For the twenty-five years that I have been counseling in Orange County, CA, depression is the most frequent diagnosis that I see. My friends who are counselors tell me the same thing. As many as three percent of those diagnosed with clinical depression will commit suicide this year. In 1997, suicide was the eighth leading cause of death with 30,535 reported deaths by suicide. These facts clearly show that depression is not something to be treated lightly.

People of all ages, both male and female, who suffer from depression, have often been reluctant to seek help, fearing the stigma sometimes attached to the disorder. Recently, however, some well-known entertainment and media personalities, such as news anchor Hugh Downs, have come forward with their personal struggles with depression, hoping to encourage others to seek treatment.

Depression Needs a Cure, Not Cover Up

For years, doctors have been prescribing drugs like Paxil, Prozac and Zoloft as antidepressants, and while they help many people adapt and learn to cope with their depression they are not necessarily the answer. Many of these drugs cause serious side effects including weight gain and dizziness, and getting off them can be a nightmare, which often results in the symptoms of depression returning.

Another form of therapy that is still sometimes used, although no longer as popular as in previous decades, is electroconvulsive shock therapy, or ECT. Anyone who has seen the movie, “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” will likely recall the intense scene in which Jack Nicholson’s character receives ECT. While ECT has been proven effective in some patients, the effects of this treatment are usually short-term, lasting no longer than three months in thirty percent of patients. ECT has some side effects as well, including memory loss and some signs of moderate confusion after treatment.

Enter neurofeedback. Those who opt for treatment using neurofeedback for depression are not only experiencing relief from their symptoms, but they are literally re-training their brain for long term relief and termination of those symptoms. And, of course, this is all done without side effects.
Retraining the Brain

Using the neurofeedback machine and the training given by the therapist, each patient learns to control and then retrain the way their brain works. Rather than acting to suppress the real cause of the symptoms, neurofeedback helps patients to retrain their brain for the long haul.

I’ve saved the best for last. Neurofeedback seems to work for depression, no matter how the person has become depressed. Meaning, whether their depression is the result of physical or emotional trauma; a genetic anomaly; or some other, perhaps unknown cause, many patients with depression respond very favorably to neurofeedback.

For more information about Neurofeedback, go to http://www.NeurofeedbackBook.com Dr. Clare Albright is a psychologist (CA License PSY11660) and a Neurofeedback practitioner and can be reached at (949)454-0996

Please do not take your child’s anxiety issues lightly. At any age. Not only teenagers are affected by anxiety and loss of self esteem. A very young child needs good positive self confidence reinforcement as well.

It is imperative that you listen carefully to what your child is telling you about how he feels. In what manner does he feel painfully disabled? What specifically is he experiencing? You may have to ask him rather forcefully, but lovingly, what is going on in his life. But, somehow, he must TALK to you. You may even have to do some behind the scenes investigating.

Anxiety is a serious health problem, for adults as well as children. Actually anxiety is quite common. In adults it is easier to find out the symptoms, but for children it is much more complex.

Does your child panic easily? Does he say he does not want to go to school? You must wonder why. Does he complain of an upset stomach, headache, muscle aches and pains? Does he relate sleeping problems, such as waking up in the night, or not being able to go to sleep? Have you noticed a change in his eating habits?

Is your kid irritable? We all are at times, but if this is more constant then you should take note. Does he have irrational fears, does he worry about “things”, Does he cry a lot? What about his social ability? Does he have many friends? Have you noticed any trembling or shaking? Well, that would certainly get your attention.

All of the above should cause you great concern.

A young person does not have the life experience to understand what is going on, nor, even remotely how to deal with it. They only know that they do not “fit in”. Self esteem and self confidence are non existent.

Many things may be contributors. A child’s chance of developing anxiousness tends to run in families. Yes, there may be a genetic predisposition. Wow! You may be a carrier of a gene that is causing your kid to feel anxious enough to affect his ability to enjoy life.

Did you experience a similar disorder that perhaps was untreated when you were a child? Maybe it worsened as you grew older. Think about it.

