When it comes to diagnosing major depressive disorder (MDD) there is enormous influence from the social environment. This is my second assessment I did on a course from Coursera* which is about the social context of mental health. Depression, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), will be the secondary cause of global health burden by 2020. Depression is an … [Read more...]
The Absent Father and Depression
The painful and lasting effects of the absent father on mental health and addiction Often people who struggle with depression have an absent father in their lives. The absent father figure comes up frequently when we document recovery stories, some examples are: Carrie Fisher and Jason Robinson. When the father is absent the likelihood of substance use and depression is … [Read more...]
Am I Depressed? The Ten Best Online Screening Tools for Depression
Am I depressed? Sometimes it's hard to work out whether or not you're depressed. You feel sad or low, suffer tiredness and insomnia for a while, but does that mean depression? In this post we present a comprehensive list of screening tools to help people ascertain whether or not they are depressed. Concerned friends and family who have noticed increased isolation or a … [Read more...]
Isolation
Isolation is the inability of an individual to maintain genuine contact with others or society at large. It is one of the key reasons people experience depression and often keeps people depressed. Depression and isolation have rapidly risen during the past twenty years. Isolation is one of the most common factors across a wide range of mental health issues. It can be hard … [Read more...]
Dysthymia
Dysthymia (dysthymic disorder) is a chronic depression, although a milder and lower grade type than major depression. It occurs for a longer time, often over a 1-2 year period sometimes longer. The symptoms are not as intense or disabling as major depression although it remains a serious condition and one which requires care and treatment as its consequences are serious, … [Read more...]