3 Signs Your Spouse is Depressed and What You Can Do to Help

Along with the many good times in marriage, there are also some tough times. Sometimes these times cause people to become depressed. When your marriage is in trouble already, depression makes it even harder. A lot of people, married or not, are depressed. Depression doesn't have to hurt your marriage. Here are three signs (in no particular order) that your spouse may be suffering from depression, and things that you can do to help them.

1. Tiredness

Many depressed people suffer from fatigue. Constantly tired. Even if they don't do anything to make a person tired, they are exhausted. Instead of getting mad at your spouse, or thinking they are just lazy, talk to them about it. Tell them that you are worried about them.

2. Sadness

Depressed people seem sad a lot. That's because they are. They are sad, or feel hopeless or that they aren't good enough for anyone to love them. This sadness can sometimes be so severe that the depressed person thinks that no one will miss them if they die. This is extreme depression, which not too many people have, but it still exists - in more people than you can imagine.

If your spouse is withdrawn, has no desire to do anything or see anyone, doesn't do things that they used to do, or anything else along these lines, then they are probably depressed. You can try to help them by introducing them to something new. Try to get them to go and see a movie with you, or even for a walk.

3. Anger

Some people experience anger with depression. Sometimes that anger is so strong they may think about actually hurting someone. There is usually no reason for that anger, but their mind just isn't thinking right. A depressed person could be fine one minute, and extremely angry the next.

If your spouse is like this, you can still help them. Don't try to calm them down if they are in a state of pure anger, it will just make matters worse. Instead, give them time to cool off, and then talk to them. Tell them that you are worried about them. They are acting like a completely different person, and that they are scaring you.

A truly depressed person doesn't see any of these differences in themselves. That's why a lot of depressed people don't seek help - they don't know something's wrong.

Tell your spouse that you are very worried about them. Get them to see a doctor, to see what is wrong. If they say no, then you could tell them that YOU need to see a doctor, and that you would like them to go with you.

It used to be that you had to go to a therapist of some kind to treat depression. Now, so many people are depressed, that your regular family doctor can prescribe medicine that will help beat depression.

Above all else, please don't think that you did anything to cause this. Nor did your spouse, or kids if you have them. Depression happens. Anyone can suffer from it, at one time or another.

What is important right now is that you know the signs, and do whatever you can to help your spouse.

Depression and Severe Anxiety - What's The Correlation?

Comparison of Depression and Severe Anxiety

Many people are no strangers to depression and anxiety. At some point in their lives, they would have experienced a feeling of emptiness or loneliness, which clinically can be diagnosed as depression and severe anxiety. People are more prone to experience depression and severe anxiety as compared to other psychological disorders. It is a good thing that depression has already been clinically diagnosed and categorized with a list of symptoms and causes, which means that treatment programs have already been developed for it.

Depression Symptoms

• The feeling of sadness or emptiness that seems to overwhelm the person.


• Loss of focus.


• Mental and physical fatigue.


• Insomnia and other disturbed-sleep patterns.


• A noticeable change in appetite or loss of weight.


• Feelings of guilt, nervousness and other similar emotions at an intense level.

Mild depression is categorically called a mood disorder, but separately, clinical depression is a more severe form of depression because the depression is not only included as a symptom but also is the illness itself.

Each person has a different reaction to a major depressive disorder, either a loss of pleasure, mood reactivity or with psychotic tendencies. Depression and severe anxiety have long been said to be co-occurring. That is, they seem to occur at the same time, so that differentiating them may be difficult at times during diagnosis. To point it out, below are some of the common anxiety symptoms.

Anxiety Symptoms

• Heart palpitations.


• A feeling of choking leading to a sense of shortness of breath.


• Nausea and dizziness.


• Losing a sense of reality.


• Trembling and sweating.


• Chest pain.


• Numbness and tingling sensations.


• Hot flushes or chills.

Generalized anxiety or severe anxiety, on the other hand, is characterized by loss of focus, fatigue, tension in the muscles, restlessness and insomnia in addition to above symptoms. Panic attacks or disorders are short but intense feelings of fear or doom that have developed in a very short amount of time and characterized with any combination of above symptoms. Other anxiety disorders include phobic and stress anxiety disorders.

The Relation Between Depression and Severe Anxiety

Studies have shown that about 58% of those people who suffer from depression also show symptoms of anxiety disorder. Because of the resemblance of symptoms, experts oftentimes agree that depression and severe anxiety occur at the same time. The level of the depression and severe anxiety is what makes the difference. There are currently two clinical terms used for when depression and severe anxiety merge with each other:

1. Agitated depression is anxiety depression characterized with heightened restlessness, insomnia, panic, a general sense of doom and suicide. It is actually a form of depression that presents itself as an anxiety.

