Has Your Antidepressant Pooped-Out?

When people are looking for how to treat depression, they usually discover that antidepressant medications will be at the top of their doctor's treatment recommendations. Because of all the advances in drug therapies, doctors readily prescribe antidepressants to ease symptoms of depression.

But depression isn't like a headache where just one dose of medication is all you need for relief. Even if your sadness and others discomforts improve with a particular medication, you can't stop taking it just because you feel better. Taking an antidepressant is a long-term proposition. An adequate level of the drug must be maintained in your system in order to prevent the return of symptoms.

However, many people who've been on a depression medication for a long period of time often discover that its effectiveness will "poop out." This phenomenon is known as "drug tolerance."

You see, continuous use of a medication for an extended length of time can cause your brain's nerve cell receptors to become saturated with a particular type of neurotransmitter (brain messenger).

In order to compensate for this excess, the total number of brain receptors decreases. And researchers have discovered that the receptors that are left behind don't work as well as they did before. This means that vital communication between receptors is lost, along with the ability to absorb sufficient amounts of medication.

But drug tolerance isn't the only reason an antidepressant can stop working. Experts who examine the best ways for how to treat depression have found other reasons why a depression medication ceases to be effective. Some of these reasons include:

"Breakthrough" Depression

Many people who are being treated for depression often find that their symptoms will come back, sometimes, even worse. Medical professionals have noted that this "breakthrough depression" can be caused by increased stress.

However, there are some cases where doctors are not able to find any apparent cause for this worsening of symptoms.

In either situation, the dosage of prescribed antidepressant is often increased to treat the reappearance of symptoms.

Aging

Just getting older can sometimes cause depression to become worse. Your body may not process medicine as efficiently as it did when you were younger.

And if you're older, it's likely you're not taking just one medication. Having a variety of medications working and interacting within your body can certainly impact the severity of depression symptoms. The chemicals contained in some medications can alter the way your body metabolizes antidepressants, making them less effective.

Other Physical Conditions

There are some health problems which can make depression worse. Some of these medical conditions include heart disease, Parkinson's disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, thyroid disorders, Vitamin B12 deficiency, dementia and Alzheimer's disease, lupus, and multiple sclerosis.

Adjusting dosage, augmenting with an additional antidepressant, or switching medicines completely, can often improve the return of symptoms. You might also want to ask your doctor about counseling psychotherapy to give your pharmaceutical treatment a boost.

No matter your situation, the best ways for how to treat depression that's come back will always include a thorough discussion with your doctor.

New Bipolar Treatment Proves Patients Can Control Their Mania

In an exciting development regarding bipolar patients and their ability to control their manic attacks, Australian researchers claim that they have developed a new procedure that can cut the number of manic episodes in their patients by 50%.

Bipolar disorder is characterized by extreme mood swings from periods of excitability to periods of depression and back again. Bipolar 1 disorder affects over two million U.S. citizens every year. In many people, the mood swings can be so great that it prevents them from being able to live a normal life. This roller coaster of emotions not only affects them, but it affects their friends and family as well.

The new procedure basically involves adding therapy to the bipolar treatments that the patients normally receive. In reality, therapy is not new as many physicians already believe that the most effective treatment for bipolar disease is to use medication in combination with prescriptions medication. But belief does not equal proof.

Researchers from the Mental Health Research Institute of Victoria (MHRI) located in Melbourne, Australia, and is Australia's largest independent psychiatric research center, have gone on record as believing that this study is the first one that proves bipolar patients can control their mania. The exciting impact of the Australian study is that it gives credence to the value of psychotherapy in treating bipolar illness.

The Melbourne study consisted of 84 bipolar patients. Half of the patients were given medication only. The other half were give the same medication but in addition attended weekly therapy sessions. The therapy sessions focused on teaching the participants to recognize the common symptoms that might trigger a depressive or manic episode. Symptoms such as
insomnia, a significant change in appetite, trouble concentrating, listlessness or tiredness, and other symptoms that are commonly recognized as indicating a bipolar event might be taking place.

The working theory behind the study is that if a bipolar sufferer is aware of an impending episode, he has the chance to do something about it. And the theory, in this case, proved to be correct. At the end of the study, the 42 patients taking the therapy, had only 50% of the manic or depressive episodes of the 42 patients that were treated with medication alone.

The study effectively demonstrates that therapy which emphasizes and teaches the patient how to plan his life, as much as possible, around regular daily activities and stable relationships, can help them to suffer less manic/depressive attacks and to recover faster from the ones that they do experience.

