I have had Postpartum Depression for a year. I am on medication which has helped calm the mood swings, but I just don't feel as though I am on the road to recovery. What helped you the most and when did you know that you were going to be okay?

It's a long road. Sleep deprivation is the worst part because it can make depression and mood swings worse.

Hopefully you have the support of the baby's father and / or family and friends.

Be sure to see a counselor or religious figure (priest /clergyman/pastor/monk) to discuss any issues that may be holding you back from making real progress.

I knew it was going to be OK when I started to take some time for myself and I wanted to be around the baby and was happy to see her and not just feel tired and cranky with the baby.

I highly recommend hitting the gym. Really work out as hard as you can. It really helps to focus. Sound body = sound mind thing.

Be sure you are eating well, it can be hard when you are depressed, also make sure you are getting plenty of vitamins.

If you feel that you really haven;t improved then visit your doctor or health care professional to reevaluate what medication you are taking. They may have to change it or tweak the dosage a bit to make it better for you.

The worse part about PPD is that people don't take it seriously and they tell you stupid platitudes like "you'll be OK" "the depression won't last forever", etc. When you are in the middle of it sometimes it is the last thing you want to hear.

Try to take care of you, only then will you be able to effectively manage taking care of your baby. Don't cut out the things you like to do, recruit someone to help you get the time you need to be yourself again.

I hope that you get better and you do find that road to recovery. If you need someone to talk to who has been there (twice, I have 4 kids now) then please email me. Good luck! My prayers are with you

I think I may be clinically depressed but everyone thinks it's just because I'm a teenager. But the hurt, emptiness and confusion are much too deep. What are the signs of clinical depression, specifically in teens? Thanks =)

Hurt, emptiness, and confusion are quite normal in teens and every teen that has them thinks they are much too deep. It is a normal stage of growing up. Feeling sad after a disappointment is normal and there are a lot of instances for being disappointed in your teen years.

The source link I provide gives you not only the basic symptoms but the difference between normal occurance of those symptoms and abnormal occurance of those symptoms.

There is no quick fix to these feelings even if you do have clinical depression other than to find things you do well and focus on those when you get "down". Antidepressants do not always work well in adults, and in teens and preteens they are even less effective and you only get as much out of therapy as you put into it.

Lots of people say they have it, especially celebrities.
How many people genuinely have it, how many people just get incredibly depressed or hyper in phases. Isn’t that just the human condition.

There is nothing cool at all about it. I have several dear friends for whom it is a daily struggle. Maintaining that sense of balance and normalcy with or with out medication is rough, and it’s hard to see people you care about go through that.

I think some people feel those ups and downs in their lives, and have a tendency to self-diagnose.

I came off my anti depressants about 6 months ago, and sice then, i have been feeling really low and fed up.
But i dont know if my depression has returned, or i have just been feeling a bit low, how do you feel the difference?
I cant get motivated to do anything, all i want to do is go to college everyday, but its only 4 days a week.
I'm distancing myself from all my friends, and i am oversleeping almost every morning too.
I am also feeling VERY anti social, when i went for a walk today, i had to walk down really quiet roads where there were not any people, because i just wanted to avoid people, i felt like they would all be looking at me, and i just didn't want to see people.

Is this depression, or just feeling a bit low for 6 months?

Symptoms you describe seem to indicate to me that you may have stopped your anti-depressants too soon. You should visit your doctor again and tell him how you feel.

Some websites Deny Arnica’s effectiveness of post surgical treatment.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/97580…

http://dermatology.jwatch.org/cgi/conten…

Even the Homeopathy websites which promote this product, warning that, “Homeopathic remedies are very dilute, and while the homeopathic remedy may be beneficial, the raw product may be harmful.”

http://abchomeopathy.com/r.php/Arn

Now I want to know, Is this Homeopathic medicine really effective for the treatment of Episiotomy? Have any side affect of it? Have any risk to increase the problem or create new problem instead of healing the problem?

