DEPRESSION

WHAT ON EARTH IS WORLD HEALTH DAY?

This year the theme is DEPRESSION.

What is depression all about?
WHY is depression a serious illness?
WHY are we depressed?
WHY are our teenagers depressed?
WHY are so many people taking anti-depressants?

WHY is the Global Depression Drug Market $16.8 Billion by 2020? (1)

So in three years’ time, we have been told this illness is going to cost us $16,800,000,000 and this confirms things are going to get worse.

WHY are there billions and billions of dollars going towards making drugs that push down (depress), something in our body?

Do we actually know what depression is?
Do we know what causes depression?

Do we understand all this stuff about depression?

Types of Depression Disorders

Major Depressive Disorder
Clinical Depressive Disorder
Dysthymic Disorder
Psychotic Depression
Postpartum Depression
Seasonal Affective Disorder

Global Depression Drug Market

Atypical anti-psychotics
Tricyclic anti-depressants
TeCAs – Tetracyclic anti-depressants
SNRI – serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors
SSRI – selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors
MAOIs – monoamine oxidase inhibitors
Beta-blockers
Benzodiazepines
(1)

So what are the bigwigs – those responsible for our World Health telling us about WORLD HEALTH DAY?

What you are about to read is taken from the World Health Day website for 2017.

WHO – the World Health Organization has launched a one-year campaign and the goal is that more people with depression in all countries, seek and get help.

They want us to tell them and others about activities we are planning for the Depression: let’s talk campaign through their online app. (2)

23 February 2017 (3)

Depression is the leading cause of ill health and disability worldwide

18% increase between 2005 and 2015 of number of people living with depression

80% of this disease burden is among people living in low and middle income countries

New set of posters have been released 14 February 2017

Americas
Africa
Eastern Mediterranean
Europe
South-East Asia
Western Pacific

Two of the posters depict a conversation in emergency settings. In humanitarian emergencies and ongoing conflict, as many as 1 in 5 people are affected by depression and anxiety. (2)

They have videos about a black dog and his name is depression.

Talking is the first step towards recovery, says
WHO Goodwill Ambassador for Sustainable Development Goals and Health (2)

Depression is an illness that can happen to anybody. It causes mental anguish and affects people’s ability to carry out everyday tasks, with sometimes devastating consequences for relationships with family and friends. At worst, depression can lead to suicide.
Fortunately, depression can be prevented and treated. (2)

We have handouts on depression which provide general information on the characteristics of depression and how depression can be prevented and treated. They are being produced in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish.
Note – these versions will be made available on WHO website as they are finalised.
http://www.who.int/campaigns/world-health-day/2017/handouts-depression/en/

So it is World Health Day and the topic is Depression and the only handout is in English.
Does this give us confidence?  

Are those non English speaking people waiting?
WHY has nothing been published for this big health day topic?

WHO IS WHO?
WHAT DO THEY DO?

WHO is the World Health Organization.

The constitution came into force on 7 April 1948 – a date that is now celebrated every year as World Health Day.

Their goal is to build a better, healthier future for people all over the world.

They work alongside governments and other partners to ensure the highest attainable level of health for all people.

Together they strive to –

  • Combat infectious diseases like influenza and HIV.
  • Address non-communicable ones like cancer and heart disease.
  • Help mothers and children survive and thrive, so that they can look forward to a healthy old age.
  • Ensure the safety of the air people breathe, food they eat and water they drink and medicines and vaccines they need.
  • 7000 people
  • 150 country offices
  • 6 regional offices
  • Geneva Headquarters

The primary role of WHO is to direct and coordinate International health within the United Nations’ system.

Main areas of work are:

  • Health systems
  • Promoting health through the life-course
  • Non-communicable diseases
  • Communicable diseases
  • Corporate services
  • Preparedness, surveillance and response

WHO support countries as they coordinate the efforts of multiple sectors of the government and partners including –

  • Bi and multilaterals
  • Funds and foundations
  • Civil society organisations
  • Private sector

to attain their health objectives and support their national health policies and strategies. (4)

WHO is governed by the World Health Assembly – the supreme decision-making body and its main function is to determine the policies of the Organization.
The World Health Assembly meet in Geneva in May each year and is attended by delegations from all 194 Member States. (5)

Now you know who WHO are, their goals and what they do and where they work and who runs the show so to speak – in other words WHO governs WHO.

Next – you have a long list of over 200 WHO programmes, partnerships and projects from African Programme for Onchocerciasis Control to Zoonoses and veterinary public health.
http://www.who.int/entity/en/

If we just stop and click the above link, most of us would struggle with names like Echinococcosis.
Is this huge A to Z list a confirmation WHY WHO needs 7000 staff?

Health Topics have a similar big A to Z list (6) and when we click Depression you get the following:

Depression is a common mental disorder, characterized by sadness, loss of interest or pleasure, feelings of guilt or low self-worth, disturbed sleep or appetite, feelings of tiredness and poor concentration.

Depression can be long-lasting or recurrent, substantially impairing an individual’s ability to function at work or school or cope with daily life. At its most severe they may need medication and professional talking treatments.

Depression is a disorder that can be reliably diagnosed and treated by non-specialists as part of primary health care. Specialist care is needed for a small proportion of individuals with complicated depression or those who do not respond to first-line treatments. (7)

This leads to the Depression fact sheet
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs369/en/

Depression is a major contributor to the overall global burden of disease.

People who are depressed are often not correctly diagnosed.
Too often people are misdiagnosed and prescribed anti-depressants.

Many people with depression also suffer from anxiety symptoms.
Feelings of guilt and low self-worth can be signs of depression.

Depression results from a complex interaction of social, psychological and biological factors.

Adverse life events like unemployment, bereavement and psychological trauma can develop depression and this can lead to more stress and dysfunction. This can worsen the affected person’s life situation and depression itself.

There are interrelationships between depression and physical health – example cardiovascular disease can lead to depression and vice versa.

We then have all their publications, journals, reports and data.

What does the Universal Health Coverage Data Portal mean to us on the street? (8)

Dear World,

Can we be absolutely honest – WHO actually sits down and reads all this stuff?

More to the point WHO writes this?

WHY is all this complicated stuff needed?

Does it make simple sense to us – the general public?

Let’s move on to some statistics spelling out how serious depression is in our world.

GLOBAL

2015 (9)

Depression disorders ranked as single largest contributor to non-fatal health loss

322 million people have depression
4.4% of our world population

Depression occurs in children and adolescents under age 15

Most prevalent in African and American regions

Prevalence highest in women aged 60 – 64

20% of people with major depressive disorder develop psychotic symptoms (10)

2016

Number of people with depression and anxiety is increasing

416,000,000 in 1990

615,000,000 in 2013

3% of total government health spending worldwide is for mental health (11)

Total Cases of Depressive Disorder (9)

2015

ALGERIA

1,683,914 cases
4.5% population

SOUTH AFRICA

2,402,230 cases
4.6% population

USA

17,491,047 cases
5.9% population

CANADA

1,566,903 cases
4.7% population

BRAZIL

11,548,577 cases
5.8% population

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

444,016 cases
5.1% population

IRAN

3,637,308 cases
4.9% population

FINLAND

293,921 cases
5.6% population

PORTUGAL

578,234 cases
5.7% population

GREECE

593,136 cases
5.7% population

BANGLADESH

6,391,760 cases
4.1% population

INDIA

56,675,969 cases
4.5% population

AUSTRALIA

1,318,599 cases
5.9% population

Are these the real figures or are there many more under the radar?
We all know the stigma around this depression stuff so let’s get honest here, is everyone going to jump up and tell the researchers they are depressed?

Back to WHO, who carried out a study which calculated treatment costs and health outcomes in 36 countries for 15 years from 2016 to 2030.
Low levels of recognition and access to care for depression and anxiety, result in a global economic loss of a trillion US dollars every year. (12)

Can we just stop and get our heads around this?

We are in serious trouble as the global cost of depression is going to rise to $1,000,000,000,000. That means a million million.

Does this big fat number rattle us, bother us, disturb us or have no effect?
Are we feeling depressed after reading all this and thinking there is no way out?
Are we thinking – where is all this mental illness stuff going to end up?

So who loses with this economic loss?
Households lose financially when people cannot work because they have depression.
Employers suffer as employees become less productive or unable to work.
Governments end up paying higher health and welfare costs.

Did we know that depression increases the risk of substance use disorders?
Did we know that depression increases the risk of diseases like Diabetes and Heart Disease?
Did we know that people with these conditions have a higher risk of depression?
Did we know that depression is also an important risk factor of suicide? (12)

USA

2012

16 million adults have had at least 1 depressive episode. (10)

1 in 10 Americans experience depression at some point in their lives.

1 in 10 women experience symptoms of depression in the weeks after having a baby.

20% – number of people diagnosed with depression increases by every year.

45 – 64 – age where depression most prevalent. (13)

70% – women more likely than men to experience depression.

60% – 18 – 25 year olds more likely to have depression than people over 50. (14)

11% of adolescents by age 18 have had a depressive disorder. (15)

30% of people with substance use problems have depression. (14)

$80,000,000,000 – annual cost of depression due to lost productivity and healthcare. (15)

80% have symptoms of clinical depression and are not receiving any specific treatment for it. (13)

States with higher rates of depression also show high rates of other negative health outcomes, such as obesity, heart disease, stroke and sleep disorders.

People with depression are more likely to be unemployed or recently divorced. (13)

UK

1 in 4 young men aged 16 – 24 are self-harming due to depression, anxiety and stress. (16)

1 in 5 elderly are impacted by depression. (17)

Reducing the prevalence of common mental disorders such as depression and anxiety is a major public health challenge. (Davies 2014) (18)

Both anxiety and depression often remain undiagnosed.
(Kessler et al. 2002)

In the case of depression, relapse ten years from first presentation frequently occurs.
(Thornicroft and Sartorius 1993) (18)

Debt and financial strain are certainly associated with depression and anxiety…
(Meltzer et al. 2013; Mind 2008).

Anxiety and depression has been estimated to cause one fifth of days lost from work.

45 – 64 – highest depression age. (18)

67.2% of people with common mental disorders have had depression at some point in their lives.

28.5% of women in receipt of sickness benefit had depression.

25.3% of men in receipt of sickness benefit had depression. (18)

CANADA

2011

7% of 15 – 24 year olds experienced depression.

25 days of regular activities were missed due to the symptoms of depression. (19)

2012

15 – 24 year olds had a higher rate of depression than any other age group.

11% of 15 – 24 year olds meet the criteria for depression in their lifetime. (20)

50% of 15 – 24 year olds with lifetime depression, had suicidal thoughts at some point.

28% young people with lifetime depression looked on the internet for mental health support. (19)

$32,300,000,000 – annual cost to economy due to lost productivity because of workers’ depression. (21)

The accommodation, food services and retail trade sectors top the list, with the highest prevalence of depression…Sectors where the labour market is more precarious, job permanency is less and there’s more turnover.
Louis Thériault – Vice-President Public Policy, Conference Board of Canada (21)

AUSTRALIA

2012 (22)

20% of adults are affected by significant levels of depression either directly or indirectly.

$12,600,000,000 – annual cost to Australian economy because of depression.
6,000,000 – working days of lost productivity due to depression.

NEXT –

Types of Depression

Major (Clinical) Depression

Major Depression, also called ‘Clinical Depression’, ‘Unipolar Depression’ or ‘Major Depressive Disorder’ is the term given to define the experience of persistent sadness.

Atypical Depression

People with Atypical Depression respond to positive and negative external events; depending on the situation, they may be either deeply depressed or hopeful. When alone, they are likely to be depressed, whereas around others their mood will lift considerably. It is common for this type of depression to occur after an interpersonal rejection. Those suffering with this type of depression are likely to oversleep, in which they feel ‘paralysed’ or find it difficult to get out of bed due to extreme tiredness. Overeating is also likely. (23)

Bi-Polar Disorder also known as manic-depressive illness is a form of psychosis where the person experiences moments of extreme highs and extreme lows. It is a mental disorder that is characterised by serious mood swings where the highs, called ‘mania’ alternate with the lows, also known as depression.

The severe mood disorder is often described as ‘episodes’ and these cycles can last for days, weeks or months. There can be periods of normal mood and behaviour in between the restless highs and listless lows.

The periods of mania and depression vary in people and the common symptoms that may be experienced are: energetic; extremely excited; wildly elated; easily distracted; full of self-confidence; little need of sleep; talk continually and makes grandiose plans, with little attention to their practicality. These are to describe the manic state.

In the depression state the behaviour is essentially the opposite. Their mental and physical activity is much slower and self-esteem is at a low ebb. They feel rejected and discouraged and may attempt suicide.

The elation and frantic activity of the manic state appear to be a last-ditch attempt to defend against the underlying feelings of inadequacy and worthlessness that precipitate depression.

There are a variety of treatment options that may be suitable for a person suffering from Bi-Polar Disorder and taking the appropriate medication to stabilise the mood or taking anti-psychotic drugs are key in treatment for this disorder and to keep symptoms under control.

Lithium carbonate is the medication most commonly used to treat Bi-Polar Disorder.
It is a long-term method of treatment for episodes of mania and depression.

Psychoanalytical theories assume that people prone to depression have learned to repress hostile feelings for fear of alienating those on whom they depend for support. When things go wrong they turn their anger inwards and blame themselves.

The theory focus is loss, over dependence on external approval and anger turned inwards.

To summarise, the psychoanalytical theory of depression has a central contention that what is at the heart of depression is the notion of loss and the related suggestion that situations, which involve loss, serve to precipitate depression in predisposed individuals. (24)

Women with Depression

Women are twice as likely to suffer with depression.
Fluctuation in hormone levels are associated with symptoms of depression. (24)

10-15% women develop postpartum (post-natal) depression (10)

During pregnancy, women are adjusting their bodies to allow for change and after childbirth depression is common due to the physical and hormonal changes. How the woman has been living up to conception has an effect on how she will cope with the new changes. This can lead to depression, if she was suffering from anxiety or stress before pregnancy and with the added responsibility of a new baby, it is clear this may lead to what is known as ‘post-natal depression’.

