19 Facts About Depression At Midlife – Tips, Strategies, And Info-Bites

Find tips on dealing with depression with nutrition, the role of hormones in how we feel – and how this relates to peri menopause. Learn why distinguishing between clinical and non-clinical depression is important at menopause, and how the symptoms of the two overlap. Who is really at risk of depression during midlife? Enlarge ImageWhen we age, we produce less of two important mood stabilizing hormones, serotonin and dopamine. So, depression is a risk factor for both men and women as we get older. Yet twice as many women compared to men suffer from depression, which leads some to believe there is a link between the female sex hormones and depression.

1. Memory loss at midlife may not be related to aging, but depression. Depression affects our ability to concentrate and remember things. Our mind instead is caught in a cycle of self blame, guilt, or hopelessness,

2. Of the studies that differentiate between major depression and minor depression, an increase in minor depression (ie. non-clinical) is reported, rather than an increase in major depressive episodes,

3. Major depression is characterized by feeling sad or tearful all, or most of the time. Other symptoms include losing interest in regular activities and engaging in day to day life.

4. Those that seem to be at risk of suffering from major depression during menopause are those that have suffered major depression at some other time in their lives. This can include postnatal depression, severe depression associated with PMS, or any other type of clinical depression.

5. Some of the symptoms of perimenopause are also the symptoms of depression, so it’s important to consider the whole picture. These common symptoms include tiredness, weight gain, insomnia, difficulties in concentration, memory loss, and a loss of interest in sex.

6. Depression is usually treated with psychological treatments and medication. The psychological treatments include cognitive behaviour therapy which looks at the negative ways we think; and Interpersonal therapy, to improve relationships.

7. Antidepressant medication covers a range including SSRI’s, SNRI’s, MAOI’s, and others. Each class has a lot of individual medications within it, and people may tolerate one well, but have side effects on others. Finding an antidepressant medication appropriate to the individual can be a trial and error endeavor.

 8. Some anti-depressants – prozac and others in the category of Selective Serotonin Re-uptake inhibitors (SSRI’s) – may cause cardiovascular problems in some people after long term use.

9. If you’re taking hormone replacement therapy, too high a dose of estrogen or androgen hormones can lead to side effects like headaches and anxiety. Synthetic progesterone treatments are also often associated with depression.

10. Caffeine and sugar, in excess, may have a negative impact on recurring depression.

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What color is your Depression? Overcoming Depression with Mindfulness Therapy

When we experience depression we often describe it with phrases like: “I’m in a black mood”, or “It smothers me like a heavy blanket”, or “Its like being in a thick fog”, or “I feel like I’m wading through treacle.”
These and similar descriptions provide interesting clues about the nature of emotions like depression, anxiety or fear: Emotions have a structure, and that structure is encoded in imagery and physical sensations. Why is this important? Well, quite simply because when we uncover the structure of an emotion, we then have something tangible to which we can relate to and work with. Emotions like depression are typically very amorphous, like a swirling fog, they have no handles that we can grab hold of and work with. This is why depression is often accompanied by feelings of helplessness and despair, because we cannot even see the thing that is controlling us. We become victims of our emotions. How can you change something that has no form?
Luckily, emotions do have a form; the problem is that we are not aware of it. However, we can become aware of the inner structure of depression through mindfulness, and this approach to healing is called Mindfulness Meditation Therapy.
What is mindfulness? It is simply the direct attention to things as they arise in our experience, without any hint of reactivity, wanting, not wanting, or even thinking about what we are observing. Mindfulness is being fully present for our emotions, our experiences, without any judgemental observer, but most importantly of all, without becoming identified with the emotion that we are observing. We have this awful tendency to become the contents of our mind. The emotion of depression arises, and we become the depression: It takes control and dominates consciousness and we suffer. Mindfulness is the antidote to this blind habitual conditioned reactivity that the Buddha called avijja, or ignorance. This is the unawareness and sleepwalking mode of being that keeps us stuck in our depression, anxiety and fear.
In Mindfulness Meditation Therapy, we learn how to stop becoming victims of habitual reactivity. We start to take charge and investigate our emotions, including depression, with mindfulness. We learn to develop a relationship with depression as an object that arises in their consciousness, rather than blindly being overwhelmed by it every time it appears.