Unfortunately, long-term therapy is not cheap and many insurance companies will either not cover it or cover only a portion of it. Hopefully, studies like this will help to push the insurance companies into recognizing that therapy is a valid and useful treatment for bipolar disease and may even help to decrease their long term costs.

This study is also important and encouraging for many sufferers who don't want to be entirely dependent on prescription medication. It gives them a sense of hope that they can exert a portion of control over their lives that up until now has been lacking.

Analysis of John Clare's Love Poem First Love

"First Love" was written by John Clare, 1793-1864, about his true first love, Mary Joyce, whom he met when he was only 10 years old. She was the daughter of a wealthy farmer who forbade his daughter from meeting with Clare, a mere poor laborer, and his separation from her created an overwhelming sense of loss that set the tone for much of Clare's love poems.

The Poet

Clare was mired in poverty all of his life. He was malnourished during his youth, which contributed to his poor health later in life. At times he made his own paper by scraping birch bark, and he made his own ink with some dyes and rain water. Charity from his church kept him going until he published his first book of poetry.

John Clare married Martha Turner in 1820, the same year that he published his first book of poems. His "rural poetry" was relatively popular through the early 1820's and Clare enjoyed some success throughout London. By the 1830's the popularity of his poetry had diminished. Clare published 5 books of poetry during this period, each better than the previous, but each sold fewer copies than the previous.

Though Clare lived during the Industrial Revolution his early poems show his strong knowledge of the yearly cycles of the rural countryside. Clare gained a reputation for being able to write delightful descriptions of the natural beauties of the world and the details of raising animals and harvesting crops.

Friends and supporters helped Clare and his family move to a larger cottage, but with a wife and seven children Clare was unable to provide for his family adequately. He felt alienated in the new location and became more depressed. Stress and depression overtook Clare and he was admitted to a mental asylum in 1837. He had become delusional, imagining himself to be Lord Byron at times, Shakespeare at others, and sometimes a prizefighter or a son of George III.

He walked home from the asylum in 1841, about 100 miles, hoping that he would reunite with his first love, Mary Joyce. He had convinced himself that he was married to both his wife and Mary Joyce at the same time. He imagined that he had children with Mary Joyce as well. Disappointed and depressed at not finding her, Clare entered another asylum where he remained for the rest of his life.

He continued to write poetry as his health permitted while confined in the asylum. In fact some of his best love poems were written during the early years of this confinement. In all, Clare wrote over 3500 poems, about 400 of which were published during his lifetime. He composed his first poem, "The Morning Walk," at age 13 after being inspired by reading a copy of James Thomson's "The Seasons."

The Poem

"First Love" is a memorable, romantic poem, written by a notable Romantic poet. The poem has inspired many readers who often strongly remember and easily quote the final stanza of the poem.

The poem is well constructed with a typical romantic rhythm and rhyme scheme. The rhyme is a consistent abab when the poem is read as six quatrains. The rhythm is generally composed of lines of iambic tetrameter, eight syllables with the even syllables being stressed. However, the rhythm is not consistent, especially as seen in the poem's two final stanzas. To end his poem Clare utilizes a typical ballad meter with a tetrameter line followed by a trimeter line. This choice gives the end of the poem a musical quality.

Several similes and metaphors are evident in the poem. The metaphor in the final two lines has led to several different interpretations. Some feel that the lines mean that the poet has realized that his love is lost and will never be requited; the lines express rejection and loneliness. Others feel that the lines show that the poet is mentally unstable. Still others feel that the lines represent the romantic notion that one can lose oneself in love and be "head over heels" or "lost" in love.

First Love

Here's how the poem starts:

I ne'er was struck before that hour

With love so sudden and so sweet.

Her face it bloomed like a sweet flower

And stole my heart away complete.

Bipolar Disorder and Manic Depression - Ignoring Or Being Oblivious of the Signs Can Wreak Havoc

Experiencing great fatigue is not much of a surprise when you suffer from bipolar disorder. After all you have been spending a lot of energy bumping around inanely when you were in the manic phase of the syndrome. And now that you feel down in the dumps, also pointlessly I might add, you have begun to feel the characteristic lack of energy.

Well, that's how it is with the mental disarray, and it is going to happen again, and again, constantly getting worse, until you get yourself some medical attention.

You know that feeling of being worn out like you have been carrying a heavy burden? Of course, that very feeling. That's bipolar disorder for you. You probably don't even know why you are feeling so down, particularly since you were practically ecstatic only yesterday. No surprises there either. Manic-depressive people never know why it happens to them, it just does. And the only way to get rid of it is through the right medication... and that under supervision.

