Depression Expert Deborah Gray shares Depression management news and commentary at MyDepressionConnection.com. The HealthCentral Network, Inc. (www.HealthCentral.com) is one of the top health destinations on the Web, with more than 35 condition-specific, wellness and general health Web properties. http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/18 http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/18/rss self application/xml en-us 15 120 19 http://www.healthcentral.com/images/hc_logo_sm.gif http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/18 http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/18/93044/depression-illness Wed, 04 Nov 2009 01:20:00 -0500 Deborah Gray Last November I started getting sick with a sinus headache and fever. At the end of a week, I was so sick that I ended up throwing up in a bathroom stall at work. The doctor diagnosed a sinus infection. Not unusual for someone with allergies, but I hadn't had one in years. I got a prescription for antibiotics, and thought that was the end of it.   Nope. For a few days after I started the antibiotic, my fever abated and I felt better. But... http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/18/93044/depression-illness http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/18/89698/depression-local Wed, 28 Oct 2009 09:14:00 -0400 Deborah Gray I'm perusing the shelves of the bookstore, in the psychology section, looking for new books about depression and depression treatment. I know that I really shouldn't be doing this, because it inevitably raises by blood pressure and puts me in danger of choking on my decaf mocha. The problem is, this activity exposes me to all the ways in which someone is trying to sell us a book that will cure/heal/or treat your depression - without doctors or... http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/18/89698/depression-local http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/18/90204/antidepressants Thu, 15 Oct 2009 04:11:00 -0400 Deborah Gray Over the years, since I started my depression site, I've heard (read) many people say that they want to treat their depression "but without antidepressants." I always think, "Why?" It's just incomprehensible to me that some people have that knee-jerk reaction to medication.   Oddly enough, I have to include myself in this group. At least initially, I refused to take medication for my depression. Nearly twenty years ago, when I was first... http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/18/90204/antidepressants http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/18/88454/minimizing-attacks Mon, 28 Sep 2009 09:46:00 -0400 Deborah Gray It's not clear at this point what the underlying causes of panic attacks are, although there are indications that both genetics and biochemical makeup play a part. Although there is little that can be done to address the underlying causes without a better understanding, panic attacks can be treated with medication, therapy or both, and it is possible to minimize your chances of triggering an attack.   Just a caution first: please make... http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/18/88454/minimizing-attacks http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/18/86015/depression Tue, 22 Sep 2009 07:03:00 -0400 Deborah Gray Before my own depression was diagnosed, I dated a man who suffered from clinical depression and alcoholism. Of course, I wasn't aware of this when I started dating him, or I never would have started. I don't have a burning need to "fix" people. A couple of months after I started treatment for my depression, we split up. Although I think it was more or less mutual, I would not have stayed around for long in any case. I had gotten tired of trying... http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/18/86015/depression http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/18/86016/attack-symptoms Wed, 09 Sep 2009 22:15:00 -0400 Deborah Gray About ten years ago, my best friend called me, very shaken. "I think I may have just had a panic attack," she blurted out, as soon as I answered the phone. "I couldn't breathe all of a sudden and I just freaked out." I was surprised, as I had known her for many years, and she'd never had one.   My friend had been in therapy for a few months, and had recently started to deal with some very painful memories from her childhood. It seemed... http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/18/86016/attack-symptoms http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/18/80346/sad-summer Wed, 12 Aug 2009 10:57:00 -0400 Deborah Gray "Summertime, and the living is easy." Amen to that. I love summer. Credit it to spending much of my childhood in Florida, but I actually like being hot and sweaty. My absolute favorite place to be is on a beach with sun on my face and my toes digging into hot sand. I crave and need sunshine like a growing plant. And I think it's safe to say that most of the population is the same way. Just think of how many people will lie outside on the grass... http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/18/80346/sad-summer http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/18/78256/10-child-depressed Tue, 14 Jul 2009 05:09:00 -0400 Deborah Gray 1. Recognize that clinical depression is a disease. Internalizing this fact will help your child in two ways. One, it will hopefully keep you from blaming yourself or your child. This is no one's fault. Second, if you think of depression as a disease instead of a choice your child is making, you won't say anything stupid like, "Why don't you just pull yourself together," or "Stop feeling sorry for yourself." 2. Don't freak out. This will... http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/18/78256/10-child-depressed http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/18/75436/talking-medication Mon, 22 Jun 2009 03:29:00 -0400 Deborah Gray 1. Be clear about your reason(s) for wanting to switch antidepressants. Is it that the side effects are intolerable, or is it that you are not satisfied with the response? If you want to switch for the latter reason, you need to determine exactly what you mean and communicate that to your doctor. Did your antidepressant ever work fully? Bear in mind that you need to give the medication up to four weeks before you would definitely be seeing an... http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/18/75436/talking-medication http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/18/74917/antidepressant Tue, 16 Jun 2009 11:52:00 -0400 Deborah Gray The other day, I took an impromptu break at work to buy something to drink. "I'm just so dehydrated," I told my boss. "My blood pressure medication does that to me - maybe yours is having the same effect."   Aha. That was probably it. Due to my elevated blood pressure, my doctor had strongly suggested I start on medication, which I had done a few days before. I remember from the last time that I took it that it also can cause moments of... http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/18/74917/antidepressant