Can Men Get Postpartum Depression? Studies Say Yes.

Having a newborn child can be a rewarding and joyful experience. But, some new parents might experience the “baby blues,” in which feelings of unexpected stress, anxiety, and guilt dawn over them.

Until recently, this “baby blues” has been thought of as a strictly female phenomenon as they are the child bearers. While it may be more common for new mothers to feel symptoms of postpartum depression, new fathers are also susceptible to this depressive state.

If we look at the numbers, postpartum depression in males is actually fairly common. A meta-analysis of studies done in 2010 estimates that 10.4% of males experience depression after having a newborn. And, this may be as high as 25.6% in the 3- to 6-month postpartum period.

Why Do Fathers Experience “Daddy Baby Blues?”

Most people know why mothers experience postpartum depression. Their hormones change a lot during and after pregnancy, naturally making it tough to adapt post-childbirth.

But, there is a lot of evidence pointing to the fact that males experience a change in hormones as well. Studies show that, following the birth of a child, males might experience a decrease in testosterone. This lowered testosterone can, in turn, lower serotonin levels and other neurotransmitters that cause symptoms of depression.

It’s thought that a father’s testosterone levels may reflect bonding and caregiving, which can be related to the mother’s and, in turn, the family’s overall well-being. What is interesting is that fathers with lower testosterone typically report higher levels of depression. But, mothers who had a partner with a higher-than-normal level of testosterone reported more depressive symptoms.

Fathers with higher testosterone levels might feel greater stress from their partner — which can then cause relationship dissatisfaction, hence depression in those fathers as well.

So, it seems there is a sweet spot, between levels of testosterone and symptoms of depression. And the most important factor here may be familial satisfaction of bonding and caregiving.

However, there are more than just hormones at play here, of course. There are other factors at play that may be present before, during, or after the birth of a newborn that can lead to a father’s depression.

Non-hormonal factors that may cause postpartum depression include:

  • Previous history of anxiety or depression
  • Other mental illnesses, especially substance use disorders
  • Lack of social support
  • Provider pressure
  • Financial troubles
  • Having a child at a young age
  • Guilt
  • Lack of sleep
  • Postpartum depression in the mother of the child
  • Mother-Father relationship conditions
  • Seperated living conditions between mother and child

What Male Postpartum Depression Looks Like

Depression isn’t always so obvious, and it isn’t expressed in the same way in everyone going through it.

Some symptoms of male postpartum depression include:

  • Feeling hopeless and sad
  • Frusteration and discouragement
  • Irritability or aggression
  • Losing interest in previously pleasurable activities
  • Social withdrawal from family or friends
  • Excessive worrying or guilt
  • Restlessness or workaholic behavior
  • Trouble sleeping

Tips for Dealing with the Daddy Baby Blues

Men might be prone to shrugging off symptoms of depression and “toughing it out.” But, it is important to acknowledge symptoms of depression and deal with them accordingly.

Here are a few simple tips to dealing with depression as a new father:

  • Rest well — yes, this is simpler said than done. But sleep is important to be your happiest.
  • Eat well — eating nutritious foods can help maintain your mental health.
  • Exercise — getting your blood flowing and heart beating can increase levels of happy neurotransmitters in your brain.
  • Avoid addictive and reckless behaviors — such as substance abuse or gambling.
  • Express your feelings — let it out; tell your spouse, your parents, your siblings, or friends how you feel through these trying times.

If you’ve got time, check out our 3 lifestyle changes for better mental health!

Final Thoughts

Men are susceptible to postpartum depression, though at lower rates than women are. Depression is often a complex illness with a complex network of causes. And, sometimes having a child is one life event that may push a person past the threshold into a depressive state.

Hormones, of course, are a big factor at play here. Even though women are far more affected in this realm, there seems to be a somewhat symbiotic hormonal and emotional relationship between mother and father that should be nurtured.

Regardless of gender, it is important to address symptoms of depression in a serious manner — and to do so sooner than later. Emotional distress is not something to be taken lightly.

Take the proper steps to take care of your mental health. And, there is no shame in looking for professional help when it’s needed.

If you are in the San Diego area and looking for an experienced psychiatrist or therapist, look no further than Solara Mental Health. Call 844-206-9722 to talk to a specialist today!

Sources

  1. Cleveland Clinic (Ed.). (2019, September 16). Yes, Postpartum Depression in Men Is Very Real. Retrieved November 22, 2021, from https://health.clevelandclinic.org/yes-postpartum-depression-in-men-is-very-real/
  2. MU Health Care (Ed.). (n.d.). Can Men Suffer from Postpartum Depression? Retrieved November 22, 2021, from https://www.muhealth.org/our-stories/can-men-suffer-postpartum-depression
  3. Paulson JF, Bazemore SD. Prenatal and Postpartum Depression in Fathers and Its Association With Maternal Depression: A Meta-analysis. JAMA. 2010;303(19):1961–1969. doi:10.1001/jama.2010.605
  4. Saxbe DE, Schetter CD, Simon CD, Adam EK, Shalowitz MU. High paternal testosterone may protect against postpartum depressive symptoms in fathers, but confer risk to mothers and children. Horm Behav. 2017 Sep;95:103-112. doi: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2017.07.014. Epub 2017 Aug 31. PMID: 28757312.
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The Mental Health Danger of Dating Apps

Online dating can be an extremely efficient way to meet new people. However this convenience comes with pros and cons as using these apps takes up plenty space (both mental and physical) — so make sure before swiping away.

In recent years there has been an increase in the popularity of using technology for socializing purposes. Dating apps such as Tinder, Bumble, Hinge, PoF, or Grindr which allow someone to meet potential partners from the convenience of their phone.

This type of social media can be beneficial when used correctly but oftentimes may lead to negative outcomes in one’s life if not properly monitored or regulated.

Why People Use Dating Apps

There is no doubt that it works, as evidenced by the Stanford University study which found little difference in quality between those who met online and offline relationships despite there being an endless supply of potential partners at your fingertips on hookup sites like Tinder or Bumble for you swipe right!

People use dating apps for a variety of reasons. In some cases, they may be looking for a casual date or to meet new people, but in other cases it might reflect issues with their own social life.

People use dating apps as a way to find an answer to the age-old question “where are the good single men/women?”, and there is usually a reason why they have not had any luck within their group of friends or through a more traditional avenue.

Motivations

Did you know that the number one motivator for men on online dating sites is to find someone attractive? Women have many different objectives when browsing, with physical attributes being third behind conversation and location. In fact, studies show that physical attraction matters most for heterosexual women followed by having self-confidence and a kind personality.

Also, it is important to consider that men on dating sites tend to be less serious than women and there is a chance you could end up with someone who isn’t looking for a true relationship.

Meeting New People

Dating apps also offer the opportunity to meet people from all over the world as well as those profiles far outside of your normal social circles. This could be an advantage for some people who are looking to meet someone new, but also has the chance of building unrealistic expectations when you do not take into account that their values may be different than your own.

Hookup Culture

Even though there are many positive aspects of using dating apps, they can also offer an easy way for people to hook-up without much effort. The ease of this method may make it a casual decision and can cause you to meet up with many people who are not really interested in something serious.

Dating Apps have made it easy to connect with people across the world – this also means that you might be matched up with people who come from a completely different culture than your own. This could lead to unrealistic expectations and if both of you are looking for very different things, then both will feel mislead when they meet. If one person wanted something casual and the other wanted a serious relationship — that could cause issues within the relationship.

Lies and Exaggerations on Dating Apps

People tend to lie on dating profiles… a lot!

Studies showed that the most common things men and women lie about on their online dating profiles are their age, weight, and income. However, many people also lied about their physical appearance by using filters that could distort their photos.

Research has also shown that people often choose to use this method when they are not very happy with their real appearance or are trying to seek validation from strangers. Furthermore, men tended to lie by omitting their marital status whereas women were more inclined to make themselves seem younger to increase their chances of getting a response.

Many people stretch the truth about their social life or what they look like in order to sound better. This can lead to negative effects because internet dating has become more casual-making it easier for users to hook up with someone without really getting to know them.

In short, people often lie on their profiles and end up meeting someone who is either not serious about dating or does not maintain the same interests as them.

Online Dating Statistics

Let’s take a look at some statistics by Pew Research to consider:

  • 57% of online daters say they hve had a positive experience
  • 63% of online daters with a BA or higher degree reported positive experiences
  • 47% of online daters with a high school diploma or less reported positive experiences
  • 45% of online daters say dating apps have mad them feel frustrated
  • 28% of online daters say that dating apps have made them more hopeful
  • 71% of online daters say it was at least somewhat easy to find attractive people
  • 64% of online daters say it is at least somewhat easy to find people with shared hobbies and interests
  • 61% of online daters say it was at least somewhat easy to find someone looking for the same kind of relationship
  • Women are 58% more likely than men to find someone they were attracted to
  • 57% of men dating online said they didn’t receive enough messages
  • 71% of people think that people are lying online to make themselves more desirable
  • LGB online daters are more likely to be harassed on dating websites

How Dating Apps Can Affect One’s Mental Health

Dating apps offer the user a chance to meet people without any effort, which is why they are so great in theory. However, there have been many studies that have shown that dating apps can have an adverse effect on the mental health of their users.

One study examining social anxiety (SA) and depression in the use of mobile dating apps found that both conditions were associated with dating app use.

Furthermore, men with social anxiety and depression have been found to have a lower chance of “matching” with an online partner of desire — and women with similar symptoms were less likely to initiate conversation online. The same study notes past research that points to higher use of online social communication in women than in men.

Many people do not want to commit to a long-term relationship, which leads to hookups with several different partners, leading to mental health issues such as anxiety and depression. Additionally, it may be linked with feeling rejected by someone who was interested in you.

When someone is scrolling through, swiping left or right, they begin to notice way more often when people don’t approach them. It’s this constant rejection that may be a self-esteem killer and secondarily cause and agitate social anxiety and depression.

Avoid spending more than 15 to 20 minutes a day on an app swiping or looking for new matches. You might not be using the app in a healthy manner if the app is causing you anxiety or preventing you from doing other things that you enjoy.

Other ways to meet potential partners

You should use dating apps intentionally if you suffer from depression or social anxiety. Instead of using an app, you might consider going out to a bar to meet people. Nevertheless, you wouldn’t go to a bar every night — maybe once a week, or a few times a month. Treat your dating app use similarly.

One way to meet potential partners is by using dating apps in a more serious and committed way. Instead of just looking for hookups and casual relationships, try to find someone who may actually be a nice fit for you in a long-term relationship.

In the end, there is no reason to completely stop using dating apps-just put in a little effort and you might find someone worth your time. The trick is to make sure that you are doing this for the right reasons and not just to validate yourself by making yourself seem more attractive than you really are. The main key is finding balance and steering clear of hookups.

Get out in the world and do things you love. Chances are that the people you meet doing these activities or in places you enjoy are going to be a better match for you than someone you find online.

Meeting friends of friends is another great way to meet new people that are likely to share the same interests and morals as you. And spending time with friends is good for your mental well-being anyways. So, just let things happen naturally.

And remember, rejection hurts, but don’t let it steer you away from shooting your shot. You miss every chance you don’t take. Just remember not to take rejection from a stranger personally.

If dating apps are you thing, then get to swiping. If you have found them hurting your self-esteem, dial it back a bit and minimize your time swiping.

Don’t get discouraged if you don’t find someone right away. Finding the right person takes self-awareness, consistency, and positivity — whether online or offline.

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Strategies for Better Heart-Brain Communication

Your heart has a mind of its own… Kinda. While it may sound cliche to “follow your heart,” there may be truth in the phrase.

It turns out, according to recent research, that there is ongoing communication between the heart and brain that has a heavy influence on how we think and feel.

The Heart-Brain Connection

We’ve had proof that the heart communicates with the brain in significant ways as early as the 1960s. In 1991, Dr. J Andrew Armour coined the term “heart brain”, describing the heart as a complex intrinsic nervous system that is somewhat a brain of its own.

Research in the psychocardiology and neurocardiology field still has tons to learn, though consistencies in studies tell us quite a bit about the heart-brain connection.

Here’s what we currently know about the “heart brain”:

  • The heart starts beating before our brain has been formed
  • The emotional brain develops far before the logical brain
  • The heart has its own complex nervous system that is independent of the brain
  • The hearts nervous system is in constant communication with the brain
  • Signals from the heart synchronize with and direct many bodily systems
  • The heart makes many decisions on its own

Because of the early development of the heart and emotional brain, stress and emotions seem to have a strong connection.

This is to no surprise as we have known for decades that things like smoking, hypertension, PTSD, and emotional stress are closely linked risk factors for heart disease and strokes.

How the Heart Processes Emotions

In stressful situations, our bodies release adrenaline in a fight-or-flight response. This adrenaline increases heart rate and blood pressure and also signals blood platelets to release neuropeptide Y which can obstruct arteries in the heart.

Even emotional stress, such as a breakup, can cause abnormal contractions in the left ventricle of the heart — causing (quite literally) a broken heart.

Strategies for a healthy, happy “heart brain”

How do we leverage what we know about heart-brain communication? After all, controlling the thoughts of our minds can prove difficult enough. So, can you really control how your heart communicates with the rest of the body and mind?

To some extent yes. While the heart is an autonomous organ, we can take care of it in a number of ways.

It turns out, many things that make us smile and more appreciative of life also make our hearts happier.

Try the strategies below to make the best of your internal heart-brain communication.

Relaxation Practices

Relaxation techniques can have a surprising positive cardiovascular effect. There are a number of techniques that can achieve serotonin-boosted relaxation. A number of popular relaxation activities include mindfulness meditation, yoga, tai chi, breathing exercises.

Yoga has actually proven to be a mood stabilizer and stress reducer by raising levels of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in the brain. And both Yoga and meditative practices have shown to increase serotonin — a crucial neurotransmitter in regulating mood.

Another technique is making a subtle change to the way you think about and talk to yourself. That internal monologue you hear all day makes a difference in how you feel.

Be mindful of negative thoughts and negative emotions; then channel positive energy to transform those thoughts into positive ones.

Comic Relief and Laughter

It doesn’t take a neurologist to know that happiness is a common result of laughter.

When we laugh, our body releases endorphins, which in turn releases nitric oxide. Nitric oxide is known to reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes. Laughter also loosens blood vessels and can lower signs of aging within them.

Exercise is another great way to stimulate endorphin release, as well as other neurotransmitters such as dopamine and serotonin. If you’re looking for stress relief, there are no better ways to cool down to exercise and crack a few jokes.

Listening to “Dope” Music

Ever listened to a song and got chills? That pleasurable feeling is a consequence of dopamine release when listening to or anticipating your favorite music.

Listening to music has been known to reduce anxiety. This may be linked to the nostalgic connection music often has in our lives. Our favorite songs are often neurologically linked to positive feelings from our younger years when our brains are still in rapid development.

There does seem to be a correlation between what type of music is more mood-boosting than others. Studies have shown that upbeat music is proven to improve happiness in as little as two weeks, whereas non-positive-sounding music does not have the same effect.

A hug a day

… Keeps the doctor away!

Physical encounters like hugging or other forms of touch are known to release the hormone and neurotransmitter oxytocin.

Oxytocin lowers blood pressure and heart rate. It has also been shown to directly prevent heart tissue death (which results in heart failure). Human studies have even shown intranasal oxytocin to stimulate the vagus nerve and improve mental stress test scores. It even showed to reduce chronic pain.

Taking Care of the Heart Brain

Taking care of the mind and body is always a good idea. We tend to either focus on either our mental health or our physical health, typically not both at the same time. And rather than react to a time of needed change, it’s always better to act proactively and preventatively.

Science has made it clear that taking care of the heart and brain are among the most important things we can do to prolong our lives and make for a happier self.

Sources

  1. Miller M. (2019). Emotional Rescue: The Heart-Brain Connection. Cerebrum: the Dana forum on brain science, 2019, cer-05-19.
  2. Armour, A. J., Dr. (n.d.). Chapter 01: Heart-Brain Communication. Retrieved August 29, 2021, from https://www.heartmath.org/research/science-of-the-heart/heart-brain-communication/
  3. HeartMath Institute. (2015, March 03). Heart Intelligence. Retrieved August 29, 2021, from https://www.heartmath.org/articles-of-the-heart/the-math-of-heartmath/heart-intelligence/
  4. Halaris, A., MD. (2018, September 20). Psychocardiology: Understanding the Heart-Brain Connection: Part 1. Retrieved from https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/psychocardiology-understanding-heart-brain-connection-part-1
  5. Silvani Alessandro, Calandra-Buonaura Giovanna, Dampney Roger A. L. and Cortelli Pietro 2016 Brain–heart interactions: physiology and clinical implications Phil. Trans. R. Soc. A.3742015018120150181
    http://doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2015.0181
  6. Yuna L. Ferguson & Kennon M. Sheldon (2013) Trying to be happier really can work: Two experimental studies, The Journal of Positive Psychology, 8:1, 23-33, DOI: 10.1080/17439760.2012.747000
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The Psychology Behind Csikszentmihalyi’s Flow Theory and Happiness

There are many ways to describe the trance-like focus an athlete or an artist goes into during competition: fierce focus, in the zone, locked in, obsessed, complete immersion.

