Many people have one episode of depression and never have another one after medication is discontinued. However, for middle-aged menopausal women who have two episodes that resolve with medication, they have at least an 80% chance of having another episode. A large part of coping with depression is accepting that it could be a life-long problem requiring continuous medication. This is no different from taking daily hypertension medication or a multi-vitamin.

Along with medications, coping with depression is made much easier with psychotherapy. In therapy, patients have the opportunity to discuss life events that may contribute to their depression or impede their recovery. Physicians recommend that medication be combined with therapy for the best results possible.

The Causes Of Childhood Depression

Childhood depression can be caused by such things as hormones, spots, first love, social acceptance or any of the other stuff that suddenly seems so important at this time in a child’s life. Of course, there may be times that these issues could cause your teenager to become surly, sullen and uncommunicative for a short period of time. However, you do need to look at this closely because if your teenager is acting like this most of the time, then it may be childhood depression.

This is not something that is uncommon for teenagers to suffer from. After all they are suffering from a combination of common stressors, which can compound upon them and send them spiraling downwards into childhood depression.

Coping With Childhood Depression

Most teenagers find it difficult to cope with childhood depression. They may even turn to drugs or alcohol in order to try to alleviate these feelings of depression. In some extreme cases, this depression can lead a teenager to harm themselves or they may even attempt suicide. This is not something that you should take lightly as there are lots of families that are devastated when their teenager uses suicide as a cry for help that has resulted in fatal consequences.

Conclusion

Today childhood depression is on the rise, especially in Western societies that are more developed. These countries include the United States, the United Kingdom and Northern Europe. So, as a responsible and caring parent you need to become familiar with what the signs and symptoms of childhood depression are. This is the only way in which you will be able to tell if your teenager is suffering from more than just the occasional ups-and-downs that are a normal part of the teenage years. Of course, by no means do you want to become an over-concerned parent. You also do not want to over-react every time that you think something may not be right. However, at the same time you do not want to ignore what may be a case of childhood depression.

Environmental Factors Combined With Chemical Imbalances In The Brain

With depression affecting so many people, it becomes necessary to know what the causes of depression are if we want to be able to find a cure for such a debilitating condition. However, there seems to be no known causes of depression and it could be, according to scientists, the result of a number of different reasons. The cause of depression could be attributed to when environmental factors combine with chemical imbalances within the brain to produce such a depressed mood that lasts for longer than necessary.

And, the causes of depression are also not the same for every individual as they are known to vary from one person to the other. However, whatever the cause of depression may be, it is essential that it be treated and that too promptly so that the condition does not deteriorate further and lead to serious consequences. Another interesting point regarding depression is that it occurs twice as frequently in women than it does with men.

The reason behind the higher incidences of depression in women could be that hormones in a woman will generally go up and down like a yo-yo, which could cause changes in her body that in turn are controlled by the hormones, which explains why women get depressed a lot more easily than men. And since a woman has to play a number of different roles, she can get stressed much faster, which explains why she can feel depressed so easily.

Another possible explanation about what the causes of depression are is genetics. If you are a part of a family having depression running in other family members, the chances of your developing depression are considerably greater than if there were no incidence of depression in your family. Even in the case of twins, if one twin suffers from depression there is a fifty percent chance that the other twin will also suffer from depression.

However, depression is not the same as feeling low or blue for just a few days. It is more like a clinical case that lasts from weeks to months on end, and can even cause the person to be unable to function normally.

Types Of Bipolar Depression

Each episode will vary in frequency and severity. The time between each episode will also vary significantly from 1 person to the next. Unfortunately, there is no clear pattern in this. During the in between stages, there is moderate to mild depression and some normal moods as well. Of course, it is also possible for a person to experience either extreme depressive or extreme manic episodes with only the occasional opposite occurring. This is why there is both type 1 and type 2 Bipolar depression.

