Andropause and Depression

Andropause correlates directly with depression – a major player in the notorious mid-life crisis period men face in their late 40´s to late 50´s.

There are a wide variety of symptoms and conditions men experience during this mid-life transition – everything from the mental (i.e. irritability) to the physical (loss of libido, lack of energy, and weight gain.) Depression, left untreated, can be a disabling condition.

Andropause depression is due to dropping levels of testosterone. Low testosterone levels cause many depressive symptoms – among them, a general indifference to events surrounding you, the inability to concentrate, extreme irritability, and memory loss.

We might stress over things that might otherwise be worry-free in a normal situation and brood over certain matters. Our memory might go down the drain and we begin to see our lives in a negative light.

Energy levels plummet and enthusiasm for the activities we used to enjoy become flat-lined. Insomnia and restlessness is also a common symptom. Normal everyday things can become a burden to us, and the simplest shout of a child can make us excessively irritable.

Psychologists use a variety of battery tests to figure out whether you suffer from depression. Besides handing you test sheets to work with, they also place you under observation – noticing your behavior, tendencies, and habits while talking to them. Men tend to be rebellious creatures by nature. We love shrugging off our faults and being poised in the midst of emotional trouble. We take on the role as masculine creatures – lion kings of the jungle that reign over the sprawling landscape we call life.

Men can be in full denial when it comes to questions about their sexual ability and prowess. Refusing to understand that we aren’t who we once were with our sexual performance as a result of Andropause is in our blood.

Fellas, it is time to become aware and acquainted with the severity of your depression. Off the bat, there are facts and figures supporting depression as a major problem. For one, 80% of all suicides in the United States are carried out by men.

The majority of people with this condition never seek the advice and counsel of therapists, psychologists, and psychiatrists. Probably the most shocking fact of all is the male suicide rate is highest during the Andropause years. You read correctly – highest during the years we’re specifically talking about.

How do we deal with these devastating changes to our lives? How can we manage stress to reduce the chances of clinical depression? For one, we must follow a daily exercise regimen. That coupled with a caffeine-free diet will boost our immune systems to fight disease. It will also slow down the aging process. Aim to maintain that explosive 30-inch, vertical leap well into your 60s!

Another is doing the activities we love. Don’t stray from playing your pick-up basketball games with buddies or building those go-carts from scratch as a hobby. Stick to them and enjoy the satisfaction of doing so. Distract yourself from your current condition without ignoring it completely.

Maintain a social network of friends and family that will cheer you up when you need it most. Something as simple as having your young child shove a hand drawing of a red school bus in your face can provide for laughs and smiles. The most important piece of advice is to accept your condition and make accommodations. For example, low testosterone levels can easily be supplemented with testosterone cream.

It’s bound to happen to all of us, and you either have the choice of making the best of it or letting it overwhelm you. Awareness is critical, and an optimistic attitude, followed with physical activity and a solid nutritional plan, is the best means of fighting Andropause, anti-aging, and the demon known as depression.

The information in this article is for educational purposes only, and is not intended as medical advice.

An Introduction to Mobile Psychiatric Rehabilitation

People who are mentally ill also seem to be chronically afraid of hospitals, or at least seem to want to avoid medical attention in a hospital setting. Looking at it from the perspective of someone who is confused or otherwise mentally unstable, the sterile and instrument-laden halls of a hospital are indeed terrifying, and can even be considered "creepy" by a person who is not suffering from a mental condition.

Mentally ill people do not want to come to a hospital, and they do not want to seek treatment, making it difficult to get that treatment to them. This is why mobile psychiatric rehabilitation units have been established. Mobile psychiatric rehabilitation is designed to help people who are suffering from a mental illness regain or maintain the skills that will help them function in society, allowing them the comfort and security of being treated in an individualized fashion by a caring person in their own homes.

The mobile psychiatric rehabilitation program is individualized to each person, with a specialist conducting an assessment of each person to whom the mobile psychiatric rehabilitation unit is assigned. They work with the mentally ill individual to determine their strengths, and their personal and community resources. From there they work to determine a plan of service to help outline the tasks and goals of the individual. Both the patient and the representative have tasks between each visit to make progress toward these goals.

