Consciousness in Healing the Hidden Self

The acts of self-consciousness and self-control go hand in hand. The fact is that when we are self-conscious we are better able to exhibit self-control. There are many persons out there that are not self aware or conscious of themselves and they are not in control of their emotions and actions. Being self-aware is important as it can affect or self-development and progression through life. It is crucial that we are able to be aware of all that we do and say and know that these things will affect circumstances as well. Being self-conscious is not always a bad thing as we like to think but if we relate it to being self-aware, we see the benefits.

If we are self-aware, it is less likely that we will act on impulse. It is more likely the case that we will be ready and able to assess a situation properly and show self-control in deciding how to approach the situation. The self-awareness that we possess will therefore directly affect our self-control. It is crucial that we are able to become self-aware persons in order to grab control of our emotions and actions. This can be done in many ways but these depend on the will power of the individual involved and the desire to take control of their lives.

Some of the ways to move the process to self-awareness and self-control along include the need for professional assistance. There are many programmes that offer techniques to assist in this process. These are offered by many self-development persons and are a good start if we do not have the time or will power to devote to the process on our own. We may not make the time unless we are enrolled in a class or unless we are motivated externally to do so. In these cases, the programmes can be a great starting point.

If we do have some self-control then it is good to try the other option of working on self-awareness and control on our own. There are many persons that have highlighted the great benefits of the use of meditation. This can assist the individual greatly as it leads the exploration into self and opens the awareness that is needed for better self-control. Meditation has numerous benefits to its users aside from these. It has been reputed to be of assistance in stress relief and the prevention of more serious illnesses such as heart disease and many more. The relaxing effect of meditation and the exploration into self-are able to translate to a better awareness overall and better self control.

The downside of meditation is that it can take a while to reap benefits and there are often persons that will become bored with the process and not give the method the required time to assist them. Meditation is not an overnight fix by any means and can take months and years of dedication for you to achieve all the results. The meditation process requires quiet and peace, which can often be hard for many of us to source. Not all these challenges however stop the fact that it is one of the best ways to grasp control of self and become more self-aware.

There are other factors that can assist and that can lead you down the road to better self-awareness and self-control. There is a lot of information available in self-development sites that show you the importance of self-awareness and self-control to your life. These are things that can greatly affect the quality of your life and should not be disregarded.

Traumas as Social Interactions

We react to serious mishaps, life altering setbacks, disasters, abuse, and death by going through the phases of grieving. Traumas are the complex outcomes of psychodynamic and biochemical processes. But the particulars of traumas depend heavily on the interaction between the victim and his social milieu.

It would seem that while the victim progresses from denial to helplessness, rage, depression and thence to acceptance of the traumatizing events - society demonstrates a diametrically opposed progression. This incompatibility, this mismatch of psychological phases is what leads to the formation and crystallization of trauma.

PHASE I

Victim phase I - DENIAL

The magnitude of such unfortunate events is often so overwhelming, their nature so alien, and their message so menacing - that denial sets in as a defence mechanism aimed at self preservation. The victim denies that the event occurred, that he or she is being abused, that a loved one passed away.

Society phase I - ACCEPTANCE, MOVING ON

The victim’s nearest (”Society”) - his colleagues, his employees, his clients, even his spouse, children, and friends - rarely experience the events with the same shattering intensity. They are likely to accept the bad news and move on. Even at their most considerate and empathic, they are likely to lose patience with the victim’s state of mind. They tend to ignore the victim, or chastise him, to mock, or to deride his feelings or behaviour, to collude to repress the painful memories, or to trivialize them.

Summary Phase I

The mismatch between the victim’s reactive patterns and emotional needs and society’s matter-of-fact attitude hinders growth and healing. The victim requires society’s help in avoiding a head-on confrontation with a reality he cannot digest. Instead, society serves as a constant and mentally destabilizing reminder of the root of the victim’s unbearable agony (the Job syndrome).