This highly focused mental state is what Hungarian-American psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi calls “flow.” Thanks to his research and studies, we better understand what being in the zone does to our happiness and intrinsic motivation.

We all want to live a more fruitful, happier life — right?

So, let’s take a look at what Csikszentmihalyi’s theory of flow and happiness is, and how you can use it’s principles to hack your mind into a naturally more motivated state.

What is Flow?

According to distinguished Psychology Professor and management founder & co-director of the Quality of Life Research Center (QLRC) Mahily Csikszentmihalyi, “flow” is a joyful state of mind one enters when trying to reach a goal in a challenging activity that is well suited to our skills.

Cziksentmihalyi defines flow as “a state in which people are so involved in an activity that nothing else seems to matter; the experience is so enjoyable that people will continue to do it even at great cost, for the sheer sake of doing it.”

In other words, flow is like the saying, “getting lost in one’s work.”

The joyful experience of being in flow leads to better performance, motivation towards long-term goals, and other overall positive effects.

Ever been so lost in an activity that you lost sense of time? You were so immersed in whatever you were doing at the moment that you didn’t notice the time passed.

People, such as athletes, who experience flow regularly are more likely to develop positive traits, including higher self-esteem, better concentration, and general performance. And, this seems to be correlated with the growing body of evidence that flow improves one’s subjective well-being and psychological well-being.

Tasks That Put You in Flow

To find yourself in flow, the task you are engaged in must be intentionally voluntary — it cannot feel like a meaningless chore. The task must be enjoyable to pique the interest of the person.

Now, this may be subjective. To one, sweeping may feel like a chore, but it may be soothing, almost therapeutic to another. Therefore, we all may have different tasks that may take us into the flow.

Csikszentmihalyi’s Flow Theory involves specific criteria:

  1. Having a clear goal
  2. Receiving immediate feedback (in some form) from one’s input
  3. Having a balance between skill and challenge
  4. Merging awareness with action
  5. Excluding distractions from your consciousness
  6. No worrying of failure
  7. Abolishing self-consciousness
  8. Distorting one’s sense of time
  9. Engaging in the activity becoming an end in itself

The Autotelic Self

A person in flow feels well in control, though at the same time they are acting in an almost autonomous state. One’s subconscious cerebral thoughts have taken over. There is no need for emotion or consciousness when what you are doing is being calculated and carried out by “muscle memory.”

Some people are better at this than others.

Csikszentmihalyi would say that this person has found their “autotelic self,” — someone who is “never bored, seldom anxious, involved with what goes on and in flow most of the time.”

What is Happiness?

Everyone has a theory of what happiness is; money, possessions, experiences, value, power, etc. This too is subjective in that as individuals, different things make each and every one of us happy.

Professor Csikszentmihalyi tells of his 7 habits of happy people, and they range from:

  • Relationships — a network of people in your life in which they value
  • Acts of kindness — outward expression from one person to another
  • Exercise and physical wellbeing — the training of one’s body and mind to establish strength and endurance
  • Flow — submersion of oneself to obtain a goal
  • Spiritual engagement and meaning — engagement of spiritual and religious connection
  • Strength and virtues — discovery and reliance on one’s inner characteristics such as perseverance and resilience
  • Positive mindset — putting things into perspective and having a positive attitude to do better

Professor Csikszentmihalyi tells us that our happiness consists of three factors; genetic makeup, our environment, and our actions.

For example, a person may experience happiness through their accomplishments at work. They were probably raised to be successful, their friends and family were successful, and they applied themselves. Their habits may consist of their reliance on their strength and virtues of perseverance and resilience to get the job and make money.

One thing is sure; happiness is an inherent emotion that everyone deserves to experience.

7 steps to creating happiness through flow

Flow and Happiness

The notion of flow requires focus and determination, and happiness requires expression and actions. These two terms can co-exist to create happiness through the structure.

Here are seven steps to creating happiness through the state of flow.

  1. Identify Goals
    Find something you want to achieve that can spark happiness and creativity. This can also be a task at work that you want to complete that may be complex. This may also include situations that may manifest themselves as challenges, setbacks, or anything that requires you to plan the process to overcome methodically.
  2. Make a Plan
    Create a plan on how you can accomplish the goal and reach the desired end state. It is common practice to reverse plan; start from the end and work your way backward to the beginning. Set tasks as miles stones to allow you to go back to instead of starting all over.
  3. Be Present and Focused in the Moment
    Once you set your plan in place, be present and eliminate all distractions. This is where the concept of flow may begin, so remaining focused is essential. Remember that the attitude that we take when we do something affects the outcome.
  4. Establish an Inner Dialogue
    Talk to yourself and remind yourself of what you are doing and what you are doing it for. Do not be discouraged by what you might look like if someone sees you talking to yourself. Keep in mind that it is you and the goal.
  5. Establish Good Habits
    Make this a common practice of how you achieve your goals or accomplish your tasks. Create good patterns of work that support goal achievement and sparks creativity and happiness.
  6. Rest and Meditate
    Rest is the best form to decompress from the stresses of constant pressure. Meditation gives you the ability to reflect and refocus your mind. Studies support Csikszentmihalyi’s point of feedback in his criteria of flow in identifying blind sports. Meditation allows for one to remember blinds sports or things to improve, much like the purpose of feedback.
  7. Rejoice in Your Happiness
    Happiness is an emotion that is simple to achieve but is challenging to maintain. By applying the fierce focus of flow, one can foster happiness and find joy in their lives.

Mahily Csikszentmihalyi is a brilliant professor of psychology that tells us that happiness is not secured but can be harnessed through the mastering of flow.

The way we view challenges will determine the attitude we take toward the achievement of the task. This is why Csikszentmihalyi refers to mindfulness, being present, and acknowledging what is happening and what needs to be done.

Live present and positive, have dominion over your thoughts, and maintain a fierce focus.

Sources

Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly (1996). Creativity: Flow and the Psychology of Discovery and Invention. New York, NY: Harper Perennial.

Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly (1990). Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience. New York, NY: Harper and Row.

Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly, & Csikzsentmihalyi, Isabella Selega (Eds.). (1988). Optimal Experience: Psychological studies of flow in consciousness. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press.

Marr, A. J. (2001). In the zone: A biobehavioral theory of the flow experience. Athletic Insight,3(1).

Pursuit of Happiness. (n.d.). The Science of Happiness and Positive Psychology. Retrieved August 16, 2021, from https://www.pursuit-of-happiness.org/science-of-happiness/

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Why Spending Time Alone Is Good For Your Mental Health

Did you know that spending time alone can help you improve your quality of life?

Alone time is something that people either enjoy or fear. Unfortunately, many people struggle with being alone because they’re unsure of what to do.

While being alone can seem daunting, alone time benefits people in many ways if they know how to take advantage of it.

Here at Solara Mental Health, we regularly help people turn their lives around by changing how they think about being alone. We’ll outline why spending time alone is essential so you can also live a better life.

Read on to learn about how to spend time alone and the benefits of doing so.

The Benefits of Alone Time

When spending time alone, many people find it difficult to see what the benefits are. However, you can reap the benefits of alone time if you know how to approach things.

One of the main things we want people to understand is that being alone isn’t the same as loneliness. Alone time is simply time spent away from others, whereas loneliness is the feeling of being without someone.

Voluntarily spending time away from others can allow you to do the following:

Self-Reflect

When you’re constantly interacting with others, it can be challenging to think about yourself. However, self-reflection is crucial if you want to live a healthy lifestyle, as it also comes with many benefits.

Alone time will make it much easier to self-reflect because you won’t be focusing on others. Approach self-reflection with a positive mindset and use the time to improve yourself as a person.

Become More Productive

Alone time benefits those that are looking to get things done. If you’re never alone, you’ll have a hard time doing anything productive (unless it requires others).

Spending time alone will give you the chance to complete that project you’ve been putting off. The sooner you get things done, the quicker you can go back to being social.

Focus on Health

Similar to self-reflection, spending time alone lets people focus on improving their health. Whether it’s physically or mentally, alone time will ensure you can eliminate toxicity in your life and allow yourself to “reset.”

During alone time, think about the foods and beverages you have when surrounded by others. Not only will an unhealthy diet negatively affect your physical health, but it can also affect your mental health. Things like depression caused by a poor diet can increase the likelihood of feeling lonely, even when around others.

Find Comfort

If you’re someone that struggles with loneliness, spending time alone can help you learn how to find comfort when away from others.

Those who are afraid of being alone often feel that way because they’re unsure how to use their time. If you can learn how to get the most out of being alone, you can have more control over your life. The comfort that comes with accepting alone time will increase your overall happiness.

How to Get the Most Out of Being Alone

Learning how to spend time alone isn’t difficult; you’ll just need to use that appropriately. If you find that being alone isn’t comforting, you can fill up that time with things to do. Whether it’s work or school obligations, exercise, or hobbies, doing activities will help.

Getting the most out of being alone can be done by planning your alone time and eliminating distractions. Here’s how to do that:

Plan Everything

It’s easy to feel lonely when you have nothing to do, and no one’s around. This can be prevented by thoroughly planning how your days will go.

From the moment you wake up until you go to bed, your entire day should be planned, including the time you’ll dedicate to doing nothing. While it may seem excessive, it’ll help you stay active, so you don’t end up feeling lonely.

Creating structure in your life will make the time spent alone more enjoyable, especially if you don’t go out much. If you’re someone that actively hangs out with others, you’ll eventually start cherishing the time you get to yourself.

Get Rid of Distractions

Aside from planning your day, you must eliminate distractions if you’d like to ensure that everything goes smoothly. Distractions can prevent you from getting things done, which will make you feel worse if you’re alone.

Whenever you’re working on something, you should never start browsing social media or random things on the internet. Instead, leave your phone in another room and consider getting something that’ll block certain websites so you can work productively.

Another type of distraction is thinking about negative things. For example, you may be watching TV, and a negative thought may cross your mind. Instantly you want to go down the rabbit hole; next thing you know, your upset with yourself because your thoughts took you to a dark place.

Reframe your thoughts and put your thoughts into perspective. Stop the train of thought you are going down and tell yourself out loud that what you’re doing is not right. This will strengthen your mind in order to take control of your thoughts.

It’s best to be engaged with something as often as possible. You’ll notice that relaxing after a long day of work is enjoyable, even if you’re by yourself. This is because you’ve gotten the most out of being alone.

Start Spending Time Alone More Often

With all of this information, you’re ready to reap the benefits of alone time. All you must do is start spending more time alone to get a better understanding of what exactly makes you feel lonely.

We encourage you to prioritize obligations to make your days more satisfying. If you still feel lonely after getting everything done, you can pick up some hobbies to keep your mind off things.

If you’re having a hard time in life, contact us to learn about how we can help you.

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Recognizing and Understanding the Cycle of Abuse

Abuse can be hard to understand and recognize, especially when you’re not familiar with the cycle of abuse and how it works. However, knowing this information could potentially save you or someone else’s life! 

If you’re struggling with abuse and mental health problems, then keep reading to learn more about this serious topic. 

Cycle of Abuse

This four-part cycle helps distinguish certain behaviors and patterns that abusive partners tend to have. By knowing these patterns of abuse, you can better protect yourself in future and current relationships. 

The four-part cycle starts with tension building, then an incident where abuse or violence takes place. After that, reconciliation is made, followed by a calm state. This tragic cycle repeats itself over and over again until the victim becomes worn down.

1. Tension Building

Tension building can be brought on by anything. Some of the triggers for an abusive partner are fatigue, overworking, being hungry, and other family issues.

The abusive partner will then begin to show signs of anger, fear, and feeling unempowered in the relationship. The tension that builds up as a result of these feelings can weigh heavily on you.

You might try to find a peaceful resolution. However, there may not be a solution until the abusive partner feels in control again.

Because of this, you might start feeling anxious and even scared. It is considered emotional abuse. Often, abusive partners use this tactic to inflict pain on others. 

2. Incidents of Abuse or Violence

Once the abuser has reached the breaking point, they will externalize these feelings. Abusers will use physical and verbal tactics to gain back control.

For example, they won’t allow you to wear certain clothes, or they’ll make you cut off communication with family and friends. Sometimes these tactics turn into sexual and physical aggressions. 

It is the most dangerous stage of the cycle. In fact, a recent report stated that six women die every hour as a result of domestic violence.

3. Reconciliation 

This stage in an abusive relationship can be very confusing. Often, the victim thinks that the abuse has stopped because the abuser has calmed down.

The abuser will start to show the victim their preferred love language like gift-giving or physical touch. Unfortunately, this “honeymoon” stage only lasts for a little bit.  

Often, those in a normal relationship don’t understand why the victim “doesn’t just leave.” For starters, the victim might not be physically or financially able to leave the relationship. 

The abuser might also hurt them for trying.

Most importantly, mental abuse causes a shift in a person’s brain chemistry. During the “honeymoon” stage, the victim’s brain releases oxytocin and dopamine.

Often, the victim is longing for this gratification, but the abusive partner will withhold affection to gain control. This causes the victim to stay and chase this feeling of “happiness.”

4. Calm State

During the calm state, the abuser will try and justify their abuse by apologizing. However, the apology is never sincere. It is really just a tactic to make the victim think the abuse won’t happen again.

The abuser will also blame their actions on others or sometimes the victim.

Here are some examples:

  • “I’m sorry I yelled at you, but you made me mad.”
  • “Sorry for snapping you earlier; it’s just my job has been stressing me out.”
  • “The only reason I hit you was because you were provoking me.”
  • “I didn’t even hit you that hard; you should get over it.”

After their apology, the abuser will convince the victim that it won’t happen again. They might try to manipulate you by making the situation seem smaller.

You might start doubting yourself and think that you were dramatic. And slowly, you start believing that your partner will change. 

How Does Abuse Affect Mental Health?

This cycle of abuse can leave someone with permanent damage. Many times battered women and men show symptoms of PTSD.

This mental disorder can bring on intense feelings of anxiety and paranoia, even if the victim has left the relationship. Over time, being in an abusive relationship can diminish someone’s self-worth and confidence.

It happens because the abuser is constantly attacking them and making them feel less than them. The abuser will use this tactic to wear down an individual not to seek happiness outside of the relationship.

Battered women and men are also likely to develop depression and suicidal ideations. Overall, being in an abusive relationship can deteriorate someone’s mental health. That’s why it’s essential to get help immediately!

Gaslighting and Manipulation 

Gaslighting and manipulation go hand in hand with the four stages of abuse. For starters, gaslighting is a form of lying by creating a false reality. 

For example, if a person finds their spouse cheating on them and the abuser outright denies the accusations, this is considered gaslighting. 

This tactic makes the victim’s reality and perception unclear. Often, the victim will feel “crazy,” but just because they don’t know what’s real and fake anymore. 

Manipulation is similar to gaslighting. For example, an abuser will try and control a situation by providing false information or showing empathy. Nevertheless, the abuser is doing this to establish control over a person.

Red Flags to Look Out For

All of the abuse mentioned doesn’t necessarily begin at the start of a relationship. Sometimes abusers will withhold these strong emotions and actions until they feel secure. 

However, there are minor signs that you should look out for during the start of a relationship. For example, love bombing is when a partner shows a lot of attention and affection during the first few weeks of being together.

It may seem normal at first, but this will progress at an unusual pace. The abuser might tell you they love you and that they want you to meet their family.

The problem with love bombing is that when the abuser has “locked” you down, they begin to withhold love. Love bombing eventually turns into a cycle of abuse.

Living Your Truth 

Abusive relationships can leave you feeling hopeless. But knowing the cycle of abuse can give you back some power! If you or a loved one is struggling with an abusive relationship, get help immediately!

If you have any more questions, contact us today to receive more information on our different services!

Advice on Supporting Family Members with Depression

Is someone you love living with depression?

If so, it can be hard to know how to support them. Should you hold space and listen or offer suggestions? Should you tell them that you’re feeling concerned, or instead try to cheer them up?

If these questions sound familiar, hang in there! It’s common for family members and loved ones to feel helpless in the face of the effects of depression – but you aren’t alone.

In this article, we’ll offer some expert advice on caring for your loved one and yourself. Keep reading for all the information!

Get Educated

Did you know that Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is the leading cause of disability in the U.S. for people between 15 and 44? Yet, it’s a disease that most of us know surprisingly little about.

