Depression

St. John’s Wort – Nature’s Prozac?

February 4, 2024 by Winston J Craig - [rt_reading_time label="Reading Time:" postfix="minutes" postfix_singular="minute"]

Every year, according to the National Institutes of Mental Health, about 11 million Americans suffer mild cases of depression and another 10 million suffer mild to severe depression. St. John’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum) has received increasing attention as a safe product that provides some natural relief from depression.

St. John’s Wort is a perennial herb that grows up to three feet tall in neglected fields and alongside country roads throughout North America and Europe. The erect, many-stemmed herb is topped with a cluster of bright yellow, star-shaped flowers (with five slightly asymmetrical petals) that bloom from June to August. There are numerous explanations as to how St. John’s Wort received its name. The preferred explanation refers to the fact that the flowers bloom around June 24 (St. John’s Day), while another refers to an ancient tradition of throwing the flowers into a bonfire on the eve of St. John’s Day. The word “wort” is an old English word for plant.

Anciently St. John’s Wort was used to treat neuralgic conditions such as sciatica and hip pain. In nineteenth-century America, St. John’s Wort was used for healing wounds and as a diuretic. Hypericum was also highly valued for its sedative properties. Herbalists today recommend it to treat wounds and to speed the healing of bruises and minor burns. Historically it has been one of the most dependable botanicals for the treatment of wounds. Today it is also highly prized as an antidepressant, without the side effects of conventional antidepressant drugs.

The dried herb usually consists of the flowering tops, unopened buds, and uppermost leaves of the plant. It has a slightly sweet and aromatic odor and a mildly bitter, somewhat astringent taste. When ground into a powder, it is usually greenish to yellowish-brown in color. When more flowers and buds are used, the mixture is more yellow.

Clinical Trials

The analysis of two dozen clinical trials involving over 1,700 outpatients revealed that St. John’s Wort given for 48 weeks’ duration can be considered a safe and effective herb for the treatment of mild depression and anxiety. It has an activity comparable to that of conventional antidepressants, such as Prozac, but with fewer side effects. The common side effects experienced with the conventional antidepressants include nausea and dizziness, sleeplessness, reduced sexual drive, headaches, dry mouth, and loss of appetite.

The people who took St. John’s Wort in the various clinical trials experienced significant improvement in depressive mood indicators such as feelings of sadness, hopelessness, helplessness, and fearfulness. Sleep difficulties and disruptive sleep patterns were also greatly improved after taking St. John’s Wort.

Among other useful herbs are licorice root, which has some useful antidepressant compounds, and rosemary, a real favorite. This contains cineole, which stimulates the central nervous system. Valerian and hops are herbs that provide useful sedative properties and can be used for their sleep-promoting action.

Hypericum contains several active compounds, including a variety of phenolics, terpenoids, and sterols. It is rich in flavonoids as well as naphthodianthrones, hypericin, and pseudohypericin. Hypericin in particular seems to be a monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitor,((“In combination with certain foods and drugs, MAO inhibitors may cause dangerously increased blood pressure. Symptoms include headache, stiff neck, nausea, vomiting, and clammy skin. In recommended amounts, St. John’s Wort is not as powerful as pharmaceutical MAO inhibitors. Nonetheless, those using the herb should follow certain precautions.” Castleman, M. The Healing Herbs, p. 324, Rodale Press, Emmaus, PA, 1991.)) which places it among a class of chemicals known to be antidepressant. However, the antidepressant activity of St. John’s Wort may be due to more than just hypericin and may be partly due to other minor constituents in the plant. Clearly, the best procedure is to consume the total herbal product and not just a hypericin-rich extract. The antimicrobial activity of Hypericum is attributed to the essential oil, phloroglucinols, and flavonoids.

Herbal Preparations

Recommendations for the use of the herb usually include drinking 1-2 cups per day of herbal tea made from 1-2 teaspoons of dried St. John’s Wort flowers steeped in a cup of boiling water for 10 minutes. Alternatively, a 300 mg capsule standardized to contain 0.3 percent hypericin may be used up to three times a day. Normally, it takes about 36 weeks of regularly using St. John’s Wort before its therapeutic effects are observed. High doses or prolonged use may sensitize the skin to sunlight exposure since hypericin has photodynamic properties.

Other Activities

St. John’s Wort has been shown to increase the storage levels in one’s body of the two neurochemicals, serotonin, and norepinephrine. Serotonin is known to be a mood-altering substance, normally producing a calming effect. Research has revealed that other components of St. John’s Wort alter the levels of interleukin-6, which may also alter mood. Heinze and Gobel reported in 1996 that Hypericum may be useful in the treatment of chronic tension-type headaches.

In another study, researchers observed that extracts of St. John’s Wort given over a three-week period caused a significant increase in the production of nocturnal melatonin, a substance produced by the pineal gland that regulates circadian rhythms.