The mobile psychiatric rehabilitation units are tailored to meet the wants as well as the needs of each individual. They can meet an individual in their own home, at their school, their work, or even in their neighborhood. These services are short term and are goal oriented, allowing people, through their own personal choice and at their own speed, to develop the skills and the support that they need to become self-sufficient and to have a more satisfying life.

Mobile psychiatric rehabilitation can help to allow a person to manage their own home through the acquisition of new skills such as budgeting, nutrition, and other self-care skills, as well as skills in areas such as the use of public transportation. Mobile psychiatric rehabilitation can help to teach mentally ill individuals or mentally deficient individuals to use their time more productively, both in the community and at home, and can help them to manage mental health issues like their medications.

Mentally ill people can also benefit from mobile psychiatric rehabilitation to help them use community resources such as employment specialists, advocacy groups, program participant groups, and other community support to their advantage. They will learn how to enjoy and make use of the love and support of their family, friends, and community, even co-workers, and will work on their ability to coordinate their care between their service providers and their support systems at or near home.

Mobile psychiatric rehabilitation focuses not on medicating or treating mentally ill patients, but on helping individuals medicate themselves and assisting them in managing their own diseases so that they can live out their lives as best as they can. A mentally ill individual could make use of mobile psychiatric rehabilitation to learn how to live on their own and how to use the features available to them, from busses and trains to employment specialists.

People working with mobile psychiatric rehabilitation can learn how to utilize their co-workers as a support system, and about how to reach out for the help that they need in managing their everyday life. The mobile psychiatric rehabilitation programs can also help people to learn about their own homes and lives, allowing them to learn about things such as budgets so that they can become even more independent.

It feels good to work with a friendly person to reach a goal that you personally have set. Whether your goal is to learn how to get to work all by yourself or how to buy groceries or clean your own house. Mobile psychiatric rehabilitation is a wonderful service for the mentally ill, and can help people who might otherwise fall apart to get on their feet and learn to move forward, perhaps for the first time in their lives.

Mobile psychiatric rehabilitation is for anyone who is a functional mentally ill person. This program, if it is available in your area, can help you or a loved one learn to make use of their functional capacity to live independently.

Always Tired, fatigued, Anxiety filled? Maybe you need a Depression Test

Depression has become one of the most widely increased diagnosed disorders in this country over the past few years. Things like the falling economy causing a decrease in personal finances, in addition to life’s daily stresses and worries have caused many Americans to become depressed.

You may have seen the recently advertised television commercials offering depression testing. Depression not only saddens an individual’s state of mind, but also causes symptoms like fatigue, anxiety and loss of motivation, even in the simplest of daily activities. People who are depressed are not temporarily moody or sad. The condition is unfortunately, long-term and negatively affects the way a person feels, thinks and behaves.

Depression is a genuine medical condition that can be treated, but the help has to be sought out. That in itself can often times be a difficult task for someone experiencing this ailment. A Depression Test is important because depression is a disease that requires attention and medical treatment. If it is not treated, it can last for months, and in some cases, even years.

If you have been feeling out-of-sorts for an extended amount of time, you might consider taking a depression test. There are several ways you can do this. If you don’t feel up to a doctor visit, go online. Visit a website that can offer you a simple questionnaire to decide whether or not you might be clinically depressed. There is a wonderful website called lexapro.com that offers a very good depression test which is in the form of a simple questionnaire. You will also find answers there to any questions you might have about the way you are feeling. Another good web resource is depression.com. Please keep in mind that if your depression test results lead you to believe that you are in fact suffering from depression, you must make an appointment to see a physician and get treatment.

If you are, or know someone who is suffering from depression, seek help. There is nothing to be ashamed. You shouldn’t have to live in sadness so don’t continue to let life pass you by. You are valuable part of this world and you deserve to experience the same happiness as everyone else around you.

Affordable Non-Drug solution to Depression

Up until recently, there were four choices for persons with Depression. These were:

1. Do nothing, suffer and hope it'll get better with time. This is the sad choice of many, and it doesn't work. They most often get worse.

