Tag: depression

Unlike postpartum depression (PPD), many people are unaware of postpartum anxiety (PPA). This is true despite the fact that research shows it impacts approximately 10-15%...

If you're a new empty nester, know that what you’re going through is a challenging transition. My heart goes out to you because I’ve been there. As parents, we need to honor the significance of the sacred task we spent the last two decades doing, and it is entirely appropriate that there would be some sorrow at its close. There will be a time of adjustment, and that period will be different for everyone. Here are five things you can expect as you adjust to the empty nest.

1. Fluctuating emotions. Intellectually, you can probably acknowledge that it was time for your kids to move beyond the nest.

Loss is part of life. We all suffer from it at some point and in some way. Death and divorce are among the most obvious, but we also can experience loss of hope, approval, aspirations, friendship, social standing and trust, among many other examples.

Like the ensuing grief it brings, loss is unique to the person who is experiencing it, and is handled differently by everyone. There is no right or wrong to the method or timing involved. Since loss is inevitable and part of the fabric of life, the key is coping and eventual acceptance.

"My dear family, after four long years of battling this illness, I just can’t take it any more…" So begins the note I left for my family before attempting suicide on July 24, 2004. In my fight against depression, I had tried 23 different medications, electroconvulsive (shock) therapy on 20 occasions, transcranial magnetic stimulation, cognitive behavioral therapy, and many other conventional programs related to the treatment of clinical depressions. I also had tried alternative treatments, such as acupuncture, kinesiology, and self-improvement courses. But on that day in July 2004, I had completely lost hope that I could recover.

If you’ve ever had a pet, you’ve experienced the many benefits animals bring to our lives. They are friends and companions, sometimes even a part of who we are—and despite the occasional potty-training accident or destroyed shoe, our pets bring us untold amounts of joy, humor, love, and happiness.

For people who are experiencing depression, however, pets can provide something even more important: a reason to live, and to keep on living.

When someone you know seems to be struggling, how should you handle it? If you’re like many people, you may hesitate to cross boundaries or get involved—especially given the stigma attached to depression and mental illness. But the worst thing you can do is say nothing.

It is incredibly important that the distressed person in your life knows there is hope. Your silence may suggest there is not. It may feel uncomfortable, but it is an act of love and friendship to ask, "Are you okay?"

A lot of attention is paid to men’s fitness and their physical health, but consider this: 6 million men are diagnosed with depression each year in America, and they account for 79% of suicides in the United States. These are shocking statistics; and they reveal the devastating consequences society’s views of masculinity have on men and their mental health.

Boys grow up to be men with the understanding and expectation that they need to be tough, independent, and above all else, masculine.