Recently, interest has focused on the antiviral activity of St. John’s Wort. Substantial activity against several retroviruses has been reported. St. John’s Wort has been even researched for its potential usefulness in treating HIV-infected patients.

Conclusion

St. John’s Wort is clearly one of the leading plant medicinals for the treatment of mild to moderate depression. Studies are needed to determine its effectiveness and safety in long-term usage. It has been suggested for the treatment of more severe forms of depression, but controlled clinical trials are lacking at this time. In addition to its antidepressant effects, Hypericum has been used for a wide variety of neurological conditions such as anxiety, insomnia, irritability, migraine headaches, and chronic neuralgia stemming from trauma and injuries. Furthermore, Hypericum is useful as a wound-healing agent, an anti-inflammatory and antiviral agent, and for the treatment of ulcers, inflammatory bowel syndrome, hemorrhoids, and herpes lesions.

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This article was published originally in the Journal of Health and Healing, a publication of Wildwood Institute.

The Problems of Cell Phone Abuse

December 3, 2023 by Dr. Cesar Vasconcellos de Souza - [rt_reading_time label="Reading Time:" postfix="minutes" postfix_singular="minute"]

On January 17, 2020, the famous American newspaper New York Times published an article in which the author claimed that parents shouldn’t worry about how much time their children spend using technology, such as cell phones, tablets and computers.((Popper N. Panicking About Your Kids’ Phones? New Research Says Don’t. The New York Times, Jan. 17, 2020)) That’s because, at least according to some experts, too much screen time is not related to their health and well-being. Really?

The other day, I was reading a quote by someone who said that often the only thing that’s true in a newspaper is the date. Let’s take a look at this to see if it really makes sense, which was published in the New York Times, being evaluated by Dr. Jean Twenge, who is a professor of psychology at San Diego State University in California, United States, and author of a book called “iGen: Why Today’s Super-Connected Kids Are Growing Up Less Rebellious, More Tolerant, Less Happy – and Completely Unprepared for Adulthood.” ((Twenge J. Why Today’s Super-Connected Kids Are Growing Up Less Rebellious, More Tolerant, Less Happy – and Completely Unprepared for Adulthood. Atria Books)) This new book is the fruit of research based on surveys and interviews involving 11 million young people and offers us a reflection on today’s growing generation of teenagers and young adults, born in the mid-1990s through to 2012.

The title of the book, “iGen”, has the letter “i” at the beginning, meaning internet. This university professor analyzes the millions of young people who grew up with cell phones and social media accounts before they have started high school. So, the New York Times published that parents shouldn’t worry about how much time their children spend using technology, such as cell phones, tablets, and computers, because, at least according to some experts, too much screen time is not related to the health and well-being of these children and young people.

Do you think this information is correct or do you find it difficult to accept? If you find it hard to believe, you’re right. Several statements by the author of that famous newspaper article are wrong, deceptive or both. Let’s take a look at statements he made that contain shameful errors, according to Dr. Jean Twenge.

Firstly, the article makes a gross misrepresentation about the research consensus on the use of technology and mental health. The author implies that the majority of researchers have concluded that the use of technology is not related to mental health. But that’s not the case. His article in the New York Times failed to mention many medical journal articles that have found substantial links between technology use and mental health. These studies were published in the Journal of Psychiatry of the American Medical Association, the Journal of Pediatrics of the American Medical Association, the Lancet, Journal of Clinical Medicine and the Lancet, Journal of Child and Adolescent Health.

A sign saying: Please destroy cell phones before entering

Dr. Jean, from San Diego State University, the author of this report I’m presenting to you, says that the New York Times didn’t even mention the best studies drawn from medical journals, and what’s even more intriguing, is that she had provided the reporter with a detailed list. Secondly, the newspaper article also misrepresents a recent review of studies on time spent with electronics and mental health. The author mentioned that the link between social media use and depressive symptoms is between 0.11 and 0.17, concluding that these are small effects. Dr. Jean refutes this, saying that the results of young people’s excessive exposure to social media are not harmless, and in fact are not small.

She cites important research carried out by the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) with high school students, which found that twice as many heavy users of electronic devices, those who spend five or more hours a day accessing the internet, compared to light users who spend one hour a day, attempt suicide. In percentages, this means 12% of suicides among heavy internet users versus 6% among light users. Twice as many heavy smartphone users have a low level of well-being. Twice as many internet users are unhappy, and twice as many women who overuse social media are depressed. This is not small, as the New York Times article stated.

The New York Times article quotes experts who, without plausible evidence, dismiss the possibility that the rise of social media and smartphones could be behind the sharp increase in depression, self-harm and suicide in teenagers in recent years. Dr. Jean comments that 2013 was the first year that the majority of Americans owned a smartphone. In 2018, 95% of teenagers had access to a smartphone, and 45% said they were online almost constantly. The period after 2012 is also when social media use went from optional to virtually mandatory among teenagers, and the biggest increases in self-harm, poisoning and suicide occurred among girls aged 10 to 14.

