Power of the Human Touch for Depression Treatment

Human Touch Secrets

The skin is the largest organ in the body and touch is human’s natural way of reacting to pain and stress and conveying love and compassion. When something painful happens to you like when you accidentally bump your head on the wall, your natural reaction would be to rub the affected area to ease the pain. Kisses, hugs, and holding hands, meanwhile, are people’s way of expressing emotions toward another person.

The warmth of a hand held, the sensation of a soft cheek against ours, arms wrapped around shoulders in embrace... they can all go a long way toward expressing our affection for someone. But touch can actually give more than a momentary tingle or a second of solace; touch can comfort and heal.

The effect of a touch depends, of course, upon the situation. A touch from someone can be relaxing or reassuring, off-putting or gentle, soothing or stimulating. Touch can also bond us together in ways that transcend words or in situations in which words may not help.

The latest researches have shown that the people who are touch deprived are prone to diseases and emotional dysfunction. In nursing homes, tactile stimulation and caring touch are utilized to give patients a sense of security. In infants, those who are caressed by their parents often develop more properly than those who are not nurtured by their mothers. In one study it was found that fathers who gave their infants daily bedtime massages displayed more enjoyment and warmth with their child. In another, babies given a blood test were either swaddled in blankets or held, skin-to-skin, by their mothers. The babies being hugged had lower heart rates and cried 82% less than those left wrapped and lying in their cribs.

Some researchers also suggest that people who are deprived of touch early in life may have a tendency toward violent or aggressive behavior later, and research in rats has found that rats with a strong mothering instinct (measured by licking and grooming their babies) were more likely have babies that showed a strong mothering instinct.

Touch's comfort can extend to older kids, too. After receiving massage sessions, adolescents with ADHD expressed feelings of happiness, and their teachers noted a decrease in the adolescents' fidgeting and off-task activities. Even self-massage has benefits, as proven by a study of people trying to deal with the cravings and anxiety associated with quitting smoking. When they felt the urge to smoke, test subjects were advised to rub their hands together or stroke their ear lobes. Rubbed away with the tension was the urge to light up.

Human Touch Therapies

Having a massage is one of the best ways to enjoy the wonderful benefits of physical touch. This therapy, which is known primarily for being able to relax both the mind and body, can bring a host of physiological and psychological effects in your health such as improvement of circulation, strengthening of the immune system, relaxation of tense muscles, reduction of spasms and pain, and improvement of range of motion, among many others.

Human-touch therapy includes modern, traditional and alternative methods known by a variety of names. The University of Maryland Medical Center states there are more than 100 different human-touch therapies. Physical therapy and chiropractic are examples of modern methods. Massage and acupuncture are traditional methods that have existed for centuries. Alternative methods, such as Rolfing and Touch for Health, combine modern and traditional therapies. These categories are flexible as evidenced by insurance companies using different labels for the same method. No matter the category or name, human-touch therapy can help with a variety of health and well being issues.

Touch therapy can help reduce negative influences of stress--physical and emotional. Pain, lowered mood and anxiety are all symptoms of stress. The University of Maryland Medical Center found that human touch therapies reduce certain stress-inducing hormones, such as cortisol, and release natural substances called endorphins in the body to reduce pain and elevate mood. Further, the touch therapies of spinal manipulation, acupuncture, and massage can and do ease pain and reduce depression--sometimes alone, sometimes in conjunction with other therapies.

Not only Massage

However, it is important to note that massage is not the only way to experience the power of human touch. Even a simple kiss, hug, or a handshake can have positive psychological effects that can enhance overall health and facilitate healing and recovery.

On the physical level, human touch has the ability to lower blood pressure and reduce stress and tension. This is because a soothing touch can trigger the increase of oxytocin levels in the body, which gives a calming effect. When there is pain, a comforting human touch can alleviate the feeling and act as a numbing agent.

When it comes to emotional benefits, human touch like a comforting hand squeeze, a gentle tap on the back, or a reassuring hug can help intensely in stress management by calming and easing a person’s nerves. It is no wonder people feel good about themselves when they give or receive a hug. It is a sign that someone cares for them. Some studies have shown that people who receive sufficient physical affection (especially the non-sexual type) are less prone to depression and unhealthy habits such as drinking and smoking.