Some women feel like they should not be a mother and after looking forward to having a baby, during the months of pregnancy, they can have a change of heart and feel depressed after their child is born.
According to the Royal College of Psychiatrists, post-natal depression symptoms can occur during pregnancy and the lack of family support is a factor that can lead to depression. (25)

 The three distinct conditions covered by post-natal depression are:

  • ‘baby-blues’
  • post-natal depression
  • puerperal psychosis

Puerperal Psychosis should be considered as an extreme condition, that is manic-depressive in type, which occurs within one month of delivery. It is a serious psychiatric illness that requires specialist medical attention. (24)

Post-natal depression is symptomized by the following:

Sleeping and eating difficulties
Marked fatigue
Inability to cope
Loss of confidence and self-esteem
Periodic feelings of despair

A miscarriage can also affect a woman as this loss can be like any other bereavement and also the hormonal changes occurring at this time can bring about depression.

The menopause is a particularly vulnerable time for women because they are experiencing hormonal changes and it takes time for the body to adjust to the declining levels of oestrogen and progesterone. The end of menstruation means the woman is entering another cycle, another phase in her life and there are other factors which may affect our mood and bring on depression, like family loss and grief, children leaving home or medical conditions. It is known that physical illness or disability can trigger depression.

Depression is a common symptom of pre-menstrual tension in women. (24)

The following can cause pre-menstrual depression to deepen and become unrelenting:

  • problems at work
  • difficulties with children
  • separation from a spouse
  • financial difficulties
  • legal or health problems

The effect that alcohol can have on women during pre-menstrual week is that one drink is sufficient to set the head reeling. During this time period the body tissues are more ready to retain water, so they are equally ready to retain alcohol and it is absorbed more fully and more quickly, with increased effect.
During this pre-menstrual week, women may feel more depressed and seek alcohol for temporary relief and this could lead to the start of a vicious cycle. (24)

Women are also more apt to suffer from hypothyroidism, which is often associated with depression.

Studies have shown that social pressures where women are working and have the additional responsibility of raising children can be a contributory factor for depression.

Social factors such as poverty and isolation are also reasons why more women experience depression than men. (23)

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) often referred to as ‘winter depression’ is said to more likely affect women. A study by The American Institute of Stress states that SAD syndrome is four times more common in women than men. It also says that career oriented single working women maybe at particular increased risk of depression. (26)

Unspecified Depression

Unspecified Depression is the term given to a form of depression that does not fall into any of the other depression categories. (23)

Elderly and Depression

Depression in elderly people often becomes more common in the decade following retirement, due to the dramatic changes that occur.

Adapting to a new routine in life and moving to a care home can be difficult to adjust to.

Also, loss of a partner or friends and loss of mobility and other health problems can contribute to depression. (23)

Children and Depression

The principal factors, which could contribute towards a child developing depression, are neglect, trauma, loss of a parent or a family history of depression.

Children who have been neglected are more likely to experience depression and the NSPCC states that “children who have been neglected may experience short-term and long-term effects that last throughout their life”. (27)

Depression can be a symptom for a child who has been ignored or left alone in the home, or if they are denied their basic needs, which are essential whilst they are in the care of adults.

A child may feel neglected if they are not met by their parents or a primary carer for who they truly are and this may cause them to shut down or check out and isolate from others socially, which will eventually lead to depression. Not engaging with others means they are no longer open or sharing their feelings and this closing down of their heart can most certainly lead to depression. If they cannot feel a bond with those they regard as their role models like parents, older siblings or teachers, then this is also a factor that can lead to depression.  The attachment theory is used by psychologists to describe the lack of bond and poor parental relationship. (27)

If a child has little interaction and not a strong relationship with a parent or guardian, then it can change how their brain develops emotionally. This can lead to an increased risk of depression.

Stress is a risk factor in depression, so if a child is experiencing sexual or physical abuse, neglect, parental loss or bullying at school this will inevitably be a contributing factor towards the child developing depression.

Any parental loss felt by a child would increase the risk of a child developing depression and it is possible that it may go un-noticed and not addressed until later on in life. This can also apply if the child is ‘attached’ to a pet and the animal dies. Parental loss can have a profound effect on a child as it brings in the issue of Trust. A child maybe needy and untrusting in general and then to lose a parent, who they completely trusted, would be a contributing factor towards them developing depression. It would also be even more so, if they were being raised by a single parent and then suffered a loss.

A family history of depression means the child is growing up in an environment where there is already the behaviour and symptoms of other family members who are suffering from depression. If a parent is suffering from depression and the child is exposed to this way of living, then they may see this as ‘normal’. Symptoms such as lack of energy, little or no interest in social activities, not engaging in life, lacking motivation, low self-esteem, feelings of helplessness and difficulty making decisions, could all be seen as ‘normal’ to the child yet all of them are psychological, physical and social symptoms of depression. (23)

Eating Disorders and Depression

There is evidence suggesting that bulimia can result in depression. With an episode of eating, the sufferer can feel self-loathing, which could lead to feelings of low self-worth, this adding to the depression. The endocrine system is affected and the hormonal imbalance could lead to the menstrual cycle becoming disrupted in women.

Women who have an eating disorder and are unable to truly express themselves, can also be a factor for depression.

People with eating disorders feel they are not good enough. They become obsessed with perfectionism and that focus of being perfect is on what they eat. But underlying it is depression. Often these patients have suffered a lot of emotional trauma.
Ira Sacker MD – Specialist Eating Disorders, New York University (28)

Depression is one of the major health problems in the world today. It is the most common of all psychiatric disorders. (24)

66% of people who suffer from depression do not seek treatment or receive the right treatment from health professionals because:

  • Symptoms are not recognised as depression
  • Depressed people are regarded as weak or lazy
  • Social stigma causes people to avoid treatment
  • Symptoms so disabling, unable to seek help
  • Individual symptoms are treated instead of the underlying cause
  • Many symptoms are misdiagnosed as physical problems (23)

The misconceptions relating to depression are that –

  • Depression is seen as a mysterious condition
  • Depression is mild and a passing mood
  • Depression is a personal weakness
  • Depression is not a life-threatening disorder like cancer
  • Depression is “untreatable”
  • Depression sufferer needs to buck up
  • Depression sufferer needs to solider on (24)

Depression is commonly associated with the following three serious illnesses:

  • Dementia
  • Stroke
  • Parkinson’s disease

A person might be considered a ‘somatiser’ if they lay particular emphasis on the physical symptoms which commonly occur in depression and play down or even deny that there are any psychological symptoms. Many fail to recognise a causal link between physical symptoms and emotional distress and blame the emotional distress entirely on the physical symptoms.

The psychological symptoms that help to identify a person who is psychiatrically ill from those with simple physical illness are:

  • Insomnia
  • Fatigue
  • Morbid self-opinion
  • Impairment of concentration
  • Hopelessness and/or recurrent suicidal thoughts
  • Loss of interest, including motivation, drive and libido

Even seriously depressed people may not complain of depression but rather a lack of energy or drive. They may seek the answer in a series of physical check-ups concentrating on the following – blood pressure, cholesterol, weight, diet, exercise, smoking and alcohol. (24)

The following is what is often said of depressed people:

  • They do not want anything to be done.
  • They do not believe others who try and reassure them that they will get better.
  • They insist that the bleak vision they have of their own lives in particular and of life in general is true.
  • They are extremely resistant to suggestions that all is not lost, that recovery can be achieved, that they will feel better, that they have felt better. (24)

During the milder forms of depression people are able to:

  • sustain personal relationships and friendships
  • carry on working
  • maintain some level of enjoyment of life

The states associated with depression are:

  • Anxiety
  • Panic attacks
  • Agoraphobic attacks

They can be relieved when depression is treated. (24)

Depression is a mood disorder or affect.

Depression affects how a person thinks, feels and behaves.
Depression is a constant feeling of no hope, sadness and a loss of interest in life.

Depression can exist on its own or is often just one symptom of a more involved disorder.
Depression affects how a person engages in everyday life.

Negative thinking means the sufferer can no longer commit to life. The sufferer feels exhausted and lacks the energy to initiate social activity.

Depression is when it is out of proportion to the event that has occurred and continues past the point at which most people begin to recover. A depressed person can become trapped in a cycle of social withdrawal, which leads to a lack of positive reinforcement, which then perpetuates the depression.

Symptoms can be complex and vary widely between people. It is an illness that can go undetected as the sufferer does not always think they are depressed, even if the common symptoms like anxiety, sadness, low energy, changes in sleep and eating habits are prevalent.

Common physical symptoms of depression:

Headache
Backache
Chest pain
Indigestion
Weight gain
Weight loss
Dizziness
Palpitations
Disturbed sexual function
Diffuse pains and aches

Main known causes of depression:

Stressfull life event
Bereavement
Job loss
Divorce
Illness
Money worries
Alcohol and Drugs
Giving up on life
Sleep issues
Loss of libido
After childbirth
PMT – hormonal imbalance
Loneliness
After retirement in later years

Depression can last for a few months.
It is usual to recover from depression but it is also common for depression to return.
Episodes can last several months or even longer in some instances. (29)

Symptoms of Depression:

Feeling Exhausted
Persistent sadness of low mood
Not being able to enjoy things
Finding it harder to make decisions
Not coping with things that used to be easy
Feeling restless and agitated
Loss of appetite and weight (29)

Doctors grade depression as mild, moderate and severe to help them decide which treatment.

We may not realise how depressed we are because it has come on gradually.
We may struggle on and cope by keeping busy, which can make us more exhausted.
Physical pains like constant headaches or sleeplessness then start.
It is these symptoms that can sometimes be the first sign of depression. (29)

The affective disorders are classified as psychoses.
These disorders are disturbances of ‘affect’ or mood and are not therefore classified under neuroses.

Circular manic-depression psychosis is a mood disorder that causes radical emotional changes and mood swings and the person alternates between manic and depressive states. Often there is a period of normal behaviour in between these episodes of restless highs and listless lows. (24)

Behaviours that might be reinforced by relatives and friends are:

  • crying
  • complaining
  • self-criticism
  • talking of suicide

Psychoanalytic theories interpret depression as a reaction to loss.

The given events involving loss that might contribute to depression are:

  • Loss of a loved one
  • Unemployment
  • Loss of health
  • Loss of financial independence
  • Loss of moral support provided by friends (24)

Events not involving loss that might contribute to depression are:

  • Marriage
  • Going on vacation
  • Winning the lottery

Psychoanalytic theories suggest that the depressed person’s feelings of worthlessness and low self-esteem stem from a childlike need for parental approval. If a small child depends on approval and affection from their parents, then as an adult, the person is prone to depression as their self-esteem depends primarily on external sources.
When such support fails, the person may be thrown into a state of depression. (24)

Treatment

The effective treatments for depression are:

  • Physical – drugs and ECT
  • Psychological – counselling and psychotherapy
  • Social – facilitating personal and occupational development

The range of treatment options that may be available to someone suffering from depression are a combination of medicines, talking therapies and self-help.

Medication

Tranquillisers are used as a treatment option for mild depression through relief of associated symptoms of anxiety.

Tricyclic anti-depressants are drugs used in the initial physical treatment for depression for those with physical symptoms like loss of appetite or sleep disturbance.

MAOI’S – monoamine oxidase inhibitors are a group of drugs used to treat depression, which has certain features like marked anxiety or worsening of mood at a particular time of day.

Lithium has been used to treat resistant depression and used in combination with tricyclic anti-depressants.

ECT – electro convulsive therapy is a treatment option used for someone suffering with severe depression or those intolerant of antidepressants. It can also be used to treat those resistant to drug therapy.

Research has found that people living close to green spaces and trees are less likely to be dependent on anti-depressant medication. (30)

So here we have a news story saying there is a correlation between nature and depression.

Could it be possible that nature has a pulse, a vibration that is in harmony with everything on this earth and beyond?
In other words, it lives in cycles and rhythms that are aligned to natural laws of the universe.

Could it be possible that this pulse is strong and steady and if we are surrounded by this, it affects our particles at a cellular level?

Could it be possible what Mina Bissell was saying about how our environment affects our cells to go crazy or not, applies to this?
In other words, nature is our environment and it will have an effect on our cells?

Could it be possible that we cannot all live with green spaces and trees, but we can be open to the fact that nature has an effect on us?

Could it be possible that mother nature is not budging and so we end up aligning and our rhythms change internally and this is what makes us “less likely” to be dependent on anti-depressant medication?

The following are signs of depression that we can all pick up on:

  • Feeling Exhausted
  • Low energy and vitality levels
  • Withdrawal from Life (31)
  • Withdrawn and feeling “out of sorts”
  • Change in mood
  • Feelings of helplessness or hopelessness
  • Sudden change in general ability to work
  • Losing interest in daily activities
  • Not enjoying what in the past we found stimulating
  • Lack of interest in life
  • No motivation
  • Not engaging in conversations
  • Irritability or not our normal self
  • Out of character behaviour
  • Appetite or weight changes
  • Drinking excess alcohol
  • Not able to relax and unwind
  • Sleep difficulty
  • Anxiety levels increasing

… the initial response to a stressful situation is anxiety – if the individual believes that the situation cannot be altered or controlled, anxiety is replaced by depression.
Hiroto, D.S. & Seligman, M.E.P. (1975) Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (24)

Insomnia, the most common expression of mental disease is like a Cinderella disorder – seldom receiving proper attention, despite the fact that it is the most treatable precursor to depression.
Colin Espie – Professor of Sleep Medicine, Oxford University. (32)

So here we have a bigwig kingpin on Sleep Medicine saying our inability to sleep is causing mental illness and if we address this first, then we can treat depression. He is spelling out to us that we need to give sleep proper attention and that means make it a priority.

Common sense tells us that our human body has a sleep wake natural cycle and we pay attention to it as babies and children. Somewhere along the line, we grow up, make our own choices, lose the plot and think waking is more important. With all our mod cons today and the plethora of distractions available 24/7, our natural sleep cycle is disturbed. Our World Sleep Day blog covers the detail, but for now we need to say that it would be wise to develop a sleep rhythm and take note that there is a science to going to bed early, which can truly support our body to do the job it needs to during sleep time.