If you have Bipolar 1 you will have recurrent manic and depressive episodes with stable periods in between. You may also go directly from depression to mania, or vice versa. On the other hand Bipolar 2 involves mild manic periods, or no mania at all. However, there are a lot of depressive episodes.

The Symptoms Of Bipolar Depression

This form of depression includes 2 different moods: depressive and manic. A depressive episode will last for at least 2 weeks. The person will then enter into a manic episode. During a manic episode a person will have an elevated mood that will last for at least 1 week. This is in no way related to alcohol or substance abuse. However, during this time a person who suffers from Bipolar depression will believe that they can do anything and they may not sleep for several days at a time.

Conclusion

So, as you can see, each person’s experience with Bipolar depression is unique. Plus, since this type of depression occurs in episodes, it is also possible for the person to behaves perfectly normal at some points in time as well. This is what makes Bipolar depression so difficult to diagnose. Nevertheless, if a person is suffering by this type of depression it is very important for them to get a proper diagnosis as soon as possible. Only then can it be treated so that a person can live a somewhat normal life.

Learn How Creative Writing Can Make You Earn Loads Of Money

Many aspiring writers are lured by the business aspect of writing as well as the love they have for the language. For amateur writers there are plenty of chances of making money by writing creatively. They may seek work as freelancers who contribute web content or take up writing poems for the many e-greeting card portals. The writers get paid well for their contributions, helping them earn some cash by using their talents.

Then there are more talented writers who have proved that creative writing can help to earn loads of money by writing and selling e-books online. Some people wait for a good publisher to give them a break others choose to publish their own work. If the content is original, of good quality and well presented they are sure to make a profit.

The fact that creative writing can make you earn loads of money is proved beyond a doubt by the unprecedented success of authors such as Stephen King, J.K. Rowling to name just a few. From being just another face in the crowd they have achieved unparalleled success on account of their creative writing prowess.

Many enterprising writers have gone on to reap profits by writing “how to” books such as how to make money, how to win friends etc. There are many successful journalists who write for magazines and newspapers, providing readers with news and entertainment while proving that creative writing can make you earn loads of money!

Many screenplay writers have gone on to write academy award winning stories and have even acted in the movies produced from their screenplays! Go to the Oscars, walk the red carpet and get the coveted award plus the huge profit that the movie made, is that not enough proof that creative writing can make you earn loads of money as well as fame!

But success does not come easy. Hard work and determination are some pre-requisites. It will also be helpful if a course in creative writing was taken up. Creative writing strategies may be adopted and utilized to spur you on the path of success. If the right strategies were adopted, creative writing can make you earn loads of money indeed.

Creative Writing Fears

Running Out Of Ideas: One of the most common creative writing fears is to run out of ideas. You have the peace and quiet that you desire; you have the computer ready with a blinking cursor and realize that you have no idea what you want to write! It may be that you are exhausted, so just relax and do something that you enjoy may be listening to music or read a good book. You may read the newspaper or a magazine, look out of the window or get inspired by a song you are listening to. You may start looking at things from a different perspective than the one presented to you, when you do that your mind becomes alert and creates various new ideas, start recording them and use them to write a piece of work that brings out your creative best.

Writer’s Block: There are times when the number of unfinished manuscripts stored in the shelf starts multiplying on account of a writer’s block. This kind of creative writing fear is associated with a more deep rooted fear of being unsure if the work produced will be of good quality and if it will be liked. The fact is that we do not fail until we quit, so the best way to overcome such creative writing fears is to continue writing. Use different versions, edit them and you may find that you have created a better piece of work than imagined possible.

Dreading To Waste Time: Many talented creative writers are plagued with the fear of wasting time on a piece of work that nobody appreciates. Creative writing fears such as these can be overcome by ensuring you select a topic or a theme that is acceptable, stay focused, and write in a grammatically correct and error free manner. The more you re-write and edit, the better the quality of your work.