Aside from the two mentioned above, nourishment and comfort are also primary benefits of the human touch. Babies have instinctive craving for this. When a mother comforts a baby, rocks him or touches him lovingly, she may not be aware but this can greatly affect the growth and behavior of the child. Those who are held more often grow up to be more confident and less clingy children to those who are not.

For centuries, the human touch has been known to have positive healing effects on people. Even before medical technologies and medications were invented, people made use of the therapeutic effect of the human touch to improve a wide variety of health problems. Today, many still rely on the power of human touch.

Human hand

The human hand possesses a particularly refined sense of touch. Researchers discovered that our hands can detect a dot just three microns high - a micron being a unit of linear measurement equal to 1 millionth of a meter (10 to the minus 6m) or 1/125000th of an inch (a human hair has a diameter of 50 to 100 microns).

However, by "using a texture rather than a dot, the researchers found the hand can detect roughness just 75 nanometers high" - a nanometer being one thousandth of a micron! This quite remarkable sensitivity is attributed to about 2,000 touch receptors in each individual fingertip!

In addition to such sensitivity, scientist have also discovered that we as humans are endowed with a special nervous system that senses love and tenderness - our senses of pleasure being evoked by a second nerve network in the skin, consisting of slow-conducting fibers called tactile C fibers.

Surprisingly, this network responds only to a gentle touch and activates those areas of the brain dealing with emotions.

A “Touch Phobic” Society

In today’s world, technology has reduced the amount of physical contact that people have with each other on a daily basis. With automatic bank machines, online shopping, internet, email and voice mail people can make appointments, dates or decisions without ever actually talking to or seeing another person. Those subtle contacts with others, once common on a daily basis are gone.

In addition, it is more common to hear about situations where touch has been used negatively or inappropriately. The news reports on child abuse cases, sexual harassment suits and rapes. Parents are teaching children to be wary of strangers, and to be selective in how and what to touch. Though this is beneficial to keep children safe, it has created a society that has become “touch phobic” where the simplest and most innocent touch can be easily misconstrued as sexual, or inappropriate.

It’s not like we can quantify the amount of loving touch that’s needed as a prescription to heal touch deprivation. But, one study sheds some light on the particular lack of touch in the American culture. Sets of American, French and Puerto Rican friends were observed in a coffee shop over the course of an hour to determine how frequently physical contact occurs. U.S. friends tend to touch each other an average of only twice an hour, whereas French friends touch 110 times, and Puerto Rican friends touch 180 times. There are significant cultural differences between these nations, but the new technology and artificial “personal space” establishment caused a noticeable signs of touch deprivation among Americans.

Dr. Barnaby Barratt from Santa Barbara Consulting and Healing highlights in his article on Nurturing Touch that "affectional touch is highly beneficial so long as it is experienced as 'appropriate' to the situation, and does not impose greater intimacy than is desired, or is not part of some interpersonal 'power play.' Touching should neither be coercive nor manipulative. It should be purely giving, and never used as a means to an ends, for example, as a maneuver to get someone into unwanted sexual relations.”

Due to the overload of negative touch, society has become very guarded. When people are touched in any form it is often perceived as bad or inappropriate. Unfortunately, this change in perspective has denied people the simple opportunities to enhance their development and one of the key elements needed to thrive and grow.

Healthy Touch Tips

In general, hugs, handshakes, a hand on the shoulder or a comforting rub on the back are examples of appropriate touch.



~ Make sure the person you desire to touch consents before you proceed.



~ You may verbally ask to touch and receive a verbal consent.



~ You may extend your arms to hug a loved one and they may extend their arms to receive.



~ You may extend a hand to offer a hand shake and the person reciprocates.



~ You may move toward a person who appears in need of a comforting hand on the shoulder -  Look in their eyes and watch their body language for consent.



~ If your touch is rejected, don't take it personally!

