Remedies for Depression

Posts Tagged ‘Therapy’

It is not uncommon for a family to have a history of depression. There are many cases where an individual who is suffering from depression does not appear to have an actual reason for suffering the depression. This is where this person’s family history can help them out. There are some people who appear to be genetically depressed, meaning that their family history shows that previous generations appear to have suffered the same problems. Genetic depression is still far from being fully understood. Studies are still being done in order to understand how genetic depression is passed down and how it can be treated in people before it becomes a real problem.

Having a family history of depression does not necessarily mean that the person will suffer depression, though if a person does worry that they might have depression it might not hurt to consult a therapist or counselor about it. It is possible for a person to be a little anxious over the idea that they might slump into a depression that can ruin their lives as it possibly did for their parent and/or grandparent. The therapist or counselor will help the patient see that worry about such a thing will only bring about needless anxiety that will only put the person through unnecessary stress. This stress can build and can quite possibly eventually lead to an onset of depression. The person who worries can also consult an online therapist or an online counselor and ask the professional questions regarding what is worrying them. The online therapist or counselor can then calm the patient’s fears about them possibly having depression. Suggestions and/or advice might be given that can aid the person in trying to avoid falling into a state of depression, how to calm down and how to deal with the stresses in their lives before the stresses get to much.

Anyone who has a family that has a history of depression does not necessarily mean that the individual will ultimately suffer depression. It does, however, show that the person might have an increased risk of developing depression at some time in their life. With the knowledge about their family history, they can start finding ways to avoid depression early in their life. A therapist or a counselor can help the person learn how to deal with the stresses of everyday life, their anxiety and any depression they might be experiencing already. Doing this can give the person a better chance of warding off serious or deep depression that they might develop later in life if they didn’t take measures to prevent it. Expecting it and preparing for it can actually help the person focus on taking control of their life and putting more effort into making the life they want. Being more optimistic and happy can go a long way to helping the person avoid falling into depression. Early help from a therapist or counselor, whether it is online therapy or therapy in person, can also help a person prepare for their life and keep out the stresses and/or anxieties that can push them into depression.

As surprising as it may seem, oftentimes, medical professionals on depression and other associated illnesses would include physical exercise along with antidepressant medications and therapy treatment for their patients. Although exercise is not a direct means of treating depression, it is very helpful in uplifting the patient’s mood and diverting his attention away from his woes.

The Link Between Exercise and Your Moods

Hence, If your doctor has diagnosed you with depression, do not be surprised if he incorporates exercise into your treatment. Dismissing exercise as just an additional measure intended to support your physical health is a mistake. Physical exercise offers us more benefits than boosting our physical well-being alone.

Scientists have delved into the connection between exercise and our moods. They believe that it can raise the brain’s beta-endorphins and serotonin levels. Technically, beta-endorphins are identified as the brain chemicals responsible for managing our moods, capable of decreasing pain and inducing a euphoric state, which literally translates to “good mood or feelings.” Serotonin, on the other hand, is the designated mood stabilizer, also acting as a support for establishing healthy sleep patterns. By and large, increasing their level would directly affect mood, working advantageously to uplift it, thus making a depressed person feel a lot better.

Why You Should Get Moving

Recent scientific research has confirmed the valuable benefits of exercise in helping alleviate the symptoms connected to depression and anxiety. Moreover, experts said that aside from boosting mood, exercise can also aid in preventing patients from relapsing after the treatment. However, in order to receive its maximum psychological benefits, it is necessary to do it for at least three to five days a week for a minimum period of 30 minutes. Given that you cannot allot this much time for exercise into your routine, doing it for a shorter period is enough to give your moods that much needed lift albeit temporarily. To better acquaint you with how exercise can help ease your depressive symptoms, here are some more facts about exercise and depression:

The sense of accomplishment you derive after completing an exercise routine elevates your self-confidence. Thus, you feel better about yourself.

Since exercise requires total concentration so you can perform it well, it arrests your focus and prevents you from wallowing in your own sadness and anxiety. It keeps your mind off your troubles, giving you a chance to view your situation from a more objective position.

