A good friend from high school recently sent me a FaceBook post about someone, Kerri Grote, who died of brain cancer and left a note for her surviving family and friends. Kerri had lots of wisdom worth sharing, so I’ll quote from her note in the next few posts and use it as a jumping off point. What fuels your life: fear or … [Read more...]
Aging & Depression: How to Experience One Without the Other
The aging process is quite a ride. It is a time to reflect on one’s life. It’s also a time when some disturbing new factors can affect your life. The older person has many adjustments to make. Perhaps, friends and family members are dying. Chronic diseases can emerge. Finances and opportunities might be leaner now than in your younger … [Read more...]
Menopause & Depression: How to Mentally Manage Shifting Hormones
How are menopause and depression linked? We’ll sketch out some of the details below. But, rest assured, there are plenty of nuances involved. Sure, hormone levels play a big role. But so does mindset. For example, thoughts and attitudes can counter the hormonal shifts. Depression is a condition that directly impacts a person’s thoughts and … [Read more...]
How Early Adulthood Depression Can Impact Your Cognitive Health As You Age
At least one in five Americans will struggle with diagnosable depression at some point in their lifetime. On its own, this is a bad enough statistic to ponder. But what if you pair it with another stat that points to depression’s long-term impact? Those who experience depression during young adulthood are 59 percent more likely to develop dementia … [Read more...]
How to Know Depression in Bipolar Disorder When You See It
Bipolar disorders often manifest in contrasting episodes of mania and depression. In fact, they were once called “manic-depression.” Between these episodes, the person may feel neutral or “normal.” Of course, such symptoms can apply to everyone from time to time. We all have ups and downs, good days and bad. With bipolar disorders, however, these … [Read more...]
Is Your Loved One Depressed? What to Look For
Does your loved one have depression or just a bad case of the blues? Depression is a common mental health disorder. Even so, it’s not always easy to recognize in others, particularly someone close to you. Moreover, depression can present differently from person to person so it’s tough to make general assumptions. On top of all that, once you’ve … [Read more...]
Battling Inflammation? Signs That Your Depression is Linked
You may be surprised to learn that depression is the leading cause of disability across the globe. You may be shocked to learn too, that at least half of the people with depression are not responsive to existing treatments. As you can imagine, this crisis is the focus of ongoing research. One area of study points to the presence of … [Read more...]
What Male Depression Looks and Sounds Like: 5 Common Signs
Male depression is often overlooked and under-discussed. The reasons for this are varied. First, this mood disorder is more common in women. In addition, men are less likely to seek a diagnosis for what they’re feeling. Women are about twice as likely to struggle with a depressive disorder. But four times as many men die each year by suicide. … [Read more...]
Is Depression Your New Norm? How You Can Embrace Life’s Little Joys
When you talk about your “new normal,” are you speaking in hopeful terms? Or is there a sense of resignation, sadness, and powerlessness that comes with thoughts about your life and future right now? A global health crisis, economic shutdown, and widening social division can have that effect. Recently, the "COVID-19 and Life Stressors … [Read more...]
Feeling Politically Powerless? Why Action is the Antidote to Helplessness
Whatever your political persuasion, you may be feeling powerless in the run-up to the election. If so, you are far from alone. This has been an incredibly challenging year for so many pandemic-related reasons. When you factor in months of civil unrest and a looming presidential election, it can become overwhelming. Identifying and accepting … [Read more...]