record of the interview with therapist Elvira Aletta, Ph.D.on a very important topic: chronic illness. It provides you some coping techniques to deal with chronic illness and depression. Read on and learn to help yourself!

6 Steps for Beating Depression

In his book, The Depression Cure: The 6-Step Program to Beat Depression without Drugs, author Stephen Ilardi concentrates on six ways we’ve turned our back on the things that fight depression. This article sums up his ideas in the book. Read on and get more information.

7 Depression Busters for Caregivers

Caregivers are so vulnerable to depression because they often sacrifice their own needs while tending to their loved one and because of the constant stress involved. Here, then, are 12 tips to help protect you from anxiety and depression and to guide you toward good mental health as you care for a relative.

7 Myths of Depression

Depression is often viewed as the “common cold” of mental disorders, because it is so prevalent in our lives. The lifetime prevalence of depression suggests that more than 1 in 9 people could be diagnosed with the disorder at one point in their lives.

7 Ways to Beat Depression after a Divorce

Here are 12 tips for preventing the devastating depression and anxiety that often accompanies divorce, and techniques that you can use to keep your happiness level steady or maybe even higher!

7 Ways to Beat Depression for Seniors

Roughly a quarter of people age 65 or older suffer from depression . More than half of doctor’s visits by the elderly involve complaints of emotional distress. Twenty percent of suicides in this country are committed by seniors, with the highest success rate belonging to older, white men.

7 Ways to Keep Going

"You can’t sit around and wait for the storm to be over. You’ve got to learn how to dance in the rain." That’s a perfect description of living with depression , or any chronic illness. Here are suggestions on how to emerge from a place of panic , and techniques on how to dance in the rain.

8 Reasons Why Stepmothers Are Prone to Depression

In her insightful book, Stepmonster: A New Look at Why Real Stepmothers Think, Feel, and Act the Way We Do, author Wednesday Martin, Ph.D. explains why stepmothering is the “perfect storm” for depression . Here are eight risk factors she lists.

9 Types of Hopelessness and How to Overcome Them

Here are the nine types of hopelessness and just some of the strategies recommended by Scioli and Biller. For the whole treatment package, consider getting your own copy of “Hope in the Age of Anxiety. ”

About Interpersonal Therapy

Interpersonal therapy focuses on the interpersonal relationships of the depressed person. The idea of interpersonal therapy is that depression can be treated by improving the communication patterns and how people relate to others.

About Seasonal Affective Disorder

Winter depression (or winter blues) is a common affliction for those who live in our northern climate. Its clinical name is seasonal affective disorder (or SAD) and up to 5% of the population (especially in northern states) may suffer from it.

About Treatment Resistant Depression (TRD)

Clinical depression can sometimes be difficult to treat. When a person has tried multiple types of treatment options to treat their depression (sometimes even with multiple professionals) over the course of months or even years, professionals may refer to the depression as “treatment resistant” or treatment-resistant depression (TRD). Treatment resistant depression is simply an episode of depression that resists typical treatments, such as psychotherapy or medications.

All About Asperger’s Disorder

The essential features of Asperger’s Disorder are severe and sustained impairment in social interaction and the development of restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, and activities. The disturbance must cause clinically significant impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning. In contrast to Autistic Disorder , there are no clinically significant delays in language (e.g., single words are used by age 2 years, communicative phrases are used by age 3 years).

All about Depression

Some people are misguided in thinking that depression is merely a state of mind that people can “snap out of” if they are willing. This is not true. Depression is a real illness, just like heart disease or diabetes. And, as people deal with any chronic disease, they must learn how to recognize depression and control it throughout their lives.

An Introduction to Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar disorder, also known by its older name “manic depression ,” is a mental disorder that is characterized by constantly changing moods. A person with bipolar disorder experiences alternating “highs” (what clinicians call “ mania “) and “lows” (also known as depression ).

An Introduction to Depression

Depression is the common cold of mental disorders — most people will be affected by depression in their lives either directly or indirectly, through a friend or family member. Confusion is commonplace about depression, for example, about what depression exactly is and what makes it different from just feeling down.

An Introduction to Suicide

Suicide is a symptom and sign of serious depression . Depression is a treatable disorder, but often the treatment takes time, energy and effort on the part of the person who’s feeling depressed. Sometimes, as a person who is depressed feels the energizing effects of an antidepressant medication, they will still feel depressed, but have more energy. It is during this time in treatment that many people turn to suicide and suicidal acts.

An Introduction to Treatment of Depression

Fortunately, there are many effective treatment options for depression . To be most effective, treatment should be specifically tailored to each individual. That is why a detailed interview by a mental health professional is extremely valuable.

An Overview of Depression

Depression is much more than just a bad mood, though. Countless people in the throes of depression often feel worthless, lack any appetite, withdraw from friends and family, have difficulty sleeping, and can become agitated or lethargic. Most worrisome of all, people who are depressed can often run a high risk of suicide.

An Overview of Depression Treatment Options

Depression can be treated effectively with antidepressant medications and psychological therapies. Research suggests that antidepressant medications and psychotherapy are equally effective for treating mild to moderate cases of depression.

