Depression Expert Judith Wurtman 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/186774 http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/186774/rss self application/xml en-us 15 120 19 http://www.healthcentral.com/images/hc_logo_sm.gif http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/186774 http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/186774/84986/doctor-makes Wed, 02 Sep 2009 06:06:00 -0400 Judith Wurtman Recently, I received an email from a man who described his wife's frustration at her weight gain. She had worked very hard at losing weight a few years earlier but had gained it back and more after her physician put her on antidepressant medication for her fibromyalgia.  What caused their distress was the doctor's attitude toward her obesity. According to the husband, the doctor saw her as just one more "fat patient" in his office and had... http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/186774/84986/doctor-makes http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/186774/77877/measuring Tue, 28 Jul 2009 07:26:00 -0400 Judith Wurtman If you have been a normal weight all your life and find yourself gaining weight while on antidepressants, how will you know if or when your medication may make you obese? It is doubtful that your doctor will tell you; he or she usually does not have a scale in the office or a height/weight chart on the wall. The well-known side effect of antidepressant-associated weight gain is often not even mentioned by the prescribing psychotherapist lest it... http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/186774/77877/measuring http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/186774/76083/winter-summer Wed, 01 Jul 2009 08:02:00 -0400 Judith Wurtman Is anyone enjoying good summer weather? Much of the country is dealing with outrageously high temperatures, while other parts are getting so many downpours arks are being built in backyards. My own section, New England, has declared the sun an endangered species. One consequence is that the typical euphoria that comes with sunny, warm (not hot) cloudless days has been replaced with feelings of gloom, dullness and fatigue.   The effect of... http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/186774/76083/winter-summer http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/186774/71334/eating-eating Mon, 18 May 2009 06:32:00 -0400 Judith Wurtman   In the high school where I tutor kids in science, everyone is always eating. As soon as the students get settled in the classroom they reach into their knapsacks to open bags of salty crunchy snacks.  Apparently it is allowed as long as the crunching noises are kept to a minimum. School starts at 7:30 am so for many of the students, the morning snack of Doritos, potato chips, Funyuns and tortilla chips is their breakfast. ... http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/186774/71334/eating-eating http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/186774/69976/eat-vegetables Wed, 06 May 2009 16:59:00 -0400 Judith Wurtman "Salad Days" was a termed coined by William Shakespeare to describe a time of youth and innocence. Today the phrase "salad days" could just as well describe the first few days on a diet since one of the first things people do when they take the plunge into the routine of a weight-loss program is to buy fresh vegetables. Armloads of leafy greens, carrots, broccoli, and bean sprouts are purchased, washed, put away and. forgotten.   "I... http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/186774/69976/eat-vegetables http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/186774/68150/antidepressant Fri, 01 May 2009 09:39:00 -0400 Judith Wurtman Almost everyone who takes antidepressants gains at least 15 pounds. Add mood stabilizers to the mix of medications and weight can shoot up by 75 pounds or more. This is not a new side effect.  Patients and their psychiatrists have been dealing with this unpleasant, unwanted and unneeded side effect for a decade or more. Yet a scan of articles about weight gain reveals pitifully little information on how to lose the weight. Stopping the... http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/186774/68150/antidepressant http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/186774/68989/young-exercise Fri, 01 May 2009 02:11:00 -0400 Judith Wurtman "You couldn't be sixty. I don't believe it."  This astonished pronouncement came from a woman talking to another while waiting for a yoga class to begin. I was nearby and was astonished myself.  The sixty year-old looked about 40; she was trim and muscular and I knew from previous classes that she could stretch herself into yoga positions far too complicated for the rest of us.    "My birthday is next week, " the sixty... http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/186774/68989/young-exercise http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/186774/67429/serotonin Fri, 17 Apr 2009 04:31:00 -0400 Judith Wurtman   I was losing the argument.  According to my neighbor, it was possible to take serotonin as a supplement and not only lose weight but also vanquish the symptoms of stress, PMS and menopause. "Just go to the website and you will see all the testimonials from people who have been helped by the serotonin supplement," she told me, referring to a serotonin supplement-based weight-loss program.  Pointing out to her that taking... http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/186774/67429/serotonin http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/186774/65679/dining-boredom Thu, 02 Apr 2009 12:50:00 -0400 Judith Wurtman   "My son is staying with us until he can find a job," a friend told me.  " And he is gaining weight by the minute. When I asked him about it-I still am his mother, after all-he said that he is bored. So he spends his time eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches."   Boredom may be the most common cause of overeating.  We watch our portions at meals, fill up on salads, read food labels to avoid unnecessary calories and... http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/186774/65679/dining-boredom http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/186774/59993/depression Fri, 20 Feb 2009 09:34:00 -0500 Judith Wurtman "I gained so much weight this past year from my antidepressant that I no longer have a social life," writes a reader. She goes on to say that she used to be thin and never worried about what she looked like. "But now I look at my bulging body and see how dreadful I look in jeans and feel like crying. Except for going to work and doing errands, I refuse to leave the house. I even feel too fat for the gym. My antidepressant was supposed to improve... http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/186774/59993/depression