Depression Q&A
25 experts · 105 questions answered
Latest Q&As
How can I help my little brother addict with suicidal thoughts.
The best thing to do is find a close-by addictions counselor who is licensed to provide mental health counseling and make sure he or she is available to give you an appointment right away if you are able to convince your brother to go with you. Then, in a loving and caring way, tell your brother, in
Answered by William Anderson
Tips for looking after yourself whilst caring for a depressed family member
Caring for someone who is depressed can be exhausting, demanding, and rewarding, all at the same time. As a support person you may feel the need to be the emotionally strong one at all times, but this can come at the expense of your own wellbeing. For this reason it’s really important that you look
Answered by Penny Bell
Is it about you?
When your children are suffering, it is something that a caring parent does not like to see. Parents like the person asking this question can be defensive and realize that it is sounding like it is about them and not their children. This may in fact be the most appropriate place to start. If the you
Answered by Rev. Christopher Smith
Helping A Loved One Help Themself
Hello and thank you for addressing these important concerns to me. First, I wish to say that I am truly sorry to hear about your son's recent struggles, and about the stressful impact his challenges are having on you. There really is no way to go through life as a sentient being and NOT encounter su
Answered by Dr. Richard Schultz
How can I help my depressed son?
It does sound as if your son is suffering from a mental health condition, possibly depression, and has been for some time. What you’re noticing now is that this depression seems to be more entrenched, and he’s becoming even more isolated. I can understand how worrying this must be for you, and how p
Answered by Penny Bell
Ghost In The Machine?
Hello and thank you very much for addressing your question to me. As your question is almost word for word the very title of a recent answer I provided to another reader, and because you have provided no detail to your question, I am left scratching my head and a bit confused. Perhaps you hit send t
Answered by Dr. Richard Schultz
Post Partum Depresion
Hello and thank you so much for reaching out! The short answer is yes - I absolutely have seen people rebuild their lives after losing absolutely everything - in fact, I've helped hundreds of folks do so. My first suggestion to you is to stop comparing yourself to anyone - especially to your husband
Answered by Jim LaPierre
How Obsession Begets Obsession...With Anything
Hello, and thank you for addressing your question to me. I am truly sorry for the suffering you have experienced in regard to your relationship with food, and other troubling symptoms of symptoms of anxiety and depression. Let me first tell you that you are so NOT alone in your struggles. In any giv
Answered by Dr. Richard Schultz
If Not For Yourself, Then Do It For Me!: Motivating Behavioral Health Change In The Family
Hello and thank you for addressing this important question to me. As we Baby Boomers continue to age (at least us lucky ones!), challenges and concerns such as this, which revolve around adherence to medical treatment, and the relationship between family members, caregivers and healthcare profession
Answered by Dr. Richard Schultz
Is Effexor the Cause of my RLS?
Having practiced medicine now for over 35 years, I watched restless legs syndrome morph from an extremely rare phenomenon into something so common that the pharmaceutical companies advertise products for this direct to consumers. The old restless legs syndrome involved substantial actual movement of
Answered by Dr. Stuart Shipko
Thirteen and Scared
Hello zaylahn, It is very brave of you to reach out for help and I commend you. Thank you for allowing me to help you. I can imagine how you must be feeling and unable to tell your parents about it. If you and your mother have a good relationship, then by all means speak with her and let her know wh
Answered by Jeannie Cameron, LMHC
Depression Makes Growing Up Even Tougher - Ask for Help!
Hey - thanks for your question. I'm really glad you reached out! The short answer is - hell yes, talk to your mom immediately. If you're not sure where to start or what to say, tell her exactly what you told me and tell her I said you absolutely need support. If you find you just can't bring yoursel
Answered by Jim LaPierre
Anxiety About Antidepressants: Iatrogenesis or Phobia?
Hello and thank you for addressing your question to me. First, let me respond directly to the content of your question. I will then attempt to address the subtext of your question. Since the introduction of Prozac, the first widely distributed selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), in 1974,
Answered by Dr. Richard Schultz
Sweet Dreams are Made of These
Hi...in the spirit of candor I have no idea what the long term effects are neurologically - I encourage you to check with your doctor. My thoughts run more along the lines of why are you looking years down the road? Are there things that can be resolved in the here and now? Do your nightmares have a
Answered by Jim LaPierre
Marijuana and Depression.
