Before resorting to a psychiatric diagnosis, you might want to consider how much these mood swings are interfering with your life. Many very successful and creative people have alternating high and low periods (read Kay Redfield Jamison's Touched With Fire for more on this). Technically, many could be diagnosed with a mental illness, but should they be? The tendency toward high and low moods becomes a significant problem when life is affected by inappropriate or dangerous behavior, suicidal tendencies, social withdrawal, and so on. But not everyone who feels euphoric sometimes and depressed other times experiences much negative impact. And even those that do can often learn to be more accepting of their mood states, and less inclined to act them out. Although some people clearly suffer from mental imbalance that looks very ill, the psychiatric system has become much too quick to diagnose people who deviate from the norm as mentally unhealthy. Maybe they are just different.
I speak from experience, as someone who once took numerous psychiatric medications to control mood swings, and now stays comfortable with none. The trick (which meditation teaches) is learning to understand one's moods and to resist translating feelings into impulsive behavior. A tendency toward moodiness, comfortably managed, is not an illness. Often, it can be a source of inspiration.
Before resorting to a psychiatric diagnosis, you might want to consider how much these mood swings are interfering with your life. Many very successful and creative people have alternating high and...
... (more)It would depend a little on his or her theoretical background. There are at least three distinct types of acupuncture practiced in the US. But all traditions agree on certain points. For instance, Chinese medicine does not view the body as separate from the mind. There is only one bodymind system, and depression would be seen as merely one symptom in a larger complex of dysfunction. How that 'depression' would be treated would depend on the patient's other symptoms as well as his or her character type. A common depression syndrome is associated with liver Qi stagnation, and presents with underlying chronic irritability or periodic rage. In this case, treatment would be directed at the liver and its associated meridian. Other examples include depression with a worried or obsessional flavor (due to spleen dysfunction) or exhibiting a fearful, paranoid aspect (relating to kidney weakness). Each of these would be likely to associate with specific bodily symptoms (e.g., muscle tension in liver stagnation, stomach issues in spleen dysfunction, fatigue in kidney weakness). Each would therefore require different treatment. The therapy would always be directed at the 'whole person' and never just at the isolated symptom of depression. Along with acupuncture, some acupuncturists might prescribe herbal remedies. Qi gong exercises can also be very helpful. Dietary recommendations are sometimes included. Unlike standard psychiatry, which barely looks beyond the patient's thoughts and moods, at its best Chinese medicine keeps a broad perspective both in evaluation and treatment.
It would depend a little on his or her theoretical background. There are at least three distinct types of acupuncture practiced in the US. But all traditions agree on certain points. For instance,...
... (more)For many of us, depression and anxiety form two halves of the same problem. A simplistic but valid model says that depression involves regret about the past, while anxiety represents fear of the future. Either way, difficulty with acceptance underlies the psychic distress.
Any activity that increases one's ability to accept the human condition will therefore help. Few of us received enough love, support, and safety growing up. Every one of us has made mistakes and hurt others. We all face uncertain futures that could well be tragic. For many reasons, some people end up crippled by these realities. Root causes include poor role models, hypersensitive responses due to past traumas, and the endemic strife fostered by modern society. There are many ways one can work to increase acceptance of life's difficult truths.
A good treatment model in the therapeutic realm is ACT: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy; one can learn much just from reading the many good books on this method. Mindfulness meditation is an excellent technique for increasing tolerance of discomfort and uncertainty. Aerobic exercise releases tension and builds confidence. Also, take a look at EFT: Emotional Freedom Techniques. Numerous videos about this deceptively simple and odd-looking method can be found online; many people have found it remarkably helpful for both fears and regrets.
Your desire for natural treatments is commendable; medications are of course available, but if the problems can be lessened through action rather than medication one ends up feeling empowered and accomplished: exactly what helps one feel less afraid of the future and less discouraged by the past.
For many of us, depression and anxiety form two halves of the same problem. A simplistic but valid model says that depression involves regret about the past, while anxiety represents fear of the...
... (more)I'm not sure there is any single 'most effective treatment' for depression. The important thing is, "what's most effective for me (or the person I'm concerned about)? Even that's not quite right, because even if you knew the most effective treatment, it still wouldn't be the only effective treatment, and the improvement from multiple treatments is often greater than from just one. So is yoga more effective than acupuncture? Sometimes yes, sometimes no, because people differ. But is Yoga and acupuncture more effective than either alone? Quite likely so in many cases. The most effective treatment for depression is probably the one with the broadest base. How about a change in nutrition, more exercise, careful attention to sleep habits, Yoga, acupuncture, meditation, spiritual/meaning work, plus therapy? Now that sounds like an effective treatment.