Antidepressant Elavil Impersonates Brain’s Growth Factors

Amitriptyline (Elavil), a tricyclic antidepressant first introduced in the 1960s, and other tricyclics are thought to exert their effects by increasing the levels of the messenger chemicals serotonin and norepinephrine in the brain. It can seemingly impersonate the brain’s own growth factors

Antidepressant Medications

Not everyone who is depressed has all these symptoms, but everyone who is depressed has at least some of them, co-existing, on most days. Depression can range in intensity from mild to severe.

Antidepressants May Help Fight Cancer

A comprehensive review of current scientific literature has suggested that antidepressants can help the human body fight cancer by boosting its own immune response, amongst other mechanisms.

Are American Kids Overmedicated

According to a new study, American children are approximately three times more likely to be prescribed psychotropic medication than children in Europe. The study, published in BioMed Central's open access journal Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health, claims that the differences may be accounted for by regulatory practices and cultural beliefs about the role of medication in emotional and behavioral problems.

Are You Lonely?

Many years ago, when I was a young adolescent, an adult in my life said that she dreamed about a great chasm, a chasm so deep that she couldn't see to the bottom of it, with sheer rock cliffs on either side.

Asperger’s Disorder

Asperger’s Disorder is the term for a specific type of pervasive developmental disorder which is characterized by problems in development of social skills and behavior. In the past, many children with Asperger’s Disorder were diagnosed as having autism, another of the pervasive developmental disorders, or other disorders. While autism and Asperger’s have certain similarities, there are also important differences. For this reason, children suspected of having these conditions require careful evaluation.

Attachment to Therapist

Okay, I have been seeing a therapist for 3 years and he is great. I tend to cling to people and have always looked for older men to put into father-figure roles, which is what I have done with him. I have discussed this with him, but I don’t know if he understands how much I think about him. I am going through a rough period of depression right now and that makes me cling even more. Any idea?

Beware the Winter Blues

As summer winds down and the approach of fall, winter cannot be far behind. Unfortunately, the change in seasons is often accompanied by stress and depression.

Beyond Prozac: Treatment for Anxiety, Depression and Trauma

Homeopathy has been shown to be beneficial for those seeking treatment for anxiety , depression , grief, phobias, and trauma, along with other types of psychological challenges.

Can a Person be Diagnosed with Simultaneous Depression and Bipolar Disorder?

Depression and bipolar disorder are virtually never diagnosed together in the same person at the same time. Both are serious mental disorders that have many treatment options available to a person diagnosed with one of them. However, the treatments between depression and bipolar disorder are usually quite different, and the wrong diagnosis could start a person down a road of frustration with their treatment, because they feel no improvement in their symptoms.

Cardiac Patients Need Mental Health Care

A new scientific advisory asserts that heart patients are particularly vulnerable to depression and should be screened, and if necessary treated, to improve their recovery and overall health.

Celebrity Obsession Taking over Life

I'm feeling depressed. I feel embarassed and stupid for asking this. See I have a celebrity obsession and it is hurting me. I feel bad cause I can’t be with her cause she’s famous and lives somewhere else. I can’t focus in life, concentrate, not studying for school, stressed out, i feel anxious and down a lot. I get angry and I have tourette syndrome and OCD. Im not sure if that plays a factor.

Changing Children’s Behavior — Part II

At our most basic level, we are in fact pack animals. Just like a wolf pack, we instinctively look for a group where we have membership, where we feel protected, and where we have a place. Young children, like wolf cubs, constantly check with the adults to see whether they are doing the right thing.

Children and Depression

Not only adults become depressed. Children and teenagers also may have depression , which is a treatable illness. Depression is defined as an illness when the feelings of depression persist and interfere with a child or adolescent’s ability to function.

Choosing the Best SSRI

There are now five prescription drugs in the class known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) approved in the United States for the treatment of depression, obsessive-compulsive disorders, bulimia nervosa, anxiety , panic disorder and other medical conditions such as PMS.

Chronic Stealing & Depression

have been on anti-depressants for 6 years. Cause PTST. I have recently had the compulsion to steal. Mostly books, but sometimes cosmetics. I have boxes of books. Mostly not read. The ones that i have read i keep. My husband would like to get read of them, but i feel if i need a particular one I wouldn’t be able to find it. I am going to get caught ultimetly, law of averages says so. Any suggestion?

Cognitive Therapy Reduces Seasonal Affective Disorder

A University of Vermont psychologist has published her findings on the effects of four different approaches to mitigate seasonal affective disorder (SAD). SAD is a form of severe depression that occurs annually in the fall and winter seasons.

Coping with Antidepressant Side Effects

A range of other, less serious side effects occur including weight gain, constipation, dry mouth, dizziness, headache, drowsiness, insomnia, and sexual problems. Due to the interactions with diet and over-the-counter and prescription medicines, this type of antidepressant is now rarely prescribed.

Counseling Can Prevent Depression Recurrence

After being treated with standard medications , patients who undergo a type of counseling called cognitive behavior therapy have a much lower rate of relapse compared with those who receive standard follow-up care. Cognitive behavior therapy or CBT involves learning to recognize distorted thoughts that lead to emotional distress.