It is probably no news that depressed people often have difficulty thinking, culminating in poor concentration and problems with memory. What might shock you is if you saw them outside picking a fight for no apparent reason when only minutes ago they could not even get off of the bed because 'the sky was going to fall down on us all!' Yeah sure, that happens too, when the depression has pushed the sufferer to bipolar disorder. So, rather than drop your jaw, drop your handbag, and get your friend some serious help seriously.

Where Depression Exists Anxiety May Also Exist

Anxiety and depression are far too common in our world today. Only depression is more prevalent than anxiety. When you consider the fact that wherever you find depression, you usually find a secondary diagnosis of anxiety disorder, it means one-fifth of the world is as anxious as it is depressed. Yes, it is true. Today one-fifth of the world is reported as having some form of depression.

Some of its symptoms are: *melancholia *helplessness *hopelessness *a general feeling of being overwhelmed (sometimes by even the smallest tasks) *generalized body aches (which are sometimes diagnosed as other physical ailments or diseases)

This is an incomplete list. If you have these symptoms and others for more than two weeks, it is time to see a medical professional for diagnosis and treatment. Today anxiety and depression are very treatable, and there is no reason for anyone to suffer more than is absolutely necessary. Talk therapy can sometimes do wonders for the suffering patient.

Medication is sometimes needed (short-term or long-term). Sometimes both are used. Only your doctor or other medical professional can help you to be sure exactly where the problem lies, and what are the best solutions. Depression and anxiety are sometimes situational and sometimes clinical. By situational, I mean, due to the circumstances surrounding the person and his life and loved ones. Everyone goes through times of sadness due to loss and pain. When it becomes more than grief or sorrow due to loss, grief, or short-term pain, it is time to see if you have situational depression or anxiety. There is help to get through these times of more than simple sadness or nervousness.

Clinical depression is very different. Usually beginning, not due to some event or circumstance, but somewhat "out of the blue" you might say. Sometimes beginning in childhood, some people have clinical depression for the whole of their lives. Having a clinical reason which is a chemical imbalance in the brain, most people respond well to medical therapy and/or medication. Anxiety can also be circumstantial or clinical, and the treatment for it must be considered by a medical professional. Anxiety is more than simple nervousness.

Sometimes the anxiety suffer may have anxiety attacks. Therapy, medication, or both may be needed. Great strides have been made in just the last five years in medications for the depressed and anxious. The need is there, the money is there, and the large drug companies have worked to fill that need. It takes time for producing, testing and getting a drug available to the general population.

Although to the sufferers of depression and anxiety, it could not have come soon enough. I have watched the progress in diagnosis and treatment for anxiety and depression for over forty years, and today it is so much better than it was even ten years ago. If you have not sought help in the last five years, you do not know what is available to you. If you suffer from anxiety or depression, see a medical professional, and find the help you need.

What Can a Therapist Do For Me? Three Ways a Therapist Can Help

A year ago,a 46-year-old slightly built man with piercing eyes sat across from me, and asked, "what can you do for me?" He had come from a severely abusive background, and he didn't trust easily. All he knew at that moment was the pain of betrayal. Today, he is feeling better both physically and emotionally; he has had to make difficult changes in his life. Did the therapy help? He would say, "yes."

Don't you wonder if a therapist can help you? What can talking to another person do to help me? Telling a stranger your inner most secrets may seem difficult to imagine given that you are probably being a fairly sane, well-functioning adult. Shouldn't you be strong enough to get yourself out of the funk you are in?

Jonathan, another client, had a wife who berated him for coming to therapy. She would tell him that if he were a "real man," he would be able to solve his own problems. He later identified her lack of support and understanding as one of his problems!

Clients have often told me that well-meaning loved ones recommend that they "just stop thinking so negatively," or "exercise more and you won't be so down." Basically this is the American motto of "pull yourself up by your bootstraps" speech. While such a motivational speech might work for some situations, such as finding a new job, it doesn't help for someone who is experiencing clinical depression or anxiety. Most likely the person who hears this feels worse and like a failure.

Clinical depression and clinical anxiety require specialized treatment. And that is what a therapist can do. A therapist is not a "paid friend" who only listens and supports. And most friends require reciprocity. Therapists do not expect you to listen to their problems. Should you find yourself listening to your therapist's problems on a regular basis, change therapist!

A therapist receives years of special training so that he or she can do the following:

1. Asks the questions which lead to an accurate and objective assessment of the problem.. If there is a biological component to the problem, the therapist will recommend medication. Assessing the situation also includes determining the risk rate, i.e. harm to self or others. Those well-meaning others described above might not know that my client has considered suicide. While much rarer in my practice, my client might be thinking of harming someone else.