I also want to know that, is Arnica only just a pain killer or antibiotic, or it is for completely healing and cure? Is it only for use to reduce pain after a surgical operation, or can use any time in order to help the entire healing process? Our patient already passed 8 weeks after a full cut Episiotomy and now have only slight pain sometimes when any movement or physical activity. So pain reduction is not major issue now. We only need to ensure complete and permanent healing. So I cannot assure if the Arnica would be applicable or not at this moment.

As we see contradictory information about this medicine in the web, so I need to know real experience or authentic data. How many Episiotomy patients get complete recovery by taking Arnica or such type of Homeo medicine?

The website that refers to your wife’s situation – or, perhaps for your purpose of research, is http://www.nationalcenterforhomeopathy.org. You’re looking for education, so it’s important to rely on a dependable resource.

Just as YA is full of Top Contributor medical skeptics who earned their badge not based on professional experience, but uneducated personal opinion negating homeopathy and other viable “energy” medicines – the web is full of individual opinions and experience.

Basically, whether on YA or on the web, you can find the answer you want.

For a person with these problems, being under the care of a certified, professional homeopath is necessary. This situation doesn’t qualify in the category of self-help acute care. The remedy is not homeopathy, it’s the knowledge and philosophy for understanding why a particular remedy should be given and not another. That’s the first step. The hardest part, requiring skill as a classical homeopath, is “case management” – the second and, if necessary, subsequent remedies.

You ask for real experience and authentic data. If you are unable to accept more than 25 years of my experience as a homeopath, I don’t know what more to offer. The woman needs to be under the care of a homeopath, based on qualifications set forth by the Council for Homeopathic Certification, the only profession-wide credentialing organization in N. America.

No, Arnica is not enough.

One of my friends wish to stay in Qatar for an year. He is a homeopathic practitioner and wishes to carry some homeopathy medicine to gulf. Is there any restriction in the flight to carry? What is the best method to carry the homeopathic medicine?

Why would there be a problem carrying water? Put it in your checked luggage.

I don’t have thoughts of suicide but I, and those around me, have noticed a change in my behavior. Lately I have been feeling nauseous, tired, agitated, and I have also been very reclusive and sad. I’ve had a lot of trouble getting up in the mornings, which is very odd for me. Also, I’ve haven’t been able to concentrate very well. None of these things are common with me so I was wondering what it was. I heard that some of these things are symptoms of depression. I also wanted to know what causes depression. Any and all suggestions and or comments are greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Symptoms of Major Depression

Sleep disturbance (insomnia), sleeping too much
Crying
“Empty” feeling
Loss of interest in usually enjoyable activities
Difficulty in thinking clearly
Feelings of guilt or worthlessness
Loss of concentration
Lowered self-esteem
Not as talkative as usual
Excessive fatigue
Prolonged sadness
Loss of appetite
Socially withdrawn
Persistent permission
Significant weight loss
Irritability
Persistent thoughts of death of suicide
Attempted suicide

I’ve been diagnosed with clinical depression last year and have been on SSRIs ever since. I do feel great now, but only when I take my medication. I reckon I’ve been dragging myself through life with this condition over the past 15 years already – is there any hope I’ll ever snap out of it, or is it likely that I’m going to have to live with it for the rest of my life?

I was diagnosed with Major (Clinical) Depression about 19 years ago – and I still have it and take medication for it. The doctor(s) say I will need to take this medication the rest of my life – and I tend to believe them b/c I have tried to go off the medication, only to find out that I get worse

It's a chemical thing for me. Everyone is different. Some people can come off medication. Take it one day at a time

*16
* anorexia and purging
* severe diagnosed depression
* anxiety
* suicidal thoughts-close to acing on
*cutting

My question is- What treatment will I get eg hospital, in/out patient, counselling etc

you probabaly wont go to the hospital unless your dying, but heressome things that may happen:

-put into a treatment center
-get councling
-go to treatment sessions

My baby is 6 weeks old. I don't feel like I have just the baby blues anymore. I'm going to talk to my ob about it this week but I have no idea what to expect. Will he send me for therapy? Or will he prescribe antidepressants? Is there a certain medication out there for postpartum depression or one commonly used? Does it work? Can it possibly go away on it's own?

The most common way to help PPD is light therapy. But, there are a lot of options and your DR should be talking to you about all of them. Medication should be a last resort. =)