Sources and Additional Information:

http://naturalhealingbegins.com/2011/01/24/the-power-of-the-human-touch/

http://chealth.canoe.ca/channel_section_details.asp?text_id=4220&channel_id=11&relation_id=27881

http://www.livestrong.com/article/213200-human-touch-therapy/

http://www.suite101.com/content/the-benefits-of-human-touch-a155979

http://www.ldsmag.com/familyconnections/050510sin.html

http://www.touchisgreat.com/pb/wp_0ac8b62c/wp_0ac8b62c.html

http://hubpages.com/hub/The-Power-Of-The-Human-Touch

Hakomi Therapy for Depression

Body Centered Therapies

Body centered psychotherapy is psychotherapeutic work that uses the body as a resource. The body is intimately connected with the mind, spirit, and emotions of a person and it acts as a vehicle to resolve relevant issues.

Body centered psychotherapists believe that the patient is a whole person and much of what is helpful to them can be accessed in other areas beyond the conscious mind. The body holds emotional information and this information can be accessed and processed through the body.

They believe that trauma and negative events create blocks in our experience of our “full self” by binding energy in our bodies. The therapy helps us release negative emotions, which results in satisfaction, joy, and even character changes in the patient.

What is Hakomi Therapy?

Hakomi Therapy is one of the newly developed mindfulness-based, body-centered forms of psychotherapy, which became popular around the World. The Hakomi Method of Experiential Psychotherapy was first created in the late 1970's by the internationally renowned therapist and author, Ron Kurtz. In 1981, to fully develop the method and promote the teaching of Hakomi, Ron and a core group of therapists and educators founded the Hakomi Institute. Today, Hakomi Trainings and workshops are presented throughout the world, in North America, Europe, Japan, Latin America, Australia and New Zealand.   

Integrating scientific, psychological, and spiritual sources, Hakomi has evolved into a complex and elegant form of psychotherapy that is highly effective with a wide range of populations. The method draws from general systems theory and modern body-centered therapies including Gestalt, Psychomotor, Feldenkrais, Focusing, Ericksonian Hypnosis, Neurolinguistic Programming, and the work of Wilhelm Reich and Alexander Lowen. Core concepts of gentleness, nonviolence, compassion, and mindfulness evolved from Buddhism and Taoism.

Basic Principles

These are five basic principles Hakomi Therapy is based on:

1. Unity

- We are all interconnected within the universe.

2. Body/mind/spirit holism

- The mind, body, and spirit are interconnected and influence each other.

3. Organicity

- What contributes to our breakdowns in healing is the limiting beliefs that block us from our full authentic selves.

4. Mindfulness

- It is a state of consciousness where the patient’s awareness is directed inward on their experience in the present moment. When we focus mindfully on our experience, we can deepen our understanding of our inner relationships, which gives us an alternative to acting habitually to our limiting beliefs.

5. Nonviolence

- The therapeutic process unfolds without force and with the cooperation of the unconscious.

6. Loving kindness

- This is based on studies that indicate that a therapist’s attitude is more healing than the method they use.

Hakomi therapists believe that a person’s behavior, thoughts, feelings, attitudes, and relationships are determined by unconscious core beliefs. These beliefs organize the person’s experience of the world and are set early (usually) in life by early relationships and experiences. Hakomi therapists work with limiting, problematic beliefs. They allow the patient to release negative emotions and beliefs and reorganize into a healthier self.

Body centered psychotherapy incorporates the whole self (mental, physical, and spiritual) into a system of healing that traditional psychotherapies often overlook. They more quickly access deeper levels of unconscious material, which can facilitate more significant changes in core beliefs and attitudes.

BCPs are mainly applied to growth and human potential, not treating specific disorders. However, they can be very useful in treating common mental disorders like depression, anxiety, and ADHD. It can also help to deal with trauma.

The Method

Hakomi helps people change “core material.”  Core material is composed of memories, images, beliefs, neural patterns and deeply held emotional dispositions. It shapes the styles, habits, behaviors, perceptions and attitudes that define us as individuals. Typically, it exerts its influence unconsciously, by organizing our responses to the major themes of life: safety, belonging, support, power, freedom, control, responsibility, love, appreciation, sexuality, spirituality, etc. Some of this material supports our being who we wish to be, while some of it, learned in response to acute and chronic stress, continues to limit us. Hakomi allows the client to distinguish between the two, and to willingly change material that restricts his or her wholeness.