2. Akathitic depression is anxiety depression characterized with suicide tendencies without symptoms of panic.

Because of the sometimes merging of these two psychological illnesses, medical experts agree that psychologists should take into consideration the presence of the symptoms of both depression and anxiety to have a more accurate diagnosis.

Medication for Both Depression and Severe Anxiety

The overlapping symptoms of both depression and anxiety result in a similarity in prescribing medication or solutions for treatment programs. Antidepressant drugs are oftentimes considered for anxiety cases. Patients with anxiety attacks should not be worried by the prescription of these antidepressant drugs because the drugs are taken to improve the symptoms, which both illnesses have in common.

Talk therapy is also used in both depression and severe anxiety cases, though talk therapies used for the treatment of depression may be different from those used for the treatment of anxiety.

Acupuncture is also one of those alternative treatments that can be used for the treatment programs for depression and severe anxiety. The Chinese art of acupuncture can be used to calm and relax the nerves, which is very important for the treatment of both of these related disorders.

Quizzes As Diagnostic Tools - Am I Depressed?

Since anxiety attacks silently and stealthily, you need to ensure that you are able to recognize it early and you can assist the medical practitioner in the diagnosis. An early treatment and targeted action to eliminate stress from your life are the best remedies for anxiety.

Here is a quiz that would help you understand better what is going on with you when you are preyed upon by anxiety. All you need to do to find out whether or not you are suffering from anxiety is take these quizzes as truthfully as you can. At the same time, I like to underline here that this is by no means a medically prescribed method for diagnosis. These quizzes are meant to put you on the right track to (i) understand what happens when you suffer from anxiety, and (ii) recognize the symptoms so you could seek medical help at the earliest possible.

It is important for you to understand that very often stress can make anxiety your permanent tenant. Unpleasant as it is, anxiety does not stay for long alone; it gradually invites many other afflictions both mental and physical, which can wreck havoc with your life. So, let us roll up our sleeves and get to work.

Quiz No 1 - Am I Depressed?
This quiz should be answered considering the happenings over a period of two weeks prior to the time you are taking the quiz. Answer with 'Yes' or 'No'.

1. Do you find you are 'blue' very often, for no apparent reason
2. Do you need superhuman effort to get yourself do normal day-to-day chores/ jobs around your home or at your work place?
3. Do you find that you are always snapping nastily at people?
4. Do you find that it is impossible for you to concentrate on anything for more than 10-20 minutes at a stretch?
5. Would you rather spend time alone and isolated from everyone rather than be around family and friends?
6. Do you feel lonely or left out all the time?
7. Do you feel you are completely worthless and incapable of adding value to anything you do?
8. Do you find that you are always sleepy no matter how much you sleep or you are totally unable to sleep more than a couple of hours at a stretch?
9. Do you find that your appetite has changed (you are either constantly hungry or you are completely turned off by food)?
10. Do you often visualize yourself committing suicide?

If you answer 'Yes" to four or more questions it is very likely that you are suffering from clinical depression. This is a very serious mental problem, which fortunately can be completely reversed and controlled with the help of medicines and supporting treatments. Therefore, you need to rush to your medical practitioner and seek his or her help at the earliest. The anti-depressants of today can work miracles and will have you smiling and filled with positive energy in absolutely no time. Take action NOW - your happiness depends on your ability to act swiftly and decisively.

What Does Bipolar Disorder Look Like?

An individual who is bipolar and depressed, if they are in the depressed phase of the illness, will have depressive symptoms no different than someone who has unipolar major depression. Bipolar individuals will have on average three of these depression episodes before their first manic or elevated state.

We may not know who the individuals at risk for bipolar disorder are, but an individual who is bipolar will go from depression and at some point have what is called manic or hypomanic episodes. Full blown manic episodes are described as things such as, decreased need for sleep for an extended period of time and still feeling rested, racing thoughts, feeling grandiose, inflated sense of self esteem, feeling raced and pressured, having pressured speech and pressured thoughts. People often get very impulsive, they may get in trouble with the law, make poor decisions in terms of spending and sexual activities.

These are typical common symptoms of overt mania and these symptoms can differ from one person to another and can even differ within the same individual over time. In extreme mania where someone may actually need hospitalization they may also have psychotic episodes. Psychotic symptoms may mean that there is inflated sense of grandiosity where the individual actually believes that they have specific powers. They believe they have the ability to do things that may not be real. This is what is called bipolar type 1. Those are people who have depressions but overt manic episodes.

Hypomania is also bipolar but is trickier to diagnose. Hypomania and depression, when those two exist is called bipolar type 2. Hypomania is very similar to mania except you may have a less intense form of when someone gets high. In both mania and hypomania an individual may have irritability, but very common in bipolar type 2, you can see a lot of irritability. A lot of people say it just feels like I'm going to scratch somebody's eyes out, they have very little patience. They are very irritable, they are always on the go, they may be very racy and may also be very creative. This sort of behavior when followed by a depression interspersed is a sign that this person may have bipolar type 2.