Exercising with a group provides valuable opportunity for you to connect with other people. Being depressed makes you want to isolate yourself from the rest of the world, which would only aggravate your condition.

Because exercise is about discipline, it gives you a sense of being in control. Oftentimes, when you are depressed you feel lost. Unable to gain your hold on yourself, your depression intensifies further because you feel as if you have no control over your life. Performing routines that necessitate focus, like exercise, can help you regain your control little by little.

Majority of people have no idea on how to deal with mental illnesses such as stress, depression, anxiety or panic attack. Hence, they will look for the easiest and most popular way, which is taking medication

Generally, there are few reasons why people may consider taking medication as their primary remedy for these illnesses. – Powerful control over sickness – Well established brand by commercial – Convenient to bring – Guaranteed no side effects – Moreover if problem can be diminishing by swallow a tiny tablet, then it is just incredibly fantastic!

Before taking any of these drugs, you have to realize the following:

o Control rather than cure
Medication are truly useful to relief yourself from torment of anxiety or panic. It is able to let you come out from the darkness and stable down your mind. However, the problem is only solved temporary.

Prescribed medication only masks the root cause of panic attacks, which only meant for temporary control rather than cure. Essential solution is to discover the root cause of why your body is reacting such a way instead of covering it up with the little tablet.

o It never ends
Simon is someone accompanying you every time you are feeling down or helpless, he gives you direction when you are lost, lonely or panic. Day after day, you can not live without him because he is the angel of your life.

Above is just an implication I want to express. What will happen if Simon equivalent to panic control drug?

Prescription medications provide relief but at the same time, are addictive. You will continuously rely to these drugs even if you should not.

The vital solution is to find out the root cause and treat it with proper ways.

o Worse case
Anyone who had taken the medication for years will find out that the effects of the drugs is not as effective as it used to. He may end up increase the dosage of the medication to maintain its effectiveness. The dosage is become larger or stronger drug is prescribed, and the cycle never ends.

The remarkable part about these drug prescription commercials is the disclaimer they ramble off quickly near the end listing the side affects that some of these prescription drugs can produce. Be sure to read the disclaimer carefully.

To correctly access these panic attack medications, these are the 5 points to check:

i) Following professional advice is mandatory when talking about these medications. You should never decide the right medication on your own, nor follow the prescription of a friend.

ii) Frequency and intensity of panic attacks will determine what medication the physician is going to prescribe for you.

iii) Your physician could probably prescribe you more than one medication to sort out the one that will be working with you. Do not be afraid of that.

iv) Use the minimal amount of medication needed, both in time and in dosage. Request your physician to start that way.

v) As soon as you encounter uneasy side effects or signs of addiction, turn immediately to your physician and let him know. See if a revision of the therapy is needed.

The commercials make the “cure” sound so wonderful: take a pill and all your anxiety attack symptoms will be gone. It is very tempting to be seduced into a quick-fix. However, you should take a pro-active approach and do further researches before you buy into these so-called “cures”.

It is not the drugs that contain addictive substances but the human themselves could not stop relying on the temporary effectiveness.

Anxiety can be regarded as one of the main causes of depression, because it can make it difficult for a person to be comfortable with themselves, around people or even outside of their home. There appear to be many different causes of anxiety, which can sometimes make it difficult for people to quickly figure out the exact cause of their anxiety. It is sometimes caused by past trauma, by environmental factors or even by a person’s brain chemistry. Research is still being done, but it appears that some people with anxiety experience it as a result of an imbalance of certain chemicals in their brain.

For people who don’t seem to have any clear reason of why they might be suffering from anxiety on a regular basis, it is thought that they could be suffering from a chemical imbalance in the brain. There are a number of chemicals in the brain that can affect a person in such a way if the right levels are not present, including chemicals like serotonin, cortisol, epinephrine and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). When all the chemicals are present at the right level in a person’s brain, chances are that this is not the cause of their anxiety; however, if a person has too much or too little of one or more of these chemicals, it could quite possibly be the reason for their anxiety. Tests are still being done on why someone would have this problem, but there is treatment available for anyone with this kind of imbalance. There are different medications offered to patients with these kinds of imbalances that can help to correct the imbalance and ward off some of the anxiety they are experiencing.

