Health Expert John Folk-Williams shares health management news and commentary at HealthCentral.com. 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/profiles/c/4446/index http://www.healthcentral.com/profiles/c/4446/rss self application/xml en-us 15 120 19 http://www.healthcentral.com/images/hc_logo_sm.gif http://www.healthcentral.com/profiles/c/4446/index http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/4446/136353/heal-depression Sun, 10 Apr 2011 19:39:59 -0400 John Folk-Williams Stress is turning up more and more as a contributor to health problems of all kinds, including anxiety and depression. The problem isn’t so much the worst traumas, such as the death of loved ones, divorce, or losing your job. It’s also the constant stress arising from pressures at work, the burden of debt, living in deeply troubled relationships - conditions that can stay with us for years and years.There’s an impressive list... http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/4446/136353/heal-depression http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/4446/135223/depression Tue, 29 Mar 2011 14:12:10 -0400 John Folk-Williams Whenever I've written about my experience of recovery, many readers comment that turning their lives around, as I've been able to do, is not going to happen for them.They've accepted the fact that their depression will last for the rest of their lives. Even if they're coping well right now, they understand that depression is going to come back. They'll be taking medication for as long as they're around.Everyone has to make peace in their own way... http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/4446/135223/depression http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/4446/134983/depression Sun, 27 Mar 2011 01:00:31 -0400 John Folk-Williams Whenever I’ve looked for depression treatment, I’ve always wanted help with one basic thing: Stop the pain! And that’s what most therapies for depression try to do. They focus on what’s wrong and try to get those symptoms into remission. If it works, and you feel a lot better, the good stuff of living takes care of itself. In other words, health is defined as the absence of illness rather than the presence of... http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/4446/134983/depression http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/4446/133014/expect-recovery Mon, 28 Feb 2011 21:26:00 -0500 John Folk-Williams Donna has written a thoughtful reflection on recovery that raises questions I’ve asked myself many times. These are her words that go to the heart of my own concerns. I don't know whether I am expecting too much out of recovery.  When I have a really good day, I wish they could all be that way.  I can't tell what is normal.  Then when I have a depressed day, I can't believe I lived with it for so many years.  I want... http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/4446/133014/expect-recovery http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/4446/131952/therapist-truth Wed, 16 Feb 2011 12:31:36 -0500 John Folk-Williams I have to admit that I haven’t always followed the advice I give others about therapy. It only works, I say, if you tell the therapist the truth of what you’re going through. If you don’t trust the therapist to be completely honest, find a new one. You have to be open, truthful, trusting - that’s the only way to do it.I guess I’m so emphatic about it now because I often told my therapists a little less than the... http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/4446/131952/therapist-truth http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/4446/130369/support-friends Sat, 29 Jan 2011 14:32:18 -0500 John Folk-Williams I’ve written earlier here about the risk of talking to friends when you need support - or just someone to listen. It’s risky because you may find that even good friends might turn away when it comes to depression. Worse than that, they might tell you to get a grip, or one of the other stock phrases that show they don’t have a clue.But there’s another side to this. I’ve had several friends who really wanted to help.... http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/4446/130369/support-friends http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/4446/128976/depressed Thu, 13 Jan 2011 16:27:28 -0500 John Folk-Williams I’ve written here before about the folks who believe that there’s no such thing as depression. They tell us - or at least imply - that it’s a choice we’re making out of fear and weakness. and that we can choose instead to get our act together and deal with the hard stuff in life like everyone else.Some people with depression can dismiss remarks like that: “They just don’t get it. They think I can snap out of... http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/4446/128976/depressed http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/4446/127812/depression Fri, 31 Dec 2010 10:47:00 -0500 John Folk-Williams She’s in her eighties and suffers from congestive heart failure and crippling arthritis, among other problems. She’s also been depressed off and on for many years. Her daughter, a good friend of ours, takes her to the weekly doctor’s appointment, this time after a hard night of pain and insomnia for her mom.The 82-year old didn’t want to get out of bed that morning and pushed away any help. Yet she could barely crawl to... http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/4446/127812/depression http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/4446/126535/talk-depression Mon, 13 Dec 2010 19:01:00 -0500 John Folk-Williams   In the last post, I described ways of talking about depression to my wife and close friends that have helped me get through to them. But there's another side to the story, as I’m sure you know from your own experience. You often face members of your family or some of your friends - the people you most want to be able to talk to - who don’t understand and won’t even try. Worse than that, they might let you know they... http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/4446/126535/talk-depression http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/4446/125600/relationships Tue, 30 Nov 2010 19:00:10 -0500 John Folk-Williams Aside from what it’s done to me, recurring depression has inflicted the greatest hurt on my wife and children. Most people dealing with depression say the same thing - that their closest relationships are hit hard, and often don’t survive a long crisis or repeated episodes.Many I talk to online feel that depression has been driving people away for years and that because of it they’ve never been able to hold a relationship... http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/4446/125600/relationships