Could it be possible that if we started to take Responsibility for our basic choices, like what time we go to bed, we could deal with our own issues like insomnia and depression?

Could it be possible that if we committed and consistently made the effort to take care of our body by going to bed early, things would be different the next day?

Could it be possible that if we got our sleep stuff sorted, we may not need the drugs to make us sleep or de-press our depression symptoms?

Could it be possible that our mind would have more clarity if we applied the Science of Early Bedtime as a lifestyle choice?

Could it be possible that with adequate quality sleep, we could engage more in life and deal with the depressed feelings?

Dear Dear World

That was over 5600 words and lots of heady stuff to take in.

Back to Simple.

WHY do we have so much intelligence in our world today and yet we have not got the answer for the root cause of depression?

WHY is everything so complicated and difficult to understand?

WHY are we spending money researching and researching to find more solutions to manage depression?

WHY are we not willing to look at HOW we are choosing to live that may be contributing to WHY we have depression?

WHY are people taking alcohol with anti-depressants and working?
What is going on in our lives that is making us reach for the pills and the poison? – Alcohol is a scientific proven poison.

What is our quality of work with alcohol and anti-depressants in our body?

Is it time to get real and get honest?
Is it time to look at our priorities in life?
Is it time to start asking questions?
Is it time to look at the war inside us?
Is it time to stop blaming?
Is it time to keep it simple?

Is there another way to live and look at our mental health?

What if we put our common sense hat on?

What if depression is about us withdrawing from life?
What if depression is about us not wanting to commit to life?
What if managing our depression is not the real answer?

Next blog – COMMITMENT TO LIFE.

As the author of this blog, I am no bigwig academic or professional on this subject.
However, I do have a Masters in common sense.
Having studied mental health, it would be true to say the theory is all about managing depression and not addressing the root cause.

Written by Bina Pattel
Community Mental Health and Psychiatry – Level 4 Award
Depression Management – Level 3. Grade: Distinction
Advanced Psychotherapy – Level 4. Grade: Distinction
Advanced Psychology – by examination. Grade: B
Stress Consultant – Corporate & Professional Level 3. Grade: Distinction


If you are feeling suicidal, contact your GP for support or the Suicide Helplines.

In a crisis contact your emergency services.

Suicide Helplines

UK – Samaritans available 24 hours
Tel: 116 123

Childline – for children and young people
Tel: 0800 1111

USA – National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
Tel:  1-800-273-8255

Other Countries
Check International Association for Suicide Prevention Resources on Crisis Centers
https://www.iasp.info/resources/Crisis_Centres


References

(1) (2016, May 10). Global Depression Drug Market Poised to Surge from USD 14.51 Billion in 2014 to USD 16.80 Billion by 2020. MarketResearchStore.com. GlobeNewswire. Retrieved April 5, 2017 from
https://globenewswire.com/news-release/2016/05/10/838292/0/en/Global-Depression-Drug-Market-Poised-to-Surge-from-USD-14-51-Billion-in-2014-to-USD-16-80-Billion-by-2020-MarketResearchStore-Com.html

(2) World Health Day – 7 April 2017. World Health Organization. Retrieved April 1, 2017 from
http://www.who.int/campaigns/world-health-day/2017/en/

(3) (2017). WHO Global Health Days – Campaign News. World Health Organization. Originally retrieved April 9, 2017. Updated December 31, 2017 from
http://www.who.int/campaigns/world-health-day/2017/top-stories/en/

(4) (2017). About WHO. Who We Are, What We Do. World Health Organization. Retrieved April 1, 2017 from
http://www.who.int/about/en/

(5) (2017). Governance. World Health Assembly. World Health Organization. Retrieved April 1, 2017 from
http://www.who.int/governance/en/

(6) (2017). Health Topics. World Health Organization. Retrieved April 1, 2017 from
http://www.who.int/topics/en/

(7) (2017). Depression. World Health Organization. Retrieved April 1, 2017 from
http://www.who.int/topics/depression/en/

(8) (2016). Universal Health Coverage Data Portal. World Health Organization. Retrieved April 2, 2017 from
http://apps.who.int/gho/cabinet/uhc.jsp

(9) Depression and Other Common Mental Disorders: Global Health Estimates. Geneva: World Health Organization: 2017. Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO. (p.8, p.9, p.13, p.17-21). Retrieved April 1, 2017 from
http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/254610/1/WHO-MSD-MER-2017.2-eng.pdf?ua=1

(10) Pietrangelo, A. (2015, January 28). Depression and Mental Health by the Numbers, Facts, Statistics and You. Healthline. Retrieved March 28, 2017 from
http://www.healthline.com/health/depression/facts-statistics-infographic

(11) (2016). Out of the Shadows: Making Mental Health a Global Development Priority. World Health Organization. Retrieved April 1, 2017 from
http://www.who.int/mental_health/advocacy/WB_event_2016/en/

(12) (2017, March 31). “Depression: Let’s Talk” Says WHO, as Depression Tops List of Causes of Ill Health. World Health Organization. Retrieved April 1, 2017 from   http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2017/world-health-day/en/

(13) (2012). Depression Statistics. Healthline. Retrieved March 29, 2017 from
http://www.healthline.com/health/depression/statistics-infographic

(14) (n.d). Depression. National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). Retrieved April 2, 2017 from
http://www.nami.org/Learn-More/Mental-Health-Conditions/Depression

(15) Holmes, L. (2015, January 21). 11 Statistics That Will Change the Way You Think About Depression. Huffington Post. Retrieved April 2, 2017 from
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/20/depression-statistics_n_6480412.html

(16) Marsh, S. (2017, March 1). A Quarter of Young Men Self-Harm to Cope with Depression, Says Survey. The Guardian. Retrieved March 29, 2017 from
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/mar/01/quarter-of-young-men-self-harm-cope-depression-poll

(17) Faris, S. (2012, March 28). A Look at Depression Statistics. Healthline. Retrieved March 29, 2017 from
http://www.healthline.com/health/depression/statistics#1

(18) McManus, S., Bebbington, P., Jenkins, R., Brugha, T. (eds.) (2016) Mental Health and Wellbeing in England: Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey 2014. Leeds: NHS Digital. (p.39-40, p. 49, p.51, p.56)

(19) (2017, January 18). Study: Depression and Suicidal Ideation Among Canadians Aged 15 – 24. The Daily. Retrieved March 28, 2017 from
http://www.statcan.gc.ca/daily-quotidien/170118/dq170118b-eng.htm

(20) (2017, January 19). 11% Canadians Aged 15 – 24 Met Criteria for Depression: StatsCan. CBCNews. Retrieved March 31, 2017 from
http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/depression-suicidal-thoughts-1.3940621

(21) (2016, September 1). Depression, Anxiety Cost Canadian Economy Billions, Conference Board Says. CBCNews. Retrieved March 31, 2017 from
http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/canada-economy-depression-anixety-1.3744300

(22) Manicavasagar, V. (2012). A Review of Depression Diagnosis and Management. Australian Psychological Society (APS). Retrieved April 2, 2017 from
https://www.psychology.org.au/publications/inpsych/2012/february/manicavasagar/

(23) (2016). Community Mental Health & Psychiatry Level 4. UK Distance Learning & Publishing

(24) (2015). Depression Management Diploma Course. Stonebridge Associated Colleges

(25) (n.d). Postnatal Depression. Royal College of Psychiatrists. Retrieved April 2, 2017 from
http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/healthadvice/problemsdisorders/postnataldepression.aspx

(26) Rosch, P.J. (n.d). Why Do Women Suffer More from Depression and Stress? The American Institute of Stress (AIS). Retrieved April 2, 2017 from
https://www.stress.org/why-do-women-suffer-more-from-depression-and-stress/

(27) (2017). Neglect. NSPCC. Retrieved April 2, 2017 from
https://www.nspcc.org.uk/preventing-abuse/child-abuse-and-neglect/neglect/signs-symptoms-effects-neglect/

(28) Jaret, P. (2010). Eating Disorders and Depression. WebMD. Retrieved April 2, 2017 from
http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/eating-disorders/features/eating-disorders#1

(29) (2014, March). Depression: Key Facts. Royal College of Psychiatrists. Retrieved April 2, 2017 from
http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/healthadvice/problemsdisorders/depressionkeyfacts.aspx

(30) Neslen, A. (2017, March 21). Access to Nature Reduces Depression and Obesity, Finds European Study. The Guardian. Retrieved April 1, 2017 from
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/mar/21/access-nature-reduces-depression-obesity-european-report

(31) Benhayon, S., & Benhayon, N. (2015). The Living Sutras of the Hierarchy 04. The College of Universal Medicine (COUM)

(32) Siddique, H. (2016, April 1). Britons Missing an Hour’s Sleep Every Night, Says Report. The Guardian. Retrieved April 5, 2017 from
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/apr/01/uk-hours-sleep-night-report-average-royal-society-for-public-health

 

 

 

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Comments 55

  1. Does depression lead to exhaustion or does exhaustion lead to depression?

    From personal experience, I know that when I was exhausted I had many of the symptoms of depression. So was I depressed or just exhausted?

    I have been to doctors who have told me I was in excellent physical condition. I went because I felt tired. They prescribed an antidepressant. I did not take them because it felt like they were prescribing them because they did not know what was really going on with me. All their tests and knowledge could not see that I was just incredibly exhausted.

    With support from Simple Living Global and lots of intensive self care, my body is doing what it needs to do to heal me.
    It has taken time but that is because of the many years of ignoring the messages my body was communicating.

    I feel depression can be just our bodies way of stopping us because the way we are living is not working.

  2. My own case study:

    I spent 30 years in levels of depression (age 10-40), at best not feeling sure if I was free of it and fearing it would return or deepen into psychosis and often very much consumed by it.

    I spent well over half of those years in therapy for it, on medications for it and the entire time searching for something to make my life work…

    Simple Living Global was the end of my long term depression.

    The support offered was about getting more honest, getting to the root causes and taking accountability for my state of being.

    Too simple?
    Give it a try with someone who FULLY walks the talk; there is no support to compare.

    This was empowering and it lifted my chronic sense or belief that I was stuck, broken, worthless, and at low points hopeless, to live my life as I felt I was meant to live.

    Before Simple Living Global I often went into ‘manic mode’ (between my ‘normal’ depressed conditions). I was driven to do things out of frustration and desperation and had a ‘need’ to get into ‘fun’ projects which kept me up late. I regularly ran on empty, neglecting food, proper sleep and other practical life responsibilities like focusing on getting enough employment or a proper place to live.

    I now consistently go to bed when my body asks me to, I do not fall for being driven or feel a need to make my day ‘more’ by pushing myself. I know that my commitment to myself, my body, to work, to home and to others is about my commitment to life and that without this, commitment life just does not work; I have realized that life simply can not support me if I do not do my part.

    In place of feeling a deep distaste for this world and a desire to disengage myself from it (by not being committed and flirting with the fairy’s), feeling empty, not-enough and often being very withdrawn, I now have a sense of fulfillment, purpose and a commitment to life that is ever growing and expanding by my choices to be more of who I am in-this-world.

    Feeling a thousand times lighter I now stop, often, to appreciate the true support that assisted me to this point where I am able to continue to open and know the beauty of life.

    I have had no depression for over 5 years. This has never happened before.
    I have no worry of it returning because I know what it is and I know who I am.
    This has also never happened before.

    I have complete confidence that Bina Pattel of Simple Living Global has a triple doctorate in common sense and that it is this kind of common sense that will, eventually, bring us all back to a place of homeostasis in all areas of our health and well being.

    In other words, common sense can and will bring us back to who we are, once we choose to live it every day.

  3. This blog is a huge read on many levels. There is so much here.

    It feels like reading it has done something to my brain – somehow deconstructing assumptions and ‘received wisdom’ and replacing it with facts and truth. It has me questioning what is really happening and how many people are suffering.

    The numbers are incomprehensibly huge. So many people needing support.

    With the numbers as huge as they are, aren’t we ALL affected?
    Do we ALL know people with depression or suffer it ourselves in some form?

    1. You’re right JS, so many people are needing support.

      Depression seems to be affecting every part of life, including every profession.

      Today I read an article on depression and pilots.

      The opening line of the article reads, ‘Hundreds of commercial airline pilots currently flying may be clinically depressed.’
      https://knowridge.com/2016/12/significant-number-of-airline-pilots-report-depressive-symptoms-suicidal-thoughts-survey-reveals/

      It is suspected that due to the fear of the negative impact on their career (because of the stigma associated with mental ill health) pilots may not be disclosing what they are experiencing and seeking the necessary treatment.

      “There is a veil of secrecy around mental health issues in the cockpit.”
      Joseph Allen, Assistant Professor of Exposure Assessment Science and Co Author of Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health study on Pilot Health and Job Content

      Difficulty concentrating is noted as one symptom experienced by some pilots, nearly every day, with men experiencing this more frequently than female pilots.

      Depression was also more likely among pilots who used higher levels of sleep aid medication and those experiencing sexual or verbal harassment.

      This is serious and is clearly showing us that our pilots are struggling. As we know statistics don’t really give us the full measure of the real situation as respondents are not always honest. Having read this blog by Simple Living Global and news articles like these, this is enough to show us that we are failing as a society

      Pilots are top earners and have a high social status. However, the question arises whether our focus on a career and being the best at all costs is actually our demise?

      Of course we do need pilots, but not at the expense of them ruining themselves.
      There has to be a balance as we are all ill affected by things as they currently are.

  4. Superb blog and such an interesting and informational read. Thank you for describing the different types of depression, it really helps in understanding people more. I did not know there are so many forms.

    I had depression in my teens, twenties and thirties on and off, and an eating disorder for part of it, having medication and talk therapy at times to help me with it, but really although I didn’t see myself as depressed in the later years, I now know I was and went on to develop chronic fatigue as I withdrew more and more from the world and life.

    It was when I started to look at why I was withdrawing and made a commitment to myself in how I take care of myself, setting a good sleep rhythm with early bed, a commitment to life and the world.. step by step, that I had true and lasting change occur and the state I had got into.. I lovingly got myself out of.
    Today I don’t have depression or withdrawal, I’m out in the world taking part and loving it, I cannot express enough how good it feels. I feel joy everyday.