Crisis Counseling

Crisis counseling helps people deal with traumatic experiences and life crises. Crisis intervention is often offered on a short-term basis but is available long-term, as well. See below to read more and for crisis counselors in Kannapolis, NC who provide crisis counseling and other mental health services.

Defining Suicide

Depression is a serious mood disorder that affects the way a person thinks, feels and acts. It is not just feeling “blue” for no reason for a day or two. It is a lengthy pit of despair where hope is just a memory and suicide appears to be a reasonable, real choice. Suicide will end a person’s emotional suffering instantly, and it makes the person feel like they are removing one of the causes of pain and suffering for others in their lives as well.

Depressed Dads Linked to Baby’s Crying

A crying baby might not just be hungry or need a diaper changed. Instead, it might be the result of a depressed dad. The researchers could not pinpoint why a father’s depression might be linked to a baby’s colic behavior, but suggested it might be related to a lack of quality interactions between the baby and their father, genetics, and stress. Go on reading and you will know more details of this issue.

Depressed Parents and the Effects on Their Children

Schools are reporting more and more children entering who seem to be unable to meet the basic demands of sitting, paying attention, and controlling themselves. More and more children are placed in special ed programs. The number of children on Ritalin is rising at an alarming rate.

Depressed Pregnant Women at Risk for Flu

An internal inflammatory response to vaccination is not uncommon – it’s an essential part of the process the immune system initiates to prepare for a successful fight against an actual infection. But it’s also expected to be a weak and brief response.

Depressed Students Often Drop Out

Lots of students who have significant depression on some dimension are performing just fine, but may be at risk and go unnoticed because there is no noticeable drop in functioning. College students with depression are twice as likely as their classmates to drop out of school.

Depressed? What Do You Do Now?

When you are depressed, it is often very hard to think clearly or make any decisions. It is also hard to think of anything to do to help yourself feel better. Please read on for more detailed information in the following article.

Depressing Research (for Children)

It is hard to imagine the anguish experienced by the parents, relatives, and friends of a child who has taken his or her own life. That such an event could be precipitated by a supposedly beneficial drug is a catastrophe. The idea of that drug’s use being based on the selective reporting of favourable research should be unimaginable.

Depressing Results for Treatment of Depression

There’s a ton of research on the treatment of depression, but the majority of that research focuses on very short-term outcomes. The real measure of a treatment’s success is further out, how well that person is coping a few years after treatment.

Depression & Becoming Invisible to Yourself

Depression thinking is the culprit here. Rampant negativism and a flood of shaming thoughts overrides the mind’s ability to fight back. After a while, it’s just easier to let it wash over for a while. When you are in depression recovery, it is important to remember that the flood is under better control.

Depression & Relationships

Very few people can just buck up and pull themselves out of this condition. It takes a combination of medication and talk therapy and a commitment to sticking with both for at least three months.

Depression & Self-Destruction

You may be engaging in acts of self-destruction because you are unsatisfied with your life. You may not like your job. You may not be happy in your marriage. Acts of self-destruction may be your passive way of showing your dissatisfaction with your life. It is important that you re-enter therapy to examine these possibilities.

Depression & Suicide

If you check out as medically healthy and you are doing what you can to take care of yourself and you’re still depressed, it’s then time for an evaluation by a mental health professional. Depression often responds well to a combination of talk therapy and sometimes some medication.

Depression and Anxiety among College Students

The average age of onset for many mental health conditions is the typical college age range of 18 to 24 years old, said Courtney Knowles, executive director of The JED Foundation , a charitable organization that aims to reduce suicide and improve mental health for college students.

Depression and Anxiety Disorders in Teens

Among adults, depression and anxiety are closely linked yet distinct entities. Historically, the association has been generally applied to teens and adolescents. The following article has more to tell.

Depression and Dialysis a Deadly Combo

Dialysis patients diagnosed with depression are nearly twice as likely to be hospitalized or die within a year as those who are not depressed. Read more.

Depression and Premenstrual Syndromes

For a woman to have premenstrual syndrome (PMS), the symptoms must be severe enough to interfere with her social or work life. Severe cases of PMS are diagnosed as premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD). Symptoms of PMS and PMDD include those for depression as well as breast tenderness, headaches and joint and muscle pain.

Depression and Smoking

Depression is associated with an increased frequency of smoking. Addicted smokers are characterized by preoccupation with smoking, abnormal attachment to cigarettes and anticipation of brain reward from the drugs in cigarette smoke.

Depression and Women

Women are two to three times more likely than men to suffer from depression . This, in no way, suggests that women are weaker than men. Stress plays a major role in depression, and it may be that women and men respond to stress differently.

Depression Can Be Hazardous to Your Health

Today, we have become much more aware of the fact that depression is an illness and occurs at epidemic proportions in the United States and elsewhere. The National Institute of Mental Health estimates that 20 percent of the U.S. population experiences symptoms of depression at any one time.

Depression Counseling

Depression counseling helps people suffering from mild or clinical depression through psychotherapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, behavioral therapy, drug therapy, or some combination thereof. Read on to learn more and to gain access to psychologists around Kannapolis who provide depression treatment and other mental health services.

