The New York Times ran a video series last year, “Lives Restored,” portraits of survivors of mental health battles and their coping strategies. They produced a few videos that featured the people struggling and talking about how they cope. I hope you’ll watch at least one of these short (too short) videos. I especially like [...]
It turns out it’s not so simple to distinguish between depression and plain old adult child of alcoholics syndrome. (Throw in anxiety disorder, and the differentiation is even murkier.) If you’re trying to diagnose yourself this dark, cold, depressive season, as I know a lot of us are, there’s a lot to consider. And once [...]
Oops. I missed Anti-Depression Month, which was October. Happy belated Anti-Depression Month! (Which should really be called Pro-Joy Month!) Was it because I’m feeling out of touch, dull, tired, going to bed early but not staying asleep after 5 a.m., but wanting to sleep, sleep, sleep, out of it, distracted, indecisive….that is, that I’m chronically depressed? According to [...]
If you’re depressed, chances are you already know it. Being depressed is not a state of being to feel ashamed of. It happens–a lot, to a lot of people. Are you hesitating to seek treatment because you don’t want to admit to yourself or a therapist or doctor that you’re depressed? Depression is normal, and common, and the sooner you admit your depressed, the sooner you can work to feel better (then you’ll wonder why you waited).
As fall approaches, be ready to handle its affect on your mood. For starters, don’t travel to Iceland if you’re sensitive to darkness in the afternoon! Figure out what’s going on (are you ‘depressed’ or DEPRESSED?), and take action to manage your mental state. This may mean adding exercise and modifying your diet for some people and medication and therapy for others — in all cases, it’ll require a forgiving, nurturing frame of mind.