Additionally, role models teach fear and anxiety, especially if there is any kind of physical or verbal abuse going on in the home. The loss of a loved one (death or divorce, etc) or moving from one place to another, will exacerbate a situation. Depressed or anxious kids will run away from the perceived dangerous circumstances. They will run physically, or back into their mind.

A child knows when he feels bad about himself. It’s important to address the situation sooner rather than later. Now, would be a good time! You must seek professional advice. Consider more than one opinion.

Maureen Amberg

P.S. I have much more to talk about on this subject. Please watch for further articles AND have a look at my blog, please.

Maureen Amberg is an author, entrepreneur and children’s advocate for MEA Online Edge Inc., with emphasis on the self esteem and self confidence of children.

http://KidsEdgeOnSelfEsteem.com

http://MEAOnLineEdge.blogspot.com

http://KidsSelfConfidence.com

http://TeenagersSelfEsteem.com

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Up to three percent of those who are clinically depressed will die by suicide this year. Among young people, the suicide rate has increased significantly in the last few decades. Suicide was the third leading cause of death in 15-24 year-olds in 1997. Even people who are not deeply depressed can struggle regularly with sad feelings and mood swings. Clearly, depression is a very serious issue.

Unfortunately, for many years, people suffering from depression were hesitant to seek help, fearing that the stigma of psychiatric treatment would only add to their list of troubles. All too often, their concerns proved to be warranted. In 1972, Senator Thomas Eagleton’s admission of having been treated for depression cost him the candidacy for vice-president.

Two treatments for depression use electricity in interesting ways. These treatments are often sought after because they do not involve medications, which can have some very unpleasant side effects. These two treatments are electroconvulsive shock therapy, or ECT, and neurofeedback therapy. ECT was widely used to treat depression only a few decades ago. If you have seen the movie “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” you will no doubt remember the graphic scene where Randall Patrick McMurphy (played by Jack Nicholson) received ECT.

While not as popular as it once was, approximately one million people every year are still treated with this method. Patients undergoing ECT have to be put under general anesthesia, which comes with risks including memory loss and confusion. Moreover, ECT is usually only effective for a short while; in fact, a 2004 study showed that only 30% of ECT patients saw an improvement in their symptoms, and of those patients, 64% would relapse in less than a year.
One of the most exciting things about neurofeedback for depression (aside from the fact it works so well for many people) is that it is free of the burdensome side effects of some of the other treatments available. If you have not heard of neurofeedback yet, you may have heard of biofeedback, which uses signals from the body to help the client to know when something has gone wrong, so they can begin addressing the problem. Neurofeedback therapy is based on the same principle as biofeedback. It also uses signals, but these originate in the brain.

Using these signals, neurofeedback attempts to retrain the brain to function normally. It is effective with over half of depression patients, no matter what the cause of their depression, whether trauma, genetic anomaly or another cause, and regardless of how long they’ve been depressed.

What’s more, the retraining that neurofeedback accomplishes may last for years. Although this new form of treatment still needs a few more long-term studies done, many scientists and therapists believe that the changes that neurofeedback causes in the brain will last for many years. Just think about never having to use medication or deal with a depression relapse again!

If you have depression or know someone who is struggling with it, you may want to consider using neurofeedback as an add-on therapy or as an alternative to ECT or medication alone.

For more information about Neurofeedback, go to http://www.NeurofeedbackBook.com Dr. Clare Albright is a psychologist (CA License PSY11660) and a Neurofeedback practitioner and can be reached at (949)454-0996

If you have struggled with bipolar disorder or know someone who has, you are well aware of how it can affect your life. Bipolar sufferers can experience extreme changes in mood, going from a euphoric state of mind to a deeply depressed state very quickly. These mood swings can result in erratic behavior and poor decision-making.

A new and promising treatment for bipolar disorder is a form of biofeedback for the brain, known as neurofeedback. It is a natural and non-invasive treatment that may help change the way a bipolar patient’s brain functions.

