Depression

What is depression?

There are many different types of depression including SAD (seasonal affective disorder), bi-polar disorder, uni-polar disorder, post-natal depression and the Blues.

1. (a) Bi-polar disorder, also known as manic depression, is characterised by periods of extreme confidence, euphoria, enthusiasm and /or delusions of grandeur followed by periods of severe depression and despair.
2. (b) Uni-polar disorder is characterised by episodes of depression followed by periods of feeling normal for months or even years.
3. (c) SAD is characterised by feeling depressed or low during the winter when the days are shorter and darker, and probably the most common especially this time of year.
4. (d) Post-natal depression can occur any time within a couple of years of giving birth.
5. (e) There is another category which I created that I simply call ‘The Blues’. This is like the Blahs or the ‘Can’t Be Bothered’ Feeling, and it can be very common in the Winter when the kidneys are working overtime. You would be amazed how many people experience this feeling of malaise at some point in their lives, just about everyone!

At the end of the day, it really is irrelevant as to the actual name we give such conditions. For a few people, there may be certain cases of serious depression which require the intervention of a medical specialist, sometimes medication. This is few and far between.

But for the vast majority of the rest of us, The Blues can be managed, sorted and resolved with some information and focused attention on you, your lifestyle and your diet.

So there are two extremes here: one that is severe and needs professional medical attention but not commonplace; the second is the ordinary feeling of the drabs or the blues that strikes most of the population at some point. I am not into labelling such conditions. In this case, it is either severe for your doctor to handle or ordinary for you to look at yourself.

Symptoms might include altered sleep patterns, lack of interest in anything, irritability, anger, low self esteem, changes in appetite, withdrawal from socialising and so on.
Causes

There may be a number of possible contributory factors in the development of such feelings:

•  Lack of omega 3 fats
•  Nutrient Deficiencies
•  Food allergies or intolerances
•  Yeast overgrowth
•  Stress
•  Hypothyroidism
•  Hypoglycaemia – blood sugar imbalances
•  Diabetes
•  Childhood trauma or a traumatic life event
•  Heavy metal toxicity
•  Imbalanced brain chemistry
•  Genetic Makeup

Find out how your underlying health may be affecting how you feel. It is amazing how much better you can feel by making the right changes.

Go and make the correct changes to your health.