However, the use of technology differs by gender. Girls spend more time on social networks, which can be more toxic than the games that are more popular with boys. The links between technology time and well-being are also stronger among girls than boys. Therefore, if technology is playing a role in the increase in adolescent mental health problems, the increases should be greater among girls, and they are, as Dr. Jean comments in her research.

A girl in front of the computer, worrying about here image on social media.

In the New York Times article, it was stated that the researchers who claim that the use of technology is not related to well-being and mental health have not received any funding from the tech industry. They said that. However, Dr. Jean said that one of the researchers is an employee of the Oxford Internet Institute, which is funded by Facebook, Google and Microsoft. Another researcher was also, until some time ago, linked to the institution.

So the role of parents in controlling their children’s use of electronics is crucial for the well-being of children and young people, for social, educational and even spiritual performance. According to Dr. Jean, parents should limit their children’s use of technology to around 2 hours a day, avoiding use at bedtime. Difficult, right? She explains that parents can be sure that their instincts to protect their children from too much screen time are correct.

She makes a comparison, saying that if children who ate five apples a day instead of just one were twice as likely to attempt suicide, parents would make sure their children didn’t eat too many apples. Why should our response to technology time be any different, right? Think about it. Protect yourself and especially your children from excessive internet use, whether on cell phones or social networks. This is important for your mental health and theirs.

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Depression: The Way Out

September 17, 2023 by Vicki Griffin - [rt_reading_time label="Reading Time:" postfix="minutes" postfix_singular="minute"]

Abraham Lincoln was no stranger to depression. His melancholy tendencies combined with an impoverished childhood, failed businesses, and unfulfilled love seemed to point only to defeat. At one time he expressed, “I am now the most miserable man living. If what I feel were equally distributed to the whole human family, there would be not one cheerful face on the earth.”

Winston Churchill came from a privileged home with every material benefit. However, his life was riddled with illness, accidents, poor grades, and lack of love. His indifferent father prophesied that W.C. would ultimately “degenerate into a shabby, unhappy, and futile existence.” In his own words, Winston battled the “demon of depression” for many years, and at times it seemed his father’s dire prediction would prevail.

Happily, depression does not have to be the end of any life story. Abraham Lincoln overcame his depression and went on to become one of the most revered presidents in the history of the United States.

Winston’s battle with depression could have been the last chapter in one sad, obscure life. But Winston Churchill rose above circumstances, and as the prime minister of England during World War II, mastered his own internal challenges. Against formidable opposition, almost constant ridicule, and great odds he rallied the British troops to defeat the encroachments of the Third Reich in Europe. His famous motto became “Never, never, never, never—in nothing great or small, large or petty—never give in, except to convictions of honor and good sense.”((Nedley N. Depression, the Way Out. Nedley Publications, 2008.))

These noble examples tell us a story—not just about singular people who overcame great odds, but about the awesome power of the human brain to retool and reshape itself according to what it learns and how it is cared for.

The Stats Tell the Story

If you suffer from depression, you are not alone. Clinical depression affects 20 million adults and 3 million teens in the US. Milder forms are even more widespread, affecting all age groups.((http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/prevalence/major-depression-among-adults.shtml))

Risk factors for depression include family history, medical or mental health conditions, unresolved guilt or anger, lack of purpose, social and environmental factors, and diet and lifestyle, to name a few.

Neal Nedley, MD, author of Depression: the Way Out states that it is important to find the cause or causes of your depression. Tackle as many changeable causes as possible by addressing nutrition, lifestyle, social factors, habits of thinking, and spiritual need. The importance of seeking qualified medical care for depression cannot be overstated. Adjusting and reducing medications must be supervised by a qualified health professional.

What to Change

Nutrition and Lifestyle. John Ratey, psychiatrist and author who researches lifestyle and mental health has concluded: “Physical and mental exercise, proper nutrition, and adequate sleep will help anyone gain cognitive clarity and emotional stability.((Ratey J. User’s Guide to the Brain. P. 356.)) Alcohol, smoking, caffeine, and high fatty and sugary foods increase depression risk and symptoms.

Nutrition and exercise encourage growth factors that put the brakes on self-destructive cellular activity, release antioxidants, and provide protein building blocks for brain cells. Food is medicine—and good tasting, colorful, and powerful medicine!

Include healing fresh fruits, vegetables, beans, and whole grains such as brown rice and oatmeal. Give nourishment to your body and brain with omega-3 fatty acids that are found in walnuts, chia seeds, and ground flax seed. Keep your brain hydrated with 8-10 cups of water a day instead of sugary drinks. Get an adequate intake of vitamins B12 and D.

A nutritious diet improves brain chemistry, provides energy and stress-lowering compounds, and provides brain growth factors that increase brain nerve connections. This means a greater capacity for learning, meeting challenges, fighting depression, and solving problems.