Anyone who has questions or concerns about possibly suffering from anxiety should seriously consider consulting a therapist or counselor. Many will avoid doing this because they don’t feel comfortable, or even feel a little anxious about going in to see a therapist or counselor in person. There is an answer to this problem; online therapy. Online therapy has been around for a while now and is becoming more popular all the time. People with concerns of a mental health nature can now look for a therapist online and then message the counselor they find. The online therapist or counselor will then answer any questions or concerns the patient may have through e-mail. The therapist can also work with the patient to find out why they might be experiencing so much anxiety and can then provide the appropriate treatment. Many people who have gone through online therapy have been successfully treated for their depression and anxiety. Online therapy does not limit the kind of treatment or help that a person can receive. It is the same as regular therapy, except that it is online and does not require a person to leave the comfort of their home if they do not want to. Online therapy is completely confidential and offers a more discreet way for people to seek the help that they need.

Are you having problems with Anxiety, Depression, Post Stress Traumatic Disorder, Speaking in Public? Is it having a major impact in your daily life?

You may want to consider talking to a trained clinical psychologist about “coping skills” to better enhance the quality of your life. Know this, these trained therapists have spent an average of 7 years beyond a college degree mastering the complexities of the human mind. And with that knowledge, comes the awareness that you are not alone in your feelings.

A clinical psychologist will help you dig into those areas of your life causing you pain, then help you identity patterns of your behavior and ultimately guide you into effective strategies to achieve goals important to you.

Virtually anyone with money can take out a Yellow Pages advertisement or insert a small classified advertisement in the back of your local newspapers can call themselves a therapist. However, by thoroughly checking out the credentials of any possible therapist, you minimize the chances of getting someone not recognized by the peers as being especially knowledgeable about the issues troubling you.

For more specific information about where to find a clinical psychologist, visit our website at www.sanfranciscopractitioner.com.

Sere Wilde has been a mental health client of various therapists during the past 18 years.

The most obvious dysfunctional behaviors you will be helped to eliminate are panicking at the first sign of trouble, indulging a pessimism that seems to have a life of its own, using irrational stubborn behavior and having a mindset of HAVING to be right!
Some other defense mechanisms to avoid include blaming others, losing your temper, talking more than listening and using mind-altering substances to reduce anxiety.
It will take work and deliberate effort to remove them from your life but if you do not work on changing these behaviors now you will be prolonging your treatment time.
If you would like more rapidly successful therapy, develop a chart to monitor your progress in reducing these behaviors and work it seriously. Counseling and therapy are often associated with a person who is troubled but intelligent and desirous of enhancing his or her quality of life.
The IQs of those entering therapy are sometimes much higher than those who do not. Similarly, counseling for adults can be easier than for teens; the latter have dysfunctional ways of coping of which they are unaware and sometimes their ability to reflect on their emotions is limited or seems overwhelming.
In some serious cases, patients have to take anti-depressant or anti-anxiety medication along with their counseling and psychotherapy. The most popular kind of counseling today is called cognitive-behavioral.
This type of therapy can sometimes achieve positive results in 3 to 6 months. Patients are taught to become aware of their subconscious thoughts that cause painful feelings or behavioral symptoms.
Also, reviewing your familys history of problems can speed things up by helping you to become even more aware of thoughts and behaviors that have been passed down from generation to generation in your family. Some of your resulting insights will be startling.
How about a technique that could help you replace the family symptoms with more constructive behavior? Sound good? Well, cognitive re-structuring will help you with that.
This technique inventories the subconscious thought patterns you received inadvertently from your family that cause your rage, depression and anxiety to rear their ugly heads. The therapist helps you to discover these unhealthy thought patterns and helps you to almost magically transform them so that your rage, anxiety and depression are eliminated.
This counseling technique is also safe, because it is drug-free and when used by a professional counselor, it virtually has no side effects. Writing your thoughts down two or three times a day, then discussing them with your counselor or psychologist can help minimize and re-shape, if not eliminate, these unhealthy thinking patterns and the anxiety that is caused by them.
Also, practicing time-tested relaxation exercises can help if you are having serious anxiety problems, such as panic attacks or irrational fears. It is likely that genes can play a not insignificant role in the development of your vulnerability to episodes of anxiety or depression.
Some researchers believe that there are certain genes that affect a persons likelihood of developing emotional problems. Some believe that the connection is how certain people metabolize various chemicals and hormones that are related to emotional reactivity; rates and efficiency of their metabolism may be impaired in these people, causing more emotional discomfort.
Stress is clearly related to anxiety and is something that cannot be avoided. It is an everyday circumstance and may arise in any given situation.
Though the link between severe stress and heart attack is established, other dysfunctional behaviors have recently been linked to it: chronic rage and anger.
Although the relationship is somewhat hazy, researchers are learning more about it.
One theory is that anger causes the bodys nervous and circulatory systems to prepare to fight danger, causing blood vessels to constrict, blood pressure to increase and the heart to work harder. This might cause cardiac stress which would be sufficient to lead to a heart attack.

