Energy

Episode 22: Energy, by host, Laura Milkins. Our guest, Hilary, tells the story of her depression from childhood onward, and how getting to a breaking point allowed her to pursue her love of photography:  Sunday, April 24, 2016

“The energy of the mind is the essence of life.”

-Aristotle

http://www.allaboutdepression.com/tre_21f.html
From the website All about Depression
on Decreased Energy

Having low energy and feeling tired and fatigued are very common symptoms if you are depressed. You may feel quite tired even without having engaged in any physical activity. Simple day-to-day tasks are no longer simple. Even such things as getting washed and dressed in the morning can seem overwhelming and may take twice as long as usual. When you are able to do things around the house or at work, you may become very exhausted or tire quickly.

“Fear is the cheapest room in the house. I would like to see you living in better conditions.”

-Hafiz

Advertisement

Acceptance

Episode 21: Acceptance, by host, Laura Milkins. Our guest, Adam, tells the story of his depression after returning from Iraq and how he has founded an organization, Huts for Vets, to help veterans reintegrate into their communities:  Sunday, April 17, 2016

Find out more about Huts for Vets: http://hutsforvets.org/

The Guest House

This being human is a guest house.

Every morning a new arrival.

A joy, a depression, a meanness,

some momentary awareness comes

as an unexpected visitor.

Welcome and entertain them all!

Even if they are a crowd of sorrows,

who violently sweep your house

empty of its furniture,

still, treat each guest honorably.

He may be clearing you out

for some new delight.

The dark thought, the shame, the malice.

meet them at the door laughing and invite them in.

Be grateful for whatever comes.

because each has been sent

as a guide from beyond.

-Rumi (translation by Coleman Barks)

 

The Indolent Mist of Autumn

The indolent mist of autumn at last dispersed…

It hovers between the towers, like the incense full of dreams

That will linger in the naves after the most solemn Mass;

And it sleeps like cloth spread on the dejected, grey ramparts.

It comes unfolded then folds back on itself, like a wing

In imperceptible motion, yet incessant, in the fog;

All is shaded to a blur and turns slightly divine,

As beneath the pallid brushing, all is vague and lost in dreams.

All is a shade of grey, cloaked in the colour of fog:

The sky with its ancient pinions, the water and the poplars,

Old friends, reconciled, so easily, with the haze of the past autumn,

Like all things that will soon be nothing but the faintest memory.

The victorious mist, against the pale depth of air,

Has diluted even the accustomed towers,

Whose grey thoughts are now gone forever,

Like some vague dream, or a geometry of vapour.

By Georges Rodenbach

Family

Episode 20: Family, by host, Laura Milkins. Our guest, Scott Shoemaker, tells the story of his struggles with depression. How writing about his anxiety and depression helped him cope and find a way to help others: Sunday, April 10, 2016

Exerpt From Stanford School of Medicine: Genetics of Brain Function

How common is major depression? At least 10% of people in the U.S. will experience major depressive disorder at some point in their lives. Two times as many women as men experience major depression.

How do we know that genes play a role in causing depression? Scientists look at patterns of illness in families to estimate their “heritability,” or roughly what percentage of their cause is due to genes. To do this we find people with the disease who have a twin, and then find out whether the twin is also ill. Identical (monozygotic) twins share 100% of their genes, while non-identical (“fraternal” or dizygotic) twins share 50% of their genes. If genes are part of the cause, we expect a patient’s identical twin to have a much higher risk of disease than a patient’s non-identical twin. That is the case for major depression. Heritability is probably 40-50%, and might be higher for severe depression.

This could mean that in most cases of depression, around 50% of the cause is genetic, and around 50% is unrelated to genes (psychological or physical factors). Or it could mean that in some cases, the tendency to become depressed is almost completely genetic, and in other cases it is not really genetic at all. We don’t know the answer yet.

We can also look at adoption studies, to see whether an adopted person’s risk of depression is greater if a biological parent had depression. This also seems to be the case.

Here’s  a link to read the whole story:  http://depressiongenetics.stanford.edu/mddandgenes.html

Trauma

Episode 19: Trauma, by host, Laura Milkins. Our guest, Sean Cannon, tells the story of his depression, his childhood obsession with death and how he found acceptance and peace through Bhakti Yoga: Sunday, April 3, 2016