MyDepressionSpace.com

Heather Locklear combatting depression and anxiety checks herself in to a rehab center.

This is a very sad story. The beautiful and "seemingly" always bubblying with happiness Heather Locklear has checked herself in to a treatment center for severe depression and anxiety. Apparently the pain of losing her husband and one of her best friends in 2006 has finally caught up with her and she has  gone to a facility in  Arizona for help with her depression. Smiling on the outside, misearably hopeless on the inside.

Locklear spent her spring in Canada and Hawaii filming 'Flirting With 40,' a new movie for the Lifetime network. "Heather was a joy to work with," executive producer Judith Verno told PEOPLE magazine. "Funny, charming, and of course she looks absolutely beautiful."

Many of us can relate to having to look good and act happy while experiencing total inner despair. This type of stress takes is destructive to the enitre body.

But it turns out that Locklear, ever the professional, was putting on a brave face for the cast and crew. The pain from her break-up with Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora -- and his relationship with her old friend Denise Richards – led to a two-year battle with anxiety and depression, and recent events were making things worse.

In March, Sambora was stopped for DUI, while driving with the one-time couple’s 10-year-old daughter Ava was in the car. Then, shortly before filming on ‘Flirting’ began, Locklear learned she’s been given the wrong medication for emotional struggles.

Luckily, by June 19 Locklear was finally ready to get help. “There was no intervention. She went in on her own. She wanted to feel better and get to the bottom of what was troubling her," says a longtime associate.

COMMENT:  I certainly applaud her for having  the courage to seek help in order to live a healthy life. She should not be ashamed.

Vagal blocking nerve device( VBLOC Therapy) studies continue to show promise in treating obesity.

The vagus nerve is truly the pathway to the brain. It is the only nerve that starts in the brainstem  and extends, through the jugular , down below the head, to the neck, chest and abdomen. Researchers have already discovered that vagus nerve stimulation can positively affect those key areas of the brain imolicated in  severe depression and pharmaco-resistant  epilepsy. Ironically, depression patients often have unwanted weight gain.

A new implantable medical device, developed in collaboration with Mayo Clinic researchers, shows promise as a reversible and less extreme alternative to existing bariatric surgeries, according to findings recently published in the journal Surgery. This new obesity treatment is called VBLOC Therapy(TM).

VBLOC therapy is similar to a heart pacemaker, but instead of stimulating a normal, regular heartbeat, it uses high-frequency electricity to block the nerve impulses between the brain and the stomach and pancreas. A pacemaker continuously monitors the heart and regulates its beating. But the patient flips a switch to activate the VBLOC device when the system is worn during the daytime hours so that the blocking signal can influence how the stomach functions and food is digested following a meal.

The lead wires are implanted in the abdomen laparoscopically, with electrodes attached to the vagal nerves and the neuroregulator, a pacemaker-sized device, is implanted just under the skin. While gastric bypass involves removing portions of the digestive tract and rerouting the flow of food and, therefore, is not reversible, the VBLOC delivery system can be removed if desired, and previous studies in animals have indicated that it does not damage or permanently affect the vagal nerves. With VBLOC, there is no distortion of digestive system anatomy as is the case with both gastric bypass and gastric banding, and to date there have been no significant issues related to food intolerance, nausea or vomiting as is common with both bypass and banding.

Larry King's wife enters rehab for drug addiction to pain killers.

This is a very sad story. Shawn Southwick King, the 48-year-old wife of CNN anchor Larry King has checked into rehab for addiction to pain killers. I watch the Larry King Show every night and Larry always refers so affectionately to his wife Shawn and their two sons. Obviously this is a private matter involving a very public couple:

Her father, Karl Engmann, tells PEOPLE: "She's had migraines her whole life, ever since she was a little girl, and she finally decided to do something about it. We're happy she's taking care of herself and everything will be fine." 

Chronic migraine can be very debilitating. According to the American Academy of Neurology:

Many medications that people take for migraine headaches can actually make headaches worse, if the medications are taken too frequently. When this occurs, the resulting problem is called "medication-overuse headaches." Unfortunately, when medication-overuse headaches occur, they can be difficult to treat.