I'm not sure there is any single 'most effective treatment' for depression. The important thing is, "what's most effective for me (or the person I'm concerned about)? Even that's not quite right,...
... (more)First, keep in mind that depression and anxiety often coexist. They also feed off each other. So most treatments that affect one will affect both. The mindfulness-based treatments are good because they teach greater tolerance of feelings with less emphasis on changing them. Paradoxically, once we learn to 'sit' with negative feelings and be less judgmental of them, they often abate. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a good example of this sort of approach. With it, one can begin to see feelings as simply experiences rather than symptoms. They come, they go. And they go much more quickly when we don't increase our distress by feeling bad about feeling bad. On a more concrete and less cognitive level, you could try acupuncture. It is excellent at calming anxiety, and can also reduce depression. Not everyone responds, but some people get great results. (Note that the same is true of antidepressants.) Good Luck.
First, keep in mind that depression and anxiety often coexist. They also feed off each other. So most treatments that affect one will affect both. The mindfulness-based treatments are good because...
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As a physician with his own depression problems, and as someone who has found acupuncture quite helpful for both depression and anxiety, I am currently training to place needles myself. How the method works is not clear. From traditional Chinese perspectives, the needles realign Qi, or energy, as it flows through the body's many meridians, thus healing spirit, body and mind. A Western view would be that acupuncture stimulates changes in neurotransmitters and neuromodulators in the brain. It may do one or both of these things, but it also enforces a period of calm relaxation, and increases one's body awareness, which are helpful on their own.
Critics argue that acupuncture is simply an elaborate placebo, but more and more the placebo response is being understood as the body's innate healing capacity. Thus, even if acupuncture is 'merely' a placebo, it is an effective one, and hence worth looking into. Sharon Begley has written articles, including one for Newsweek, strongly arguing that standard antidepressant medication is also 'merely' a placebo. So although many Western physicians dismiss acupuncture as nothing more than a placebo, by rights they should similarly dismiss antidepressants. But of course they don't. Why not? Because many are greatly helped by antidepressants, just as they can be helped by acupuncture. If something works, why not try it? If it helps with depression, how it works may be immaterial.
If you do try it, give it at least six weeks, just as doctors typically give antidepressant medications about that length of time to work. And the more you do in addition (exercise, meditation, therapy, fun activities, and so on), the more likely you are to get better. Good luck.
As a physician with his own depression problems, and as someone who has found acupuncture quite helpful for both depression and anxiety, I am currently training to place needles myself. How the method...
... (more)Most people feel calmer and better centered after just one or two acupuncture treatments. Aches, pains, and other bodily discomforts are likely to lessen early. But depression is a form of depletion, and it takes time to replete the body's energy. If one experienced absolutely no change after three treatments, it would make sense to question whether to continue. On the other hand, if the body felt a little better, and the mind a little calmer, but depression persisted after the same amount of time, it would be worth going ahead with acupuncture for a longer period.
Most people feel calmer and better centered after just one or two acupuncture treatments. Aches, pains, and other bodily discomforts are likely to lessen early. But depression is a form of depletion,...
... (more)Without saying I agree with everything he says, in his book 'Anatomy of an Epidemic' Robert Whitaker makes a strong case for the possibility that psychiatric medications actually increase rather than decrease problems. Although he concedes that drugs help in the short run, Whitaker presents a lot of studies to demonstrate that when taken chronically psychopharmaceuticals increase the very symptoms they are supposed to treat. So one explanation for why we see so much depression these days might be that so many people are now maintained on anti-depressants.
It is quite true that non-drug treatments have come a long way in recent decades. Mental health departments often suggest meditation, acceptance practices, Yoga, exercise, thought refinement, etc. All these are great. But I am not certain that medications can truly be considered a major advance. They do dampen extreme symptoms in acute crises. Unfortunately, their use is not restricted to those situations and many, many people end up taking drugs for years with little or no evidence of long-term effectiveness and substantial reason to suspect harm. We all know people who got better for awhile after starting medication, then drifted back into depression, but now can't stop the antidepressant medications because of withdrawal symptoms and/or profound mood problems. Many of these end up on disability. They add to the ranks of the chronically depressed despite supposedly effective medical treatment.
Without saying I agree with everything he says, in his book 'Anatomy of an Epidemic' Robert Whitaker makes a strong case for the possibility that psychiatric medications actually increase rather than...
