What is Depression?

• Overview of Depression
• Problems with Diagnosis and Treatment

Causes of Depression

• Theories about causes (genetic, biological, environmental factors)
• Brain chemistry (What initiates the alteration in brain chemistry? Genetic factors and psychological triggers. Other contributing factors.)
• Medical Illness and Depression - Vitamin Therapy
• Could It Be Hypothyroidism?
• Why Depression Can Strike Again

Types of Depression

• Overview of Different Types of Depression
• Atypical Depression
• Dysthymia and detailed symptoms of Dysthymia
• Major Depression (causes, symptoms, what it's like), Treatment of Major Depression
• Manic Depression (Bipolar Disorder)
• Post-Partum Depression Overview, What It's Like, and the more milder Postpartum Blues (baby blues)
• PMDD (Prementrual Dysphoric Disorder)
• Psychotic Depression
• Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) Overview, Symptoms of SAD, Other Treatments for SAD Besides Light Box

Bipolar Depression

• The Difference Between Bipolar Disorder and Unipolar Depression
• Bipolar Depression and Unipolar Depression: Is There A Difference?
• Further Distinctions Between Bipolar and Primary Depressive Disorders
• Diagnosing Bipolar Disorder
• Family Mental Health History
• Mood Disorders Questionnaire
• Bipolar Diagnosis Gives Patients New Lease On Life
• The Importance of Getting Treatment for Bipolar Disorder
• Stories of Bipolar Misdiagnosis
• For More Information on Bipolar Disorder Visit Our HealthyPlace.com Bipolar Community

Seriousness of Depression

• How Serious Is Your Depression?
• Symptoms of depression
• Serious consequences of untreated depression
• Treatments for depression
• Antidepressant medication for treating depression
• Important things to consider when deciding to take antidepressants
• Take an antidepressant self-quiz
• Effects of antidepressants
• Relief from depression
• Personal stories of relief from major depression

People and Depression

Depression in Children

• Depression in School-Age Children and Adolescents Overview
• Signs and Symptoms
• What Does A Depressed Child Look Like?
• Diagnosing Depression in Children
• What Causes Depression in Children?
• What Happens to Depressed Children?
• Treating Depressed Children, Antidepressants for Children and Adolescents with Depression, and Antidepressant Use in Kids Gains Support
• Pediatric ECT
• Suicide and Children and Child and Teen Suicide Risk Factors and How to Take Action and Intervening in Child and Teen Suicide (for more on suicide and children, look under the "suicide" heading below)
• How To Help A Depressed Child
• Dealing with Childhood Depression
• When Parents Are Depressed - How It Impacts Children

Articles on Children and Depression

• Story on Teenage Depression (includes audio interview)
• The Difference Between Teen Moodiness and Depression
• How Colleges Are Dealing with Depressed Students
• Depression in School-Age Children
• Talking with Your School-Age Child about Depression
• Stress in Children: What It Is, How Parents Can Help

Depression in Men

• Men with Depression - It's Different For Men
• How Men Handle Depression
• Male Menopause
• Treatments For Men With Depression

Depression in Women

• Depression in Women - Overview
• Depression: What Every Woman Should Know
• Risk Factors for Depression in Women
• Depression and the Lifetime Reproductive Cycle and The Role Hormones Play in Mood Disorders
• Treating Depression in Women
• Pregnancy and Antidepressants, Antidepressant Medication Safe During Pregnancy, Antidepressants and Breastfeeding, and Antidepressant Medication Side-Effects in Postpartum Depression

Differences in Depression in Women and Men

• Depression in Women and Men: What's the Difference?
• Cultural Expectations May Explain Why Depression is Different In Women and Men

Depression in Elderly

• Depression in Elderly Overview
• Elderly Depression Ignored
• Geriatric Depression Scale (Screening Test), GDS - (shorter version)
• Exercise Works in Treating Elderly Depression
• Study: Seniors With Late Life Depression May Not Recover

