LiveWellTalk - Overcoming Mental Health Challenges

Many people view depression as a state of mind controlled by the individual experiencing it instead of a real condition. It has been referred to as whining, complaining, or feeling sorry for oneself. Negative comments and teasing may have been thrown around by ignorant people. Depression is a mental illness. It is not just a state of mind that can be wished away. Chemical changes might occur in the brain altering emotions and moods. That fact alone changes the disorder from a controllable figment of imagination to a medical condition. Hundreds of millions of people worldwide are diagnosed with this disorder each year. Speculation from professionals on the subject believes there are many more cases not reported. Men are not as prone to telling someone their feelings or lack thereof regularly. People fear they will be viewed as freaks or insane if they come forth and admit they have disturbing abnormal thoughts. Some individuals do not have the money to seek ongoing treatment. There are ...

The symptoms of a panic attack are very similar to those of a heart attack: the heart pounds, breathing is almost impossible and people believe that death is imminent or that they are going crazy. A panic attack can happen anytime and anywhere without any warning sign: this can be while you are relaxing, sleeping, walking the dog, dining out with good friends, etc. Most people experience this kind of panic attack disorder once in their lifetimes; some others have it sometimes twice and the episode is ‘forgotten’ for them. Panic Disorder With and Without Agoraphobia More unfortunate people who suffer from recurrent panic attacks develop over time a never-ending fear of having another panic attack. They simply cannot forget the terrible intense fear that they have felt during their panic attack, and their self-confidence vanishes with time. This fear of fear is practically always present with them and usually influences negatively the person’s daily activities and quality of life. These ...

As one wakes up from a teenage sleep to adulthood, one has to travel through a very rough and rocky road. The transition stage usually surfaces as the chapter of college life begins. It is when most young minds are brought to foreign places to sharpen their minds and skills for a brighter future. Also, it is when they experience almost the firsts of everything. Adjustments do not happen overnight. Being a stranger in a crowd, most of the time makes students feel bad and scared. It is normal to feel down at times but if the feeling of anxiety and emptiness doesn’t go away, there is a possibility that they are developing depression in college. Depression in college students “I am depressed!” This is the common expression among college students, may it be after a social event or academic activity. But depression in college has a deeper meaning which most students and even professionals sometimes fail to recognize. It is a condition of mental disturbance that causes a feeling of hopelessne...

Can dads get postnatal depression (PND)? The first question you may ask about the line above is: is it true? Do we have any statistic that says this is true or close to true? Yes, Paternal Postpartum Depression (PPPD), or Postnatal Depression (PND) in Men Is Very Real. Can dads get postnatal depression? About 8-10% of men experience depression before or after the pregnancy of their partner and childbirth. [Ref. Postpartum Depression in Men - PMC - NCBI ] There are many misconceptions, especially in this area – many people believe that postnatal depression (PND) in men occurs as an after-effect due to the presence of PND in women. But that is far from the truth. There is independent evidence for the presence of PND in men. It is also fair to say here that when PND is present in mothers , there is a greater likelihood that PND will also occur in fathers. Emotional poverty and stress along with depression can be observed in new dads even before the child is born. This onset of depres...