If someone you love has been diagnosed with depression, learning about their disorder can help you better understand how to help. These resources are a good starting point:

  • National Alliance on Mental Illness Family Support Group: A peer-led support resource for family members and loved ones of anyone suffering from mental illness
  • Families for Depression Awareness: Education, training, and support to bring families together and help them heal while coping with mood disorders

Learning more about your friend or family member’s depression does not make you an expert. Try to choose listening over lecturing. Remember to check in and find out how that person feels so you can properly support them.

In the future, you might also consider joint counseling sessions or other learning opportunities that you can engage in together. 

Listen and Ask Questions

The most powerful thing you can do to help someone who is depressed is to listen. People feel heard and understood when you listen. Take a few minutes to put down whatever you’re doing, suspend your judgments and suggestions, make good eye contact, and listen. It might help you in understanding depression.

You might be surprised by what you learn!

But, helping your loved one might not be so simple. If the conversation isn’t shedding much light on how they’re doing, any signs and symptoms aren’t being expressed, or they’re struggling to open up, try asking a few questions. Here are some examples to get you started:

  • When did you first start to feel depressed?
  • Can you think of something specific that might have triggered it?
  • Are you experiencing a lot of stress?
  • Are there triggers or situations that make you feel worse?
  • Are there moments when you feel better or cheered up?
  • Do you ever have suicidal thoughts?
  • Do you ever think about self-harm or suicide?

Remember, talk to the person, but it’s also important to be gentle while discussing these deeply personal and emotional situations. The last thing you want is for someone you care about to feel judged or interrogated.

Search for Solutions Together

One of the biggest parts of supporting family members with depression is problem-solving as a team. After all, you know them far better than any doctor, therapist, or mental health professional ever will.

Start by identifying some potential sources of stress in their life. Chronic feelings of anxiety can cause a decline in physical and mental health. They can also interrupt healthy coping strategies, making the person vulnerable to mood swings.

While the changes shouldn’t be dramatic, making some small tweaks to your loved one’s daily life could help take the edge off. Try subtle additions like a few calming breathing techniques or a meditation app for their phone at first.

It would help if you also encouraged them to get the help that they need. This could come in various forms, including support groups, therapy or counseling, and even FDA-approved & FDA-cleared medical techniques to treat depression. 

Remember, it’s ultimately their decision. Don’t be mean or bossy – you’ll just run the risk of pushing that person away. And, they’ll likely find comfort in knowing that you’re around to support them, no matter what they choose. 

The Power of Positivity

Sometimes, the best thing you can do to help a person living with depression is to let a little sunshine in. Laughter is healing and helpful to someone who spends most of their time feeling down or exhausted, and even if just for a moment, it can help replace feelings of sadness, anxiety, and panic.

It may also be helpful to reframe the conversation and look toward the future. No matter how hard today is, it won’t always feel this way. Things will eventually get better.

If your loved one has already tried medication and didn’t get the results they were hoping for, they might also want to hear positive affirmation that their condition could eventually improve. Today, more options exist than ever before for treating depression – and plenty of them aren’t pills.

With you standing by as their support, now could be the right time to try something different, like TMS therapy. This innovative technique may heal specific areas of the brain that are impaired by cellular dysfunction. The result is a significant improvement in mood, function, energy, focus, and overall well-being.

Coping With Depression

Now that you know a bit more about how to help your family and friends cope with their depression, you’re ready to engage them in a more meaningful way. 

Hold onto this article as a guide that you can refer back to if the going gets tough. Remember, it’s normal to feel frustrated or exhausted sometimes, so don’t be too hard on yourself.  

If your friend or family member is ready to take the next step in treating their symptoms, we’re here to help. We offer free consultations at our San Diego clinic, which you can schedule today.

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What We Can Learn From San Diego Depression Statistics

California’s a place known for its gorgeous beaches, sunny weather, and breezy attitudes. But that’s just how it looks from the outside.

Research has shown that there’s a darker reality for those who live in our West Coast state. Forty-four percent of Californians say they experience high levels of anxiety and depression.

But that’s taking a look at the statistics through a wider lens. What about San Diego?

As it turns out, San Diego depression statistics aren’t much better. Here’s what you need to know.

San Diego Depression Statistics: The Current Situation

Our city already has had a mental health crisis on its hands. For reference, 429 people committed suicide in 2019.

Those figures came in before the outbreak of COVID-19. Since then, mental health has gotten worse for many of us. This isn’t just a San Diego problem, either: worldwide, people have suffered from depression more than ever because of changes and closures caused by the pandemic.

That’s one way that experts have explained the rising suicide rates in San Diego. Gun-related suicides increased three-fold during the pandemic, so it’s easy to see a cause-and-effect relationship. People who felt lonely, isolated, or hopeless during lockdown could have felt like there was no escape.

A Look at the Statistics in the Past — and Across Demographics

This isn’t to say that mental health is a new issue in San Diego, though. Records from 2015 indicate that five percent of the city’s residents dealt with such issues in that year.

And it’s not an equal spread across all demographic groups, either. Low-income San Diegans tend to experience mental health issues more frequently than those with higher paychecks.

In San Diego, mental health and homelessness go hand in hand, too. Nearly 5,000 people in the city are homeless, and almost half of them have some sort of mental health diagnosis.

The San Diego veteran population accounts for some of the mental health diagnoses, as well. This group is more likely to suffer from PTSD, anxiety, and depression.

As our city’s number of elderly residents increases, then there will be more people with mental health needs within our borders, as well. These types of diagnoses are quite prevalent in older adults.

And then, there’s the teenage population to look at, too. As of 2016, more than 40 percent of students reported feeling overwhelmed by their day-to-day lives. They also have the stressors of their social lives — both in real life and online — with which to contend. So, that may be why more of today’s adolescent youth have depression and anxiety than before.

What These Mean and How to Move Forward

San Diego depression statistics may seem bleak. But there’s a light at the tunnel — and, if you’re feeling depressed, you aren’t alone.
At Solara Mental Health, we have an in-residence program for people who are dealing with depression. We’re here to help — call us today to learn more.

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What You Can Learn From Winston Churchill and His Black Dog

Winston Churchill is known for many things, but one thing that many don’t know about him is that he may have suffered from mental illness, which he often referred to as his “black dog”. Churchill was known for his determined nature, but he was also known to have bouts of unruliness in which he would often overindulge in alcohol and act erratically. 

Churchill’s “black dog” may have been the cause. To learn more about this side of Churchill, keep reading. 

Churchill’s “Black Dog”

For decades of his life, Churchill seems to have had some anxieties and fears that followed him, such as standing too close to balconies or train platforms. While this may have been a fear, it may have also been because Churchill did not always trust himself to act rationally when given a way to end his own life. Churchill may have suffered from manic depression, as he would often become paralyzed by despair. 

During these bouts, he was known to spend much time in bed with little energy, no interests, no appetite, and difficulty concentrating. This caused him to be minimally functional when it came to his duties and responsibilities. These periods of despair could last a few months, and after them, he would come out of it appear to be acting like his normal self again. 

In a letter to his wife from 1911, Churchill wrote that he may be in need of some kind of professional help for treating his “black dog”. When he was well, Churchill actually had tons of energy and was known to stay up late into the night reading and studying. When he was in a good place, he was known to come up with tons of new ideas. 

This manic behavior is typical of those that deal with manic depression and bipolar disorder. Additionally, these mood swings were likely heightened due to the amount of alcohol Churchill was indulging in. 

Churchill’s Treatment

With all the responsibility Churchill had to Britain, having depressive bouts was difficult and dangerous. Churchill sought treatment from a physician named Lord Moran, who prescribed medications to help him manage his depressive episodes. While Churchill’s exact diagnosis cannot be clear today, it is believed by many scholars and mental health professionals that Churchill suffered from either manic depressive disorder or bipolar disorder. 

Those that have these conditions and are not medicated often have a difficult time maintaining relationships and keeping employment which can lead to a chaotic, unproductive, and challenging life. Knowing when it’s time to seek help for a perceived mental illness, whether for yourself or for someone you love, can help to manage these disorders to decrease suffering and improve the quality of one’s life. 

What We Can Learn

Winston Churchill’s “black dog” was managed because he came to terms with the fact that he needed help and sought it out. Asking for the help you need can be difficult, but it can have great life-changing benefits. 

Are you ready to get the treatment you need? If so, contact us today to get started.

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Depression and Memory Loss: The Relationship Explained

Depression is one of the most crippling and pervasive diseases of modern life. The World Health Organization estimates that more than 250 million people worldwide experience depression. That figure is growing.

Scientists are discovering more about the mind every day and the cognitive problems associated with depression, but one of the most strongly linked features of depression is memory loss.

This article will explore the link between depression and memory loss and what symptoms you might experience.

We will examine the latest research into the relationship between mental health and memory to help answer the question: can depression cause memory loss?

The Impact of Depression on the Body

Most people think of depression as a disorder of the mind. But depression impacts the body too. Depression (and stress) is linked to the central nervous system, the digestive system, and the cardiovascular system.

When it comes to memory, there are two main areas where depression can impact your brain function.

The first is the direct impact that depression has on your cognitive health and cognitive skills. The second is indirect memory problems due to sleeplessness and insomnia, a common side effect of depression.

It’s important to understand that when you experience depression, it can profoundly affect your overall health. Tackling depression early on is essential; A long period of depression is more likely to impact your long-term wellbeing.

Types of Memory Loss

Some sufferers of mental health issues like depression have reported problems with their memory. They have experienced memory loss during and after depression.

Symptoms of Memory Loss

If you think that persistent depressive episodes have led to a decline in your memory aptitude, you should look out for some distinct characteristics.

Types of memory problems and symptoms of memory loss include:

  • Difficulty recalling the finer details of a recent event
  • Trouble locating objects in the home, such as your keys
  • Finding it difficult to learn new facts, such as remembering information you’ve read in a book or the news
  • A general feeling that you are more forgetful or disorganized lately
  • Forgetting something that is usually part of your daily routine, such as a phone call or taking medicine
  • You’ll find it easier to recall adverse events than positive ones

If you tick more than one symptom, it’s time to seek professional help. A mental health expert can diagnose potential memory loss.

Diagnosing Memory Loss

It is important to know some context behind your memory issues.

When it comes to diagnosing memory issues, here are some questions to ask:

  • How long have you noticed memory problems?
  • Have you recently experienced episodes of sadness, depression, or anxiety?
  • Have you had trouble sleeping lately?
  • Are you finding it a challenge to complete obligations at work or school
  • Do you find yourself missing important appointments or lacking basic organizational skills in your day-to-day routine?

If you answer yes to two or more of these, it is worth seeking medical advice. If your symptoms interfere with your life to the extent that you can’t carry out your everyday responsibilities, this is even more pressing.

Pay particular attention to these symptoms if you are over 60.

It is common for older people to assume any memory issues are mild signs of possible dementia, so it is crucial to determine if these symptoms could be pointing to undiagnosed depression instead.

The Latest Research Into Depression and Memory Loss

Research has proved that when you are suffering from depression, it can affect your brain’s ability to function and recall information.

In 2013 Brigham Young University discovered that people scoring highly for depressive symptoms also performed poorly in cognitive memory tests.

Research has also uncovered a long-term impact on memory from past episodes of depression.

In 2019, scientists working as part of the National Child Development Study found participants who experienced depression in their 20s had more memory problems 30 years later than participants who had no history of depression.

In 2007, scientists on behalf of the American Psychological Association found that depression interferes with our ability to recall happy events.

Those suffering from high levels of depression found it easier to recall negative events, suggesting a type of filter on memory that can make the experience of depression even worse for the sufferer.

The Link With Dementia

Another study by the Archives of General Psychiatry found a link between depression and dementia in later life. These findings suggest that memory problems from depression may have a longer-term impact on an individual.

The study found that those diagnosed with depression in middle age had an 80% higher chance of dementia.

Preventing Depression and Memory Loss

If you are concerned you may have experienced memory loss from depression, it is vital to seek professional help as soon as you notice any symptoms.

Do not wait for the problem to get worse before taking action.  Your first step is to book an appointment with a mental health specialist.

If you do not have a history of depression, you may be able to complete an assessment to form an initial diagnosis.

If you already have a diagnosis for depression and are on a treatment plan, let your practitioner know that you have concerns over your memory function. They may run some tests to assess your memory and cognitive skills.

This diagnosis is important because memory problems may be caused by an unrelated issue such as head trauma, so it is essential to give your doctor a chance to rule these out.

You may want to keep a diary of your sleep routine too. Sleep problems and insomnia are common with depression and may play a role in forgetfulness, so track your sleep and show your doctors your sleeping schedule.

Practical Steps to Take

In addition to medical support, you can also take practical steps to help support your memory function. Create a routine for your day and add that routine to a calendar with reminders.

Creating a functional storage area at home for essential belongings can also help support your routine and make it easier to remember essentials when leaving the house.

Taking the Next Step

The link between depression and memory loss may seem frightening and worrying. Thankfully, there is better support for depression now than there ever before.

It is important to check on your cognitive abilities and don’t brush off any problems with memory, as they could be pointing to a broader problem with depression — and potentially dementia later in life.

Always seek out help and support from a mental health professional as early as possible. Take a look at some of our successful results and get in contact to arrange your first appointment with one of our mental health professionals.

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Natural Supplements For Depression

Everybody Gets the Blues

Are you feeling blue? Are you down in the dumps, lacking energy, or sleeping all the time? Or, perhaps your motivation to accomplish your previously-longed-for dreams has suddenly vanished. Maybe your concentration is gone, or you don’t feel like eating. Or, maybe you suddenly want to eat all the time? Is self-worth an issue recently? Are you having thoughts of death or suicide, even passively?

All of these (slightly scary) symptoms are signs of depression. Having one, some, or all of these types of symptoms happens to everyone at one time or another. However, when it seems that “blue” is the only color you can use to describe how you are feeling, it’s time to do something more. When you feel depressed for two weeks or more, it is time to take action. 

The National Institute of Mental Health, in their 2017 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, reports that approximately 17.3 million adults in the United States have had at least one major depressive episode. This number represents about 7.1 percent of all adults in the United States.

An occasional bout of the blues is not abnormal, but persistent depression is not something out of which you can talk yourself. Seeking the expertise of a healthcare professional is always the place for people with depression, or for people who have symptoms of depression, to begin. Getting a proper diagnosis can only occur by talking to a healthcare professional. Once correctly diagnosed, the course of treatment that you and your health care professional develop together may require a long-term approach, but it is entirely up to you what this approach will entail. Part of your treatment plan may include psychotherapy, along with FDA-approved prescription medications for treating your depression. Another avenue that you and your health care professional may discuss is the use of natural remedies for the treatment of depression. 

The Downside of Prescription Antidepressants

Common medications prescribed for people with depression are known as antidepressants. The Food and Drug Administration states that most prescription antidepressants fall into one of the following classifications: SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors), SNRIs (serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors, TCAs (tricyclic antidepressants), and MAOIs (monoamine oxidase inhibitors).  

Prescribed antidepressants affect varying neurotransmitters in the brain in a few different ways, and many people who suffer from mild to moderate depression find antidepressants to be beneficial. However, many people do not want to be prescribed antidepressants.

There is a long list of possible side effects that come along with antidepressants; however, that can sometimes encourage people to choose a different route of treatment.  

Here are some of those:  

  • Feeling nauseous, dizzy, tired all the time
  • Having dry mouth
  • Blurred vision
  • Constipation or diarrhea
  • Excessive sweating
  • Headaches
  • Insomnia
  • A loss of appetite
  • Headaches
  • Experiencing nervousness
  • Vomiting
  • Anxiety
  • Restlessness
  • Agitation
  • Weight gain
  • A change in sexual function or sexual desire
  • Sleep disturbances 

 There are also more severe risks, such as developing high blood pressure, suicidal thinking, or the possibility of congenital disabilities in women who are pregnant. Another reason people may not want to be on a prescribed antidepressant is that there are, indeed, less drastic options. Or, their depression may not be severe enough to warrant the use of prescription antidepressants. For these candidates, there are other approaches. One alternative might be to try natural supplements for depression. There are many supplements available for use as a means to help depression.

San Diego Natural Depression Treatment

Enter: Natural Remedies

People with depression who might be interested in trying natural remedies have several choices. There are several dietary supplements available that may alleviate some of the symptoms of depression. 

Most nutritional supplements work by affecting neurotransmitters in the brain. Neurotransmitters are chemicals that help your mind and body function. One of these neurotransmitters is serotonin. Dietary supplements include herbs, minerals, vitamins, and amino acids. 

St. John’s Wort 

The most commonly used supplement for depression is St. John’s Wort. St. John’s Wort, also known as Hypericum perforatum, is a plant. When used as a dietary supplement, it acts in a way similar to reuptake inhibitors, affecting neurotransmitters in the brain.  

