Every year approximately 9.5 per cent of the American population suffers from depression. Depression is a grave illness that affects day to day life and destroys families. It is a disorder that controls the mind and its functions causing loss of appetite, sleeplessness, mood swings, and a deep sense of despair.

The symptoms of depression are varied and the severity changes with time. And, according to experts depression can be an inherited disorder, or caused by life threatening illnesses, or stress. Other causes are certain diseases, medicines, drugs, alcohol, or mental illnesses. Women are seen to experience depression more than men and this is attributed to hormonal swings, menstrual cycle changes, pregnancy, miscarriage, pre-menopause, and post-menopause.

Common symptoms are:

1.    An unshakeable sadness, anxiety, or emptiness.
 
2.    Overwhelming hopelessness accompanied by pessimistic feelings.

3.    Extreme guilt, feelings of helplessness, and no sense of self worth.

4.    Loss of energy, a slowing down of metabolism, and activity levels. Being plagued by constant fatigue.

5.    A sense of helplessness along with an increasing inability to focus and indecisiveness.

6.     Loss of sound sleep and development of extreme insomnia.

7.    Inexplicable weight loss or weight gain. Triggered by loss of appetite or eating binges.

8.    Brooding and suicidal inclinations.

9.    Irritability, short temper, as well as restlessness.

10.    Physical afflictions like headaches, digestive disorders, and chronic pain for no particular reason.

People who are mentally ill also seem to be chronically afraid of hospitals, or at least seem to want to avoid medical attention in a hospital setting.  Looking at it from the perspective of someone who is confused or otherwise mentally unstable, the sterile and instrument-laden halls of a hospital are indeed terrifying, and can even be considered "creepy" by a person who is not suffering from a mental condition. 

Mentally ill people do not want to come to a hospital, and they do not want to seek treatment, making it difficult to get that treatment to them. This is why mobile psychiatric rehabilitation units have been established. Mobile psychiatric rehabilitation is designed to help people who are suffering from a mental illness regain or maintain the skills that will help them function in society, allowing them the comfort and security of being treated in an individualized fashion by a caring person in their own homes. 

The mobile psychiatric rehabilitation program is individualized to each person, with a specialist conducting an assessment of each person to whom the mobile psychiatric rehabilitation unit is assigned.  They work with the mentally ill individual to determine their strengths, and their personal and community resources.  From there they work to determine a plan of service to help outline the tasks and goals of the individual.  Both the patient and the representative have tasks between each visit to make progress toward these goals. 

Depression is said to be is one of the severe most condition of life to survive with. Persons suffering from depression experiences gain in weight, which is an extra tension. Sudden change in weight can be a symptom of depression, as well as a side effect of other medication. Several people experiences certain change in their body weight. Without significant details of your diet, work out habits, and previous medical history, it is hard to decide exactly what effect cortical levels will have on your body weight. Cortical is a hormone secreted by the body that regulates blood pressure and metabolism. It also plays a vital role in the stress response, and has become known as the stress hormone. When a person experiences stress, the body is in such a state of aggressiveness in most of the cases.

Serotonin is the brain element which helps us stay joyful and happy. Eating carbohydrates helps to develop serotonin levels and may explain why we sometimes desire these foods. So if you experience depression, do not pursue a controlled or low-curb eating plan. Fine carbohydrates include foods like oats, whole wheat bread, pasta, basmati or wholegrain rice, and beans/legumes. 

 

Small quantity of selenium is also helpful in the treatment of depression. Selenium can be obtain by eating foods such as total wheat bread, bran, brazil nuts, tuna, onions, tomatoes and broccoli. Include some of these foods on a regular basis it will be more beneficial. Individuals should include adequate salads and vegetables in the diet plan. They should also include fish with their meals in a week twice with the main course of diet.

Judy who recently got a divorce and left to take care of two kids ages 7 and 10 is on the verge of breaking down. She is oftem overwhelmed at how her marriage failed and how her husband of 14 years could treat her as if they never loved each other.  She always depended on her husband for just about everythin... fixing broken things in the house, paying the bills, for buying a new house for the kids to live in... sorting out their debts....and even for just picking the right dress for the occasion.

But suddenly...she was alone. Alone in every aspect of decision making. Alone in paying the bills, looking after the well-being of her children, while trying to earn a living as a customer service representative in a well-known retail store. She goes home so tired, she is mentally and physically drained from taking calls and assisting angry customers.  Upon reaching her home, she is still expected to do the cooking and satisfy her kids' demands for attention.

One day, she just sat in front of the t.v set...staring at the screen without really watching the show. She felt very sad at how her life turned out.  Instead of seeking help and companionship, she avoided her own family and whoever was left of her few friends. After the break up of her marriage, she everything as black and bleak.  A dark cloud hung over her.  She slowly lost interest in going to work.  Soon, she found herself locked up at home. She was in the pit of despair.

