The main intention of this article on depression medications is to give you an insight and understanding of the topic so you can make better decisions.

A couple of days of feeling sad or depressed does not mean you have depression. Depression is a very serious disease that can last for years. Studies have show that around 15 million Americans are affected by this illness each and every year.

It’s the mental illness stereotypes, things like the crazy eyed old women, that make people think twice before seeking treatment for depression. Sadly due to the stigma of mental illness only a third of those putting up with depression will seek medical attention.

Depression gets worse with time. Without attention it will become more and more severe. People should pay attention to the signs.

A variety of factors, and even combinations of these factors can lead to depression. It can by biological, genetic, physical and emotional.

Simple daily life and surroundings are important. It can be caused by stress brought on by even more detrimental factors. It takes a lot of knowledge to address a complex issue like depression.

The human mind is very complicated also. The medical profession has spent years of research trying to determine how the brain and mind operate. They have determined that depression is cause by a chemical imbalance in the brain.

We are learning more every day about how the whole mental process works and with knowledge come the power to discover better treatments.

Better and better depression medications are being tested daily and now there is a large variety of drugs available to treat depression. Also the market is riddled with magic potions but mostly you will only lose your money not your depression. Clinical tests to prove something really works in treating depression are required.

There was a time in our history if you were afflicted by anything that was associated with mental illness you were thrown into a mental ward and lost in the system. Fortunately that has all been changed.

The anti-depressant Prozac first came into use in the USA in 1988 and became the rage. It was proven to work, and thus is still prescribed today even though it can have serious side effects.

Since then a new class of anti-depressants SSRI’s has become popular as well. Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors, SSRI, are being used today. These include Paxil, Zoloft, Lexapro, Celexa, and Luvox. These work even though they too show some side effects.

There are also numerous natural herbal medications available on the market. Hyperforin, an ingredient in the St. John Wort extract, is common in those that seem to work as well as anti-depressants. Some herbal remedies don’t contain this ingredient in the proper strength so they don’t work but the ones that do are winners.

Be careful, do your research and you will find effective medications to treat depression.

This article about depression medications was meant to make you interested in wanting to read more about it and seek professional help if required.

Every internal or external event in your life that happens is interpreted through your brain. If in fact we have a positive feeling about a life event, that’s a Non-Problem Status. And so we really only need to worry about life dramas when they create a negative emotion. Why? This article, the first of seven, will help you understand why.

Right now - today, I’m going to share with you the importance of using your emotional brain to realize how your body reacts to events.

Randy Pausch, a 47 year old college professor, who recently passed away due to pancreatic cancer, said, “Experience is what you get when you don’t get what you want”. What is your experience of the events in your life?

Dr Mike Gosling has said, “Life is a series of events. Every event is an opportunity for change. It’s from the most painful events that you change the most.” Do you agree with what Dr. Mike said?

Every life event that occurs, gets interpreted by your brain. External events are received into your brain through our five senses and we are constantly busily examining our internal environment alsol - what’s going on inside of our brain and body - to assess and to work out what’s going on in our life.

If in fact we have a positive feeling about a life event, that’s a Non-Problem Status. Because when good things happen to us, it’s not a problem to us, we don’t care. In fact we feel good about it.

And, we really need only worry about life dramas when they create a negative emotional charge and when we have a negative experience. Why?

Every negative experience that we have results in us accumulating stress, because every single emotion, every negative emotion that you have, is actually an Adrenalin response.

It’s actually our body producing a stress response - producing a chemical because of the fact that our brain has interpreted some form of danger to our well-being. Some form of threat.

To explain further, if I were to draw for you a cartoon sketch of a cross-section of our brain, the two major parts of the brain that are useful to know about is that section that resides just above the brain stem. It’s called the Limbic System and the Cortex, the thinking part of the brain.

The Limbic System does all the feeling in the brain. This is a primitive part of the brain - animals have a Limbic system also - and it is responsible for our preservation instinct.

The other part of the brain, which does the thinking, is the Cortex. Human beings have a very developed Cortex, therefore we have a larger brain than most animals. The Limbic System and the Cortex are constantly inter-playing with one another.

The Limbic System primarily assesses, using all the senses that come into the body, through sight, sound, touch, taste, smell.

If you’re tasting something, that experience is first assessed by the Limbic System for danger to determine whether or not there is anything about what you are sensing that is going to create a threat to this organism that it’s looking after.