Minorities and Depression

• Minorities With Depression Face Barriers To Getting Help
• Access to Services, Language and Cultural Issues
• U.S. Surgeon General Says Minorities Face Larger Hurdles Toward Mental Health Care Than Whites
• Suicide Among Blacks - Nobody Wants To Talk About It and The Truth About Black Teen Suicide
• In Older Blacks, Depression Often Goes Untreated
• Depression Among African-American Women
• Fighting 'the blues' in African-Americans
• How Do Hispanics Experience Depression?
• Cultural Considerations in Treating Asians With Depression

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Treatments For Depression

• Depression Treatment Overview
• Where to Get Help For Depression
• Beyond Prozac: New Depression Treatments, New Hope

Depression Treatment

• Gold Standard for Treating Depression
  Autoritative Information Regarding all Aspects of Treatment for Depression
  
  • Gold Standard for Treating Depression: Table of Contents
  • NIMH says that up to 80% of People with Major Depression Can Be Effectively Treated if They Get the Right Treatment
  • How Do I Choose a Mental Healthcare Professional Who is Right for Me?
  • What is the Most Effective Treatment for Depression?
  • What is the Star*D Research Project and How Can It Help Me?
  • Are Medications for Depression Enough for Me?
  • What are My Other Treatment Options for Depression?
  • Depression Medications
  • What Causes Antidepressant Side Effects and What Can I Do About Them?
  • How Do I Change My Depression Medications?
  • What is the Best Way to Change Antidepressant Medications?
  • Should I Expect My Antidepressant and Current Dosage to Work Forever?
  • Can My Depression Be Caused By Other Issues?
  • Psychotherapy for Treating Depression
  • Can Psychotherapy Alone Work in Healing Depression?
  • Lifestyle and Behavior Changes Can Help Reduce Depression
  • Why Do I Need Regulated Sleep Patterns?
  • Does Exercise Really Make a Difference in Improving Depression?
  • Does My Diet Have Anything to Do with Depression?
  • What Do I Need to Know About Bright Light Exposure for Treating Depression?
  • What If I'm Too Sick and Depressed to Make Friends?
  • My Thoughts are Terrible. What Can I Do?
  • What are Triggers and How Do They Affect Depression?
  • How Can I Teach Others to Help Me With My Depression?
  • What Else Can I Do to Treat and Manage My Depression?
  • Can I Use All of These Ideas to Treat Depression Without Antidepressant Medications?
  • Alternative and Complimentary Treatments for Depression
  • What is Vagus Nerve Stimulation?
  • What are the Latest Experimental Treatments for Depression?
  • Do I Need to Go to the Hospital for My Depression?
  • What if I Have Suicidal Thoughts?
  • Will I be Depressed Forever?
  • What if I'm a Responder and Don't Experience Remission of Depression Symptoms?
  • What is Depression Relapse and Can it Happen to Me?
  • I Want a Life Free of Depression. Is This Possible?
  • Why Am I Embarrassed That I Can't Just 'Take Care of My Problems'?
  • What if I'm Too Depressed to Help Myself?
  • References for The Gold Standard of Treating Depression
  • Videos accompanying the "Gold Standard of Treating Depression"

Alternative Remedies

• Alternative Approaches to Mental Health Care - Overview
• Herbs for Treating Depression
• More Research Is Questioning Safety, Effectiveness of Herbs
• Food and Your Moods
• St. John's Wort
• SAMe For Treatment of Depression
• Supplements, Vitamins and Minerals, Herbs
• 5-HTP and the Serotonin Connection
• Dietary Supplements and Nutrition for Depression
• Medical Illness and Depression - Vitamin Therapy
• Using Antidepressants vs. Finding the Underlying Medical Causes of Depression
• Acupuncture for Treating Depression (also covers massage and physical therapy for depression)
• The Role of Diet in Mental Health
• Psychotherapy, Light Therapy, Supplements for Depression
• Mind/Body Medicine for Treating Depression (Therapy, Meditation, Relaxation)
• Prayer May Heal Depression
• What Dr. Andrew Weil Recommends for Treating Depression Symptoms

