DEPRESSION

Depression is the most prevalent of all the emotional disorders. This may vary from feelings of slight sadness to utter misery and dejection. It brings together a variety of physical and psychological symptoms which together constitute a syndrome.

Most of the people who undergoes depression, anxiety has the feeling of selective filtering - like

* they always ponder upon one or more negative thoughts / matter and cannot see the positive side, whether in job or family which leads to discontent, irritated and anger. example wife thinks her husband does not love / care her, despite of his efforts to support her and children

* dwelling upon the difficulties

* assuming that bad events will happen again, and they feel anxious every time. For example - This time also my boss might kick me out from my job, remembering the previous incident will happen again 

* mind reading as though he knows what the other person is thinking e.g. she did not smile to me because she is angry to me

* Things should happen as he thinks otherwise he will be very upset.

Symptoms:

It is not always easy to diagnose depression clinically.

- feelings of acute sense of loss and inexplicable sadness, 

- loss of energy and loss of interest.

- feels tired and lacks interest in the world around him. 

-Sleep disturbance is frequent.

- nightmares and repeated waking

- headaches

- backaches

- patient often suffers from guilt, oppressive feelings and self-absorption

Other symptoms of depression are : 

- loss of appetite, giddiness, itching, nausea, agitation, irritability, purposeless thinking, quickness to temper, impotence or frigidity, constipation, aches and pains all over the body, 

- lack of concentration and lack of power of decision, feel like doing nothing. 

- Some persons may lose interest in eating and suffer from rapid loss of weight while others may resort to frequent eating and as a result gain in weight.

- Cases of severe depression may be characterized by low body temperature, low blood pressure, hot flushes and shivering.

The external manifestations represent a cry for help from the tormented mind of the depressed persons.

Causes

- loss of loved one or a job

- Depleted functioning of the adrenal glands is one of the main causes of mental depression.

- Irregular diet habits cause digestive problems and lead to the assimilation of fats. 

- An excess of carbohydrates like cereals, white sugar, coffee, tea, chocolates and comparatively less quantities of vegetables and fruits in the diet may result in indigestion.

-  Due to indigestion, gases are produced in the digestive tract, causing compression over the diaphragm in the region of the heart and lungs. This in turn, reduces the supply of oxygen to the tissues, which raises the carbon dioxide level, causing general depression.

- The excessive and indiscriminate use of drugs also leads to faulty assimilation of vitamins and minerals by the body and ultimately causes depression. 

- The use of aspirin leads to deficiencies of vitamin C and antacids can cause deficiencies of calcium and vitamin B. 

- Diabetes, low blood sugar (hypoglycaemia) and weakness of the liver resulting from the use of refined or processed foods, fried foods and an excessive intake of fats may also lead to depression.

- post menstrual syndrome

- 40% of those with this problem have one or both of their parents who suffered it also

Ellen White recognized that there are a variety of causes for depression beyond physical illness, including diet, genetics, guilt, inactivity, and the weather. Mind, Character, and Personality vol. 2, pp. 482-496, 807-812.

She knew the darkness of losing children and even one’s life companion to death. Recalling the bereavement of her 3-month-old son John Herbert, she wrote, “After we returned from the funeral, my home seemed lonely. I felt reconciled to the will of God, yet despondency and gloom settled upon me.” E. G. White, Spiritual Gifts, vol. 2, p. 296.

ELLEN WHITE QUOTES

* It is not work that kills; it is worry. 2MCP466.1

* I greatly fear that we are in danger, by worrying of manufacturing yokes for our necks. Let us not worry for thus we make the yoke severe and the burden heavy. 2MCP 466.3

* To be anxious about themselves tends to cause weakness and disease 2 MCP467.2

* Do not make a time of trouble before it comes. You will get to it soon enough brothren. We are to think of today and if we do well the duties of today, we will be ready for the duties of tomorrow. 2 MCP 470,2

* When we talk discouragement and gloom, Satan listens with fiendish joy, for it pleases him to know that he has brought you into his bondage. 2MCP 494.2

NATURAL REMEDIES:

1. EXERCISE:

S.M.I.L.E. STUDY- STANFORD MEDICAL INTERVENTION AND LONG-TERM EXCERCISE

* 16 Week trial

* 156 patients put in 3 group

* Zoloft and exercise group

* 3 X a week

* To exercise 30 minutes to 70-85% of their target heart rate

RESULTS

* All had a drop in depression

* Nearly half of each group were no longer depressed

* An additional 13% had less symptoms but not totally depression free

* 6 months later the exercise group was doing the best

* 55% of the mixed group was depressed 6 months later

NOTE: How exercise could help in depression. Exercise to increase your heart rate for 100/minutes start with brisk walk, 3 times a week for just 30 minutes.

2. TRANS FAT (bad effect):

* Are solid vegetable oil made hydrogenated to become solid and so that they can keep the items for longer periods, mostly used in bakery items. things like Vanaspati, margarine and bakery shortenings are form of Trans fat. They have a happy feeling, not only affects the heart but also your brain

* Research in the Adventist health study 2 revealed that consumption of trans fat was correlated with higher levels of unhappy feelings

* More trans fats= More depression

3. SUGAR (bad effects):

* It had been discovered that people who are more sugar were more depressed, by the question remained, was it the depression that caused people to eat more sugar? or was it the additional sugar that was a causative factor in the depression?

* A study from the University College London looking at more 8000 adults following them from 1980's discovered that men who ate the most sugar had a 23% higher likelihood of becoming depressed within the next 5 years.

