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Depression

The Importance of Staying on Your Meds
Antidepressant medications should be taken until the doctor feels like the patient is ready to be removed from the drugs.
A Dual Diagnosis
A look dual diagnosis of depression and anxiety. What is the link?
A Picture of Depression Before the Diagnosis
In this article my intention is to convey to readers how a person's life is before being diagnosed with depression. I also include the symptoms of depression as well.
Reflections on Mental Illness
My thoughts and reflections on mental illness in its many forms.
Methylation, Neurotransmitters, and All That Jazz
Is there a natural way to treat depression. One biochemist thinks so.
Blue Genes
The quest for mood genes continues ...
Psychiatry's Swiss Army Knife
Can combining an antidepressant with an antipsychotic knock out hard to treat depression? The pharmaceuticals are betting it can.
Novel Targets, Novel Meds
The next generation of meds will zero in on new targets. What are today's researchers looking for?
Staying on Your Antidepressant
Think you're well enough to drop your antidpressant? Read on ...
When Your Antidepressant Fails
Why your second or third try may be lucky after your first antidepressant fails.
Double Trouble
It's easy to have both depression and a substance abuse problem. Unfortunately, getting proper treatment is more problematical.
Panning Pot
Three new studies indicate marijuana use in kids can result in everything from psychosis to depression.
Voices of Depression, Mania, and Psychosis
My readers in their own voices.
My Journey of Denial, Acceptance, and Healing
What lessons have have we learned from adversity?
Women At Work
The worst thing you can do for your depression may well be going to work. The other worst thing may be staying home. Read on ...
Atypical Depression
Knowing whether you have these symptoms can make the difference between mere response and remission.
Augmentation and Combination Strategies
Where do you turn when antidepressants don't work?
Remission vs Response
When it comes to depression, getting half-well is an invitation to another episode
Two Stories of Survival
A mother's determination and an author's despair personalize the struggle with depression
The Blood Brain Barrier
It's the major thing standing in the way of a miracle treatment.
Drug Industry Trends and Events
A look at how major developments in the drug industry will affect you.
Getting Smarter All the Time
With nothing new on the drug horizon, our best hope is to make the best use of what we've got.
A Beautiful Mind
A new movie, directed by Ron Howard and starring Russell Crowe
Depression on Parade
What do Jim Carrey, Marilyn Monroe, and the US Surgeon General have in common? They have all affected how others see you.
Less Than Sad, More Than Sad
It's called a mood disorder, but there's a lot more to depression than just mood ...
Male Depression
This kind of depression is more than feeling sad.
Rock of Ages
An artist who hid his depression from the public, and his picture that today has a prophetic new meaning.
The Power of Prayer and Spirituality
Prayer and spiritual practice can be every bit as powerful as conventional medicine, and you don't need approval from your HMO.
Mind's Emotion
She literally defied gavity, only to be brought down by depression.
Spiritual Healing
In seeking to heal from the tragedy of Sept 11, we may find ourselves spiritually transforming.
Sept 11 - The Long View
How does Sept 11 change the millennia-long cycle of prosperity, overpopulation, war, and misery?
Coping With Terrible Tuesday
You needn't have been at ground zero to feel the full psychological impact of Sept 11. Here's how you and your loved ones can cope.
Crunch Time
A new generation of antidepressants may be just over the horizon, but are the major pharmaceuticals up to the challenge?
The Noonday Demon
Andrew Solomon's Gone with the Wind of Depression.
Hope Floats
The head of the NIMH's mood and anxiety disorders program gives us a look at the near future.
Mental Health Night Court
What do assisted suicide, wrongful death, locking up the mentally ill, and postpartum psychosis have in common? Read on ...
Something Had To Give
Forty years after her death, Marilyn Monroe still remains larger than life. A recent AMC documentary recalls those final manic and depression-driven days.
Drop Till You Shop
Three percent of the population have an unreasonable need to shop. For many of them, depression is what drives their addiction.
A Plague Upon Us?
A personal example explains what statistics cannot.
Piano-Forte - Chopin and Liszt
Chopin and Liszt are two distinct musical personalities, but they both shared the same illness.
