Depression Road

Depression with Bidirectional Illnesses I've said this before... depression doesn't walk alone in most cases. The importance of this cannot be emphasized enough because the coexistence of conditions often lead to worsening conditions. The constant exposure/experience of the simultaneous illnesses often end up in competition for attention which feed the cycle and make things worse for both (or multiple conditions). While I cannot list all combinations in this post, I'd like to illustrate the point with some common occurrences. Depression and Insomnia It has been proven by research that insomnia is a huge risk factor for depression as well as a consequence of depression. This is not hard to understand. In layman terms, those of us who don't get enough sleep often experience lack of energy, memory problems, and a host of other symptoms that make normal functioning of body and mind difficult on a daily basis. The frustration with not being able to do all the thing...

I think we all know that depressed people exhibit withdrawal from people and things at some point. For some, this is a positive occurrence but for many, it is making their condition worse. Here is my take on the matter... Social withdrawal Negative: According to many, " social withdrawal is the most common telltale sign of depression ". The reasons for this are many but generally have to do with our unintentional isolation from people's input on our thinking.  The isolation causes an increase on our stress response thereby making the situation worse. Positive: When withdrawal is by choice, as in  intended , we make a conscious decision to take time away from people to resolve something or things that no longer serve us. I have done this many times and with good results. I also saw others gain from taking time for themselves and come out of the self-imposed isolation with better understanding of their condition, come up with avenues to do things differently, enforc...

Depression and food Not everyone with depression has a weight issue but most will encounter food issues like cravings, upset stomach, cramps, nausea, irregular eating pattern, mood eating, and so forth. Weight gain Here is the first picture to ponder... If you struggle keeping your weight down, you are probably in the depression-obesity cycle. Cravings People with depression often have cravings, especially carbohydrates. Sugar is actually hindering the management of depression. Stayed tuned for added materials.

The workplace should be a significant source of positive experiences boosting our self-esteem, sense of accomplishment, and professional growth.  For many, this is the case. However, there is a growing number of people (both employees and leaders) who suffer with mental health problems, primarily depression and anxiety. The World Health Organization  estimates that lost productivity to mental illness costs $1 trillion per year to the global economy. A recent development in this area is burnout which has been classified as an occupational phenomenon due to stress, disengagement, cynicism, fatigue, and other typical toxic work environment factors. In this post, I'd like to highlight some things companies do that may not be apparent to the professional environment but most definitely contributes to the increase of mental health issues in the workplace. I think we would decrease a significant amount of mental illness if we just cut out the mixed messages.  Here ar...