Therapists using neurofeedback can actually see which mode a person’s brain is in by using an EEG machine, which reads the electrical activity coming from the brain. When a person with bipolar disorder is in a depressive state, their brain may show spiked delta and theta waves, and when they are in a manic state, their brain activity may be in the range of hi-beta waves. By analyzing these brain waves, a therapist can tell – regardless of a person’s actions – what state their brain is in. Because bipolar is a disorder of brain function, neurofeedback may be a helpful therapy.

During neurofeedback therapy sessions, a qualified therapist will “hook your brain up” to a machine that will read its electrical impulses from the scalp. Not only will the machine read these impulses, but it will also respond to them. Different therapists will use different responses, but they can be anything from videos that play to objects that move on a computer screen. When the brain gives off the correct signals, the machine will respond, indicating to the brain that it’s doing the right thing. Using this therapy over time may train the brain to work in the correct mode more of the time.

With many disorders – such as ADHD – neurofeedback may make a big difference in a person’s life. This is not yet the case, however, with bipolar disorder. At this point, there is no proof that neurofeedback can completely eradicate bipolar disorder, but it may significantly help bipolar patients.

What neurofeedback therapy can do is help people with bipolar disorder to remain somewhere between the two extremes of mood that they frequently find themselves in. These extremes can affect a bipolar person’s behavior the way any major emotional change does. In a depressive state, they are likely to have no energy at all, and may have difficulty dragging themselves out of bed in the morning. In a manic state, they will be prone to making very risky decisions without thinking things through.

While neurofeedback does not totally eliminate these emotional switchbacks, it may help to modify the extremes, which may in turn lessen the behavioral consequences of bipolar disorder. Over time, some bipolar people can even learn to balance their brain function so that they remain in a normal state for longer periods of the time.

While neurofeedback treatment for bipolar disorder falls short of being a “cure,” and neurofeedback is used primarily to stabilize the patient, you may be happy to learn that there has been some success with completely canceling the rapid cycling behavior that plagues so many with bipolar disorder.

For more information about Neurofeedback, go to http://www.NeurofeedbackBook.com Dr. Clare Albright is a psychologist (CA License PSY11660) and a Neurofeedback practitioner and can be reached at (949)454-0996

The number of people seeking help for depression is rising, as many clinical psychotherapists can attest to. The fact that as many as 5% of depressed people will commit suicide this year is a cause for great concern. Depression is a serious matter, as anyone suffering from it is well aware. Until recently, however, depression has carried with it a social stigma that has kept many from seeking help.
Fortunately, that has changed, with the help of some well-known and respected personalities such as retired television journalist Hugh Downs. Downs and others have spoken publicly about their own struggles with depression in the hopes of helping more people who deal with the disorder to realize that they are not alone, and to seek treatment.

Electroshock therapy was a popular treatment for depression in past decades, and though it is still occasionally practiced today, its use is not as prevalent as it once was. Prescription medication, in conjunction with, or apart from psychotherapy, is a more common treatment. Unfortunately, many of the drugs administered for depression have some unpleasant side effects.

Neurofeedback therapy has garnered much media attention recently as an alternative therapy for depression, and many who have tried it have reported excellent results. Those who opt for neurofeedback therapy may not only be experiencing relief from their symptoms, but they are literally re-training their brain for long term relief and termination of those symptoms. And, of course, this is all done without side effects.

One of the best things about neurofeedback for depression is that it appears to work regardless of the cause of a patient’s depression. Whether their depression is the result of physical or emotional trauma, a genetic anomaly, or some other, perhaps unknown cause, many patients respond very favorably to neurofeedback. It can be especially effective in treating conditions that are caused by or increased by stress.

What can you expect during a neurofeedback session?

The neurofeedback sessions are safe, and most patients find them to be a pleasant experience. Your therapist will attach small leads to your scalp using a special gel. These will pick up signals from your brain waves and transfer them to a monitor.

You will learn to control a visual display on a monitor, such as a “Pac-Man” icon, or even sounds, using your brain. These movements or changes in sound are caused by your brain shifting into the desired brain waves; the very brain waves that will bring about profound changes in your thinking and how you feel.

