Mental & Emotional Health

Last week I spent some time interviewing a long-time friend of mine. Diana Lee and I have known one another for years. We met while planning our weddings and immediately bonded over wedding stress leading to greater pain in our lives (men, and physical pain, I’m sure!). Not only did Di design my header for Mental & Emotional Health (look up there, you see that beautiful thing?), she did it for my About Portland, OR as well.

Diana writes her own blog at Somebody Heal Me. Sometimes she writes about her struggle to find proper preventative medications for her chronic migraines, sometimes she shares the news, sometimes she makes us giggle with stories about her yoga-posing cat! I subscribe to the biopsychosocial model of healthcare (where everything is related and you can’t heal a piece without addressing the whole) I couldn’t just interview Di about her depression or her migraines, I had to merge them. What blossomed was an informative and candid piece of writing I’m proud to share with you all.

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300: a great movie. I enjoyed it. *nods*

300: the year the year the city of Split is built.

300: how many more hits I need in September to break my March record! Pass the word on, people!

I’m in a funk today. I’m overwhelmed, stressed out, not laughing, and just not myself. *le sigh*

I think it’s because of the major change in my life lately but I’m not sure it’s 100% that. I haven’t seen MamaDee in almost two weeks and I miss her. I am going to see her on Sunday, but still that’s been too long. School has me stressed out, I’ve had a lot of random little things to do this week and have had some snafus pop up with regards to school. I am thinking about finding a part-time job on top of everything, but with this week being SO stressful, I don’t know if that’s a smart idea!

mental & emotional health, blog hits, raising traffic, Portland State University, college, education, friends

So, as of this week I’ve been off Prozac for five months. I feel incredible. I still have rough days, but overall, have learned to manage my anxiety and depression with healthy habits and life-changes. I haven’t sunk into a hole and avoided everyone (unless you can count work as a hole) and I haven’t ignored my friends because of a funk. I’m pretty impressed with myself actually.

School starts on Monday and I’m really looking forward to the changes that is going to bring. I am going to be enveloped in books and class and studying and pens and tests and crazy Freshmen and it’s all going to be new, but still very familiar.

It used to be that I had a hard time making friends, but I’ve learned that it’s not so hard, and it’s not impossible for me. It’s been interesting to me to look back on the friendships that I’ve made in the past five months and see how they differ from friendships of five years ago. I keep myself and my previous struggles relatively quiet and to myself, until I think a person is “ready” to hear about them.

Yesterday I spent the day with a good friend at the beach, and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. We laughed so hard my stomach hurt more than a dozen times, we sang along badly to all sorts of music and it was worth the gas and the drive-time. I am proud to see myself as this changed woman, and I feel good about the way my life has been altered. My favorite thing to hear lately has been; “I don’t even recognize you!” because I know I haven’t physically changed - they’re seeing what I’m feeling.

mental & emotional health, personal, change, depression, anxiety

It’s been a while since I did a news day and that’s because it’s been rather slow. I had to actively search for mental or emotional health news today, nothing much going on. Kinda strange!

Depression Pushes Middle-Aged Workers to Retire - In many cases, depression is a deciding factor for men and women considering retirement, according to new research. Middle-aged men who suffer with symptoms of depression are more likely to retire early, while retirement-age women often take the leap even if their depressive symptoms are mild.

Mental Health Bill OK’d in Senate - The Senate passed legislation last night that would require equal health insurance coverage for mental and physical illnesses when policies cover both. The bill, passed by unanimous consent, moves advocates one step closer in their quest for mental health parity. “This new legislation will bring dramatic new help to millions of Americans who today are denied needed mental health care and treatment,” said Senator Edward Kennedy, Democrat of Massachusetts. (AP) (That is the entire “article”.)

Soldiers Getting Brain Tests Before Deployment - Before they leave for Iraq, thousands of troops with the 101st Airborne Division line up at laptop computers to take a test: basic math, matching numbers and symbols, and identifying patterns. They press a button quickly to measure response time. It’s all part of a fledgling Army program that records how soldiers’ brains work when healthy, giving doctors baseline data to help diagnose and treat the soldiers if they suffer a traumatic brain injury — the signature injury of the Iraq war.