That’s all for now. In my next article I’ll share with you the story of the zebra; how it uses its brain to deal with danger or threat. Are we like the zebra? Its all part of what I call The Science of Emotional Wealth. So be sure to keep an eye out for my articles.

All material in this email is provided for information only and may not be construed as medical advice or instruction. No action or inaction should be taken based solely on the contents of this email. Instead, readers should consult their physician or other qualified health professionals on any matter relating to their health and well-being. Readers who fail to consult with appropriate health authorities assume the risk of any injuries. The publisher is not responsible for errors or omissions.

Online therapy, email therapy, virtual therapy, cyber-counseling, e-therapy: they all refer to therapy or counseling using the internet, most often by email. Online counseling is a powerful tool for helping people to gain insight and resolve the problems that interfere with the quality of their lives. Therapists typically use email exchanges in online counseling work, and may supplement them with phone sessions (if necessary or requested) at appropriate points in the process.

Pros: People often open up faster during internet exchanges than in face to face counseling. Writing about their feeling and thoughts can have a freeing effect, encouraging faster insight that an office setting.

The inherent time delay in e-mail exchanges provides a rich space for clients to process their thoughts, feelings and decisions in their lives.

Cyber-counseling is tremendously convenient. Clients are able to write wherever they are most comfortable, 24/7. There is no need to wait for normal “office hours” to send messages, and they are free to set their own pace.

Getting out of the house to a face-to-face counseling session can sometimes be daunting. Parents of infants and small children have day care to contend with, and other people may find that certain emotional and physical conditions make travel difficult. Even if there are no professional counselors in the area, an online counselor can be available to help right away.

Unlike traditional therapy, online counseling provides a useful record of the counseling sessions. The e-mail exchanges allow the client and therapist to look back on their work together and evaluate it.

Online counseling is less expensive than traditional alternatives. There is no need for gas or travel, and people only pay for the time it takes their therapist to read their communications and write replies.

Cons: In online therapy or phone sessions, therapists cannot watch facial expressions and other behaviors to better understand what a client is feeling. It is possible to have misunderstandings. Because of this, online counseling is NOT easy for the therapist, despite the fact that it costs the client far less than traditional therapy.

Clients need to be able to put their thoughts and feelings into writing, and write about themselves in a fairly articulate way.

E-counseling isn’t for everyone. People with severe emotional difficulties, who are currently in crisis, those who are under the age of 18 or who are suicidal should seek a more traditional counseling environment.

Online therapists cannot yet provide their clients with a formal diagnosis.

Online counseling has only been done for a few years. It is truly pioneering work, and a bit experimental in nature.

E-therapy is an empowering option using readily available technology to provide affordable, high-quality, convenient therapeutic services. It is wise to take care whenever choosing any type of counseling. Cyber-counseling is no different. It should not be avoided simply because it differs from traditional therapy, nor should anyone dive into it just because it is new. It is worth discovering more about this powerful tool to see if it might be a wise choice for you.

Are you feeling sad or lonely? Do you wish you had more energy? Do you feel like you can’t face the world? If you feel these symptoms often, you may be suffering from depression. It’s best to seek help from a counselor who can diagnose your condition and help you feel better.

Some people would never consider taking medications for depression, but if depression has become crippling, one should consider all measures and talk to their primary physician. To find out if Zoloft is right for you and to learn about Zoloft Side Effects, please talk to your doctor first.

You may not realize this, but depression is very common in the US, with roughly 11 percent of the population suffering from this terrible disease. People don’t realize that depression is a serious matter similar to other ailments or addictions which can ruin people’s lives. To truly cure this ailment, patients must seek professional help in combination with many possible therapies.

One of the most common prescription medications used to help cure depression is Zoloft. Zoloft is often used because its effectiveness has been shown over 10 years. The medication has been found to be effective in treating depression and the side effects have been found to be manageable by most people.

Of course any drug can have serious side effects. The most common side effects from taking Zoloft are diarrhea, insomnia, nausea, and occasionally sexual side effects. Please consult your medical specialist before taking a medication like Zoloft.

Whereas many drugs can lead to addiction, there has not yet been found a clear link between the use of Zoloft and addiction to the drug. Zoloft has not been found to be linked to overeating either.

