HealthBee

I am pleased to see a formation of a public education program to explain to Americans that depression is a real disease, and not just ’something in your head’ as many people believe.
The Depression Is Real public education campaign is sponsored by The American Psychiatric Foundation (a philanthropic and educational subsidiary of the American Psychiatric Association), the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance, the League of United Latin American Citizens, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, the National Medical Association, the National Mental Health Association and the National Urban League and is made possible through the support of Wyeth.

Studies have shown that most people do not understand that depression is a biological disease, and instead believe that depression is a sign of ‘being weak’ or getting old. Personally, I felt the same way for many years: I believed that if I could just ‘be happy’ and ‘get over it’, I’d feel better. I learned later that I was depressed because my hormones were not in balance. When I got that straightened out, it was like night and day.

Depression, feeling anxious, or feeling like life is so hopeless you just want to die is not something you can just ‘think your way better’ with. You can’t just tell yourself ‘be happy’ and get over it: that’s like saying you can heal a broken leg just by gritting your teeth and telling yourself to ‘get better.’

More information on Depression is Real Campaign as well as resources for depression:

http://www.DepressionisReal.org

First a note: depression is not a disease with just one or a few factors that cause it. Many things can be the cause of it and to say that depression is caused ONLY by a hormone imbalance or ONLY by negative thinking or ONLY because depression runs in your family is false information. However, a hormone imbalance can be one of many potential causes of depression. This article outlines some of the more common hormone imbalances that may be contributing to an individual’s depression.

Also, before doing anything, if you experience any of these symptoms, go to a doctor and get your hormones tested to see if a hormone imbalance could be the issue.

Blown Adrenals or Adrenal Fatigue, AKA Cortisol Deficiency
When we are under stress for prolonged periods of time, it is not uncommon to have a cortisol deficiency, sometimes called “Blown Adrenals”. While this does not directly cause depression, the feeling of always being exhausted all the time can certainly lead to depression. It is something to look at, at least.

Some of the symptoms of Cortisol Deficiency are:

• Debilitating fatigue
• Unstable blood sugar — You need to eat NOW, or you’ll pass out.
• Foggy thinking
• Low blood pressure
• Excessively dry skin
• Brown spots on face

First a note: depression is not a disease with just one or a few factors that cause it. Many things can be the cause of it and to say that depression is caused ONLY by a hormone imbalance or ONLY by negative thinking or ONLY because depression runs in your family is false information. However, a hormone imbalance can be one of many potential causes of depression. This article outlines some of the more common hormone imbalances that may be contributing to an individual’s depression.

Also, before doing anything, if you experience any of these symptoms, go to a doctor and get your hormones tested to see if a hormone imbalance could be the issue.

Excess Estrogen
Excess estrogen can also be a cause of depression for both women and men. For women, simply getting off of birth control pills or changing your HRT therapy to a bioidentical hormone could alleviate these symptoms. For me personally, getting off of birth control pills made a world of difference.

Some of the symptoms of excess estrogen are:

• Puffiness and bloating
• Cervical dysplasia (abnormal pap smear)
• Rapid weight gain
• Breast tenderness
• Mood swings
• Heavy bleeding
• Anxious depression
• Migraine headaches
• Insomnia
• Foggy thinking
• Red flush on face
• Gallbladder problems
• Weepines