    What you share in this blog Simple Living Global is diamond for this condition… it worked for me after many many years of being stuck in it.

  5. Daily Mail – 21 January 2017
    Research published shows patients on antidepressants are taking them for 50% longer today than in the 90’s.

    Back in the old days things got reviewed but now with the pressures on mental health services, there are less specialists dealing with this and the GP simply does not have the expertise to know when to consider a trial without an antidepressant.
    Instead patients are left on repeat prescriptions without being reviewed.
    So what the article is saying is there is a risk of people being wrongly categorised.
    In other words under or over treated by tablets.

    Is it time to stop, put our common sense hat on and join the dots.
    Taking any prescribed medication has side effects. Not sure why we call them “side” effects when in Truth they have an effect on our natural state.
    All drugs alter our natural state and we cannot get away from that immutable fact.

    Back to antidepressants which as this blog says is depressing something back inside us.
    In other words push it down.
    With common sense, can we say what exactly are we not wanting to feel or deal with that we need to push it down?
    Is it emotional stuff?
    Could there be another way?
    What are the long term ‘side’ effects of the antidepressants we are taking?
    Are we so dependent on them that like any dependency we need MORE of the same to make it work?
    Could it be possible that for some of us in time they simply do not give us the effect we want – which is to push down our depression and so we reach for the bottle?
    Could it be possible that the cocktail of antidepressants and alcohol is needed as the root cause of WHY we got depression in the first place has never been addressed?
    Could it be possible that unless we are willing to ask the WHY questions, things are not really going to heal or get better?

  6. I read a statistic from the NASUWT that almost all teachers (98%) have taught pupils with mental health issues.

    How confronting is that? Of ALL the schools in the country, pretty much ALL teachers are seeing depression and other mental health issues in our kids.

    Perhaps equally as confronting is that half of those teachers don’t know how to handle it. They have had no training.

    How will that sense of helplessness affect those teachers?

  7. There is a stigma linked to having a mental health condition and I actually wonder now whether this is why many of us do not recognise when something is wrong at an earlier stage. Also our measure of wellness is much reduced these days and so we can feel unwell but tell ourselves that we are well, because we don’t have a terminal disease.

    Reading about Depression and Eating Disorders I realise that in my teens and twenties I had both conditions. However because I could function and go to work and earn money I never really stopped to acknowledge this. All of the symptoms mentioned I lived with – self loathing, low self worth, perfectionism, being unable to express myself in addition to controlling my food intake. It was only when my period stopped for over a year in my 30’s that I was forced to acknowledge and address the underlying issues.

    Developing a connection with my body and taking care of it over living in my mind 24/7 is what I am working on. It is a day by day focus of taking small steps to shift the balance.

  8. WHY is the world and its brothers depressed.

    Imagine the real statistics because we all know when we have the symptoms of depression, some of us are not even aware of it. We just think we got to keep going or find another solution, as we simply do not understand this mind of ours and why our body seems to feel so out of it.

    I was reading a news story about a famous florist who has been banned from driving and now has a chauffeur. The story talked about how they were taking anti-depressants with alcohol daily. This cocktail is a recipe for serious trouble because most of us have no clue about the brain chemistry or the super finite detail of how the body works. All we want is to get through the day, business as usual and not feel the effects of what is really going on in our life.

    I reckon most people by the time they hit their 40’s and 50’s have this disease called Depression in some form or another. Most of us will never admit it but what if it has something to do with emotions, hurts and issues we have de-pressed, shoved away, pushed down in hope it will just go away. But No, it keeps coming up and we keep finding ways to numb it out and try and ignore it and all the time it just drains us of our life force so we feel like a black cloud is passing and we are in it and cannot get out of it.

    I am talking from lived experience and I know that once I made the Commitment to Life and simply got on with it things shifted and I have never looked back. It just makes sense and it works.
    https://simplelivingglobal.com/commitment-to-life-part-1/

  9. Is it time to do something different when we have created a world, that does not support a child to be themselves. So they feel like they need to give up on themselves and eventually have to take medication to cope with the world.

    Simple Living Global’s Back to Basics program has supported me to get back to myself, so I can live in a way that shows children that it is ok to be themselves, even in a world that does not support them to be themselves.

    All we need to do is be ourselves to change the world.

    1. Ken Elmer says “All we need to do is be ourselves to change the world”…

      …and after watching Ken transform his mental and physical health over the past few years by doing the work needed to ‘be himself’ and in doing so become an inspiration to all who know him, I know this is true.

      I have reversed my chronic lifelong depression with support from Simple Living Global to get back to simply living my life more and more from who I have always known I am deep within.

  10. The evidence shows that the things that matter most for our happiness and for our misery are our social relationships and our mental and physical health…
    In the past, the state has successfully taken on poverty, unemployment, education and physical health. But equally important now are domestic violence, alcoholism, depression and anxiety conditions, alienated youth, exam-mania and much else. These should become centre stage. (3)
    People have become no happier in the last 50 years, despite average incomes more than doubling.
    Tackling depression and anxiety would be four times as effective as tackling poverty… (4)
    Lord Richard Layard, Researcher on Origins of Happiness: Evidence and Policy Implications, London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)

    The above is an extract from our Happiness blog –
    https://simplelivingglobal.com/international-day-of-happiness/

    So what is this Lord spelling out to us?
    Is he talking about good old fashion CONNECTION which is about relationships and is this what affects our mental and physical health?

    We all have a clue that when we are withdrawn for whatever reason and we shut out the world we seem to go deeper in isolation and things get more difficult. We totally stop having reflections from the outer world and we are left with our mind going over things or we check out to avoid feeling what we are feeling.
    We lose that reality check and Commitment to Life https://simplelivingglobal.com/commitment-to-life-part-1/ in any area feels like a task that is simply too much.
    What if connecting with people is the very thing we need as we get to feel the pulse of humanity?
    In other words we are all interconnected and this is what brings us back?
    What if we started this connection business with everything and not just people?
    In other words we can have a relationship with things in our home, like the kitchen sink.

    What if everything is Everything and so it ALL matters.

    What if this is another way of ‘tackling depression..’ and it proves to be effective?
    Nothing seems to be working and after studying much about Depression, I am absolutely certain the answers are not in the theories that we keep coming up with but within the body of every human being.

  11. Evening Standard the free London newspaper on 14 April 2016 talks about the Founder and President of ChildLine – Esther Rantzen saying ‘bring back family dinners to fight childhood depression’.

    Parents are working longer hours and the kids are not met at the end of school time and are just left to do what they want. No coincidence we have a rise in social media and this then adds to the lack of real family connection.

    “Suicidal depression is now one of the top reasons children phone ChildLine”.

    In 1986 when the helpline was launched, sexual abuse was the most common reason and in the 90’s it was bullying.

    Today we have increasing number of children calling about eating disorders, self harm, cyber bullying and sexting.

    Just this tells us we have a serious problem with our future generations.
    How are we going to put a stop to this and is there a simple answer?
    Are we simply too busy to even get our head around the enormity of what this is saying?
    What sort of world have we got if our children have suicidal depression?
    What on earth is going on that children are having eating disorders?
    WHY would our kids want to self harm and what is truly going on inside their minds?
    WHY are we not addressing cyber bullying which we all know is increasing by the day?
    How many of us actually know about sexting and the pressures that go with this?

    Is it time we listened to the good old fashion advice from an elder in our community like Esther Rantzen and bring Back to Basics into family life – like dinner together where communication is at the top of the agenda?

    As an elder in my community, I certainly pass on wisdom to the younger generations when the opportunity arises. Why hold back when we know something is wrong and opening our mouth may just get someone to stop in their tracks and consider what has been presented. Saying nothing guarantees no change. Saying something can make a difference if it shared without trying to fix them, preach, teach or dictate anything.

  12. What I love about this website is that every time we read a post it reveals how EVERYTHING absolutely EVERYTHING is interlinked. There are no separate entities here. Take this article on Depression and then the one on the Earth https://simplelivingglobal.com/earth-day/, could these 2 articles together give us the answer to Depression and provide a way to truly heal?

    Simple Living Global is really an extra-ordinary website and is one that needs to be studied as it provides the answers to many, many, many of our world problems.
    From Human Trafficking https://simplelivingglobal.com/world-day-against-trafficking-in-persons/, to Diabetes https://simplelivingglobal.com/world-diabetes-day/ and Expression https://simplelivingglobal.com/expression-is-everything/- including Be Gentle https://simplelivingglobal.com/be-gentle/ – no area of life is left out.

    Thank you Simple Living Global for your dedication to humanity, for opening our eyes and supporting us to know that there is another way to live. https://simplelivingglobal.com/is-there-another-way/

  13. Another outstanding blog Simple Living Global.

    It was interesting to read that, regardless of what country the statistics were from, and regardless of the total number of cases from every country, the percentage of people that suffered from depressive disorders were all between 4-6% of the population.

    So whether the country had 444,016 (5.1%) cases, as in the case of United Arab Emirates or 56,675,969 (4.5%) cases, as in the case of India, the percentage of people diagnosed were very similar.

    This shows that depressive disorders are not confined to specific demographics but it is indicative of how the whole world is living.

    There are only a few countries listed in this blog but there is no reason to assume that other countries don’t have similar figures and as the author of this blog says, the actual figures may well be a lot higher due to people not admitting they have depression because of the stigma attached to this illness.

    It’s obvious from reading this blog that depression comes in many different forms and may not be known, even to the person who has it, but what is known is that, according to a Professor of Sleep Medicine at Oxford University, “a lack of sleep is the most common expression of mental disease despite the fact that it is the most treatable precursor to depression.”

    This statement in itself is huge just because of the simplicity of it…adequate sleep can help with depressive disorders.

    Changing our sleeping habits is a lifestyle change that we are all able to achieve quite easily if we choose to.

  14. The Guardian – 18 June 2017
    https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/jun/18/number-of-under-18s-on-antidepressants-in-england-rises-by-12

    Tens of thousands of young people in England, including children as young as 6 are being prescribed antidepressants by their doctors – figures released by NHS England.

    A clear confirmation that our kids are suffering with mental health problems.

    We are failing to provide a choice of age-appropriate psychological treatments at the point of the need.
    Dr Antonis Kousoulis – Clinician and Assistant Director, Mental Health Foundation.

    How serious is this and WHY are we all so complacent and not up in arms demanding more by talking about this at every dinner table and asking the media to tell us what on earth is going on?

    Would it be true to say that we need more public awareness?

    Would it be true to say that research cannot keep up with the rise in ill mental health with our young children?

    Would it be true to say that something is clearly missing in our kids and this is the start of depression?

    Would it be true to say that this blog talks about connection and this is needed?

    Would it be true to say that robust clinical trials are never going to get us sorted as they are looking at a solution to the problem and not asking WHY we got this problem in the first place?

    Would it be true to say that screen time and all this social media stuff might have a hand in why our children are taking anti-depressants?

    Would it be true to say we just all need to start being very honest about how we are choosing to live that may be contributing to depression?

    Would it be true to say that things are now out of control and relying on the next drug or treatment is never going to deal with where and how the problem started?

    Is it high time we asked IS THERE ANOTHER WAY?

  15. I make it my business to engage with people and not just ignore them if there is an opportunity. What seems to happen more often than not is we get talking following my usual question of “how are you honestly feeling?” – that word honest brings in another dimension and then I just leave it to them if they want to expand or do what most do and say ‘great or fine ‘.

    Today it was a window cleaner and he said how fed up he was with life and in his own words he expressed how nothing is changing because he is just doing nothing and now it has got to the point where he hates his job and everything about life. With my usual style I did not hold back and asked him what is missing and what could change things and he said to learn english needs to be a priority.

    What followed was some silence and more talking and eventually he shared about his depression and he felt it was because he had simply given up and needs to commit to life in order to see and feel the changes. We parted with him saying that he does want to commit to life and that he is a trained engineer who went to university in his country but that does not count in the UK.

    Whatever unfolds from this is not my business but to know that simply by talking and having a genuine conversation people do open up and his take on depression nailed it.
    So what if this guy is anecdotal evidence for our world?
    Can we disregard and dismiss what he had to say or can we read this blog and join the dots?

  16. An article in the Daily Mail, 15th April 2017, talks about how “Poor towns hooked on pills.”

    Residents in poor seaside towns in the North and East of England are being prescribed almost twice as many anti-depressants as the rest of the country.

    According to the NHS data across the 326 districts in England – Blackpool, Sunderland and East Lindsey in Skegness, had the highest prescription rates.

    Experts said coastal towns faced specific hardships that gave rise to mental health issues. The data found that in Blackpool 2.11 anti-depressant prescriptions were issued per person last year.

    The average across the country was 1.16. Sunderland and East Lindsey had a rate of 1.99.

    A consultant clinical psychologist said: ‘All of these places tend to be, to a certain extent, ghost towns, because of the destruction of local economies by the cheapening of foreign travel.

    The number of anti-depressants prescribed in England has risen seven fold in the last 25 years.

    In 1991, 9 million anti-depressants were issued.
    In 2012, 47 million were issued.
    In 2016, 64 million were issued.

    As this blog says:
    What if depression was about us withdrawing from life?
    What if depression was about us not wanting to commit to life?

    Although it is understandable that these coastal towns have a high rate of anti-depressant prescriptions issued, is it possible that, wherever we live, whatever we do, whatever our circumstances, we still have a choice to be depressed or not?

  17. Daily Mail – 28 October 2017

    Dr Max is saying that Work can be the best thing for depression.
    However, this news story is about employers who are not very supportive when it comes to their employees needing time out to attend appointments for therapy.

    We all know mental health issues are not the same as a physical illness and requires time and commitment over a period of months.

    When employers refuse to support, the employee is left with long-term sick leave or they resign and apply for benefits.

    Dr. Max says this is ridiculous as the best thing for the majority of those with mental illness is work, as it provides structure, purpose and routine.

    If we look at it from a practical viewpoint, it would make sense to keep an experienced staff member than to recruit a new person who would require training.

    A recent report backed by the Prime Minister, found 300,000 people a year lose their jobs due to mental ill health, at a cost through lost productivity – of around £99 billion.

