Facebook Depression

Researchers have come up with a new term when investigating the link between teenage depression and social networking on Facebook. Facebook Depression is when a teen who may be prone to depression reacts negatively to not being able to fit in on social networking sites. They may become more depressed from being exposed to Facebook.

To many teens, feeling accepted by their peers means everything. If your secret crush doesn't ask you out it can be depressing but to have someone unfriend you on Facebook or post negative things about you can be humiliating.

Parents need to realize that it is a different world for teens who are growing up today. Young adults in their mid-twenties have trouble relating to their younger teenage siblings because when they were growing up, Facebook, cell phones and Twitter were not a part of their lives. How much simpler it was back then!

If you suspect that your teen is being harassed or is feeling left out because of something that happened with Facebook friends, open up the conversation. Although to many teens, their parents are clueless, it doesn't hurt to try and talk to them about how they feel.

Never belittle how they feel; remember to a teenager, being socially accepted can mean everything. Encourage them to share their feelings with you and also to not treat others how they have been treated.

Teenage depression can become serious if it is not recognized. Whether it is caused by Facebook or other triggers, depression is real and treatable.

Panic Attacks - Coping Skills

We live in an unpredictable world. Whoever told you that everything would go smoothly if you just did what you were supposed to, well, they lied. Sometimes, much of the time, things do not go as planned.

Worrying doesn't change the outcome of anything.

Once you grasp that idea and learn to accept it, overcoming panic will be much easier. Life is short. Why waste time with your stomach in knots worrying about stuff that may not happen?

Get rid of panic and live your life! I know that sometimes self-help books and articles make it sound so easy. People who deal with severe panic or anxiety can sometimes spiral into a place where it seems impossible to break free but guess what? You can break free from the anxiety that seems to control you.

I am stubborn...I do not want ANYONE telling ME what to do. It is surprised then that I allow panic to control my actions. Hey, I am working on it. I can go weeks without a panic attack and then, out of nowhere, the familiar symptoms occur. Shortness of breath, sweating, shakiness, that uneasy feeling in my stomach and feeling that all I want to do is climb under the covers and escape from life. I deal with it. I do what I have to do.

I have come a long way with my anxiety. I got to the place where I do not want it to run my life. I think that once you get fed up enough, it gives you the power to fight against the panic. There are tools like deep breathing, visualization and talking to someone who makes you feel safe that can help you through a panic attack.

I suggest (and have suggested before) a very good book (yes- a self-help book,lol) that really does have good exercises for you to do. Anxiety cannot be cured by taking a pill. You need to explore the source of the panic and painfully face it and overcome it.

Need more help or convincing that you can cope with anxiety ? You can do it. Take it one panic attack at a time. Don't beat yourself up if you do not handle it like you would wish. Next time you will do better. Compliment yourself for the little battles won. Soon it will become habit to work through your anxiety and your panic attacks will lessen. It takes practice.

What Does Depression Look Like?

blah. numb. miserable. achy. hopeless. sad. tearful. tired. unmotivated.

Do any of these words describe how you feel? How often do you feel this way? If you cannot remember when you DIDN'T feel like this...you very well could be suffering from depression.

Sometimes depression can sneak up on you, and before you know it, it has become a big part of you. It can take you to a place where you feel like you cannot get out of. Sometimes you do not even care to get out of this place- that is a sure signal that depression has you. Finding the fight to pull yourself out can be hard.

People who cannot find anything to hold onto often self-medicate to ease their symptoms of depression. Even the people who do feel they have something to fight for will be self-destructive at times. By self-destructive behavior I mean simply not taking care of yourself. Perhaps you are skipping meals, living on caffeine, sleeping too much, not exercising, neglecting personal hygiene, eating too much, smoking or drinking and just neglecting to make healthy choices.

These reasons are why depression should be taken seriously. You can get help for these feelings and overcome depression. Therapy can help you find the tools that will help you to fight. Another option for fighting back against depression? Good, healthy food.

What you put inside of you can boost your mood. When you are depressed and you just don't care it can be hard to make a healthy choice. If you can fight back and try...taking care of your body will help in your fight against depression.

Another way to fight back is to get your body moving. No matter what the weather is, get outside and take a walk. It doesn't need to be a beautiful sunny day in order to enjoy the outside. If it is rainy, channel your inner child and find the pleasure in splashing around in the puddles as you walk. Cry if you need to, but get out there and walk!

Vitamins are another way of fighting back against depression. Vitamin B complex can help to boost your mood. You may have a deficiency especially if you have been neglecting to eat or have been existing on a diet of caffeine and junk food. Try taking some Vitamin B and in about 2 weeks of faithfully taking it, you will notice a boost in your mood.

If you are taking a prescription medication for your depression, make sure to tell your doctor that you are supplementing your diet with vitamins. Herbal supplements can help with depression also but make sure that you let your doctor know what you are taking to avoid any drug interactions.

Omega 3 for depression? Studies have shown that this supplement can be beneficial. The problem is that many traditional doctors would rather prescribe an antidepressant than try to treat vitamin deficiencies that can cause symptoms of depression.

