Let’s face it – even in an un-depressed state, the holidays are stressful and often disappointing. We run ourselves ragged buying gifts, cooking, decorating and entertaining. Tempers flare as we’re thrown together with relatives whom we see infrequently, and don’t necessarily enjoy spending time with. Expectations are high that this season will be magical and [...]
I’m sure that over the past few years you’ve seen articles about the holiday blues, maybe even the one I wrote. To briefly recap, having the holidays blues isn’t the same thing as being depressed during the holidays. No, the holiday blues can strike any of us, whether we have depression or not. Some of [...]
A few months ago, my psychiatrist recommended that I take folic acid supplements, as they might boost the effectiveness of my antidepressants. I was surprised to hear his recommendation, as the idea was completely new to me. I had of course taken folic acid when my husband and I were trying to conceive, but didn’t [...]
During the holiday season, are you humming “Holly Jolly Christmas” or is “Blue Christmas” the song that keeps running through your head? Maybe it’s “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” with its wistful longing. Are you surprised that you don’t feel as joyous and celebratory as you usually do, or as you feel you should? You [...]
A couple of months ago I read a few articles about a study that seriously makes me want to scream and throw things. “Antidepressants May Impair Driving Ability, Research Finds” says one headline. My first thought was, “Oh, crud.” But then, having years of experience in looking critically at studies, I made sure I read [...]
A few months ago I read an article that raised the question of how growing up on antidepressants might affect a child’s psychological development. In Coming of Age on Antidepressants, Dr. Richard A. Friedman tells us that he started considering the issue after talking to a patient, a 31 year old woman who had been [...]
I realize that when you’re trying to talk to someone with clinical depression, it can be frustrating. It’s kind of a mine field if you have never experienced depression yourself. The situation’s complicated by an issue on the depressed person’s side. It’s very hard for someone with depression to communicate how depression feels. But there [...]
I talked in a previous blog about school avoidance, and how it can be caused by clinical depression and anxiety in a child. My son Lawrence started kindergarten this school year. He was in a wonderful preschool the past two years, where he thrived. Of course we were concerned that he would have a little [...]
Depressed women face a higher risk of giving birth to pre-term babies than women who are not depressed, new research shows. According to the research study, published last week in Human Reproduction journal, women with severe depression are twice as likely to deliver early (at fewer than 37 weeks) as women who are not depressed. [...]
Occasionally, I wish that every single person on earth could experience one day of clinical depression. Not all at once, of course. Geez, would that bring everything to a grinding halt or what? No, I wish everyone could experience it as a rite of passage, like getting your driver’s license. Actually, I also wish this [...]