    Is this vast amount of money worth stopping and considering for one moment?

    How have we got to this point and is anyone really winning here?

    Would it be wise for employers to get real well being programs for staff so that they are adequately equipped in dealing with everyday issues?

    The Simple Living Global – Back to Basics Program was designed to support all of us to get on track with the everyday basic stuff. Every organisation in this world would benefit from something that is simple, cost effective and works.

    The reason it works is because those presenting are actually living what is being said.

    There is no hot talk – it literally is talking the talk and walking the walk.
    That way those at the receiving end feel the difference. It is not coming from theory or knowledge, but a lived body who is sharing what is possible and this is what inspires others to do the same.

    One day in the future, this website will be studied and the scholars will realise that it was said in the early 21st century that there is another way to live and depression did not have to exist.

  18. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/sep/09/pursuit-of-pleasure-modern-day-addiction

    10 September 2017

    The pursuit of pleasure is a modern-day addiction
    says Professor Robert Lustig, University of California, San Francisco.

    A very interesting news story and here are some highlights –

    Addiction is up.
    Depression is up.
    Death rates are up in US, UK, China and Germany.

    Suicide rates have reached an all time high.

    SSRI – (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor) prescriptions quintupled since their introduction in 1987.

    108% increase in NHS antidepressant prescriptions in last 10 years.
    6% increase in 2016.

    75% America’s chronic metabolic disease is preventable.
    $3.2 trillion health care bill in US

    Unhappiness itself does not kill BUT the aberrant behaviours that unhappy people perform to “get happy” – Tobacco, Alcohol, Sugar does kill.
    The Million Women Study

    Mobile phone use and sleep deprivation have also been implicated in addiction and depression in teenagers and young adults, even leading to death.

    Despite what we are told from TV and Social Media, pleasure and happiness are not the same thing.

    Our momentary pleasures are just that – momentary.

    Too little serotonin leads to depression.

    Chronic dopamine from our favourite “fix” reduces serotonin and happiness.

    Our ever available temptations of sugar, tobacco, alcohol, drugs, social media, porn COMBINED with constant stress – work, money, home, school, cyberbullying, Internet with the end result of an unprecedented epidemic of addiction, anxiety, depression and chronic disease.
    Thus the more pleasure you seek, the more unhappy you get and the more likelihood you will slide into addiction or depression.

    So here we have a professor telling us some much needed information for us all to consider the choices we make in daily life.

    Would it be wise to learn more about what dopamine and serotonin do to brain activity, how they works, what triggers this stuff and why?

    Our world is full of temptations and our brain cannot discern what choices are right and which ones are wrong. This is for us to discern and the answer could be quite simple.

    Could it be possible that if we truly connected to our body, we would be able to feel what is true and what is not true?

    Could it be possible that our lack of connection leads us to check out of life and this may be the start of depression because all the temptations and distractions out there are just not cutting it?

    This blog, this website, every comment on this website and this news article are telling us something is clearly not right and it is up to each and every one of us to take the Responsibility that is needed to make changes.

    What if we are the creators of our own ills, which then add to the global ills in this world?

  19. Through observations of myself I am understanding something about depression that I had never clocked before, in that it can become a very familiar way of living.

    I take myself for example. These days I feel a lot of JOY, but if I am not living in a way where I give myself the permission to express the JOY I feel for life then in comes depression.

    So I am recognising that one way to deal with depression is to live JOY when we feel it. This may just be a smile or allowing a joyous bounce in our step when we walk, or talking to the person next to us on the bus, or waving at someone just because we feel to. Holding back all of these natural expressions really closes down our heart and can make us feel down.

  20. I have just read an article about anti-depressants that is quite shocking.

    Daily Mail – 30th January 2018

    The article opens with:

    ‘Weaning yourself off anti-depressants can be as harrowing as getting off benzodiazepines…”

    7 million GP prescriptions were written for anti-depressants in 2016.
    That is double those prescribed in 2006.

    Research in 2017 by the British Medical Journal said the main reason for this are due to the large numbers of people who are parked on anti-depressants long term.

    Have we asked – Why we are relying on anti-depressants to deal with depression?

    and

    Why we are demanding that drugs fix us?

    Have we considered the side effects of taking these drugs and that we can then develop secondary health conditions, burying even further the root cause of depression?

    What will it take for us to accept that there is another way to deal with depression that goes way beyond pharmaceutical drugs?

  21. Independent News – 16 April 2018

    https://www.independent.co.uk/news/health/ketamine-treatment-depression-suicidal-thoughts-treatment-mental-health-clinical-trial-yale-a8304431.html

    New clinical trial has found Ketamine – the party drug in the form of a nasal spray to relieve Depression and suicidal thoughts.

    The drug’s development process is to be speeded up so it can become available as results thus far appear promising.

    68 patients at imminent risk of suicide were studied.
    A further trial with a much larger group of patients is needed, before it can be licensed.

    The major hurdle will be minimizing the risks of harm and abuse from patients seeking conventional forms of the recreational drug to address cravings.

    NOTE
    The United States is already in the midst of one drug misuse epidemic – Opioids
    This was marketed in the 1990s as a non-addictive treatment for chronic pain.
    2016 – 64,000 deaths
    COST MORE THAN A TRILLION DOLLARS in 18 years.

    Can we learn from this side note?

    Are we using a drug to deal with something that is not actually getting to the root cause of WHY anyone has Depression or suicidal thoughts?

    Are we looking in the wrong direction with our plethora of new studies and new ways to combat epidemics that are spiraling out of control?

    Have we learned anything if we look back in our history when it comes to man and the dis-eases that we have created to the human frame?

    Is it time to consider another way when we all know that lifestyle choices are what is killing us?

    Are there clues here for us to join the dots and keep asking questions about how we are living that may cause depression in the first place?

    Is this blog and is this website worth reading and then what those who are commenting are saying?

    Is it worth taking note that someone who has had Depression long term has made great improvement by reading ALL the blogs on this website?

    Could it be that cost effective and simple or do we dismiss it because it is not evidence based?

  22. Metro News today – 27 June 2018

    1 in 3 workers lie about the real reason for calling in sick over fears of stigma in the workplace – study found.

    Staff would rather say they have flu or food poisoning instead of being honest about conditions such as depression, anxiety and fatigue, which were the most often lied about.

    What is this telling us and what is it here we need to be learning?
    SOMETHING IS NOT RIGHT

    Fear of judgement and losing the job and what others might think is a no brainer.
    That is obvious.

    The real question is WHY has it got to this point where we are not able to be open, upfront, honest and transparent about what is really going on in our lives?

    This blog gives us some alarming statistics about Depression and it is clear this is a global epidemic that is not going away.

    What is worth considering is with this lying going on in workplaces, how many more actually have depression but it is going under the radar, so to speak.
    In other words, it is not recorded, not addressed and not spoken about in any way.

    Would this then add to the depression?

    I KNOW many many people from my lived experience who suffer with daily anxiety and depression. I am adequately equipped to help those who suffer with depression and a comment above dated 31 January 2018 speaks volumes. This guy is no longer depressed because of the true support I offered.

    It would be wise for companies and all business to value those like the author of this website who can bring about real change simply by addressing lifestyle choices and looking at the root issue that creates anxiety and depression in the first place.

    Reading the blog called Get Real and Get Honest would be a starting point.
    https://simplelivingglobal.com/get-real-get-honest-and-get-to-truth/
    Our world is full of lies and we simply cannot get to Truth unless we make the first step about being Real and Absolutely Honest.

    Time to stop worrying what others think and honouring what we feel and expressing it.

    This is what has helped me personally turn my life around to the point where I am not afraid to speak the Truth and be as honest as I can in everyday life, without the need for perfection.

  23. The Week – Issue 1184
    14th July 2018 – p.23

    Almost 10,000 police officers, from a total of 146,000 took sick leave related to stress, anxiety and depression last year (The Times)

    I had always seen police officers as people who are there to look after us, who are strong and tough, but the reality is none of us are tough and we all get affected by things in life. Without true support and knowing how to handle the things that we experience in our jobs, let alone in private life, most of us find it very difficult to live and so it is no surprise that there would be high numbers of police officers showing signs that they are struggling to deal with life through stress, anxiety and depression.

    Where are we taught how to commit to life including taking care of ourselves?

    Where are we taught to understand what is going on around us, as often what we see and what we feel do not match?

    How beneficial would it be for police officers to have the support they need to understand life and what they are experiencing particularly with horrendous crimes?

    This website by Simple Living Global is a great start for anyone who is looking for true support in life and is asking – is there another way? There is so much content covering every aspect of life asking very pertinent questions and I know for sure that if anything shared by the author of the articles on this website are lived by any reader, it can be life changing.

  24. Ketamine offers lifeline for people with severe depression, suicidal thoughts
    4 August 2018 – CNN News

    https://edition.cnn.com/2018/08/03/health/ketamine-suicide-depression/index.html

    Ketamine a powerful medication used as an anaesthetic in hospitals is now being heralded as the ‘miracle’ drug to deal with suicidal thoughts for people with a diagnosis of severe depression that is resistant to medications like SSRI’s, SNRI’s and tricyclic antidepressants.

    This discovery is being treated as “the biggest breakthrough in mental health in the last 50 years”.

    So a club and date rape drug, which Ketamine is also used for is now being used to treat suicidal thoughts but at what cost?

    Is it really that the person is no longer depressed and suicidal when they take Ketamine or is it that the feelings are still there, but have been quelled or even numbed?

    In the example given in this news story, one man’s treatments for Ketamine cost $495 per infusion. He needed 5 – 6 initial infusions and then the treatment program thereafter is that of infusions every 4 – 6 weeks.

    This is not a cheap treatment and I would add is not a miracle cure.

    Looking at the chart on the link for a person’s progression whilst taking this treatment, it is very clear that Ketamine needs to be regularly taken for the ‘no depression’ status to be upheld.

    Is this what we are satisfied with?

    In addition, symptoms of disassociation are also common when taking this drug.

    Disassociation is where we disconnect from ourselves and the world around us.

    So does this not confirm that this drug is being used to numb and not heal?

    Is this what we are satisfied with that we are willing to replace one symptom with another but yet say that we have found a cure?

    Where have we come to and what are our standards if we are willing to accept the treatment of a dangerous and powerful drug as a ‘breakthrough’ for depression and suicidal thoughts?

    Do we care enough to question whether this is the Truth?

    Do we care enough to dig deep so that we start to question why anyone has symptoms of suicide thoughts and depression in the first place, rather than constantly looking for the next quick fix – which if we are honest only leads to further ill symptoms?

    What if the only evidence that we are living without depression and suicidal thoughts is a person who is joyfull, vivacious and alive every day who is completely committed to life and has not given up or in withdrawal at all?

    What if our standards of true health need to change?

  25. BBC News – 13 September 2018

    Is swimming in cold water an effective treatment for depression?

    Immersion in cold water evokes a stress response: a set of physiological and hormonal reactions that are said to have evolved millions of years ago, to help us cope with a wide range of potential threats.

    Animal attack, sitting an exam and jumping in cold water all are said to elicit a similar response.

    Heart rate, blood pressure and breathing rates all increase + stress hormones are released.

    However, once we have immersed ourselves to the stresses of cold water a few times, the stress response is reduced. This is called cross-adaptation.

    There is increased evidence linking depression and anxiety with the inflammation that accompanies a chronic stress response to the physical and physiological problems of modern life.

    Through cross adaptation, cold water swimming may be able to reduce this chronic stress response together with the inflammation and mental health problems that many are affected by.

    I don’t know about the science, but what I do know is that jumping in any cold water is not supportive for my body and would make me feel very tense.

    When I think back to when I was depressed though because my mood was so low – I know that I would not have liked jumping into cold water, but that contrast of sensation would have put me on alert and would get me moving, rather than laying in bed, so I can understand how people would think that they have the will to get on and do stuff. The new sensation would take over and so any negative thoughts or low feeling may be suppressed for a while.

    What if “suppressed” is the operative word here, highlighting that this treatment is not actually a cure?

    What if anything is suppressed, pushed to one side or forgotten about – it has not actually been healed and can re-appear at any moment?

    If we rely on suppression as a cure, is this a pre-cursor to us becoming addicted to behaviours like jumping into cold water, just so that we can get a quick fix?

    Are we harming ourselves and each other by championing these sorts of activities?

    Do we need to all start asking poignant questions, as this article on Depression by Simple Living Global is doing here?

  26. Metro News – 3 October 2018

    Millions of antidepressant users are facing side-effects when they come off the drugs according to a study by the University of Roehampton.

    More than half have withdrawal symptoms, with almost half of these reporting severe side effects.

    Study leader Dr James Davies said current guidelines fail to note ‘how common withdrawal is and wrongly suggest it usually resolves within one week’.

    What is this study telling us and how have we got to this point?

    What we do know is that more and more people are being prescribed antidepressants and some have no idea about any risks involved and those choosing to come off the drugs are not fully aware of the side effects.

    What some of us fail to be aware of is that any drug, no matter what it is has side effects.

    To keep it simple for the reader –
    Drugs alter our natural state of being and so whilst we ingest this substance into our bodies, it is going to change us inside. That means our minds are going to be in an altered state and this will have an effect on our physiology and of course our emotions.

    With millions taking the drugs, we only have to read this forensic blog on Depression to know that
    SOMETHING IS NOT RIGHT

    We have become dependent on suppressing something because that’s what antidepressants do.

    WHY are current guidelines failing to provide the full transparency of what is needed, so each and every one of those who choose to take antidepressants knows what side effects there are and how long they are likely to last?

    What if we started with real education with blogs like this, which inform us and bring understanding?

    In addition it presents some valuable questions that we could then consider and see if there is another way to live.

  27. Metro News – 17 December 2018 page 5

    What is it saying to us when we hear about another Celebrity star openly speaking about their ‘secret battle with depression’?

    Having panic attacks before going on a reality TV show and having a psychiatrist on stand by throughout.

    How does a young woman in her 20s end up like this?
    How do we view and judge an actress who has this illness?

    WHY is this celebrity asking the world to like her personality and not judge her otherwise with how her hair, body and smile are?

