Depression and Suicide: Background and Statistics

We, the Depressed, in our darkest hours have No energy to move No reason to live No will to survive No hope in a cure No reason to try. We roam the earth as the living dead Wanting only to extinguish That persistent heart that beats, That ceaseless breath that enters, That pain that never relents.   Every cell of our being wants to die, Yet Do We Live. Melody ClarkBackgroundThroughout the world, about 2000 people kill themselves each day. That's about 80 per hour, three quarters of a million a year. In the U.S., there are more than 80 deaths from suicide every day, 30,000 every year. This is the equivalent of a fully loaded jumbo jet crash...

Nutrition Causing Depression and Sleeplessness

When you consume too little fat, cholesterol or sugars, your body ‘punishes’ you with depressions and / or sleeplessness, through receptors in the brain, to force you to consume more of these essential nutrients. Elevated blood-protein levels impair neurotransmitter metabolism regulating sleep and feelings of happiness. Beta-carbolines from prepared food (proteinacous prepared food in particular), opioid peptides from wheat- and dairy products and cadmium from vegetables and grains do exactly the same.To be happy and sleep well: Consume as little (especially at night) prepared food, vegetables, grains, milk and wheat-products. Wake up when the...

Major depression with psychotic features

Psychotic major depression (PMD) is a type of depression that can include symptoms and treatments that are different from those of non-psychotic major depressive disorder (NPMD). PMD is estimated to affect about 0.4% of the population (or one in every 250 people). Note that roughly 25 percent of people who are admitted to the hospital for depression suffer from what's called psychotic depression.Psychotic depression is characterized by not only depressive symptoms, but also by hallucinations (seeing or hearing things that aren’t really there) or delusions (irrational thoughts and fears). Often psychotically depressed people become paranoid or...

Causes and Symptoms of Atypical Depression

Atypical depression is actually the most common subtype of depression in outpatients, according to Andrew Nierenberg MD, Associate Director of the Depression and Clinical Research Program at Massachusetts General Hospital, affecting anywhere from 25 to 42 percent of the depressed population.According to the DSM-IV, as opposed to major depression, the patient with atypical features experiences mood reactivity, with improved mood when something good happens. In addition, the DSM-IV mandates at least two of the following: increase in appetite or weight gain (as opposed to the reduced appetite or weight loss of "typical" depression); excessive sleeping...

Major Depression Symptoms

A person who suffers from a major depressive disorder (sometimes also referred to as clinical depression or major depression) must either have a depressed mood or a loss of interest or pleasure in daily activities consistently for at least a 2 week period. This mood must represent a change from the person's normal mood. Social, occupational, educational or other important functioning must also be negatively impaired by the change in mood. For instance, a person who has missed work or school because of their depression, or has stopped attending classes altogether, or attending usual social engagements.A depressed mood caused by substances...

Stop-smoking drug Chantix might cause depression

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a notice that it is conducting a safety review of the stop-smoking drug Chantix (varenicline) due to reports of suicidal thoughts and aggressive and erratic behavior in patients who were taking it.In conducting its review, the FDA will be looking at postmarketing cases submitted by the drug's manufacturer, Pfizer, as well as reports in the press and on internet sites. Chantix (varenicline) is a medication used to quit smoking. Starting from November 2007, when the FDA began investigating reports of depression, agitation, and suicidal behavior among patients taking the medicine as much as...

Wakefield Self-Report Questionnaire: How do I know if you are depressed?

The boundary between sadness that we all experience from time to time and the illness, depression, is not well defined. Some people may seek treatment for relatively mild feelings of sadness, while others may avoid treatment even though they are severely depressed.The Wakefield Self-Report Questionnaire permits people who may be depressed to obtain a depression rating score by answering 12 simple questions.Read these statements carefully, one at a time, and post the score near the question that will be matching with the score opposite the response that best indicates how you feel. It is very important to indicate how you are now, not how you...