If you are thinking of taking medications to help treat your depression, you should consult your doctor first. Zoloft is a prescription drug and requires a primary physician consultation.

The great news is that Zoloft often works wonders on patients and the results are sometimes extremely fast in some cases as little as days. The only way to achieve these benefits is to consult your medical specialist.

As a teenager, I literally devoured books; I loved reading and would read everything and anything, from Readers Digest to Encyclopedias. I even read self help books and found myself particularly fascinated with something that I had been experiencing for years, symptoms of depression. Even though I had felt these symptoms I had no words to describe what I was feeling, and became intent on reading more about this. I now have a good understanding of this syndrome (or illness), and thirty years on, I now know how severely depression can impact on a persons life. Statistics have shown, according to www.add-adhd-help-center.com that between thirteen and fourteen million people suffer from, and live with the effects of depressive disorders.

I cannot remember the title, but one of the very first articles I read, contained information regarding depression that still remains true today.

The clinically depressed person is restless, sleepless, sleeps too much, and/or is irritable.

He or she loses interest in once-enjoyable activities and pastimes, in food, and in taking care of his or her person hygiene needs.

Another of the early-read symptoms of depression also holds true today: the depressed person is continuously or consistently tired or exhausted and has less than usual energy.

Further studies, increased numbers of depressed persons, and updated documentation also address additional symptoms of depression: also according to www.add-adhd-help-center.com, these symptoms include the following:

Perpetual, or persistent sadness, worthlessness, and/or attitudes of futility

Weight loss or gain

Both under and overeating;

Persistent physical manifestations of (but not limited to) depression-such as headache, pain, stomach and digestion problems-all of which may be resistant to treatment

Obsession with thoughts of suicide and or dying;

Once I had reached forty, I also found out that I was an ADD sufferer. Attention Deficit Disorder, often partners with depression. It became compelling for me to discover more about these disorders and the reason why I suffered from both. Understanding is part of the solution to the problem. If you suffer from either or both of these, you must know that understanding is half the battle won. There are many sources available that can assist you with this; in the form of books, treatment and people who help. Depression is not a death sentence, it is possible to enjoy a meal again, or stop eating everything in sight. Get rid of that heavy weight that is depression, and start living a normal health life. I did it and if I can, anyone can. Just imagine being able to awake from that heavy depressive sleep, forget about suicidal thoughts, and open your eyes to a whole new world.

Many people are not readily aware when they become depressed; however as soon as you are able to identify the syndrome, you should look for a way out immediately. The best way is to think deeply and try to identify why you are depressed. As soon as you know that, solve the problem.

Thoughts of committing suicide usually come to people who are depressed. It often starts out as fear and hopelessness and futility, but soon, when it becomes full blown, suicide quickly becomes an option. That is why when you find yourself feeling depressed for more than a day or two, you ought to seek medical attention in a hurry.

A depressed person could sometimes have trouble looking themselves in the mirror. To them the mirror appears to reflect ugliness and repulsion. Scratch the surface and you could find that they are perhaps kicking themselves for some trivial thing that they would have passed up.

Depression gets bad when it is neglected. Ordinarily when there are rough times and something bad happens you could feel sad, and if you stayed that way long enough, you become depressed. However, you have to snap out of it too, otherwise it could destroy you.

Depression is an illness that may come on slowly, especially in younger folks. Many are not even aware that it is happening to them. People who are older sometimes expect it, but the younger they never see it coming. They could have had it for years before they ever get to know it.

A sufferer from depression often sees themselves as being phony or guilty of having deceived others in one way or another. However, a conversation could reveal that no such thing has happened. That’s when their mind begins to play tricks on them. Yes, it’s all always the mind playing games with us. If this happens to you, fight it. Don’t allow your mind to take you over, instead take it over and dictate the pace.

Depression hits you in a way that makes your work no longer adequate to distract or occupy you. But that is only the smallest part of it. In essence, even their pleasure trips, and activities that used to bring them pleasure are no longer good for it. In simple terms, depression is more than hell on earth; it’s hell living in your heart. Don’t let it. Drive it out NOW!

Lack of energy and that nagging feeling of being worn out all the time is something that is common to people suffering from depression. The flipside of this phenomenon is that you could be all over the place, pointlessly pacing and doing nothing. Hey, it’s depression, and the thing is just nasty. You can’t allow it to take over your life.