Omega-3 fatty acids 

If you ask any dietician or psychiatrist, they’ll likely tell you that Omega-3 fatty acids are one of the essential vitamins for cognitive function. Omega-3 fatty acids are thought to help with depression. This fatty acid is found in fish oil and marine algae believed to be a brain-boosting over-the-counter dietary supplement that helps the serotonin in your brain work better. Serotonin helps regulate mood, social behavior, aid in appetite and digestion, and also helps with your sleep, your memory, and your sexual function.  

Ginkgo Biloba 

Ginkgo biloba helps reduce symptoms of depression by improving protect neurotransmitters. Another dietary supplement, chamomile, has tranquility-enhancing properties that help people with depression.

San Diego Depression Treatment

Having depression can be debilitating. Talking with your health care professional should be your first step in developing a plan to combat depression. Together with your doctor, you may develop a treatment plan that includes supplements as remedies for depression. Their medicinal qualities can help alleviate stress, enhance the effects of neurotransmitters, and work to decrease the symptoms of depression.

Talk to your doctor to see which supplement for depression is going to be your best option. You should not stop taking any current medications without talking to your health care professional. Also, keep in mind that the Food and Drug Administration does not regulate supplements for depression. Many dietary supplements may interact with other medications that you are taking, and many cause unwanted reactions or side effects.

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What is Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)? How Well Does it Work to Treat Depression and Anxiety?

Depression and anxiety have a new treatment option, and it is becoming more widely used all across the United States. What is transcranial magnetic stimulation, otherwise known as TMS?

How well does TMS work? Does it sound too “science fiction-ey”?

More than 16 million adults in the United States experienced a major depressive episode between 2017 and 2018, and with medical science advancing as rapidly as it is, it’s no wonder that new technologies and therapies are beginning to take the stage as options to conventional mental health treatment plans.

What is Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation?

TMS is a magnetic stimulation technique intended to target nerves in your brain that affect your mental health. More specifically, the magnetic field, delivered through a special device you wear on or over your head, stimulates the brain cells known to affect mood. The levels of magnetic energy used are in low amounts, at an individual’s unique brain frequency.

Most TMS sessions take 20 to 60 minutes and don’t require any time to recover afterward. About four to six weeks into treatment (daily, five days a week) is when most patients start noticing significant results, and after that initial treatment, patients only need to go on an “as needed” basis. Regardless of the fact that it’s not meant to be a permanent cure, patients who undergo TMS therapy feel much better overall for several months up to a full year afterward.

Many lifelong depression and anxiety patients who have undergone TMS treatments for at least a month to six weeks will tell you that they begin seeing positive results immediately after each treatment.

TMS was approved in 2008 to treat depression and in 2013, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also approved TMS therapy to treat some migraine conditions. In the fall of 2018, the FDA went on to approve TMS to treat obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and studies are currently underway to see if it can be a viable treatment for other mental health conditions such as bipolar disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Some aspects of TMS appear to simulate what some medications do, e.g., the release of dopamine that happens after a TMS session is similar (but not exactly the same) to what a medication can do.

But TMS can restore functionality, and that’s the important thing. Patients who undergo TMS treatment report “feeling normal” again, compared to patients on psychotropic medications who feel “different” than they do normally, because of some of the medication’s side effects.

What’s so Great About TMS?

TMS is part of a newer generation of developing technologies informed by neuroscience and is easier to use than current technologies. It could very well be a look at the future of mental health care: it’s non-invasive, immediately effective after the first month to six weeks of treatment for long periods of time, and it’s especially effective for those with more severe depression and anxiety.

After the brief treatment, patients can get back to being engaged with their lives immediately, with a more positive outlook, and all the energy they need to do all the things they normally do. Further research shows that even just a few minutes of TMS daily can make a significant improvement in reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety.

TMS side effects are few and they are mild. Common side effects include minor headaches, lightheadedness, and some scalp discomfort during treatment sessions. Some facial muscle spasms and tingling or twitching of these muscles have also been reported during treatment sessions

What’s the Difference Between TMS and electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)?

TMS has shown itself to be a viable alternative to electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) for patients who are resistant to conventional mental illness treatments.

There are some key differences between TMS and ECT treatments:

  • ECT requires anesthesia and typically a hospital stay while TMS does not.
  • ECT brings with it the risk of memory loss and cognitive confusion. Patients undergoing TMS have not manifested these side effects.
  • ECT is designed to create a brief seizure in the patient as a part of the treatment session. TMS does not utilize seizures as a way to treat patients.

TMS Accessibility?

If you’ve tried several types of antidepressants or other standard depression treatment, and have not received relief from your symptoms, you may want to discuss TMS with your mental health care professional. Ask him or her about the benefits and risks, and if TMS could be a good addition to your treatment.

TMS currently has one downside: the cost. It costs up to $10,000 to 15,000 for the initial four-to-six-week treatment. Though TMS has been approved by the FDA to treat depression and anxiety after trying one antidepressant medication that proved unsuccessful at controlling depressive/anxiety symptoms, many insurance companies won’t cover the treatment until after a patient has tried at least four different antidepressants. Double-check with your insurance company to see if your coverage will cover the TMS treatments you are considering. It is still less expensive than ECT.

As always, maintain your sleep, exercise, nutrition, and stress management techniques as you normally would, even if you do undergo TMS treatment, as it will not be effective if you are not taking care of yourself.

Have you heard about TMS? Post a comment below. . .We’d love to hear your thoughts!

Are you struggling with mental health issues? Mental health is very manageable. If you or someone close to you need to talk to someone about mental health issues that seem overwhelming, we can help. Consider reaching out to our expert team at Solara Mental Health at 844-600-9747.

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The Best Reasons to Let Jasmine Plants and Their Essential Oils Help with Your Depression, Anxiety, and Panic Attacks

Scientists have concluded that the scent of jasmine has such therapeutic benefits that it could possibly end up being used as a medication alternative for depression, stress, anxiety, sleep, and other disorders. 

Is jasmine (or any other plant) really capable of helping boost your mood and relieve anxiety?

It’s common knowledge that one benefit of having plants indoors is that they help improve air quality by circulating oxygen freely. Less well known is the fact that, as simple as it seems, there are several plants that can actually alleviate several mental illness symptoms of anxiety, panic attacks, and depression.

Your brain needs a sufficient supply of oxygen to function properly. Scientific research has already shown direct relationships between stress and tainted oxygen levels. When toxins exist in the indoor air spike, so do levels of stress/anxiety, which can lead to feelings of despair and hopelessness, otherwise known as depression.

Has anyone ever told you that when you start feeling stressed, or feel a panic attack coming on, to take a break and walk around the block for a few minutes to “clear your head”? By the way, it really does work!

It should come as a “no-brainer,” then, that one of your first lines of defense against stress, anxiety, panic attacks, and depression is to keep the air clean in your environment.

And if you’ve never smelled jasmine, know that the scent rising off of the petals is delightfully sweet and inviting. No wonder that jasmine’s scent is found in more than 83 percent of all women’s fragrances and in about one-third of all men’s.

JASMINE FOR ANXIETY, PANIC ATTACKS AND DEPRESSION

Jasmine oil is derived from the white/yellow jasmine flower (often listed as Jasminum officinale), and therefore sports a pleasant, flowery scent. It has been used for centuries in Asia as a natural remedy for depression, anxiety, emotional distress, low libido, and insomnia. The word Jasmine has evolved from the Persian yasmin, meaning “a gift from God” due to the patently strong aroma created by the jasmine flower.

Researchers have shown that jasmine essential oil and plant aromas can sedate lab mice quite quickly. When exposed to the fragrance of jasmine, normally active mice will cease all movement and activity and “just chill” in a corner of their cages.

Jasmine’s scent directly impacts a brain/central nervous system chemical known as GABA, which results in the calming of the nerves, a soothing of anxiety/mild depression, and the facilitating of rest. This GABA effect was bolstered by more than five times when exposed to jasmine fragrance, to be more precise, overshadowing the same effect caused by other scents. Jasmine was also shown to be more effective than anti-anxiety meds and sleeping pills in promoting quality sleep. One study indicated that the disbursement of jasmine fragrance into a roomful of sleeping test subjects noticeably led to less tossing and turning and heightened sleep efficiency, even without additional sleep time.

Scientists went on to say that this demonstrated link between jasmine aroma and relaxed mood may be among the strongest arguments in support of the viability of aromatherapy as a mental health treatment method.

JASMINE ESSENTIAL OIL FOR ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION

Scientific studies show some other benefits of indulging in the scent of jasmine:

  • Almost instantaneous soothing of nervous tension; alleviates spasms
  • Promotes feelings of contentment and happiness
  • Boosts cognitive performance, concentration, and alertness, even in the late afternoon hours when most people are beginning to slow down and “fade out” for the day
  • Balance of mood swings, blood pressure, PMS symptoms, hormones, menopause/hot flashes, and libido
  • Defuses aggression
  • Boosts vigor/vitality
  • Can lower blood pressure
  • Long-term treatment for insomnia
  • Relieves fatigue
  • Combats bacteria, viruses, and fungi.
  • Alleviates coughing
  • Skin care; including reduction of visibility of scarring/scar tissue

How do you use jasmine oil?

What are the best ways to apply and enjoy the benefits of jasmine oil/plants? Here are a few:

  • You can inhale the jasmine fragrance through your nose or apply it directly to the skin. Even just a few drops will have a noticeable effect before long. How soothing is it? Some research has referred to the jasmine scent as being “as good as valium at calming the nerves without the side effects.”
  • Don’t worry about combining it with a carrier oil. Use it undiluted for the best results.
  • You can, however combine it with other essential oils, as well as with lotions, coconut oil, and for a variety of other household/personal uses. Try it as a massage oil or in candles/soaps.
  • Combine with other essential oils (e.g., citrus oil, vanilla, lavender, rose, sandalwood, frankincense, and others).
  • Apply a few drops to a washcloth (with or without lavender oil) and toss in the dryer with your clothes. Voila! Your own homemade dryer sheets that will soften your clothes, make them smell great, and boost your mood!

Keep in mind that while jasmine plants/oils can help alleviate depressive/anxiety-driven symptoms, they are no substitute for proper therapy with someone properly trained and licensed to help you with any serious cases of mental disorder. Consult with a mental health professional.

WHAT DO YOU USE FOR ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION ALLEVIATION?? LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW!

Are you struggling with depression and/or anxiety? Both are treatable, and their treatment usually leads to an improved sense of overall wellness and better sleep. If you or someone close to you need to talk to someone about mental health issues that seem overwhelming, we can help. Consider reaching out to our expert team at Solara Mental Health at 844-600-9747.

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Water, Depression, and Anxiety

Can drinking water help my depression and anxiety

Image courtesy of Pixabay.com

Can drinking plenty of water help alleviate depression and anxiety?

Several approaches can be taken to help manage mental health issues like depression, anxiety, and PTSD. Common approaches to managing mental health include: counseling, medications, removing stressors from your life, exercising consistently, getting enough sleep, proper diet, meditation, yoga, etc. The list goes on.

There is one simple remedy that’s been right in front of you all along, that you may not have picked up on yet: Helping your depression and/or anxiety by staying adequately hydrated throughout the day.

Every system in the human body counts on water to function, and the brain is no exception. In fact, about 75 percent of brain tissue is water. Research has linked dehydration to depression and anxiety, because mental health is driven primarily by your brain’s activity. Long story short, dehydration causes brain functioning to slow down and not function properly. It is important to think of water as a nutrient your brain needs.

How dehydration contributes to depression

Depression is a complex mental illness that has many moving parts in the inter-functionalities between your brain and body. Though it would be overly simplistic to say that dehydration is a direct cause for all types of depression, dehydration and depression are causally connected in many ways; in fact, one resulting symptom of chronic dehydration actually turns out to be depression.

Dehydration causes depression in at least three ways:

Dehydration Saps Your Brain’s Energy. Dehydration impedes energy production in your brain. Many of your brain’s functions require this type of energy become inefficient and can even shut down. The resulting mood disorders that result from this type of dysfunction can be categorized with depression.

Social stresses such as anxiety, fear, insecurity, ongoing emotional problems, etc., including depression can be tied to not consuming enough water to the point that your brain’s tissue is affected.

Dehydration impedes your brain’s serotonin production. Depression is frequently related to subpar levels of serotonin, which is a critical neurotransmitter that heavily affects your mood. Serotonin is created from the amino acid tryptophan, but sufficient water is needed.

Dehydration can also negatively impact other amino acids, resulting in feelings of dejection, inadequacy, anxiety, and irritability.

Dehydration increases stress in your body. Stress is one of the most prominent contributing factors to depression, along with a sense of powerlessness and inability to cope with stressors.

Dehydration is the number one cause of stress in your body. In fact, it’s a self-perpetuating cycle: dehydration can cause stress, and stress can cause dehydration. When you’re stressed, your adrenal glands produce extra cortisol, the stress hormone, and under chronic stress, your adrenal glands can become exhausted, and resulting in lower electrolyte levels.

Drinking sufficient water can help reduce the negative psychological and physiological impacts of stress.

Dehydration and anxiety

As with depression, dehydration rarely causes anxiety as a cause by itself, but not drinking adequate water puts you at risk for increased anxiety symptoms now, and possibly the development of higher anxiety levels in the future. In short, dehydration causes stress, and when your body is stressed, you experience depression and anxiety as a result. Therefore, you want to ensure you are properly hydrated daily, especially if you are naturally anxiety-prone.

Water has been shown to have natural calming properties, likely as a result of addressing dehydration’s effects on the body and brain. Drinking enough water is an important step in managing your anxiety. Even if you’re not experiencing anxiety, drinking sufficient water can create feelings of relaxation.

Dehydration and panic attacks

Panic attacks are common results of high anxiety caused by dehydration. Panic attacks typically have physical triggers, and one of those triggers is dehydration. When dehydration occurs, if you’re prone to panic attacks, you can easily begin to panic, even to the point of feeling like you’re dying.

When dehydrated, you expose yourself to many of the symptoms that trigger panic attacks, such as:

  • Increased heart rate
  • Headaches
  • Muscle fatigue and weakness
  • Feeling faint/lightheaded

While keeping yourself hydrated may not stop the panic attacks, they may become less frequent, or at least some of the triggers may be diminished.

How can you tell if you’re dehydrated?

Some dehydration signals are pretty obvious, but not all. Signs of dehydration you may or may not have been aware of include:

  • Increased hunger. Hunger and thirst signals come from the same part of the brain, so it’s no surprise that they might be confused. Hunger, even when you know you’ve eaten enough, probably means you need to drink some water, not eat more.
  • Dryness. Dehydration is reflected in common signs of dryness, including dry, itchy skin, dry mouth, chapped lips, etc.
  • Headache. Lack of water facilitates a shortage of oxygen supply to the brain, resulting in a headache.
  • Fatigue and weak/cramped muscles. Muscle weakness, spasms, cramping, etc., are common signs of dehydration.
  • Bad breath. Bad breath usually means you need some water to refresh yourself. Dehydration induces dry mouth, which means you’re not producing enough saliva to help your mouth fight off odorous bacteria.
  • Rapid heartbeat, rapid/shallow breathing, fever, cloudy thinking. These can be signals of severe dehydration, and you may need to seek medical attention.

How much water should you be drinking every day?

Your ideal daily water intake depends on your gender, stress levels, weight, climate, exercise levels, whether or not you’re sick, etc. But a rule of thumb is 11.5 cups (92 oz.) of water per day for women, and 15.5 cups (124 oz.) for men. If you have a hard time stomaching plain water, try adding a squeeze of lemon or lime juice. Avoid beverages as much as possible that contain sodium, as sodium dehydrates you: soda/diet soda, energy drinks, etc.

You should ramp up your fluid intake accordingly if one or more of the following apply to your situation:

  • Engaging in long, intense workout sessions
  • Illnesses with fever, diarrhea, vomiting
  • Hot or humid climate
  • Pregnant/breastfeeding mothers
  • Chronic health conditions
  • Dieting

You can verify how hydrated you are based on the color of your urine. If you’re adequately hydrated, your urine will be a very clear/pale yellow color. If you’re dehydrated, your urine will be a dark yellow or tan color.  If it’s a dark yellow color and of a thick/syrupy consistency, that means you’re very dehydrated. Drink some water!

Conclusion

Keeping yourself adequately hydrated is not a cure-all for depression or anxiety. You will definitely want to seek the assistance of a mental health professional.

But getting in the habit of drinking enough water daily will definitely help alleviate many of the causes and symptoms of mood volatility. Think of it as a viable part of the foundation of your long-term mental health management plan.