Little-Known Purging Disorder Is Often Missed - An Iowa researcher is studying a little-known eating disorder that some doctors may miss: purging disorder. Though similar to women with bulimia, patients who fit this description don’t binge-eat. Yet they feel compelled to purge, usually by vomiting, even after eating only a small or normal amount of food, said Pamela Keel, the University of Iowa researcher who led a study on the subject.

Elderly Are At Highest Risk for Suicide - Not long after 72-year-old Anne Beale Golsan had retired on disability from her job as a librarian, she put a stack of paid bills out for the mail, hung up a freshly pressed outfit and taped a note to the front of the house. “Don’t come in by yourself. Get somebody to come with you. Sorry, Love Beale.�

Sick? Lonely? Genes Tell the Tale - Lonely people are more likely to get sick and die young, and researchers said on Thursday they may have found out why — their immune systems are haywire. They used a “gene chip” to look at the DNA of isolated people and found that people who described themselves as chronically lonely have distinct patterns of genetic activity, almost all of it involving the immune system.

mental & emotional health, mental health news, retirement, middle-age depression, Senate, soldiers, brain tests, Iraq War, purging disorder, eating disorders, elderly suicide, suicide risk, lonely

Over at Kerrie’s blog yesterday I was fascinated by an article linking depression, women, migraines and childhood abuse. Instead of writing a half-formed in-awe post about it, I’m linking you to HER blog since she does an amazing job re-formatting and emphasizing pivotal points within the article. This is prompting me to do more research on the subject as I find the connection and the idea of “serotonin dysfunction” absolutely fascinating.

So yeah, go read the blog! (And leave Kerrie a comment, I’m sure she loves ‘em like I do!)

Oh, and I drew a name last night! The winner of the contest will be featured (with his/her permission) tomorrow!!

mental & emotional health, migraines, depression, childhood abuse, women, contest, book winner, Daily Headache

There are two main ways depression and anxiety are treated during pregnancy; psychotherapy and antidepressant medication. If you need to, contact your physician or your nurse (or even your doula) to see if they have a psychotherapy recommendation. (I’m sure that they’ll have great words of advice for you.) Your psychotherapy may involve a dose of anti-depressants, which their use during pregnancy is not completely without risk, research provided by the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (at their 53rd Annual meeting in San Diego) showed that there may be more problems in not treating depression & anxiety during pregnancy.

*Women with major depression are more likely to give birth early (at an average of 35.6 weeks … compared to 39.4 weeks).
*Depressed mothers may give birth to babies with more cortisol (stress hormone) in their cord blood; although the difference is not “statistically significant.” (They mentioned that a larger sampling of babies is necessary to determine this meaning.)
*Depressed mothers may give birth to babies with lower motor-maturity than non-depressed mothers.

There are, however risks to taking SSRI’s (Prozac, Zoloft, Luvox, Paxil, Celexa & Lexapro), they have been mostly considered safe. A study published in Feburary 2006 in an issue of the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine found realized that nearly 1/3 of newborns whose mothers took antidepressants during pregnancy gave birth to babies who dealt with “neonatal abstinence syndrome.” This leads to high-pitched crying, tremors, disturbed sleep, gastrointestinal problems and an abnormal increase in muscle tone (hypertonicity). No child has shown to need medical intervention during this syndrome, but it is uncomfortable.

Even with this in mind, you must remember that women who stop their anti-depressant medications are more likely to relapse into depression; and a mother’s stress hormones may contribute to a risk to the developing fetus.

A story I read from the Med Pages forum almost scared me into the idea of always taking my antidepressants; even while pregnant: “Susan (not her real name), a member of our forum community, was determined to do everything possible to ensure her baby’s well-being. She ate right, exercised, didn’t drink or smoke, never missed a doctor’s appointment, and stopped taking her antidepressants “just in case they might hurt the baby”. During the seventh month of her pregnancy she began to think that maybe her husband and baby would be better off without her. At that time, she says, “My thoughts made perfect sense. I felt I was a burden to my husband because of my depression and that my baby would be better off being raised by someone without my problems.” Her plan, she says, was to wait until the baby was born and then commit suicide. After the baby was born and she had resumed taking Prozac, she said, “I was amazed that I could have thought such things and actually believed that they made sense.”" Antidepressants may have helped Susan through her sucidal thoughts (but everyone is different; remember!)