Most of us know at least one person who has been diagnosed with depression. Maybe you think that you may have depression? Do your emotions fit the criteria for depression? Clinical depression affects millions of people. Understanding what depression is can be a first step towards getting the right help. Let’s look at some of the facts.

Feelings of sadness are normal. Everyone experiences a blue mood once in a while. But when feelings of sadness become your only feelings, and when a blue mood turns into a persistent black cloud, you may be suffering from depression.

Depression is a mental disorder. Depression can overwhelm your mind, your thoughts and your body. It affects your personality, your interaction with others, and your beliefs as well. When in depression it is just about impossible to feel hopeful about anything, including ever feeling happy again.

Since normal feelings of sadness, and the feelings of depression are very similar, differentiating between the two is usually by time and intensity. The feelings from depression are much more intense than a normal reaction to a negative event.

Two weeks is typically the threshold for diagnosing depression. If after a negative life experience you are still withdrawn and sad after more than two weeks it is possible you have entered into a depressive episode. Without treatment a depressive episode can last for months, sometimes years.

The great news is that depression is very treatable. Traditionally, a combination of therapy and medication is really quite effective. Today an entire range of alternative therapies have shown impressive results at relieving even long standing, serious depression. Some alternative therapies very effective for the treatment of depression are: Emotional freedom Techniques, Tapas Acupressure Technique, Chi Gung, nutritional supplements and a simple thing such as walking are just a few examples.

Depression can happen to anyone. It is not an affliction of those who are weak. Strong people can get depression as well. if you suspect that you may be suffering from depression, remember, the sooner you get help, the sooner you will feel better.

Major depression is what happens to you when you are unhappy and you don’t know why. If you saw someone at that time, you are either not interested in relating with that person or you just want to hurt the person to get them out of your way. And sometimes this kind of depression gets to the point where you stress yourself to immobility. Yes, that bad. You should be very conscious of your moods and try to steer yourself towards better moods all the time.

Sometimes depression can play games on you; sometimes it comes and goes as it pleases and you are never quite sure if it is there or not. Think kind of depression is called bipolar disorder and people who suffer from it may not even know it. Whatever kind of depression you are suffering from, YOU can cure yourself, if you apply your mind positively towards a solution.

A depressed person could sometimes have trouble looking themselves in the mirror. To them the mirror appears to reflect ugliness and repulsion. Scratch the surface and you could find that they are perhaps kicking themselves for some trivial thing that they would have passed up.

Here’s a fact: an average woman will more likely be depressed in a single day than an average man would. Why? Because she’s got more hormones to deal with, and when these hormones unleash, they can be quite messy with her feelings. Hence their occasional bouts of depression which are sometimes prolonged.

There are environmental factors that influence depression and its distribution in certain geographical locations. However, the environment is not anywhere as potent as inheritance. Once you have a parent suffer serious depression, you might be next in line. But that doesn’t mean you can’t do anything about it. You can do something about it, starting with the realization that you are prone to the condition. This should help you to constantly fill yourself up with only positive thoughts to keep you away from depression.

Depression is prevalent in the United States for some reason. However it is also a problem in many other nations of the world, although its prevalence varies widely. It is sort of a measure of how people react to the things around them, and also, how they influence those instances back.

Depression will change your energy level for sure, negatively that is. Restlessness and agitation are never far away, leaving you fidgeting and pacing. Also, it could be the other way round. You could lie down moping throughout the whole of the day and yet feel no better at the end of it.

Depression often comes in episodes, or “crises,” if you care to call it that. You cannot afford to leave it unattended though, because a single episode of major depression may sometimes last for up to eight or nine months. Some people, although rare enough, may even suffer from it perpetually.

Social situations around you can be affected by your mood. As a matter of fact, if you are depressed enough, you might not want to be involved at all in anything. Sometimes it gets so bad that you sequester yourself away in some locked room for days and people can’t get to you. Always work on ensuring you don’t do anything that can harm you or anyone when you are depressed. Better still, work hard on forcing yourself to get out of such depressive states.

Not everyone who kills themselves when depressed in is in control of their actions. The condition causes them to think things that are neither possible nor probable, and they make ill fated decisions based on these. That’s the problem. Don’t ever see things bigger or worse than they are. Always see things as they are and you will notice that they aren’t really as bad as you think.

