Depression/ Loss of Spirit

Depression/ Loss of Spirit

(When You Feel Down, Life Is Simple. Either Stay Down or Move)

The Chemistry of Moods

You create your own biochemistry therefore your moods through what you do or don't do. Release most of your natural energy all the time as in inspired, loving, sexual, sensual and hedonistic energy and you'll always feel good.

If you want to know how to feel good all the time, live by your true nature. Read my book A Free Spirit's Search for Enlightenment.

neuro-info-plus.com/dopamine, dopamine improves mood; low dopamine levels can cause anhedonia, inability to feel love, no pleasure, lack of remorse and distractability.

iwr.com/becalmd/transmitter.html, neurotransmitters -- the neuro link

natural-health-reports.com/dopamine.php?id=36864,

dopamine improves mood

asktom-naturally.com/neurotransmitters.html, neurotransmitters, how they help your feelings; learn how neurotransmitters chemically generate feelings of happiness, emotional stability, mental alertness, ability to focus, good feelings toward others

add-free.com/transmitter.html, neurotransmitters, antidepressant, appetite control, energy, sexual arousal.

Mood Disorders Info

Mood disorders are about feeling way down or way up to the extent that your life is miserable to you. Your emotional state is not stable.

Depression includes some or all of the following symptoms;

aches

anhedonia (loss of pleasure)

fatigue

feelings of hopelessness

lack of initiative

loss of appetite

negative self-image

pains

passivity

poor concentration

poor sleeping

sadness

Depression comes from external events like losing a job or feeling empty inside because you're not quite aligned with your true nature and true purpose in life.

The mental health experts say it could be caused by a neurochemical imbalance in your brain but you create your biochemistry through how you think and live. You can create happiness through what you think and do.

Your moods could change seasonally. This is called seasonal affective disorder - SAD.

A bipolar disorder is when your depression gives way to an excessive feeling of joy and energy. Such mood swings might happen very quickly.

Depression Info/ Melancholy 1

Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck.

I sink in the miry depths, where there is no foothold.

I have come into the deep waters; the floods engulf me.

I am worn out from calling for help.

Psalms 69:1-3

One can't stay sad very long in such an interesting world, can one?

Anne of Green Gables

The symptoms of depression, as defined by the National Institute of Mental Health are:

Persistent sad, anxious, or "empty" mood

Feelings of hopelessness, pessimism

Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, helplessness

Loss of interest or pleasure in hobbies and activities that were once enjoyed, including sex

Decreased energy, fatigue, being "slowed down" Difficulty concentrating, remembering, making decisions

Insomnia, early-morning awakening, or oversleeping

Appetite and/or weight loss or overeating and weight gain

Thoughts of death or suicide; suicide attempts

Restlessness, irritability

Persistent physical symptoms that do not respond to treatment, such as headaches, digestive disorders and chronic pain.

Mood disorders, sometimes referred to as affective disorders, are a type of mental illness that affects a person's mood. The predominant mood disorder is called depression, feeling down. The other ones are called manic-depression and seasonal affective disorder (SAD).

The real deal about depression is that it's a box that the psychobabble industry desperately tries to put people in because it represents multi-billions of dollars that "depressed" people spend on drugs and therapy but the truth is that you are your own being. You create happiness or depression through what you do and how you think.

There's no box of life that you enter that some psychologist says you're now stuck in for life unless you take these drugs and go to these therapy sessions at a hundred bucks for 45 minutes.

Granted, sadness is caused by negative, tragic events but how you deal with these events is totally up to you. Many people are lazy and weak and want nothing more than to blame their weakness and failings on some supposed biochemical disorder in the brain.

I implore you to not buy into what these Establishment "experts" say without analyzing yourself and seeing that depression is just uninspiration. Get up off your sorry, self-pitying ass and do something to help someone who needs your help more than you need your self-pity.

Now I'll put on my clone hat and give you the conventional spiel on depression. For the record, here's what they define as depression:

Lack of interest in life.

No joy.

Weight loss or weight gain.

Feelings of guilt.

Feelings of hopelessness.

No energy.

Can't focus.

Tiredness.

No sex drive.

Everybody occasionally gets blue because of life's problems or because of the rut they're in but usually the feelings are temporary and pass within a few days as they get on with their lives. Real clinical depression, however, is like living in a black hole.