PHASE II

Victim phase II - HELPLESSNESS

Denial gradually gives way to a sense of all-pervasive and humiliating helplessness, often accompanied by debilitating fatigue and mental disintegration. These are among the classic symptoms of PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). These are the bitter results of the internalization and integration of the harsh realization that there is nothing one can do to alter the outcomes of a natural, or man-made, catastrophe. The horror in confronting one’s finiteness, meaninglessness, negligibility, and powerlessness - is overpowering.

Society phase II - DEPRESSION

The more the members of society come to grips with the magnitude of the loss, or evil, or threat represented by the grief inducing events - the sadder they become. Depression is often little more than suppressed or self-directed anger. The anger, in this case, is belatedly induced by an identified or diffuse source of threat, or of evil, or loss. It is a higher level variant of the “fight or flight” reaction, tampered by the rational understanding that the “source” is often too abstract to tackle directly.

Summary Phase II

Thus, when the victim is most in need, terrified by his helplessness and adrift - society is immersed in depression and unable to provide a holding and supporting environment. Growth and healing is again retarded by social interaction. The victim’s innate sense of annulment is enhanced by the self-addressed anger (=depression) of those around him.

PHASE III

Both the victim and society react with RAGE to their predicaments. In an effort to narcissistically reassert himself, the victim develops a grandiose sense of anger directed at paranoidally selected, unreal, diffuse, and abstract targets (=frustration sources). By expressing aggression, the victim re-acquires mastery of the world and of himself.

Members of society use rage to re-direct the root cause of their depression (which is, as we said, self directed anger) and to channel it safely. To ensure that this expressed aggression alleviates their depression - real targets must are selected and real punishments meted out. In this respect, “social rage” differs from the victim’s. The former is intended to sublimate aggression and channel it in a socially acceptable manner - the latter to reassert narcissistic self-love as an antidote to an all-devouring sense of helplessness.

In other words, society, by itself being in a state of rage, positively enforces the narcissistic rage reactions of the grieving victim. This, in the long run, is counter-productive, inhibits personal growth, and prevents healing. It also erodes the reality test of the victim and encourages self-delusions, paranoidal ideation, and ideas of reference.

PHASE IV

Victim Phase IV - DEPRESSION

As the consequences of narcissistic rage - both social and personal - grow more unacceptable, depression sets in. The victim internalizes his aggressive impulses. Self directed rage is safer but is the cause of great sadness and even suicidal ideation. The victim’s depression is a way of conforming to social norms. It is also instrumental in ridding the victim of the unhealthy residues of narcissistic regression. It is when the victim acknowledges the malignancy of his rage (and its anti-social nature) that he adopts a depressive stance.

Society Phase IV - HELPLESSNESS

People around the victim (”society”) also emerge from their phase of rage transformed. As they realize the futility of their rage, they feel more and more helpless and devoid of options. They grasp their limitations and the irrelevance of their good intentions. They accept the inevitability of loss and evil and Kafkaesquely agree to live under an ominous cloud of arbitrary judgement, meted out by impersonal powers.

Summary Phase IV

Again, the members of society are unable to help the victim to emerge from a self-destructive phase. His depression is enhanced by their apparent helplessness. Their introversion and inefficacy induce in the victim a feeling of nightmarish isolation and alienation. Healing and growth are once again retarded or even inhibited.

PHASE V

Victim Phase V - ACCEPTANCE AND MOVING ON

Depression - if pathologically protracted and in conjunction with other mental health problems - sometimes leads to suicide. But more often, it allows the victim to process mentally hurtful and potentially harmful material and paves the way to acceptance. Depression is a laboratory of the psyche. Withdrawal from social pressures enables the direct transformation of anger into other emotions, some of them otherwise socially unacceptable. The honest encounter between the victim and his own (possible) death often becomes a cathartic and self-empowering inner dynamic. The victim emerges ready to move on.

Society Phase V - DENIAL

Society, on the other hand, having exhausted its reactive arsenal - resorts to denial. As memories fade and as the victim recovers and abandons his obsessive-compulsive dwelling on his pain - society feels morally justified to forget and forgive. This mood of historical revisionism, of moral leniency, of effusive forgiveness, of re-interpretation, and of a refusal to remember in detail - leads to a repression and denial of the painful events by society.