Are you struggling with depression and/or anxiety? Both are treatable, and their treatment usually leads to an improved sense of overall wellness and better sleep. If you or someone close to you need to talk to someone about mental health issues that seem overwhelming, we can help. Consider reaching out to our expert team at Solara Mental Health at 844-600-9747.

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Journaling to Help Depression and Anxiety

Journaling can help depression and anxiety

Image courtesy of Pixabay.com

Can journaling help depression and anxiety? You may have heard others talk about or counsel you to just take up a daily journaling habit to help you organize your thoughts, express gratitude in order to appease depressed feelings, or even just to give you a sense of accomplishment each day.

But you’re skeptical. How can something as simple as writing down your thoughts help you work through mental health issues. We’re going to walk through how it works, why it works, and why you should be journaling to help you “sort things out.” You’ll even get some of what is referred to as “depression journaling/writing prompts,” to help you get started.

What is depression/anxiety journaling?

A conservative estimate of 350 million people throughout the world deal with mental illness, or about 5 percent of the entire world’s population.

In contrast, in the United States, that percentage is significantly higher. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that one in five people in the U.S. struggles with depression, anxiety, PTSD, bipolar disorder, panic attacks, or some other mental affliction, though experts could say with the utmost confidence that the actual number is probably higher, due to underreporting.

How do many people who struggle with mental illness cope? Many of them employ journaling! If you’re not familiar with the practice, you might be wondering “Exactly what is depression journaling?” Depression is a daily (or it can be be-weekly, or even weekly) practice of getting your thoughts, ruminations, feelings down on paper. It can involve gripes, it can involve gratitude. It can be completely random, or more structured and systematic–whatever works best for you.

How journaling helps depression and anxiety

How does depression/anxiety journaling work? Not only can it help calm depressive and anxiety-driven symptoms, it can also help reduce stress, manage anxiety, help you routinely organize, prioritize, sift through exactly what’s bothering you, and it can bring new perspective, insights, and clarity you hadn’t considered.

Let’s take a closer look at how journaling helps.

Take the wheel
Sometimes brooding over things can feel overwhelming, and without any kind of outlet. Writing it all down can bring order to a seeming loss of control, and can make it seem more manageable.

It can make your concerns feel less daunting, and can make you feel more grounded and in control.  Talk about taking more proactive control of your mental health management.

It can help you feel better almost instantly, especially as you form a consistent habit of doing it, and can help you recognize when you’re down in the dumps enough that you need to talk to someone about it rather than keep it bottled in.

Enhanced awareness

 Have you ever thought that perhaps you feel like a stranger to yourself?

Journaling during depression and/or anxiety in real time as it comes to mind pulls your feelings and thoughts out into the light where they can be reviewed and considered. You may even surprise yourself with what surfaces, like realizing that something is making you apprehensive that you never noticed until writing it down.

Something else: Your journal may be very cathartic if you keep it private and to yourself, and it can also be something that you share with your counselor, to help you keep your inner musings documented and organized.  This can help improve the effectiveness of your therapy as your counselor helps you sort out what’s most important in terms of your goals, and helps you progress forward.

Finding patterns

Consistently writing about your conscious thinking and what you notice about what’s going on with you internally can help you keep track of recurring symptoms, and can help you identify those things that trigger your anxiety and depression.

Maybe symptoms spike at a certain time of day, or when you’re stressed at work, or when a certain topic of conversation comes up in your significant relationship. Knowing and recognizing your triggers is at least half the battle when it comes to avoiding them as you move forward.

As you journal, you may also more readily be able to recognize your own personal progress, and can help you gain insights into how you’re perceiving things differently (hopefully for the better!)  Reviewing past entries is almost like having an outsider’s perspective into your own world view. Are you feeling better? Worse? More or less the same?

Journaling can help you recognize when and where you might need more help and perspective, and can also help you find reassurance in the progress you’re making on your own path.

A different perspective

Journaling to beat depression and/or anxiety is a solid way to feed yourself positive self-affirmation.

Writing about the things you’re grateful for (gratitude journaling) and about the things you like about yourself and that you and others see in yourself (affirmation journaling) is a consistently beneficial way to reinforce and enjoy all the positive in your life.

Keeping happy memories at the forefront of your mind by far overpowers all the negative thinking that all too often surfaces, and helps you recondition your mind to always be looking for the positive, rather than relish in the less savory.

Journaling prompts for depression and anxiety

How about some journaling prompts to get you started?

  1. When you look in the mirror, who do you see?
  2. If you could meet and speak to your 8-year-old self, what would you say? Write about mentoring a younger version of yourself.
  3. Summarize for yourself all the lessons you’ve learned about life. Share them with a younger version of yourself (see previous), and offer encouragement to yourself.
  4. What song lyrics, or movie quotes, or poems have served as a guiding light to you and why?
  5. What’s your favorite holiday, and why?
  6. Make 10 promises to yourself and write about them
  7. What is one time when you felt on top of the world? How did you feel about achieving a goal? Give that version of yourself a superhero name, and write all about it for future reference.
  8. What are some pressing questions that have been on your mind recently? Talk yourself through them to some sort of satisfactory answer.
  9. What’s the first thing you think about every morning upon awakening, and what’s the last thing that crosses your mind before you drift off to sleep?
  10. What is causing you pain and anxiety right now? Write about it and see if you can’t find a way to find some comfort and healing.

What prompts can you come up with? How would you like to know yourself better? Write about it!

Some final journaling tips

Journaling is never going to be perfect, and it’s going to take a while to get into the habit of doing it and to start recognizing the positive effects it’s having.

Here are some tips to keep in mind as you adjust to this new way of looking at and documenting your innermost feelings and thoughts and how you process them.

  • Free write without judgment (less editing, more writing)
  • Be consistent (about 20 minutes every day, or at least once a week)
  • Keep your writing notes handy (on your nightstand, in your backpack, in your car, etc.)
  • Get in the habit of always looking for the positive

Does journaling sound like it might interest you? Give it a try! If you are struggling with mental illness or low self-esteem, start organizing your thoughts, however awkward it may feel at first. If you or someone close to you need to talk to someone about mental health issues that seem overwhelming, we can help. Consider reaching out to our expert team at Solara Mental Health at 844-600-9747.

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Millennial Depression is Spiking, According to 2019 “International Journal of Epidemiology” Study

Depression and anxiety are on the rise among teens and millennials

Image courtesy of Pixabay.com

What percentage of millennials has a mental health issue? It may come as no surprise to anyone, but there is an upward trend in the incidence of reported mental-health related issues in the world today.

A February 2019 study published by the International Journal of Epidemiology shows that those from the millennial generation are more prone to depression and self-harming behaviors than they were a decade ago. This comes even in the wake of continuing reported declines in substance abuse rates and anti-social behavioral trends.

For as long as anyone can remember, teenagers and young adults have been considered to be self-centered, emotionally unstable, and irrational. Usually by those older than this age group. Adults have been known to gripe about how millennials are moody and unable to “leave their problems at the door,” and that it’s a problem for the workforce’s (and hence, society’s) stability in the future.

Depression levels among those born between the years 1990 and 2000 have risen up to almost 15 percent, and self-harm rates are up to 14 percent among this group. This is not only a problem for the individuals themselves, but also an increasing public health challenge.

What is causing this upswing? The reasons don’t seem readily clear. As some studies report on observable data, not all are designed to analyze the backstories behind the data. The next step is to figure out the “why” behind the increase.

Theories

The study indicates that obesity rates among this age group nearly doubled in the last 10 years (From less than 4 percent to more than 7 percent), and that that this increase in depression levels might be tied to the weight gain.

It’s also worth noting that 29 percent more of those born around the turn of the century thought they were overweight when compared to those born in the early 1990s.

The obesity concern, coupled with poor sleeping and eating habits, along with negative body image is being looked at as at least one of the source problems.

The interpretation of the data and the framing of it becomes more complicated, especially considering the decreases in youth substance abuse and anti-social behavior, which could understandably be considered to be good things. A better understanding regarding the nature of these dynamics could be very valuable in determining risk factors for mental illnesses, as well as developing effective ways to approach and deal with relevant core problems.

Despite all the good news regarding declining substance abuse and anti-social behavior rates, researchers are seeing that American youth are developing severe mental illnesses at an increasing rate.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) reports that about three million teenagers (aged 12-18) showed at least one major depressive episode in 2015 alone, and that in excess of two million from the same group reported experiencing depression to a degree that interfered with their normal daily activities.

Possibly more unsettling is that these number are likely to continue on the upswing. According to a study published in Time magazine designed to track depression among young adults, the number of reported symptoms of low self-esteem and problems with concentration and sleep rose by 37 percent between 2015 and 2016.

Cases of anxiety have also spiked in the last few years.

  • The Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA), reports anxiety disorders as the most common mental illness in the U.S., affecting just over 18 percent of youth annually.
  • The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) indicates that over six million American teens have some sort of anxiety disorder.

Anxiety has passed depression as the most common reason college students seek mental health consultation. The number of undergraduate college students claiming “overwhelming” levels of anxiety due to school work and college life rose from 50 percent to 62 percent between 2011 and 2016. It would appear that more pressure than ever before is being placed on kids to not just succeed, but to outperform everyone else.

The “Why?”

Though no one seems to be exactly sure what cause to pinpoint as the source of this increase in the levels of millennial mental illness, most camps can agree that it is probably a combination of many different dynamics factors.

Consider that anxiety and depression have recognized biological causes, including many that are not just genetic. For example, researchers have shown that human stomach bacteria may be influencing the functions of regions in the brain, like the prefrontal cortex and the amygdala (both have been causally tied to anxiety and depression).

A significant number of experts agree that environmental and societal changes are having a heavier impact on teens and young adult mental health than genetics or digestive bacteria, however.

Researchers have also blamed technology and social media. Everyone is connected on the internet, and it’s difficult for the youth to not be constantly worried about their digital image and to compare themselves with peers.

Ultimately, we have yet to determine how to address the problem. The increasing demand for mental health help reveals an increasing lack of available public resources to help.

Are you anxious about your lack of sleep? Is your lack of sleep making your depression and/or anxiety worse? Depression and anxiety are both treatable, and their treatment usually leads to a better night’s sleep. If you or someone close to you need to talk to someone about mental health issues that seem overwhelming, we can help. Consider reaching out to our expert team at Solara Mental Health at 844-600-9747.

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A Surefire Remedy for Your Depression: 7 Things to look forward to in 2019

7 things to look forward to in 2019!

Image courtesy of Pixabay.com

Things to look forward to in 2019.  Depression is known to be so emotionally draining in part due to the fact that those who suffer from it feel permanently and chronically “stuck,” with nothing new to look forward to on the horizon. Sound familiar?

The late comedian George Burns once quipped that his secret to feeling young was to “have something to look forward to when he woke up every morning.” If you’ve been dealing with the holiday blues, or if you deal with mental illness issues like anxiety and/or depression regularly, perhaps you’ve been thinking that now that the holidays are over, that it’s January 2019, and that there’s nothing but grey days in store for the next couple of months. But think again.

It’s interesting to hear so many people diss on a year that’s coming to a close, without thinking about all the great things that happened. Think of all the people you know who have grumbled something along the lines of, “Wow, 2018 was terrible. I can’t wait for the new year!”

Remember that it’s always better to be grateful than to be a critic. Here are just a few of the great milestones we saw in 2018:

What’s to Look Forward to?

To help you keep some “big picture” perspective for the new year, from tech, science, movies, social change, the following are some things we can all look forward to in 2019.

  1. The world is (most likely) not going to end. Hey, there’s a break! A few years ago it was predicted that an asteroid was going to pass by the Earth in 2019 with a minor chance of crashing into us (which would have been nothing short of utterly catastrophic). NASA, however, has officially declared that such a collision with earth will not occur and that the asteroid will not fly by as closely as initially predicted. In fact, it will pass by us over 2.5 million miles farther away. Sorry, YouTube conspiracy-mongers.
  2. Five eclipses. Remember the 2017 eclipse that went all across North America? South America and South Asia will now have a turn at amazing eclipse views. July 2, 2019, will show us a complete solar eclipse over southern Chile and Argentina, as well as over parts of the South Pacific. On December 26, the day after Christmas, another total eclipse will head across the Arabian Peninsula and then over areas of South Asia. All in all, the world will enjoy five eclipses in 2019, some solar and some lunar.
  3. 2019 Women’s World Cup. The FIFA Women’s World Cup, will take place in June through July 2019 in France, whose men’s team happened to win the 2018 World Cup. The U.S. Women’s National Team returns as the event’s reigning champions from the 2015 World Cup in Canada. Not a soccer fan, but prefer rugby instead? The Men’s Rugby World Cup is set to happen in Japan in September.
  4. A world printed in 3D. 3D printing hit the stage as just a seemingly nerdy passing fad. 2019 is anticipated to be the year 3D printing really takes off. Think 3D bioprinting for medicine/healthcare, more precise, sophisticated 3D industrial metal printing which has the capacity to revolutionize manufacturing and more user-friendly 3D printing for hobbyists. Xerox is getting into 3D printing, developing a home 3D printer this year.
  5. A $100 million Fortnite gaming tournament. If you’ve never heard of the game called Fortnite, here is a great way to become better acquainted. There is a large Epic Games Fortnite tournament coming in 2019 with a winner’s pot of $100 million. Anyone with a gaming console, lots of attitude, and skills can join in. Qualifying brackets have already begun, but qualifications will go on through the better part of the year before the big tournament begins.
  6. Lots of highly anticipated movies! Get ready for the blockbusters you’ve been waiting for at the theaters, including “Avengers: Endgame,” “Captain Marvel,” “Joker,” “The Lion King,” “Aladdin,” “Dumbo,” “Frozen 2,” and of course, “Star Wars: Episode IX.”
  7. New Star Wars park at Disneyland and Disney World. Speaking of being strong with the Force,both Disney theme parks are opening the highly anticipated new Star Wars-themed areas of their parks in the fall of 2019. “Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge” will include 14 acres of all kinds of exciting activities, rides, and restaurants Star Wars fans of all ages. We’ll get a first in-person glimpse at the Star Wars galaxy’s planet Batuu, along with enough galactic riff-raff to make George Lucas himself proud.

So, there you have just a taste of what there is to be excited about coming your way next year. Which brings us back to George Burns. Another piece of sage advice he left behind for us involves an old saying, “Life begins at 40.” George Burns’ take? “…That’s silly. Life begins every morning you wake up.” Here’s wishing you a great 2019!

Concerned about your own depression and/or anxiety? Both are treatable and manageable. If you or someone close to you need to talk to someone about mental health issues that seem overwhelming, we can help. Consider reaching out to our expert team at Solara Mental Health at 844-600-9747.

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25 Quotes About Depression to Help You Through the Holidays

holiday-depression

Image courtesy of Flickr.com

Depression during the holiday season is a very real thing. Though the holidays are thought of as a time of sharing, family, and celebration, for many individuals, the holidays can be emotionally exhausting.

Contrary to popular belief, the months of November and December sport the lowest suicide rates, and that’s a good thing, though depression may occur at any time of the year. Holiday depression and stress from November through New Year’s can bring back painful memories, reminders of feeling alone, not to mention the rest of the typical holiday rigmarole.

Some noteworthy statistics:

  • 56 percent of those surveyed reported increased stress at work, but only 29 percent experienced greater stress at home.
  • 38 percent said their stress levels inevitably spike during the holiday season, with the main suspects including: shortages of time and money, excessive commercialism, pressures of gift-giving, and the often stress that comes with family get-togethers.
  • Most individuals surveyed spoke of high spirits, love, togetherness, and happiness, though they also complained about fatigue, sadness, irritability, and eating and drinking too much, which causes bloating.

Do you get stressed during the holidays? Does it make your mental illness feel worse? Coping with mental health issues can be difficult enough in its own right, but keeping it all to yourself will only make it more difficult.  

With celebrities like comedian Pete Davidson and musician/actress Lady Gaga appearing in recent news about their open discussions related to their depression and other mental health issues, we hope you’ll enjoy some quotes by some famous (and also some by not-so-famous) individuals. These quotes offer thoughts and insights into facing and talking openly about mental illness to give you some perspective and help you through the holidays.

“You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have the right to be here.” — Max Ehrmann from “Desiderata: A Poem for a Way of Life.”