New Light on ECT
Too often, we are kept in the dark on ECT. Two recent studies shed new light on the treatment, and may facilitate informed decision-making.
Alphabet Soup
What does the recent sequencing of the human genome mean for depression and manic depression? Read on ...
Walter Freeman: Father of the Lobotomy
From the files of the weird and offbeat comes the story of Walter Freeman, father of the lobotomy.
And Justice for All?
Equal justice under law? Not if you're physically or mentally disabled, as the latest US Supreme Court ADA case makes clear.
Warning: Family Physician
How well do you trust your family physician? Perhaps you shouldn't, if three new studies are anything to go by.
Kids in Crisis
By now we know that depression and mental illness is feeding on our young. Unfortunately, we are not doing enough about it.
Vitamins and Supplements
Is there a more natural way to treat the chemical storm taking place in your brain? It all depends.
Letter to an Unsubscriber
Ever get frustrated trying to get someone to understand what depression or bipolar is like? One fine day in August, I took off the kid gloves ...
The Mark of Oppression
Is race or ethnicity a risk factor in depression?
Elusive Butterfly
A memoir of loss, coming of age, and mental illness.
Drug Money
Your drug costs are expected to double in the next three years, with no end in sight. Is the pharmaceutical industry to blame?
The Heartbreak of Being There
Mental illness has a profound impact on families and friends, and a timely new book tells it like it is.
Seasonal Affective Disorder
This is the time of year that nature starts dimming the lights. Your readiness or lack thereof can have a profound impact on your sanity.
The Great Medications Scare
The debate over whether we should medicate our kids has intensified into a fierce political controversy and a class action lawsuit. Lost in the political and legal posturing are the facats.
Running for Your Life
We know that working out does wonders for the body. Can it be equally effective for the mind?
Acupuncture for Depression
Medical science is now in general agreeement that acupuncture works for a variety of diseases and conditions. But does it work for depression?
Omega-3 for Depression and Bipolar
Can the best new treatment for depression and bipolar be found swimming in the ocean?
rTMS and Vagus Nerve Stimulation
rTMS promises to be the safe alternative to ECT, but can the treatment live up to its promise?
Campaign 2000
Can Gore keep his promises? Is it fair to judge the Republicans and Democrats side by side? Find out why health is emerging as a major campaign issue, and what is riding on the outcome. But first, a scandal that wasn't.
Nonsense, Sense, and Antisense
Is there a possible magic bullet for depression or bipolar? Ten or fifteen years from now you might be able to say you first heard it here.
Depression and Stress
It's not just the neurotransmitters. These days, we are discovering more reasons why our very lives depend on how we manage stress.
The Perfect Mental Storm
From suicide to physical disease to medical noncompliance to reckless behavior, depression's perfect mental storm represents nature's most lethal illness.
Depression and Cancer
Can depression bring on cancer? We're not sure of that. We we do know is that some 25 percent of cancer patients will suffer from depression over the course of their illness.
Rehashing Old Myths
Many people who claim to be on our side say that mental illness does not exist. Their arguments are not only wrong, they demean what we've been through and what we have to struggle against.
Genome Sweet Genome
Now that the human genome has been mapped out, is it reasonable to assume that scientists will find the elusive depression and bipolar genes?
Music of the Heart - Peter Ilych Tchaikovsky
His depression was responsible for a musical masterpiece - and for ensuring no more would follow. Meet Peter Ilych Tchaikovsky
Duper Man - The Adventure Continues
A fallen superhero, a radio talk host, an arch-criminal, Polly Pane, and depression. The conclusion of a thrill-packed episode.
The Adventures of Duper Man
A fallen superhero, a talk radio host, an arch-criminal, and depression. The beginning of a thrill-packed episode.
Depression and Diabetes
The bad news is you may be at risk for diabetes. The good news is there is something you can do about it.
Depression and Heart Disease
Depression is as reliable a predictor of heart disease as bad cholesterol or a previous heart attack. Unbelievably, doctors don't check their patients for depression.
