Monday, March 31, 2008

Tricyclic antidepressants

Tricyclic antidepressants are a type of antidepressant that has been used since the mid 1900s. Today, there are more than 30 different types of tricyclic antidepressants that are commonly used in cases of attention-deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) and depression. The antidepressant works by changing the way that certain neurotransmitters function in the brain in order to alter a person’s mood. Many depression cases have been successfully treated while using tricyclic antidepressants, but this does not mean it is the right for everyone. There are other types of antidepressants a patient can try if this type isn’t right for them.

As is true with most medications, different people can often react differently to the same medication. There are a number of symptoms that a patient can experience while taking this medications, though many will typically suffer only one or two of these symptoms if they experience any at all. It is having too many of these symptoms that can signify that this type of antidepressant may not be for the patient and it might be a good idea to try something else. It is extremely important that the patient taking a form of tricyclic antidepressant tell their therapist or counselor immediately if they are experiencing any of the following symptoms: drowsiness, hallucinations, nausea, vomiting, dry mouth and seizures. Any other possible symptoms a patient might start suffering other than the above mentioned should also be discussed with the doctor. When the doctor is aware of what affect the medication is having on the patient, they can alter the dose or medication accordingly so that the patient is treated effectively. For those who the medication works well for, it can be quite effective in altering the chemicals in the brain in such a way that the person’s mood is changed for the better and they become more open to treatment.

Tricyclic antidepressants are simply a tool used to help the patient through their therapy. They are not meant as a permanent fix to the patient’s depression. Instead, the antidepressants help the patient to calm down and/or open up about what might be putting them into their depression. To find out more about this type of antidepressant, an individual can contact an online therapist or counselor who would be more than happy to answer any questions the person may have. The online therapist can help the individual to understand what this type of antidepressant can do to help relieve their depression, and can also provide any therapy or counseling the person may need. In fact, online therapy is becoming a more popular resource all the time because it can be accessed from the comfort of one’s home. The long and possibly uncomfortable wait in the waiting room is gone, and there is no need for the patient to have to take a significant amount of time out of their day to go see a therapist in person; instead, they can arrange a time to contact the therapist online from their home or office and get the answers and help they require.

Thursday, March 27, 2008

Does stress affect weight loss?

There are many different reasons for a person to loose their appetite. Both men and women are prone to loosing their appetite due to sickness or life’s stresses. Many people actually suffer such a loss of appetite that they can start to lose weight, making them fairly skinny. Such a loss in weight can lead to other health problems, including a lowered immune system. In many cases, the loss of appetite can be attributed to stress. Either life at home or life at work can become so stressful and worrisome that a person can find it difficult to relax enough to eat.

Stress is interesting in that if people didn’t suffer any stress at all, nothing would get done and if people suffer too much stress it can be harmful to the mind and body. Weight loss is just one example of how too much stress can be harmful to an individual. It could be that the person is trying to get the promotion they have been waiting to get for so long, or it could be that a kid is being bullied and harassed at school to the point where the student is constantly thinking about how they are going to make it through another day. It could also be stresses a parent is suffering at home, either from a child that seems to be acting up or relations with the spouse are not promising and are slowly working their way to the situation where divorce might be the answer. The severe loss of appetite and the corresponding loss of weight can be caused by the stress created from any number of situations; even the loss of a close loved one.

When one is at a loss of how to deal with the stressful situation so that they can be more relaxed, it can greatly impact their health in a negative ways like loosing weight because they can’t bring themselves to eat. It happens quite often where a person is so worried or stressed about a situation that they can’t even think about food. When the worry and stress has come to such a point, it really is time that the person starts thinking about getting some help. Talking to a therapist or a counselor can be extremely helpful in that the professional can help the person address their issue(s) and then deal with it accordingly. Many people are contacting online therapists in order to ask questions or to get the help they need. Online therapy is becoming a more popular way for people to get help because they can contact a therapist from the comfort of their own home. Someone who is feeling excessively worried or stressed can easily get onto the internet, do a quick search and contact an online counselor who can help them put their worries at ease and reduce their stress. Getting this kind of help is usually beneficial because when the worries and stresses are dealt with and the person is more relaxed, they will start getting their appetite back and they can stop losing weight.