Summary Phase V

This final mismatch between the victim’s emotional needs and society’s reactions is less damaging to the victim. He is now more resilient, stronger, more flexible, and more willing to forgive and forget. Society’s denial is really a denial of the victim. But, having ridden himself of more primitive narcissistic defences - the victim can do without society’s acceptance, approval, or look. Having endured the purgatory of grieving, he has now re-acquired his self, independent of society’s acknowledgement.

Postpartum Depression - Coping with the Baby Blues

Postpartum depression, or peripartum depresion occurs after a woman gives birth. Within a few hours of giving birth the amount of the two female hormones, estrogen and progesterone, return to their pre pregnancy levels. Many researchers feel that this drop in hormone levels, much like the smaller changes in hormone levels can affect a womans mood just before her menstrual cycle, is one of the causes of postpartum depression.

In some women the levels of thyroid hormones decrease as well. This decrease in these hormones can lead to symptoms of depression too. Some of these symptoms include a depressed mood, a loss of interest in daily things, problems sleeping and fatigue, irritability and weight gain.

Another factor that can lead to postpartum depression is genetics. This type of depression can be passed down from mother to daughter. There is also a correlation between postpartum depression and women who suffer from severe premenstrual syndrome.

Postpartum depsression is also known as the baby blues and one in ten new mothers suffer from this to one degree or another. In addition to the drastic changes in hormone levels, the presence of a new baby in the house is also a major factor in postpartum depression. A new baby can be a major stress on a new mom and this can factor into becoming depressed. Some of these factors include:

Having less free time then before the baby was born and an inability to control the time needed to get things done. The baby demands all the mothers attention, leaving little time for herself.

Going through labor is extremely stressful and tiring for a new mom. A new mom does not have time to regain her strength post delivery because of the demands and needs of the new baby. Just getting a good nights sleep is nearly impossible with late night feedings and diaper changes.

Many new mothers question their own ability to be a good mom. They become overwhelmed with the care the new baby needs and start to worry that they aren’t providing the care their baby needs.

For new moms, postpartum depression can occur with a feeling that they are no longer who they used to be. Their old schedule and ways of doing things have been replaced by the needs of their new baby. They can also feel like they have to do it all and try to take care of the new baby while doing all the things they used to do. This can be very overwhelming because chances are the care of the new baby will not allow them to accomplish all that they think they should.

New moms can also become disconnected from their partner and family. They find that their time is limited and they just don’t have time to spend with the rest of their family.

For most women the “baby blues” will usually go away as their hormone levels get back to normal. But for some women the depression associated with a new baby does not go away and can steadily get worse. It is very important that women who experince any kind of depression after child birth talk to their doctor right away. Most cases of postpartum depression can be dealt with with medication and some counseling.

Is this Depression or am I just sad?

Do you know the difference between being depressed or just being sad?
Most people don’t. However, this matters because perhaps the best way to avoid health complications arising from depression is to deal with it in its early stages.

It is normal to feel sad from time to time. Sadness is a natural reaction to something upsetting which has happened. Depression on the other hand is more extreme. It is more of an emotional or mental illness which has a lot more symptoms than sadness and can, if not treated lead to suicide.

One huge difference between sadness and depression is that a person experiencing feelings which they find disconcerting can reasonably tell you what it is that is causing their unhappiness, however a person suffering from depression may not necessarily be able to do so.

When one is sad, we tend to know that things will get better over time; on the other hand, a person going through depression may not see an end to his or her problem and may consequently think things are or will get worse.

This may lead to a depression that could last for a long length of time. With the negative feelings being so intense and overpowering, depression is oft times something one just can’t snap out of, at least not without assistance or taking exact measures to match or overwhelm its hold on a person.

Though it is safe to say anyone going through depression experiences sadness, but not every sad person is necessarily depressed, both emotional hindrances might need to be addressed and catered to the same or very similar ways.

However, since depression is usually more burdensome than just a state of sadness, one needs to be able to distinguish between the two to determine the amount of effort that may need to be done to correct either state of these negative emotions.