^{The most important thing to remember is that while pain and other acute medications can be extremely effective for treating the occasional migraine headache, using them more than twice a week can actually lead to a problem that can be worse than the migraine headache itself.}

COMMENT: And as Larry would, " I will do more( posts) about migraines and addiction in the near future." In the meantime, I wish Mrs. King the very best. She should not be ashamed.. 

Epilepsy new treatment: vagus nerve stimulation can help manage, reduce the frequency and severity of epileptic seizures

In July of 1997, the Food and Drug Administration(FDA)  approved vagus nerve stimulation therapy for the treatment of pharmaco-resistant epilepsy. In July of 2005, the FDA approved vagus nerve stimulation therapy(VNS) for the treatment of resistant depression. Drugs are the first-line therapy for all epilepsy patients, before exploring new epilepsy treatments such as VNS:

Vagus nerve stimulation therapy is another form of treatment that may be tried when medications fail to stop seizures. It is currently approved for use in adults and children over the age of 12 who have partial seizures that resist control by other methods. The therapy is designed to prevent seizures by sending regular small pulses of electrical energy to the brain via the vagus nerve, a large nerve in the neck.

The energy is delivered by a flat, round battery, about the size of a silver dollar, which is surgically implanted in the chest wall. Thin wires (electrodes) are threaded under the skin and wound around the vagus nerve in the neck. The battery is programmed by your neurologist to send a few seconds of electrical energy to the vagus nerve every few minutes. If the person with the system feels a seizure coming on, he or she can activate the discharge by passing a small magnet over the battery. In some people, this has the effect of stopping the seizure. It is also possible to turn the device off by holding the magnet over it.

Source: Epilepsy Foundation

Man and depression: don't ignore the symptoms, be sure to identify inappropriate behavior and seek treatment. Part I of II

Man and depression have very different symptoms and behaviors than women. Are you irritable, isolated and withdrawn? Do you find yourself working all the time, drinking too much alcohol, using street drugs or seeking thrills from risky activities? I was guilty of all of the above:

If so, perhaps you're being chased by what Winston Churchill called his "black dog" - male depression. Churchill attempted to ward off his black dog with compulsive overwork and large amounts of brandy. For male depression, the coping strategy may be reckless driving, risky sex or shutting yourself off from the world. But none of these can keep male depression at bay for long. Even worse: Men with depression are at an increased risk of suicide.

Man and depression: depression often goes undiagnosed.

Each year, depression affects about 6 million American men and 12 million American women. But these numbers may not tell the whole story. Because men may be reluctant to discuss male depression with a health care professional, many men with depression may go undiagnosed, and consequently untreated.

Some men learn to overvalue independence and self-control during childhood. They're taught that it's "unmanly" to express common feelings and emotions often associated with depression, such as sadness, uncertainty or a sense of hopelessness. They tend to see illness - especially mental illness - as a threat to their masculinity. So men may deny or hide their problems until a partner's insistence or a catastrophic event, such as job loss or arrest, forces them to seek treatment.

I was guilty of the following:

When men visit their health care professional, they are more likely to focus on physical complaints - headaches, digestive problems or chronic pain, for example - than on emotional issues. As a result, the connection between such symptoms and male depression may be overlooked. And even if they're diagnosed with depression, men may resist mental health treatment. They may worry about stigma damaging their careers or about losing the respect of family and friends.

I just didn't know how to label what I was experiencing. In Part II of this Man and Depression topic will be posted on Friday. I will discuss further man and depression, male symptoms of depression, stress and the consequences of not getting the appropriate treatment.

Treatment-resistant depression affects millions of Americans. Tips for these severely depressed patients seeking new depression treatments.

Millions of Americans with depression are able to successfully manage their condition with a combination of available therapies. However, according to an article in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, up to 35 percent of patients treated for depression may have a little-known condition called Treatment-Resistant Depression, or TRD.

“There are evolving definitions of TRD among the research community, but at this point, a TRD diagnosis is usually given to a patient with major depressive disorder who has failed two adequate trials of an antidepressant medication,” said Dr. W. Clay Jackson, a primary care physician and assistant professor of clinical psychiatry at the University of Tennessee.

Not being able to find an effective treatment is a serious challenge for those who suffer from depression. There are many types of depression that can be difficult to treat, including major depressive disorder (MDD), treatment-resistant depression, bipolar depression and psychotic depression. MDD, the most common form of depression, is a highly debilitating disease. Treatment-resistant depression can be potentially fatal.