Hakomi is an experiential psychotherapy: Present, felt experience is used as an access route to core material; this unconscious material is elicited and surfaces experientially; and changes are integrated into the client's immediate experience. 

Hakomi is a body-centered, somatic psychotherapy: the body serves as a resource that reflects and stores formative memories and the core beliefs they have generated, and also provides significant access routes to core material.

The Hakomi Method follows a general outline: First, we establish an ever-present, attitude of gentle acceptance and care known as loving presence. This maximizes safety, respect and the cooperation of the unconscious. With a good working relationship established, we then help the client focus on and learn how core material shapes his or her experience. To permit this study, we establish and use a distinct state of consciousness called Mindfulness.  Mindfulness is characterized by relaxed volition, a gentle and sustained inward focus of attention, heightened sensitivity, and the ability to notice and name the contents of consciousness. Its roots derive from Eastern meditation practice. Hakomi has pioneered the use of active, or dynamic mindfulness in psychotherapy: instead of using mindfulness meditation as simply an adjunct to therapy, virtually the entire Hakomi process in conducted in mindfulness. This facilitates Hakomi techniques in accessing unconscious material quite rapidly, but safely.

The heart of the Method works with the client’s present, felt experience, as it is presented spontaneously, or deliberately and gently evoked by having them experiment with habitual tension or movement patterns known as “indicators.” These emotional/cognitive patterns automatically keep deeper experience out of present awareness. The results are processed through different state-specific methods, including:

• We work with strong emotions and bound energy, safely releasing them, and finding nourishment in that release


• We work with the inner child and other specific self-states, often in the context of vividly re-experienced memories, frequently providing the “missing experience” for the child.


• We process core beliefs in mindfulness, not as intellectual problem-solving, but as direct dialogue with the unconscious.

The basic method, then, is this: 

• To establish a relationship in which it is safe for the client to become self-aware


• To use the Hakomi methodology to evoke experiences that lead to the discovery of organizing core material


• To seek healing changes in the core material. 

All is in support of this primary process. Once discovered in this experiential manner, core material can be examined, processed, and transformed. Transformation begins when awareness is turned mindfully toward felt, present experience; unconscious material unfolds into consciousness; barriers are attended to; and new experiences are integrated that allow for the reorganization of core beliefs. These, in turn, allow for a greater range of mental, physical, and emotional coherence and behavior.

Finally, we help the client to integrate these new beliefs, modes and choices into everyday life.  It is here - in the ability to transform new possibilities discovered in the office into on-going actualities of daily living - that real change happens.

Hakomi is effective and appropriate in many therapeutic situations, with individuals, couples, families, and groups. It integrates well with a variety of psychotherapeutic, counseling and healing modalities, and is successfully used by counselors, psychotherapists, social workers, pastoral counselors, expressive therapists, bodyworkers, group therapists, crisis counselors, and many other practitioners. It is effective for both brief and long-term therapy.

How it Works

In mindfulness, one can notice things that normally go unnoticed. So we can do simple collaborative experiments to find these unconscious reactions. Here is one example: Therapist might say a nourishing statement to you (one he senses you need to hear, like "You are safe.") and have you sense the changes that come over you as you hear it. You may be conditioned to disregard it, i.e.: a voice in your head says: "No, I'm not!" or you may tighten up your shoulders or stomach when you hear this statement. What good information to have! Next, we can explore what may be needed for you to drop these old adaptations that are no longer needed, and begin really taking in the good that the world has to offer you.

Sources and Additional Information:

http://www.depressiondodging.com/bodycenteredpsychotherapy.html

http://www.hakomiinstitute.com/

http://www.relievedepressiontoday.com/blog/1814/how-hakomi-therapy-can-help-you-live-a-more-rewarding-life/

http://www.doreenmaxwell.com/Hakomi.html

Male Suicide - Gender Factor in Suicide

Statistics

• More men than women die by suicide. The gender ratio is 4:1.