You have no spark, no energy, no real reason for living and you might contemplate the idea of doing yourself in, a behavior commonly called suicide. Booze and drugs uplift you for a moment but ultimately only make your problems worse.

The onset may be overwhelming life problems like the death of a spouse, serious litigation against you, prolonged unemployment, depleted finances, a debilitating disability, a general foreboding, a feeling of hopelessness, etc.

These thoughts and feelings affect the neurotransmitters and hormones in your brain which, over time, can leave you in a semi-permanent depressed state where life is almost meaningless to you.

The major causes are:

Coming from a dysfunctional family.

Sexual abuse.

Emotionally disconnected from the human race.

Too much or too little emphasis on God.

Extreme disappointment.

Perceived failure.

Hurried, stressed lifestyle.

General feeling of foreboding like you're not really living a happy life.

People who want too much out of life with unrealistic dreams.

Lack of self-regard.

Loss of loved ones or loss of material things.

Stress at work.

Nobody close to talk to.

Poison people around you.

No humor in your life.

Don't understand yourself as an individual.

Have a lot of unresolved anger and resentment against others. Don't forgive them.

Don't feel free and inspired about life.

Dependent on others for approval.

Not enough sleep or good food.

Too much stress in life.

Comparing yourself to others especially with the gloss on TV.

Watch pop culture entertainment too much. Envious of the glittery life portrayed.

Feel trapped, like in bad marriage, bad job, etc.

Biological malfunction.

Post-partum depression due to hormonal changes.

Thoughts of suicide.

Too much criticism from others.

Many depressed people try to mask it by excesses in any number of ways like work, talk, shop, eat, drugs, booze, etc. These are all cheap psychological games you play to avoid facing yourself.

I suspect that many people in our society live quiet lives of desperation, stuck in their ruts quietly accepting their lives. Inspired action is the only real solution.

Although therapy might help, increasingly doctors are going via the biochemical approach and offering medications like Prozac which raise certain neurotransmitter levels in the brain thus elevating the mood of the individual and giving him the impetus to break out of his rut and get on with life.

Depression Info/ Melancholy 2

Antacids can cause deficiencies of calcium and vitamin B.

Most people who get depressed never seek professional treatment and may wallow in self-pity for quite some time although many people, if left alone, will recover on their own. The golden rule is to take inspired action to break out of it.

Children get depressed too. We live in an increasingly complicated society and children can be cruel to each other.

Dysthymia is defined as a less severe form of depression that persists for at least 2 years and is accompanied by at least two other symptoms of depression. People with this milder form of depression are susceptible to periodic episodes of major depression.

Symptoms or warning signs of depression are:

emotional or physical abuse

exposure to violence

family history of depression

low self-esteem

pessimistic outlook

The most common drugs prescribed to treat depression are:

selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors such as ?uoxetine, ?uvoxamine and paroxetine.

tricyclic antidepressants such as amitriptyline, desipramine and nortriptyline.

Keep open channels of communication with your children and if they get too down, talk to them and set them straight on life, that they're responsible for their own happiness, that they need control, a sense of identity and inspired action in their lives.

Withdrawal and anti-social behavior are the two surest signs of mental problems in a child. You must be gentle with them. Adolescents are deep and sensitive at that age.

Try to talk it out with them and be there as a friend. If they suddenly start to give their personal belongings away and appear euphoric, these could be tip-offs that they're preparing for suicide.

If you live with a depressed spouse, you must be gentle and understanding with him or her. If you can't break them out of their rut, you might have to ask someone like a friend or a religious leader to step in, have a heart to heart with them and encourage them to get help.

More women than men get depressed and very few men will admit to it much less go for professional treatment.

Depression in the elderly is tough because in our youth-oriented society, they have good reason to get depressed. You must focus on health, get a medical check-up, do things to stay active, exercise, get a pet, get out and meet people, etc.

Many lifelong companions die shortly after one another. The remaining person just gives up on life so it is a bonafide fact that your brain power has everything to do with whether you create a heaven or a hell for yourself in your mind.

If you're living or involved with a depressed person, whatever you do, don't give up on them.

Be patient and understanding but a good, old-fashioned speech can't hurt like about pathetic they are wallowing in self pity, the world doesn't revolve around them, there are people far worse off than them doing much better in life and tell them to get real, get up off their butts and take control.

A complete diagnostic evaluation includes:

A physical and neurological examination. Lab tests to rule out other medical conditions that might be causing symptoms of depression.