Rest. Rest restores and helps heal the body and brain. Establish a regular “sleep routine.” A rested brain makes better choices.

Exercise. Exercise is a major factor in relieving and preventing depression. It causes structural changes in the brain that improve brain function even in cases of serious clinical depression. Exercise relieves anxiety, improves focused attention, creativity, problem-solving, and lowers stress. A 10-minute brisk walk can elevate mood for an hour. Daily exercise has been dubbed the most potent anti-depressant agent known to man. New evidence has shown that exercise actually stimulates the production of new nerve cells in the brain.

Social and Environmental. Attitude, social networks, and a healthy lifestyle weave together for physical and mental health. Establish relationships that support healthy choices.

Habits of Thinking and Outlook. To a large extent we have the ability to choose how we will think about a situation. Focus on gratitude and thankfulness. Check negative thoughts. Focus on solutions rather than problems. Look at difficulties as opportunities for gaining strength to meet challenges. Two of the most important tasks in overcoming depression are focusing on thinking in a positive way and trusting God and His Word regardless of feelings.

Call to Action: The Living Word

Everyone faces turmoil, trouble, trials, uncertainty, and sorrow. The stories in the Bible show us that in the middle of difficult times, God provides peace, comfort, and direction.

“He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure” (Psalm 40:2 ESV). Healing takes place with time and perseverance. Today’s choices yield tomorrow’s gifts. Persevere to press in, press on, and press through your situation. There is power for your journey, and even joy in the healing process.

“He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God…” (Psalm 40:3 ESV). Choosing God, choosing faith, choosing His plan are all decisions based on your personal choice, not feelings. You can trust his promises. Isn’t now the best time to discover in God’s Word the peace, comfort, and plan He has for your life?

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This article was originally published on the Time to Get Ready website.

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How to Avoid 5 Thoughts That Can Lead to Depression

June 18, 2023 by Dr. Cesar Vasconcellos de Souza - [rt_reading_time label="Reading Time:" postfix="minutes" postfix_singular="minute"]

Depression is a very common mental illness in today’s reality. An estimated 21 million adults in the U.S. had at least one episode of depression in their lives. That represents 8.4% of all U.S. adults. Among women, that number was rising to 10.5%, and the age range of 18-25 years had a 17% prevalence of depression. We need to know how to deal with this disease more appropriately.

How to Avoid 5 Thoughts That Can Lead to Depression

A person experiencing sadness and decreased interest or loss of pleasure in day-to-day activities, which has been going on for at least two weeks straight, also having changes in appetite, sleep disturbances, lack of energy, difficulty making decisions, suicidal thoughts and feelings of guilt, indicates the presence of depression. The most important mental factor for someone depressed being at risk for suicide is hopelessness. That is, the person sees no way out of their suffering, so they start thinking about killing themselves to end the pain.

Before thinking that someone is depressed, if there are physical diseases, such as thyroid problems, chronic infections, tumors, and encephalitis, among others, it is necessary to treat them, because these diseases can produce depressive symptoms. In addition, it is common for people to have comorbidities, where they present more than one disease at the same time.

For example, it seems that about 50% of people diagnosed with depression also suffer from excessive anxiety. Some may have exaggerated anxiety, depression, and alcoholism, for example. A person may begin to become depressed because of already being a socially withdrawn person for years, as well as depression contributes to the individual withdrawing himself from social life.

Other people experiencing pressure at work, going into burnout syndrome, or suffering moral abuse in the company, can also become depressed. When a person has gone through a depression and the depressive state has produced important losses in his life, he may have been left with a negative signal in his mind, and when some triggering factor happens years later, he may go back into depression.

For example, if a person became depressed because he suffered from moral abuse in the company and when he could no longer bear this suffering at work, he ended up quitting, even though it was causing economic turmoil, it is a situation that could trigger a depression. By coming out of the situation that was causing the suffering and receiving effective treatment, he became well. But if after some time he has the feeling that some kind of abuse against him may occur again, the depressive state may begin to return. Therefore, it is important to be aware of the triggering factors that can trigger painful thoughts and feelings in the person’s mind.

There are different types of depressive states, such as clinical depression, in contrast to dysthymia, which is a type of chronic depression, only milder. There is also bipolar affective disorder, in which the person, in addition to euphoric episodes, suffers from depressive periods. Another type of depression is seasonal, which occurs more in regions of long winter, with a long time without sunlight. Still another is postpartum depression which happens shortly after the baby is born. Some suffer from psychotic depression, which includes delusions, hallucinations, and important changes in the perception of reality.

One of the psychological factors that favors the onset of depression is the tendency to cultivate thoughts of complaint, pessimism, defeat, personal contempt, and hopelessness. Some are hard on themselves, blame themselves too much for failures that have occurred in life, and also attack themselves when they perceive flaws or mistakes in their behavior. In these cases, these individuals need to cultivate self-compassion instead of self-deprecation and learn to forgive themselves instead of blaming themselves all the time.