The normal baby blues can happen in the days right after childbirth and normally disappear within a few days to a week. As a new mother, you can routinely have mood swings, sadness, crying spells, loss of appetite, sleeping problems or feel irritable, restless, anxious and lonely.
Usually, these symptoms are not severe and treatment is not needed. However, there are things you can do to feel better. Nap when the baby does. Ask for help from your spouse, family members and friends. Join a support group of new moms or talk with other moms.
Postpartum depression is not normal, however and can happen anytime within the first year after childbirth. You may have a number of symptoms such as extreme sadness, lack of energy, trouble concentrating, a lot of anxiety and feelings of guilt and worthlessness.
The difference between postpartum depression and the normal baby blues is that postpartum depression will often significantly impair your well-being and keep you from functioning well for longer periods of time. Postpartum depression needs to be treated by a psychologist or physician. Also, counseling, support groups, and medicines can help.
Postpartum psychosis is the most serious emotional condition that can afflict a new mother; However, it is rare. Fortunately, it occurs in only 1 or 2 out of every 1000 births and it usually begins in the first 6 weeks after birth.
If you have been diagnosed with bipolar or schizoaffective disorder, you are likely to have a higher risk for developing postpartum psychosis. Symptoms may include delusions, hallucinations, sleep disturbances and obsessive worries about your baby. You may also experience rapid mood swings; from depression to irritability to euphoria.
What should I do if I have symptoms of depression during pregnancy or after childbirth?
You may be reluctant to tell anyone about your symptoms because you may feel embarrassed, ashamed or even guilty about feeling depressed when you are supposed to be happy. You may worry that you will be viewed as an unfit parent.
However, perinatal depression can happen to any woman. It does not mean you are a bad or not together mom; you and your baby do not have to suffer. There is help.
There are different types of individual and talk therapies that can help you if you have perinatal depression; they can help you feel better and do better as a mom. Also, many women with perinatal depression improve when treated with anti-depressant medicine.
Your physician, counselor or psychologist can help you learn more about these options and help you decide which approach is best for you and your baby. Speak to your doctor, psychologist or midwife if you are having symptoms of depression while you are pregnant or after you deliver your baby.
They can give you a questionnaire to test for depression and can also refer you to a mental health professional who is an expert.
Here are some other helpful tips:
1. Get as much rest as you can. Try to nap when the baby naps.
2. Stop putting pressure on yourself to do everything. Do as much as you can and leave the rest!
3. Ask for help with household chores and nighttime feedings. Ask your husband or partner to bring the baby to you so you can breastfeed. If you can, have a friend, family member, or professional support person help you in the home for part of the day.
4. Talk to your husband, partner, family, and friends about how you are feeling.
5. Do not spend a lot of time alone. Get dressed and leave the house. Run an errand or take a short walk.
6. Spend time alone with your husband or partner.
7. Talk with other mothers, so you can learn from their experiences.
8. Join a support group for women with depression. Call a local hotline or look in your telephone book for information and services.
9. Do not make any major life changes during pregnancy. Major changes can cause unneeded stress. Sometimes big changes cannot be avoided. When that happens, try to arrange support and help in your new situation ahead of time.
There are two common types of treatment for depression:
1. Talk therapy. This involves talking to a therapist, psychologist, or social worker to learn to change how depression makes you think, feel, and act.
2. Medicine. Your doctor can give you an antidepressant medicine to help you. These medicines can help relieve the symptoms of depression.
If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, talk with your doctor about the advantages and risks of taking these medicines. Some women are concerned that taking these medicines may harm the baby.
However, a mothers depression can affect her babys development, too so getting treatment is important for both mother and baby. The risks of taking medicine have to be weighed against the risks of depression.
It is a decision that you need to discuss carefully with your doctor. If you decide to take antidepressant medicine, talk to your doctor about which ones are safer to take while pregnant or breastfeeding.
What effects can untreated depression have?
Depression not only hurts you, but also affects your family. Also, some researchers have found that depression during pregnancy can raise your risk of delivering an underweight or premature infant.
Also, if depressed, you may have difficulty caring for yourself during pregnancy. You may have trouble eating and may not gain enough weight; have trouble sleeping; may miss prenatal visits; may not follow medical instructions; have a poor diet; or may use harmful substances, like tobacco, alcohol or illegal drugs.
Postpartum depression can affect your ability to parent, as well. You may lack energy, have trouble concentrating, be irritable and may even not be able to meet your babys needs for love and affection.
As a result, you may end up feeling guilty and lose confidence in yourself as a mother, which can worsen your depression. Some researchers believe that postpartum depression can affect the infant by causing delays in language development, impaired emotional bonding, behavioral problems, lower activity levels, sleep problems and abnormal levels of distress.
It can help if the father or another caregiver can assist in meeting the needs of your baby and any other children in the family while you are depressed.
All children deserve the chance to have a healthy mom and you deserve the chance to enjoy your life and your children.
Do not suffer alone. If you are experiencing symptoms of depression during pregnancy or after having your baby, please tell a loved one and call your doctor, midwife or a psychologist right away.