* When a person is depressed they tent to eat a lot

* Gets easily irritated, impatient, and see them in children mostly who eats lots of sugary items, sugar spoil your mood

BIBLE SAYS

Proverbs 22:27

* It is not good to eat much honey

* Sugar is not good for the stomach. It causes fermentation, and this clouds the brain and brings peevishness into disposition 2MCP 391.3

* Peevishness- easily irritated, especially by unimportant things

4. SLEEP

* Sleeping early helps keep depression away

* 9-9.30 PM is the best

* avoid screen time before sleep (The blue light emitted by screens makes it very difficult to fall asleep. Turning them off before bed will help your child’s brain produce melatonin – the hormone that signals bedtime.)

* Less sleep makes you more irritated.

* olden days people sleeps early but now because of electronic people sleeps late.

* In nature we see blue light is dominion that makes us alert, as well as the phone so when we see the blue the eyes gets hard to sleep early.

* Sleeping late causes irritating.

* Ellen white quotes 

"I know from the testimonies given me from time to time for brain workers that sleep is worth far more before than after midnight. Two hours' good sleep before twelve o'clock is worth more than four hours after twelve o'clock. . . ." Manuscript Releases, volume 7, p. 224.

How prevalent (common) is the habit of turning day into night, and night into day. Many youth sleep soundly in the morning, when they should be up with the early singing birds, and be stirring when all nature is awake. Let youth practice regularity in the hours for going to bed, and for rising and they will improve in health, in mind, in spirit, in disposition. {YI, September 7, 1893 par. 5; also in Evangelism, p. 651}

* Research MORNING LARKS VS NIGHT OWLS on sleep time and happy emotion  

* Early risers are called “larks” and are more active in the morning, while those that sleep later and remain active past midnight are called “owls.”

* Less young people are prone to be morning larks. 

* But whether people are old or young those who are morning larks are happier

* People who sleeps late have a 94% higher chance of having a psychological disorder

* Research looking over 700,000 people found that for every 1 hr. early rising time you reduce your risk of depression by 23%

* Research in cognitive therapy revealed sleep time and duration affects RNT(Repetitive Negative Thinking), shorter sleep duration is correlated with more negative thoughts

5. NATURE

UNIVERSITY OF SUSSEX RESEARCH

* They took two group of people

* Participants were to listen to either natural environment or artificial environments

* The natural environmental sounds included wind in the tree, sound of brook

* MRI- during the artificial sounds the brain appeared similar to what it is seen in people with depression, anxiety.

* those who at the beginning of the study had the highest level of stress had the most significant drop in their stress level during the natural sound.

* AWE EMOTION RESEARCH- AWE inspiring experiences makes you happier and less stress for a week.

* Nature vs. Urban walk and its effect on Rumination (repeated negative thinking) 

* It has been show that rumination is a risk factor for mental illness

* They had healthy individuals walk for 90 minutes in either a urban setting or in a natural environment

* Results- those who walked for 90 min in a natural setting had a decrease of activity in subgenus prefrontal cortex and lower levels of rumination. The same benefit was not seen in participants who had urban walk.

SUBGENUAL PREFRONTAL CORTEX: Brain region involved in emotional regulation and reward mechanism

* It is always better to do exercise or walk in nature

6. FRESH AIR AND LIGHT

* Numerous studies have found lower levels of vitamin D in people who have depression

* because who are depressed they don't want to go out, they want to stay inside dark, doesn't take care of their body.

* Vitamin D we get it from sunlight when we go outside

* Vitamin D helps the calcium to go inside the bones

* Most of the depression patient has bone weakness due to lack of vitamin D

* The effects produced by living in close, ill- ventilated rooms are these. The system becomes weak and unhealthy, the circulation is depressed, the blood moves sluggishly through the system because it is not purified and vitalized by the pure, invigorating air of heaven. The mind becomes depressed and gloomy, while the whole system is enervated, and fevers and other acute diseases are liable to generated 2 MCP 483.2

* Blood moves sluggishly the waste, poisonous matter, which should be thrown off in the exhalations from the lungs, is retained, and the blood becomes impure. 2 MCP 483.2

HOLD ON TO THE PROMISES OF GOD

Psalms 22:1-5

Matthew 6:25-34

Spend more time in prayer & reading His words than pondering on your problems.

Write down all the good things He has done the past, tell God to remind you what you have forgotten, and thank God for His leadings. 

Recall the heroes from the Bible who underwent crucible time and how they overcame.

Write down/open Bible read/repeat and claim back to Our God the promises from the verses.

Comfort by Calling/talking to a person who is facing lots of difficulties, prayer together.

Other things to follow: 

* Eat meals on a regular schedule and eat only nourishing good

* Too low or high blood sugar diet induces depression

* Eat high fiber rich foods like fruits, vegetable, whole grains, nuts, and legumes.

* Omega - 3 helps reduce depression. The richest plant source is flaxseed 

* Take Vitamin B supplement helps reduce depression

* Go to bed on time at night and maintain regularity in your daily schedule

* Maintain a regular exercise program in order to increase feelings of well-being and cheerfulness

* Do some activities worthwhile to help others

* Have a good cry, crying releases tension and worry

* Be respectful and kind to others, helps you feel better yourself. Making others miserable will only add to your own misery

Avoid:

* Avoid processed and junk foods they are a great source of emotional depression

* caffeine and tobacco both are known to induce depression

* Beware of anti-depressant drugs which lead to a wide variety of physical and mental damage

* Beware of eating or shopping binges to help you feel better

* avoid  birth control pills cause a wide variety of mood responses.

* Beware taking different medicinal drugs and also corticosteroids especially steroids can produce severe depression.

HERBS:

Indian penny wort/gotu kola: have a relaxing or anti-anxiety &anti-stress effect. Take 500 mg of gotu kola twice a day for up to 14 days at a time, might cause sleepiness and slowed breathing acts as sedative. Increases levels of the feel-good neurotransmitters serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine, and reduces levels of the stress hormone cortisol