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Does having a family of history of depression affect you?

It is not uncommon for a family to have a history of depression. There are many cases where an individual who is suffering from depression does not appear to have an actual reason for suffering the depression. This is where this person’s family history can help them out. There are some people who appear to be genetically depressed, meaning that their family history shows that previous generations appear to have suffered the same problems. Genetic depression is still far from being fully understood. Studies are still being done in order to understand how genetic depression is passed down and how it can be treated in people before it becomes a real problem.

Having a family history of depression does not necessarily mean that the person will suffer depression, though if a person does worry that they might have depression it might not hurt to consult a therapist or counselor about it. It is possible for a person to be a little anxious over the idea that they might slump into a depression that can ruin their lives as it possibly did for their parent and/or grandparent. The therapist or counselor will help the patient see that worry about such a thing will only bring about needless anxiety that will only put the person through unnecessary stress. This stress can build and can quite possibly eventually lead to an onset of depression. The person who worries can also consult an online therapist or an online counselor and ask the professional questions regarding what is worrying them. The online therapist or counselor can then calm the patient’s fears about them possibly having depression. Suggestions and/or advice might be given that can aid the person in trying to avoid falling into a state of depression, how to calm down and how to deal with the stresses in their lives before the stresses get to much.

Anyone who has a family that has a history of depression does not necessarily mean that the individual will ultimately suffer depression. It does, however, show that the person might have an increased risk of developing depression at some time in their life. With the knowledge about their family history, they can start finding ways to avoid depression early in their life. A therapist or a counselor can help the person learn how to deal with the stresses of everyday life, their anxiety and any depression they might be experiencing already. Doing this can give the person a better chance of warding off serious or deep depression that they might develop later in life if they didn’t take measures to prevent it. Expecting it and preparing for it can actually help the person focus on taking control of their life and putting more effort into making the life they want. Being more optimistic and happy can go a long way to helping the person avoid falling into depression. Early help from a therapist or counselor, whether it is online therapy or therapy in person, can also help a person prepare for their life and keep out the stresses and/or anxieties that can push them into depression.

If you feel like you need further understanding of clinical depression visit free therapist guided assessments at www.completecounselingsolutions.com/

Sunday, March 23, 2008

Does your child suffer from depression?

It is often thought that depression more commonly affects older teenagers, adults and seniors, but children suffer from depression as well. Many suffer in silence without proper treatment because their parents don’t understand the signs and don’t seek help for their child as a result. This means that the child does not get the proper treatment they need and this can have a negative impact on the child’s future; how they interact with other individuals, the level of confidence they develop and so on. Many parents will instead become frustrated over their child’s behavior, mostly as a result of their lack of understanding of child depression. They are not familiar with the signs that would normally alert someone that the child is depressed and think that the child is just acting up for no good reason.

There is almost always a reason for a child’s behavior. It could be that the child is having trouble at school with a bully, or they are having difficulty coping with the loss of a close family member; whatever the reason, a child does not always find it easy to express why they are acting out and feeling the way they are. The younger the child is, the more difficult it can be for the child to express itself clearly. This is why it is important for a parent to be sensitive to what the child might be emotionally affected by and learn the signs to recognize child depression. One of the biggest signs is the sudden change in the behavior of the child. Other signs include the child being moody or easily emotional, they aren’t as social as they used to be, they have become extremely negative or pessimistic toward life and/or they are mentally or physically harmful to their selves. The feeling of being worthless, useless and/or incapable of anything can lead a child to becoming verbally and even physically abusive to their selves.

If a parent suspects their child might be suffering from depression, they can contact an online therapist regarding their child. Through communicating with the therapist, the parent can find out if their suspicions of depression are right and get the help their child needs. Online therapy can be helpful in that the parent can work with the child, based on the advice and suggestions they have received from the family therapist, and help get the child out of the depression. Sometimes all the child needs is some support and understanding from their parent. This can help the child to open up and express why they are behaving the way they are and why they seem so upset lately. The online family therapist can easily walk the parent through the steps of helping their child to get out of their depression and back on track to growing up a strong and confident adult. Online therapy offers the opportunity to help the child in the comfort of their home, as leaving the home to go to a doctor’s office can be a little scary, depending on the age of the child. This can also give the parent and the child the opportunity to strengthen their bond and avoid future rifts and misunderstandings between them.