One factor that produces depression is the very sociable person, but who places too much emphasis on their self-worth in relationships. Thus, when problems arise, such as a financial loss or a divorce, he may fall into depression precisely because he had based his self-worth on something outside himself, on another person, or on some external acquisition. In these cases, the individual can be helped not to fall into depression, correcting this attitude in life of centering their self-respect and self-worth on objects, acquisitions, and external relationships.

It is well known that traumatic experiences throughout childhood greatly increase the risk of depression later in life. This includes the child being a victim of abuse, having suffered illnesses that required hospitalization, divorce from the parents, and death of one of the parents, especially the one with whom the child had more attachment, all happening until the third year of life. In addition, children of depressed mothers have a higher risk of depression in adulthood.

In therapy, it is common for a person to say that he started to have depression since, for example, he discovered that his son was using illicit drugs. But the truth is that this fact may be one of many problems that the person has been experiencing over the years and would then be the triggering factor of depression, but not the only cause of it. It may have been the last straw for him to become depressed.

He may have suffered from the death of loved ones in recent years before the depression hit, he may have been fired, he may live in a place of violence, he may have marital difficulties and all this may have accumulated and ended up bursting into depression.

Factors that can prevent going into depression are having good social support, having friends and relatives who give a helping hand, a healthy lifestyle with regular exercise, a healthy diet, the elimination of toxic substances from the brain, adequate water intake, sun exposure, the practice of faith and a purpose for life.

For the treatment of depression, it is important to understand that lifestyle change needs to be made, rather than just using medications. This includes personal work on the thought patterns the person nurtures most, battling tragic, dysfunctional and hopeless thoughts, and cultivating a mindset of gratitude, hope and meaning in life.

Some want to know which antidepressant works best. There is not one remedy that works best for everyone who suffers from depression. The same drugs produce different results for different people. Many depressed may improve with any antidepressant, while others do not improve long-term with any of them.

Some studies show that depressed people who have undergone psychotherapy with cognitive behavioral therapy may be less likely to have depression again than those who have only used antidepressants without psychotherapy. A challenge for us psychiatrists when treating a patient with depression who has, for example, a lot of insomnia and anxiety, is that by prescribing a tranquilizer, as it is a central nervous system depressant, the depressed person may sleep better and have their anxiety decreased, but may become more lethargic or sluggish.

Finally, if a person with depression says that they prefer psychotherapeutic treatment without medication, it is important to respect this and see how they will evolve when undergoing psychotherapy only.

If you have always cultivated thoughts and negative beliefs about yourself, about your life, about trusting others, predominating in your mind the lack of hope and solutions, you are more likely to have a depressive state than the individual who is optimistic, who cultivates healthy thoughts, trust and hope.

Individuals who are emotionally dependent find themselves inadequate in almost everything, and so they feel they need to have someone to cling to in order to live. These people have a higher risk of developing depression. And when the person to whom you attach yourself in an exaggerated way, fails, leaves, cheats, or dies, this can be enough to trigger depression.

With this, we learn that, from an early age, the child needs to be taught to have some independence, rather than being raised too attached to the father, mother, or other caregiver. We need to release our children to life, otherwise they won’t believe they can face reality by themselves. So, whenever possible, encourage your children to do things that feed them the thought that they are smart, capable, and autonomous.

Of course, we educate children well, helping them not to go into depression later in life when we combine tasks for them, which they can solve on their own with other tasks that require the help of others to complete. And when it comes to activities in which it is normal to ask others for help, we pass them the idea that it is all right to ask for help and praise them for those they have done alone.

A good number of people develop depression because having failed to obtain love and acceptance from important people in their lives, they come to feel that they are full of flaws and unworthy of receiving love. This can become a pattern of thinking, which maintains the depressive state.

Some become very hung up on attention. This can be a trap that favors the depressive state because not everyone can pay attention all the time, and not receiving this, they depreciate themselves and become depressed, instead of looking at reality and thinking that the people around them are not responsible for what they lacked in childhood, and even the present people in their life cannot offer everything all the time, what they want in terms of affection.

In these cases, this person who consciously or unconsciously nurtures the idea that he needs attention from others all the time so as not to fall into depression, if he wants to get improve, he will need to change this psychological belief, understanding that he must be liked by some, but that it is not possible to receive from them a perfect love.

You need to lower your expectations of receiving attention, affection, and care from others. When the depressed person begins to think that in his mind there are negative beliefs such as wanting the attention of others all the time to feel good, it is his responsibility to fight against it instead of not wanting to think about these things, and thinking that the remedy, the medication will fix everything.

The depressed can learn to have new and better thoughts without having to stick with the old ways of thinking that push them into depression. Managing to change negative psychological core beliefs can be difficult without professional help, but it’s not impossible.