“Even if we don’t have the power to choose where we come from, we can still choose where we go from there.” — Stephen Chbosky 

“Don’t let your struggle become your identity. Your illness does not define you. Your strength and courage do.” –Unknown

“This feeling will pass. The fear is real but the danger is not.”― Cammie McGovern

“Depression doesn’t take away your talents; it just makes them harder to find. But I always find it. I learned that my sadness never destroyed what was great about me. You just have to go back to that greatness, find that one little light that’s left.” — Lady Gaga

“Sometimes you climb out of bed in the morning and you think, I’m not going to make it, but you laugh inside — remembering all the times you’ve felt that way.”— Charles Bukowski

“Mental health…is not a destination, but a process. It’s about how you drive, not where you’re going.” – Noam Shpancer

“Your value doesn’t decrease based on someone’s inability to see your worth.” –– Unknown

“Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other one thing.” – Abraham Lincoln

“About a third of my cases are suffering from no clinically definable neurosis, but from the senselessness and emptiness of their lives. This can be defined as the general neurosis of our times.” – Carl Jung

“Remember that you were given this life because you’re strong enough to live it.” –– Unknown

“It’s never overreacting to ask for what you want and need.” ― Amy Poehler

“Now that I was famous, I was afraid I would never find somebody again to love me for me. I was afraid of making new friends. Then one day my mom said: ‘Why do you think a person wouldn’t love you? Don’t you know how smart and sweet and beautiful you are?’ That’s when I decided I only have two choices: I can give up, or I can go on.” — Beyoncé

“Self-help gurus are constantly telling us that we can get anything we want through the ‘power of positive thinking.’ This is an unrealistic and potentially damaging message, I think. By contrast, meditation is a doable, realistic, scientifically researched way to get significantly happier, calmer, and nicer.” — Dan Harris

“Normal is a setting on the washing machine.” — Unknown

“I have never been remotely ashamed of having been depressed. Never. What’s to be ashamed of? I went through a really rough time, and I am quite proud that I got out of that.” –
– J.K. Rowling

“I take medication daily and have for many years. I also try to exercise a lot, because there’s some evidence that exercise lessens the symptoms of anxiety, and I try to use the strategies that I’ve learned in cognitive behavioral therapy to cope with my illness. But it’s a chronic illness and it hasn’t, like, gone into remission or anything for me. It’s something I live with, something that I’ve integrated into my life. And we all have to integrate stuff into our lives, whether it’s mental illness or physical disability or whatever. There is hope. There is treatment. You are not alone, and while I know the struggle feels at times completely hopeless and futile, there is a far shore for the vast majority of people, and I wish you the best.” — John Green

“You’re only given a spark of madness and you mustn’t lose it.” — Robin Williams

“Every struggle in your life has shaped you into the person you are today. Be thankful for the hard times, they can only make you stronger.” — Keanu Reeves

“My depression and my ego are two things that I treat equally, just like this, where I go, ‘{gentle parent voice} Oh, here you go, what do you want now? Alright, ok, I’m not gonna give you that, but we’ll do this, how about that? Is that reasonable?” George Saunders said when you deny a fault in yourself you’ve made it ten times more powerful. AND now you have two faults: the fault you had and the lie you’re telling yourself about it.” — Patton Oswalt

“The bravest thing I ever did was continuing my life when I wanted to die.”― Juliette Lewis

There’s no need to be perfect to inspire others. Let people get inspired by how you deal with your imperfections. — Ziad K. Abdelnour

“Fate whispers to the warrior, ‘You can not withstand the storm.’
The warrior whispers back, ‘I am the storm.’ ” — Unknown

“Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day. You shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.”
— Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Normality is a paved road: It’s comfortable to walk, but no flowers grow.” — Vincent van Gogh  

Keep in mind that a “come-and-go” case of the holiday blues is not the same thing as a serious case of depression, which may require help with a certified mental health professional. If you’re having a hard time shaking off the holiday blues come January and February, seek help.

Is your depression turning out to be more than just a case of the “holiday blues?”Depression is treatable and manageable. If you or someone close to you need to talk to someone about behavioral/compulsive addiction or mental health issues that seem overwhelming, we can help. Consider reaching out to our expert team at Solara Mental Health at 844-600-9747.

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Moms and Depression (and 4 Things That Can Help)

mothers-and-depression

Image courtesy of Pixabay.com

Depression can take the wind out of anyone’s sails. And mothers can be particularly prone to it.

It’s been said that the loneliest feeling in the world is being around those you love…and still feeling alone. This is not a statement meant to be overly dramatic. This kind of depression, loneliness, existential dread, call it what you will, is the everyday reality for millions of women in the United States who stay home with their children. “Momming” can be extremely difficult, and can take not only a physical toll but also be exacting both mentally and emotionally.

The worst part of it all is that it instills the desire in many dedicated mothers to run away and abandon those whom they could never live without, and it also instills the acute, unsettling feeling that one of life’s highest callings – motherhood – might slowly be killing them.

Stay-at-home moms suffer more
As it is, one in five women in the U.S. experiences depression at some point in her life.

You might think that career women would by far experience far greater stress and inclination for depression, but the opposite is true.

A 2012 poll shows stay-at-home mothers struggling with negative emotions (i.e., worry, sadness, stress, anger, and depression) by far outnumbering career moms and career women with no children. Perhaps not surprisingly, low-income stay-at-home mothers suffer the most.

Add to that feelings of shame and guilt when mothers experience signs of depression and anxiety. More often than not affected mothers do not treat it like the mental illness or ailment that it is, but rather they fear that others will see it as a sign of  failure or weakness. Many mothers indulge themselves in berating thoughts about themselves, otherwise known as negative self-talk. They promptly tell themselves that they are bad or incompetent mothers and that they will never “add up.”  They will likely be hard on themselves for not “finding the joy” in motherhood that they assume all other women are enjoying.

Why moms are more prone to depression
Depression is usually linked to a sense of hopelessness, of being overwhelmed, and dark feelings of not having any control over one’s own life. Imagine feeling like you have to be “on,” and energetic, and chipper. All. The. Time. Meanwhile, your reward all too often looks like:

  • The never-ending and often excruciating monotony of your day-to-day routine
  • Constant feelings of isolation
  • Little to no recognition for all your efforts
  • Little to no respect
  • No income of your own

In short, lots of work and effort day in and day out, with seemingly little to show for it. Add anxiety (a frequent bedfellow of depression) into the mix, often in the form of having to do everything “perfectly,” and it’s no wonder that the sense of being overwhelmed can be so suffocating for so many mothers.

What “Mom Depression” looks like
Depression attacks and undermines your ability to function from one day to the next. For mothers it may look like pronounced weight gain, fatigue/lack of energy, difficulty concentrating and with carrying on conversations with other adults, disrupted sleep, feelings of worthlessness and insignificance, lack of self-care because of putting everyone else’s needs before yours, and an increasingly unhealthy diet. Loneliness and despair can’t help but set in to stay for a while.

Many mothers, before seeking help, and rather than have a noisy emotional outburst, will go through a process of withdrawal and “emotional implosion.”

What to do

If you’re a mother yourself and any of this sounds familiar for you, start by reminding yourself that you’re not the only mom struggling. Here are a few things you can do in the name of self care:

Get Moving: Exercise!

You might not feel you have time for exercise, amid all the housework, cooking, laundry, taking care of the kids, getting errands done, etc. It is, however important that you carve out some time, even if it’s just 20-30 minutes (or even two to four 10-minute blocks spread out throughout the day) to get your blood flowing. Your mind will be more clear, and your body will feel better. Whether you decide to get up a little earlier, or ask for some help from your spouse or partner to watch the kids, the rewards will be worth the efforts.

Get Out: Sunshine and Fresh Air!

The day might slip by way too quickly, but weather permitting, be sure to get yourself out in the fresh air for a little while every day. You can walk with your kids to the park and let them burn off some energy, or even just walk around your back yard. Just stretch your legs, breathe deeply, and enjoy the sunshine.

Eat Better: A Healthier Diet!

Unhealthy junk food saps you of your energy. Consuming unhealthy food on a consistent basis can leave you feeling chronically awful. Be sure to include some things for yourself on your shopping list next time you’re at the store. You don’t have to be completely gung-ho about cooking a super gourmet meal for yourself three times a day, but you can stock up on yogurt, nuts, carrots, hummus, etc. Maybe you could try out a subscription meal delivery service like Blue Apron and make sure you’re nourishing yourself properly.

Find a friend: Venting!

It would behoove you to befriend other mothers in the same boat as you, either in your neighborhood, via social media, or perhaps in your congregation. Friends can be good sounding boards, and can help you find perspective amidst your own worries. It also feels good to be there for someone else and help them find their own perspective. Your own problems will seem less significant. You might even be able to find a new friend at the gym if you can get away now and then.

These tips will certainly help, but they will not solve your problems, especially if you’re going through a more serious case of depression. When all else fails, be sure to consult with a mental health professional.

Are you a mother struggling with negative feelings including feelings of worthlessness, anxiety, or depression? If you or someone close to you need to talk to a professional about depression and/or anxiety associated with being a parent, or about other mental health issues that seem overwhelming, we can help. Consider reaching out to our expert team at Solara Mental Health at 844-600-9747.

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Depression and Anxiety at Work: What They Are and What to do About Them

depression-and-anxiety-at-work

Image courtesy of Pixabay.com

Career depression is a thing. Work-related anxiety is also very real to those who experience it.

Stress is a normal part of life, and in fact, any long-term “stress free” scenario would end up being counterproductive. What would motivate you to go to work and pay your bills? A base level of stress is normal in everyone’s life. The problem comes when it becomes overwhelming and induces debilitating depression and irrational anxiety (anxiety disorder) for someone.

Stressed at work

It should not come as a shock that most working Americans experience stress at work.

According to a Anxiety Disorders Association of America (ADAA) stress and anxiety disorders survey, the following is worth noting:

Among those surveyed, reported stress and anxiety was culprit to most often impact:

  • Quality of work (50 percent claimed)
  • Performance in the workplace (56 percent… this would be considered “performance anxiety”)
  • Working relationships with coworkers (51 percent)
  • Working relationships with supervisors/bosses (43 percent)
  • Personal life (75 percent: 83 percent men, 72 percent women)
  • Personal relationships with spouse or significant other (70 percent: 79 percent men, and 61 percent women)

Not surprisingly, the dominant “go-to” behavior for coping with work-related depression, stress, and anxiety? For 44 percent of both men and women, it’s to sleep more. Other stress “escapes” include: drinking more alcoholic beverages (20 percent), over-the-counter meds (23 percent), more frequent exercise (25 percent), smoking (27 percent), and more caffeine (31 percent).

Career depression (work-related depression, career disillusion, etc.) and anxiety at work

Have you ever been depressed at work? Had an anxiety attack or panic attack? Felt non-stop anxiety? Had difficulty concentrating on work, or maybe you’ve been exhausted and felt unable to keep up because you’re having trouble sleeping? Have you frequently felt on the verge of tears, or felt overwhelmed or like an “exposed nerve?” Have you ever felt like you just needed to “push yourself” through, and then you’ll feel OK later? Maybe some combination of the previously mentioned scenarios?  .

As we mentioned earlier, some level of stress at work is to be expected. Maybe you’ve upset a client, feel like you have more than your fair share of work, or have a big presentation coming up – Job burnout is very common. But depression and anxiety at work can develop into a serious problem.

To make matters worse, when you feel extremely uneasy, depressed, chronically stressed, or anxiety at work, you might begin to develop additional anxiety about your boss’ assessment of your work, or about your job’s stability.

More on depression and anxiety at work

One defining characteristic of depression and anxiety involves a distinct feeling of helplessness, like you have no control whatsoever over your situation.

You may feel like you need to speak with your boss, supervisor, or HR office, though many people are reluctant to because they don’t want to be viewed as “a problem,” or “incompetent,” or “weak.”

There are definitely some things you can do, some things that are within your control. Consider the following suggestions:

  • Get organized.It may seem like a waste of time when you feel you have so much to do, but tidying your desk and filing things away where you can easily find them later will end up saving you time, help you feel on top of your game, and even divert a catastrophe down the road.
  • Take control. Become acquainted with the symptoms of anxiety/anxiety disorder, and learn how to manage them when you experience them unexpectedly.
  • Manage your time effectively.Thoughtfully set goals, and get in the habit of creating and checking off to-do lists for every day and for every week overall. Learn to prioritize your tasks, and get yourself onto a disciplined schedule.
  • Prepare to plan, plan to prepare.Dive right in to big projects as early on as you can. Get ahead of your work schedule as much as possible. Set intermittent deadlines for yourself. Be proactive about identifying potential problems, and think through how to address them before they happen.
  • Get to work! Easier said than done, but diving in and pushing yourself to excel at work can help take some of the edge off, give you a sense of accomplishment, and improve your confidence and self esteem.
  • Set your own standards of excellence.Focus on the quality of your work so you don’t have to backtrack and redo anything if it can be avoided.
  • Be ambitious, be disciplined, but be gentle with yourself. Be realistic and avoid overcommitting and overextending yourself.
  • Don’t be shy about asking for help. Especially if you feel overwhelmed. You can always return favors later when someone else needs your help.
  • Speak your mind. Communicate, and articulate calmly and diplomatically when you feel overwhelmed. Most managers and supervisors are understanding and will do what they can to help you succeed.
  • Talk to a trusted peer/friend at work.It can be very therapeutic to get your worries and anxieties off your chest with someone you trust. Talking through your doubts, concerns, worries, etc. with someone can also give you some valuable perspective.
  • Avoid difficult coworkers. Does it stress you out thinking about how to deal with difficult people? Avoid negativity, gossip, backbiting, bad attitudes, etc. in the workplace. Just press on.
  • Take occasional breaks. About once an hour, take a breather. Walk around the block, enjoy the day, clear your head, breathe deeply. It will help you get refocused and improve your productivity.
  • Celebrate your successes. Never forget to give yourself credit (as well as to those who may have helped you along the way) when you accomplish something you feel good about, even small things.
  • Take care of yourself. Eat a balanced diet, mind that you get adequate sleep, get your regular exercise in, and as much as possible, avoid caffeine and alcohol. Your mind will remain sharp and limber, and you’ll always be ready to confront the next challenge.

Keep in mind that, no matter how well you think you may be able to manage your stress, anxiety, and depression at work, you may at some point need to call on a professional to help. One way to know you might need to get help is a chronic painful, uneasy feeling (a.k.a., malaise) that you can’t seem to shake no matter what, and that crippling feeling has infiltrated not only the workplace, but all areas of your life.

It doesn’t mean you’ve failed, it just means you’re smart.

Is work leaving you feeling emotionally exhausted, beaten down, overwhelmed, in a panic, or helpless? If you feel you need some guidance to cope with stresses, depression, and/or anxiety at work, consider reaching out to our expert team at Solara Mental Health at 844-600-9747.

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12 Things You Should Know About Anhedonia

anhedonia symptoms treatment

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Anhedonia has received an increasing amount of attention in the past few years. What exactly is it? A working definition of anhedonia would be that it is one of the primary symptoms of major depressive disorder (MDD).

In Greek, anhedonia directly translates to “without pleasure.” Anhedonia is a symptom of other psychiatric illnesses, such as schizophrenia. Note that major depressive disorder/anhedonia are not the same thing as dysthymia, which is also known as a persistent depressive disorder.

Have you ever gone through a phase (perhaps you’re in the middle of one now) when you wake up in the morning without any emotion, opinion, or interest in life? Completely “blah” about everything? Caring about nothing? Emotionally flat?

Typically, when you experience something pleasurable, the “happy chemical” dopamine rushes through your brain’s reward mechanism. Some research indicates that anhedonic conditions might be caused by lower activity in a region of your brain called the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC).

Anhedonia inflicts a loss of interest in activities and hobbies that you once found pleasurable, such as eating, socializing, touching, friendships, relationships, music, events, conversations, and even sex. It’s as if the brain’s pleasure/satisfaction center shorts out or shuts down completely.

This inability to experience pleasure (or to maintain a good mood for very long) can severely impact the quality of your life.

Anhedonia symptoms and signs

How does anhedonia manifest? Following are some common symptoms/signs to be aware of:

  • Despondent and with feelings of sadness and hopelessness
  • Inconsolable, and non-respondent when comfort is offered
  • Practically impossible to smile or laugh at anything; mirthless
  • Unexplained paranoia, dread, fear, social/emotional withdrawal, and/or irritability
  • Frequently sick, with the flu, colds, etc.
  • Increased difficulty adjusting in social situations; intently observant of others, but without engaging socially, almost as if not present in the room
  • Severe difficulty following a conversation; lack of interest in listening
  • Refusal to seek support or assistance
  • Negative feelings about self and others
  • Significantly reduced emotional abilities, including difficulty articulating thoughts and feelings
  • Difficulty pinpointing exactly what you feel, if anything at all
  • “Going through the motions,” with a tendency to act out emotions, because that is “how you’re supposed to feel”
  • Decreased sex drive, and lack of interest in physical intimacy
  • Suicidal ideation, fixation with death

Anhedonia risk factors

Risk factors for anhedonia include a family history of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or major depression. Females are at a heightened risk of suffering from anhedonia.

Other risk factors include eating disorders, a history of abuse and/or neglect, recent trauma and/or heightened stress, major illnesses, etc.