A 2008 article in The Lancet points out that the World Health Organization has concluded that it is the single most disabling medical condition. Furthermore, depression that is hard to treat is often more severe, more chronic and more disabling. In addition, treatment resistance increases the likelihood of physical symptoms in patients such as aches, pains, headache or GI disturbance. TRD patients are also more likely to have attempted suicide at some point in their lives, says an article in the Journal of Psychiatric Research, as well as an article in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.

“TRD is far more common than most people realize,” said Jackson. “Patients suffering from chronic depression may possibly have TRD and should seek help from their clinician.” “There are evolving definitions of TRD among the research community, but at this point, a TRD diagnosis is usually given to a patient with major depressive disorder who has failed two adequate trials of an antidepressant medication.”

Source: North American Press Syndicate-June 20, 2008

George Carlin dead of a heart attack at age 71. His life long battle with depression and addiction to drugs is over.

Comedian George Carlin  died today of heart failure at the age of 71. He had a history of cardiovascular issues, including several heart attacks. No foul play is suspected. Carlin was admitted to a Santa Monica hospital yesterday complaining of chest pain and died last evening, said his publicist, Jeff Abraham. He had a history of heart trouble, drug dependency and bouts of depression.

Ironically it was announced last week that George Carlin would be awarded the 11th annual Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts announced  that Carlin will be honored for his 50-year career as a Grammy-winning standup comedian, writer and actor. The center was going to salute Carlin at a tribute performance by former colleagues on Nov. 10, which will be broadcast later on PBS. Sadly he will miss and be missed for this special event.

As with many comedians Carlin battled drugs, alcohol and addiction. Drug addiction plagued him for much of his life, beginning with marijuana as a teenager, graduating to cocaine in the 1970s, and then to prescription painkillers and wine. During the cocaine years, Carlin ignored his finances and ended up owing about $3 million in back taxes. In 2004, he entered a Los Angeles rehab clinic for his alcohol and Vicodin abuse

In December 2004, Carlin announced that he would be voluntarily entering a drug rehabilitation facility to receive treatment for his dependency on alcohol and painkillers.

And in typical Carlin style, he commented recently in an interview with TIME Magazine about addiction:

The goal is to eliminate the chemical cascade that results in the euphoric "high," which, in turn, sparks addiction — what comedian George Carlin once described this way: "What does cocaine make you feel like? It makes you feel like having more cocaine."

Why is it that so  many comedians battle depression and drugs?

May he rest in peace-drug free .

Diabetes contributes to depression and depression patients are at higher risk for diabetes.

Who is on first? Researchers have known for several years that depression patients are at higher risk for developing diabetes than the general population.

Now, for the first time, scientists at John Hopkins have found that diabetes contributes to depression. This has confirmed long-held assumptions about these two diseases being connected to each other that affect million of Americans. The research results, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, provides added proof that diabetes plays a role in depression and vice versa. Previous studies conducted only looked at one aspect of this possible link.

An epidemiologist at the University of Michigan, Briana Mezuk and an expert on diabetes and depression, said that for many years research have already assumed the diabetes led to depression. She also added that what makes this study so great is the fact that the new research proves the evidence that these two diseases are linked.

Approximately 30 million adults have had at lease one occurrence with serious depression in their lifetime (16 percent of the population). A diabetes expert at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and the study's lead author, Dr. Sherita Hill Golden said, "We were able to show that there's a bidirectional association."

Dr. Golden stated that she hopes that this study will lead to an increased understanding among both the physicians and patients that the two diseases are closely connected. She also emphasized that the physicians who treat patients for diabetes show watch their patients closely for signs of depression.

According to Golden, there are also other factors too. Golden, an endocrinologist, suspects that depression could cause physiological changes that could predispose people to diabetes. Depression raises the levels of hormones that cause stress such as cortisol as well as other molecules that can lead to inflammation. These chemicals can in turn contribute to diabetes. Depression has been found to play a role in several chronic physical conditions in addition to diabetes. For many years, scientists have known that depression is associated with higher rates of osteoporosis, heart disease, stroke, and possibly dementia. Inflammatory molecules and stress hormones play a role in all of the diseases previously listed.