2. Guides the client through the maze of his or her past and present in a safe way so that maladaptive patterns can be identified and changed. Unless we are in an environment where we can become curious about why we think, feel and act the way we do, we can't identify those patterns that ultimately defeat us. In order to lower our guard, we have to know that we are heard, respected and understood. A therapist is trained to provide such an atmosphere so that the you can delve deeper into who you are. Facing those past pains and recognizing patterns of sabotage is difficult. We often prefer the pain of the known to the unknown, and the research from neurobiology supports this. We have well-worn pathways in our brain of the old maladaptive patterns. Changing involves discomfort and, at times, failure, before we can proceed to true change. Who wants to go through that? Having a guide who also supports and encourages the change during the rough times is often necessary. Talk therapy also has been shown to lead to that change as successfully as medication alone.

3. Facilitates change or improvement with special techniques that help the client gain clarity and awareness. Learning new behaviors, such as assertiveness, communication skills, or sleep hygiene, gives the client new tools to replace self-sabotaging ways. A psychologist, unlike social workers or marriage and family therapists, can use intelligence and personality testing to help decide what the least intrusive treatment. One person who was suffering from Attention Deficit Disorder as well as learning disabilities, needed the testing to confirm the diagnosis for herself and for the licensing board for her profession. She had failed the boards twice. When she asked for special considerations such as a reader for the test items, she passed the tests. Addressing these difficulties greatly enhanced that client's quality of life.

These are but three of the ways therapy can help you. I know that if you enter into a therapeutic relationship, you will discover others. Support and expert guidance is much preferable the pain of depressive and anxiety symptoms. Call a professional therapist today. You don't have to go it alone!

How to Be Funny, Become Popular and Be the Life of the Party

Funny people are fun to be with. Everyone enjoys their company. Learn how to be funny and you'll be the life of the party.  At parties you'll   be surrounded by a circle of friends, eager to listen to  your funny stories and laugh at your jokes.  People want to be entertained.

Make jokes and tell funny stories and you'll be welcome everywhere  you go.

Some people find it easy to be funny. It seems to be a  natural gift.  In actual fact it's a skill they learnt as children. Children love to do funny things in order to be the centre of attention. They learn to attract attention by making funny faces, dressing up with funny clothes or saying funny things.

It's quite natural to want to be popular; to be noticed, admired and accepted. Perhaps you may be a quiet, modest, retiring sort of person, prepared to  always be in the background while others get all the attention. But think how nice it would be to change your image.

Wouldn't you like people to find you amusing and entertaining? Wouldn't you like to have people crowd around you at parties, laughing at your funny stories?

Being funny is a skill.  Fortunately it's a skill you can learn.  It's never too late to start learning to be funny.  Knowing the best way to tell funny jokes and funny stories is easier than you think.  It does take a little bit of effort and practice, but learning to be funny is not as difficult as you think.

Here is some useful advice:

(1) Make a point of remembering jokes you've heard or read recently. They don't have to be vulgar to be funny. In fact it is probably not a good idea to tell a dirty joke unless you are absolutely sure that all the people who are listening to you enjoy this type of joke.

There are hundreds of really funny jokes on the internet. Choose jokes that really amuse you. If you find them really funny yourself, you are going to find it easy to memorize them. A good way to memorize jokes is to practice saying them to yourself in front of a mirror, just as you would do if you had to deliver a speech.

In telling a joke, remember that timing is everything. Make sure you deliver the punch line at the right time. How do you do this? Practice. Before you tell the joke to even a few friends, make a point of practicing it in private.

(2) In addition to remembering funny jokes that you have heard recently, make a point of remembering funny quotes and funny remarks. Try and remember as many as you can and then use them at appropriate times.

Here again, the internet is a wonderful source of extremely clever and funny quotes. Very often these funny quotes were made by famous people. In using the quotes, at an appropriate time at a party, it's not necessary to pretend that the remark is something you made up yourself. If the remark is really clever and witty, it will be just as funny if you acknowledge the source.

For example, it's really easy to remember the remark that Winston Churchill made at a party when a lady sitting next to him informed him, very loudly, and in an aggressive manner: "Sir, you are drunk!" Churchill immediately replied: "Yes Madam, you are right. But you are ugly. Tomorrow I will be sober".

(3) When you tell a story, instead of making fun of someone else, in order to show how clever you are, it's a good idea to make fun of yourself. You don't have to do so in a way that makes you look like a complete idiot. Rather do so in a way that describes an embarrassing situation that happened to you.

How to be funny is definitely a skill you can learn. There are a number of courses available that will show you how to become funny.