Alternative medicine is successful for many people who have depression. Your primary care doctor is probably not going to suggest that you try it, but a good nutritionist, acupuncture doctor, massage therapist or even chiropractor can help you cope with depression and overcome it.

Find something that you can focus on while you fight to overcome depression. It will help you to keep from giving up on yourself. It is a daily challenge but soon you will win. Look at your lifestyle and make healthier changes in order to fight back against depression.

Bipolar Disorder

While some might say that bipolar disorder or manic depression is overly diagnosed, recent studies show that the opposite is true. Because of how difficult it is to diagnose mental illnesses such as bipolar disorder, the truth is that it is under diagnosed.

Bipolar disorder symptoms are often seen in adolescents but because most people are unaware of what to look for, they do not get treatment until adulthood, if at all.

Researchers have now discovered more clues to determine who is at risk to develop bipolar disorder. The problem still remains that efficient diagnosis takes time. There is no "test" that positively determines that someone has bipolar disorder. In the meantime, the patient often self-medicates in order to cope with their symptoms.

If you lack health insurance, your chances of getting properly diagnosed lessen. Even with health insurance, you need to find competent mental health care. Because of the nature of bipolar disorder a doctor can easily miss an episode of mania in a patient and might diagnose depression. Treatment with an anti-depressant when a patient is bipolar can bring on manic episodes.

Although the latest research does give hope to better understanding bipolar disorder and educates people to look for risk factors and symptoms, we still have a long way to go to learn more about the hows and whys of bipolar disorder.

Charlie Sheen- Portrait of Denial

Charlie Sheen is all over the media for all the wrong reasons. The highest paid actor on television today has been having a public "meltdown" of sorts and although he justifies his behaviors, the man has some serious issues with not only drug use but with what he considers "normal".

Many of us have our own personal stories of how substance abuse has affected our lives. Our mug shots or those of our loved ones don't get splashed all over the Internet. Even though it is not public it is still a painful journey.

We can learn lessons from the very public airing of the Sheen family's nightmare.

Where there is substance abuse, there is often mental illness. This is called "dual diagnosis".
There are several reasons why mental illness and substance abuse go hand-in-hand. It is common for people who have an undiagnosed mental illness to self-medicate with illegal drugs or alcohol. If someone is not diagnosed before they turn to drugs and alcohol, treatment becomes all the more difficult.

Drugs and alcohol cause a huge imbalance in one's brain chemistry. Mental illness, such as bipolar disorder, already has the person unstable because of the disorder.

Therapists, doctors, and drug counselors who have viewed the interview with Charlie Sheen are all in agreement about his behavior. He looks like someone who is experiencing extreme mania. His grandiosity about his own importance and immortality is not "normal". Yes, it can be the drugs but it can also be someone who is bipolar and experiencing a more manic period. In men especially, instead of deep depression that follows manic episodes, often the depression manifests as rage.


The interviewer asks Charlie what he thought about his father coming out to support him during this period in his life. Charlie, like many other addicts in denial, acts defensively. He accuses his father of "judging" him. He will not admit to being addicted to drugs yet when he talks about some of his previous partying experiences, he brags about how much drugs he was able to ingest. His delusions of being superior to others is evident in his words. Again, manic behavior.

Anyone who has loved someone who is an addict can feel for Martin Sheen and his family. It is a totally helpless feeling to be the parent, sibling, friend or lover of someone who is slowly (or quickly) headed towards self-destruction.

Because Charlie Sheen has his wealth, he will continue to attract "goddesses" who are all too willing to exploit themselves for a piece of Charlie's wealth. Right now, being cut off from his family is not going to phase him too much. Having his young twin sons taken away from him is a good start. He does seem to be bothered by this recent turn of events.

What else can help someone like Charlie Sheen acknowledge his addiction and possible mental health problems?

His money needs to run out. Plain and simple. He needs to hit rock bottom. Let's see how many goddesses will be around once he has no money to pay for them.

Hollywood needs to cut him off also. The only way to save Charlie Sheen is to kick him to the curb and allow him to realize the severity of his actions.

Outside of Hollywood, regular people would have lost their source of income faster than Charlie Sheen will. A regular person who is in the midst of full-blown substance abuse would see their downfall come much faster even though their friends and family may enable them for some time.

In the real world, addicts get arrested for driving under the influence. They lose their jobs. They can lose their families and homes much faster also. They do not get to go to the Betty Ford Center or a spa-like rehab.

They still can get clean and sober, though.

We need to take lessons from the downward spiral of Charlie Sheen. Recognizing mental illness, problems with substance abuse and learning how to say "no" to enabling someone can save their life.

There are great treatment programs out there that can help. Overcoming substance abuse is not easy but it can be done if the addict is willing to fight their way out of it. Having support from your friends and family will make it easier.

If you are dual diagnosis, it does not have to end tragically. Treatment for mental illness and substance abuse can be a success. Once again, it depends on the addict.

The toughest thing a person will ever do is to cut off someone they love because they refuse to admit to a substance abuse problem. It may take days, weeks, months or even years for them to see the truth but they will. There is life after addiction and it can be great.