• 72% of all suicides are committed by white men.


• 80% of all firearm suicides are committed by white men.


• Among the highest rates (when categorized by gender and race) are suicide deaths for white men over 85, who had a rate of 59/100,000.

Suicide and men

Suicide accounts for 1 in 100 deaths. The majority of those who die in this way are men.

A worrying recent trend is the increasing rate of suicide among younger men (a trend not seen among young women). The majority of these men have not asked for help before their deaths.

The suicide rate in men also increases in those aged between 65 and 75 years. In contrast, the suicide rate in women varies less with age.

The higher suicide rate among men is a worldwide phenomenon. A few exceptions to the general rule exist, for example, among elderly women in Hungary and in some Asian countries. The reasons why men are more likely to kill themselves than women are complex and ill-understood. However, several pointers help our understanding.

Risk factors for suicide

As well as being male, several other risk factors for suicide have been identified.

• Age: suicide in men peaks in the 20s and again in the 60s and 70s.


• Unemployment: the suicide rate has been shown to rise and fall with the unemployment rate in a number of countries – half of the record 33,000 people who committed suicide in Japan in 1999 were unemployed.


• Social isolation: those who kill themselves often live alone and have little contact with others. They may have been recently widowed or have never married. They usually are not being able to form or sustain meaningful relationships.


• Chronic illness: any chronic illness increases the risk of suicide.


• Certain occupations: people with certain occupations are more likely to die by suicide, for example farmers (who usually work alone, may be unmarried and have access to the means of suicide, such as a shotgun or poisonous weedkiller).


• Drug abuse: using drugs and/or alcohol to help cope with emotions, relationships, pressure of work etc.


• A history of physical and sexual abuse.


• Imprisonment.


• Subject of bullying: being bullied at school/college/work.

Many of the above risk factors affect men more than women. It is important to remember that many people are subject to these factors, but only a tiny minority of them will end their own lives.

Other factors are also significant. The most important risk factor is the presence of a mental illness. The most important protective factor is the presence of good support from family or friends.

Mental illness

Research has shown that the vast majority of those who kill themselves are mentally ill at the time of their death. Two thirds are troubled by a depressive illness and 20 per cent by alcoholism.

Of people with severe depressive illnesses, 10 to 15 per cent will commit suicide.

Paradoxically, as mentioned above, depressive illnesses are more common in women, but suicide is more common in men.

Several possible explanations exist for this apparent discrepancy.

• The more severe the depression is, the more likely it is to lead to suicide. So one possibility is that more severe forms of depressive illness are equally common in men and women. In addition, once men are depressed, they are more likely to end their lives. They are also more likely to choose especially lethal methods when they attempt suicide, for example, hanging or shooting. Depressive illness among people under 25 years of age is probably much more common now than it was 50 years ago, which may be one reason why the suicide rate is increasing in young men.


• Alcoholism leads to suicide in 10 per cent of affected people. Alcoholism is much more common in men (though it is increasing rapidly among women).


• Schizophrenia (a relatively uncommon condition affecting 1 in 100 of the population) leads to suicide in 10 per cent of affected people.

 Why is the male suicide rate rising?

The reasons why the number of men taking their own lives has risen in recent years are far from clear. All of the proposed explanations share a common feature – the changing role of men in society.

• Adolescence has been prolonged, with adulthood and independence reached at a much later age than previously. Two generations ago, work began at the age of 14; one generation ago at 16 years for most; now many men only achieve financial independence in their mid 20s.


• Men have a more stressful time in achieving educational goals than in the past and are now less successful in this regard than women.


• Work is much less secure now and periods of unemployment are the norm for many (psychologically the threat of unemployment is at least as harmful as unemployment itself).


• Alcohol use, and abuse, has increase markedly since the Second World War. Such use is often an attempt to cope with stress and to self-medicate symptoms.


• Illegal drug abuse has become much more common (a correlation between the youth suicide rate and the rate of convictions for drug offences has been demonstrated in some countries).


