Depression Tips

Depression Psychiatric Emergencies

The patient on whom the focus of the emergency is laid may be

1. Planning to take his own life- suicidal
2. Very excited and violent- the over active patient
3. Very dull and depressed- the under-active patient
4. A person who has too much alcohol

General principles of management that has to be followed

1. Protect the patient from harming himself and others
2. Be gentle and behave with full authority with patient
3. Make sure that one of the family member is responsible for the patient
4. As soon as possible refer the health centre or hospital

The Suicidal Patient

The patient should be protected from his planned behavior at any cost. Sharp instruments and poisons should be kept out of his reach. The patient can be allowed to move here and there but under proper supervision and control until he is taken to the health centre or hospital.

The Over-Active Patient

He may be confused and aggressive. He is not able to control himself, but if he is made to control forcefully than he becomes brat. Stopping him forcefully should be the last option. Instead, try to

1. Handle the patient in a quite, calm manner.
2. The patient should be protected from harming himself and others, by being firm but gentle.
3. His attention should be diverted from time to time. Offer him something to eat or drink.
4. Prevent noise and also the place around the depressed should not be crowded but at least one of the family members is always with him.

The Under-Active Patient

The patient has adopted an abnormal behavior. He is not able to go to toilet and also spoiled his clothes.

1. Talk to the patient and continue in the same tone if he doesn’t respond.
2. Give him food to eat and feed him if necessary.

The Patient Who Has Too Much Alcohol

The patient may be confused, restless and having false beliefs. He may be abusive and may become violent. He may injure himself without any reason or may be suicidal. In order to bring him back to his normal behavior he should be calmed and make sure that he is consistently supervised.

Share This

Add comment November 29th, 2007

Observation with Different Patterns

1. Withdrawal Patterns

   Withdrawal may begin in early childhood or be noticed in a school child. The child is shy, nervous of strangers and too unsure of himself to show what he can do. He may be a day dreamer, not join in games and not make friends. The reason may be in a feeling of insecurity, of being not wanted, or lack of approval in early childhood.

   Withdrawal may be only temporary, as in an adult who turns down an invitation because he is afraid of a closer relationship.

   One form of withdrawal is that after some time they again retreat to a child level behavior.

   More serious withdrawal signs are:

   1. Sitting alone, day dreaming, indifferent to surroundings.
   2. The patient may not move for hours.
   3. There may be sudden change to excited behavior, acting silly, but he is an unreal world.
2. Aggressive Patterns

   Aggression is a common reaction in inter-personal relationships. Hostility and aggression goes together and are common to all of us. Children are very aggressive towards each other. They bite, kick, pull hair and hit.

   The aggressive person often

   1. Wants to dominate others,
   2. Responds to opposition with hostility,
   3. Is the one to start a quarrel,
   4. Tries to harm those he feels are his enemies
3. Anxiety Patterns

   Anxiety may be experienced in the conscious, pre-conscious, or unconscious mind. Anxiety is a very uncomfortable feeling. There may be feeling of fear or any unpleasant situation that may happen. There may also be vomiting, diarrhea and urinary frequency. Some people become over-active, while others are unresponsive, not moving. He is unable to make decisions.

4. Depressive Patterns

   Depression is a state of unhappiness, gloom and grief. A mood of depression is normal when there is some external cause such as loss of loved one. It often occurs in those with physical illness, especially when it is for a long time or the person is handicapped.

   In mild depression, the person

   1. Feels sad, and that nothing in life gives pleasure,
   2. Has no energy, feels not too well, but not physically ill,
   3. Cannot stop worrying,
   4. Feels ill and often very sad,
   5. Has lost his self esteem,
   6. may commit suicide,
   7. Loses weight.

Share This

Add comment November 22nd, 2007

Acupuncture - Is It Effective treatment of Depression?

According to research and studies, acupuncture is found an effective treatment of depression. People who are severely or mildly depressed gain relief by the therapy of acupuncture.

Medication is also one of the most effective treatments of depression. Medication is effective for both depression and anxiety and proves to be very successful in both cases. However, generally people prefer to use natural cure whenever possible since medications do have side effects and also brings in toxic elements into the body.

So, because of the above mentioned drawbacks of medication people looks at the acupuncture therapy to fight depression. Scientific research supports the efficacy of acupuncture in reducing the severity of depression in patients. Although medical research doesn’t actually prove anything, it just supports the claims. If truth be told it is hard to decisively prove claims.

The study of acupuncture was conducted by the National Institute of Health, in 1998. Various acupuncture experiments were conducted on different patients. In these controlled experiments, all the patients who received acupuncture therapy for their depression collectively found a 43% fall in their depression symptoms. This proportion was 21% greater than the dummy control group. This implies that the acupuncture therapy have done something for the depression symptoms.