Please, if you’re feeling depressed, speak to someone. Even if you’re not pregnant!

mental and emotional health, pregnancy, depression while pregnant, anxiety while pregnant, antidepressants, medication compliance, suicide

Most times when people talk about pregnancy, they speak of the great joys, the physical pain and the anticipation of becoming a mother; however, the fact that at least one in ten women (10%) live with depression during pregnancy.

It used to be that health care providers believed that pregnancy hormones were a protection against depression; this meant that women were more vulnerable immediately after birth when their hormone levels plummeted. However, research has shown that the rapid change in hormones at the beginning of pregnancy can trigger a such a change in brain chemistry that it can lead to depression. These hormonal changes can make a woman feel even more anxious about her pregnancy and this anxiety can and should be treated.

Unfortunately, this pregnancy-induced depression & anxiety can go undiagnosed because women may chalk their feelings up to the belief that “every” woman gets moody during pregnancy. If you are pregnant and even slightly feel that your depression is more than what it “normally” is for you, please don’t be shy and speak up. Tell someone who cares, or call your physician. There are medications and treatments that are safe for pregnant women. Your physical health is affected by your mental health (I wrote a post about this a while back, remember?) and so being treated for your depression & anxiety during pregnancy is one of the smartest actions you can take.

Tuesday; Treatments for depression & anxiety during pregnancy.

As of this year, I have been living with depression for ten years. I’ve been dealing with feelings of worthlessness, social withdrawal, and at my worst, suicidal tendencies for a decade now. I am 25-years-old and have lived with this illness since I was 15; it is a part of me, and while I am more than just depressed, it is a huge part of who I am. However, lately I’ve noticed that things are changing for me.

Lately I’ve noticed that I’ve been feeling HAPPY more often than not.
~little things make me happy; being invited to a movie-night with my friends, getting a phone call from my best friend, laughing with my mom about our mutual love for Willie Nelson

Lately I’ve noticed that I am smiling all the time.
~during my entire hike over the weekend I was smiling, putting on my sunhat to sit in the super-hot Oregon weather made me smile, seeing that there is a new episode of A&E’s Intervention onDemand made me smile (although I will probably eventually cry from it)

Lately I’ve noticed that I’ve been enjoying my life!
~my work thoroughly pleases me, I’m really looking forward toschool starting in September, even my neighbor’s incessant hammering (remodeling) isn’t bothering me like it used to, reading has become an absolute pleasure for me again instead of just an escape

Lately I’ve noticed that while I have my depressed moments, they are becoming fewer and farther between.
~even while so upset about the finality of my relationship with Mr.E., it took me 40 hours to move past it and realize that I’m worth more than that, I had a panic attack early last week and it was the first one that I can remember having in months and months

Lately I’ve noticed that my coping methods when I am depressed have changed.
~instead of feeling the need to escape (by reading, having a beer or two, not answering the phone/hiding), I’ve reached out when I’ve felt depressed. I’ve made it known to friends when I’m feeling down and I have been asking for help. This is a huge change for me.

Lately I’ve been weirded out that this stuff is changing. I don’t quite know what to do with myself; so instead of thinking about it too much, I’m sitting back and enjoying it!!

Hi, my name is Sarah; I smile a lot lately.

mental and emotional health, depression, anxiety, Accutane, depression causes, happy, healing, healthy, smiling, enjoying life, coping methods, relationships, dating

I spent my weekend refreshing myself at Mount St. Helens. I hiked alone for the first time in my life and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I needed some time to get away, re-think a lot of things that have just happened in my life and really sit inside of my head. I did just that, and took a million pictures while I was doing so! You can see the pictures here if you’re interested.

Life has been topsy-turvey for me in the past couple of weeks, and I just want to apologize for my lack of “regular” posts. Plus, I have been setting these posts up to show up at 8am every day, but they aren’t coming up. I have emailed my bosses about this in hopes of them being able to tell me what the deal is, but for now I’m just being frustrated with my blog! (Are any of you other 451Press writers noticing problems?)

Tomorrow, hopefully, posts of the regular sorts will come back. I’ve been doing some research on pregnancy & depression that I hope to share with ya’ll!

mental and emotional health, personal, Mount St. Helens, photographs, nature photography, 451Press, blog problems

Tonight I felt like giving up … just throwing in a towel and moving home with my parents and just hiding in their spare bedroom for a while. I don’t really want to get into why, but it has been a tough last two hours. Things will get better, and I know that, but right now I just want to sit in a hole and cry.