In order to be able to attack depression-advisably in its earlier stages-below are its symptoms in no specific order.

1. Irritability and mood swings.
2. Hopelessness and extreme pessimism (a negative outlook on life)
3. Loss of energy, extreme fatigue and tiredness.
4. Loss of interest in hobbies, having a good appearance and even associates and loved ones.
5. Extreme feelings of helplessness and no self worth.
6. Suicidal thoughts (in extreme cases)
7. Insomnia (lack of) or excessive sleep.
8. Inexplicable weight loss or gain thereof, triggered by eating disorders.

Though not a conclusive list as characteristics vary by patient, these symptoms of depression listed above are the most common ones.

If you happen to experience any of these symptoms, the first step, in my opinion and based on research will be to look within and ask why this may be occurring. Thoroughly assess your situation to see what it is that could be triggering these symptoms of depression within you. Could it be a failure at something or the loss of something or someone of importance?

If you go over the problem carefully, you would be able to target the cause and consequently solve it. Remember, the mind is the most powerful force on the earth, He who can control it can control all things my friend.

I will also mention that for both sadness (a symptom of depression obviously) and for the emotional disorder-depression-which we have now characterized for the purposes of distinguishing between the two, some steps you can take on your own for help will be engaging in some form of physical activity such as exercise or other hobbies.

This step exercises the motor centers of the brain, making the blood flow away from the emotional activity center; consequently one becomes more receptive to positive thoughts.
In addition to this tip, an observance of nature will show us that when animals are frightened or angered, they abstain from eating until after the passage of some time. Moreover, it is true that under stressful circumstances many civilized people refrain from eating and find in truth that they lack the desire for food, but it is also too often that most of us will eat large meals under these circumstances.
Now, worry, fear, anxiety, excitement, hurry, heated arguments at meals: all prevent the secretion of the digestive enzymes of the body and hinder not only digestion, but the whole nutrition process.
This considered, perhaps the last thing you may want to do while dealing with depression or sadness-be it its causes or symptoms is to eat excessively, I may go as far as to say to even eat at all.

It is also advised that at this crucial stage of emotional encumbrance, try and seek out the company of uplifting friends, relatives and associates. As much as possible, purposely surround yourself with uplifting and positive elements like your favorite DVD comedies, books, sitcoms and things of that nature.

So if you are unsure if you are truly depressed or just sad, take heart, neither of these negative emotions can overpower you-if you take charge and overcome them. It may not always be easy and you may need help, however, the desire to be-little their effects over you will be the first step towards success.

Domestic Violence And Depression

More and more people are reporting incidents of domestic violence to the police. If you are a victim of domestic violence you will be aware of just how frightening it can be. The question that many people ask is what are the causes of this violence, is the person just a lunatic or are there other reasons behind it.

According to the latest reports alcohol has a large part to play in leading to cases of domestic violence. In the example of a husband hitting his wife when he is drunk, this is typically what can happen. For the sake of making this article easier to read, I shall call the husband John and his wife Linda.

John is a really nice guy when sober. Linda is very much in love with him and hopes that they will grow old together. John is a great father to their two children, is helpful around the house and is a great cook. The problem occurs after he has had rather too much to drink. John now becomes a whole different person, he starts to accuse his wife of having an affair, becomes abusive and very argumentitive. Linda realising he is drunk attempts to walk away to leave John to his bad mood, this only adds however to his anger and he starts to become violent.

The next morning John can not believe what he has done and is full of regret and remorse. He can not say sorry enough and begs for Linda’s forgiveness. He promises that it will never happen again and states that he will give up the alcohol if that would make his wife happy.

Linda is not sure what to do, she would love to forgive and forget but feels that it is very likely that it only happen again in the future if she does.

In many cases people like Linda will forgive their partner or husband a number of times before eventually losing patience with them.

My advice for John would be to stop drinking alcohol straight away. This seems to be the cause of all of these problems, therefore you need to find something else to have an interest in.

Another cause of domestic violence is known to be depression. Some people who are normally very relaxed can become very angry and abusive when in a deep state of depression. They can take their problems and frustrations out on their partner much like in the example above.

