Are there benefits in being depressed?

Evolutionary Theory, which indicates that as we evolve we hold onto traits that benefit us, would see depression as a necessary protective mechanism. The ultimate reward of recognising depression is that the depression acts as a trigger for change.

for more on this story, click the link
http://www.camh.net/Publications/Cross_Currents/Spring_2005/lastword_crcuspring05.html

Amazing sand art - you MUST check it out!

Every now and then you come across something amazing. I did that today. It's a YouTube clip about a sand artist called Kseniya Simonova and she does sand art - tells stories through sand. Wow it is INCREDIBLE! (How big can I make the word INCREDIBLE!!??). It is also very moving. So if you want to be inspired take a look.

I also look at it from the view point of "who would have thought"? You know that feeling, when sometimes we are feeling down, not feeling good enough and we are busy comparing ourselves with other people we know? Well this kind of 'thing' such as watching the sand art, reminds me of what we do not know and what potentials are out there for us. Things we haven't even thought of, potentials untapped.

Maybe that sounds a bit dramatic but while you are watching Kseniya's art, think of all the 'lonely' times she would have had perfecting it - think of her telling others she wants to do sand art ("sand art!" would have come the response!). Well she did it and it's great.

And she is gorgeous! I say that because she could easily be out there doing other 'girly' stuff but she has dedicated herself to this art. Well I'll get off my podium now and let you go and watch the 2 videos I saw.

Video 1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snOg1y0LQEQ&feature=related

Video 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOhf3OvRXKg&feature=related

Link between childhood abuse and adult unemployment and poverty

The National Institute of Mental Health (America) has released a Ph.D study by David Zielinski that has linked childhood maltreatment to higher rates of unemployment and poverty.

It is generally understood that negative early life experiences can adversely affect a person’s physical and mental health in adulthood but few studies have looked at the link between childhood maltreatment and later socioeconomic well-being.

Results from the study:

> Adults who were physically or sexually abused or experienced any type of maltreatment in childhood had a higher chance of being unemployed compared to non-victims, as well as living below the poverty line and using social services.
> There was an increased risk of unemployment related to the type of abuse. Those who were physically abused had a 140% increased chance of being unemployed while those with multiple forms of abuse had a 190% increase.
>However, those who had been sexually abused or experienced severe neglect did not show differences in unemployment compared to non-victims
>Physical abuse resulted in a 60% increased chance of living below the poverty line, which rose to 180% for those with multiple forms of abuse

Implications:

>Why are some forms of abuse linked to higher levels of unemployment than others?
>Assessing childhood abuse in the unemployed may aid increased targeted job training and job counselling programs for this population.

See http://www.nimh.nih.gov/science-news/2009/history-of-childhood-maltreatment-linked-to-higher-rates-of-unemployment-poverty.shtml

Link between anxiety and depression and being fat

Common mental health disorders, such as anxiety and depression, may increase a person's risk of obesity, and people with repeated episodes of these disorders are particularly at risk, British researchers say.
In the study, published in the Oct. 7 online edition of the BMJ, researchers analyzed data from four medical screenings of 4,363 British civil servants aged 35 to 55 conducted over 19 years (1985 to 2004). Each screening included assessment of mental health and measurement of height and weight.
Read more .... http://www.healthday.com/Article.asp?AID=631691

Mental Health Mental Upper

Hi! I came across this today so thought I would share. "Saturation Praise" For 60 secs the only things you can think about are what you like about yourself or the world. So if you're feeling a little down try to muster up enough energy to give it a go.

Our viscious cycles

I've regularly counselled people where, before the session begins, I'm fairly sure I will find a dys-functional pattern of behaviours that lead to a regular cycle of predictable outcomes. Just recently I counselled a man 'stuck' in depression. According to him he'd had depression for at least 6 months and had been on medication for a few months, having to change medications 3 times until he found one where the side effects were minimal. He said the medication stopped the severity of the lows. What medication will not do is stop the pattern of thinking that may lead to depression.

In the first session of counselling often what takes place is a lot of listening on my behalf as the counsellor. This gives the client the chance to 'off load' what they see is the problem. For this man it was feeling as though he could not make a choice, resulting him often feeling as though his head was 'stuck in the sand', blocking out the outside world.

It became apparent that this result of feeling as though his head was stuck in the sand had happened quite a few times in his life. It had happened at work, with his family, at school (years earlier) and now in his marriage.

It appears a cycle occurs where the 'reward' is his stuckness - his head in the sand feeling. It seems odd saying this is a reward, but it is a reward in the sesne that when things get tough, when problems arise, when stress builds up, at least he can bury his head in the sand and block out the world. Trouble is he doesn't know how to get his head out later!

We attempted to work on some strategies that could break the cycle but it's proving hard to break so far. The head in the sand 'com-for-tability' combined with depression was making change very difficult. He wants to change but stuckness is proving very attractive at the moment. After all it's predicatable and 'comfortable' - nothing to do with happiness but more comfortableness.

So what's your cycle? What keeps you stuck? What are you comfortable doing (what's your head in the sand trick?). It's worth thinking about. It could be the key to getting your head out of the sand - or what ever your 'thing' is!

Staying mentally well

In the western world it is easy to relate happiness to material possessions. The more we have, supposedly the happier we are. A new car is meant to be better than an old car. Earning more money allows you to buy more and go on more holidays, buy a bigger house, a flashy boat. On it goes.

However, research repeatedly shows this is not the case. In fact happiness is an illusion if you strive for it constantly. Particularly if you believe having more means you will be happier. That would then indicate wealthy people are happier than those with less. This is certainly not the case. Mental illness does not discriminate against those with wealth and those who do not have as much. We also know a lot of mental illness, particularly depression, can be triggered by our life style and life events. Taking that into account, if more wealth makes you happier you would expect levels of depression in the wealthy to be less than those who are less wealthy. This is not the case.

So what can contribute to our happiness? It really is engaging in very simple activities. Fixing the lawnmower. Going for a bike ride. Doing a bit of gardening. Doing someone a favour. Helping others. Spending time with your family. Catching up with a friend. Engaging in a hobby. Trying something new. Taking a risk. What would it be that you would like to do that you haven't done for a while or something you've always wanted to do but haven't got around to it yet? Why not give it a go?

In fact there is a great deal of evidence to show that helping others is beneficial to our health. Volunteering to help others in some way, even something like giving someone a lift to the shops who might not otherwise be able to manage it on their own, releases the 'happy' hormones that help us be happier.

So what can you do today that does not involve spending money or striving for more in the material world? Give it a go! It might make you happy!