I have bad insomnia and a lot of times my body does not want to eat. For example, at dinner I will barely touch my dinner. Though I want to eat, my body doesn’t feel hungry. This has been happening for a long time.

Chosen Answer:

You’re describing symptoms which could be caused by several underlying conditions, and it’s the underlying condition that you need to treat. See a doctor; internet advice only goes so far.
by:
on: 26th May 11

I have to do a report on a disability. I thought maybe i could do it on depression, because it’s something i’ve dealt with, and still am. So is depression a disability?
Well my reasoning is that it DISABLES your ability to function.

Chosen Answer:

Some depression is, some is not. The temporary depression when you fail a test, you break up with your boyfriend, your grandma dies, or you lose a job. What you need to recover is mostly time. This type of depression unless it lasts longer than a year is not a disability.

Clinical depression is a disability. This is disability that often has no cause that you have control over. Your brain is handling your emotions badly. You need medication to help your brain get itself working properly consistently again. Some people have a temporary bout of depression once in their life, others have it repeatedly off and on and some struggle with it lifelong.
by: Teddy & Chiliswoman
on: 14th January 11

I think I had existential depression for a few weeks and now I’m wondering if I’m clinically depressed. I get angry at basically anything and I want to cry almost constantly. I haven’t contemplated suicide, but I do feel like my life is useless. Any advice?

Chosen Answer:

I’m not sure if there’s a recorded time, it just happens to get worse over time and then its Clinical depression.
As for advice;

Depression has been mostly effected by Stress levels. If you feel stressed a lot, then try keeping a diary or a Journal. Check this site out: my-diary.org — You can have your Diary private or public, which means people can give you advice if its public, but not all the time will you get advise.

Try drinking a glass of milk before you go to sleep at night. During the sleeping stages, Milk helps the body produce a neurotransmitter called Serotonin, the main active ingredient in anti-depressant medications.
Though with milk and sleep; Its a natural Serotonin rather than what you get in the pills, so its more helpful.

And finally, try relaxing. Do stuff you enjoy; Watch a funny TV show, or movie. Do stuff that makes you laugh and smile. Laughing and smiling release endorphins, which will eventually make you feel happier.

Hope this helps you a bit
by: DeadBattery
on: 7th February 11

I was just wondering what aspects of the depression gave reasons for us to change. Like how was it a big part in making Canada what it is today?

Chosen Answer:

Infrastructure: Trans-Canada Highway with several routes (at the time through Ontario thanks to the Premier of the day, named Frost). There were many local infrastructure projects such as sewer, water and hydroelectric lines being built and/or installed. Telephone and telegraph were also extended to some otherwise isolated areas of the day but telephone really came later as a network.
by: spiffer1
on: 24th May 11

My mom had not have a full night sleep for a very long time. Sometime she never get any sleep or she had 15 minutes of sleep, she tried so many meds that her doctor prescribe but nothing works. My mom Insomnia is way to strong. What can my mom do about it?

Chosen Answer:

Hello..I feel for your Mom..I’ve been on almost every sleeping pill and nothing worked.She might want to try ” Alteril ” .You can buy it at Walmart it is a all natural sleep aid.It really helped me.Good Luck to your Mom.
The price of Alteril is about 15 dollars and it has 60 tablets in it.
by:
on: 22nd June 10

I just started taking effexor on Thursday for depression, anxiety, muscle pain, and migraines. Before I started taking it I would always wake up early in the morning (6 to 7 am) and not be able to fall asleep but now I also am waking up about 4 times throughout the night and having a hard time falling back asleep. My question is will this go away after the 1st couple weeks of taking this drug or will I continue having insomnia the whole time?
I have always avoided taking pills but my depression/anxiety got so bad I just lay on the couch and watch tv day from the physical pain it causes me.

Chosen Answer:

I had that too when I first started taking Effexor. After about 10 days my sleeping patterns were back to normal, and after a month the benefits of taking it far outweighed the first couple of weeks of insomnia. If you’re still sleeping badly in a couple of weeks you should see your doctor, as with any other side effects that haven’t gone away by then. God luck!
by: Rain Dogs
on: 20th February 09

What are the signs that someone has depression and not just your average “blues” that we all get at some points. Also, if an individual does have depression, is there anyway to rid themselves of it without medication/therapy. If i do have it, i want to get rid of it myself.

Chosen Answer:

You can’t just get rid of depression like that, it takes time…
by:
on: 30th November 10

When do psychiatrists prescribe it to you? What are your opinions on anti-depressants? I have mild depression (tired all the time, negative thoughts, sad, feelings of worthlessness) and just wondering what level you need to be at to need medication.

Chosen Answer:

Anti-depressants can be used at various levels. Some people experience a temporary depression (for a set period of time or due to an event in their life, etc) and need medication for a short time. Others need it for life as they have a permanent depression.

I’m wondering if you have tried things besides anti-depressants. Like participating in activities you enjoy. I know it’s hard to motivate yourself when feeling low, but it really does help. Also, being around people that make you feel good. I know it’s hard to think about doing these things when your mood is low, but sometimes you just have to force yourself.

A psychiatrist will prescribe you meds pretty quickly. After all, Dr’s get their cut of monies for it. Unfortunately most psychiatrists go straight to meds, instead of a more holistic view. Or, if you are prescribed the meds, you have to remember that they are not magic pills. You have to help yourself get better.

There is also the option of CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) which is proven to work well coinciding with meds or even alone. It just takes longer alone.
Basically CBT alone is proven to work, it just takes more time to start feeling better, but you have long lasting results.
CBT and medication are the fastest way to start feeling better and have long lasting results.
Then with medication alone you will not have nearly close to the results of the above mentioned.
by: Dansa Flicka
on: 2nd October 08

I don’t want links to websites about insomnia or suggestions for different types of meds. I just want to know how other insomniacs like myself deal with it. How do you deal with your day at work/school? At the end of the day what do you do to help your body fall asleep?

Chosen Answer:

If you have real insomnia you either don’t go to sleep at all or you go to sleep for only a few hours.

I went through a period of about three months where I didn’t and couldn’t sleep at all. I am a single mom of three kids, full time college student, and could barely function. I had a difficult time concentrating on anything.
A friend of mine gave me sleeping pills to try but that only put me to sleep for about 3 hours.

Then a nurse friend gave me B-12 and calcium to take.
Once I got started on that I was able to get more sleep.
Some other friends helped take care of my kids while I could sleep some. After about two weeks my life starting getting back to normal.
by: Jenn B
on: 8th September 08

I notice that I have insomnia which is something that I have never dealt with before and it is making it hard for me to go to sleep. I have heard that Sleeping pills are bad because they make the body dependent on them later on but I feel like I have a hard time going to sleep.

Chosen Answer:

benadryl (diphenhydramine) is a great drug to help you sleep. It is sold over the counter (OTC) in most pharmacies. The best part is that it is non-habit forming, so your body will not get dependent on it.

Another drug to try is melatonin. Melatonin is a naturally occurring hormone in the body. Taking it medicinally can help with insomnia. Do not take melatonin if you have high blood pressure (can raise BP), diabetes (can raise blood sugar), depression (can make symptoms worse), or a seizure disorder (can potentiate seizures)

One more option could be Valerian root extract. This has been shown to help treat insomnia. Do not drink alcohol with this drug, or other CNS depressants because they could increase each others effect in the body
by:
on: 24th October 11