    If we just stop and ask WHY on earth would any TV production company pay for a psychiatrist to be on stand by and what message are we giving the audience?

    Are we saying it’s ok to have panic attacks and have it filmed for our own entertainment?

    Are we the audience – the customers wanting to see this ill way of living as some form of stimulation?

    Do we get something out of watching a vulnerable young adult displaying mental health problems?

    Are we subscribing to this type of TV because in some way we want the spotlight on others and this supports us to not look at our own mental health and wellbeing?

    By watching tv shows like this, are we adding to the reductionism about what depression is really about?

    In other words, we do not take it seriously that panic attacks and having depression are mental health issues that need to be addressed.

    Watching TV and seeing it as something less than what it really is, simply reduces it and gives out a false message rather than the serious-ness of this global epidemic we have called depression.

  28. Daily Mail – Page 49
    24th November 2018

    How to stop boomerang children driving you up the wall.

    What’s worse than empty nest syndrome? The answer for many put-upon parents, is a nest that is unexpectedly full again.

    The psychological ramifications are serious. German researchers, who analysed data on 20,000 young adults, found those who move back to the family home are at increased risk of depression.

    They have lost their sense of self that they found at university, and feel frustrated and angry at their inability to establish homes of their own as their parents did.

    This can trigger regression to adolescent behaviours such as disregard for house rules, petulance and a sense of entitlement so they treat their home like a hotel.

    Around a third of American adults live with their parents, while in Britain the figure is 25% and rising.

    Is university, achieving or establishing a home of our own going to give us a true and consistent sense of self?

    Is looking outward the answer or is it possible that what we seek is inside us, a quality we can connect to and bring to life that keeps us steady and committed, knowing who we are?

    How would our relationships be, how would we be at work, looking for work, our home?

    Would building a relationship with ourself, feeling confident and assured with a sense of self, change how we deal with life?

  29. The Guardian – 12 February 2019

    Too Many Older People Given Antidepressants, Study Finds

    GPs are giving too many older adults antidepressants when they are struggling with low mood and should prescribe talking therapies more often, new research says.

    Family doctors too often avoid talking to patients over the age of 65 about depression and do not have the time to explore and treat the disease properly, the study found.

    1 in 10 over 75 are thought to have depression

    4 in 10 exhibit symptoms

    87% – the vast majority – are treated with medication even though it often does not help.

    The paper states that due to long waits to start treatment GPs often dismiss talking therapies as a way of tackling depression.

    Evidence shows that older people are twice as likely as younger people to be treated with anti-depressants.

    Why is it that we dismiss people when they reach a certain age?

    It is a sad state of affairs that we can reach the age of 75 for example and feel depressed and low about ourselves and our lives.

    What if being able to talk to someone who is non-judgemental and is free of the difficulties that we are experiencing, could make a difference?

    Could it empower an older person to realise their potential and the great wisdom that they have to offer the world?

    Is it possible to get any of this from a pill?

    Do we need human interaction and relationships in order to grow and evolve?

    Are we not seeing the importance of this, through our current trend of prescribing medication?

    Are we supporting people to remain feeling depressed, by confirming that what they need is to just pop a pill?

    Where will we go now and what will we do with the information provided by this study?

    Will we take action and make some changes to the way we deal with older people with depression, or will we see the same news story circulated around in another 10 years with more ‘new research’ confirming the same?

  30. The Telegraph – 6 March 2019

    Depression Statistics

    UK

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/03/06/ketamine-based-drug-approved-treating-severe-depression-us/

    91 million – days lost to depression/anxiety and stress each year

    £26 billion – cost to business through lost productivity, sickness, absence and staff turnover

    300,000 – people forced to leave jobs each year because of depression, anxiety or stress

    64.7 million – prescriptions for antidepressants on NHS

    £266 million – cost to the NHS for antidepressants

    £7.5 billion – total cost of depression to NHS

    £105 billion – total cost of poor mental health to English economy

    Something is clearly not right.

    Have we stopped to ask why so many people are having sick days off work due to depression?

    Have we considered or even asked why so many of us are on antidepressants?

    How will the national health system be able to deal with the vast numbers requiring treatment going forward?

    Have we questioned whether this level of treatment and staff sickness is sustainable?

    What will happen to businesses and the workforce in the future?

    This is only one condition and one type of mental health disorder and we can see from the statistics above, the wide ranging impact to society.

    There are wider questions that need to be asked here regarding what is at the root of depression and how we have got to this place, in one nation, where so many are suffering with this condition?

    Is it possible that there is another way?

  31. BBC News – 28 March 2019

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-47740396

    70.9 million prescriptions for anti-depressants were dispensed in England in 2018.

    The total is almost double the number in 2008.

    Is it because of patients attitude of ‘a pill for every ill’ or is there something more to consider?

    Why are people taking medicine they don’t need and why is the taxpayer funding spent on avoidable prescriptions?

    As the chairman of the Royal College of GPs said – drugs can be effective when used appropriately, but what is our own personal responsibility here?

    Do we really even know what the word ‘appropriate’ means and if we do, can we be honest that not everyone would unite and agree with us and that leaves a different version, which means we cannot get to the truth?

    Without going into the whole news story, if we just stop and look at what is being presented we could come to the realization that this is one small country and therefore a reflection of the world.

    In other words, the microcosm of the macrocosm.

    This means that we have a serious 911 wake up call because SOMETHING IS NOT RIGHT.

    Over 70 million prescriptions just for anti-depressants tells us this.

    If we read this forensic blog on depression, join the dots, answer all the questions it presents and the wisdom it is offering – could we get to a point where we can at least consider that there could be another way?

    A nation reliant on taking a drug to de-press something inside our minds is saying loud and clear something is not working.

    What is it about us humans that always wants the solution, the fix it option, but not really get to the root ill of WHY we have depression in the first place?

    What if the tides will turn if we are willing to take responsibility and be honest, really honest about our lifestyle choices and how they may be contributing to such ills like depression?

  32. BBC NEWS – 30 May 2019

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-48457980

    News headline – Psychiatrists call for warnings over antidepressant withdrawal

    The Royal College of Psychiatrists say that patients suffering severe symptoms when they come off antidepressants too quickly need more help and support.

    Taking pills long-term can lead patients to experience serious side effects that can last much longer than current guidance, which suggests four weeks.

    A report by the college shows a double increase in prescriptions for antidepressants in the UK between 2007 and 2017.

    Dr. Adrian James from the college says “like all drugs, there are side effects and there should be more opportunity for people to discuss this with their doctors, to look at tapering, gradually reducing the dose over time, so that there is an honest debate and discussion with patients”.

    Symptoms are many and varied and can include dizziness, anxiety, fatigue and stomach cramps.

    Hello

    What if we just stop here and re-read that last sentence.
    We come off the drug that does a job to suppress and when we stop it, we feel anxious, dizzy, extreme tiredness and our stomach has a painful involuntary contractions.

    What if we asked HOW and WHY?

    How did it get to this point?

    How come we have never bothered to question this?

    How did it all start off back then whenever it was?

    WHY are we now coming off the antidepressants?

    WHY were we not aware of the side effects when we started?

    Looking for a moment at the bigger picture, what happened to people in the decade from 2007 to 2017?
    How were they living and what lifestyle choices were they making?

    SOMETHING IS NOT RIGHT if we have double the amount of people taking antidepressants.

    SOMETHING IS NOT RIGHT if we want the pain of the misery or the ugliness of life to go away from inside our heads where our thoughts keep feeding, telling and reminding us of how bad life is for us.

    SOMETHING IS NOT RIGHT when we get told we have severe depression and we have no idea how to seek help, find another way or simply make the necessary steps to change.

    Enter Simple Living Global
    On the front foot delivering lifestyle articles and much much more for the reader to discern and apply and see what unfolds.

    No big deal, no rocket science, no double blind testing and not scientific knowledge or know how AND No claims being made whatsoever.

    Just simple common sense questions presented and backed up by what is out there in the world of research.

  33. BBC News – 30 May 2019

    Psychiatrists call for warnings over antidepressant withdrawal.

    Patients are suffering severe symptoms when they come off antidepressants too quickly.

    Current guidance suggests that most people should be able to withdraw from the drugs over 4 weeks, but those taking long-term antidepressants can experience serious side effects that can last much longer.

    82 million prescriptions for antidepressants in 2017 which is double from 2007.

    Data shows increase in depression among adults and children.

    Dr. Adrian James from the Royal College of Psychiatrists says “like all drugs, there are side effects”.

    While we wait for NICE – the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence to update the guidance, is there anything we as individuals can do, as this is a big public topic that relates to many people?

    Reading this blog, it is presenting some valuable questions that need to be considered, because what we all know even if we do not want to admit it is – SOMETHING IS NOT RIGHT.

    Any drug alters our natural state and we all know how important medicine has been in helping us when our mind or body breaks down.

    However, if we just accept the prescription and take the medication without ever asking any questions, are we going to be asking for trouble as down the road things may not turn out how we want or the side effects are going to show up in some form?

    Depression is something that has now been “popularized” through the media, with celebs talking openly and in some way it can seem like it is normal but of course it is not.

    Relying on a drug longer than we need to will of course lead to all kinds of complications and this is something we all need to be aware of.

    NEXT

    We ought to take serious note that in the UK alone the prescriptions have doubled in a decade and depression is on the rise for children, not just adults.

    So what exactly is this telling us and WHY are we all not up in arms demanding more answers and finding ways to bring this into every single conversation, so everyone knows what is going on?

    Let’s get resources and research into this area so no one has to suffer with this debilitating ill mental health.

    We can remain complacent, forget about it or even laugh at how big this issue has now become, OR we can do our bit regardless of whether we are suffering or not.

    Without talking and expressing what we know and can share with others, we are going to be left with no change and looking at history this has happened before.

    Is it time Dear World to end the endless suffering and misery that we – humanity have created as a species and find answers, not solutions to the illnesses and diseases that now plague our planet?

  34. Post
    Author

    Daily Mail – 22 June 2019
    Dr Max Pemberton

    One day of work a week is enough to fight depression – according to a new research study by Cambridge University.

    Dr Max shares anecdotal observation from his own personal life growing up, where none of his neighbours worked and both the sons had ‘depression’. In their 20s these guys were aimlessly kicking a football all day.

    As a psychiatrist in the NHS, Dr Max Pemberton says that it is unusual to see people so incapacitated by depression that they cannot work long-term.

    He goes on to say that unemployment and depression are interrelated and those who are unemployed become depressed. The UK benefit system moves them from unemployment benefit to incapacity benefit where they languish and then it is difficult to get people out of this spiral.

    Helping them get back to work not only stops them claiming benefits, but it also gives them a sense of purpose. He adds that this has to be more effective than playing football all day.

    Before we dismiss this doctor – is it worth considering what he has to say?

    This man sees the daily ‘traffic’ – the patients who need support for their mental health. He reflects on real life stuff and is joining the dots for us.

    Back to the research study which is saying even one day of work a week is enough to fight depression.

    Is that because we all benefit when we have purpose?
    In other words, we need a sense of purpose or what is the point?
    To not feel like we are doing something, our bit and contributing in some way would hold no value of meaning if we are to be honest.

    We can commit to a job and go out to work which is a personal responsibility.
    We can get into a routine that for many is needed, if we are to be honest.

    Not having a routine and a time to get to work could mean lying around in bed or doing day time TV or surfing the internet of aimlessly kicking a ball around all day – none of which hold real purpose.

    Have we ever considered how much work there is to be done and how we seem to want something in return before we make the move to do anything?

    In other words, we seem to have this “what will I get out of it” way of thinking.

    What if while we wait for the job to show up, we offer our services voluntarily and get engaging in our community projects?

    Each community needs support in so many ways and we have plenty of people who need work.

    Is commitment to life the antidote to depression?
    Is it worth answering all the questions presented in this stupendous blog?
    Is it worth pondering on everything this website is saying?

    Is Dr Max telling us something we all actually know but have not discussed it in any conversation yet?

    Is it time these types of topics and conversations took place at every opportunity and every dining table if we are to ever turn the tides?

  35. Daily Mail – 25 July 2020

    Dr. Max Pemberton – NHS psychiatrist tells us that the Journal Ethical Human Psychology and Psychiatry published a study of ECT, the controversial electric shock therapy used to treat severe depression that claimed it causes side-effects, such as memory problems and should therefore be banned.

    ECT is very different from how it was performed in the past. It takes place in an operating theatre where the patient is anaesthetized and given a muscle relaxant to stop them jerking during the seizure. It also has fewer side-effects than many anti-depressant drugs.

    The fact we are not all unified and in agreement with this treatment is saying something.

    We could say that this intervention could snap the patient out of their current state of depression or it could make things worse.

    We can sit and speculate or we could simply say every single drug or imposition on our human body is going to have side-effects because it is not natural. However, we know how valuable medicine is and how beneficial it can be if we use it as part of our healing and learning.

    With due respect ECT is for those where severe depression needs to be treated.

    Do we need to get to the root of WHY and HOW a person develops depression that then leads to severe depression?

    What we do know is that a tiny new born baby does not show signs of depression. So what are the movements, the behaviours and the choices thereafter that get the human being to the stage where depression is evident?

    If we start with using our resources collectively and our intelligence to get to the root cause of any illness or disease, we may move away from solutions or opinions that differ in topics like this treatment for severe depression.

  36. Metro News – 11 August 2020

    Women who suffer with depression during pregnancy can pass the condition to their child.

    University of Calgary scientists say that greater depression symptoms were linked to weaker white matter connections between brain regions used for emotional processing.

    So what is the study telling us and do we need to take note?

    A woman during pregnancy is nothing short of a miracle.
    Think about it – from a tiny egg we have a human being forming and with all the advancements and technology and so-called intelligence in this world, we simply cannot work out how this really all takes place.

    Something out of this world is happening in her body and it is very natural.
    So if we then bring in a vibration that is not of that natural quality, then what will it do to the growing foetus? In other words, we have something so amazing going on at a physiological level and then in comes depression to try and change that. What will happen?

    We can wait for more and more research or we can get our common sense hat on.

    Back in the olden days, we never had anything like this going on and researchers were not even looking for it.