If psychological treatment is needed, it will be useful in helping the depressed person to perceive his pessimistic or faulty way of thinking, encouraging him to resist it, and cultivating thoughts of gratitude, realistic optimism, compassion and forgiveness. This is important in the treatment of depression because the way a person interprets what happens to him is more important than what actually happens. When events are interpreted negatively, pessimistically with hopelessness, this produces anxious and depressive feelings and makes everything worse.

Of course, when there is a real painful loss, it is normal for negative thoughts of sadness, anger, and pain to arise, but this is different from keeping distorted thoughts in the mind by assessing reality in an unhealthy way. If you are a family member of the depressed and need to deal with that individual’s depression, it is important to understand that even if they say things that seem like they are strong to overcome the depressive state, talking is different from having the strength to do so. Some depressed people push themselves to please others by saying things that give the idea that they will know how to get out of depression, but that’s not always the truth.

In these cases, the family member, and of course, the professional who attends to the depressed, can teach some social or personal skills for the depressed to improve, and not only listen to what he says. Some depressed people are even experiencing very difficult situations, which do not seem to have a short-term solution. In these cases, there is no distortion of reality, but a real difficulty that can lead to hopelessness.

Then the person himself or someone else can help by remembering situations from their past, which seemed insoluble, but that solutions emerged, or remembering that those that did not have a good solution were faced and the person survived. Depressed people usually focus their attention on their feelings, which can be sadness, anger, fear, guilt, or shame. But it is important to force the mind to think about the kind of thinking that is causing the feeling.

A smilie inside a box, representing a positive change in emotions

Understanding thought is fundamental to the solution of what one feels because it all begins in the thoughts. What we think produces what we feel, and feelings lead to actions. If the thought has been distorted, then it needs to be corrected because it influences the feeling that the person will experience.

Taking medicine to improve the painful feeling without changing negative and tragic pessimistic thinking does not solve the underlying problem. Distortions of thoughts are based on exaggerated or unrealistic ways of reasoning. People can’t always find the thought that is behind what they feel, it’s true.

In these cases, he needs to better analyze what is going on in his mind to find the thought that produced that emotion, because it is there in the mind. Too bad a good part doesn’t want to think. You can reason like this: But what thought can be behind this feeling? Or you can think: Did something happen to me today that made me think something bad, and with that, I was left feeling bad? Could it be that I’ve been cultivating a way of thinking that is always negative and makes me depressed?

A problem that can harm the person and cause him not to improve from depression is that he may have become so accustomed to thinking in a bad, negative and pessimistic way, that on one hand, he says he wants to get better, but on the other hand, he feels it is difficult to change his way of thinking.

Incredible as it may seem, we can get used to suffering, and find it difficult to take action to get out of it. This happens even with people undergoing psychiatric and psychological treatment, which is when they sabotage the improvement they could have. Several times I gave the person tasks to do at home, and I put in writing what was to be done until the next appointment. In the next consultation, when I asked about what he had managed to do with that list I had given, some patients said that they had lost the list or forgotten about the tasks. Improving depression and other mental illnesses does not depend on the professional alone. The person needs to be committed to the treatment. And changing thoughts is often already half the way to healing.

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How Sunlight Can Change Your Mood

July 3, 2022 by Dr. Cesar Vasconcellos de Souza - [rt_reading_time label="Reading Time:" postfix="minutes" postfix_singular="minute"]

Do I need to sunbathe? Vitamin D prevents which diseases? Does sunlight have a good effect on our mood? What are the signs that you may be deficient in Vitamin D?

We know that sunlight is critical to our health linked to vitamin D. But what about our mood? There is vitamin D2 which is called ergocalciferol, and D3 called cholecalciferol. Vitamin D2 is found in a limited number of foods, while D3 is absorbed by the body when the skin is exposed to sunlight. Both are converted into the active form which is used by the body and stored in the liver and kidneys.

When calcium levels in the body are reduced, the parathyroid glands, located in the neck, release a hormone that stimulates the kidneys to convert vitamin D into its most active form, aiding in the absorption of calcium and phosphorus. Our vitamin D requirement is 5 micrograms per day, this in adults weighing less than 200 lbs (90 kg).

A lack of vitamin D causes osteoporosis, which is a progressive decrease in bone density, with an increased chance of fractures, as bones become more porous and less resistant. Osteoporosis is more common in the elderly. A tip: if you are diagnosed with osteoporosis and have been prescribed to take calcium orally, know that this alone is not enough to resolve it. It is necessary to practice some exercise as well. Taking a lot of calcium and not doing any kind of physical activity is a message that bones interpret as we don’t need to be strong.

And the opposite is true. As you engage in regular physical activity, this will signal your bone cells to absorb calcium, because your message to them through exercise will be this: we need strong bones. So take calcium, but engage in some form of physical activity, at least three times a week.