I remember a poem that my mom (who talked me through my tears tonight) used to have on a magnet on the fridge when I was growing up. I had to look it up to share it with you all.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Don’t Quit
When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road your trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit
Rest if you must, but don’t you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and its turns,
As everyone of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about
When they might have won, had they stuck it out.
Don’t give up though the pace seems slow,
You may succeed with another blow.

Often the struggler has given up
When he might have captured the victors cup;
And he learned too late when the night came down,
How close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far;
So stick to the fight when your hardest hit,
It’s when things seem worst that you must not quit!

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

This poem reminds me of standing in front of the fridge as a little kid and made me feel a bit better. I know I can’t just give up and that I must persevere through this muck. I must remember to keep my chin up, think about the positive things in my life (my loving parents, my friends, my fun co-workers/bosses, my education, the fact that I get to continue my education) instead. I will make it through this. I promise you and I promise myself.

I’ve been tagged by Neel so now I get to have a mid-week me on Monday! It’ll be a Monday-Meme day or something!
-Pass your friends a note by leaving a comment.
-Visit them by hitting their site.
-Show them love with a link to their entry.

So here goes: Seven Things You (Probably) Don’t Know About Me
1. Most of my in-person/in-real-life/see-everyday friends don’t know about this blog. Some of them don’t know that I deal with so many mental illness issues and because I work really hard to keep myself 100% put together in front of them 100% of the time, so I don’t want all of them seeing the real me. Yes, this means that you, my faithful blog readers, get to see the real me.

2. I detest being called by diminutive names by people who I’m not close to. I’m okay with nicknames from my friends, from my family, and even if I’m close to a guy I’m dating, but I hate being called “sweetheart” by the grocery store clerk. I’m not her sweetheart and I never will be; I don’t call you honey-buns, you don’t need to demean me and call me sweetheart! (I’ve been told I’d never cut it in the South because of this!)

3. The sound of ocean waves puts me in a melancholy & contemplative mood. I love the ocean, I love the water, I love the salt, I love the sand, I love the fact that I’m standing on the edge of a continent when I’m at the ocean, and it always makes me think. I didn’t see the ocean for the first time until I was 12 (I played on glaciers in AK when I lived there, but didn’t count that as the ocean) and ever since then I’ve been entranced by the feelings the ocean gives me. The ocean makes me want to write. Even just writing about the ocean makes me want to write.

4. A year ago I lived with such strong social anxiety I couldn’t make friends. I couldn’t keep friends because I wouldn’t leave the house to hang out with them, I wouldn’t call them back, I wouldn’t even write them back with emails because I was that anxious about making the “right” impression on people. I have grown so much in the past year that I have no problem making new friends, calling people back, attending concerts (I saw Willie Nelson on Saturday night and that was AMAZING!) and thoroughly enjoying myself while I do so.

5. I love to cook, but hate cooking for only myself. I make mean chicken or ground turkey enchiladas and I’ve never had anyone complain about them. I love to bake (especially sourdough and banana bread) and take pride in people complimenting my culinary abilities. Because I don’t like to cook for myself, I don’t cook hardly enough anymore though. Eating the same thing day after day can drive me crazy so leftovers (which I do love) aren’t always fun for myself. I need to learn to FREEZE stuff and then just reheat it a week later when I’m ready for it again.

6. Vacuuming is my absolute favorite chore. There is something relaxing about the back and forth motion of the electric sucking machine. Everyone I tell this to stares at me funny and I always laugh. I hate to clean the bathroom* (don’t really know why) but I do love to suck dirt from the carpets with my trusty Shark!

7. I think I have a mineral deficiency. I have recently realized that I am starting to bruise really easily, and have been doing research as to why. One of the things that came up may be that I am eating too many almonds. Almonds apparently have some of the same properties as aspirin and I’ve been eating a lot of them, so that may be part of it. I could also be lacking in Vitamin C (which might very well be the case, too). I’m going to continue doing my research and see what happens.