• Changes that are assumed to be symptoms of the 'breakdown of society' are associated with a rising suicide rate (examples include the rising divorce rate and falling church attendances).

Boys don't cry

In many societies, expressing emotions, for example sadness, fear, disappointment or regret, is seen as being less acceptable for boys than girls.

This cultural stereotype is very difficult to shake off, though the advent of 'new men' in the 1990s, and 'metrosexual' men in this century, have made it more acceptable for men to open up to others.

If a man, particularly an older man, does cry openly, this is often a sign of severe depression and is taken very seriously indeed by health professionals.

Deliberate self-harm

Some of those who 'attempt' suicide, do not actually intend to kill themselves. They mimic the act of suicide by taking an overdose or cutting themselves.

They do so in an attempt to change an intolerable situation or gain attention from significant other people in their lives. This process is known as deliberate self-harm or parasuicide.

Such people can get considerable relief of tension and anxiety from these acts.

Deliberate self-harm is more common in women, though the proportion of men who self-harm is increasing.

Some 10 to 15 per cent of those who attempt suicide go on to complete suicide. Of course this means that 85 to 90 per cent do not.

Is Suicide Preventable?

Not all suicide attempts succeed and many people who set out with the clear intention of ending their own lives find that with good emotional and practical support they are able to adjust their circumstances to live a complete and fruitful life. The warning signs listed above do not inevitably lead to suicide attempts although where suicide is attempted and fails that person is much more likely to try again and be successful. People who feel suicidal often report a certain kind of tunnel vision, of being unable to see the broader picture and thinking only in terms of black and white. In such circumstances that individual may not be motivated to seek out help for themselves and it falls on others to offer support by listening, offering encouragement and sometimes even challenging the preconceptions that people hold about themselves such as their abilities and their worth to society.

How does suicide affect others?

It's not true that suicide hurts no one except the person who takes his or her life.

Those who are left behind will typically go through a number of stages as they grieve – denial, anger, guilt, confusion, a protective wish to prove death was accidental, and, perhaps, depression and anxiety.

Barriers to effective treatment of depression in men

• Men are less likely to recognize that they are under stress or unhappy, let alone ill.


• Men are less likely to consult their doctor when distressed.


• If they do consult their doctor, they are more likely to complain of physical symptoms (for example, stomach ache) or vague ill-health.


• Health professionals are often less likely to consider a diagnosis of mental illness in men.


• Some of the young men who kill themselves without ever seeking help seem to not have an identifiable mental illness. Rather, they are troubled by a philosophical dilemma, a disease of the soul, for which suicide seems the solution.

Sources and Additional Information:

http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/menshealth/facts/depressionsuicide.htm

http://menshealth.about.com/cs/mentalhealth/a/suicide.htm

http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=52099

http://www.healthyplace.com/depression/suicide/suicide-facts-suicide-statistics/menu-id-68/

Depression with Catatonic Features (Catatonic Depression)

Overview

Catatonic depression is a subset of the diagnosis "major depression" and is characterized by severe disturbances in motor function. In the past century, the field of psychology has allowed its views concerning depression and its subsets to evolve from existential perspectives to cognitive-behavioral and biological understandings. Today, modern interventions draw upon a broad range of both mental and physical treatments.

History

Existentialist Soren Kierkegaard believed that persons failing to grasp a personal sense of freedom and responsibility were more susceptible to depression. Later, the behaviorist B.F. Skinner contended that depression stemmed from persons having an "external locus of control," meaning they learned to be helpless and vulnerable by modeling their environment. From this, the teachings of cognitive therapist Aaron Beck evolved. He asserted that both cognitions (thoughts) and the environment caused depression. More specifically, a person's negative mental perceptions of their environment generated a depressive cycle that reinforced their faulty beliefs. Modern research focuses on the biological components of depression by highlighting the influence imbalanced neurotransmitters such as serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine have on mood disorders.

What is the Symptoms of Depression with Catatonic Features (Catatonic Depression)?

According to the Encyclopedia of Mental Disorders, "Catatonic disorders are a group of symptoms characterized by disturbances in motor (muscular movement) behavior that may have either a psychological or a physiological basis." Catatonic depression is a subtype of the DSM-IV diagnosis "major depression." It is characterized by at least two of the following:

• Loss of voluntary movement and inability to react to one's environment.