Working with colors. What color is your depression?

Here is one simple exercise that you can experiment with. Close your eyes, take a few minutes to relax with some deep breaths, and then when you feel ready, turn your attention towards the depression. Sometimes, we get a strong sensation of where the emotion is in our bodies; perhaps it is in the pit of the stomach, or in the heart area.
Now simply sit with the emotion, knowing that you are looking at the emotion. This is being mindful of the emotion. The practice is called mindfulness meditation, where the emotion is the object of your meditation. If you get distracted, recognize that you have been pulled away and gently return your mindful attention back onto the depression. Don’t allow yourself to become the depression, or to indulge in thinking about the depression; simply feel its presence and continue to observe it with mindfulness. If you feel yourself being sucked into the emotion, recognize this force, pull yourself back and stay mindful. Each time you catch yourself and are mindful of what is happening as it is happening is a small, but significant victory. This is how you will gain your freedom from habitual reactivity and depression: one small victory at a time; the effect is cumulative.
Now, as you continue mindfulness meditation on the depression, observe the color of the emotion. Observe the color, and sense at the intuitive level if the color fits the emotion or if you need to make some adjustments. If the color is black, is it shiny or dull, hard or soft? Does the color take the form of a solid object or is it diffuse like a cloud? Take your time to explore all these subtle details. The power is in the details, because this gives you a handle on the emotion. Coming to know the structure of your depression helps you establish a relationship with it, and this helps prevent you from becoming overwhelmed by the emotion when it arises.
The more you see, the more power you have; the less you see, the more power you give to the emotion.
When you have established a good mindful relationship with your depression and you have a good sense of its color, you can proceed to the next stage, which is to do a series of experiments, making changes in the color. Maintain mindfulness at all times so that you can assess at the intuitive level if any of these changes are effective. Trust in your intuition and you will be amazed at how the deeper intuitive intelligence of your psyche will guide this process and make very subtle changes that have a profound healing effect. If the depression has a shiny black color, try changing it to a powdery white color. Check to see if that change helps. You may need to use spray paint, or perhaps just warm the black object up, or sprinkle water over it. No one can tell you what changes to make; but if you trust in your intuition and stay mindful, your psyche will always show you the way.
Experiment with this process many times, and repeat your mindfulness mediation sessions every day. You will be quite delighted at the positive effects that come from working with your depression in this way, as something to sit with and work with in a creative way, rather than reacting out of habit.
The underlying principle is that emotions have an internal structure and that structure is formed around imagery, the natural language of the psyche. Change the imagery and you change the emotion. But for change to be effective, you need mindfulness so that you can tune in at the intuitive level and find those changes that feel right, rather than trying to impose changes that don’t fit.

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Medication: The Cost Effective Therapy

Finally, there’s more research suggesting the need to reduce the over-medicating of mental illness, specifically depression. The study conducted by Irving Kirsch of the University of Hull discovered that the benefits of anti-depressants, such as fluoxetine (Prozac), venlafaxine (Effexor), nefazodone (Serzone), and paroxetine (Seroxat / Paxil), are dependent upon the severity of the mental illness.

The study used a meta-analysis of data retrieved from trials supplied by the US Food and Drug Administration. “When the data from all of these trials had been put together, the improvement in depression amongst patients receiving the trial drug, as compared to those receiving placebo (dummy tablets), was not clinically significant in mildly depressed patients or even in most patients who suffer from very severe depression” – Article

It comes as no surprise that only a small group of participants actually benefited from their medications, and these patients tended to be those who suffered from severe depression to begin with. The severely depressed reaped fewer benefits from the placebo and more benefits from the actual medication than those less depressed. This not only suggests that anti-depressants serve their purpose for those who are really suffering, but it clearly demonstrates that not everyone needs to be medicated to function. Over-medicating is a serious problem within our society because it does seem easier to slap on a Band-Aid as opposed to working through months or even years of therapy. Unfortunately, the social and monetary cost of clinical therapy does not seem plausible for everyone in our society, however it hardly seems ethical or even productive to convert the depressed into addicts.

