On this page I post articles of interest for educational purposes.

The topics discussed here are areas in which I have in-depth expertise and can assist a client toward healing and transition.

DEPRESSION

Everyone feels sad at times; people with depression feel bad most of the time.  These feelings can get in the way of everyday life.  Depression is a serious medical illness that involves the brain, and more than just a feeling of being "down in the dumps" or "blue" for a few days.  It can affect your family, your job and your outlook in negative ways. 

Approximately 18.8 million American adults suffer from depression, and nearly twice as many American women as men are affected by depression (National Institutes of Mental Health).  Many people don't know the signs of depression, but the good news is that most people get better with treatment.

WHAT CAUSES DEPRESSION?

No one knows what causes depression., but it is recognized as an illness.  It may have something to do with:

  • Depression tends to run in families

  • Being very sick or being sick all of the time

  • Stress

  • Drug or alcohol use

  • After having a baby (women may cry or feel sad after childbirth, but the "baby blues" should only last two weeks)

WHAT ARE THE SIGNS OF DEPRESSION?

• Sadness      

• No interest in eating

• Thinking of death or trying to kill yourself

• Overeating     

• Sleeping too little or too much   

• Trouble paying attention

• Crying a lot   

• Feeling tired all the time       

• Feeling guilty   

• Feelings of hopelessness/worthlessness

HOW DO I KNOW IF I'M DEPRESSED?

If you have been experiencing four or more of these signs for more than 2 weeks, you may be depressed.  Go to your doctor or a therapist.  Furthermore, you should seek help when depression is starting to affect your life and you are not very clear about what you need to do to prevent things from getting worse.

HOW IS DEPRESSION TREATED?

Depression is treated with medicine or counseling, and sometimes both.  If you don't feel better, or if you feel worse, go to your doctor or contact a therapist or clinic right away. The fact that long-term research shows the effectiveness of medication and psychotherapy for treating depression can be wonderfully reassuring for depression sufferers and their families.

Depression is highly responsive to good treatment, and good treatment is available from a variety of sources.

ARE YOU CODEPENDENT ?

• Do you have an inability to see alternatives to situations?

• Are you constantly seeking approval and affirmation, while compromising yourself?

• Do you feel confused and have a sense of inadequacy?

• Do you lack the self-confidence to make decisions?

• Do you have a tendency to look for "victims" to help?

• Do you suffer from feelings of fear, insecurity, inadequacy, guilt or shame?

• Are you unable to judge what "normal" is?

• Do you have difficulty having fun, and judge yourself and others with no mercy?

• Do you have low self esteem, project onto others and/or overreact to change?

• Are you afraid of anger, or bottle up your anger until it explodes?

• Are you hypersensitive to criticism or an addict to drama or chaos?

• Do you avoid relationships to guard against abandonment fears?

• Are you rigid and need to control everything, and lie when it's just as easy to tell truth?

CODEPENDENCY

• You become absorbed in other people's problems, therefore you don't have time to solve your own

• You care so deeply about other people that you've forgotten how to care for yourself

• You need to control events and people around you because you feel everything around and inside of you is out of control

• You feel responsible for so much because the people around you are responsible for so little

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