It’s that time a year again! How did it come back so fast? With summer winding down and fall weather returning, depression can rear its ugly head for those who experience seasonal dips in their mood. Light therapy for seasonal depression works. Often called “light box therapy” because historically it required sitting in front of a large box of light to get treatment. Nowadays, there are more options for light therapy treatment for Seasonal Affective Disorder. The best light therapy is the one that you will actually use!
Category: Depression
What is Self-Respect?
WHAT IS SELF-RESPECT? In my profession, I see lots of people who feel broken. Some have been struggling for years with depression, anxiety, bipolar, etc…. but others are broken because they are afraid to be themselves. I wish I had a magic wand or even a magic pill, anything to make it easier for people to push back the blinds, stop hiding, and live true to themselves. I see self-respect as just that. Not hiding. Imagine the freedom that can come with self-respect. Let me define self-respect better for you.
Suicide Prevention Plan: 5 Tips to Deal With Thoughts of Suicide
Preventing suicide does not happen by offering simple platitudes (“You have so much to be grateful for”) or by saying comments like: “It’s wrong”, “It’s selfish”, etc…but by coming up with a focused suicide prevention plan. Suicide and suicide thoughts are a response to incredible pain. The pain seems unending to the person experiencing it. Some people experience recurrent thoughts of suicide. Coming up with a plan for dealing with suicidal thoughts is essential and takes hard work in order to prevent suicide. The pain must be addressed and a safety net put in place.
A Psychiatrist’s Take on Suicidal Thoughts and Suicide Prevention
As a psychiatrist, part of my job is to talk to people about suicide. In my profession, hearing about suicidal thoughts is not uncommon. Read this post if you need help with suicidal thoughts or if you want to learn how to help someone who is suicidal. Suicide prevention hotline: 800-273-8255
Suicidal thoughts are a symptom like all other symptoms that I consider in my assessments. Often people are fearful that if they admit to feeling this way I will instantly hospitalize them against their will. (Not true — there are only certain situations when I have to which I will explain later).
Will You Have Antidepressant Withdrawal Symptoms?
Withdrawal from antidepressants can be uncomfortable if they are not tapered properly. Antidepressant withdrawal symptoms, also called antidepressant discontinuation syndrome, can happen when lowering a dose of the medication or with discontinuation. It is most frequently seen when treatment is abruptly stopped.
Read here to learn all about antidepressant withdrawal:
- Possible symptoms associated with it,
- What your risk is for having it,
- How to minimize your risk, and
- How to treat discontinuation syndrome if you have it.
Antidepressant withdrawal: What is antidepressant discontinuation syndrome?
Discontinuation syndrome can be unpleasant, although in most cases, the symptoms are mild. The symptoms usually last 1-3 weeks and will fade over time without treatment. If an antidepressant is restarted, the withdrawal symptoms will rapidly go away.
2 Reasons Your Antidepressant Medication Doesn’t Work
Don’t make these 2 common mistakes when deciding if an antidepressant is effective. Many people have inadequate trials on antidepressant medication due to dosing that is too low or taking the medication for too short of a time. Without accurate expectations of treatment, people assume the medicine isn’t effective and discontinue it. So how long does it take for antidepressants to work?
2 Common reasons for inadequate trials of antidepressant medication:
- A person is on a starting dose of the medication and the dose was never raised.
- They stayed on the antidepressant medication for less than the amount of time needed to get a response.
Increase your chance to choose the right medication the first time!
6 Questions You Must Ask Before Choosing an Antidepressant
Which antidepressant is right for me? Sometimes we can figure out what is the best antidepressant just by asking the right questions. Before choosing an antidepressant, I think about these 6 questions with my patients. We can frequently narrow down the choices so we know which antidepressant to try first.
If you are considering starting an antidepressant, make sure to read my last post on common side effects of antidepressants, how long the side effects will last, and tips for how to deal with side effects. My next post talks about what to expect for a treatment response from antidepressants (ie the important question of “When will I feel better?”)
8 Facts About Common Side Effects of Antidepressants
It’s important to know what to expect when starting on an antidepressant and to be aware of common side effects of antidepressants. Most commonly, antidepressant side effects happen when a medication is started. With antidepressants side effects are usually manageable and time-limited.
I find when people are aware of potential side effects and how long they may last, they are more tolerant of transitional discomfort while their body gets used to the medicine. If people aren’t aware of the common side effects of antidepressants they may stop the medication assuming they don’t tolerate it.
11 Effective Interventions for Depression
Are you looking for ideas how to beat depression? There are many interventions for depression that can help. Don’t let your brain trick you into thinking it will never get better and that you will always feel this bad. This isn’t true! You may not believe me but I see people get better all the time! Instead of staying in bed or giving up, incorporate these treatment tools for depression and start on your path to recovery. The more you use coping strategies for depression the quicker you will feel better.
30 Healing Mantras For Depression
Our thoughts help shape how we feel. Depression can cloud people’s outlook with negative thoughts that focus on everything that feels wrong. When thoughts are shifted toward the positive, outlooks change and the light can start to shine through. Postive, healing mantras can be used as one tool to help fight off depression and shift thinking patterns. Powerful mantras can help turn thinking around. This post includes 30 mantra examples to get you started. When you catch yourself in the spiral of gloom and projection- fight back by using mantras for depression. Pick a couple of healing mantras that resonate and use them throughout the day. It takes daily mantras for positive thinking to begin to emerge.