A history of the patient's symptoms, past treatments, substance abuse, suicidal thoughts or attempts and occurrence of depressive illness in other family members.

A mental status examination to check the patient's speaking and thought patterns and memory.

Based on the evaluation, the treatment of choice may be a form of therapy, antidepressant medication or a combination of the two.

For some severely depressed individuals who are suicidal or psychotic or cannot take antidepressants or who have not responded to other treatments, electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) can be extraordinarily helpful and even lifesaving.

There are many different types of antidepressant medications like:

Fluoxetine/ Prozac.

Bupropion/ Wellbutrin.

Sertraline/ Zoloft.

Paroxetine/ Paxil.

Venlafaxine/ Effexor.

Nefazodone/ Serzone.

You may have to experiment around until you find the right medication that works for you.

The latest technique is a Vagus Implant, a little implant put into the chest to stimulate the vagus nerve which then acts on the brain and causes hormonal levels to rise.

Another implant put above the chest is wrapped around a nerve which leads to the limbic system such that when you stimulate it with a remote control device, it sends minor shocks to the brain which cures depression in a lot of people. Magnetic power zapped into the brain creates a similar effect.

If you can't afford a counselor, many communities have free or low-cost mental health facilities where you can get adequate treatment.

In general, most treatment combines counseling and drug therapy sometimes called the Medical-Biological model. Many people crawl out of depression on their own simply by finding their way back to an inspired lifestyle.

The National Institute of Mental Health oversees the D/ART (Depression/ Awareness, Recognition and Treatment) educational program to help with depression and bipolar illness. D/ART also helps healthcare professionals by offering the latest research information.

I've seen books at the library right beside the prozac books touting St. John's Wort as the great anti-depression herb. Besides St. John's Wort, another natural supplement used to treat depression is S-adenosyl-methionine/ SAMe.

The general guiding points to battle depression are:

Know who you are and why you fall into different moods.

Educate yourself about life in general.

Culture an ability to be calm and meditative to keep yourself centered.

Ask God to bless you with happiness.

Be wary of what medications you're taking.

Do inspired and spiritual things.

Have close friends and intimate relationships.

Talk with people in a real way.

Deal with negative events by forgetting about them as quickly as possible.

Deal with negative people by forgetting them as quickly as possible.

If you're in a poisonous relationship either with your spouse or you have a bad boss at work, leave rather than stay and take it.

Have a meaning to your life.

Do tough, worthy things that make you expend high amounts of energy but stop before you reach your limits and burn out.

Eat healthy foods.

Get enough sleep.

Be thankful and positive for your life.

Do things to get you out of feeling isolated and alienated.

Get a pet to love.

Do physical activity, i.e., exercise.

Share your life with others and help people.

Cognitive Therapy to Heal Depression

Do something you like that's useful, at least to you.

Be good. Don't break laws.

I read a book about happiness from the psychobabble section of the library, #158 of the Dewey Decimal System.

I read a book about how to treat depression in your mind without using drugs which is at #616.8527 or RC537 at the library.

First of all, most of us are brainwashed to think that:

The system, namely the psychobabble mental health system has the answers to cure or control depression.

Drugs and psychotherapy are real, legitimate treatments for depression.

The way the system portrays life on TV is the path to happiness and success.

I don't believe any of it. My life is my free spirit. If I follow my true naturee and figure out a way to earn a living from it, I got it made in the shade.

I don't buy into anything beyond me, especially the system's ideas of happiness and success, all of which are geared for you to make money and spend it.

You don't cure depression with cheap one-liner rules about how to think. They call this Depression Cognitive Therapy.

Depression is an illness of the spirit/ soul. A person has lost whatever natural inspiration they might have born with.

They betrayed themselves by not releasing most of the natural energy inside of them day-by-day which built up to make them feel like losers now.

Do what you were born to do by nature. Minimize following the artificial values of the world and couch potatoism.

That's it. Read my other books.

You create your own biochemistry therefore how you feel through what you do or don't do and how you think everyday.

For people who are really lost souls, I recommend to either get some of those happiness books at #158 at the library or get my book:

The Wisdom of Our Great Thinkers

(all the knowledge ever created about getting enlightened, happy and rich;

Is it real or comfort food for weak minds?)

You have to start somewhere so take baby steps in weaning yourself off the system's view of life and setting up an active, inspired, fun life for yourself.

