"The depressed person needs diversion and company, but too many demands can increase feelings of failure."

"Lithium has for many years been the treatment of choice for bipolar disorder, as it can be effective in smoothing out the mood swings common to this disorder, but its use must be carefully monitored, as the range between an effective dose and a toxic one is small."

Herbal Therapy Against Depression


In the past few years, much interest has risen in the use of herbs in the treatment of both depression and anxiety. St. John's wort (Hypericum perforatum), an herb used extensively in the treatment of mild to moderate depression in Europe, has recently aroused interest in the United States. St. John's wort, an attractive bushy, low-growing plant covered with yellow flowers in summer, has been used for centuries in many folk and herbal remedies. Today in Germany, Hypericum is used in the treatment of depression more than any other antidepressant. However, the scientific studies that have been conducted on its use have been short-term and have used several different doses.

Because of the widespread interest in St. John's wort, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) conducted a 3-year study, sponsored by three NIH components the National Institute of Mental Health, the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, and the Office of Dietary Supplements. The study was designed to include 336 patients with major depression of moderate severity, randomly assigned to an 8-week trial with one-third of patients receiving a uniform dose of St. John's wort, another third sertraline, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) commonly prescribed for depression, and the final third a placebo (a pill that looks exactly like the SSRI and the St. John's wort, but has no active ingredients). The study participants who responded positively were followed for an additional 18 weeks. At the end of the first phase of the study, participants were measured on two scales, one for depression and one for overall functioning. There was no significant difference in rate of response for depression, but the scale for overall functioning was better for the antidepressant than for either St. John's wort or placebo. While this study did not support the use of St. John's wort in the treatment of major depression, ongoing NIH-supported research is examining a possible role for St. John's wort in the treatment of milder forms of depression.

The Food and Drug Administration issued a Public Health Advisory on February 10, 2000. It stated that St. John's wort appears to affect an important metabolic pathway that is used by many drugs prescribed to treat conditions such as AIDS, heart disease, depression, seizures, certain cancers, and rejection of transplants. Therefore, health care providers should alert their patients about these potential drug interactions.

Some other herbal supplements frequently used that have not been evaluated in large-scale clinical trials are ephedra, gingko biloba, echinacea, and ginseng. Any herbal supplement should be taken only after consultation with the doctor or other health care provider.

"CBT, designed to be a time-limited therapy, focuses on changing these distortions."

The Breath of God
It was in Jamaica that I came to truly understand the wind as the breath of God. The seeds were sown a year previously by an older Jamaican woman preaching in church and reminding us to be mindful of God's caring presence. She said that when we are outside and it is so hot, and we feel that cooling breeze on the back of our neck, that is the breath of God. Jamaica is very hot in July, when I am there, even up in the mountains. The wind blows often, and even the wind is hot. But the wind is welco
Envie de disparaitre.
Jai reu en dbut de semaine un mail dune amie , qui me demande de parler de la dprime sur le blog, mais en relisant le mail jai prfr vous le faire partager tel quel IMG "Salut, 3lech tu ne poste pas un sujet concernant la dprime ?, le mal de vivre ? Le dsespoir ?, la crise existentielle ?, l'envi de tout laiss tomber ? Et de draper de prendre une mauvaise tournure ou de tout arrter de mettre fin a tout ce calvaire, de dbrancher la prise wkahaw !!! Le fait qua 23 ans tan
See my Distress Lord...See!
If you would like and this would probably make more sense to you if you do, read II Samuel 16:5-14 before reading this. As King David approached Bahurim, a man from the same clan as Saul's family came out from there. His name was Shimei son of Gera, and he cursed as he came out. He pelted David and all the king's officials with stones, though all the troops and the special guard were on David's right and left. As he cursed, Shimei said, "Get out, get out, you man of blood, you scoundrel! The LO
Social Suicide
IMG goldengatebridge.gifLast week a woman jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge. I usually read my newspaper a few days late, and sometimes end up missing items because of this, but I saw nary a mention of it. (I later learned from the Wikipedia article that Golden Gate Bridge suicides are much more common than I thought, and therefore probably not newsworthy shocking!) However, as I took a walk around the reservoir during a playdate, the mom confessed to me that her friend had just died.

"Psychotherapy can generally be considered ineffective if a trial of three months has not produced a measurable and noticeable improvement."

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"The interaction of tyramine with MAOIs can bring on a hypertensive crisis (a sharp increase in blood pressure) that can lead to a stroke."

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"In focus groups conducted by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) to assess depression awareness, men described their own symptoms of depression without realizing that they were depressed."

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"Genetics research indicates that risk for depression results from the influence of multiple genes acting together with environmental or other nongenetic factors."

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"Psychotherapy can be helpful in cases of normal depression and can help insure the condition does not become chronic."