    If we read this blog and then all the comments – can we work out with our common sense that it may be something to do with us?

    In this case the pregnant women is not living in a way that would shift the depression or that depression is present because of what she is doing and not doing?

    In other words we need to take an honest appraisal about how the behaviour is and was prior to pregnancy.

    Could that give us an insight into WHY they have the condition and how it has continued after pregnancy which for the majority of women is a time that brings a glow and stillness that is tangible and visible to see and feel?

    The author here is no medic, scientist or professional in any way, but is always looking at life through another set of lens – not the norm that the masses have subscribed to.

  37. 7 News – 31 August 2020

    https://7news.com.au/sunrise/on-the-show/world-first-study-reveals-how-to-reduce-your-risk-of-developing-depression-c-1278787

    World’s First Study Reveals How to Reduce your Risk of Developing Depression.

    1 in 7 Australians will experience depression in their lifetime.

    Now a groundbreaking new study may have identified the key factors that could predict and even reduce the risk of developing Depression.

    Researchers looked at 1,400 possible contributable factors and found 7 key indicators to be “highly significant” in predicting an individual’s risk of a depressive disorder.

    So this world-first study has found that we can take some control on our depression risk.
    For example – those who do more exercise have a lower risk of depression than others.

    Those who take 10,000 or more steps a day have half the depression rate of those who take 2,000 steps or less.

    People who sleep less than 4 hours a night have 32% higher depression rate than those who sleep 7-8 hours.

    Excessive alcohol also increases the risk of depression and so does smoking.

    This research study suggests that if Australians take this information on board and make healthier lifestyle choices, then the national depression incidence rate could reduce and this would result in 300,000 fewer depression incidences per year and save the economy $3 billion each year.

    In addition, 4.7 million recovered working days and that means employers would have their workers back at work instead of them having time off for depression.

    If we read this blog and then all the comments thereafter, then go to our forensic blogs on this website about alcohol and tobacco then move on to read our whole sleep category, we would be left in no doubt that our lifestyle choices have a direct link to our state of health and wellbeing.

    We can join the dots and keep things simple and note that just the very activity of moving makes a difference when it comes to depression. HOW and WHY?

    What is this telling us if we stop to ponder and reflect on this?

    We seem to all think that depression comes to us because of x y and z but what if we create it and so that means it actually comes from us and our movements and that means our behaviours?

    What if we created it in the first place and therefore we have the answers within ourselves to come out of this ill state of being?

    Are we going to wait for the next world first ever study to beat this one and tell us a bit more about how and why we develop depression or can we get all over this website, apply the practical elements and ponder on every question that is being presented and see how our life unfolds?

    What our world does have today is a billion solutions to combat depression but very little if anything is going towards the question – what is the root cause of why one develops depression in the first place?

    What if science went there and we the public demanded Independent research using observational studies and real street talk from on the ground, finding out more about the life and the actual daily movements of those who have depression and those who are now free of depression and taking no medication for over a decade?

  38. Science Magazine – 16 September 2020

    https://scienmag.com/physical-diseases-can-negatively-affect-a-depression/

    Title: Physical Diseases Can Negatively Affect A Depression

    People who have been diagnosed for the first time with depression have an increased risk of the disease worsening and requiring hospitalization, if they have previously been treated for a physical disease at a hospital.

    The risk of being hospitalized with depression is increased if the patient has multiple physical diseases.

    Findings from a research project from the National Psychiatry (Denmark) show a 69% risk increase in patients who had previously been treated at a hospital for physical diseases. Age was also a factor – the more physical diseases that a patient under the age of 65 had, the greater the risk of hospitalization with depression.

    This is the first study to examine the correlation in a whole population between all physical diseases and the prognosis after a depression diagnosis. It confirms how much mental and physical health are interrelated and how treatment of a physical disease also affects the mental health and vice versa.

    A few things that flag up here that may not be in our awareness are that younger people are getting dis-ease in their body that were usually seen in much older people. This alone is speaking volumes and we ought to stop and ponder on how the younger generations are living human life and what lifestyle choices are being made that contribute to the ill health road they are walking.

    Next – those who end up in hospital with some form of illness or disease are likely to be diagnosed with depression. What is seriously worth noting here is that this study is telling us – if we are being diagnosed for the first time with depression then there is a higher chance of it worsening and requiring hospitalization if we have previously been in hospital to be treated for a physical disease.

    Could it be possible that being in hospital stops us from living the life we did have and that in itself brings on all kinds of ‘giving up on life’ thoughts?
    https://simplelivingglobal.com/giving-up-on-life/

    If we read this blog on depression, what could we learn from the content being presented?

    What could we, as a reader become aware of about depression and how it affects our physiological state of being and not just our mental state?

    Until now, most of us assumed that depression was a mental thing and ending up in hospital with a disease of some kind was something else. This study confirms that it is interrelated and of course this makes sense.

    Human beings are getting multiple symptoms and have been for a long time.

    It is the norm to have High Blood Pressure, take Cholesterol medication and have Type 2 Diabetes. Imagine the stress on the body with all this going on inside. Add to this the daily stress of life, managing to hold down a job, keeping up with social media or the latest movies on the net, having late nights and juggling kids or home and work life, knowing the body is breaking down and not in good shape at all.

    What if we get diagnosed with one physical illness and ignore it until we end up being hospitalized and this leads to a negative thought pattern and before we know it, we feel like giving up on life as we can no longer continue doing what we want, when we want taking no responsibility as that suits us? Suddenly it’s hospital food and lots of pain medication and waiting around for the medics to tell us what else is wrong with us. This may all sound over the top but is it, or is this a classic real life scenario that is going on?

    Imagine living in the fear of not knowing what the body is going to communicate next? In other words, we have no connection with what is going on inside us and the fear-full thoughts we have are consuming us and bringing us down with low mood and an un-willingness to find purpose and meaning in living life. This is what we could call a recipe for depression even in those who have never suffered with it until now, when the physical dis-ease presents itself.

    What if there is another way of living that puts the body as the priority and that means we need to start with the word RESPONSIBILITY?
    Regardless of the labels given to us telling us we have x, y and z diagnosed, what if we could make small steps of responsibility in our daily life to listen to our body and make it the marker, the ‘go to’ so to speak, so it informs us, tells us and relays the messages we need to know and be aware of before we take the next step in life?

    Ignoring the body and what it is communicating to us in every moment is leading to the 911 emergency we now have globally when it comes to illness and disease and this includes mental health.

    For any reader who is not aware of what is going on in our world, it would be wise to read our 911 blog on this website and then go to our 2018 and 2019 News and there one can ponder on how the model of human life that we have created has failed.
    https://simplelivingglobal.com/911-emergency/

    https://simplelivingglobal.com/2018-news/
    https://simplelivingglobal.com/2019-news/

    Simple Living Global are presenting another way to live.

    Applying a practical and sensible way to live every day can have a profound affect on our mind and body if applied with a dose of honesty, taking consistent small steps, so that the very foundation one stands on cannot be rocked regardless of what life presents.

  39. Science Magazine – 9 December 2020

    https://scienmag.com/youth-depression-tied-to-higher-risk-of-66-diseases-and-premature-death/

    Depression in Children and Teenagers has been linked to a higher risk of 66 diseases, premature death and self-harm.

    How serious is that?

    According to a large observational study, published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry, 1.5 million girls and boys aged 5 to 19 were studied over 12 years.
    37,000 were diagnosed with depression at least once.

    The study found the youth with depression had a higher risk of being diagnosed with 66 out of 69 examined medical conditions, including sleep disorders, Type 2 Diabetes, viral hepatitis, kidney and liver diseases. They also had a significantly higher risk of injuries, in particular, self-harm and a 6 fold higher risk of premature death.

    Findings also revealed women with early onset depression were more likely to suffer injuries as well as urinary, respiratory and gastrointestinal infections. Men were more likely to have obesity, thyroid gland problems, coeliac disease, connective tissue disorders and eczema.

    Other co-existing psychiatric conditions, especially substance use disorder and anxiety are linked to risk increases for certain medical outcomes.

    While we wait for more research as that is always what is needed with any research study, can we present more here by way of expansion to this particular blog about Depression?

    Most of us associate depression with adults but this new large study is telling us children have this form of ill mental health.

    What is a 911 wake up call for all of us is the link to a higher risk of 66 diseases and that in itself needs to be addressed. Our health systems are not equipped now and what we have here are statistics spelling out to us that we have the future adult population – our children today that are going to be reliant on medical support and it started in childhood.

    How is society going to continue if we have got this going on right now and there are no answers and our solutions are not getting us on the front foot of this serious issue?

    WHY do research news stories like this never make it to front page news headlines or the education system where we present and teach the general public, not just parents about the dangers ahead of kids that get depression?

    Next – what if parenting came with a licence of Responsibility and that means there cannot be the relaxed ‘do what we want’ culture in raising our young but a real and proper education that is behind how and why we bring a child into this world?

    If parents were educated with blogs like this and presented with the reasons why a child can or could become depressed and then the findings of this particular study, anyone in their right mind would want to ensure they do their best to make sure they are responsible so their child does not withdraw from life or disconnect or stop engaging in everyday expression with those they live with.

    With our modern world and its plethora of distractions for young children, are we surprised we now have a huge study telling us children have depression and those that do, have serious consequences as they grow up?

    Have we thought about the cost to society with more and more children (our future adult population) having depression when we all know they were not born with it?

    Common sense tells us something is not right and it has to do with how we are raising them because good old fashion love and discipline back in the old days did not develop in depression for children. That means modern day living and our modern way of operating as parents and guardians is not working. In other words our model of life has failed us and unless we admit that how are we ever going to turn the tides.

    Once upon a time, kids were not diagnosed with depression and that in itself tells us we have changed and we need to reflect on where, what, how and why before we go any further.

  40. A small early stage study has suggested that the psychedelic drug psilocybin which is found in magic mushrooms, is as good at reducing symptoms of depression as conventional treatment.

    But when it comes to actively improving people’s well-being and ability to feel pleasure, the psychedelic drug may have had a more powerful effect.

    Psychedelics are being studied for a range of mental health conditions, but experts caution that this is a small trial with more research needed.

    For the past 30 years, new drugs for depression and anxiety have generally been variations on the same theme.

    For the majority of people they cause undesirable side-effects, stop working over time or do not work in the first place.

    Dear World

    As patients we are seeking a solution because we are de-pressed in some way.
    Life is not great, things have got worse, nothing worth getting up for, lack of commitment to life, no energy to get anything done, low mood, financial worries, relationships poor or non existent and the list goes on why our mood is not up beat, consistent and happy is not on our radar.

    We want the doctor to prescribe the pills and expect change but we forget all medication comes with side effects. None of us at the time we get to the physician are remotely interested in the painful emotions we have buried or are not willing to go there, for whatever reason. So in truth, how do we expect an artificial chemical to enter our brain and remove the emotion to make it easier to bear. When it does not work because we do not feel great, then what?

    Are we the ones that get the undesirable side effects or are we the ones that seem to have no change. In other words anti-depressants did not do the job and work for us, as we wake up everyday feeling the agony and misery of our life choices and cannot find a way out yet.

    We get told that the drugs prescribed can blunt all our emotions – both the negative and the positive stuff, so how does that make us feel? Do we end up like a person who is emotion-less but if we stop the drugs the buried stuff comes up as it was never addressed or dealt with?

    Next – all drugs alter our natural state, so we better be asking if that is how we want to deal with our depression?

    Of course we could get real and honest and ask some serious questions.
    HOW and WHY have we got to this point in our life where we feel depressed and we need drugs to deal with the problem?

    We all know that psychedelics are hallucinogenic drugs and that means an altered state of consciousness. Whether this becomes the new depression drug depends on the demand. In other words, are we asking for a drug of this kind that was and is known as drugs like LSD? We may think twice or we may be in need of something that is mind altering as the pain of our emotions are far greater than anything else we have previously experienced.

    Will drugs – any drugs really be the answer to help us to evolve or is this an anti-evolutionary way of ensuring we will never get to the root of why we have depression in the first place?

  41. Science Tech Daily – 7 June 2021

    https://scitechdaily.com/defying-your-natural-body-clock-linked-to-depression-and-lower-wellbeing/

    People whose sleep pattern goes against their natural body clock are more likely to have depression and lower levels of wellbeing, according to a new large scale study.

    Data was used from over 450,000 UK adults and published in Molecular Psychiatry.

    The researchers developed a new measure of “social jetlag” and found that those more mis-aligned from their natural body clock were more likely to report depression and anxiety and have lower wellbeing.

    Overall, the research team found morning people were more likely to be aligned to their natural body clock.

    However, this morningness may not be protective for depression in shift workers.

    Dear World

    What could we learn from this “large scale study”?

    Messing with our innate design – in other words how we are supposed to operate this vehicle – our body, is showing us signs of dis-ease. Clearly this is not right and we know this. So why do we continue going against our natural body clock and why have we as a world allowed it to continue?

    We all know that our sleep issues are off the scale and it is normal to have sleep problems.

    We also all know that depression is now a global plague, but we do not seem to link that the time we go to sleep and wake up may have something to do with it.

    What we may not yet know but could be open to is if we know something is not right, for example we have a sleep issue – would it be wise to stop and consider the consequences, instead of continuing down the ill road?

    Do we really need more and more research studies to learn more or can we start making small steps in the right direction when it comes to our sleep?

  42. Psychology Today – 24 January 2022
    https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/the-athletes-way/201901/more-evidence-physical-activity-keeps-depression-bay

    More evidence that physical activity keeps depression at bay.

    The writer of this article has been prone to major depressive disorder since adolescence and since 1983 used regular physical activity to keep the depression at bay.

    The Harvard study below is mentioned stating the authors write that higher levels of physical activity were linked to reduced odds for major depression. These findings support the hypothesis that prescribing daily and weekly amounts of physical activity may be an effective strategy for preventing depression.
    On average, doing more physical activity appears to protect against developing depression and any activity appears to be better than none.