Regardless of sex or race, ethnicity, or whatever else the human race is classified by, anybody could be depressed at any time; what only counts is the trigger. Now, how you handle the depression says a lot for you. You might decide to live in denial, or you could accept it and permit it to rule your life. Otherwise, you could acknowledge it, identify its trigger, and solve the problem once and for all.

Two to three times more likely, a woman gets depressed before a man does. You already know that ladies are emotional beings, it’s how they are. And when the depression comes, sometimes they seem to fall apart. But the honest truth is that they handle depression better than most men.

Depression can vary in prevalence from 1.5 percent of the populace to as much as 19%, as respectively seen in people in Taiwan and those in Lebanon. These are readings and results gotten from people resident in these vicinities and some believe that the methods used in gathering the data may be different from location to location. Hence, the value of this information may not be irrefutable.

There are times when depression could come upon you seemingly without explanation or warning. Things could actually even be going well and for no reason at all you feel that familiar sadness and woebegone sensation. You simply have to look out for it least it overpowers you. Always know that you are in control and can change your thinking anytime you want to.

There is no question about the fact that depression usually alters your appetite when it hits you. In some people, the depression makes them eat more, while in others, the reverse is the case. Actually, this second instance is more often the case.

Adolescents, when they suffer from depression, experience common symptoms like sadness or “the blues.” This mood naturally affects their overall cycles and they might complain of sleep disturbances and lack of energy. A young person experiencing this can always seek the opinion of an older person; otherwise, when you see them like this, you can choose to take action quickly to help them.

A bit breathless, Bloomberg reported that “China’s economy, the biggest contributor to global growth, expanded at the slowest pace in five years as the financial crisis cut demand for exports. Gross domestic product rose 9 percent in the third quarter from a year earlier.”

Economy caught SARS?

To put it in a perspective anybody can relate to, Bloomberg said that “China’s expansion was the weakest since the severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, epidemic slashed growth in the second quarter of 2003.”

This brings back scary memories of China coming to a grinding halt for months, while everybody had to stay home and was allowed to go to the shop once a week only. Soldiers in HAZMAT gear watched the lines. A cough, a fever, and it was off to the camps. That’s how bad it is, Bloomberg wants us to think. While in reality, Mayor Bloomberg’s city currently might be worse off than Beijing.

9% growth? That’s all?

Economies all over the world would go ga-ga over 9% growth. Wait, maybe not. A 9% rise of GDP could frighten them into thinking that central bankers will raise interest rates to coll down certain inflation.

In reality, China simply goes from an inflationary, unsustainable, and unhealthy double digit growth to a solid level everybody would love.

Sure, export growth in China slowed substantially. It had to. Since the second half of 2007, the Chinese government tried everything to push down exports to a more sustainable level.

Points to consider:

- Retail sales in China rose 23.2 percent in September from a year earlier, matching the gain in August and close to the fastest pace in at least nine years.

- Urban disposable incomes for the first nine months of 2008 rose 14.7 percent from a year earlier. Rural cash incomes climbed 19.6 percent. People have more money and spend it.

- The formerly skyrocketing Chinese light vehicle market (which includes passenger vehicle and light commercial vehicle segments) is expected to slow in 2008, but it still will grow at a very nice pace. J.D. Power expects Chinese sales to come in at 8.9 million units in 2008, which would be an increase of 9.7 % compared to 2007.

- Much of the decline in exports had been caused long before the U.S. meltdown. The cause was the appreciation of the RMB, which was actually a reflection of the rapid depreciation of the USD which took place until July 2008. As gasgoo.com said, “for most local auto parts makers, the impact on exports brought by the demand slowdown of the global market triggered by the financial crisis will be less than that of the RMB appreciation.” It’s just that nobody was looking.

The Chinese stock market had seen it coming for a while.

From a high of 6000 at the beginning of 2008, the Chinese stock market eroded to around 2000 now. > without most outside the country even noticing. Since January, the Chinese stock market lost more than 60% of its value, a huge bubble burst, without an echo in the rest of the world.

The Dollar rises. The Yuan barely moves.

If anybody has noticed, the USD took a sharp turn and appreciated dramatically since July. Now is this reflected in the USD/CNY currency pair?

Until July, the Yuan pretty much appreciated against the USD as the Euro did. The Dollar went down, the Euro and the Yuan went up.

But what happened when the USD started rising, starting in July? The USD/CNY rate barely budged. The EUR/CNY rate did move.