In my opinion, medication should always be the last resort when alternative measures are more proficient in treating mental illness.

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A Common Sense Approach to Cocaine Addiction Treatment

“For the first time, researchers from the Institut de physiologie et biologie cellulaire (CNRS/Université de Poitiers) have shown that positive and stimulating environmental conditions make it easier to treat cocaine addiction”. In particular, Marcello Solinas and Mohamed Jaber exposed cocaine addicted mice to an enriched environment during cocaine withdrawal. The environment consisted of small houses, a running wheel, tunnels and many other stimulating items in a large cage. The researchers observed three measures of typical addictive behaviour: 1. Behavioural Sensitization: the progressive augmentation of behavioural responses to cocaine that develops during repeated administration. 2. Location Preference: the ability of the context to induce drug-seeking behaviour and strengthen the contextual association with drug use. 3. Probability of Relapse: “cocaine’s ability to lead to a relapse after a period of withdrawal.” Results showed that all three of these typical behaviours disappeared after the mice had endured 30 days of the enriched environment. In the brain, this disappearance was seen by a decrease in activity in the specific areas associated with dopamine transmission and relapse. Does this seem like news to anyone? Of course rehab won’t work for individuals who are thrust right back into the same environmental circumstances. The rehabilitation process should definitely include changes to living conditions. Availability of cocaine will clearly hinder the probability of relapse. The same basic routine will allow an addict to easily slide back into old habits. Besides pointing out the obvious, this “new” research does provide a bit of insight. Addiction treatment centres may want to consider adding housing support workers to the therapeutic process. The social, physical and mental stimulation seem to be key factors in maintaining sobriety; therefore it might be beneficial to include exercise regimens and educational programs as well. The ideal solution does not seem to be spending 30 days discussing the reason you became an addict only to settle right back into the same old routine after successful completion of a program. Evidently, the emotional aspect is a necessary step in the process, but if anything, this research proves that there is more to treating cocaine addiction. It’s a complete lifestyle overhaul.

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alcohol kills 1 in 25 worldwide

The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) in Canada has recently put forth staggering research results revealing that 1 in 25 deaths worldwide are directly linked to alcohol consumption. Furthermore, in Europe, 1 in 10 deaths are directly related to alcohol consumption.

Europeans drink on average 13 drinks per week, North Americans tend to drink about 11 drinks per week, and Canadians drink roughly 9 drinks on any given week. The national average stands at about 7 drinks per week. In the study, 1 drink is equivalent to the alcohol content of 1 beer, 1 glass of wine, or 1 shot of spirits, each of which contain 13.6 grams of pure ethanol.

“Globally, the effect of alcohol on burden of disease is about the same size as that of smoking in 2000, but it is relatively greatest in emerging economies.”

This statement begs the question; why do we not see more anti-drinking ads? Society could not be more fully aware of the devastating affects of smoking, but drinking, the socially acceptable habit, takes far less slander. Research such as this could be used to inform the public of the dangers of repeated excessive alcohol consumption.