Now I’m supposed to tag some other people so I’m picking four people I know regularly read me!
1. Amanda at Depression Talk
2. Mad at Mad Haiku (do it in Haiku form and you’ll be even more of my hero!)
3. Mallory at Mallory In The Middle
4. Just Me at Master of Irony (when you have time, sweetheart! *giggles*)

mental and emotional health, meme, 7 things about me, personal, nicknames, pet peeves, grocery shopping, ocean, sounds, waves, writing, melancholy, contemplative, social anxiety, making friends, keeping friends, growing, learning, healing, cooking, recipes, leftovers, mineral deficiency, vitamin C, vitamin K iron, anemia

*that bathroom is NOT mine!

Well, instead of getting a news day, you’re getting a “news-day” about me. I really feel like I haven’t addressed my own mental health in a while and I think it’s time again.

1. Today is day 3 off my Prozac. I moved on Saturday and haven’t found a new pharmacy to have my medication refilled. I am really surprised that I haven’t started having weird cut-off symptoms.

2. However, I am depressed. I feel a crying jag coming on and have been distracting myself with podcasts, happy music, and reading books. I am pulling away from people again and I see myself doing it.

3. My old psychiatrist (ScubaSteve) has called me twice in the past two weeks wanting to check in. I should call him back, but what am I going to tell him? I know I’ll just lie to him and tell him that I’m fine, I’ve got a great new job, live by myself now and am doing great, but I don’t even have the energy to lie over the telephone to anyone now.

4. I had a dating revelation the other night and it has been sitting weird in my stomach (not my brain or my heart, mind you) since then. I actually made myself sick to my stomach (and threw up) over-thinking things. I don’t really know what to do about this and I don’t even know that I really care.

5. Sadly, I don’t care about a lot of things right now. I get up, I go to work (I actually DO enjoy my job, though) and then I either come home, go on a date or meet up with a friend. I don’t really care though. I could do anything at this point and not really care. This apathy, it doesn’t bother me. I am apathetic about my apathy.

6. Not only am I becoming strangely apathetic about things, I am also overly-anxious about things as well. You would think that this wouldn’t match up well, but I can not care about some things (hanging all those pictures stacked against the wall over there), and still be overly-anxious about other things (running at 110% while at work to impress my bosses). I wish I could be overly-anxious about my apathy.

7. I am enjoying living alone … because no one can make me feel guilty for watching shit TV, for dancing along with So You Think You Can Dance or for wandering the house naked; but I miss having someone to talk to. Music (or a podcast) has been playing essentially since I moved into my new place.

8. I have to actually convince myself to go out and do things lately … I am going to see MrsTee this weekend for her wedding reception & house-warming party. I am going. I am not letting myself not go. But I know that an hour before I’m supposed to leave I am going to think up any and every excuse in the book to talk myself out of going. I hate that about my depression.

9. My dating revelation makes me want to give up on dating. This attitude is spreading from just dating to everything else already … it’s been THREE DAYS. This makes me want to shout the eff-word as loud as I can over and over again.

10. My mask is back on. I am pretending, for those who are around me and don’t know me well, that everything is hunky-dory and I’m doing great. I’ve learned to do this so well I am believing in my own lie and ignoring the signs that there is a problem. I know what I need to do to fix this, but time and time again, in my head, I am saying; “I don’t know what to do.”

So yeah, I’m not doing so well, but everything’s fine.

mental and emotional health, personal, apathy, dating, depression, anxiety, medication compliance, lies

While there is no known way to prevent dysthymia, there are many treatment methods available. The most common, and “best” treatment is a combination of medications and psychotherapy. Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) are among the most commonly prescribed antidepressants for dysthymic disorder; these include fluoxetine (Prozac), sertraline (Zoloft), paroxetine (Paxil), bupropion (Wellbutrin), venlafaxine (Effexor), mirtazapine (Remeron), duloxetine (Cymbalta) and citalopram (Celexa). These antidepressants are easy to take and relatively safe compared to older forms of antidepressants (including tricyclic antidepressants or monoamine inhibitors). These may all still have side effects (including nausea and problems with sexual functioning) and may even cause your anxiety level to increase in the early stages and then apathy in the long run. The risk, however, of leaving your dysthymia or depression untreated is far greater than the few risks of treatment with antidepressants.

Unlike Tylenol, antidepressants may take between two and six weeks to take full effect and for the patient to see an improvement in their mood/life. The doses may have to be adjusted, re-adjusted, and it may be a few months before the absolute best positive effect will take place. Be patient! Sometimes a mood stabilizer or anti-anxiety medication may be combined with the anti-depressant in order to smooth the transitions.