12 things you may not have known about anhedonia:

  • There are two types of anhedonia: Social Anhedonia and Physical Anhedonia. Social anhedonia is manifest by an overall disinterest in social situations and engagement. Physical anhedonia is a pronounced inability to feel pleasure from everyday activities.
  • Depression may reduce the brain’s hedonic (pleasure) capacity, but studies have led some researchers to formulate another theory: that anhedonia is not caused by an inability to feel pleasure so much as it is caused by difficulty sustaining positive feelings consistently.
  • Some people who suffer from anhedonia don’t have any mental illness at all.
  • Aside from MDD and schizophrenia, anhedonia can result from other conditions/illnesses such as Parkinson’s disease, psychosis, anorexia nervosa, and substance abuse-related disorders.
  • Anhedonia may have a role in sparking a desire to take part in risky behaviors, such as bungee jumping or skydiving.
  • One of the reasons that anhedonia has received increased attention is the fact that it has come to be known as a good predictor of whether someone with depression will respond to treatment. Popular anti-depressants typically don’t work as well for people who have depression with anhedonia than for those with depression, without anhedonia. Research continues to demonstrate that common treatments for depression don’t help alleviate anhedonia and may even exacerbate the problem by inflicting sexual anhedonia, anorgasmia (the inability to orgasm), and what’s known as emotional “blunting” (feeling an utter lack of any kind of emotion).
  • Some evidence indicates that an anhedonic state can increase the risk of suicidal tendencies.
  • Some research shows that many individuals with anhedonia can experience pleasure along with the best of them. The problem is that there is something “off” in regard to the dynamics between motivation, anticipation, and reward.
  • Anhedonia may also sap your energy significantly.
  • Currently, there are no treatments specifically to treat anhedonia. It is usually treated in tandem with depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, etc.
  • Anhedonia may bring about thought disorder (TD) or formal thought disorder (FTD) which shows up as disorganized thinking and disorganized speech. Thought distortion includes such issues as: poverty of speech, tangentiality (tendency to speak about topics unrelated to the main topic of discussion), derailment (conversational narrative consisting of a sequence of unrelated or only remotely related ideas), illogicality (drawing conclusions that do not follow from the premises), perseveration (repetition of a particular response (such as a word, phrase, or gesture), and “thought blocking” (ceasing to speak suddenly and without explanation mid-sentence).
  • Anhedonia can cause emotional detachment, which can mean a couple of different things. It can mean an inability to connect with others on an emotional level, and it can also refer to a means of coping with anxiety by avoiding trigger situations (also known as dissociation, or “emotional numbing”).

As mentioned, anhedonia can bring about suicidal thoughts and intents and can be very dangerous. If you suspect that you or someone you love is experiencing anhedonia, contact your primary care physician or a mental health professional as soon as possible. Anhedonia tends to dissipate when depression is being managed properly.

Are you going through a phase experiencing anhedonia? It is very treatable and manageable. If you or someone close to you need to talk to someone about mental health issues that seem overwhelming, we can help. Consider reaching out to our expert team at Solara Mental Health at 844-600-9747.

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Diet And Depression

diet and depression

Image courtesy of U.S. Air Force

Diet and depression (mental illness, in general) are more closely related than you might have thought. If you’ve ever wondered why your mental health clinician is asking if you’ve tried the Mediterranean diet, this article may help you understand why.

Anyone can feel blue from time to time. Bad news happens, and it does so often. Bad news may come in the form of relationship problems, breakups, job loss, health problems, loss of loved ones or pets, etc. How long it takes to bounce back from a case of “the blues” varies from individual to individual, but if the blueness and sadness come to stay for an extended period of time, it’s time to look at some other factors.

How long has the depression/sadness lasted? Days? Months? Years? The amount of time the depression has lasted is significant when it comes to appropriate management, diagnosis, and treatment.

Brace Yourself: The Holidays Are Coming

Here’s something you may have never considered: The holidays are on their way. Are you prone to sink into a depressive funk during “the most wonderful time of the year?” What are you eating? If you’re like many people, you probably go on an annual diet healthy with sugary treats. Yes, they are delicious, but most of these treats, are devoid of many significant nutrients that can improve your mood, and help to manage depression effectively.

Most people are not sure whether or not unhealthy food can lead to depression or if it’s the other way around. To help you better with understanding nutrition and its impact on your mental health, know that what we consume every day affects our health in general. To take the nutrition topic a bit further, nutritional psychiatrists will tell you that there is a definitive link between food, mental health, and mental status, particularly when clinical depression is involved.

What’s the Deal with Depression?

Depression seems like one of those things that, even if you can’t clearly define it, you know it when you see it (or feel it, in this case). What is it, exactly?

Depression is a mental illness driven by consistently negative thinking and behavior. It is also a problem all around the world, not just in the West. Mental illness can interfere with an individual’s capacity to undergo routine, daily activities, and to interact effectively with others. Studies show that feelings of being worthless and hopeless associated with mental illness are directly tied to suicide rates.

Depression, in particular, can become so debilitating that it impedes quality of life, and can be the catalyst for substance abuse, as well as for subpar work and school performance.

  • The National Institute of Mental Health indicates that one in four adults and one in ten children cope with mental illness in the United States.
  • In the U.S., suicide takes about 40,000 lives annually, ranking as the 10thleading cause of death.
  • The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that mental illness is the cause behind 40% of all disabilities worldwide.
  • By 2020, the major depressive disorder will dominate as the leading cause of disability for women and children around the world.

Trust Your Gut

Microorganisms produce countless neurochemicals (brain chemicals). These neurochemicals, generated by your stomach bacteria, have a significant impact on your mood and other neurologic functions. What you eat affects your mood, so be sure to consume plenty of foods that enhance your digestive health, such as Lactobaccilli (from the lactic acid bacteria group) and Bifidobacteria (some bifidobacteria are used as probiotics).

Speaking of mood, keep in mind that aspartame (used to sweeten diet beverages) is a toxicant that has been directly linked to depression. Aspartame breaks down into smaller molecules that deplete serotonin levels (the “feel good” hormone). Serotonin is a critical neurochemical “messenger” that regulates your appetite and mood.

Foods that Fight Depression

Your newest homework assignment is to start paying better attention to what you consume. Stick with foods that promote healthy sleep, foster a sense of wellness, and, well, that help boost your mood.

There are countless healthy foods that can function as natural antidepressants. As mentioned above, serotonin is a hormone that can have a significant impact on your health and mood. Foods such as chickpeas and turkey are rich in tryptophan which promotes serotonin production.

You should also consume:

  • Foods with Vitamin B12 and folate, to help prevent mood disorders and dementia (e.g., beetroot, lentils, almonds, spinach, chicken, fish (for B12), and liver (for folate))
  • Foods high in Vitamin D will help against mood disorders (e.g., sunlight, juices, bread, milk, breakfast cereal, high-quality supplements)
  • Foods with selenium to fight depression (e.g., cod, walnuts, poultry, Brazil nuts)
  • Don’t forget your Omega-3 fatty acids, critical for cognitive and behavioral function. Omega-3 fat deficiencies can pave the way for a number of health problems, including depression and mood swings (e.g., cod, salmon, haddock, halibut, nut oils, algae, high-quality supplements)
  • Dark chocolate! Dark chocolate can bolster your mood by increasing endorphins in the brain to promote a sense of overall health and well-being.

In addition to eating healthy and drinking plenty of water every day, you should also undertake regular physical activity/exercise. Exercise will boost your metabolism, soothe tension and anxiety, and enhance your overall mood.

Avoid these Foods

By now, you may be starting to figure out that while some foods are good for you and your mental health, others are … not so good.

To help keep your mood on the up and up, stay away from the following:

High-calorie/low nutrient foods. Processed, refined sugars will give you a short-lived, high-energy boost. Sweets raise the levels of sugar in your blood, increase your capacity for fat storage, and set you up for a jolt-now-crash-and-burn-later dynamic. Energy levels are best maintained when your blood sugar level as consistently as low as possible.

Caffeine. Not just diet beverages, but caffeinated beverages also are known to be serotonin killers. Caffeine puts you at a higher risk for disrupted sleep, depression, and anxiety. Go easy on your consumption of coffee, tea, and even hot cocoa, and get into the habit of drinking them without any sweeteners.

Alcohol. Imbibing the occasional drink is good (and can even be physiologically healthy for you), but you should carefully limit your intake of alcohol. Heavy alcohol consumption depletes serotonin levels and can lead to panic attacks, anxiety, and depression.

Diet and exercise alone are likely not enough for you to effectively manage a case of clinical depression, so be sure to consult with a mental health professional for lasting bouts of depression.

Do you deal with ongoing depressive moods and feelings of hopelessness? You’re not alone. You can treat and manage mental health disorders, and learn to live a healthy, productive life. But you need to take the first step. If you or someone close to you need to talk to someone about mental health issues that seem overwhelming, we can help. Reach out to our expert team at Solara Mental Health at 844-600-9747.

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5 Things You Should Know About Psychotic Depression

psychotic depression symptoms and treatment

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Psychotic depression (also known as major depression with psychotic features) is a very serious form of disorder characterized by delusional thinking affected by mood swings and observable changes in cerebral tissue. It is estimated that 10 to 15 percent of people with severe depression will eventually develop symptoms of psychosis. It is considered to be underdiagnosed and undertreated, though scientific knowledge and awareness regarding this form of depression have been on the rise in recent years due to advances in research.

Psychotic depression is defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)-V as a subclassification of major depressive disorder. One key optic the disorder exhibits is a combination of depressed mood with psychosis, typically in the form of persistent and morbid hallucinations or delusions.

Psychosis: the Lowdown

What is psychosis? Psychosis can occur in the form of an episode or a condition in which an individual cannot clearly distinguish between what is real and what is imagined.

A “psychotic break” occurs when an individual experiences an episode of acute psychosis after a significant symptom-free period, though more typically for the very first time. This psychotic break may or may not be related to depression. Similarly, a psychotic disorder, or delusional disorder, can occur independently of or in relation to a depressive disorder.

Psychotic, or psychosis, symptoms typically develop after the patient has had several bouts of severe depression without psychosis. Once psychotic symptoms have manifested themselves, they tend to reappear with each future depressive episode.

Anyone who has been diagnosed with major depressive disorder should become educated in psychotic depression to better understand what they might need to be on the watch for. Here are five things to be aware of.

  1. Misdiagnosis of psychotic depression is often a result of clinicians’ lack of recognition of pertinent psychotic symptoms, according to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). Close to one-third of observed misdiagnoses in one study most commonly misdiagnosed psychotic depression as major depressive disorder without psychotic features. Other misdiagnoses included depression not otherwise specified (NOS), or mood disorder Surprisingly, none of the misdiagnosed individuals were considered to have any psychotic disorder whatsoever. This appears to suggest that the diagnosing mental health professionals were completely missing the psychosis rather than the mood disorder.
  2. Major depressive disorder (including psychotic depression) and dysthymia (persistent depression) can “play off” of one another to create what is known as “double depression.” When dysthymia is present, a major depressive or depression-related psychotic episode can end, but an individual will revert to his or her normal, chronic level of persistent depression. Without proper treatment for double depression, the individual is likely going to continue relapsing into double depression.
  3. Psychotic depression and bipolar disorder have shown signs of being interrelated. A family history of bipolar disorder has been shown to be a risk factor for psychotic depression but not for non-psychotic depression. Research has indicated that individuals with psychotic depression (particularly those diagnosed at an early age), may have a higher risk than non-psychotic depressed individuals of later developing bipolar disorder. Those related to individuals with psychotic depression are also at higher risk of developing bipolar disorder than relatives of those with nonpsychotic depression.
  4. Hallucinations vs. Delusions. Hallucinations are more typically visual or auditory, though they may also be olfactory (smell) or tactile (touch). Delusions may or may not be tied in with an individual’s depressive mood (mood-congruent delusions vs. mood-incongruent delusions). Mood-congruent delusions might involve overwhelming feelings of inferiority, illness, severe guilt, or deserving of punishment. Mood-incongruent delusions might involve heightened, artificial feelings of grandeur, despite a depressive mood (you may have heard the term “delusions of grandeur”). About half of those coping with psychotic depression experience more than one kind of delusion, usually without any hallucinations.
  5. It is common among those with psychotic depression to also experience severe anhedonia, or the inability to take pleasure in activities that are commonly considered to be pleasurable. Social anhedonia is a pronounced lack of interest in social contact, and decreased pleasure in social situations. Physical anhedonia is an inability to feel sensory pleasures in regard to eating, touching, or sex. Psychomotor retardation (a slowing down of cognitive processes and significantly slowed physical movements) is another common symptom of psychotic depression.

Needless to say, psychotic depression can be dangerous to someone. If you suspect that you or someone you love might be having a psychotic episode, or worse, might become suicidal or exercise poor judgment that could end up being dangerous for anyone, get help as quickly as possible. If you are protecting a loved one, avoid a confrontation and secretly hide car keys, guns, alcohol, and any drugs, prescription or illegal, that could possibly result in an overdose. If a situation becomes urgent, you may need to call 911 and request a “mental health check.”

Are you or someone you know dealing with hallucinatory experiences in addition to depressive symptoms? It doesn’t have to get into crisis mode before professional help is sought. Arrange a visit to talk to someone about mental health issues that seem overwhelming. Consider reaching out to our expert team at Solara Mental Health at 844-600-9747.

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Depression and Anxiety: Diseases or Symptoms?

depression and anxiety symptoms

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Depression and anxiety. Are they diseases in and of themselves as they are popularly regarded, or are they disorders? What if they, in and of themselves, are merely emotional symptoms (indicators) of deeper, underlying issues? It’s worth noting that most people with some degree of depression also suffer from an anxiety disorder.

First, no one who deals with depression, anxiety, or any other mental illness should ever be made to feel that what he or she is experiencing is “all in [your] head.” Mental illness and its effects are all too (painfully) real for those experiencing them, and professional treatment can become a very real need.

But it matters how you frame mental illness. It can mean the difference between someone’s mindlessly and passively undergoing treatment and merely following a clinician’s “marching orders,” and that same individual’s taking a proactive and conscientious approach to acknowledging mental illness for what it is and confronting it effectively.

Now…

It will likely not come as a surprise to you, but diseases, by definition, are evidence of some abnormal condition that negatively affects the structure or function of the human body, not due to any external injury. Diseases may, however, be caused by other external factors such as pathogens or internal dysfunction. Empirical data can be gathered and analyzed (via a testing or imaging method of some sort), and the problem can be reliably identified. Sure, your brain is also an organ, but a very complex one, about which there still remain mysteries and unknowns. There is no definitively reliable “depression test” or “anxiety test” from which a clear diagnosis can be reviewed and addressed directly.

In the case of mental illness, depression, anxiety, and other symptoms can be described to a clinician, who then draws upon his or her knowledge, experience, and expertise in order to help the individual identify, manage, process, work through, and minimize said symptoms. Medication and psychotherapy are common components of a treatment program.

That’s not to say that mental health professionals are just guessing, but rather to recognize that clinical approaches to address mental illness are far from being a perfect science.

Here’s the thing…

It is one of life’s unavoidable givens that sometimes everyone gets sad, gets nervous, becomes troubled or anxious, etc. Many of us may even grapple with varying degrees of psychosis from time to time.

Becoming clinically depressed or suffering from chronic anxiety is more severe, and potentially debilitating, versions of normal, everyday emotional responses to life’s routine bumps and bruises. But it becomes confusing when the emotions associated with depression and anxiety cloud the true underlying problems at play. In other words, the emotions (emotional responses) are not the same thing as the actual problem.

Depression symptoms and anxiety symptoms are signals that you are not processing something effectively, or that some need of yours isn’t being met. It is critical to your healthy sense of self that you feel loved and important by the most important people in your life. And it is important for your overall well-being that you have respect and compassion for yourself.

Imagine feeling unfulfilled in your relationships with friends or family, or perhaps you may be temporarily at odds with someone important in your life. You may feel unfulfilled or lacking in your intimate relationships/involvements. You may feel like your life has little purpose or meaning, or that you don’t matter, or that you have nothing to contribute and add value to society. Perhaps you feel guilt or shame for something you have done or may continue to do. This may lead to feelings of worthlessness, and/or hopelessness, to dismal self-esteem, and even to substance abuse/dependence. And hence, feelings of depression and anxiety.

But the feelings themselves aren’t the problem, though they can feel as excruciating as physical pain. Your unfulfilled needs are the problem.

Note that feelings of depression and anxiety can lead to your further isolation and avoidance from others, and from effectively addressing the causes of your painful feelings – which can lead to more depressive and anxious feelings, reinforcing the already existing source of your crippling feelings.