Depression due to a Loss in the Family

As I said before my son died in my arms he was 2 1/2 years old, he died from a heart condition, I was 9 months pregnant with my youngest at the time, I have 3 living children. Ever since my son died I have been serverly depressed, I can’t work and i’m taking more meds than I ever thought a person could and i’m cutting myself, and I don’t really know why and when I cut I don’t even know that i’m doing it. Please help.

Depression from Moving Towns

I think you need some help making the transition to your new town so that you can enjoy your high school years. I'm sorry that you think mental health professionals are judgmental. By both training and our own temperaments, we tend to be very patient and understanding.

Depression Management

Anyone who’s had depression even once has to be aware of it creeping into their lives once more. Will it hit like a ton of bricks? Will it slide in from the back door? Everyone’s experiences are probably different, and particular to their patterns and diagnosis. One thing’s for sure. It’s still out there.

Depression Treatment

This article outlines some general treatment information and guidelines which you may want to take into consideration when seeking treatment for clinical depression . There are a wide variety of treatment options available for depression, and it’s highly likely you will find one that works for you. Please read on for more detailed information in the following article.

Depression Treatment Boosts Employee Productivity

High-quality care for depression can improve productivity at work and lower rates of workplace absenteeism, according to a report. Read on for more information.

Depression Ups Mortality in Diabetics

A new study of Medicare beneficiaries with diabetes discovered individuals who were depressed experienced a higher death rate than diabetics who were not. Read and find out more.

Depression Ups Pregnancy Risk

Pregnant women with symptoms of depression have an increased risk of preterm delivery, and that the risk grows with the severity of the depressive symptoms. Social and reproductive risk factors, obesity, and stressful events may exacerbate the depression-preterm delivery link. Read on.

Depression versus the Blues

It can be difficult to differentiate depression from a normal episode of “the blues.” Everyone experiences the blues because of troubling events such as the loss of a loved one, job difficulties, money problems, family issues or illness. Most cases of the blues disappear quickly and do not prevent us from finding enjoyment.

Depression vs. Manic Depression

Manic depression — or bipolar disorder — includes clinical depression as a part of its diagnosis. You can’t have bipolar disorder without also having had an episode of clinical depression. That’s why the two disorders shared similar names for many years, because they both include the component of clinical depression.

Depression: The Spouse’s Side of the Story

Depression pushes its way between two spouses when it shows up. Maybe only one person is diagnosed, but depression puts its mark on both people. That's the trickery of depression — the deception that if you even realize that's what it is, you just think it is about the person with the symptoms.

Diabetes and Depression

Depression can strike anyone, but people with diabetes may be at a greater risk. Diabetes is a serious health concern that afflicts an estimated 16 million Americans. Treatment for depression helps people manage symptoms of both diseases, thus improving the quality of their lives.

DID Features in Borderline Personality

I was diagnosed with Major Depression , PTSD , and Complex PTSD w/Borderline Features. One thing that has been worrying me is the fact that I feel like I have a separate, child part inside of me. Intellectually, I know that it is still a part of “me,” but it feels so different from my usual adult self. The child part of me literally feels like a scared child that is afraid of being left alone in a big, scary world. Please help.

Do Antidepressant Drugs Increase Risk of Obesity?

It has been known that there is an association between people who have had clinical depression and obesity. But does having a major clinical depressive episode — or the drugs used to treat depression, called antidepressants — increase the risk of becoming obese? Keep on reading to find out the answers.

Dual Intervention for Severe Depression

Related researches finds that combining antidepressant drugs with electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) does a better job of reducing symptoms of severe depression and causes less memory loss than using ECT alone. If you want to know more about this dual intervention for severe depression, read on for details.

Dysthymia & Chronic Depression

Dysthymia (or dysthymic disorder) is considered a less severe but longer-lasting form of depression . Dysthymia usually begins at an earlier age than major depression with a more persistent impairment of daily function.

Dysthymia Treatment

There are a number of effective treatment approaches to help treat dysthymic disorder (also known as dysthymia). Often times a person with dysthymia will seek out treatment because of increased stress or personal difficulties which may be situationally-related. Only after a careful diagnostic interview is conducted (or after a few therapy sessions) may the chronic nature of the problem become apparent.

Early Abuse Leads to Depression Later in Life

A new study on the effects of early childhood abuse -- that which occurs before age 5 -- reveals that the experience can lead to damaging physiological changes as the child ages.

Eliminating the Stigma of Mental Illness

How can we help eliminate the stigma of mental illness? First, we must recognize that mental illness is just that—an illness. Those who suffer from a mental illness are not mentally deficient in their mental capacity; they just have had a chemical imbalance or a severe head injury that hinders their ability to function normally in a certain part of the brain.

Even Toddlers Get the Blues

Like most people, you probably assume preschoolers are too young to get the blues. But new research shows clinical depression knows no age. Depression — and even thoughts of suicide — are as likely to affect toddlers and adolescents as they are adults.

Exercise and Tea Reduce Depression Among Cancer Survivors

A new study discovers regular exercise and tea consumption helps breast cancer patients in their struggle against depression.