For more information, please go to our website for a free therapist guided assessment for clinical depression.

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

When Parents Divorce

In many cases when a married couple decides to get divorced, the children can often be forgotten. It is not that the parents have purposely forgotten about their children, they have just become so caught up in the tension between each other that how their fighting and divorce is affecting their child can go unnoticed. A divorce does not simply mean an life altering change in the parents lives, it also means a life altering change in the child’s life, especially for children who are very young and do not understand why their parents are moving away from each other. Divorce is a stressful event that has a major impact on the entire immediate family and it must be stressed that if the parents are going through a divorce, they might want to consider getting some counseling for the children so that they don’t suffer as a result of their family being torn apart.

When a family is whole, the child has a stable existence created by the attention they receive from their parents. This world is shattered if two parents can not get along, fight constantly and eventually divorce. To a child, this may seem like something that is their fault and that they are in some way responsible for the family falling apart. This is a common reaction from a child who does not have a clear understanding about adult relationships and how mom and dad would probably be better living apart. Taking the child to a family counselor can help the child because the counselor will hopefully be able to help the child understand that the break up was not his or her fault, and that the world is not coming to an end. There is family counseling available at clinics or even on the internet. A parent can communicate with the online counselor and get suggestions on how to help his or her child cope with what is happening.

The important thing for parents to remember when going to their divorce is that this is going to impact their children who may not entirely understand what is going on. It is not only the parents who are going to be flooded with negative emotions as a result of what is going on. Often, the younger the child is, the less they will probably understand and the more negative emotions and upset they are likely to experience. It is a stressful process for the parents as well, which can often make it difficult for them to push away their own feelings and help their child through their own emotions. This is where a family therapist can help. A family therapist, either online or in person, will work with the parents and the children together to help them work through the stress of what is going on. Therapy or counseling can help everyone make it through with more confidence, less blame and less guilt, which are three of the most devastating emotions family members can feel after the parents have gone through a divorce.

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

When Panic sets in.

Crowds have never been a problem before and neither has speaking up in front of a large room of people, but all of a sudden it seems to send you into a nervous fit of shaking, sweating, increased heart rate and feeling nauseous. The room swirls and it feels like fainting is the next thing that is going to happen. What is this? What has caused the individual to experience one or more of these symptoms?

What this sounds like is a panic attack. Some people may have always experienced panic attacks in certain situations and others may never have had them until it suddenly springs on them out of nowhere. There are many reasons for a person going through a panic attack and all depend on the person who is having them. It could be that some repressed past history has been triggered in the subconscious and has led to the panic attack, the memory of a traumatic experience is triggered and the person can’t push the memory out of their head, or it could be caused by something that is not as easily recognized. A panic attack is something that comes around when someone feels threatened by something and feels as though they are going to come to serious harm if they follow through with something, such as getting into a car after having been through a serious car accident a few months before. Many of the symptoms associated with panic attacks consist of shortness of breath, sweating, dizziness, nausea, shaking, increased heart rate and even physical pain in the form of headaches. All these symptoms are caused by the mind in the attempt to avoid danger that can cause serious harm to the individual. It comes from the natural instinct of survival. Fear, which is really the root cause of panic attacks, is a natural instinctual emotion that is triggered when the individual senses they are in a dangerous situation that they need to get out of immediately. Unfortunately, many people can have their fear get out of hand and this is what can result in panic attacks.

Regardless of the cause, a therapist can work with the patient to suffer less or no panic attacks in the future. In fact, there is online therapy available for people who suffer panic attacks that prevent them from leaving their home, or even if the patient wishes to remain in a comfortable environment while they work through their issues. While communicating with the online counselor or therapist, the counselor can work with the patient to determine what might be the underlying cause of the panic attacks. Once the cause is determined, further therapy can help the patient deal with those issues in the hopes that future panic attacks will be avoided. There are cases where medicinal treatment might be necessary when working with the patient and this is also possible to get when consulting an online therapist. Online therapy is normal therapy; the difference is that the patient can communicate with their therapist on their computer. Many individuals who have sought help from an online counselor have been successfully treated and continue to live happier and less stressful lives as a result.

