Understanding the “Why” Behind Depression

12 January, 2012 by 2 Comments


     During the process of writing my “Tips to a Happier You” series, I’ve thought about how I felt in the midst of my depression. Would I have been receptive to small, practical tips to help my depression? I can tell you the answer is no. There are just some lessons we have to learn the hard way. If I could have put some of these things into practice, I’m sure I would not have had to endure the hell I went through…oh if I’d only listened to some of the instruction given to me! But honestly, I let myself fall into the “I need it NOW” trap.
 
I let myself get wrapped up in the desire for immediate gratification. I wanted a magic pill to solve all of my problems. And let me tell you, there are drug companies that advertise their drugs on television and promise to do just that. Just like any advertising, they tell you all the benefits and none of the risks. They tell you how good the drug is going to make you feel, but they neglect to tell you all of the risks associated with taking it. Sure they mention some of the more common side effects, but only after they have you totally hooked on the awesomeness of their miracle drug. And when they do list any side effects, it comes through your television  mimicking the voice of the teacher in Charlie Brown, and it’s in the last three seconds of the commercial. 
     Okay, now that I’ve bashed antidepressants, let me say this: There is a real need for antidepressants, and they are appropriate under the right circumstances.
I just don’t believe they need to be the first choice treatment. 
Often when someone is placed on an antidepressant, it is situational. They have become depressed as a result of some event in their life. Sadness is a natural first response to any type of trauma we might experience. We become self-absorbed. We tend to think “poor me.” The next step we take is critical, and is dependent on the condition of our brain. The person 
who will end up depressed doesn’t have the ability to think, “What do I do from here?” 
     Here’s why (sorry, I’m about to get a little “sciency” on you): We have a part of our brain called the pre-frontal cortex. It is the part of our brain that reacts to trauma. If there is enough serotonin in our brain to activate the pre-frontal cortex, we will be sad, but will be able to recover from the trauma and look forward. If our brain is low on serotonin, our pre-frontal cortex is essentially dead and that’s when we can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. It’s a physical abnormality, and it’s why people cannot typically “will” themselves out of depression. 
     Whether you are on an antidepressant or not, the tips I am giving here can be incorporated into your lifestyle. All of these tips are small, practical habits you can incorporate into your life and will benefit you whether you’re on an antidepressant or not. Once you have a few in place and are feeling better, you very well might be able to slowly come off of the antidepressant. You certainly don’t have incorporate all of these tips, just whichever ones strike your fancy! 

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Filed Under: Beating Depression, How to be Happy, Making Changes, Managing Prescription Drugs Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

What I learned from Rudy Giuliani…

6 September, 2011 by Leave a Comment
A few weeks ago, David and I went to a big motivation seminar held in downtown Greenville. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it. Rudy Giuliani spoke about something that’s
fascinating and frustrating to me these days…the “almighty” internet. 
With the invention of the internet, we have “knowledge” at our fingertips and it travels faster than we are capable of dealing with. Computer knowledge is necessary to live in this century. It’s here, and it’s here to stay. The problem is, however, that we have stopped thinking for ourselves. We are becoming a manipulated society. 
One of the problems I have with this computer generation is how we are becoming so accustomed to immediate gratification. With health issues, it is frustrating because as patients, we punch in our symptoms on the keyboard and the computer generates a list of possibilities. Within an hour or so, we have diagnosed ourselves! Let me give you an example of a pharmacist “friend” of mine…
She was seven months pregnant, had an eight-year-old and four-year-old also, and a husband who happened to be out of town. After work, she went to retrieve her children, and her mom commented about a “bump” on her forehead. She had thought it was just a weird zit! In a panic, her mom said, “You call the dermatologist in the morning and you tell him you have to be seen immediately! That looks exactly like what Nita’s daughter had and it was melanoma!” 
Well, since she was a pharmacist, she knew to just look it up on the computer and she would see it was nothing. SO…after getting the kids to bed, she finally sat down at the computer around midnight. By 1:00 a.m. she was convinced that she was dying of melanoma and would be leaving her husband with three kids to raise alone. That made for one long, sleepless night. 
Anybody had a similar experience? I’m sure you’ve realized that that “friend” was me. As a pharmacist, I should have known better! The sad thing is I have gone to the computer more than once for my need for immediate gratification, and more than once I’ve come to the wrong conclusion.
To keep us thinking for ourselves and not relying on Sir Google, Mr. Giuliani suggested five things we must do to keep our minds active and maintain our ability to think independently:
1) Read books–have a basis to make your own decisions. Don’t just read other people’s opinions about what they’ve read. 
2) Listen–to other people. Seek advice from people you look up to and believe in. You can become a leader by learning from other successful people. 
3) Take notes–never stop writing. Write your thoughts, goals, lists…keep the parts of your mind active that make you an individual.
4) Take five minutes every day to just STOP–relax, pray, stop your world for a few minutes.
5) Most importantly, we must care and love other people. The computer tends to isolate and disconnect us from people. Sure we have Facebook and email, and they are great ways to communicate. But they don’t allow us to see the heart of people or minister to their needs. 
Coming from the person in charge of NYC when the twin towers were hit on 9/11/2001, I wanted to listen.  The Rudy Giuliani I watched handle that chaos and tragedy obviously had standards and values in place that helped him. While he relied on computers and statistics to help New York recover from that tragedy, it was his willingness to listen to people one on one and his compassion for them that made the difference in those months after September 2001. He prayed and asked God’s guidance in knowing the right steps to take. He relied on his heavenly father for wisdom and instruction. While it was one of the toughest times our country has endured, I consider Rudy Giuliani a man of great character and principal, and someone to learn from. 
I thought his “five things” were very interesting. I find myself doing all of those things these days, though I would have never put them together in a list on thinking independently. I realized, though, that during my seven years of depression, I didn’t want to do any of those things. I didn’t want to read books to because I just wanted to mindlessly watch television so I didn’t have to think about my world. I got to a point where I didn’t want to seek advice of others because I was convinced it was hopeless. I never thought writing things down would help me, although I’d been told to try it more than once. I prayed, but it was selfish prayer. I was too busy being self-absorbed in my own pity party to worry about anyone else long enough to actually do something that required effort. 
I wonder now how much sooner I could have overcome the depression if I had made the items on this list a priority? Hmmm…
From my heart, 
Celeste
Filed Under: Beating Depression, Handling Stress, How to be Happy, Living in Faith, Making Changes, The Power of Prayer, Your Relationship with God Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,