Facts about Depression

Depression represents a combination of a negative mood state and physical changes that persist every day for at least two weeks. Depressive symptoms usually develop over several weeks, although some sufferers may experience milder symptoms of the disease for months before their condition results in a full major depression.

Family Therapy Helps Suicidal Teens

New research supports family therapy as a method to reduce suicidal thoughts and depression in adolescents. Researchers from The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia report family therapy had stronger and faster reduction of symptoms when compared to standard treatment in the community.

Feeling Worthless and Depression

Depression is often lurking in the shadows. When you are depressed, most often you think that you are worthless. The worse the depression, the more you feel this way. Fortunately, you are not alone!

Feelings of Losing Control

I’m quite young and feel a little stupid for asking, I have just started a new school year and I have been seperated from my 3 best friends, Since the end part of last year I have been eating very little at school. My grades have also been dropping quite a lot and I fell as though everthing I do is wrong, I can’t do my work at school because I get very tired and I can’t concentrate at all. Any help?

Frequently Asked Questions about Serotonin

Serotonin is a common neurotransmitter found in our brains. Neurotransmitters are special chemicals in our brain that help relay signals from one area of the brain to another. Although serotonin is manufactured in the brain, where it performs its primary functions, some 90% of our serotonin supply is found in the digestive tract and in blood platelets. The average adult has between five and 10 milligrams of serotonin in the body.

Frightened about Depression Treatment

Please do not be frightened and try to utilize the therapy that is being offered to you. There are millions of individuals who suffer from depression who are helped successfully with a therapist. You can be helped as well.

Getting Help for Depression

My freshman year of high school i had major weight problems and had anorexia . i’m now overweight. i’ve started exercising and eat healthy to handle things the right way, but i’m now a very negative person. nearly every night i need to turn on the radio because every time i hear a plane i fear it will crash into my room. i fear getting in car crashes. Any help?

Getting Help for Depression Online

As promised , this is one in a series of posts I’ll write about online interventions that help treat specific mental health concerns. In this post, I’ll talk about some of the depression programs available online.

Grief Counseling

Grief counselors help people who are dealing with the loss of a loved one with their emotional distress and depression. The grieving process is often described as the five stages of grief. See below for more information and qualified grief counselors around Kannapolis who provide loss therapy, grief counseling, bereavement counseling and other mental health services.

Heart Patients Should Be Screened for Depression

A new scientific advisory asserts that heart patients are particularly vulnerable to depression and should be screened, and if necessary treated, to improve their recovery and overall health.

How Asperger’s Disorder is Diagnosed

Disorder (also known as Asperger’s Syndrome, or AS), like other pervasive developmental disorders (PDDs), involves delays and deviant patterns of behavior in multiple areas of functioning, that often require the input of professionals with different areas of expertise, particularly overall developmental functioning, neuropsychological features, and behavioral status. Hence the clinical assessment of individuals with this disorder is most effectively conducted by an experienced interdisciplinary team.

How to Be Healthy Even When Disabled & Not Employed

It is important to grow as a human being and to realize your latent potentials. If you are unemployed, that does not mean you can’t study things that interest you or pursue things that are of value to you. The ultimate measure of your life will be how much you achieve in self actualization i.e. becoming who you were meant to be. I do not know to what extent your disabilities limit you.

How to Handle Kids & Depression

More than anything, parents want their children to be okay, and I often encourage them by stressing that mental illness is highly treatable, and adolescents are capable of extraordinary growth. With treatment and proactive parents, hope does persist and, with some time and commitment, life can and will go on for children and parents alike.

How to Overcome Depression

Depression can't be fixed. Nope, working through depression requires a process. That's layers of awareness, understanding, challenging, accepting, persevering, reaching out, and doing it all over again.

How to Reduce Your Risk of Depression

It may not always be possible to prevent depression . However, the following strategies may help reduce your risk of becoming depressed.

Identifying and Treating Major Depression

"Depression" is a term loosely tossed about in American culture. When people say, “I’m depressed,” they usually mean that they are merely garden-variety sad or down about something.

Impaired Decision-Making Fosters Depression in Parkinson’s

A new neuropsychological memory test helps to understand how Parkinson’s disease can alter people’s ability to learn about the consequences of the choices they make. If you want to know more about this, keep on reading.

Insomnia Places Elderly at Risk for Depression

According to experts, nearly 60 percent of the nation's elderly have trouble sleeping, whether it's a lot of tossing and turning or outright bouts of insomnia. Read and find out more.

Last Chance Therapy for Depression

The NeuroStar TMS (Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation) Therapy system is the first and only approved TMS Therapy® device cleared by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of severe depression. Read on to know more about this therapy.

Lawyers and Depression

According to Professor Martin Seligman, lawyers have a “pessimistic explanatory style.” This is not the same thing as seeing the glass as “half empty.” Rather, pessimistic lawyers tend to attribute the causes of negative events as stable and global factors (It’s going to last forever, and it’s going to undermine everything.)

Learn to Identify Teens at Risk for Suicide

According to an influential group of American physicians, adolescents and parents need help recognizing that suicide is a problem in their own communities. Education is also needed to help identify teens that are suicidal.

Lifestyle Tips for Dealing with Depression

Depression is an illness and you need support to help fight it. Treatments can involve a variety of different approaches including antidepressants and psychological therapies. But there are also many self-help techniques you can use to complement professional treatment.