2. Put them on one of the huge advertised array of drugs, and then put them on other drugs hoping to solve the side effects as they show up. This is known as the drug “side effect chain”. (My ex-wife once ended up taking six different drugs in this way, and the end effect was that she got worse instead of better - a not uncommon result)

3. Pay exorbitant amounts of money for EEG Biofeedback (Neurofeedback) training. This has been the best solution up to now. The overall success rate (with good and bad clinicians) is considered to be about 85%. But, the cost of 60 (recommended) half hour sessions with a "professional" at $4500 to over $10,000 is above the ability of most mid and low income families.

4. Try various allergy clinics to try to find the allergy/sensitivity responsible, and also do all the various tests for mineral toxicity (mercury, copper, arsenic, cadmium, etc. This is also pretty expensive, with the very best system (End Point Titration) costing upwards of $10,000. (For more info on EPT, see www.Alternate-Health.com/allergy.html).

Now, there's another choice. I invented a new method of changing brain wave amplitude (up or down) that is similar to EEG BF, but is inexpensive enough to give mid and low income families a choice besides expensive and dangerous drugs. It's audio messaging used mostly during sleep. Instead of changing behavior as is "usual" with this technique, it does the same thing that EEG biofeedback (Neurofeedback) does, i.e. it raises the SMR brain wave (12-14 cycles per second - Hz), while lowering the Theta brain wave (4-8 Hz) at the same time.

For those who aren't familiar with EEG BF, this is the most effective brain training mechanism that best solves this particular brain problem. (It also solves ADHD, insomnia, IBS, epilepsy, and even many cases of schizophrenia. There is substantial proof of this effectiveness of EEG BF, and a summary of professional papers can be found at:
).

In my former practice as an Orthomolecular Psychologist, I had used auditory messaging with good success, and in 2004, I realized that it should be possible to use this technique to do the same thing that was done by the expensive EEG BF units and a computer. Instead of going thru the conscious mind of the "trainee" to affect the unconscious, why not go directly to the unconscious mind?

After more than two years, three clinical trials, and extensive testing utilizing volunteers who paid for the right to participate, I proved the following:

1. The Bate Auditory Brainwave Training (Patent Pending) Is very similar to EEG BF and accomplishes the same “basic brain training” with these following minor differences:

a. It compares with one night sleep being almost equivalent to one half hour session. 9-10 weeks of sleep showed approximately the same improvement in ADHD diagnosed persons as 60 half hour sessions in a clinic. (Yes, it takes a long time to be effective, with either method - there really isn't any “magic pill”, in spite of what the drug companies say in their ads.



b. There is more possibility of a Hawthorne Effect in this training than in EEG BF training. For more info on this Effect see: .

In the last test, this possible effect was discussed beforehand and warned about, and while it occurred in a few cases, it did not deter any of the volunteers, as it had done in earlier testing. (This is NOT a dangerous "side effect" such as can be caused by all drugs! It can cause minor discomfort in a few individuals for only a day or so at worst.)

c. Motivation is no longer a huge factor as it is in EEG BF. Both the parents
and the child have to motivated to continue long weeks of training, and if the training is stopped before an end point, some, or most, of the gain is lost.

2. This system costs under $200, and that is a one-time fee only. It can be used for as long as it takes. (With Autistic children, it can take up to 200 EEG BF sessions). The system is composed of two basic CD's. The first is the actual Audio Training program, playable on any CD player, boom box, etc. The second CD is a computer disk that has several other programs useful as adjuncts to this training. This includes a free allergy/sensitivity test, a free bottle of amino acid supplement that has a calming effect, and several articles on alternate health therapies that have been shown to be of help for all types of brain problems.

3. There is also a year's full money back guarantee of success. If any person tries this for at least 60 days, and then states that there has been no significant improvement they will receive a full rebate including shipping and handling (which is included in the price).

Now, even the low and mid income families have a choice that doesn't force them to do nothing or to try and/or use dangerous drugs.

Acknowledge Your Depression

Depression is an illness and needs to be acknowledged as such. It is not a reason to be ashamed. The reason so many people fail to seek help for their depression is that they are ashamed. Unfortunately, this is one of the feelings associated with depression anyway and makes the illness difficult to acknowledge.