Naturally, these changes don’t happen overnight. Most people are delighted, however, to notice clear and obvious changes within the first 10 sessions. But to really etch the changes in and make them longer lasting, several more sessions will probably be required. Some conditions may be completely resolved with only 20 sessions, while others may take a little longer.

Most patients who choose neurofeedback therapy for depression will tell you that it has had a very positive effect on their life.

For more information about Neurofeedback, go to http://www.NeurofeedbackBook.com Dr. Clare Albright is a psychologist (CA License PSY11660) and a Neurofeedback practitioner and can be reached at (949)454-0996

All man, ready to assure their physical and mental health, should recognize more about the “invisible killer” around them, which should be of sufficient importance to every man!

1. Tension
A 10-year study Of the 4,000 people of different occupations by has confirmed, heart disease, is mainly from emotional stress. Experts believe that: “When an individual living in the tension in the day, the more susceptible to hypertension.” There are mainly 2 kind of stress: the environmental and psychological. The growth of good social relationships, you will be able to eliminate the unnecessary worries. To deal with the psychological tension is the wisdom of thinking and bio-feedback.

2. Smoking
Long-term smokers, the incidence of lung cancer is ten times -twenty times higher than non-smokers, the incidence of laryngeal cancer is six times -ten times and the incidence of coronary heart is disease -three times – two times. Smoking can harm sperm deformity and it’s DNA, which will cause premature birth and birth defects. Some studies found that The children of smoking men have a greater danger of cancer. Smoking as well reduces sperm and reduces the inflow of blood to the penis, which will lead to impotence. The issues of low fertility are basic among smokers.

3. Alcohol
Alcohol will injure liver. Human liver is the most significant organ of detoxification, but also synthesis of bile, the glycogen storage element, excessive alcohol is bound to lead to fat digestion and absorption of liver dysfunction and decreased immune function, so that the body resistance of several diseases will reduce. Alcohol can harm the brain, memory, intelligence and judgment will significantly reduce.

4. Sit up all night
Sit up all night will surely reduce sleep time have no time to rest the brain and organs. These will lead to critical health chances. Sleep is the most significant approach to rest body. Scientists advised that the long-term deficiency of sleep will cause weakened sense, slow thinking, coordination dysfunction, risk of accidents, and personal injury. Long-term lack of sleep, will take you direct physical damage, cause loss of appetite, dyspepsia, decrease immune function, trigger or aggravate insomnia, neurosis, ulcer disease, hypertension, diabetes, cerebrovascular disease etc.. Therefore, the long-term lack of sleep, Have not only a lack of sleep, but as well can cause a variety of crucial problems. To sum up, nightlife or night work, should be in moderation, often stay up all night, is bound to have harmful health effects.

5. Excessive or lack of exercise
Experts suggest that the best dual-sport is to wear outdoor shoes to walk for half an hour it will be able to strengthen your muscles, make your heart speed up and make your breathing smooth. Naturally, if lack of appropriate exercise, it will also cause a lot of diseases such as chronic diseases, shortness of breath, obesity, dyspepsia, headache, back pain, anxiety, muscle weakness and atrophy, and accelerate the aging.

Tips to Recover From Your Mental Health

People suffering from mental health problem will think experience or act abnormally. This can be confusing not only for them but can affect their relationships, their work or education, and their social life. Having a mental health problem can make troubles for whole family members, friends, and the people they interact with. Mental health problems are generally caused by a kind of factors including breakdown in a family relationship, death of a family member or a close friend, bullying, abuse, divorce, breakup from parents or beloveds, stress born of a person’s current situation.

When people first start to feel mental health difficulties they may not be able to fathom what is happening. In a lot of cases, people tend to refuse that anything is wrong with them or even suppress information. Their reasons for doing this could be embarrassment, a sense of shame or fear of other people’s reactions. Please remember that there’s many support available to help people regain from mental health problems – in terms of counseling, therapy, medication and treatment in hospital. Several treatments are suggested for different types of mental disease*. With the right support, the bulk of people with mental health problems will certainly recover.

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