Thank you for your question. I do not know how old your brother is but a study published in the journal of Neuropsychopharmacology in July this year found that teenagers who regularly smoke cannabis offer long lasting brain damage and are in much greater danger of developing schizophrenia. Teens asi
Answered by Rebecca Ashton
Can I Take St John's Wort?
Hello and thank you for your question. I am afraid that I cannot advise on the use of medication-natural or otherwise. However, what I can and will say is that before taking any medication at all-and that includes natural remedies-you should always see a Doctor who will advise you on what to take an
Answered by Rebecca Ashton
Are You Depressed Enough For Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation?
Hi There: Thank you for addressing your interesting question to me. For those not familiar with this new form of treatment, TMS (transcranial magnetic stimulation) has been shown to produce changes in neuronal activity in regions of the brain implicated in mood regulation, such as the prefrontal cor
Answered by Dr. Richard Schultz
How to Support a Depressed Friend
It is natural to want to support a friend when they are depressed. It is also natural to try and support that friend in the same way that you would want to be supported. The real challenge is to work out what you can do that will be helpful for that friend as well as be percieved by your friend as s
Answered by Rev. Christopher Smith
How can I get over my wife's passing?
Firstly may I express my deepest sympathy for the loss of your wife. You are correct when you say your sadness and loneliness is appropriate, and particularly at this time at the one year anniversary of her death. I am interested though that your daughter is seeing something more – that she is notic
Answered by Penny Bell
Infertility and Depression in men
Hello Anonymous, Depression and antidepressants can affect a man's sexual arousal and performance. Stress can lower sperm count. Therefore, finding healthy ways of coping with stress would be helpful. Exercising, meditation, journaling, and talking things out are a few ways of coping with stress and
Answered by Arlinda Lindsay
Distinguishing Mental Health Issues and Adolescent Issues
A 16-year-old describes years of unnoticed anxiety, depression, low self-image, and cyclical mood swings, and asks whether these might be linked to her newly diagnosed PCOS and what she should do.
Answered by Rev. Christopher Smith
Postpartum Depression and Work
For some women, returning to work aggravates the postpartum depression because of the added stress of going to work and achieving work/life balance with the responsibilities of taking care of a baby. Anxiety may increase as well as sadness, and guilt. However, returning to work may aid in recovery b
Answered by Arlinda Lindsay
Motivation through Depression
You are certainly thinking outside the box and I commend your creativity. I might suggest, however, something that would not cause you both additional stress. I am not sure where you live or what temperatures we're talking about in terms of household temps, so I don't know if adjusting a thermostat
Answered by Loren Gelberg-Goff
Drastic Changes - Where To Look Next
When a person is made to face their own mortality, a lot of other things can happen for the person. This type of experience can result in spiritual yearning and discernment. This type of experience can lead some people to be more engaged in life trying to get as much as they can out of life while ot
Answered by Rev. Christopher Smith
Will my depression go away now I'm free of the situation that caused it?
Hello, and thanks for your quesion. The short answer is that I can't predict what will or won't happen, and couldn't even if I knew a lot more about you and your situation. The fact is you are still feeling this, so what to do about it. Certainly being out of the situation removes some pressure, tho
Answered by Mark Hughes
Helping a Depressed Person Seek Help
When someone you love is struggling with depression, it can be really frustrating. They have changed from the person that you knew into someone who is behaving in ways that they never would have previously. This is the case whether or not the depression has triggering events that you can point to. A
Answered by Rev. Christopher Smith
Should I tackle my son over drinking so much diet soda?
My first thought is that you won't help your son by trying to stop him doing something that he seems to be doing for his own reasons. If he's depressed, maybe this helps him cope with his feelings, so telling him you think he's drinking too much soda isn't very helpful from his perspective. It sound
Answered by Mark Hughes
Is it Dysthymia or Just a Pessimistic Outlook?
I struggled with answering this question for a moment, largely because my initial response was "does it matter?" If your wife is less happy than she could be, or she has fallen into thought processes that limit her happiness, it doesn't really matter whether it's biological or learned (which is the
Answered by Jennifer Liles
More Depression in the Modern World?
There are many different types of "getting depressed" that will yield different answers as to whether it is more prominent today than in the past. The first distinction that should be made is between actual rates of depression and diagnosed rates of depression. It is certainly true that people are m
Answered by Rev. Christopher Smith
Depression Symptoms
Thank you for your question. I would definitely tell your parents. You can also try talking to your school guidance counselor who can refer you to a counselor. Your symptoms seem to fit the criteria for depression but I would need more information to make an accurate diagnosis. It's a good idea to g
Answered by Anna Deeds