A few days or weeks later when the person in question is feeling a lot happier, they will not believe what they have done.

Whether it is because of depression or alcohol, one solution to this domestic violence problem could be to attend some form of anger management program, that is for people like John.

Climbing Out Of Depression

One man is scaling each continent’s tallest mountain to heighten global awareness of depression.

Twenty years after the suicide death of his father, mountain climber Joe Lawson formed Expedition Hope to help raise awareness of depression and the risks of letting the illness go untreated.

Lawson’s father battled depression his entire life, until he decided to put an end to his suffering when Joe was just 16 years old. After struggling to understand his father’s suicide, Lawson developed an interest in mountain climbing and has since traveled the world in search of new adventures and personal challenges. One of these personal challenges includes Lawson’s attempt to climb the highest mountain on each of the seven continents.

Up to 19 million Americans suffer from depressive disorders, including major depression. Although it is one of the most frequently seen psychiatric disorders in the primary-care setting, it often goes undiagnosed or is under-treated. This may be because depressed patients often discuss their physical symptoms rather than emotional complaints. In fact, in one study about 70 percent of patients diagnosed with major depressive disorder (MDD) presented with only physical complaints. Pain is present in approximately 45 to 75 percent of patients with MDD, and can include headache, back, shoulder and abdominal pain.

“My father’s depression left him feeling isolated and estranged, making it hard for him to seek help and talk about his condition,” said Lawson. “Had he had the proper treatment, his life might have been saved.”

With the help of Eli Lilly and Company, Lawson began his journey last May by climbing Alaska’s Mt. McKinley, the highest peak in North America. However, after injuring his knee while on the mountain, Lawson had to turn back. Instead of giving up, Lawson went on to summit Mt. Kilimanjaro, the highest peak in Africa, in September 2005, and Mt. Kosciusko, the highest peak in Australia, in November 2005.

“Like mountain climbing, persons suffering from depression may face extreme challenges, but help, treatment, and relief from symptoms are attainable with appropriate assistance,” said Lawson.

This year, Lawson will attempt to summit Mt. Elbrus, the highest peak in Russia, and Mt. Vinson Massif, the highest peak in Antarctica.

The Ups and Downs of Atypical Depression

Atypical depression, a subtype of major depression, is the most common form of depression today. People who suffer atypical depression exhibit all the normal symptoms of depression but they also react to external positive experiences in a positive way. Atypical depression sufferers respond to their environment, enjoying the company of friends but slipping back into deep depression when alone or faced with a stressful situation. It is this aspect of atypical depression that differentiates it from melancholic depression in which external positive experiences still result in depressed feelings.

People who suffer from atypical depression also exhibit other symptoms that aren’t normally associated with “normal” depression including:

• Increase in appetite with a weight gain of ten or more pounds.
• Hypersomnia -over sleeping of more than 10 hours per day.
• Leaden paralysis of the arms and legs
• Long term pattern of sensitivity to rejection in personal situations that causes social or work related withdrawal.

In 1998 Dr. Andrew A. Nierenberg, associate director of the depression clinical and research program at Massachusetts General Hospital, published a study that found 42% of participants suffered from atypical depression, 12% had melancholic depression, 14% had both depression subtypes and the remaining did not suffer from depression.

Studies have also found that atypical depression begins earlier in a person’s life than other forms of depression with most sufferers beginning to show symptoms in their teenage years. Those who suffer from atypical depression are also at greater risk of suffering from other mental disorders such as social phobias, avoidant personality disorder or body dysmorphic disorder. Atypical depression is more prevalent in females than males as well, with nearly 70% of it’s sufferers being women.

Treating atypical depression is an ongoing process. Research has shown that MAOIs such as Nardil or Parnate work reasonably well as do the newer SSRI medications (Lexapro, Prozac, Zoloft). Most patients prefer the SSRIs because they do not exhibit the unpleasant side affects of the MAOIs.