COMMENT: Based on the above infomation, depression patients( including me) are screwed.

Oprah Winfrey's Soul Series webcast continues her discussion with Wayne Dyer and the Chinese book of wisdom, the Tao Te Ching.

Oprah Winfrey continues her Soul Series and discusssions with Dr.  Wayne Dyer author of Change Your Thoughts-Change Your Mind: Living the Wisdom of the Tao.

Wayne Dyer discusses his year long experience of living the Tao. Wayne talked about giving up all of his worldly possessions and immersing himself in meditation, writing and Yoga. Clearly Wayne Dyer is a very wealthy man, so I thought his one year sacrifice of foregoing all material possessions was fascinating and was a testimonial to his dedication to writing an insiteful book. Here is an a great excerpt from his book:

Many of the scholars who have written about the Tao Te Ching over the centuries consider this 25th verse to be one of the most significant lessons in the entire manuscript. In my research, all the translations of this passage actually include the word great to describe it.

This verse tells the story that even before the beginning there existed "something formless and perfect." It goes on to say that this formless perfection is the "Mother of the universe." Even though it's nameless, it's called the "Tao," and it's synonymous with what is great. That is, there's nothing within the Tao that is the opposite of great—there's nothing that's puny, insignificant, weak, unimportant, or even average.

The story appears to want the reader to realize there's a pure, timeless energy that's within everything on the planet and that remains uncontaminated by the solid appearance of form. The conclusion is a directive to the student, who is you, the reader. To know this formless perfection, you must "understand the great within yourself." You're the central character in this wonderful saga!

Since you're animated by the eternal Tao, this tale's message of greatness invites you to change the way you live and to see the life you're living change. You can begin to do so by examining thoughts and ideas that are inconsistent with this phenomenal observation made by Lao-tzu, which has been echoed by others throughout history. In her book The Journey, which was published in 1954, Lillian Smith describes it like this:

The need that one feels every day of one's life, even though one does not acknowledge it. To be related to something bigger than one's self, something more alive than one's self, something older and something not yet born, that will endure through time.

That enduring "something" confirms your greatness, your absolute connection to the infinite. There's a sense of being permanently aligned with a sort of senior partner that is greatness itself.

Change the  way you live by tapping into this greatness, and the life you're living will literally change.

I think Wayner Dyer's new book not only has implications for depression sufferers, but many people can benefit from the wisdom of the Tao. Depression patients may have trouble concentrating, but just take it in baby steps--a few minutes at a time. Here is the link for the audio discussion with Oprah:

http://www2.oprah.com/spiritself/oss/guest/oss_guest_wdyer.jhtml

I hope it is helpful.

                        

Jill Bolte Taylor, author of "Stroke of Insight" , listen to her remarkable story of recovery and brain awareness at the annual TED Conference

Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor has an amazing story to tell about the brain, her brain, her stroke and her remarkable recovery. But it is a story that everyone can learn from and gain a better understanding of the brain. Jill Bolte Taylor was a speaker at this year's TED Conference. TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design. It started out (in 1984) as a conference bringing together people from those three worlds. Since then its scope has become ever broader. TED is a fadcinating organization. This is their stated mission:

The Ted Conference held annually in Long Beach, is still the heart of TED. More than a thousand people now attend -- indeed, the event sells out a year in advance -- and the content has expanded to include science, business, the arts and the global issues facing our world. Over four days, 50 speakers each take an 18-minute slot, and there are many shorter pieces of content, including music, performance and comedy. There are no breakout groups. Everyone shares the same experience. It shouldn't work, but it does. It works because all of knowledge is connected. Every so often it makes sense to emerge from the trenches we dig for a living, and ascend to a 30,000-foot view, where we see, to our astonishment, an intricately interconnected whole.

This year  neuroantomist Jill Bolte Taylor was one of the speakers. It was an amazing talk given by this remarkable women. Her story is a powerful story of recovery and awareness -- of how our brains define us and connect us to the world and to one another.  Here is an oppotunity for you to listen and view her inspiring story:

http://www.ted.com/talks/view/id/229

Listening to this 18-minute talk and reading her book Stroke of Insight  will teach you about the brain( in layman's terms) and could possible change your life.