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The brain can distinguish religion from fact

Lead author, Sam Harris, professor of psychiatry at the UCLA Staglin Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, and co-lead author, Jonas Kaplan, research assistant professor at the USC’s Brain and Creativity Institute, performed the first neuroimaging study to systematically compare religious faith with ordinary cognition. The study has demonstrated that our brains respond differently to religious and nonreligious statements, however the information seems to get processed in the same brain regions. In other words, our judgement on the truthfulness of religious statements occurs within the same brain regions, despite whether we believe or not. The study included 30 adult subjects, in which half were devout Christians and the remaining half were non-believers. All subjects judged the reliability of religious and non-religious statements while undergoing three functional MRI (fMRI) scans. The statements used were certain to generate agreement in both groups. The ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VMPFC), a brain region said to be involved with reward and judgements of self-relevance, showed increased activity when evaluating statements related to beliefs in God, the Virgin Birth and ordinary facts. However, religious thought appears to be more associated with areas of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex that govern emotion, self-representation and cognitive conflict in both believers and nonbelievers.

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The Basis for Music Therapy

For centuries, experts have observed the beneficial effects of music for patients with neurological disorders.

Scientists have proved that music promotes long-term memory, social interaction and communication for patients with severe neurological disorders.

However, researchers continue to search for a scientific basis that explains the way by which music affects physical and psychosocial responses.

Researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center have turned to a potential evolutionary explanation positing that music perception may be an outgrowth of animal communication calls.

For instance, in many non-human primates, many animal vocalizations contain components, commonly referred to as complex tones, which consist of a fundamental frequency (f0) and higher harmonics.

Using electrophysiological recording techniques to study the neuronal activities in the auditory cortex of awake monkeys, researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center’s have shown neurons tuned to the fundamental frequencies and harmonic sounds, and such neural mechanisms of harmonic processing lay close to tonotopically organized auditory areas.

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Grief and loss processing

After the death of a loved one. The death of a loved one Every day many people are faced with the death of a loved one. Such loss is one of the saddest and most dramatic events in human life. From one moment to the nearest road-final. That farewell life changes forever, even if it was not unexpected. Survivors, such as partner, parents or children, are often not only overwhelmed by grief, but also feelings of bewilderment, disbelief or anger. People say afterwards that they felt to be mad or be stunned. Other relatives, friends, colleagues, classmates and teachers often death comes as a shock. The mourning process During the mourning process of surviving the pain of loss gradually. He or she says goodbye, gradually accepts the final absence of loved one and trying to adapt to the resulting void. Immediately after death some people experience a feeling of unreality. The death of the loved one looks bad dream from which they wake up soon. Other people feel almost nothing, their feeling is like ‘dead’. Still others find the death of the loved one so painful that she first denied. Some people are totally bewildered, the other responds very very calm. If someone has just died many practical issues must be settled, for example, burial or cremation. Therefore, the first time, often as a pass rush. The loss often calls until thereafter through really. Then the survivors realize what it means for their lives. This is the hardest and saddest time. Later, following a period when people try to accept the change and adapt. This is by trial and error. They make careful plans for the future again. Also socially and practically apply them to themselves. They impose such new contacts, address a hobby or study, or even volunteering to move. Days when someone very busy with the loss, alternating with times when the emotions remain at a distance. Different reactions Survivors are afraid that soon their reactions to the death of a loved one are not normal. They fear that their grief is too heavy or too long, or whether they show too little grief. It is important to know that every person in his own manner leads to death of a loved one. Everyone mourns the way he or she needs. The reactions can therefore vary widely. One will need a lot to talk about the deceased or together for photos or videos to watch. The other is just pulls back, looks at the pictures alone preferably processed or loss through hard work, sports or jobs. Men are often tempted to stop their losses some way. They focus on such work. Women typically have greater need to talk. Some families keep everything as it was possible: they show the stuff of the partners in their place are, keep the room of deceased children intact and continue to follow the daily routine. Others just change everything: they remove the belongings of the deceased, move, or find new friends. Some people prefer to avoid places that remind of the deceased. The culture in which people grow up affects the way they deal with their loss and express emotions. The customs and ceremonies surrounding death and burial range from subdued and sober farewell to loud condolences and solidarity in food, dancing and singing. The grief is shared by the entire community. Often relatives and friends also later meet regularly to support each other and to commemorate the deceased. Tips for survivors – Try the first days after the death as aware as possible and as much as possible to make yourself do. This helps to take leave. – Do not be afraid to involve children in practical matters surrounding the death. – Tell children specifically, honestly and clearly what is going on. Statements like “Daddy sleeps for ever ‘or” God has taken your sister to him because he loved her was “can make a child afraid to sleep or make defiant – Go away from your feelings. They would not take off. Do not think you feel such anger or rage, not ‘hear’ or ‘good’. – Talk, if you need it with trusted people about your feelings, the deceased or events surrounding the death. – You can also handle loss through exercise, listening to music, a diary, to jobs, to sign. It is important that you find the way that suits you. – Especially if you have a “movie’ in your head on the last day (s) for death, it may help to write about life and your loved one. – Give yourself time. The process may take longer than you might expect – Tell people what you like about your environment, such as whether or not the loss talking or doing something. – Try to keep structure in the day, by time to get up, eat three times a day (though it is so little), do the housework and go to bed on time. – Step by step Try to resume a life example and go along with someone or take a walk, even if you find that a big step. – If you do not have to take leave of your loved one may help to hold a farewell ceremony. – Find more information about grief and loss processing in bookstores, libraries or the Internet. – Liaise with peers, a funeral coach or professional counselor if you need it has. Tips for environment – Accept the emotions and behavior of the survivor. Give the person his own way of processing. – Be careful when giving advice and talk present guilt remains – Take initiatives and make concrete arrangements with surviving. Agree a date for a visit or take off something together. – Do not be afraid to talk about the deceased. The collection of beautiful and funny, but also helps memory loss difficult to process. – Be not afraid to say or do wrong. There ‘are’, listen and support, it is most important. – Provide assistance to practical matters, especially things that the deceased took his or her account, for example the administration or care of the children. Just be sure not to take over all issues. – Do not jump to the survivors now over the loss will be around. Over time, the grieving by themselves might not dare talk about the loss. So stay long, and inform them how it goes.