It is also important that if you or someone you know suffers from atypical depression that you or they seek psychiatric help. Atypical depression is not easy to diagnose the treatment choices can vary from patient to patient. A general care practitioner does not have the expertise to differentiate between the subtypes of depression and may not know the best course of treatment for their patient.

Overcoming Depression: The Power of Positive thinking works

Friends: “Above all else, guard you heart for it’s the well-spring of life”

I remember telling an associate this quote once and his response (this from a ‘straight out the tough streets of Chicago’ guy) was: “That is deep…!”

He was going through a depressing situation of his life and was discussing it with me, we talked about methods of overcoming depression and I thought of that verse. Yes, folks it’s a verse from the Bible, and it is one of the most powerful ones that can be affirmed or repeated for overcoming depression through one’s thoughts.

With the several side-effects associated with synthetic drugs for treating depression, it is quite necessary to say seeking alternative methods of depression treatment will be more than adequate and wise for overcoming depression. One of these alternatives is changing one’s thinking (and speaking) habits about life and its challenges.

As its name suggests, positive thinking is a habit of accepting first that there are problems and challenges we may be facing, but in order to overcome them to avoid the inevitable depression that may result, we must think with the mind-frame of success and victory in mind. When using this for overcoming depression and our challenges, it involves forcefully saturating our minds with positive thoughts and affirmations in the aim of overshadowing the negative pessimistic thoughts about the depressing situations.

Always seek the good out of every situation and this at times may require some real action on our parts. Analyze the problems, ask why it may be happening, what you may have done to provoke or not prevent it from occurring, your options of being able to fix it and who you may have to turn to for help.

Seeking spiritual guidance and help while using positive thinking for overcoming depression, is also a great suggestion. As overlooked as the Bible may be in the present ages (or religion/spirituality period), it does contain a lot of helpful affirmations one can repeat mantra-like in thoughts and speech and with the right attitude, you almost inevitably find the answer to your problems. Is this quackery or magic? No. Your thinking process creates your world. Remember: “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he…”

Other things to keep in mind when using positive thinking for overcoming depression are to employ the proven methods of a proper diet and exercise to create a healthy body and consequently a clearer and healthier mind which will be more capable as a consequence for overcoming depression.

Will positive thinking always work? It will be safe to say, like with anything else, you will only get out of it what you put into it. However, with the right attitude and mind-frame, it sure will beat overcoming depression through a bunch of harmful drugs.
Do keep in mind though, it is the first step (thinking right that is) to solving a problem. Moreover, as far as problems in life remember in the words of Charles de Gaulle: “Difficulties attracts the man of character because it is in embracing it that he realizes himself!”

Life’s problems should act as spur for action not running away from them. Considering this, positive thinking obviously is the first step to ensuring that you make the right move for overcoming depression and challenges in life.

According to your faith (thoughts and actions), be it unto you.

Is Obsessive Compulsive Disorder A Hand Me Down

Many a question has gone unanswered why people suffer from OCD and the reason for that is there is no known answer. What we do know? is that obsessive compulsive disorder affects 2% of the people in the UK. It is a disorder where a sufferer performs repetitive actions to relieve anxiety

OCD without doubt is a type of anxiety disorder and the good news, it is treatable.

None of us escape unpleasant thoughts every one of us at some time have had experience of this way of thinking. Fortunately for some they manage to banish these thoughts unlike that of a victim of OCD who struggle to control their behaviour brought on as a result by these nasty thoughts in which the content can relate to aggression and violence.

Fear of contamination is a symptom that burrows deep into a patient’s mind leaving them with a sense of insecurity where they feel dirty and unclean hence habitual compulsory hand washing. Then we have the worrier who constantly doubles back on them selves checking to secure doors/windows etc.
Frustration is high on the cards for an infected person who plays the number game where counting denotes how and when things are done, little things like the arranging of objects can escalate out of control for a sufferer if moved out of place.

Peace of mind is all an infected person is in search of and by fulfilling tasks that have become an obsession, it is then they find contentment even if only for a little while. Compulsive behaviours are carried out religiously by people with OCD to help counteract depression/anxiety brought on by their obsessions.