Lack of vitamin D, in addition to osteoporosis, also produces rickets, which is characterized by insufficient mineralization of the bones, affecting children and adolescents. Symptoms are stunted growth, bowed legs, weakness and pain in the spine, pelvis and legs. Studies show that the absence of vitamin D, can facilitate the emergence of certain types of cancer, cardiovascular disease, hypertension or high blood pressure, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, type 1 diabetes among others.

About 90% of the vitamin D in our body is obtained from exposure to sunlight, which is converted from cholesterol in the skin. Normal doses of vitamin D can be obtained with direct exposure to the sun for 10 or 15 minutes daily, through the action of ultraviolet rays, which are also bactericidal. So, if you have a wound on your skin, expose that wound to sunlight as this will help it fight off infections and heal.

Have you ever heard people say, or maybe it happens to you that the cloudy weather with overcast makes you so sad, down and discouraged? There is a type of depression, which is a seasonal depression, whose scientific name is seasonal affective disorder. There are people who have depressive symptoms in autumn or early winter, and there are some who also have summer depression, starting in late spring or early summer. Summer depression is very rare, while winter depression is far more common.

Seasonal depression happens every year, always around the same time. The one that starts in winter is more frequent in countries with less sunlight throughout the year, with darker days and more rigorous winter. It seems that the farther a person lives from the equator, the greater number of people experience this type of suffering. That’s why it’s more common for people in Canada, Norway or Russia to have this type of depression than in tropical countries.

A seasonal depressive person on a rainy window

One theory says this is because sunlight activates brain hormones, which help maintain a happy mood. In a place called Fairbanks, Alaska, on winter days, the time span between sunrise and sunset is a little less than 4 hours. Imagine living a day with only 4 hours of natural light! With this great lack of sunlight, it would be logical to think that a good part of the population would have to have the winter depression. But it turns out that it is actually not that much. One study found that about 9% of Fairbanks residents had seasonal affective disorder, while this type of depression occurs in 1% in tropical countries.

The most common symptoms of seasonal winter depression are: more sleep, that is, the person sleeps more hours a day without feeling rested; increased appetite, desire to eat more carbohydrates, chocolate and fatty foods, difficulty getting out of bed in the morning, loss of energy, feeling of fatigue, impaired concentration, social isolation, irritability, constant sadness, among other symptoms. It affects more women with a share of 60 to 90%, especially between 20 and 40 years of age. In some ways, the behavioral symptoms of summer depression tend to be the opposite of those of winter depression. Summer depressed people can sleep less and lose weight.

A researcher at the National Institute of Mental Health, Tom Wehr, has suggested that seasonal depression may be related to melatonin, which is a hormone produced during the night. When the day gets dark, melatonin increases in the body, and if you can sleep in a dark environment, the peak of melatonin production happens between two and three in the morning. Scientist Tom Wehr commented that during winter animals produce melatonin for more hours, but in less quantity compared to other times of the year. He found that the people who increase production of this substance in the winter are the ones who suffer from these types of depression.

For the treatment of seasonal depression or seasonal affective disorder, medication and psychotherapy are used. Exposure to sunlight, called phototherapy, also helps. However, this does not work equally for everyone. If the problem was only linked to melatonin, perhaps light treatment will solve it in many cases. But there are still other factors that science is studying to understand why some people exhibit this sensitivity to light in a different way than others, to the point of suffering this winter depression.

So take care of your health and get some sun every day!

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Dealing with Bipolar Disorder: Causes, Symptoms and Treatments

May 8, 2022 by Dr. Cesar Vasconcellos de Souza - [rt_reading_time label="Reading Time:" postfix="minutes" postfix_singular="minute"]

Do you suffer from bipolar disorder? Do you have anyone in your family who is bipolar? We need to know how to deal with it. Let’s review a few concepts about bipolar affective disorder.

Dealing with Bipolar Disorder: Causes, Symptoms and Treatments

About 1% of the general population suffers from bipolar disorder. It occurs more frequently among first-degree relatives, when one of them has had or is experiencing this suffering. Bipolar disorder generally begins between the ages of 18 and 20, affecting men and women equally. Bipolar disease is as the name says: bi-polar, that is, it has two poles. At one moment the person has euphoria, and at another moment, depression. Euphoria is at one pole and depression is at the opposite pole. A bipolar individual can be euphoric for a few months, agitated if left untreated, and then go into a depressive situation, with or without the normal interval between one phase and another.

There is bipolar type 1 and type 2. The main difference between one type and the other has to do with the severity of the episodes or crises. Bipolar type 1 has a severe euphoric phase, while type 2 has a milder euphoria. When a person is in the euphoria pole of bipolar disorder type 1, they often experience complications at work, school, and relationships. In some cases internment may be necessary. Bipolar type 1 people have periods of deep and long-lasting depression, which alternate with periods of very high, irritable mood, which we call mania or euphoria. The main symptoms of bipolar in the euphoric phase are: irritability, mood exaltation, euphoria, decreased need for sleep, talking too much or running over, great distraction, flight of ideas, that is, the person keeps talking about many exaggerated plans and changing ideas constantly. There is also a demand for compulsive pleasure activities, such as spending more money than you have. The bipolar in the euphoric phase also has a grandiosity, that is, he has an exalted posture, as if he were a king or a god who can do everything.

