Friday, April 3, 2009

Depression and Healing

Just Checkin on you Tough Boy:

Are you being good to yourself??
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Yeah - it's 3 am EST. I'm trying to find an article that I can use for my online Psychology discussion... which was due at 2 am :( Thankfully, I think if I have it in by 4 or 5 am... it'll still be considered 'on time?' Maybe... maybe not.

In my search, I came across this little article that had me asking some questions again (completely ADHDing away from what I'm supposed to be doing...).

It's a little heavy on the pharmacy talk - but in layman, Dr. Hedaya is stating some parallel studies that related the incidence/severity of a patient's depression to the condition of whatever inflammatory or infection-like problems that had.

I definitely agree that healing won't occur when your body (or brain!) is in a protective, please-don't-hurt-me-again mode. As for validity of the studies Dr. Hedaya is referring to, I'm a little skeptical but haven't seen them!

I wouldn't go treating everyone with Advil or Motrin to heal anything... but being good to your body will help your body repair. Go for a walk, call a close friend, have a laugh, watch a good movie, smile. Remove that stress!

I know, I know... its easier said than done! (and if it needs to be said - I wouldn't recommend anyone going to ask their doctor for a tumor necrosis factor inhibiting drug mainly for initial treatment of their depression... but if you've got other stuff goin on that warrants it, by all means...).

2 comments:

Colette Amelia said...

OK now you have me anxious...and that is because I could not stand the pain anymore of the fibromyalgia that I think just gets flared up from the bashed brain and because of all of that I get anxious and stressed so everything gets worse...

Tell me what does Citalopram destroy and is it worth the risk in the hopes of feeling better?

I think you are right there about the inflamation and long term conditions...definitely depressing.

NEdream26 said...

What does citalopram destroy? Your libido, a common complaint among SSRIs.

But I do really believe the benefits of taking an SSRI, or antidepressant - they can be remarkable for giving stability to fluctuations in your mood. I would try it, and I hope to post some more about my experience/training on the different antidepressants and side effects. Thanks for the suggestion!

I really do want to write more - this is a great area for me to comment on!! Don't be completely afraid of it. Some neurologists tend to believe "they'll only work if you think they'll work." I don't necessarily completely agree, but there are no serotonin "levels" that reflect absolute correlation to mood... and that's where that perspective comes from.

Also, maintaining a consistency of taking the drug is important because it's common for patients not to experience full benefit until 4-6 weeks after initiation! Which can be a long time!! However, some people think within a few days they notice an uplift...

I'll write more later!! But if you think it might be a good option to try, I support it. Especially after considering the correlation between inflammatory pain and depression.

Keep me updated, I'm very curious!!