You are currently browsing articles tagged depression.
Take any test for mental illness or a brain chemical imbalance and you will have some of the symptoms. From being easily distracted (ADD-attention deficient disorder), to spending too much time cleaning (OCD-obsessive compulsive disorder), to manic days (bipolar disorder), we all have varying levels of symptoms.
When do you seek help?
- When the symptoms interfere with maintaining a job
- Attempts to self medicate (substance abuse) increase and become a problem
- It interferes with basic daily responsibilities
- Severe depression occurs
- There are suicidal thoughts
If you’ve answered yes to any of the questions, it’s time to seek professional help.
Tags: ADD, bipolar, depression, mental illness, OCD
Many people experienced this long before it was officially recognized and labeled as seasonal affective disorder (SAD). It is most common in the winter and can occur in the summer as well. Its symptoms are similar to that of depression. Of those who suffer with SAD, most are young adults in their late teens to early 30’s and of the SAD sufferers, ¾ are women. It is believed that it is caused by lack of exposure to sunlight and sunlight exposure triggers internal biological changes. Before you decide to start popping anti-depressants or getting counseling, go outdoors more and change the lighting in your home.
Tags: biological changes, depression, outdoors, SAD