... (more)I'd like to point out that in addition to licensed acupuncturists, more and more physicians are getting trained to perform acupuncture. The <a href=http://http://www.medicalacupuncture.org/>American Academy of Medical Acupuncture</a> has more information.
I'd like to point out that in addition to licensed acupuncturists, more and more physicians are getting trained to perform acupuncture. The <a href=http://http://www.medicalacupuncture.org/>American...
... (more)People suffering from depression and the clinicians who treat them are learning that symptoms diminish with spiritual practice. Many mental health clinics now offer meditation classes along with cognitive behavioral training, and therapists have begun to ask clients about transcendent beliefs. These developments promise to advance the struggle against depression, which until recently was treated in purely “mental” terms. By including the soul as a participant in our pursuit of mental wellness, we humanize psychiatric care.
Spirituality and soulfulness can be very helpful in recovering from depression, but not everyone feels comfortable with them. For one thing, conventional scientific institutions have cast doubt on mystical beliefs in general, and on the existence of soul in particular. Furthermore, spiritual growth gets confused with traditional religion, which many perceive to be out of touch with modern life. Can those leery of mysticism and/or religion still enjoy the benefits of spiritual practice?
Fortunately, they can. At least in the context of mental health, spiritual pursuits have little to do with faith in eternal souls, higher realms, God, or scripture. Instead, the healing comes when life begins to feel meaningful. Viktor Frankl has highlighted how we can recover from the psychological effects of trauma by making sense out of our experience: by finding meaning. More recently, the Positive Psychology movement has picked up a similar theme, encouraging people to embrace lives of purpose and high ethical standards.
In its most essential terms, spirituality is about reframing our history and realigning our priorities. One readymade way of achieving this is to practice a religion, in which case the tradition both explains how hardship edifies, and encourages right behavior.
But one can also reinterpret the past independent of any organization or belief system. All it takes is looking for the benefits that accrue from our disappointments and sorrows. By investigating in this way, we often discover that our trials have increased our maturity, deepened our empathy, and enhanced our appreciation of life and loved ones.
After starting to view life more wisely, and in further pursuit of spiritual growth, we seek ways to use our experience to help those who may not have progressed so far along the path of healing. As we connect with others, we begin to adopt higher standards of behavior, because we understand more deeply the pain caused by harmful acts.
Reframing serves to counter our negative appraisals and complaints about fate. Helping others transforms individual tragedy into collective effort. It also takes us out of our isolated orbits of pain and plants us in the center of human life.
In short, building a more positive picture of the past helps us regret less, and working to assist others helps us look forward more. With a new understanding and a new purpose, our personalities blossom. We escape negativity and fear, and embrace optimism and hope.
Can you imagine any better prescription for rising out of depression? This is genuine spirituality, with no requirement for mystical beliefs or religious doctrine. Searching for meaning and purpose heals and transforms, so that regret gives way to gratitude, fear melts into hope, and depression grows into maturity.
People suffering from depression and the clinicians who treat them are learning that symptoms diminish with spiritual practice. Many mental health clinics now offer meditation classes along with cognitive behavioral training, and therapists have begun to ask clients about transcendent beliefs. These developments promise to advance the struggle against depression, which until recently was treated in purely “mental” terms. By including the soul as a participant in our pursuit of mental wellness, we humanize psychiatric care.
Spirituality and soulfulness can be very helpful in recovering from depression, but not everyone feels comfortable with them. For one thing, conventional scientific institutions cast doubt on mystical beliefs in general, and on the existence of soul in particular. Furthermore, spiritual growth gets confused with traditional religion, which many perceive to be out of touch with modern life. Can those leery of mysticism and/or religion still enjoy the benefits of spiritual practice?
Fortunately, they can. At least in the context of mental health, spiritual pursuits have little to do with faith in eternal souls, higher realms, God, or scripture. Instead, the healing comes when life begins to feel meaningful. Viktor Frankl has highlighted how we can recover from the psychological effects of trauma by making sense out of our experience: by finding meaning. More recently, the Positive Psychology movement has picked up a similar theme, encouraging people to embrace lives of purpose and high ethical standards.
In its most essential terms, spirituality is about reframing our history and realigning our priorities. One readymade way of achieving this is to practice a religion, in which case the tradition both explains how hardship edifies, and encourages right behavior.
But one can also reinterpret the past independent of any organization or belief system. All it takes is looking for the benefits that accrue from our disappointments and sorrows. By investigating in this way, we often discover that our trials have increased our maturity, deepened our empathy, and enhanced our appreciation of life and loved ones.