If you are constantly feeling particularly low, well-meaning friends might tell you to “snap out of it” or even start to get irritated by your mood. Your depression will feed off this negativity and you start to wonder why you can’t just “snap out of it”. You then start to feel that there’s something wrong with you because it should be so easy and it’s just “not right” that you feel so bad all the time. Well, it’s not right and there is something wrong with you. You have a medical condition and you deserve treatment in the same way as any other patient. If you had a cold for six months would you ignore it and hope it would pass? No, you would dose yourself up with anything you could find and maybe see a doctor to find out if there’s an underlying reason for it to last so long.

Depression is sadness that lasts too long. Everyone is sad at some point in their lives but depression is more than that. It is a feeling that you can’t bring yourself up from the bottom. In the end you give up trying. People start to avoid you. You feel worse. You need to find external help to treat the problem in the same way as you would if you had a long-lasting cold. You could try herbal remedies – there are some in your pharmacy – or you could see your doctor. There may be an underlying physical cause for your depression.

If your doctor cannot help you they may refer you for counselling. Don’t be embarrassed to go for counselling but do make sure you are comfortable with your counsellor. If not, try another one. Counselling should not be discounted because you don’t feel comfortable with your first choice of practitioner. In everyday life you will naturally find that you get on with some people and clash with others. You cannot afford to have a personality clash with your counsellor. On the other hand you must be sure that it is a personality clash and not just that you don’t agree with what they are saying. A general rule is to go with your instincts. If you like the person and seemed to get on well in the first couple of sessions then stick with it because they might just have touched on the root cause of your problem.

In some cases, acknowledging depression may be difficult because you have lived with it so long that you don’t know whether it is depression or not. If you have grown up with depression it is possible not to realise that you are actually depressed because you have no concept of how normal people should feel. You may feel angry all the time or you may feel like going to the middle of an empty field and simply screaming. You may feel anxious, have trouble sleeping or even sleep too much. You may think that your family would be better off without you (and actually believe that to be true) and may have considered running away or suicide. You may worry about death all the time (yours or someone else’s) and not let yourself be happy just in case…… (or even “I must enjoy this now in case………..”). If you are feeling any or all of the above then you need to consider talking to someone. Even if it is just a friend or family member to start with, they may be able to advise you and encourage you to seek professional help.

Once you have acknowledged that you have depression please remember that it is a medical condition and can be cured. You don’t have to feel this way for ever. Nobody actually thinks of you the way you think they do. Talk to someone. Seek and accept help and you will find that there is a different way of seeing life.

A Potential Cause And Solution To Depression

Clinical Depression.I have recently made a very startling discovery which has helped me to stop spiralling into bouts of depression. In this article, I write about this discovery which I hope will help other people to lead much happier lives, free from anxiety and stress.

I am the type of person who can easily let things get on top of me. If I am rushed about here there and everywhere by my family or friends, I am often left feeling very drained and exhausted. I am sure this is the same for many people but the way it affects me over the next twenty-four hours is somewhat different. I seem to lose all of my energy and this then can easily lead me into thinking in a very negative way, often ending with me becoming quite depressed.

For whatever reason this depression can stay and in a way haunt my life for quite a few days. I begin to worry about the future, start to think that I am a failure, start to become paranoid about what other people think of me and basically become scared to leave my own house.

I have spoken to my family and especially my parents about this issue. They have advised me to seek help from a doctor. I must say that even though this would be good advice for most people, I feel that I am the kind of person who could become easily hooked and dependant on any tablets that would be described. I certainly do not want an addiction to add to my problems.

Possible solution to my depression

A few weeks ago I was watching a television program which has since had a massive impact on my life. It was an army type program and it talked about how one particular group of soldiers had all seemingly become ill and could not even complete the most routine of tasks.

A doctor or some other type of medical person was called to their camp to investigate what was wrong. The initial belief was that it was likely to be some form of food poisoning.

The doctor actually stated that the men had salt deprivation and called for for a large amount of salt tablets to be bought to the camp.

I thought about this and wondered if this could be the cause of my own issues.