Biological Warfare
Depression may well be the most complex illness in the universe, as well as one of the most deadly.
In a Major and Minor Mood - Ludwig van Beethoven
His life could fill up a segment on Oprah, from his abusive father to his tragic deafness, but his manic depression may have played the greatest role in his creative output. Say hello to Ludwig van Beethoven.
Getting Closer
Three new developments suggest that a genetic breakthrough for depression or bipolar may be not that far off.
Sylvia Plath - In Her Own Words
Long a silent party in the literary and feminist controversies, poet Sylvia Plath's true voice is beginning to be heard for the first time.
I Dream of Genie
Your liver and how drugs are metabolized there plays a huge role in which drugs and dosages suit you best. Some hospitals can give you the appropriate test.
Prozac Mania
Can Prozac and similar drugs be responsible for some of the horrific stories we read about? Most of what we hear is speculation, but new studies - including some the drug companies themselves have conducted but have kept hidden from the public - are shedding new light on the topic.
Bipolar Disorder (Manic Depression) Part II
There is far more to bipolar disorder than meets the eye, the second of two parts.
Bipolar Disorder (Manic Depression) - Part I
When your depression is more than you bargained for. The first of two parts.
Postpartum Depression
Widespread ignorance gives this devastating illness far more power than it warrants.
Slime Time in Blunderland
Mental illness has just hit prime time, first in the form of a controversial ER episode, and then in the TV drama, Wonderland, set in a psychiatric hospital. Both shows have drawn cries of outrage from the mental health community - as well they should.
Don't Bogart That Wort, My Friend
Natural supplements are a boon to millions, but too many are equating "natural" with "harmless."
Surviving Your Antidepressants
There is no shortage of programs for fighting depression, but how many are there for fighting antidepresants?
American Snakepits
Think this doesn't apply to you? Think again.
One Year On - A Personal Essay
One year ago I joined the Suite as Depression editor. In this article, I relate how it helped return me to the land of the living.
The Jung and the Restless
Accused of lapsing into mysticism and the occult, in retrospect Jung's theories are far more grounded in reality than Freud's.
Freud - The Wizard of Id
He is one of the most influential figures of the century, perhaps of all time. Ironically, his spectacular success set back a large part of mental health for two generations.
Are We Over-Medicating Our Kids?
Depression these days is feeding on our young, but are we taking the easy way out?
Media Madness
We all know how the media shapes our perceptions of the world. Sadly, when it comes to mental health, the media often winds up reinforcing the public's worst fears.
Stronger Than We Seem
Is there a time when you should ignore your doctor's or therapist's advice? Yes, say a number of experts, when they tell you that you will never work again.
Is This What We Want?
The new role of the psychiatric profession as dispensers of medications seems to be an arrangement we are quite happy with, but is it what we really want?
Brave New Millennium - Part II
Science may open into a bright new dawn, but can we as humans deliver on that promise?
Brave New Millennium - Part I
Medical technology is knocking on the door to a whole new amazing world. But has science underestimated depression and manic depression?
Virginia Woolf and Her Madness
We've all heard of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf. Now read about the beast/companion that Virginia Woolf feared.
Mental Black Lung
Depression may be the equivalent of black lung disease. If so, why aren't we finding and rooting out the actual causes?
Nature vs Nurture
A hundred billion neurons in the brain may tell us who we are, but those neurons are nothing without the environment, which may play a large part in both the cause and healing of depression.
The Brain Primer
We know depression is a condition of the brain, but do we know why?
Meditating Against Depression
Don't just stand there and do something - sit.
Those Holiday Movies
We've seen them a million times, but how many times from a depression and persecution point of view?
SAM-e - Too Good To Be True?
It has entered the market with all the hype reminiscent of Prozac from a decade before. Now, with depression running at epidemic proportions, we know that the drug didn't exactly live up to its billing. Will the same be said of SAM-e?
A Companion Called Fred
There are many things to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. Perhaps it is time to give a my condition its due.
The Warped Muse
A shorter list may well be famous people with no mental disorders.