After starting to view life more wisely, and in further pursuit of spiritual growth, we seek ways to use our experience to help those who may not have progressed so far along the path of healing. As we connect with others, we begin to adopt higher standards of behavior, because we understand more deeply the pain caused by harmful acts.
Reframing serves to counter our negative appraisals and complaints about fate. Helping others transforms individual tragedy into collective effort. It also takes us out of our isolated orbits of pain and plants us in the center of human life.
In short, building a more positive picture of the past helps us regret less, and working to assist others helps us look forward more. With a new understanding and a new purpose, our personalities blossom. We escape negativity and fear, and embrace optimism and hope.
Can you imagine be any better prescription for rising out of depression? This is genuine spirituality, with no requirement for mystical beliefs or religious doctrine. Searching for meaning and purpose heals and transforms, so that regret gives way to gratitude, fear melts into hope, and depression grows into maturity.
People suffering from depression and the clinicians who treat them are learning that symptoms diminish with spiritual practice. Many mental health clinics now offer meditation classes along with cognitive behavioral training, and therapists have begun to ask clients about transcendent beliefs. These developments promise to advance the struggle against depression, which until recently was treated in purely “mental” terms. By including the soul as a participant in our pursuit of mental wellness, we humanize psychiatric care.
Spirituality and soulfulness can be very helpful in recovering from depression, but not everyone feels comfortable with them. For one thing, conventional scientific institutions cast doubt on mystical beliefs in general, and on the existence of soul in particular. Furthermore, spiritual growth gets confused with traditional religion, which many perceive to be out of touch with modern life. Can those leery of mysticism and/or religion still enjoy the benefits of spiritual practice?
Fortunately, they can. At least in the context of mental health, spiritual pursuits have little to do with faith in eternal souls, higher realms, God, or scripture. Instead, the healing comes when life begins to feel meaningful. Viktor Frankl has highlighted how we can recover from the psychological effects of trauma by making sense out of our experience: by finding meaning. More recently, the Positive Psychology movement has picked up a similar theme, encouraging people to embrace lives of purpose and high ethical standards.
In its most essential terms, spirituality is about reframing our history and realigning our priorities. One readymade way of achieving this is to practice a religion, in which case the tradition both explains how hardship edifies, and encourages right behavior.
But one can also reframe reinterpret the past independent of any organization or belief system. All it takes is looking for the benefits that accrue from our disappointments and sorrows. By investigating in this way, we often discover that our trials have increased our maturity, deepened our empathy, and enhanced our appreciation of life and loved ones.
After starting to view life more wisely, and in further pursuit of spiritual growth, we seek ways to use our experience to help those who may not have progressed so far along the path of healing. As we connect with others, we begin to adopt higher standards of behavior, because we understand more deeply the pain caused by harmful acts.
Reframing serves to counter our negative appraisals and complaints about fate. Helping others transforms individual tragedy into collective effort. It also takes us out of our isolated orbits of pain and plants us in the center of human life.
In short, building a more positive picture of the past helps us regret less, and working to assist others helps us look forward more. With a new understanding and a new purpose, our personalities blossom. We escape negativity and fear, and embrace optimism and hope.
Can you imagine any better prescription for rising out of depression? This is genuine spirituality, with no requirement for mystical beliefs or religious doctrine. Searching for meaning and purpose heals and transforms, so that regret gives way to gratitude, fear melts into hope, and depression grows into maturity.
People suffering from depression and the clinicians who treat them are learning that symptoms diminish with spiritual practice. Many mental health clinics now offer meditation classes along with cognitive behavioral training, and therapists have begun to ask clients about transcendent beliefs. These developments promise to advance the struggle against depression, which until recently was treated in purely “mental” terms. By including the soul as a participant in our pursuit of mental wellness, we humanize psychiatric care.
Spirituality and soulfulness can be very helpful in recovering from depression, but not everyone feels comfortable with them. For one thing, conventional scientific institutions cast doubt on mystical beliefs in general, and on the existence of soul in particular. Furthermore, spiritual growth gets confused with traditional religion, which many perceive to be out of touch with modern life. Can those leery of mysticism and/or religion still enjoy the benefits of spiritual practice?
Fortunately, they can. At least in the context of mental health, spiritual pursuits have little to do with faith in eternal souls, higher realms, God, or scripture. Instead, the healing comes when life begins to feel meaningful. Viktor Frankl has highlighted how we can recover from the psychological effects of trauma by making sense out of our experience: by finding meaning. More recently, the Positive Psychology movement has picked up a similar theme, encouraging people to embrace lives of purpose and high ethical standards.