The reason behind why people suffer from OCD is unknown but there are factors that can be taken into account where some evidence has shown that it runs in the family, this does not mean that your actions are duplicated like that of your blood brothers. Disorders such as trichotillomania and picking of the skin, are quite common hand me downs.

People who have no understanding on this condition would see habits performed by an OCD sufferer as a sign of madness. Health of an infected person can deteriorate due to self inflicted stress by trying to conceal their actions. Stop, for all you know the person next to you may also be doing the same.

Come out of the closet so as to speak and make the illness visible. People in your life that matter can not help what they can not see

Leprosy went out with the ark where people were sectioned off away from the land of the living. 2% is a rather large percentage of people suffering from obsessive compulsive disorder. So you are not on your own, so why go it alone.

Doctors Don’t Ask, Patients Don’t Tell: Some Surprising Side Effects of Treating Depression

In any given year, up to 14 million adults in the U.S. are affected by major depressive disorder (MDD), commonly referred to as depression. Ten percent of women and 4 percent of men aged 18 and older now take antidepressants for depression. Surprisingly, however, many patients may not be aware that the medicine they are taking may cause sexual problems. This may cause some confusion because sexual problems can also be a symptom of depression.

In a recent survey, conducted by International Communications Research on behalf of GlaxoSmith Kline, of 1,003 men and women prescribed antidepressant medication to treat depression, sexual problems were cited by about half (48 percent) of respondents as the most commonly experienced side effect of antidepressants.

“Many people don’t realize that their sexual problems can be caused by major depressive disorder itself or by some of the treatments,” said Adam Keller Ashton, M.D., clinical professor of psychiatry with the State University of New York at Buffalo. According to the survey, a lack of sex drive was the most notable sexual problem experienced (77 percent), followed by the inability to have an orgasm (56 percent).

Both depression and sexual problems can be difficult topics to discuss with a doctor. In one study, only 20 percent of patients proactively reported antidepressant-related sexual problems to their health care provider. In contrast, 59 percent of patients reported sexual problems when directly asked about it.

Doctors may also not remember to tell patients about this potential side effect. In one study, only 16 percent of patients said their doctor told them about sexual problems related to antidepressant treatment, yet 69 percent of doctors said they normally mention this side effect.

“Sexual dysfunction associated with antidepressants does occur and can be a bothersome side effect for patients taking an antidepressant,” said Ashton. “No one antidepressant is right for everyone, yet there are plenty of options to meet patients’ needs, which is why it’s critical for doctors to discuss and patients to ask about side effects of any medication prescribed.”

Some antidepressants that affect the neurotransmitter serotonin seem to have higher incidence of sexual problems compared to those that do not. In fact, several studies have shown that the incidence of sexual problems reported with the use of serotonergic antidepressants can range from 34 to 67 percent.

“Wellbutrin XL® (bupropion HCl extended-release tablets) is a norepinephrine and dopamine reuptake inhibitor, which has no significant impact on serotonin and has a low risk of sexual side effects,” said Ashton.

Pepper Schwartz, Ph.D., professor of sociology at the University of Washington, Seattle, agrees that patients should educate themselves about depression, its treatment and potential side effects of treatment. Being armed with this information, patients can learn to become more comfortable having this discussion with their physician. “A good working relationship with a doctor is important to help get the care you need,” said Schwartz, “and it relies on good communication.”

At left is a list of tips for talking to your doctor about depression and sexual problems.

Important Safety Information

Wellbutrin XL is not for everyone. There is a risk of seizure when taking Wellbutrin XL, so people who have had a seizure or eating disorder, or have abruptly stopped using alcohol or sedatives, should not take Wellbutrin XL. People should not use Wellbutrin XL with monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) or medicines that contain bupropion. When used with a nicotine patch or alone, there is a risk of increased blood pressure, sometimes severe. To reduce risk of serious side effects, people should tell their doctor if they have liver or kidney problems. Other side effects may include weight loss, dry mouth, nausea, difficulty sleeping, dizziness or sore throat.

Wellbutrin XL is approved only for adults 18 years old and over. In some children and teens, anti-depressants increase suicidal thoughts or actions.

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