When a depressed person who comes into a doctors office and they go through a history, the doctor may not know that the individual is bipolar, but if the doctor puts them on an antidepressant and they come back the next week and say " I feel wonderful", that's either a placebo response to the antidepressant or it may be bipolar. This is because people who are bipolar, when they are depressed and go on an antidepressant, if they are not on a mood stabilizer could potentially cycle into a manic or hypomanic episode and very commonly that turns into what is called a mixed state.

Individuals need to be aware that if they have depressions and are not responding to treatment or if they go into a treatment and they get it and loose it, or they get their response and then they become irritable they should think bipolar.

Prozac For Bipolar Condition, Bulimia, and Anxiety

Prozac is a medication often prescribed for bipolar complaint, bulimia, and anxiety disorders. The medication is highly effective because it act as a serotonin inhibitor, which implies that it helps balance serotonin levels in the brain. Serotonin levels are liable for mood stability, depressive states, and control of anxiety, fears, or phobias.

Bipolar complaint, or manic depression, is a mental illness that is a consequence of a mixture of biological, neurological, emotional, and situational reasons. The true reasons for bipolar disorder are not yet fully understood fully realized fully recognized. All the same, it is understood that imbalances in the neurotransmitters of the brain, such as serotonin, are partially liable for the predisposition of bipolar condition in some patients.

Bulimia is an eating complaint in which the patient eats excessively then purges themselves of the food they have consumed through either vomiting or induced movements. Bulimia is the result of a combination of psychological and emotional factors, and in some cases environmental factors. The emotional factors relating to bulimia are the same if not the image of factors concerned with depression and low self worth issues, which are connected to serotonin levels in the brain.

Anxiety disorders are regarded the result of erratic fluctuations in brain chemistry. Anxiety is known as the intense somewhat debilitating feeling that something horrible is going to take place. Everyone feels anxiety at some point, but typically the usual person has a logical reason to feel uneasy. With anxiety disorders, the reason for the anxiety may not be known, or it may not be logical if it is known.

Prozac is an effective remedy for bipolar disorder, bulimia, and anxiety as it operates and balances the serotonin levels in the brain. In bipolar patients, it is often prescribed in addition to other drugs. Prozac is an effective remedy for depression, but might result in manic episodes to worsen. For this purpose, Prozac is in the main prescribed along with an anti-psychotic drug that helps tone down manic episodes. Therapy sessions or counseling is in addition more often than not a part of therapy.

In bulimia patients, Prozac is sometimes the only prescription given. Yet, it is combined with therapy of signs via counseling and therapy. The idea behind this counseling is to identify why the patient has developed a sense of self-worth, and to permit the patient to discover what they perceive is not necessarily reality. This is very helpful in bulimia patients who binge and purge as a consequence of how they perceive their bodies.

Anxiety patients are often prescribed Prozac with great success. Counseling may also be a part of remedy. In therapy sessions, patients may learn techniques to control their anxiety through rationalization of situations that might not at the start appear rational. As an example, if a patient feels anxiety over a cigarette burning in an ashtray, they can learn methods to allow their mind to rationalize the situation and understand that there is no real danger of fire, and consequently no reason for the anxiety. These methods are really successful in addition to Prozac for treating anxiety.

Overall, Prozac is an impressive treatment for lots of mood disorders. Together with Lithium, it is oftentimes considered a miracle drug, helping patients gain stability and normal lives while living with an unstable, unrealistic view of themselves or their surroundings.

How Omega 3 Helps Beat Depression

Feeling blue, sadness, crying, loss of appetite, trouble sleeping and low moods. All are classic signs of depression and affect millions of people worldwide. So which countries are the most depressed and what can be done to lift their general mood of gloominess? This article explains natural ways to beat the blues and how omega 3 helps depression.

It might surprise you to know that the United States tops the list of most depressed countries in the world. According to a survey conducted by researchers from the World Health Organization (WHO) and Harvard Medical School, a staggering 9.6% of the American population have experienced major depressive order, chronic minor depression, mood and anxiety disorders, panic disorders or bipolar disorder, which is more commonly known as manic depression. Other countries that registered high rates of depression include the Ukraine, France, the Netherlands and Colombia.

In general, Asian countries recorded relatively low rates of depression. This was contributed to the fact that many people were too busy earning a living to worry about themselves and the fact that displaying signs of depression was seen as self-indulgent and a loss of face in those societies. People with depression or other mental illnesses were also shunned and kept out of sight so their condition was either unnoticed or untreated.

Two countries that really stood out for their low rates of depression were Japan and Iceland. One of the most interesting discoveries was that people living in both of those countries consumed high amounts of fish. Japan is famous for its fish-based diet, while Iceland is one of the greatest fishing nations on earth and the people there are huge fish eaters.