    Researchers at Harvard Medical (see link below)
    A new study shows that physical activity is linked with reduced risk for depression. Led by Karmel Choi, a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, the study analyzed a large amount of genetic data and identified robust evidence of a protective relationship between physical activity and the risk of depression.
    https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/hsph-in-the-news/physical-activity-depression-risk/

    This study asks “Does physical activity have a potential causal role in reducing the risk for depression
    https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/article-abstract/2720689

    Conclusion states that overall, this study supports the hypothesis that enhancing physical activity is an effective prevention strategy for depression.

    The following 2011 study adds to the evidence above –

    The National Library of Medicine
    https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21131869/

    Associations between physical activity and physical and mental health

    4,500 participants | 56% females | 19 – 91 years

    Conclusions: The study suggests that exercising at any level is associated with better physical and mental health in both genders compared with no exercise, particularly among the older individuals.

    Dear World

    While we wait for more evidence as that is always what the researchers tell us, how about we re-read this blog and then move to the rest of this website and see where that leads to.

    What if we have serious depression – could we start by simply walking every single day regardless of any excuses?

    What if researchers did real life observational studies and reported back to all of us to inspire, as we can all relate when it is real life stuff being shared?

    What if the very act of movement supports our body and it does not have to be running as for most they will feel the impact of the concrete jarring their knees and hips?

    What if we start to enjoy just moving our body and removing the harmful things we do in life like sitting in front of a big TV screen or a small smartphone screen? Could this help us more than we care to realise right now?

    This comment is clear – we do need to move our bodies and this blog is suggesting we commit to life in all areas and see how our depression is when that is applied to our daily living.

  43. American Association for the Advancement of Science – 13 April 2022

    https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/948916

    According to a new study, cardiovascular risk factors are associated with an increased risk of depression in older adults.

    Cardiovascular Disease and Depression are thought to be closely related due to similar risk factors, including inflammation and oxidative stress.

    The authors concluded that high and very high cardiovascular risk are associated with depressive symptoms, especially in women.

    In addition, high cardiovascular risk, especially in women, is associated with symptoms of depression in the elderly.

  44. University of California, Los Angeles Newsroom – 31 May 2022

    https://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/pregnant-mothers-depression-linked-to-childrens-behavioral-risk

    Children whose mothers experience rising levels of depression from the period before pregnancy until the months just after giving birth are at greater risk of developing emotional, social and academic problems during their youth.

    This 7 year study is the first to demonstrate how changes in mothers’ level of depression over time could impact early childhood behaviour and emotional well-being.

    Lead author of the study Gabrielle Rinne says “our findings suggest that increases in mother’s symptoms of depression from preconception to postpartum contribute to children’s lower attention and behavioural control, which can raise the risk of problems across the life span.”

    Study co-author Christine Dunkel Schetter – Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry at UCLA said “This study suggests that a pattern of increasing depression may adversely affect children.
    Moms who experience depression or stress at multiple times should know the effects this can have on young children.”

    Dear World

    We have paid our researchers for 7 years to study this, so we can confirm that a pregnant mother with depression is likely to have an effect on the child’s behaviour and it could create problems ‘across the life span’.

    This tells us that everything matters and everything is related because how we are affects others. What goes on inside the mother’s body is passed on, we could say energetically, as we don’t have an organ or a bone, muscle or even a cell called “depression”. Some kind of energy exchange is taking place and we simply cannot negate that after reading the findings of this study.

    So how does this happen and what could we do now that we know the impact is huge, because of the risk of problems throughout the life of the new born baby? This means society as a whole will have to take on even more than it already has, all because we have yet to explore, dig deeper and ask some simple questions about depression.

    What causes depression?

    Can we stop the solutions and focus on how and why anyone gets depression?

    Can we put our emphasis on the lifestyle choices that would be mothers are making up until the moment of conception?

    Can we track the patterns of how they are living daily life?

    Can we observe how committed to life they are in all areas?

    Can we look at what could be lacking in their life by way of purpose?

    In other words, are they withdrawing from their natural state of being or are they fully engaged in life and all that it brings?

    Depression need not exist if there was another way.
    There are many people, like the author of this comment, this blog and this website that have zero depression on their radar. However, they did once a very long time ago.

    Are these the type of people our researchers need to observe (not put into a laboratory) and track them for years to see exactly how they live daily life and how they serve with a purpose and that means they get on with it. They are certainly not perfect, claim to be or even try to be. They simply commit to life in all areas, giving it their best, staying focussed on daily routine and tasks that most find ‘boring’ but they see value in that and ensuring there is a minimum of distractions that do nothing other than stimulate the body.

    Worth taking note of the above, if we are to be serious about finding a way out of the rising global plague called Depression.

  45. News Medical – 20 October 2022

    https://www.news-medical.net/news/20221020/Depression-risk-increases-with-number-of-hours-worked-in-stressful-jobs.aspx

    Depression risk increases with number of hours worked in stressful jobs.

    The more hours someone works each week in a stressful job, the more their risk of depression rises, a study in new doctors finds.

    Working 90 or more hours a week was associated with changes in depression symptom scores 3 times larger than change in depression symptoms among those working 40 to 45 hours a week.

    A higher percentage of those who worked a large number of hours had scores high enough to qualify for a diagnosis of moderate to severe depression – serious enough to warrant treatment – compared with those working fewer hours.

    The research team based at the University of Michigan report their findings from studying 11 years’ worth of data on more than 17,000 first year medical residents. The recently graduated doctors were in training at hundreds of hospitals across the United States.

    The study comes as major national organizations, such as the National Academy of Medicine and the Association of American Medical Colleges, grapple with how to address the high rates of depression among physicians, physicians in training and other health care professionals.

    The most common work hour levels were between 65 and 80 hours per week.
    Average age of the doctors in the study was 27 and just over half were women.
    1 in 5 were training in surgical disciplines.

    46% had a stressful life event such as a family death, birth or getting married during their intern year.
    37% said they had been involved in at least one medical error during the year.

  46. The Guardian – 5 November 2022

    https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/nov/05/study-finds-first-evidence-of-link-between-low-serotonin-levels-and-depression

    A new study claims to find the first direct evidence of a link between low serotonin and depression.

    Scientists at Imperial College London suggested that people with depression have a decreased serotonin response.

    “People have been debating this question for 60 years but it is all been based on indirect measures” said Professor Oliver Howes, a Consultant Psychiatrist.

    The findings could help pave the way for better understanding of why SSRI drugs fail to help an estimated 10% to 30% of patients.

  47. Independent Ireland – 9 March 2023

    https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/health/people-with-depression-more-prone-to-stroke-says-new-irish-led-study-42377582.html

    People with symptoms of depression are more likely to suffer an acute stroke or have a worse recovery, according to a new study from University of Galway, Ireland.

    The “Interstroke” study of 26,877 adults with an average age of 62 across 32 countries including participants in Europe, Asia, North and South America, Middle East and Africa.

    The results showed depressive symptoms were linked to increased stroke risk and the risk was similar across different age groups and around the world.

    The more symptoms of depression the participants had, the higher the risk of stroke. Those who reported 5 or more depressive symptoms had a 54% higher risk of stroke than those with no symptoms. They were also likely to have worse functional outcomes one month after the stroke than those without depressive symptoms.

  48. CNN Health – 15 June 2023

    https://edition.cnn.com/2023/06/15/health/depression-varies-by-state-cdc-report/index.html

    1 in 5 U.S. adults have been diagnosed with Depression and the prevalence varies dramatically by state.

    A new report published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finds that in 2020 the percentage ranged greatly depending on where they live. In West Virginia it was 27.5%.

    https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/72/wr/mm7224a1.htm

    There was considerable geographic variation in the prevalence of Depression, with the highest state and county estimates of Depression observed along the Appalachian and Southern Mississippi Valley regions.

    Data showed the 10 states with the highest prevalence of adults saying they have been diagnosed with Depression before were:

    West Virginia
    Kentucky
    Tennessee
    Arkansas
    Vermont
    Alabama
    Louisiana
    Washington
    Missouri
    Montana

    When researchers analyzed data by county, they found that the prevalence of Depression raNged from 10.7% in Alaska East Borough County to 31.9% in Logan County, West Virginia.

    Rates of clinical Depression had been rising steadily in the U.S. but “jumped notably” in recent years, according to the Gallup data.

  49. Washington University in St. Louis
    Office of Neuroscience Research – 11 July 2023

    https://neuroscienceresearch.wustl.edu/improved-orthopedic-health-doesnt-necessarily-mean-improved-mental-health/

    According to a new study, symptoms of depression and anxiety often do not subside when an orthopaedic patient’s physical pain improves.

    Researchers found that symptoms of anxiety improved only when a patient had major improvements in physical function but that even significant improvements in physical function were not associated with meaningful improvements in depression.

  50. Harvard Medical School – 31 July 2023

    https://hms.harvard.edu/news/half-worlds-population-will-experience-mental-health-disorder

    A large scale International study across 29 countries conducted over 150,000 face to face surveys found that 1 out of every 2 people in the world will develop a mental health disorder in their lifetime.

    The research was led by Harvard Medical School and the University of Queensland and the results were published in The Lancet Psychiatry.

    The results demonstrate the high prevalence of mental health disorders worldwide with 50% of the population developing at least one disorder by the age of 75.

    The study showed the most common mental illnesses were mood disorders, such as major depression or anxiety and the risk of certain mental disorders differed by sex.

    3 most common mental health disorders among women were:

    • Depression
    • Specific phobia, a disabling anxiety that interferes with daily life
    • Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

    The 3 most common mental health disorders among men were:

    • Alcohol abuse
    • Depression
    • Specific phobia

    Dear World

    If this is not a 911 WAKE UP CALL then what are we waiting for?

    Half the world population is going to have a mental health dis-order and it is super simple to work out that SOMETHING IS CLEARLY NOT RIGHT.

    How long are we going to continue after reading this or knowing that it is going on in our own family or with relatives, neighbours, those in the community or our friends and colleagues.

    Do we really have the time to delay this by waiting for the next and then the next research study or will this be it?

    Are we going to demand answers as to WHY and HOW anyone has any kind of mental health issue so that we can get to the root cause?

    Our funding is simply not there and we keep getting told not enough resources for treatment and at the same time the numbers are rising at epic proportions.

    Depression has been a global epidemic for a very long time and we have yet to nail why anyone gets depression and how we can deal with this at the root level.

    It is high time to consider another way and not shut the door on those that work every day to bring awareness, to humanity through writing articles, like the author of this website that will never give up because they do not have depression on their radar.

  51. University of Michigan – 12 September 2023

    https://ihpi.umich.edu/news/older-adults-digestive-diseases-experience-higher-rates-loneliness-depression

    Older adults with digestive diseases experience higher rates of Loneliness and Depression, according to a new study.

    The research was a longitudinal panel study with a representative sample of 20,000 individuals in the U.S. over age 50 and their spouses. Data was analyzed from 2008 to 2016.

    A team of gastroenterologists and hepatologists examine psychosocial factors in older Americans with gastrointestinal conditions.

    40% of adults report living with a digestive disease of some kind.

    “Not only are these conditions debilitating for the millions of people living with them but they are also expensive to treat. There is a greater emphasis among providers in detecting why so many Americans are developing digestive diseases.”
    Shirley Ann Cohen-Mekelburg M.D., specialist in Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis.

    She also notes that current approaches often fail to consider how things like psychosocial factors contribute to these conditions.

    “These factors have the potential to significantly impact gastrointestinal health and they also play a crucial role in the overall well-being of our patients.”

    “It is important to note that loneliness refers to the subjective distressed feeling of being alone or lacking companionship. The correlation between Loneliness and Depression is well established.”

    Cohen-Mekelburg adds that social isolation refers to the “objective physical separation from other people, which is independent of psychological well-being.

    Therefore, there are people who live in isolation but are well-adapted, not lonely and report high psychological well-being. on the other hand, there are also people who are socially connected, yet suffer from low psychological well-being and loneliness. This is despite having a strong social network.”

    Out of a pool of 7,110 participants, the research team identified 56% with a digestive disease and 44% without.

    60.4% and 55.6% of respondents with and without digestive disease reported Loneliness.
    12.7% and 7.5% reported severe depression.
    8.9% and 8.7% reported social isolation respectively said Cohen-Mekelburg.

  52. Kings College London – 13 September 2023

    https://www.kcl.ac.uk/news/inflammatory-signs-for-adolescent-depression-differ-between-boys-and-girls

    New research led by the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience at Kings College London has found that depression and the risk of depression are linked to different inflammatory proteins in boys and girls.

    When inflammation occurs in the body, a host of proteins are released into the blood called cytokines. Previous research has shown higher levels of cytokines are associated with depression in adults but little is know about this relationship in adolescence.

    “This is the first study to show differences between boys and girls in the patterns of inflammation that are linked to the risk and development of adolescent depression.
    We know more adolescent girls develop depression than boys.”
    Lead author – Dr Zuzanna Zajkowska

  53. Medical News Today – 22 September 2023

    https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/ultra-processed-foods-especially-artificial-sweeteners-may-increase-depression-risk

    Ultra-processed foods, especially artificial sweeteners linked to an increased risk of depression, according to a recent study.
    https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2809727

    Research is ongoing about how diet plays a role in mental well-being and the development of certain mental health conditions.

    “Ultra processed foods (UPF) are made up of manufactured ingredients with the addition of salt, oil or sugar to make them palatable and to help preserve them. They usually do not have any worthwhile nutritional benefits.
    Some examples include cold packaged snacks like chips or cookies, sodas, packaged pastries, many sweet breakfast cereals, candy etc.,

    The highly processed nature of these foods often yields a cheaper product that is more shelf-stable and more palatable than a whole food item. This makes them easy to eat.
    They are also usually high in calories, fat, salt and sugar which can lead to weight gain.”
    Karen Z Berg – Dietician not involved in the study.

    The researchers found that participants who had the highest consumption of ultra-processed foods had the highest risk for depression compared to participants who had the lowest consumption of ultra-processed foods.

    The results also highlighted that depression risk may be particularly high based on higher consumption of ultra-processed foods containing artificial sweeteners and artificially sweetened beverages.

    Participants with high UPF were found to have greater BMI, higher smoking rates, and increased prevalence of comorbidities such as Diabetes, Hypertension and Dyslipidaemia. Moreover, they were less likely to engage in regular exercise.

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