In order to be diagnosed as bipolar in the manic or euphoric phase, this high mood must not be the result of substance use, or any medical illness.

In the depressive phase, the person with bipolar disorder presents five or more of the symptoms, one of which has to do with depressed mood or loss of pleasure, or interest in that person they liked, in which they were involved. So the symptoms are in the depressive phase: sleeping too much, or having insomnia, loss of energy, weight loss or gain due to appetite change, feeling of worthlessness, excessive guilt, decreased ability to concentrate, marked indecision and preoccupation with death, with suicide. In severe depressive episodes, the patient may contemplate suicide, or has already attempted suicide.

The euphoric or bipolar phase oversteps the boundaries of social life and disrupts relationships, and the agitation can turn into physical aggression. That’s why it’s important to consult a psychiatrist to prescribe medication that controls this. Often family members and medical staff are the targets of this aggression. The treatment of bipolar disorder should be done with a psychiatrist or psychologist, with the family being oriented on what to do to help. In euphoric crises, it’s no use talking, nor taking to the psychologist or psychotherapist. Medication is the priority treatment to try to get the person out of the symptoms of agitation, which prevents a productive dialogue. However in the depressive phase, in addition to medication, psychotherapy helps to improve.

A woman wearing two shirts of different color, symbolizing the bipolar disorder

There is no single theory about the causes of bipolar disorder. Some claim that the conscious area and the unconscious area can conflict, causing behavior changes. Failure to resolve these conflicts would actually be the cause of various mental illnesses. In the case of depression, there are theories that say that the person develops depressive symptoms as a manifestation of anger against himself.

One of these theories explains that parents with unhealthy behavior, who are inconsistent, that is, sometimes happy, sometimes angry and nervous with their children, without a good expression of affection towards them, who are driven by their selfish needs, create an unpredictable and hostile environment throughout childhood. As a result, the child feels alone, confused and helpless, and ultimately angry. But the child knows that his parents are his only means of survival. So out of fear, love and guilt, the child represses the anger towards the parents, who act badly towards him, thus turning the anger against himself and the thought of being despised arises in his mind, and he then starts to believe that he is an unlovable and bad person.

And at the same time, the child strives to present perfect behavior, acceptable to parents, as a way of compensating for the weaknesses that he perceives, and which becomes unacceptable to demanding and neurotic parents. So the child feels caught between the child he finds unacceptable and the one who needs to act perfectly to get his parents’ love. As a result of this conflict, the child becomes “neurotic,” or prone to experiencing exaggerated feelings of anxiety and depression. A constant feeling develops in the child’s mind that he is not good enough, no matter how hard he tries to get it right. This neurotic need to please, accompanied by a failure to do so, can spread throughout the child’s life, so that he or she may begin to feel an unhealthy need to be loved by everyone, peers, family, co-workers, and others.

A man with a rose pointed at his head like a gun, symbolizing the conflict of acceptance.

So, the goal of psychological treatment, which is psychotherapy in the psychodynamic approach, can help the child, now an adult, and suffering from depression or symptom, to obtain information about the mistaken foundations of his belief in his own badness and inadequacy, so that the need to punish himself and to be perfect diminishes. It is interesting that, for example, the husband who had a childhood in which his parents were too critical of him, who belittled him, did not show praise and affection, this boy grows up, becomes an adult, and marries a woman who repeats the role of his parents, belittling him, not valuing anything about him. A wife with a selfish, attention-sucking posture favors the emergence of depression in her husband.

In adult life, the person who had an emotionally painful childhood, having suffered due to the bad behavior of the parents, will have difficulties in their relationships with other people, besides their own spouse. For example, he may have a colleague or boss at work who repeats the derogatory role of parents, causing sadness in the sensitive individual. So imagine for a moment how painful it is for the individual who had a childhood lived with parents who did not know how to value him, and who in adult life interacts with a group that devalues him, criticizes more than praises, and on top of that still lives in a work environment with a similar situation, of being devalued. Difficult, isn’t it? So we can say that in depression, whether it’s bipolar disorder or not, there is an ongoing struggle that depressed people face in trying to maintain emotional contact with the important people in their life.

Some depressed people suffer because they feel dependent on relationships with others, and they grieve over the threatened or actual loss of that relationship. As a healthy affective bond between their parents and them was not formed in childhood, feelings of helplessness and weakness arose. These people experience intense fears of abandonment, and they struggle hard to maintain direct physical contact with the gratifying object of need.

So if you have a bipolar family member who is in the euphoric phase, you need medication to control this difficult attitude. If you are in the depressive phase, psychotherapy is very important along with medication, depending on the degree of depression.

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