• Excessive movement (purposeless and not in response to one's environment).


• Extreme resistance to instructions/suggestions or unable/unwilling to speak.


• Odd or inappropriate voluntary movements or postures (e.g. repetitive movements, bizarre mannerisms or facial expressions).


• Involuntarily repeating someone’s words or movements in a meaningless way.

Elective Mutism

The symptoms of this type of depression vary from patient to patient. Some will express extreme negativism, while others will choose not to speak (elective mutism). Some will move in a strange fashion, while others will imitate the movements of others (echopraxia). There may also be echolalia, in which the patient echoes another's thoughts and words. In some cases, the symptoms are so severe that the patient requires constant supervision to protect both the patient and others. At other times, catatonia is expressed in a less extreme manner, through slowed motor activity.

Random Movement

Catatonic behavior may also pop up from time to time in people with other types of mood disorders. For instance, those with bipolar syndrome may sometimes exhibit immobility or agitated random movement. When depression is severe, just moving a finger may cause intense emotional pain. In some, the depression is so deep that getting out of a chair may take hours and be quite painful. As the depression lifts, the catatonic symptoms decline.

It is believed that mood disorders may be due in part to irregular production of the brain's neurotransmitters. These chemicals are responsible for conducting impulses from one nerve cell to the next. The main neurotransmitters linked to depression are serotonin and norepinephrine. Research in animal subjects shows that nearly all the antidepressant medications change the way the receptors of these neurotransmitters operate. Another neurotransmitter that is implicated in depressive disorders is dopamine.

Repeating Words

Catatonic symptoms are seen most often in patients suffering from bipolar I disorder. In this mood disorder, the patient wavers between periods of mania and depressive episodes. During the manic phase, catatonic excitement is expressed through random movement that seems to be unrelated to the patient's environment. There may also be repetition of movements, words, and phrases.

During the depressive episodes, there may be catatonic immobility. These symptoms include long periods of immobility, during which the body may remain in a rigid position. The patient may hold his body position for hours or days. The positions may be quite odd or even inappropriate. While someone suffers from these catatonic symptoms, you may be able to position his body for him, in which case, he may hold the position at length.

Association

Catatonic depression is often associated with bipolar I disorder. Bipolar I disorder refers to a mood disorder that involves alternating periods of mania and depression. Catatonic stupor is more likely to occur during the more severe depression phases; catatonic excitement is most likely to occur during the manic phases.

Treatment

The most effective form of psychotherapy for depression is Beck's cognitive-behavioral therapy, which seeks to break a person's negative perceptions about themselves, their world and their future. Following the Monoamine theory, most medicines prescribed for depression seek to increase levels of imbalanced neurotransmitters in the brain. Commonly prescribed antidepressants include selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs). In cases of extreme debilitating depression, psychiatrists may opt for the treatment of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), wherein electrical current is passed through the patient, causing seizures that temporarily diminish depressive symptoms.

Some of the other ways of treating catatonic depression are: Light therapy, as most of the depressive symptoms can be curtailed to a large extent when exposed to the ultra violet rays and acupressure.

Suicide

Patients with catatonic depression are at high risk for committing suicide. In general, the lifetime suicide risks patients suffering from major depression is 3 to 4 percent. Men are five times more likely to commit suicide than women. Depression also increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Research showed that the mortality rate of people diagnosed with depression is 50 to 80 percent higher than that of people of the same age who are not depressed.

Sources and Additional Information:

http://www.livestrong.com/article/14427-what-is-catatonic-depression/

http://www.wdxcyber.com/depression-with-catatonic-features.html

http://www.ehow.com/about_4587989_what-catatonic-depression.html?ref=Track2&utm_source=ask

http://depression.ygoy.com/catatonic-depression-treatmentsfacts/

Melancholic Depression: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment

Melancholic depression, or 'depression with melancholic features' is a subtype of major depression characterized by the inability to find pleasure in positive things combined with physical agitation, insomnia, or decreased appetite.