Two Tragedies - Zero Accomplished
He begged for treatment, which they refused. Then the legislature turned around and passed a law calling for forced measures to treatment he may still have no access to. Confused? Read on.
While You Were Sleeping
Your boss fires you on account of your mental disability, but you cannot simply turn around and sue because the law now considers you "normal". Confused? Read on.
The Lithium Saga
Why did it take more than a generation for a simple cure to find its way to the US?
Murder or Suicide?
This historical whodunnit may be a lot more straightforward than many historians would have us believe.
People Like Us
The most effective therapy may be those around us, people who have been though what we have been through, people like us.
Biblemania - Depression, Madness, and Dysfunction
The author's look at the Bible's common themes of depression, madness, and dysfunction, and what they mean in terms of the big picture.
To Madness and Back
The author recounts his emotional breakdown, a true story.
Crash and Burn
Looking back, I never really stood a chance. A speedy traverse of sixteen years of my life. A true story.
Aloysious and Me
A teen-age boy contemplates the mysteries of religion, family, and first love, plus a family saint. A true story.
Alone, Against the World
A small skinny kid finds ways to cope. A true story.
When I first knew I was different
A six-year old boy discovers something about himself. A true story.
Eyes Wide Shut - How Sleep Affects Mood
To beat depression, first you may have to beat sleep.
Vincent and Me
Reflections on the articst, Vincent Van Gogh, and his madness.
Depression in the Elderly
There are many aspects of aging we may have to endure. Depression should not be one of them.
Depression in Women
Women are far more vulnerable to depression than men. Is that why they are afraid of speaking out and seeking help?
If You're a Kid Reading This ...
It may be just you, alone, against the world. Read on ...
When Your Child Feels Sad
What every parent should know.
Eileen's Story
One woman's triumph from a lifetime of depression.
Peggy's Story
Even the most upbeat amongst us are not immune to depression, as one woman so eloquently attests.
Elizabeth's Story
The birth of her second child was the beginning of her terrible struggle with depression. The first in a series of true stories.
A List THEY Probably Didn't Want To Be On, Either
Any list of famous depressives and manic-depressives reads like a Who's Who throughout the centuries. But was making the list worth the price?
Mental Water Torture - Mild to Moderate Depression
Don't let the terms mild or moderate fool you. This type of depression can bring you down just as easily. Plus, it's a lot harder to spot.
Managing Against Tomorrow - Suicide Part II
What you can do to help a friend in crisis.
Managing Against Tomorrow - Suicide Prevention, Part I
All too many of us who suffer from major depression are victimized by suicide. In this first of two articles, we look at what you can do to improve the odds in your favor.
Cognitive Therapy
Can you actually THINK your way into depression? If so, can you think your way out of it? Cognitive therapy may not provide a cure, but it can give you a fighting chance.
Two Wise Beings
Two wise men with deep insight into the mind share their thoughts.
St John's Wort - Still a Drug
It has been hailed as nature's Prozac, but how does it actually stack up? The (lack of) answers may surprise you.
You Are What You Eat - And Sleep and Drink and Exercise ....
The choices you make in lifestyle can be as crucial, if not more so, than the medications you take.
When the Hype Dies Down - Medications, Part II
The good news is that antidepressants work. The better news is that something better is bound to come along. The second of two parts.
When the Hype Dies Down - Medications, Part I
What you can expect when you take medications for depression, the first of two parts.
Job and Me (and a few Norse Gods) - a Personal Tale
When one wrestles with major depression, one is fighting against something far greater than can ever be imagined.
Brain Crash - Going Over the Wreckage
A bit unsure? Fearful of seeking help? Perhaps this article on the diagnostic criteria for major depression will help convince you.
When Your Brain Goes Crash - Dealing with Depression
Depression is portrayed as a brain crash, with general guidelines for those who may have it.
A Neuro Dawn
Increasingly, psychiatry is turning into neurology, possibly redefining mental illness as we know it.,Increasingly, psychiatry is turning into neurology, possibly redefining mental illness as we know it.
Best of Times, Worst of Times
Ever wonder why your psychiatrist seems to know little more than you do? Here's why