Thursday, March 13, 2008

Are Antidepressents Right for you?

Antidepressants are used by many people who suffer depression. Different types of antidepressants are often prescribed for many people who are suffering from different kinds of depression. What is prescribed by the doctor, as well as what dosage the patient is prescribed to take, depends on the many different variables that the therapist has to take into consideration when prescribing an antidepressant. These variables refer to what kind of depression the patient is suffering, how serious the depression is, if the depression caused by a chemical imbalance or if the depression is caused by an outside source, whether the patient is on any other kind of medication and what the patient’s medical history like. Many antidepressants, like most other kinds of medications, have side-affects that the therapist and the patient need to take into consideration so that the patient’s health is not negatively affected by the medication either mentally or physically.

Choosing the right antidepressant is not always an easy task. Different medications tend to have a different effect on different people because every individual is unique, so one type of antidepressant that might work perfectly for one individual might not work at all for another. What a person does for work can also make a difference on what medication is prescribed. Some antidepressants can make an individual taking them fairly tired and not as alert as they normally would be, so a person who is working with heavy machinery should probably not take this type of antidepressant. Sometimes, the medication prescribed might only make the patient tired and not work to make any improvement on how they feel. In this case, another antidepressant might have to be prescribed.

Antidepressants are something the patient will take while they participate in therapy. Over time, the patient, with the help of their therapist, will be able to work through their depression to the point where medication might not be necessary anymore. Having to continue therapy after being prescribed an antidepressant can be something that turns people away because they don’t want to go in to see their therapist on a regular basis. For people who worry about having to do this, online therapy is available. The patients can communicate with their online therapist from the comfort of their home, and don’t need to worry about having to drive into the city or across town for another dreaded wait in the waiting room before they can finally get in to see their therapist. Online therapy gets rid of the inconvenience of having to take a large amount of time out to go visit the therapist in person. It allows the patient the opportunity to remain in an atmosphere that they find comfortable and can help the patient focus more on getting the help they need.

When considering antidepressants, a person needs to consider whether or not they really think they need them. A therapist can often determine if some medication might be useful while the patient continues therapy. A person needs to remember that antidepressants can take a while before they work. It is also recommended that the patient never discontinues use of their antidepressants before consulting their therapist, as it can have an adverse affect on the individual. Antidepressants can help, but they are only a temporary tool used in treatment and are not a cure for depression.

Monday, March 10, 2008

How financial stress threatens a marriage?

Despite the common misconception among many single people, marriage is not easy. It takes a lot of work because life takes a lot of work. Life can be difficult and complicated enough for a single person, so when another person is involved it can become more complicated. Money is one of the many reasons that a marriage can break up, especially if times of financial distress has continued over a lengthy period of time. In fact, financial stress appears to be the cause of about 80 percent of all divorces. This goes to show just how stressful financial trouble can be for a couple who are both affected by it.

The vows taken today are often recited more because they are what couples are supposed to recite when going through the process of getting married. Very few actually take the time to review the vows and take their meaning to heart. This is why many difficulties that arise at a later time may be enough for the husband, wife or both to call it quits and to start living their separate lives. Money is what allows people to get their necessities, so a lack of money to the point of poverty and the inability to acquire the necessities and comforts of life can often make a married couple stressed and very unhappy with each other. Of course, it is not just simply the lack of money, it is how there came to be the lack of money. There are couples where one or both of them will spend more than they are earning each month. Poor management of the income is often the biggest reason for the financial trouble a couple is experiencing.

As is the case for any couple who are suffering overwhelming stress that is making the couple seriously think about divorce, contacting a family therapist or a couple’s counselor might not be a bad idea. The therapist or counselor can talk with the couple and help them work out what exactly is causing their want for separation. If it appears that financial stress is possibly the biggest reason, the counselor or therapist can put the couple in touch with someone who can help them right their troubles. Then, the couple’s therapist can speak with the couple and help them reconcile and maybe even calm the couple down enough to think more clearly about what a divorce would really mean for them and any children that are involved.

Divorce is not something that should never be entered into lightly. It means an end to that relationship and the breakup of a family, which can be greatly traumatizing to the children of that marriage. When a couple believe that the only way out of their troubles is to get a divorce, consulting a marriage therapist to get some impartial advice might help save the marriage as well as find a way to deal with the issues causing the stress. If divorce is still what the parents choose to do, then family counseling for both the parents and the children might be a good idea so that everyone can get through the divorce without unnecessary stress.