Living with Depression

Here’s a rundown of what you can expect from treatment, how to boost your chances for effective treatment and general tips for reaching relief and recovery.

Loneliness

Loneliness may not kill us. But it will definitely harm us, emotionally most of the time. Why would we feel lonely? And what can we do about it? Read on.

Many Fail to Recover with Depression Treatment

Many people who receive standard therapy for depression still suffer from the condition up to two years after starting treatment. The study , which involved more than 1,200 patients diagnosed with depression at 46 U.S. primary care centers, found that nearly half of those who received “at least minimally appropriate” depression treatment did not improve.

Medications for Mania and Manic Depression

Bipolar disorder is characterized by cycling mood changes: severe highs ( mania ) and lows ( depression ). Episodes may be predominantly manic or depressive , with normal mood between episodes.

Men Can Get the Blues

Depression traditionally has been considered a female disorder. But men can and do get depressed. The big difference is that men may be less likely to seek treatment for depression because they see mental illness as a sign of weakness.

More Sleep for Teens Protects Mental Health

A new study finds that adolescents with bedtimes that were set earlier by parents were significantly less likely to suffer from depression and to think about committing suicide. Researchers believe the findings suggest earlier bedtimes could have a protective effect by lengthening sleep duration and increasing the likelihood of getting enough sleep.

Motherhood and Depression

Many mothers around the world can go about the challenging and rewarding job of parenting without experiencing mental illness. Clearly the majority of mothers can weather the storms without having their boat completely capsize. But the reality is that a modest percentage of mothers do experience depression , excessive anxiety , and other mental illnesses.

Nature Helps Reduce Depression and Anxiety

A study documents that people living close to green space have lower rates of anxiety, depression and poor physical health than those living in the concrete jungle. Read on to learn more information below.

Pessimism Drives Risky Behavior in Teens

Researches have shown that one in seven adolescents believe that it is highly likely that they will die before age 35, and this belief predicted that the adolescents would engage in risky behaviors. Keep on reading for details of this.

Physician Personality Influences Depression Diagnosis

A new study suggests a physician's personality can affect how well they diagnose depression. The University of Rochester study found that individual traits influence how, or if, physician inquiries about patient mood.

Positive Self-Help Statements May Have Negative Effect

Positive self-help statements seems to be useful resort for many people. The positive self-statements suggested in these books, such as “I am a lovable person” or “I will succeed,” are designed to lift a person’s low self-esteem and push them into positive action. Read on.

Possible Causes of Depression

Recent research has shown consistently that depression rarely is due to a single event or condition. Rather, the development of depression is a complicated cognitive, behavioral, hormonal and biochemical process.

Postpartum Depression Compounds Poor Sleep Cycle

Depression after childbirth has always been a chick and egg conundrum. A new study suggests that postpartum depression may aggravate an already impaired sleep quality. Keep on reading and you will know more.

Postpartum Depression in Men

You think postpartum depression only strikes in women? Nope, men experience depression after the baby is born too. Here we offer 7 tips to help postpartum depression(both in men and women).

Pregnant and Depressed

Depression accompanying pregnancy is a topic that receives less discussion than the well-documented postpartum depression. Depression is not uncommon in pregnant women. Between 14 and 23 percent of pregnant women will experience a depressive episode while pregnant.

Premature Children at Risk for Behavioral Disorders

New research suggests children born prematurely are four times more likely to have emotional problems or behavioral disorders. A interdisciplinary team from the University of Warwick examined the behavior of 200 six-year-old children who had been born below 26 weeks gestation, known as "extremely pre-term".

Prepare For College Mental Health Crisis

According to experts, an estimated 15 percent of students experience some form of mental illness -- such as major depression --while in college. Many often struggle with where to get support.

Preventing Relapse in Depression with Cognitive Therapy

This study suggests that the inclusion of cognitive group therapy as a part of the standard treatment of recurrent major depression is likely a cost- and time-effective option to consider. The key to this treatment being effective, however, is the training of the cognitive therapists who run the groups.

Psychotic Depression

Treatment for psychotic depression requires a longer hospital stay and close follow-up by a mental health professional. Combinations of tricyclic antidepressants and antipsychotic medications have been most effective in easing symptoms.

Reducing Depression in Seniors

Depression is a common mental disorder that often goes unrecognized and undertreated in seniors. A research found that the addition of a specially trained care manager can lead to a higher remission rate of depression and also reduce suicidal thoughts in older adults.

Risk Factors Associated with Depression

Most people experience their first episode of depression between the ages of 20 and 40. In fact, the average age of onset for depression is the mid-20s. Alarmingly, recent research shows that the average age of onset is decreasing with each generation.

Risk Factors for Depression

A risk factor is something that increases your likelihood of getting a disease or condition. It is possible to develop depression with or without the risk factors listed below. However, the more risk factors you have, the greater your likelihood of developing depression.

Seasonal Affective Disorder

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a type of depression that typically occurs in the fall and winter, when days are shorter and provide less sunlight. SAD shares several symptoms with other forms of depression including lethargy, sadness, hopelessness, anxiety and social withdrawal.