Theory on acupuncture and depression

How acupuncture helps in reducing depression? According to acupuncture therapy there are energy pathways in the body described as ‘meridians’. The blockage of these meridians results in several types of illnesses and anxieties. By the way of this therapy these clogged up meridians are unblocked by inserting needles into definite points along these meridians. When the energy starts flowing again, the symptoms of the illness subside. In this way acupuncture works to reduce depression.

There is another way to treat the depression without the needles. If people don’t want treatment with needles then they have another option in the form of acupressure for relieving themselves from depression. Acupressure is also equally effective as acupuncture. In this therapy there is no use of needles. It simply involves proper tapping of certain points on particular meridians with finger tips. One of the interesting thing about this therapy is that people can use this therapy on there own and in this way, they need not to pay to any professional for this treatment.

Acupuncture and acupressure may prove to be equally effective as psychotherapy or drug therapy in the treatment of depression.

Share This

Add comment November 15th, 2007

Foods That Help Fight Depression

Depression has become one the biggest silent killer in this so called safe world. Almost 20% of Americans are likely to suffer from major depression sometime in there life. Depression is more common susceptible in women than men. Major depression also affects your health like weight loss, insomnia, irritability, and lack of interest in outside events.

To stabilize your mood you must adjust your food. For fighting depression high quality nutrition is the best defense.

You should take carbohydrate rich food. Lack of carbohydrate can lead to change in your mood, as it plays role in production of serotonin.

Fish, flax and eggs are good source as they are rich in omega-3 fatty acids. These play a good role in prevention of some cancers, heart diseases and stroke.

Low level of vitamin E is also a cause of depression. So vitamin E rich diet should be taken to reduce depression. Vitamin E rich resources are sunflower oil, soybean oil, peanuts, corn, oats, etc.

Folate has a key role in generation of serotonin. Folate rich sources are dark green vegetables such as peas and spinach. Legumes are also rich in folate. You should always prefer fresh food because packed foods have low nutritional value.

Besides these changes in your daily diet you can also use herbs into your diet. You can put some of these herbs directly in your food. Ginger is one of the oldest herb which treats depression in a very nice way. Rosemary oil is the number one choice of aroma therapists for treating depression. Rosemary is indirectly engaged in the stimulation of nervous system. Furthermore, it gives a very relaxing message.

It is also suggested to have vitamin B rich diet as much as possible. Vitamin B6 and B12 helps in keeping neurotransmitters level high, this intern help nerve cells communicate easily. This process plays a big role in reducing depression. Vitamin B food resources are spinach, okra, broccoli, asparagus, beans, soybeans, etc. Chicken and turkey are also rich source of Vitamin B6.
There is fruit known as noni which helps in keeping mind and body fit. This is a magical fruit which has more than 150 nutrients stored in it. It is consumed in a form of juice with water.

After taking all the above steps, if you are still suffering from the symptoms of depression there is no need to panic. Just go and consult a doctor.

Share This

Add comment November 8th, 2007

Depression and The Signs of Suicide

Depression is likely life threatening psychological disorder which affects almost 18 million Americans every year. The frequency of deaths is approximately 11 per 100,000 people. This position comes only when a depressed patient is left untreated. In America alone the estimated cost of depression is $35-44 million per year.

People who have not lived with a person suffering from depression, or ever had blues in there life, can never know how deep and dark is the hole of depression is. A completely difficult and dark period of depression can make a person commit suicide, as it seems to be an easy way out.
It has been commonly seen that women suffer more than men from blues. But in case of suicides, men are much more ahead than women with a ratio of 4.5:1. The suicide rate is higher in old aged people above 85 years of age. However, it has been noticed as selective killer of youth too. Among the 15-24 years of age group it is the third leading cause of death and the second leading cause among the college students.

If you have a loved one or a friend who is suffering from depression and is shoeing some symptoms of suicide then you must watch for few things. You must be supportive and helpful to them. You must listened them and reassure them there worth. While being supportive you must take your beloved once or friend to there health care centre. In some cases hospitalization is necessary.

If the patient starts giving away favorite possessions and begins to start about suicide, this is a clear sign of suicide and this must be treated immediately. It shows that the patient has contemplated of harming himself. If they start ignoring you and there beloved ones, they stop taking there care and the things they always loved, and miss there work or school then these are negative signs related to suicide and depression. If you remark a change in there normal behavior to a depressive mood then you must take action as soon as possible.

Depression and signs of suicide also include guilt; changes in eating habits, anger and alterations in sleep habits, etc. These symptoms of depression and suicide should never be ignored. If you do so even by mistake then you can loose your friend or loved ones ending up with a successful suicide.

Share This

Add comment November 1st, 2007