Here is why this differentiation matters…

This may seem self-evident, but consider this: imagine how different an approach you would take to addressing your mental illness if you thought of it in terms of “I deal with a mental illness/disorder” as compared to “I am mentally ill.” This valuable shift in perspective can be enlightening and is a coping mechanism/skill known as “reframing.” Reframing can help you feel better more quickly, more in control of your situation, and can lessen the duration of you feeling hurt or confused.

So the trick is…

There are no “silver bullets” or magical methods to help you cope with depression and anxiety. But know that the better coping and management skills you can learn with the help of your mental health clinician, psychotherapy, and possibly medication, the more clearly you’ll be able to recognize underlying problems that are resulting in depressive/anxious emotions, and the better you’ll be able to nip them in the bud.

This may seem overly simplistic, but remember, through appropriate treatment, you can learn to recognize depression and anxiety for what they truly are: symptoms of problems rather than problems in and of themselves. It can make all the difference in your recovery.

Do you deal with depression and/or anxiety? You are not alone and we want you to know that you can pursue a happy, productive life even if you deal with mental health challenges. Mental illness is treatable and manageable. If you or someone close to you need to talk to someone about mental health issues that seem overwhelming, we can help. Consider reaching out to our expert team at Solara Mental Health at 844-600-9747.

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Am I Bipolar? Top Indicators of Bipolar II Disorder (2nd Article in a Series of Two)

 

Bipolar II Disorder

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Bipolar II Disorder symptoms are very similar to Bipolar I Disorder. A bipolar disorder treatment program requires an accurate diagnosis in order to be effective. Bipolar disorder is a frequently misunderstood diagnosis.

In a previous article we discussed some of the top indicators of Bipolar I Disorder. In this article we will discuss some of the top indicators of Bipolar II Disorder.

All types of bipolar disorder (cyclothymic disorder (or cyclothymia) and other specified and unspecified bipolar and related disorders are other, less common types of bipolarity) are distinctly marked by episodes of extreme highs (mania, or manic episodes) and extreme lows (depressive episodes).

Depressive episodes are very much alike with both Bipolar I and Bipolar II disorders, and there are few surprises in this regard. The primary difference between the two types of disorder is found in the extremity of the manic episodes that are the result of each. The mania is significantly greater with Bipolar I, while Bipolar II exhibits a condition known as “hypomania,” which is essentially a much lesser degree of mania. What does that mean? Manic behaviors are typically more severe, and are considered to be “out of character,” or even dangerous for the manic individual. Hypomanic behaviors might seem “out of character” for the individual, but would not necessarily be considered “abnormal.”

Bipolar I Disorder

To be properly diagnosed with Bipolar I Disorder, you need to have experienced at least one manic episode (so severe that hospital care was required), preceded or followed by a depressive episode.

Manic episode symptoms are generally so intrusive and poignant that there is little room for doubt that something is “off.” Such episodes are typically characterized by recognizable bipolar disorder symptoms such as:

  • state of euphoria (unexplainable happiness, elation)
  • disturbed sleep
  • restlessness
  • high energy levels
  • compulsively “explosive” temper, argumentative, and confrontational
  • disturbed concentration
  • risky behaviors (including promiscuity, substance abuse, excessive gambling, compulsive shopping, etc.)

 

Bipolar II Disorder

Bipolar II is commonly misdiagnosed as depression. Granted, it often involves major depressive episodes lasting at least two weeks, as well as at least one hypomanic episode. Note that Bipolar II mania is usually not severe enough to require hospitalization.

When the mania that would indicate bipolarity is dormant, the focus naturally falls on the individual’s depressive symptoms.

Bipolar Disorder Causes

We still don’t know exactly what the root cause of bipolar disorder is. Popular beliefs include: abnormal cerebral characteristics (physical), an imbalance in cerebral chemicals, and certain genetic characteristics.

Like other medical conditions, bipolarity is often passed along through families. Those with parents or siblings who have bipolar disorder run a greater risk of developing it themselves. The genetic source of bipolar disorder also continues to be a mystery.

It’s commonly acknowledged that substance abuse, acute stress, and/or emotionally traumatic episodes may trigger bipolarity. Such triggers include childhood abuse, the loss of a loved one, PTSD, etc.

Bipolar Disorder Treatment

Bipolar disorders are usually treated with a combination of medications and psychotherapy. You should discuss side effects and interaction effects of any medications prescribed by your mental health professional with him or her.

Mood stabilizers are generally the first go-to pharmaceutical for treatment, and these can be taken for an extended duration. Lithium has been a widely used mood stabilizer for several years. Though it does have several potential side effects, including decreased thyroid functioning, indigestion, and joint pain. An antipsychotic medication (sometimes more than one) can be carefully selected and prescribed in an appropriate dosage by your health care professional to treat manic episodes.

Regarding psychotherapy, often talking about your experiences openly and honestly with someone you trust can give you valuable insights into your mental illness, as can journaling. Pay attention to your moods, sleeping and eating patterns, and significant life events to help you and your mental health professional understand how the medications and psychotherapy are working. If overall symptoms don’t show an improvement or decline, your doctor may suggest changing up your medications, or may try a different psychotherapeutic approach.

Moving Forward

There is no cure for bipolar disorder, at least not yet. Proper treatment and support from your family and friends will help you manage your symptoms and quality of life. Be sure to keep your family and friends in the loop regarding your treatment, and follow your mental healthcare professional’s directions in regard to medications and lifestyle choices, including:

  • Diet
  • Sleep
  • Alcohol and/or drug use
  • Stress management

Learn as much as you can about bipolar disorder, as the more you know about your condition, the more in control you will feel as you manage your mental illness. You may gain insights to help you repair damaged or strained relationships. Helping those in your life better understand your condition can help them be more understanding regarding past hurtful interactions.

Always remember that this is a manageable condition, and that you are not alone. Talk to your mental health professional or contact local hospitals about local resources and support groups.

Are you concerned about the possibility that you or a loved one may have bipolar disorder? Don’t fret! It’s treatable and manageable! If you or someone close to you need to talk to someone about mental health issues that seem overwhelming, we can help. Consider reaching out to our expert team at Solara Mental Health at 844-600-9747.

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Am I Bipolar? Top Indicators of Bipolar I Disorder (1st Article in a Series of 2)

Bipolar Disorder Test

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“Do I have bipolar disorder?” is a reasonable question you may have asked yourself. You may have undergone a test to see if you have the disorder, or received a bipolar disorder diagnosis. This article is the first in a series of two.

Bipolar disorder, previously known as manic depression, is a complex, lifelong mental health disorder that exhibits severe mood swings ranging from emotional highs (mania or hypomania) to lows (depression). Have you ever had concerns that you are bipolar?

You may have experienced euphoria, felt full of life and energy, or experienced moments of extreme irritability. Another week you may have found yourself feeling depressed, sad, hopeless, and without any interest in activities that have brought you pleasure or enjoyment in the past. Such extreme mood swings can sabotage your sleep cycles, energy levels, judgment, concentration, and adversely affect your ability to think clearly. They may have even driven you to feel suicidal.

Your episodic mood swings may occur only sometimes or multiple times every year. Between episodes you may experience some emotional symptoms, or perhaps none at all. Regardless, the disorder is a factor that makes your life seem difficult, if not unmanageable.

The root cause of bipolar disorder remains a mystery to mental health professionals, though several factors are involved, such as biological differences (physical changes in the brain),  and/or genetics (bipolar disorder is more common in people who have a first-degree relative, like a sibling or parent, with the disorder). Researchers are still working to find genes that may be directly involved in causing the condition.

There are several types of bipolar disorders and related conditions, including bipolar I disorder, bipolar II disorder, cyclothymic disorder, to name a few. This post will focus primarily on symptoms of bipolar I disorder.

Bipolar I disorder means you’ve had at least one intense manic episode, resulting in uncharacteristic behavior, possibly before or after either a less severe hypomanic episode or a severe depressive episode. It has a distinct diagnosis from bipolar II disorder. The mania may have sparked an episodic break from reality, otherwise known as a psychotic episode, which may require hospitalization. Manic episodes experienced with bipolar I disorder can be severe and dangerous. Problems with work, school, and relationships are likely.

Manic episodes resulting from bipolar I disorder are characterized not only by a euphoric or irritable mood, but by three or more of the following symptoms:

  • Hyperactive thinking, inability to focus on immediate tasks
  • Loud and fast, uninterruptable speech
  • A significant boost in energy, including hyperactivity and feeling a need for less sleep
  • Delusional, aggrandized self-image
  • Excessive spending and/or travel
  • Impulsive behavior, an obsession with “living dangerously”
  • An overwhelming “devil-may-care” attitude
  • Brazen promiscuity
  • Substance abuse
  • Psychosis

A depressive episode is likely to follow your manic phase, not necessarily immediately, and possibly lasting days, weeks, or months.

Having bipolar disorder is not the end of the world. Though there is no cure for the condition, you can learn to manage your mood swings and other symptoms with the guidance of a mental health professional and a treatment plan. For most cases, bipolar disorder is treated with medications and counseling.

If you or someone you know is experiencing suicidal thoughts and impulses, or the compulsion to hurt self or someone else, call a doctor immediately.

Are you concerned about the possibility that you or a loved one may have bipolar disorder? Don’t fret! It’s treatable and manageable! If you or someone close to you need to talk to someone about mental health issues that seem overwhelming, we can help. Consider reaching out to our expert team at Solara Mental Health at 844-600-9747.

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Complicated Bereavement or Major Depression?

Complicated bereavement vs depression

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It can be difficult, even for a seasoned professional clinician, to tell the difference between depression and complicated bereavement.

Let’s consider comparing complicated bereavement vs. depression, or major depression. A layperson’s definition of depression involves what has become a “buzz word” of sorts. We’ve come to use the term to describe everything from having the normal, occasional bout of sadness (or the “blues”) all the way to up to very serious mental illnesses, including what has been referred to as major, or clinical depression.

It is important for professionals not to overdiagnose the everyday blues, but it is at least equally important not to overlook major depression when it exists. More serious mental illnesses (as opposed to a simpler case of the blues) involve a spectrum range of severity, duration, symptoms, and clinically significant distress/impairment. For example, to be considered a clinical condition, symptoms need to have existed consistently every day for at least two weeks.

Occasional sadness is a normal part of life, and it comes and goes, as does grief and mourning, which typically involve the loss of a loved one. Complicated bereavement disorder (also known as complicated grief) however, involves a severe case of mourning a loss, which can incur a debilitating mental health condition that only gets worse over time, rather than improving.

The grieving process is natural, but unpredictable. “Normal” grievers tend to vacillate between shock, denial, depression, back to shock again, and so on. Ultimately, they are able to resolve their emotional roller coaster and come to an acceptance of the loss.

Complicated grievers, however, go through the stages of grief, without reaching any sort of resolution or acceptance. Their grief for the loss of the loved one is exacerbated by feelings of hopelessness for the future, waves of painful emotion, and intrusive thoughts and memories of the deceased that retard their ability to work through the grief naturally.

Factors such as a pre-existing mental health condition, substance abuse issues, and/or an overwhelming number of stressors, can complicate the normal grieving process,  increasing the probability of the grief becoming a case of complicated bereavement that may call for professional clinical intervention.

If you, or a friend or loved one seems to be suffering from either major depression or complicated bereavement disorder, the last thing you’ll want to do to yourself or to him or her is go into drill sergeant mode and tell yourself or the individual to “snap out of it.” Let yourself, or him or her feel, experience, and process whatever may be necessary. Listen and be supportive. Impeding the recovery process in any way will only delay the resolution. Grief and depressive feelings need to be fully processed and dealt with, and this will take time.

A professional diagnosis, by a professional who can put the right treatment plan into motion is important. The DSM-5 (American Psychiatric. Association, 2013) includes a diagnostic codes to assist with the most accurate diagnosis possible.

It’s worth noting that both major depression and complicated grief can be exacerbated by additional depressive symptoms, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and/or substance abuse problems.   The sooner the condition can be properly diagnosed, the better, before the condition continues worsening.

A feasible combination of professional skill, therapy, counseling, and medication can help you or your loved one deal with depressive symptoms or with complicated bereavement to help with a coming to terms with the loss. Eventually, the therapeutic process can help get to a place of being engaged normally in relationships, feel hope for the future again, and back to enjoying life.

Do you suspect that you, a good friend, or a family member may be suffering from clinical depression or complicated bereavement following a loss? If you or someone you love need to talk to someone about managing a mental illness or feelings of being overwhelmed, we want to help. Consider reaching out to our expert team at Solara Mental Health at 844-600-9747.

 

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Five Things You Can Do When You Can’t Get Out of Bed

Get yourself out of bed

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Has “I-can’t-get-out-of-bed-in-the-morning” depression ever gotten you down? How do you get out of bed when you’re depressed? You can get yourself out of bed in the morning!

Emotions can be draining, no doubt, leaving you with that “mentally exhausted” feeling. Your brain, out of pure self-preservation, will shut down when it can’t take in any more stimuli. It becomes easier and easier for those who live with depression, anxiety, or obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) to find themselves with low emotional energy and to “hide” from life by staying in bed (after all, it’s easier than getting up and facing the day). Even the simplest of tasks (showering, exercising, making breakfast, etc.) seem overwhelming. Your brain may start to invent psychosomatic symptoms of a cold or the flu to make it easier to justify staying in bed.

Feeling emotionally and mentally exhausted all the time saps the joy out of life, and makes it difficult for someone to engage in day-to-day life. Little by little you might find yourself losing interest in activities that you otherwise might enjoy, and a sense of hopelessness, along with helplessness may start haunting your thoughts. All of a sudden, a little more sleep sounds like just what you need, right?

It might take some reprogramming to find your motivation again, but once you’re back in the swing of a familiar active routine, you can ride that momentum forward.

Here are some tips to help get you up and at ‘em…

Take a Bite Out of the Elephant. How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time, of course. When you wake up dreading a task that feels like “too much,” break it up into a series of smaller tasks that you can knock off your list quickly (e.g., instead of cleaning the ENTIRE garage on Saturday, spend 30-45 minutes cleaning and organizing it over the course of the next few Saturdays; instead of cleaning the entire house all at once, make a goal to clean the kitchen in the morning, then the TV room in the afternoon. Then take the rest of the house on a little bit at a time over the next few days).

 Make Your Bed, Brush Your Teeth. Admiral William McRaven, author of “Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life… And Maybe The World,” discusses how making your bed every morning only takes a few minutes, yet it can have a positive impact on your sense of well-being and attitude for the rest of the day. Completing your morning hygiene routine, as though you were getting ready to leave for work, will signal your brain that sleepytime is over and that it’s time to get going. Shower, brush your teeth, and dress for the day like you’re serious about taking it on (ladies, do your hair and makeup). Start your day off with a sense of accomplishment. Once your bed is made, and you’re ready to spring out the door, you’re not likely to climb back under the covers. Your room will immediately feel tidier, your day suddenly feels less exhausting, you’re dressed and ready to go, and you feel great. Congratulations! You’ve nudged yourself out of your comfort zone and out into the world.

 Small goals. You can not only break down immediate daily tasks into smaller ones, but you can also do the same with longer-term goals. Start with small steps. Though you may feel depressed and overwhelmed, try committing to do something, like working out, for example, for ten minutes at a time. You can work out for 10 minutes, right? That doesn’t sound nearly as bad as losing 20 pounds. Then, after a couple of weeks, bump yourself up to 15 or 20 minutes at a time. If you don’t feel up to cleaning even the entire kitchen all at once, do it for 10 minutes. Then reward yourself with a break. You might feel like picking back up after your break and finishing now that you’ve started, or maybe you’ll feel like moving on to the next task for the next 10 minutes. Then another break. Then back to your first task. And so on. Eventually, you’ll get a momentum going and find your to-do list more rewarding, even fun.

 Step it Up. Coming out of your comfort zone and into the unfamiliar can be scary, even if it means getting something better than you did before. Sure, you’re depressed, but managing your depression is something you’re familiar with. To break that cycle, you need to step out of your comfortable, familiar zone, and that takes some guts. Start by taking small risks and challenges, then when you feel comfortable, upgrade yourself to bigger risks and challenges. Realizing that it takes guts to try out new risks will help you feel more confident and empowered.

 Catch the Motivation Bug. Motivation is how you beat the “can’t-get-out-of-bed-blues,” or any kind of depression, anxiety, and/or other mental health issues. What works for you? Experiment, find out, then do more and more of it. Keep yourself rewarded to push yourself through the things you don’t feel up to doing. Before you know it, you’ll find yourself doing and achieving more rather than feeling depressed about what you’re not getting done. Let that forward propulsion keep you going.

Do you suffer from panic attacks? Do you suspect you might have panic disorder? No worries; you can handle this! If you or someone close to you need to talk to someone about mental health issues that seem overwhelming, we can help. Consider reaching out to our expert team at Solara Mental Health at 844-600-9747.