The next time I felt I was becoming down or when I was over tired, I ate food products which contained a lot of salt and I am very happy to report that I quickly regained my energy and confidence levels. Such a simple solution to what was once such a huge problem for me.

If you are also the kind of person who is often depressed try eating a bit more salt, it might just change your life.

A Look At Different Depression Treatment Regimens And Programs

One of the most prevalent health problem in many countries around the world is depression. Indeed, researchers have concluded that a majority of people will experiencing clinical depression at some point during their lifetimes. As a result, all people should at least have a basic awareness of what different depression treatment regimens are available in the 21st. Indeed, when it comes to depression treatment, there are a number of different options available to people afflicted with this possibly debilitating disease.

If a person is suffering from a mild, isolated case of depression, an effective depression treatment program may include more sleep, an improved diet and increased exercise. In some instances, a combination of these recourses does result in an effective depression treatment regimen.

Many people find themselves suffering through a more serious bout of depression. In such instances, a depression treatment program must include professional assistance. When consulting with a qualified health care professional, a depression treatment program that includes therapy and medication or medications is likely to be recommended.

When it comes to a depression treatment program, medications are helpful to aid in the reduction of the symptoms that commonly are associated with a depressive illness. With that said, in most cases, it is important that a depression treatment program include therapy. Therapy is an important element of a depression treatment program in many cases to assist the afflicted patient with discovering the root causes of the depressive illness with which he or she is afflicted.

In some instances, a depressive illness is so serious that a depression treatment program includes inpatient hospitalization. In most instances, a person who is hospitalized for a depressive illness will only be confined for a short period of time -- for a matter of days. The goal of hospitalization as a depression treatment regimen in the 21st century is patient stabilization. The long term treatment will be conducted on an outpatient basis. Long gone are the days (in most cases) in which stabilization and intensive treatment occurs while a patient is involved in an inpatient depression treatment program.

In recent years, many mental health care professionals have again begun to advocate the use of EST (electro-shock therapy) for patients who have a more profound depressive illness. For some period of time in the 1970s and 1980s, EST as a depression treatment option was frowned upon by a wide sector of the mental health care professional community. However, in recent years, the techniques associated with EST have been refined and many doctors have come to see beneficial results in their patients who are subjected to a depression treatment regimen that includes EST. But, again, EST is utilized as a depression treatment option in only a limited number of cases in which the depression of a particular patient is severe and unabated over an extended period of time. As with depression treatment programs that include medication, patients who receive EST also participate in a course of therapy to try and discover the root causes of the depressive illness.

A Look At Different Depression Treatment Regimens

One of the most prevalent health problem in many countries around the world is depression. Indeed, researchers have concluded that a majority of people will experiencing clinical depression at some point during their lifetimes. As a result, all people should at least have a basic awareness of what different depression treatment regimens are available in the 21st. Indeed, when it comes to depression treatment, there are a number of different options available to people afflicted with this possibly debilitating disease.

If a person is suffering from a mild, isolated case of depression, an effective depression treatment program may include more sleep, an improved diet and increased exercise. In some instances, a combination of these recourses does result in an effective depression treatment regimen.

Many people find themselves suffering through a more serious bout of depression. In such instances, a depression treatment program must include professional assistance. When consulting with a qualified health care professional, a depression treatment program that includes therapy and medication or medications is likely to be recommended.

When it comes to a depression treatment program, medications are helpful to aid in the reduction of the symptoms that commonly are associated with a depressive illness. With that said, in most cases, it is important that a depression treatment program include therapy. Therapy is an important element of a depression treatment program in many cases to assist the afflicted patient with discovering the root causes of the depressive illness with which he or she is afflicted.

In some instances, a depressive illness is so serious that a depression treatment program includes inpatient hospitalization. In most instances, a person who is hospitalized for a depressive illness will only be confined for a short period of time -- for a matter of days. The goal of hospitalization as a depression treatment regimen in the 21st century is patient stabilization. The long term treatment will be conducted on an outpatient basis. Long gone are the days (in most cases) in which stabilization and intensive treatment occurs while a patient is involved in an inpatient depression treatment program.