In its most essential terms, spirituality is about reframing our history and realigning our priorities. One readymade way of achieving this is to practice a religion, in which case the tradition both explains how hardship edifies, and encourages right behavior.
But one can also reinterpret the past independent of any organization or belief system. All it takes is looking for the benefits that accrue from our disappointments and sorrows. By investigating in this way, we often discover that our trials have increased our maturity, deepened our empathy, and enhanced our appreciation of life and loved ones.
After starting to view life more wisely, and in further pursuit of spiritual growth, we seek ways to use our experience to help those who may not have progressed so far along the path of healing. As we connect with others, we begin to adopt higher standards of behavior, because we understand more deeply the pain caused by harmful acts.
Reframing serves to counter our negative appraisals and complaints about fate. Helping others transforms individual tragedy into collective effort. It also takes us out of our isolated orbits of pain and plants us in the center of human life.
In short, building a more positive picture of the past helps us regret less, and working to assist others helps us look forward more. With a new understanding and a new purpose, our personalities blossom. We escape negativity and fear, and embrace optimism and hope.
Can you imagine any better prescription for rising out of depression? This is genuine spirituality, with no requirement for mystical beliefs or religious doctrine. Searching for meaning and purpose heals and transforms, so that regret gives way to gratitude, fear melts into hope, and depression grows into maturity.
People suffering from depression and the clinicians who treat them are learning that symptoms diminish with spiritual practice. Many mental health clinics now offer meditation classes along with cognitive behavioral training, and therapists have begun to ask clients about transcendent beliefs. These developments promise to advance the struggle against depression, which until recently was treated in purely “mental” terms. By including the soul as a participant in our pursuit of mental wellness, we humanize psychiatric care.
Spirituality and soulfulness can be very helpful in recovering from depression, but not everyone feels comfortable with them. For one thing, conventional scientific institutions cast doubt on mystical beliefs in general, and on the existence of soul in particular. Furthermore, spiritual growth gets confused with traditional religion, which many perceive to be out of touch with modern life. Can those leery of mysticism and/or religion still enjoy the benefits of spiritual practice?
Fortunately, they can. At least in the context of mental health, spiritual pursuits have little to do with faith in eternal souls, higher realms, God, or scripture. Instead, the healing comes when life begins to feel meaningful. Viktor Frankl has highlighted how we can recover from the psychological effects of trauma by making sense out of our experience: by finding meaning. More recently, the Positive Psychology movement has picked up a similar theme, encouraging people to embrace lives of purpose and high ethical standards.
In its most essential terms, spirituality is about reframing our history and realigning our priorities. One readymade way of achieving this is to practice a religion, in which case the tradition both explains how hardship edifies, and encourages right behavior.
But one can also reinterpret the past independent of any organization or belief system. All it takes is looking for the benefits that accrue from our disappointments and sorrows. By investigating in this way, we often discover that our trials have increased our maturity, deepened our empathy, and enhanced our appreciation of life and loved ones.
After starting to view life more wisely, and in further pursuit of spiritual growth, we seek ways to use our experience to help those who may not have progressed so far along the path of healing. As we connect with others, we begin to adopt higher standards of behavior, because we understand more deeply the pain caused by harmful acts.
Reframing serves to counter our negative appraisals and complaints about fate. Helping others transforms individual tragedy into collective effort. It also takes us out of our isolated orbits of pain and plants us in the center of human life.
In short, building a more positive picture of the past helps us regret less, and working to assist others helps us look forward more. With a new understanding and a new purpose, our personalities blossom. We escape negativity and fear, and embrace optimism and hope.
Can you imagine any better prescription for rising out of depression? This is genuine spirituality, with no requirement for mystical beliefs or religious doctrine. Searching for meaning and purpose heals and transforms, so that regret gives way to gratitude, fear melts into hope, and depression grows into maturity.
I would echo Peter Shark's observation that acupuncture works more reliably, or at least more promptly, for anxious/agitated depression than for low moods presenting as apathy and withdrawal. But another effect of acupuncture, beyond any alteration of mood, is its ability to bring greater harmony into the bodymind system. Sometimes what gets labelled as depression and behaviorally expressed as apathy is really a kind of rejection of grief and the ordinary pain of life. In particular when combined with meditation, acupuncture can make such states more tolerable, without necessarily decreasing the underlying sorrow.
I would echo Peter Shark's observation that acupuncture works more reliably, or at least more promptly, for anxious/agitated depression than for low moods presenting as apathy and withdrawal. But...
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