I cannot stress enough how important it is to get the right coping skills and help in order to keep from giving up or giving in.  People with Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FM), Chronic Myofascial Pain (CMP) and any other chronic pain conditions, can benefit from counseling by a certified therapist for:  stressful life conditions, depression and/or anxiety, abuse histories, adjustment issue to chronic illness, poor support system and many other challenges we face.

There is a connection between FM, CMP and depression. The stress from constant pain and fatigue can cause anxiety, depression, inactivity and social isolation.    It is also possible that anxiety and depression are part of FM and CMP, just like the pain.  Depression and chronic pain can greatly interfere with the way you cope with activities at home or at work.  As a sufferer myself, I know exactly what that’s like.

Chronic pain sufferers most often need a combination of medications (I am on an anti-depressant and several other meds), alternative therapies, cognitive behavioral therapy, and a change in lifestyle habits. So it is important to openly discuss any symptoms of depression you have with our doctors.  Medication is not enough by itself and some prescription drugs make our depression and anxiety worse.

Some people with fibromyalgia and chronic pain may be aware they are depressed. Others may not realize they are depressed, but they know something is just is not right.

Researchers have found that fibromyalgia patients have an inability to process and handle stress. Studies have shown that the breakdown in the adrenals, hypothalamus, pituitary and thyroid glands play a key role in FM patients’ lack of coping mechanisms.  Not only does chronic pain cause enormous stress in our lives, but we are unable to manage it.

All people have stress in their lives which may be unavoidable. FM and other chronic pain sufferers have even more.  Counseling and/or stress management can help us cope with our symptoms and improve our overall reactions to stress.

I have been seeing a certified therapist that has really helped me discover some of the issues that may contribute to my pain.  It’s also not just about the here and now, but past experiences that we think are in the past, are really still simmering in our sub-conscious, affecting our emotional state and our inability to cope with the stress that’s right in front of us.  I resisted therapy for years!  I did not want to go to yet another doctor that I would have to convince that my pain is real and not “all in my head”.  It took seeing several different counselors before I found one that REALLY GOT IT!  It feels like a GREAT weigh has been lifted off my shoulders.  My stress and anxiety are becoming manageable and I feel less and less depressed.

