Power of the Human Touch for Depression Treatment

Human Touch SecretsThe 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...

Hakomi Therapy for Depression

Body Centered TherapiesBody 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...

Male Suicide - Gender Factor in Suicide

StatisticsMore 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 menSuicide 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...

Depression with Catatonic Features (Catatonic Depression)

OverviewCatatonic 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.HistoryExistentialist 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...

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 MelancholiaNot 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...