Psychotherapy needs to be adjusted just like medication would. Physicians need to look at the nature of the stressful even that could have caused the dysthymia, the availability of social support and familial support as well as personal preferences for the patient. Support is essential to those going through treatment. This therapy should also include education about depression; the more information you know, the more you’ll understand what you’re living with. Cognitive behavioral therapy is designed to examine and help correct faulty, self-critical thought patterns. Psychodynamic, insight-oriented or interpersonal psychotherapy can help a person sort out conflicts in important relationships or explore the history behind the symptoms.

mental and emotional health, dysthymia, dysthymic disorder, depression, major depression, dysthymia treatment, anti-depressants, anti-anxiety, medications, psychotherapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, interpersonal psychotherapy, Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors, SSRIs, fluoxetine, Prozac, sertraline, Zoloft, paroxetine, Paxil, bupropion, Wellbutrin, venlafaxine, Effexor, mirtazapine, Remeron, duloxetine, Cymbalta, citalopram, Celexa, tricyclic antidepressants, monoamine inhibitors

Symptoms of Dysthymia
The main symptom of dysthymia is a long-lasting low or sad mood. People with dysthymia also can be irritable.
Other symptoms include:
*Increased or decreased appetite or weight
*Lack of sleep or sleeping too much
*Fatigue or low energy
*Low self-esteem
*Difficulty concentrating
*Indecisiveness
*Hopelessness or pessimism

When looking at a diagnosis of dysthymia, many doctors will recognize that their patients have some for of depression. A full evaluation is needed, though, to diagnose dysthymia. Patients must have been dealing with these symptoms for over two years; however, those who have not had the symptoms for more than two years may still be treated for an episode of major depression instead.

While one would think that diagnosing dysthymia sounds easy, there are a number of barriers or hurdles one must look at.
*The symptoms could be related to symptoms of other mood disorders such as major depression, bipolar disorder (in which a person has depressive episodes and periods of elevated mood) and cyclothymic disorder (a milder form of bipolar disorder).
*The symptoms must be constant over time.
*There are, unfortunately, no laboratory tests to diagnose dysthymia. (However, a doctor may order tests to investigate conditions such as thyroid disease or anemia and rule these out.)
*Many people are embarrassed or ashamed to be labeled “depressed” and avoid seeing the doctor or psychiatrist for their condition.

Unfortunately, dysthymia can start early in life; even in childhood (oftentimes it’s been shown to occur after a parent’s death) and it remains constant. Treatment may not cure dysthymia, but it can reduce the length and intensity of bouts of dysthymia.

mental and emotional health, depression, major depression, dysthymia, dysthmic disorder, symptoms, treatment

Dysthymia, or dysthymic disorder is another form of depression that while seems to be less severe than major depression, it usually lasts longer. If you feel as though you’ve been depressed as long as you can remember, or that you are going in and out of depression all the time, you might want to consider looking more at these next few posts on dysthymia.

As I said before, the symptoms of dysthymia are similar to those of major depression, but those symptoms may be less intense. A poor self-image, constant pessimism, indecisiveness, difficulty concentrating, low energy, too much (or too little) sleep, increases or even decreases in appetite (and therefore weight), a lack of interest in anything as well as a low or irritable mood may be among the list of symptoms included in dysthymia. These symptoms may grow into an episode of true major depression, as well. This “double depression” can occur where you may feel depressed all the time, but still have intense episodes of major depression. This may also create a feeling of constant stress for a person. (But does that stress come from the dysthymia or does the dysthymia come from trying to cope with the stress?)

Sometimes, dysthymia may even start during childhood. It is a constant, long lasting depression unlike major depression which often occurs in episodes. People with dysthymia may also believe that this depressive personality is actually part of their character - this is who they are all the time. Because of this fact, dysthymic people may not even think to talk to someone about their depression, believing that it’s just them. However, it runs in families, and is two to three times more common in women than with men.

Can I ask ya’ll a favor, too? Would you mind promoting this site a bit? If you add me to your blog roll, I can add you back (with a little help from my bosses here. You know I’m good for the shout-outs (see a few previous entries) and it only helps me out!!

mental and emotional health, depression, dysthymia, dysthymic disorder, major depression