Self-Care for Depression Caregivers

Although caring for a depressed person is a vital role, it is far from easy. If and when the person recovers, the results and rewards will be highly rewarding. But it is often a challenging and thankless task, requiring immense patience and perseverance. Still, it could prove to be essential for recovery and could even save someone’s life.

Serotonin Syndrome

Serotonin syndrome is the name for a condition when the body has too much serotonin. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that regulates many functions, including mood, appetite, and sensory perception.

Severity and Remission in Major Depressive Episode

When major depression is diagnosed in an individual, additional characteristics of the depression are specified. These characteristics are called “specifiers.” These specifiers apply to the most recent Major Depressive Episode in Major.

Shedding Light on Winter Depression

For those with “winter” depression , known as seasonal affective disorder or “SAD,” mid-winter is especially hard. Not only do they experience the symptoms of more general depression like sadness, a loss of energy, and irritability, they also may develop a craving for sugars and starches and experience a marked weight gain.

Single Workout can Lift Mood in Depressed Patients

A single 30-minute walk on a treadmill can give a temporary emotional lift to patients diagnosed with major depressive disorder, the results of a small study suggest. Though a single workout is not the answer to clinical depression, the researchers say, exercise could offer depressed patients a way to give themselves an emotional boost.

SNRIs Effective for Depression

Currently, two of the drugs have been approved as antidepressants in Germany: venlafaxine (Effexor) and duloxetine (Cymbalta). According to the report, the benefit of both drugs has been proven compared to a sham drug (placebo) — that is, patients respond better to the therapy and suffer less from the symptoms of depression.

Social Anxiety Disorder

Nothing that you have described makes me think that you have social anxiety disorder. You mentioned that you have many friends. People with social anxiety disorder have difficulty making friends, fitting in and often feel extremely shy around others, among other symptoms.

Social Aspects of Alcoholics Anonymous Relieve Depression

A new study suggests going to Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meetings appear to lower depression as well as reduce drinking. Experts believe AA meetings convey a variety of benefits with alleviation of depression a key factor toward a reduction in alcoholic consumption.

Social Exclusion Can Cause Physical Symptoms

Metaphorical language often makes a connection between temperatures and emotions such as loneliness, despair and sadness. For example, when we hear somebody described as "frosty" or "cold", we automatically picture a person who is unfriendly and antisocial.

Springtime Depression

Do you ever feel depressed during April or May? Don't worry, you are not alone. It is the springtime depression. During the months of April and May, many people may feel pressured. But just keep going! Don't worry about not being happy.

St. John’s Wort Can Help With Depression

Extracts of the plant Hypericum perforatum, commonly known as St. John’s wort, have long been used in folk medicine to treat depression and sleep disorders. The plant produces a number of different substances that may have anti- depressive properties, but the whole extract is considered to be more effective. Read on to know more.

St. John’s Wort for Depression

St. John’s Wort is the common name for hypericum perforatum, an herbal remedy for the treatment of depression that has become increasingly popular over the past decade in the United States. It is widely used throughout Europe, Germany in particular, where it is licensed for depression, sleep disorders and anxiety.

Staying Positive Helps in Job Search

Looking for a job is a demanding task. Unfortunately, the current economic climate has forced many to be job seekers. The process can be tiring and, in such a competitive climate, receiving that final job offer is challenging.

Strong Magnetic Fields Aid Severe Depression

For severe depression , electro-shock therapy is nowadays the last hope. However, it can impair memory for weeks after therapy. A less aggressive alternative seems to be provided by what is known as “transcranial magnetic stimulation”.

Symbyax for Treatment Resistant Depression

Treatment resistant depression is generally defined as an episode of depression that hasn’t responded to trying three or four different medications or courses of psychotherapy. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Symbyax for the acute treatment of treatment-resistant depression (TRD). It is the first drug approved for this indication.

Talking to a Therapist about Love & Relationships

The emotional prototype, the part of us that seeks a bond or attachment with others (your inner GPS unit for a relationship) has been set to wanting AND not having. You have now had so many experiences of wanting and not having that as you move forward you use this way of relating to others.

Telephonic Depression Care after Heart Surgery

Depression is a common diagnosis associated with heart disease and a dangerous sequel after cardiac surgery. A new study finds that telemedicine consultations can reduce depression and improve quality of life after a coronary artery bypass graft (CABG).

Teletherapy Aids Depression Care

A new study discovers psychotherapy administered over phone lines improves adherence to therapy for depression. The finding is significant as patients often quit going to therapy after a few sessions. In other words, therapy can't work if patients stop coming to the therapist's office.

The Blues vs. Depression

The holiday blues, as the name implies, tend to be temporary and seasonal. They can affect both men and women, young and old, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The Five Symptoms of Depression

Depression is the common cold of mental disorders, because it affects so many people over the course of a lifetime. If you don’t end up having at least a mild case of it in your life, I bet you know a loved one who has. And while some minor depressive feelings may be a normal part of modern life, major depression (also known as clinical depression) is a more serious and debilitating condition.

The Use of Antidepressants

Anti-depressants have been a major part of the pharmacological era in psychiatry. Psychiatric practice has changed in major ways, namely, the shift from talking to giving pills. Many factors have contributed to this treatment revolution.

