Estimates indicate that somewhere between ten and thirteen percent of women who deliver babies experience postpartum depression and sometimes, anxiety. Anxiety and postpartum depression often go hand-in-hand simply because of the immense life changes that occur with the arrival of a baby. Even in women with no previous history of depression, worries about being a good mother, unrealistic expectations of themselves, massive hormonal changes that occur during pregnancy and childbirth, and the financial changes that often accompany parenthood can combine to create a situation where postpartum depression and anxiety can lead to overwhelming feelings of helplessness, fear, sadness, listlessness, sleep difficulties, and paralyzing disinterest in activities that you once found enjoyable and interesting.

(more…)

For many, getting old can be a time of loneliness and depression. And, the term “Golden Years” will, most likely, not apply to them. Lack of planning, unsuccessful goals, and medical problems do not make for a happy senior citizen lifestyle. Whatever the reasons, getting old can be lonely, fearful, and depressing time of life.

People rush through life, looking for retirement and the “good” life. They believe they’ll reap wondrous rewards for the blood and sweat for their contributions to big corporate bank rolls. Ah, yes, the day will come when they are without time schedules, deadlines, family expenses, and limited freedom. Oh, it will be a joyous time! But, unfortunately, a bountiful, carefree, rich senior lifestyle is not, usually, recognized by the majority of people.

Some senior citizens find themselves without enough income to provide a roof over their heads, while others realize too late, that retirement arrived before their worldly purchases were paid off, and they are unable to retire. But, if they are gainfully employed, they have hope and abilities to enjoy some similarity of an enjoyable retirement. (more…)

Codeine is a pain-killer that is extremely popular with a great number of users around the world and there is no doubt that there is a legitimate reason for people to use and take this form of medication. There is a huge problem with pain-killers though in that people can become quickly addicted to them and find that their benefits wear off over time. This is because the user will quickly develop a tolerance to them meaning that if the user wishes to experience the same feeling they had when initially taking the drug, they need to take a higher dosage to do so. Any drug which encourages a higher level of use on a growing basis carries a great number of dangers, both in the short-term and long-term.

The short-term dangers of over using pain-killers are that people can fall into a dream like state where they are unable to respond quickly and become sheltered to what is actually happening. This numbing of the emotions is obviously attractive to people who are experiencing troubles or difficulties in life but it can also be very dangerous as they do not know when they are experiencing pain. This may mean that people do not seek medical help when something occurs, which can be very dangerous and could ruin a persons life in the long term. (more…)

The long list of other forms of medication which will interact badly with hydrocodone goes some length of the way to indicating how strong a drug it really is. Given that a person who is struggling enough to want to take a painkiller that is this strong is likely to be taking other forms of medication to improve their condition, there is a strong chance of creating a medication cocktail which is extremely bad for someone. Some of the affects can cause people to lose consciousness or fall into a coma, possibly even leading to death. This is clearly the worst case scenario but there is no guarantee that a person can mix these drugs without expecting some form of negative reaction.

The fact that people are taking pain killers to reduce the level of pain they are experiencing, it is natural that they will be numbed for a while. For many people, the numbing of emotions is an extremely positive aspect, in the first instance but it can lead to other difficulties which were not foreseen at the start. It is not uncommon for people to do themselves further injury but because the medication is numbing their pain receptors, they do not realize. This means that they are unable to seek proper medical attention when they first have the incident or accident. In some cases, failure to seek medical assistance at the first opportunity can make it harder to properly fix or cure any problems. (more…)

Apathy is very common following a traumatic brain injury and may often occur in conjunction with depression, but not always. It may become apparent shortly after a brain injury or may not be evident until a few years later.

There are many indications of this deficit – a decrease in goal-oriented activities and no interest in making goals of any kind; no interest in working towards rehabilitation; no effort towards becoming independent; no effort made towards any work-related activities; no interest in achievements of any kind; an emotional indifference; little effort at communication; little concern for their own health; loss of interest in daily activities; reduced interaction in personal relationships; few emotional reactions to situations and circumstances; unable to initiate, take action or make any plans; no interest in the future; little appreciation or notice of recovery made to date, and withdrawal creating social isolation. (more…)

So often, my working relationship with a panic sufferer begins with an initial email of all-consuming pain, fear, bewilderment, and desperation. The writer has visited my website, identified with the content, felt a glimmer of possibility, saw my invitation to write, and did exactly that. But as this person wrote, just what were they really looking for? And what do they really need to receive at this most vulnerable, yet opportunistic, time? Those are hugely important questions because their answers hold the very keys to lifelong recovery and growth.

If you’ve been in the panic attack or panic disorder saddle, you know it’s a rough ride; especially when the symptoms first appear. I mean, seemingly out of nowhere you’re being pounded by sledge-hammers of panic, anxiety, agoraphobia, derealization, depersonalization, avoidance, phobias, depression, substance abuse, and crushed self-esteem and confidence. And you may not even know what some of these phenomena are, much less that you’re suffering from them. The one and only thing you know for sure is, “I want to be the way I used to be.” And you’re mentally, emotionally, and physically flailing wildly to establish that sense of identity and comfort.

(more…)