The history of humanity is full of moments where human lives have been jeopardized by war. revolution, earthquakes, or other upheavals. Fear of death is a universal phenomenon shared by all living beings, but for some people, anticipating future dangers tends to produce more fear of present andfuture threats. In …

Talking to Your DoctorHow well you and your doctor talk to each other is one of the most important parts of getting good health care. But talking to your doctor isn’t always easy. It takes time and effort on your part aswell as your doctor’s. To prepare for your appointment, …

There are several types of depressive disorders. Major depression: Severe symptoms that interfere with the ability to work, sleep, study, eat, and enjoy life. An episode can occur only once in a person’s lifetime, but more often, a person has several episodes. Persistent depressive disorder: A depressed mood that lasts …

Depression is treatableMy daily routine was shot. I didn’t have the energy to do anything. I got up because the dog had to be walked and my wife needed to go to work. The day would go by, and I didn’t know where it went. I wanted to get back …

Having depression for a long period of time is not a normal part of growing older. Most older adults feel satisfied with their lives, despite having more illnesses or physical problems. But depression in olderadults may be difficult to recognize because they may show different, less obvious symptoms. Sometimes older …

DEFINITIONS OF DEPRESSIONKlerman and Weissman have described the variety of definitions of depression and its symptoms. A diagnosis of clinical depression depends on the pattern of symptoms and on theirseverity and duration. One way of classifying the symptoms of unipolar depression is into a syndrome of four dimensions. The cognitive …

The fact that depression is more common among women than men has been thoroughlydocumented, but it is important to go beyond this basic epidemiologic finding and ask why. Empirically, this question translates first to asking under what conditions are women moredepressed, and whether there are conditions under which women are …

Prior to any psychotherapeutic work with depressed patients it is essential that the patient have a complete and thorough medical examination because the affective state of depression can quite often be the result of some hormonal or other organic dysfunction. When one is not feeling well physically, there is a …

What is the cause of the experience of depression itself? Essentially the experience of depression is caused by the turning of a great intensity of energy upon the ego. This energy is usually destructive in nature. In simplified terms, depression is oftentimes experienced when the energy of anger is turned …

There are distinct degrees of severity in mental disorders, but the traditional distinction between neurosis and psychosis is today a controversial issue. Pinsker and Spitzer (1977) reported that, in DSM-III, psychoses and neuroses are not used as principles of classification. According to Pinsker and Spitzer, the term psychotic is used …