Counselors trained in treating FM and other chronic pain patients can be very helpful, but we have to put in some work ourselves.  Its not easy to make the changes required to make therapy successful, but we need to correct the self-defeating thoughts and actions that have led us to seek help from a professional in the first place. 

Research shows that a combined multidisciplinary treatment approach is the most effective way to achieve symptom relief.  There is no cure for fibromyalgia, but there is hope if we seek and get the right help!  Counseling can really make a difference along with the other treatments you may be receiving!

As Fibromyalgia (FM) sufferers we are often made to feel like our pain is “all in your head”, but research has consistently proven that Fibromyalgia is not a form of depression or hypochondria. IT IS REAL!  However, there is a connection between FM and other chronic pain conditions to depression and anxiety.  Treatment is important because both can make FM worse and interfere with symptom management.

There is some debate by medical and mental professionals about what causes what.  The “What came first?  The chicken or the egg” debate translates into “What came first?  The chronic pain or the depression?”  TRUE Fibromyalgia experts, researchers and others know that the chronic pain of FM & overlapping conditions leads to depression and anxiety. 

Fibromyalgia is a common condition in which a person suffers from chronic musculoskeletal pain. There are points called tender points, sometimes all over the body, and these tender and painful points are used as part of the diagnosis of FM. Individuals with FM may also be more susceptible to pain in general. Whenever the tender points are simply touched, they can send sharp pain impulses. Many Fibromyalgia sufferers experience pain all over and some experience pain only in specific regions. It can involve the muscles and the joints. Sometimes, there is so much pain that it is hard to pinpoint exactly where the pain originates.  Fibromyalgia is often accompanied by other overlapping conditions such as chronic myofascial pain (CMP), chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), restless legs syndrome (RLS), migraine & tension headaches, interstitial cystitis (IC), mitral valve prolapse (MVP), cognitive dysfunction, depression, anxiety and more.  The symptoms of Fibromyalgia, alone, are wide-ranging and debilitating.  Do they really think that depression and anxiety is the CAUSE for ALL of the above?

Depression is a mental illness characterized by feelings of profound sadness and lack of interest in enjoyable activities. It is a constant low mood that interferes with the ability to function and appreciate things in life. It may cause a wide range of symptoms, both physical and emotional. It can last for weeks, months, or years. People with depression rarely recover without treatment and if you have Fibromyalgia, you may have to fight it for the rest of your life.

Anxiety is a normal state of apprehension, tension, and uneasiness in response to a real or perceived threat.  Although anxiety is considered a normal response to temporary periods of stress or uncertain situations, prolonged, intense, periods of anxiety may indicate an anxiety disorder. Other indicators of an anxiety disorder are anxiety that occurs without an external threat and anxiety that impairs daily functioning.

What can cause depression & anxiety?  Stressful life events, chronic stress, low self-esteem, imbalances in brain chemicals and hormones, lack of control over circumstances (helplessness and hopelessness), negative thought patterns and beliefs, chronic pain, chronic physical or mental illness, including thyroid disease & headaches can ALL cause both.  Little or no social  and familial support can be a main factor in depression for FM patients. Family history of depression & anxiety can also be a factor.

Lack of quality sleep is also believed to have an influence on depression.  Since FM & Chronic Fatigue Syndrome patients tend to have insomnia and/or other sleep disorders, it stands to reason that poor sleep can lead to depression.

There is a wide variety of medications, vitamins, minerals, herbs and therapies that can help ease the impact of pain, anxiety and depression.  With so many out there, you and your doctor may have to go through the process of trial and error to find what works best for you!

Exercise is not only good for FM, it is also highly beneficial for depression and anxiety.  Recent studies suggest exercise can change your brain chemistry. Exercising can boost your level of serotonin, a brain chemical that is effects mood and pain perception. It can also stimulate the production of endorphins, natural painkillers that can give you an overall feeling of well-being.

Exercise is a great for stress, too. It relieves muscle tension and it gets the heart rate up. The combination makes us more relaxed and alert, which helps us deal with our problems in a calmer and more controlled way.