She was scared of being a single parent.  Judy found herself in the middle of depression. It is condition that afflicts millions of people around the world.

Healing is a great way to alter emotional responses whereas anger, resentment or other negative responses develop.

Our emotions react to things we harbor in our mind, such as anger, fear, resentment, doubt, and so on. All these negative emotions build, which causes us to react in accord to how we see things. In other words, what we perceive also plays a part in how our emotions will respond.

The best way to manage emotional responses to heal the hidden self is to understand, the brain - and how it functions.

Never give up in try to find ways to overcome your depression, anxiety or fears. At times, you may feel overwhelmed and feel that there is nothing else you can do. The fact of the matter is that there are ways in getting rid of your depression and anxieties. Here is a brief list of techniques that you can use to help gain a foothold on your anxieties and fears.

Try to learn different ways to manage your depression. Get some professional help to learn the best ways to deal with your current problems. Many counselors know the most up to date methods in getting rid of your depression and fears. Take advantage of this. Get the help you need so you can manage your current problems.

Try to find the real source of your fears and then learn to manage it. In dealing with any kinds of fears or anxieties, you should try to learn the facts of what is causing your anxieties. Knowing why you are feeling anxious will go a long way in managing your anxieties.

Remember that when we worry, out thoughts become exaggerated with fear and anxiety. Balance these anxious thoughts by thinking of something constructive. Also, challenge those thoughts by asking questions that focuses on reality and common sense.

After diagnosing and in practicing the control of depression you will learn more about yourself than you ever have before in your life. From the psychological or psychiatric standpoint there will be a need to delve into the cause of your depression. Sometimes just understanding you aren’t able to handle a stressful situation or are not emotionally adapt at recovering from a relationship gone sour is enough to understand where depression begins.

Within the varying degrees of suffrage due to depression the extremes can be mind-boggling. There are people that cannot get out of bed or produce one happy or hopeful thought for months at a time. These “episodes” debilitate your social life and can even erode your personal life. If there are spouses, children, or parents who care about the person that suffers they can be directly or indirectly affected by the depression also.

Then there are the people that grow more than melancholy on occasion. Perhaps your life is merely temporarily off track, too many responsibilities have been laid at your feet, or you have experienced a devastating loss. These are elements that can cause a mild depression. And though it is not a depression that ceases all activities in your life that does not mean it should be taken lightly or ignored.

Stress is one of the top health hazards we face today. Unfortunately, it’s impossible to go through life without the irritations that make us tense. Some people deal with the situation better than others. Here are some techniques for easing stress and increasing relaxation:
-    Get enough sleep
-    Meditate regularly
-    Give up junk Food
-    Adopt a pet
-    Surround yourself with supportive people
-    Limit your exposure to chemicals
-    Enjoy yourself
-    Exercise regularly such as stretching, aerobics etc
-    Take Your Vitamins

You should learn to control stress before it controls you. There are also medications available for people whose stress levels are bad enough to impact their ability to function effectively. Doctor in some instances may prescribed medication for you but are usually prescribed for no more than a few months as medications may have the potential to cause side effects such as sleepiness and some nausea.

We react to serious mishaps, life altering setbacks, disasters, abuse, and death by going through the phases of grieving. Traumas are the complex outcomes of psychodynamic and biochemical processes. But the particulars of traumas depend heavily on the interaction between the victim and his social milieu.

It would seem that while the victim progresses from denial to helplessness, rage, depression and thence to acceptance of the traumatizing events - society demonstrates a diametrically opposed progression. This incompatibility, this mismatch of psychological phases is what leads to the formation and crystallization of trauma.

PHASE I

Victim phase I - DENIAL

The magnitude of such unfortunate events is often so overwhelming, their nature so alien, and their message so menacing - that denial sets in as a defence mechanism aimed at self preservation. The victim denies that the event occurred, that he or she is being abused, that a loved one passed away.

Society phase I - ACCEPTANCE, MOVING ON

What should I do? Should I invite my friends over for a party? We all have to make decisions. Our decisions determine in most instances the results. If you invite your friends over for a party for example, and intend to drink alcohol beverages knowing that tomorrow you have to work. Are you ready to face the consequences?

We can learn to make good decisions by examining the consequences of our choices. If you know that you must work tomorrow, why take a chance on partying the night before when we all know parties can get out of hand. If you can regulate and control the time you spend at the party, then there is no problem. You can make it to work the next day with a fresh mind.

If you go over your limits, you likely will lose REM sleep, which ultimately weakens your awareness. You will find it difficult to stay focused at work.