Therapist Abandoned Group

Awhile back I was part of a depression group therapy . The group was great, good people, fantastic dynamic. I really felt that I was getting a lot out of the experience, as did the rest of the group. One evening, the Therapist suddenly announced that he was taking an extended vacation, and would contact us when he returned if he decided to resume the group at all. Any suggestion?

Therapy to Quiet Mind Eases Insomnia

As anyone with insomnia will attest, the condition is detrimental for both mental and physical health. If insomnia is combined with anxiety , depression or chronic pain, dangerous disordered thinking may result. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), however, may be a remedy for this multi-faceted problem.

Tips for Building Self-Esteem

In my work, I sometimes feel that there is an epidemic of low self-esteem. Even people who seem to be very sure of themselves will admit to having low self-esteem, a feeling that often makes them unhappy and keeps them from doing some of the things they want to do and being the kind of person they want to be.

Tips for Managing Your Depression

You may feel like spending all day in bed, but do not. While a change in the duration, quality and timing of sleep is a core feature of depression, a reversal in sleep cycle (such as sleeping during daytime hours and staying awake at night) can prolong recovery.

Tips for New Moms

The online event "Letter to New Moms" is where the writers, survivors of and experts on perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, will share their humor, experience, tips and ideas, focusing on the mental health of women during pregnancy and postpartum. Here is one letter to the new moms.

Tips for Work Depression

Chances are higher that you will feel worse if you quit than if you keep on showing up to a job that you hate. Why? If you’re not working, you will have even more time to think about how much you hated your job.

Tips on Dealing with Kids and Depression

If a teenager is so depressed that she is thinking of tying a phone cord around her neck or jumping out a window, or if she finds it impossible to find the energy to get out of bed, or can’t concentrate long enough to read one page and her grades are dropping, an antidepressant along with therapeutic support can be vital.

TMS as Drug-Free Depression Treatment

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) is a FDA-approved, non-invasive antidepressant device-based treatment clinically proven for treatment of depression. Depression affects at least 14 million American adults each year. Researchers estimate that by the year 2020, depression will be the second leading cause of disability worldwide.

TMS Treatment for Depression Gains FDA Approval

For anyone looking for an alternative to medications or ECT for the treatment of depression, there's a new FDA-approved option: transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS).

Top 10 Signs of Depression

Not everyone who is depressed experiences every symptom. Some people experience a few symptoms, some many. The severity of symptoms varies with individuals and also varies over time.

Treatment for Asperger’s Disorder

There are a wide variety of helpful treatments for Asperger’s Disorder that help an individual learn better social skills and communication cues, to help them be able to interact socially more naturally. At present, like most mental disorders, there is no “cure” for Asperger’s Disorder. But by focusing on learning ways to cope with the symptoms and pick up on social cues, most individuals with Asperger’s Disorder lead fairly typical lives, with close friends and loved ones.

Trichotillomania Treatment

It’s rare to see anything about trichotillomania covered in the mainstream press . Trichotillomania is a disorder where people compulsively pull out their hair. It has been related to obsessive-compulsive disorder and goes along with other “bad habits” like biting fingernails. Treatment options are similar to other disorders: psychotherapy and medication ( antidepressants ).

Types and Symptoms of Depression

Depressive disorders come in many different types, but each type has its own unique symptoms and treatments. Major depression , the most common type of a depressive disorder, is characterized by a combination of symptoms (see symptom list ) that interfere with the ability to work, study, sleep, eat, and enjoy once pleasurable activities.

Using Depression Tests and Other Screening Quizzes

The screening tests are designed to test for specific symptoms commonly associated with a specific disorder. But some disorders mimic other disorders, or have symptoms that are very similar.

What is Existential Depression?

When people talk about depression, sometimes they refer to different types based upon what they think may have caused their depression. Please read on for more detailed information in the following article.

What to Do When Life Falls Apart: The Essential 6 Step Program

What constitutes life falling apart? The death of a beloved spouse or family member? A marriage or relationship that has withered away or perhaps ended abruptly? A job loss potentially leading to financial ruin (or so you might think right now)?

Where to Get Help for Depression

Depressive disorders make one feel exhausted, worthless, helpless, and hopeless. Such negative thoughts and feelings make some people feel like giving up. It is important to realize that these negative views are part of the depression and typically do not accurately reflect the situation.

Why Suicide is Not a Good Idea

Experiencing psychiatric symptoms is horrible. Many people who try to live with these symptoms every day sometimes feel so discouraged they want to end their lives. Suicide is never a good idea. Why not?

Why Women Get the Blues

Depression has many roots. It may result from a life circumstance (loss of a job, loss of a friend), or may be biologically driven. Whatever its origin, depression can be tough to manage and quite debilitating.

Yoga for Treatment of Anxiety and Depression

By reducing perceived stress and anxiety, yoga appears to modulate stress response systems. This, in turn, decreases physiological arousal — for example, reducing the heart rate, lowering blood pressure, and easing respiration. There is also evidence that yoga practices help increase heart rate variability, an indicator of the body’s ability to respond to stress more flexibly.