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The ABC of RET with emotions and depression.

Crisis card/crisiskaart voor GGZ in Region The Hague (zuid Holland)

Crisis Card /crisiskaart
Map crisis at hand, the crisis in hand
Why a crisis card?
Many people have the experience that during a mental crisis is difficult to get good help.
First is unclear what opportunities there are and there is a lack of crisis relief, especially outside office hours. Second, for many clients unable to help during a crisis right to organize.
The core of the Crisis Card /crisiskaart is that you develop a plan when you have a clear idea of what’s desirable in the event of a crisis. That way you know you can count on in any further crisis.
The card is a crisis that aid workers and a Instrument client together with the environment can take the appropriate measures to the person in crisis to appropriate help

What is a crisis card?
A Crisis Card /crisiskaart is an expandable card, the size of a debit card that is easy to carry. On that card is in short and clearly stated;
- Personal data
- Details of contacts or friends and family, doctor and possibly. practitioner and / or residential supervisor
- Drug use
- Appointments with social workers and others
- Opportunities and practical information such as mail or pets to be cared for.

The Crisis Card /crisiskaart is a brief summary of the crisis plan. The crisis plan provides detailed information about your crisis, your wishes and arrangements made for the reception by aid workers, or friends and family.

How do I map a crisis?
For the having of a Crisis Card /crisiskaart can make your appointment card with crisis counselor. You must fill list of questions. Then a crisis plan which all parties must sign. A copy of crisis plan that is stored on central location 7 days a week 24 hours per day can be consulted by social workers.
The product platform is free cisiskaart “hague” client organistaties in the GGZ
Address;
Torenstraat 172
2513 BW Den Haag
070 3665 38 16
Ask for Arjan van den Berg (crisis counselor )
http://stipzoetermeer.123forum.nl/phpBB2/crisiskaart-omgeving-zoetermeer-den-haag-aanvragen-t63.html

region
The Hague, Rijswijk, Wassenaar, Leidschendam / Voorburg and Zoetermeer