In recent years, many mental health care professionals have again begun to advocate the use of EST (electro-shock therapy) for patients who have a more profound depressive illness. For some period of time in the 1970s and 1980s, EST as a depression treatment option was frowned upon by a wide sector of the mental health care professional community. However, in recent years, the techniques associated with EST have been refined and many doctors have come to see beneficial results in their patients who are subjected to a depression treatment regimen that includes EST. But, again, EST is utilized as a depression treatment option in only a limited number of cases in which the depression of a particular patient is severe and unabated over an extended period of time. As with depression treatment programs that include medication, patients who receive EST also participate in a course of therapy to try and discover the root causes of the depressive illness.

5 PROVEN Tips To Help You Wipeout Your Depression So You Can Live A Happy Life

Are you lonely?

Did you know that being lonely is a normal part of our everyday lives.

Lets face it, we've all been there.

We get depressed when we fail in our exams, when we're rejected by the person we love, or when someone very close to us passes away.

That's just part of life.

But, depression, however, can be more fatal than just plain loneliness. It could render Life-Long consequences that could ruin your Self-Esteem, Health, and Well-Being in the process.

Well today is your lucky day because I'm going to share with you some great tips to help you conquer the 'Melancholy Mood' so you can get the MOST bliss out of your daily activities.

So, with that said, lets go to Tip #1.


Tip #1. Do you get enough Light and Sunshine?

Did you know that lack of exposure to sunlight is responsible for the secretion of the hormone called Melatonin, which could trigger a dispirited mood and/or a lethargic condition.

Melatonin is only produced in the dark. What it does is it lowers the body temperature and makes you feel sluggish.

So, if you are always cooped up in your room (with the curtains closed), it would be difficult to restrain yourself from staying in bed.

This is the reason why many people suffer from depression much more often in winter than in the other seasons.

It's simply because the nights are longer.

If you can't afford to get some sunshine, you can always lighten up your room with brighter lights to help offset the darkness.

Or...

You could go have lunch outside the office for a change and take frequent walks in the early afternoon instead of driving your car over short distances.

The choices are endless. It's really up to you.


Tip #2. Keep Busy and Get Inspired.

You'll be more likely to overcome any feeling of depression if you keep your mind busy doing the activities you like doing the most.

Do the things you love.

If you're a little short on cash, you could engage in simple stuff like taking a leisurely stroll in the park, playing sports, reading books, or engaging in any activity that you have passion for and would love to pursue.

Also, set a Goal.

No matter how difficult or discouraging life can be, remain firm and have an unshakable belief that you are capable of doing anything you desire.

With this kind of positive attitude, you will attain a cheerful disposition to beat the blues.


Tip #3. Take a Break. Sit back and Relax.

I mean it.

Listen to some soothing music you like. Soak in a nice warm bath. Simply take a break from your stressful workload and spend the day just goofing around doing the things you love.

In other words, go have fun. Life's to short as it is.


Tip #4. Maintain a healthy diet and Stay Fit.

Avoid foods with lots of Sugar, Caffeine or Alcohol.

Sugar and caffeine may give you a brief moment of energy; but they will later bring about Anxiety, Tension and Internal problems.

Alcohol on the other hand is a depressant. Many people would drink alcohol to simply "forget their problems."

All they're doing is aggravating their conditions in the process.

Also, did you know that exercising regularly is a vital depression buster.

Why you ask?

Simply because it allows your body to produce more Endorphins than usual.

Endorphins are sometimes called "the happy chemicals" because of their Stress-Reducing and Happiness-Inducing properties.


Tip #5. Get a Social Life outside of work.

No man is an island. Your inner circle of friends are there to give you moral support.

Spending time and engaging in worthwhile activities with them could give you a very satisfying feeling.

And we all now... nothing feels better than having group support.

And... never underestimate the power of Touch.

What I mean is... doesn't it feel so good when someone pats you on the back and gives you words of encouragement during your most challenging times?

Hug or embrace someone today.

Get intimate.

Establish close ties with your family and friends.

The love and care expressed by others could tremendously boost your immune system and fend off illnesses.

Best of all, you'll live a more secured and happy life.


Now go give those 5 Tips a try and see how they pan out for you.