Friday, March 7, 2008

How to handle grief?

Losing someone that a person greatly cares about, whether it is a friend or a family member can be extremely stressful. It can even cause a person to fall into a state of depression because the stress is overwhelming. This is more often the case when an individual has lost their life partner because with the death of their spouse they have lost someone who they have been close to for so many years. That familiarity is gone, as is the comfort and security of having someone around who cares about them and who they have been able to confide in whenever in a down mood. In this particular case, they can become saddened and then greatly depressed because they no longer have that person to confide in and seek comfort from. This is where help from a therapist or a counselor can help a person cope with the loss and hopefully help the individual to avoid falling into a depressive state.

Help and support from family is often recommended, but with not everyone has family near by to give them the support they need. Sometimes, family is just too far away, or the person doesn’t really have any family around at all. A therapist or a counselor can be a great person to chat with and confide in when there is no one else around. They can also be good to talk to even if there is family around. There are many people out there who have difficulty in expressing their thoughts and feelings. A therapist can help the individual put down their barriers so that they can express their thoughts and feelings in response to the loss of the person they were close with. The therapist can then go on to help the person work through their mourning and help them to go on with their life. All too often a person who has lost someone close to them will find it difficult to move on and constantly have the deceased person foremost in their mind. It can become a major distraction on work and life. It can push the person into a depressive state that can make moving on nearly impossible. This is where the therapist or counselor can be of great help. They can work with the patient to help them grieve the loss properly and then be able to move on with their lives without their unresolved grief consuming them.

A loss of a family member or a close friend is never easy. It is one of the most common causes of depression for many people every year. Some people are able to grieve and continue on with their lives to develop new friendships and to accept that the loved one is gone. Others are not so able to accept the loss and move on. It is always recommended that when someone looses someone they care about they consult a therapist or a counselor to work through their grief. Most people who see a therapist in regards to someone they have lost are able to slowly let go of much of the hurt and sadness they are feeling, and then eventually move on with their life.

Monday, March 3, 2008

How to take advantage of online counseling?

With the internet becoming something that people are accessing nearly every day of their lives, more and more people are going to the internet to find answers and help instead of going to speak with professionals in person. People are becoming busier and it is getting harder to want to leave the house to seek help when they finally have a few minutes to relax at home, besides the fact that many people who believe they might have a problem or a condition are simply too afraid or shy to go in to speak with a therapist or counselor. It can be a difficult thing to do for many; thankfully the internet is fast becoming an answer to this problem.

Online counseling, otherwise known as online therapy, is becoming more popular all the time. It allows the person who is making the inquiries to the online counselor to do so from the comfort of their own home or the corner coffee shop, where they don’t have to worry that other people might find out that they are seeking therapeutic help. Sending an e-mail can allow the person to carefully formulate their questions or requests for the counselor before they send them off. It is the same when they are answering an e-mail from the counselor. The person can take the time to read the e-mail carefully, think about it and then think about what their reply is going to be. Speech seems like a relatively easy task, and in most cases it is, but when trying to reveal what it is that is bothering the person, the person can often have a hard time, especially if they are uncomfortable in the presence of the therapist. Online counseling gets rid of this. The patient is in their own home where they are comfortable and can communicate with the counselor relatively clearly.

The confidentiality that exists between the counselor and the patient still applies to online counseling. In fact, some may argue that it is even more confidential because the chance that someone would see the patient walking into a clinic on Main Street is non-existent. The patient can choose when to communicate over the internet at a convenient set time when they will have little or no chance of being interrupted and they can be free to focus on what the counselor is saying.

Some people might not like the idea of using the internet, though more people are turning to this option all the time, and others might be worried that the communication between them and the therapist can be seen by a third party. In all actuality, the chance of this is highly unlikely. If this worry does exist, a patient can always us a code name. This, however, is not as important as it is for the person to get the answers and help that they need. Online counseling is becoming more popular all the time and more and more people are found to respond positively to it. It may not be for everyone, but online counseling is certainly a comfortable option that many will consider.