You're not going to get cured looking for sympathy and love from others.

Earn your self-respect everyday. It's as easy as walking five miles, writing out your plan for a great life, then doing it.

Cognitive therapy seems to me to be some overpaid psychobabblist listening to the sob stories of their patients, trying to reassure them that they're either not really wimps or can't be held responsible because they were born that way. I say use the time for a brisk walk. It will be better for you.

On top of that, read my sex book and watch porn. Getting yourself off several times a day will do wonders for your depression.

Here's what they say chronic depression is:

depressed mood

loss of interest or pleasure

Depressed mood most of the day, nearly every day

Markedly diminished interest or pleasure in all, or almost all, activities most of the day, nearly every day.

Significant weight loss when not dieting or weight gain, or decrease or increase in appetite nearly every day.

Insomnia or hypersomnia nearly every day.

Psychomotor agitation or retardation nearly every day (observable by others, not merely subjective feelings of restlessness or being slowed down).

Fatigue or loss of energy nearly every day.

Feelings of worthlessness or excessive or inappropriate guilt nearly every day (not merely self-reproach or guilt about being sick).

Diminished ability to think or concentrate, or indecisiveness, nearly

every day.

(11) Recurrent thoughts of death

(not just fear of dying), recurrent suicidal ideation without a specific plan, or a suicide attempt or specific plan for committing suicide. chronic or not.

What sane person would consciously be like this? Human beings are spozed to be tough. We let everything roll off our books and keep moving or at least that's what I thought after watching Star Trek and The Alamo as a kid.

You can read everything they say out there about treating depression. It all comes down to how naturally inspired you are for your own life, how strong and joyful your spirit is. It takes sweat and power to release your free spirit everyday. Do it and you always feel like the champion of your life.

Screw the psychobabble. Screw everybody else with their stupid ideas, trying to impose them on you.

Forget about depression drugs. It's a scam to make money. Your problem is in your spirit, not anything that drugs can heal.

Too much psychobabble, analysis of life, analysis of the past. Get on with your life. Move. Do things. Listen to music. Dance. Keep doing it. Don't dwell on anything. Live by your free spirit. Forget about all these assholes claiming they got the answers to life by sitting in a room with you talking about the sad times. They're just trying to make money off you and you were stupid enough to buy into this fraud.

They say try to control negative thoughts. I say go out and try to do something hard like run as fast as you can for an hour. You got no time for negative thoughts. You're too busy trying to outdo yourself. That's fun.

They say don't lay in bed all day. I say you gotta feel like you got a God-given purpose you were born with.

Thinking negatively doesn't solve anything. That's why I don't understand why people do it. I feel lucky to be living in the modern world. I'm not rich, famous or young but I still feel I live a great life. I can't sympathize with depressed people. I think they're a bunch of wimps who need a kick in the ass.

I think the mental health industry has some people in it trying to do good but most are in it for the money, especially the ones pushing the mental health drugs. A lot of them know what they're doing is fraud but they go along because it's a safe job that pays pretty well.

Electroshock Therapy/ Electro-Convulsive Therapy

Electroshock is common for depression. They tell a longtime depressed patient about it then he or she decides if they want it.

ABC News did a segment on it. The two people profiled said it was great to ward off depression. They get the ECT every few months.

Electroshock therapy, #616.8912, RC485.

electroboy.com, guy who got a bunch of electro-convulsive treatments sometimes called shock therapy.

ect.org

Depressive Personality Disorder/ Dysthymic Disorder

Unlike depression which is considered a temporary illness, depressive personality disorder is considered a permanent state of depression inherent within a person's personality.

A dysthymic disorder is considered a depressive mood disorder.

answers.yahoo.com, depressive personality disorder and depression? is there a difference?

emedicine.com/med/byname/dysthymic-disorder.htm

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/depressive_disorder_not_otherwise_specified

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/depressive_personality_disorder

enter.net/~planetearth/depress.htm

medscape.com/medline/abstract/17049621, genetic and environmental contributions to depressive personality disorder.

merck.com/pubs/mmanual/section15/chapter191/191a.htm

personalitydisorder.ca

personalitydisorders.suite101.com/article.cfm/depressive_personality_disorder

psychiatryonline.org

ptypes.com/depressive.html

Men Get Depression

menanddepression.nimh.nih.gov

mengetdepression.com

shoppbs.com, video for sale men get depression.

Suicide Line

800 273 talk