Antidepressants

• Overview
• Information on Antidepressant Medication
• List of Antidepressants
• SSRIs
• SNRIs
• MAOIs
• Tricyclics
• Other Types of Antidepressants
• Guidelines for Pharmacologic Treatment of Acute Major Depression and Dysthymia, Pharmacotherapies for Acute Major Depression
• Depressed Patients Find Improved Outlook in Antidepressant Medications
• Docs Aren't Telling Patients How To Use Antidepressants Properly
• Too Many Quit Taking Antidepressants Too Soon
• Does It Really Take At Least 3 Weeks Before Antidepressants Begin to Work?
• Side-effects of Antidepressants: How to Cope and Handling Side Effects of Antidepressant Medications
• Antidepressants and Sexual Side Effects, Sexual Side Effects Seriously Underestimated by Physicians, Which Antidepressants Cause the Fewest Sexual Side-Effects?
• Do Antidepressants Lose Their Effect?
• Increasing the Effectiveness of Antidepressants (Treatment-Resistant Depression)
• Antidepressants Barely More Effective Than Placebos
• Getting Off Antidepressants: Antidepressant Discontinuation Syndrome, SSRIs and Discontinuation Events, and Suddenly Stopping Antidepressant Treatment Can Lead to Some Nasty Side Effects
• Antidepressants and Breastfeeding
• Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) for PMS
• Pill-Splitting: Should You Cut Your Antidepressant in Half to Save Money?, The Divide Over Pill-Splitting, Psychiatric Pills With Splitting Potential, How To Correctly Split A Pill
• Medication Safety Tips, How to Talk About Your Medications With Your Doctor, Medicine Record Form, Buying Prescription Medicines Online, Are There Prescription Drug Bargains Online?, Is Buying Your Prescription Drugs Online Safe?
• For more information on Antidepressants, visit: Antidepressant Medications: What You Need to Know

Articles on Antidepressants

• Brain Scan Reveals Antidepressant Effectiveness
• Antidepressants: Hype or Help?
• Antidepressant Use in Kids Gains Support
• Teen Suffers Seizure After Snorting Antidepressant
• Depressed Brain May Heal Itself, But Only Briefly
• Prozac Relieves Hot Flashes
• Serotonin-Enhancing Drugs Could Trigger Stroke
• Doctor-Patient Dialogue Combats Depression
• Anxiety Tied to Missing Serotonin in Infancy
• Zoloft May Be Safe to Fight Depression After Heart Attack
• Shedding Light on Serotonin
• Powerful Antidepressant Effexor to Tackle Trauma Condition
• More Drugs, Fewer Couches Used to Treat Depression
• For more information on Antidepressants, visit: Antidepressant Medications: What You Need to Know

Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT)

• ECT Overview
• How It Works
• Time to Bring ECT Out of the Shadows
• NIH Consensus Statement
• ECT - Best Form of Treatment for Severe Depression
• Effects of Electroconvulsive Therapy on Memory of Autobiographical and Public Events
• ECT: It Saved My Life
• Pediatric ECT
• Sample ECT Patient Consent Form
• Depression - Fighting the Odds and Winning: One Woman's Story of Hope and Recovery

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)

• EMDR Overview
• 8 Phases of EMDR Therapy
• What Happens During an EMDR Session
• For Treatment of Depression
• EMDR for PTSD
• Therapist Recounts Experience With EMDR
• EMDR Catching On, Similar Story
• It Seems To Work, But No One Knows Why
• EMDR: A Mystery Cure

Psychotherapy

• How Psychotherapy Helps People Recover From Depression
• Psychotherapy Usually First Line of Treatment for Depression
• NIMH: Psychotherapy and Antidepressant Medications Work Best
• Psychotherapy vs Pharmacotherapy - Which is Better?
• For Severe Depression Talk Therapy Works As Well As Antidepressant Medications
• How to Find A Therapist Who's Right For You
• Overcoming Depression and Finding Happiness

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)