There are several other methods you can use to combat stress, including: meditation, deep breathing exercises, progressive muscle relaxation, mental imagery relaxation, relaxation to music, biofeedback, counseling - to help you recognize and release stress. 

You can learn more about this topic, medications, supplements, alternative therapies and more at my website AND I will be writing more articles - so check back here!

How can you have chronic pain and fatigue and NOT be depressed?  All people - healthy or not - struggle every day with the stress of raising a family, their jobs, financial troubles, family illness and yes, death & taxes. You’ve got to get the kids to school on time, pay the bills, go to work (if you can work), clean the house, feed the pets, water the lawn, pick up the kids, take them to soccer, piano lessons, make dinner, make the kids do their chores (good luck) and you have to do all this AND MORE with debilitating pain, fatigue, migraines, IBS, TMJ, RLS, etc.  Just thinking about it is depressing!

Fibromyalgia sufferers are often misdiagnosed with anxiety disorders and depression, implying that it’s “all in your head”, but research has consistently proven that Fibromyalgia is not a form of depression or hypochondria. Anxiety and depression do CO-EXIST with FM & treatment is important because both can make FM worse and interfere with symptom management.

From my own experience, I can tell you how easy it is to let it get the best of you.  There were days when I just got into bed in my dark room I called “the cave” and isolated myself from my family and friends.  I avoided leaving the house unless I just absolutely had to and when I did, all I could think about was getting home and crawling into bed.  The more depressed I got, the more pain I had.  The more pain I had, the more depressed I got!

I had anxiety attacks and the stress of a bad financial situation was more than I could handle - or so I thought.  There were times when I wondered how in the world I was going to make through the next day - How much longer can I deal with this?  I felt hopeless, helpless and worthless.  My self-image was horrible and my confidence level was nonexistent.  I was ashamed.

Have you ever felt that way?  I hope not, but IF YOU HAVE, there is a way to get out of the pit of depression and anxiety!  You can become a productive member of your family and society as a whole.  It’s not easy, but what choice do you have?  You know you don’t want to live like this forever.

I always hated the idea of therapy!  First of all, the effort it would take for me to get out of the house was a big factor.  Secondly, I didn’t want to tell all my pitiful story to a stranger and I wasn’t even sure I’d be believed when it came to the Fibromyalgia part.  There are still some mental health professionals that believe FM is psychological rather than physiological.  I didn’t want to hear it. 

About a year ago, my son needed therapy for depression and anger issues.  I took him to several professionals and one suggested (in front of my son) that he could cure my Fibromyalgia because it was more emotional & psychological stress than a physical problem.  The next day, we went to another therapist.  I didn’t trust him to help my son if he was going to say that to me.  We finally found one that fit our family since we would all take part in my son’s therapy.  It didn’t take me or the therapist long to discover I needed help, too.  He saw right through me! 

Therapy has changed my life in so many ways and with an understanding professional to guide me, I have taken back the control I had given up to Fibromyalgia.  He helped me see my value, my positive traits and taught me how to cope with my pain, stress, anxiety and depression.  Talking about it with an objective party is also a way of healing emotional scars and it was a relief to just lay it all out there!  He also recommended a new anti-depressant to my doctor which has helped me a lot. 

Perception is everything.  I perceived myself a certain way and became exactly that. 

My father was recently diagnosed with small cell lung cancer - he never smoked.  It is the rarer form of lung cancer that is fast-acting and incurable.  I was devastated when I heard the news!  My dad is my hero and my rock - life without him is something I can’t even fathom.  I really lost it for a while, but with counseling, I am finding my own way to cope.  I’m still have bad days, but I am trying to work through them in a more healthy way.  The woman I was two years ago would have gone back to her cave and never come out.

There many medications, supplements & herbs out there that can help.  Talk to your doctor about which ones might work for you and always double check for interactions and side effects!  I have a lot of information about prescription drugs alternatives, therapies and other resources on my website that might be of help.

Don’t be afraid to take that first step and find a good mental health professional!  It truly is worth it.  I am now a functioning “Fibromyte” and though, I still have pain and other issues, I can get through them one day at a time.  If I can do it, YOU can, too!

More articles on this topic to come!