As the study of the Japanese and Icelandic populations unfolded, the epidemiological, biological and clinical evidence gathered suggested that a diet rich in fish appeared to protect people against depression and suicide because they were also consuming a lot of omega 3 nutrients. This correlated strongly with earlier studies of people with depression, which found a depletion of omega-3 fatty acids in their cell membranes. So how exactly does the omega 3 in fish help depression?

The two main ingredients of omega 3 are EPA eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). EPA is considered to have the most beneficial effects, so it is important to buy omega-3 that contains more EPA than DHA. The reason that they work so well in fighting depression is because omega 3 is critical to the growth and maintenance of brain cells, especially cell membranes. This is the main reason why omega 3 helps depression.

The other important thing to remember is that our bodies do not naturally produce omega 3. It must be consumed either through the food we eat or through supplements and today the majority of highly processed Western diets are highly deficient in omega 3. In simple terms, the majority of us are not getting the omega 3 nourishment we need. So our bodies turn to omega 6 instead which produces cell membranes less able to cope with neurotransmitter traffic.

What has been significant in the United States, Europe and other Westernized countries in past two hundreds years is the dramatic rise in mental disorders and depression. For a long time this was thought to be a side effect of modern society and the highly mechanical way we all now live since the Industrial Revolution. But increasingly it is also seen as an effect of our shift in diet to more processed foods that contain little or no omega 3 nutrients.

One way to overcome this deficiency is simply to eat more fish. Unfortunately that has its drawbacks too. Many of the fish caught today have been swimming in seas contaminated by oil, mercury, PCBs and other toxins. Farm breed fish are no good either as they are fed grain, which does not contain omega 3, instead of algae which does and passes along the food chain naturally.

The other way to get the essential omega 3 nutrients your body needs is to take fish oil supplements. But be careful there too. You need pharmaceutical grade fish oil and the only one I trust myself is made by a company in New Zealand that distills it from a cold water fish called Hoki, which is probably the best source of natural omega 3 fatty acids that you will find anywhere in the world. If you would like to know more, take a look at my website for more ways that omega 3 helps fight depression.

Discover Laminine - Mood Enhancement

All of us have different moods and it is a part of our lives. In a day, we can go through different moods and this is quite normal as long as your mood, especially sadness or depression, does not last for days or weeks. Some of us can cope with these mood swings but there are others who need some mood enhancement supplements. Luckily there is Laminine which we discovered is also a mood enhancement supplement.

Causes of Mood Swings and Depression

Mood swings is different from clinical depression in the sense that clinical depression is more severe. But, whichever one you are feeling, it is frustrating and irritating. It is not only difficult for you but also your family and loved ones.

It is not easy to discover the specific causes of mood swings and depressions. It could be biological or emotional. It could be caused by a tragedy in one's life or due to some illness or injury or simply because of everyday stress. The real cause may vary from person to person.

Like in the case of Renee H., she got too depressed when her mother died and she was placed under medication.

Michelle had an upper back injury because of stress and over lifting and this injury puts her in extreme pain that makes her frustrated, agitated, distracted and fidgety.

Stella Carlson broke two bones in her left leg when she fell down. She said that the last ten months of her life was devastating and that she lacks energy, motivation and appetite.

How Laminine Helped

Laminine is a nutritional supplement composed of amino acids, oligopeptides and growth factors. It is not promoted as a mood enhancement pill. People buy Laminine thinking they will discover its health benefits rewarding but soon realized they discover mental and mood enhancement benefits as well. Do not forget that Laminine is also an energy enhancement supplement.

Renee H. confessed that Laminine made a tremendous difference in her life. When she started taking Laminine, she immediately felt balanced and a sense of well-being. She was going off the anti-depressants and she was happy to use a product that is organic and could produce a great result. She believes that if she had taken Laminine in the beginning of her depression, she would never have needed the anti-depressants.

Michelle was extremely thankful she tried Laminine. Within minutes when she started, she noticed she could sit still, watch a movie, move around the house, stay focused and the feeling of aggravation and depression was gone. She likened the feeling to a state of "euphoria" without taking drugs. She said that the Laminne capsules have made it easier for her to have patience to let her body heal naturally.

Stella Carlson started on Laminine on a minimal dosage because she knows she is sensitive. She was not a morning person but the next morning after taking Laminine, she discovers she had more energy than she ever had. Her motivation and appetite couldn't be better and she can keep up her home. She declared that she is finally walking normally again and that Laminine has benefitted her in all areas of her body that were down.

Laminine as a mood enhancement supplement is so effective that people who discover and regularly take Laminine are suggesting their friends to buy Laminine and try it out. If your mood swing is making your life difficult, you should try it too and maybe, you will discover a whole new life for you.