• Electromagnetic Stimulation Shows Promise For Treatment-Resistant Depression
• Magnetic Stimulation Studied as Alternative to ECT for Depression
• Patient Feedback
• Abstract Conclusions - No Real Benefit
• Depression Research - Stimulating Healthy Half of Brain Using TMS Improved Mood
• Early Study: Electromagnetic Stimulation Relieves Depression
• Abstract - Using Antidepressants with TMS

Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS)

• Vagus Nerve Stimulation For Treating Depression
• Results From Various VNS Clinical Studies - 2 3 4 5

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Related Information

Depression and Anxiety: The Fraternal Twins of Mood Disorders

• Relationship Between Depression and Anxiety
• Anxiety Disorders Overview

Dealing with Depression at Work or School

• Depression in the Workplace
• Managers Should Be Aware Of Depression Symptoms
• Study: Depression from Job Loss Is Long Lasting
• Depression in School: A Student's Perspective
• Suicide: A Teacher's Experience
• Suicide: No Warning Of Her Decision To End Her Life
• For Teens Dealing With Depression
• For Parents: Helping Your Preteen With Depression

Living with Depression

• Living With Clinical Depression: The 'common cold' of Mental Health
• People Share Stories of What It's Like Living With Depression and Their Personal Tips For Coping

Loss and Grief

• What Is Grief?
• Coping With Loss - Bereavement and Grief
• Grief Recovery
• Helping Yourself and Others Deal With Death
• Nine Common Myths and Realities About Grief

Self-Help

• Where to Get Help For Depression
• How to Help Yourself If You Are Depressed
• Healthy Relationships Alleviate Depression and Prevent Relapse
• The Power of Social Support
• Forget Being Free of Depression - Start Living Now!
• Overcoming Depression and Finding Happiness

Suicide

• Understanding and Helping the Suicidal Person
• Depression: Understanding Thoughts of Suicide
• Frequently Asked Questions About Suicide
• Suicide in Youth: What You Can Do About It
• All About Teen Suicide
• The Suicide of Older Men and Women
• Feeling Suicidal? How To Help Yourself
• Reasons for Living Can Prevent Suicide During Depression
• Psychotherapy in Treating the Chronically Suicidal Patient
• Handling A Phone Call From A Suicidal Person
• Suicide Facts, Suicide Statistics
• Suicide Risk Runs in Families
• High-Suicide Families Eyed By Genetic Scientists
• Suicide: The Risk is Lifelong for Those Who've Tried It Once
• Author Chronicles Her Struggles With Suicidal Thoughts
• Extensive Information on Suicide Issues

Personal Stories of Depression

• Personal Stories of Depression Table of Contents
• My Treatment-Resistant Depression
• My Major Depression Story
• What’s Life Like with Severe Major Depression
• Depression Kills A Person's Spirit
• I Just Call this 'To Hell and Back'
• What’s Wrong With My Son?

Supporting a Depressed Person

• How Family and Friends Can Help the Depressed Person
• Helping A Depressed Person Receive Treatment For Depression, Another article
• Helping the Depressed Person
• When Someone You Love Has A Mental Illness (Resisting Medication, Relative's Anger, Your Guilt)
• Mental Illness - Information for Families
• Best Things to Say to Someone Who Is Depressed

Websites

• Apocalypse Suicide Page
• Good Mood
• Living with Depression
• Mental Health Recovery
• NIMH Depression Website
• Shocked! ECT

Online Conference Transcripts

• Coping With Feelings and Thoughts of Suicide Guest: Dr. Alan Lewis
• Depression Treatments Guest: Dr. Louis Cady
• Electroconvulsive Therapy Experiences Guests: Sasha and Julaine
• Fighting Depression Safely and Effectively Guest: Dr. Michael B. Schachter, MD,
• Loss and Grief - Grieving the Different Losses in Your Life Guest: Russell Friedman
• Natural Treatments for Depression Guest: Syd Baumel
• Undoing Depression Guest: Dr. Richard O'Connor

Books

• Recommended books on Depression, Post-Partum Depression, Depression in Children, Suicide, Medications and Alternative Treatments for Depression, Self-Help and more

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