Causes of Melancholia

Not much is known about the causes of melancholia; however, it is believed that it is mostly due to biological causes. Some may also have inherited this disorder from their parents. It is not caused by life events, although stressful circumstances can trigger an episode.

In psychoanalysis, Hanna Seagal describes melancholic depression as a defense mechanism devised by the body to fight the depressive state of the mind. This defense is known as manic-schizoid. Freud was the first person to use melancholic to describe depression. There are several symptoms with which we can identify this disorder in a person.

It has also been found that melancholia is quite common in individuals with bipolar depression I. It may also be present in bipolar depression II with features of psychomotor agitation.

Studies have also found that melancholia is quite common in an inpatient setting. Individuals with psychotic features are also believed to be more prone to this disorder.

It is quite common in old age where it often presents itself with psychotic symptoms. Often, it is missed by physicians and its symptoms are considered as just part of dementia. However, it may also be present along with dementia in the elderly.

Symptoms of Melancholic depression

Melancholic Depression is a type of major depression that tends to be diagnosed more often in older individuals, and appears to affect men and women equally. According to the "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders," there are eight symptoms that make up the diagnostic criteria for melancholic depression, four of which need to be met to diagnose melancholic depression.

1. Loss of Pleasure

A person must report or exhibit a loss of interest or pleasure in almost all activities. For example, a person may have loved to go camping, but he no longer experiences interest or enjoyment in camping since becoming depressed.

2. Lack of Reactivity to Pleasant Events

A person with melancholic depression may have difficulty reacting positively to a pleasant event or situation. Her mood may slightly improve in response to something positive, but will likely revert back to her previously depressed mood.

3. Distinctly Depressed Mood

A person may report or exhibit a depressed mood that is obviously different from his mood when he is not depressed, or when he is sad in response to a situation or event.

4. A.M. Depression

Symptoms of melancholic depression are typically worse in the morning than at other times of the day. This can be based on self report or observation.

5. Early Morning Awakening

Early morning awakening is defined as waking up at least two hours before the usual wake-up time. This early awakening is not a result of being awakened by an outside influence (e.g., alarm clock, loud noise, etc.).

6. Psychomotor Retardation or Agitation

Psychomotor retardation is significantly decreased activity or movements that are much slower than usual. Psychomotor agitation is the opposite---increased activity or movements that are much faster than usual. These changes can often be observed by other people.

7. Weight Loss

People with melancholic depression may experience significant weight loss, perhaps to the point of anorexia.

8. Excessive Guilt

Excessive guilt is characterized by feeling guilt that is an inappropriate response to a situation or event. For example, a person may accidentally dial a wrong number, and feel excessive guilt about doing so that would be more intense or last longer than what is usual in such a situation.

Treatment

The three most common treatments for depression are psychotherapy, medication, and electroconvulsive therapy. Psychotherapy is the treatment of choice for people under 18, while electroconvulsive therapy is only used as a last resort.

Melancholic depression does not respond well to psychotherapy and counseling, since it is a fairly severe psychotic mental disorder. Hence, treatment mainly comprises of physical intervention via drugs that involve antidepressant medications, and an extended follow up period.

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) or “shock treatment” is also used as a treatment modality for melancholic disorder. Under anesthesia, the patient is given a brief and very mild electric shock which lasts for a fraction of a second and is delivered to the brain through electrodes. This type of treatment is said to be quite effective for psychotic depression such as melancholic depression disorder.

Hospitalization is sometimes also required if the depression is severe and the afflicted and depressed person is feeling suicidal. As is supposed to be the case for all other forms of treatment, medical professionals will explain and discuss the advantages, possible side-effects and alternative options for treating the melancholic form of depression.

Sources and Additional Information:

http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/m/melancholic_depression/intro.htm

http://www.livestrong.com/article/94893-melancholic-depression-symptoms/

http://depression.ygoy.com/symptoms-of-melancholic-depression/

http://www.brighthub.com/mental-health/depression-mood/articles/81724.aspx

http://www.all-on-depression-help.com/melancholic-depression.html