Inability To Accept Criticism/Failure: A creative writing fear that most writers have is to face criticism and failure. Having devoted a significant portion of our time and energy on a piece of work and having to face rejection and criticism may be hard to digest, but it should not bog us down, it should in fact give us the fire necessary to succeed. It may help if we had a positive attitude and learn from our mistakes.

These are a few creative writing fears and tips on how to overcome them.

Useful Creative Writing Strategies

Use a computer/typewriter or a notebook depending on what makes you comfortable. It may help if you have broadband Internet access to conduct research and if you use the latest software such as Microsoft Word.

It is also recommended that you have a quiet, peaceful place to retreat to and work. Make sure that the room and the place you select to work in is comfortable. Set aside a time each day to devote to writing a certain number of pages or a certain number of stories etc.  Ensure that you are working each day.

Avoid giving in to temptations such as watching your favorite program on TV or browsing the web and checking your email or playing games on the computer etc. Instead use them as rewards to tempt yourself to do the set number of words, pages or stories.

Many authors use a book to note down their ideas and use those ideas to develop their creative writing talents. This is also one way of ensuring that writers never run out of ideas. Reading is also a strategy that will help you as it improves your vocabulary as well as your knowledge and help you become more prolific.

Having a positive attitude and do not paying any heed to any negative feelings such as self-doubt can easily eliminate chances of a writer’s block. A manuscript awaits completion. Ensure that your writings are focused, informative and interesting. Before developing the ideas, think about the kind of work that you have an aptitude for and your target audience. Edit your writings as much as is needed to satisfy yourself about the quality of the work.

Some writers are unable to write well when they are exhausted where as others can excel when they are tired, if you are the kind of writer that cannot perform when tired, take time off and relax a bit. Worry about correcting errors if any after you have completed the work, let it not interrupt the flow.

Have the right attitude towards rejection and take it as a motivating factor to succeed. These few creative writing strategies can help you become a better writer.

25,000 different types of orchid are known and more are being discovered each year, orchids are of the largest flowering plant families. .

Orchids can impart a wide variety of messages, but historically the meanings of orchids have included wealth, love, and beauty.

To the ancient Greeks, orchids suggested virility, and after the rise in popularity of orchid collections in Victorian England, the meaning of orchids moved towards being symbolic of luxury. Orchids have also been believed to carry various healing and protective properties, allowing them to ward off disease.

The Aztecs were said to drink a mixture of the vanilla orchid and chocolate to give them power and strength, and the Chinese believe orchids can help cure lung illnesses and coughs.

Today, the meanings of orchids are generally regarded as a symbolic of rare and delicate beauty.

Shining a spotlight on my fear has been the best (and only) way to get to the other side of it.

“Perhaps everything that frightens us is, in its deepest essence, something helpless that wants our love” - Ranier Maria Rilke

My fear is there for a good reason – to protect me. If I can have compassion for my fear, and understand what it’s looking for, I’ll be more ready to let it go.

I’ve been thinking about how fear and creativity often go hand in hand. As creative artists, what is our fear looking for? What does it think it’s protecting us from? In exploring these questions I decided to brush up on Abraham Maslow’s “Hierarchy of Needs”.

Abraham Maslow suggested that all human beings have the same basic needs, and that we spend our lives striving to meet them. His famous hierarchy of needs explains that at the basest level we need protection from the elements, food, water and other physiological needs.

Then, we need to feel safety and security within our family, our home and in our place in the world around us. We need to feel that we fit in and understand where we fit in and how everything works.

Next, we need to feel love and belonging - that we’re accepted and appreciated.

We need to feel competent and masterful and that we’re being recognized for our talents.

Finally, when all of those needs are met, we strive for the “top” level, “Self-Actualization” - to really live up to our highest potential, to feel a oneness with God, the universe and all of our fellow travelers on this Earth.

For some of us, long after the needs HAVE been met, we still fear losing them and having to meet them all over again.

Maybe that’s why creating our art can evoke so much fear. Creativity is a direct form of self-actualization. When you’re feeling fear about putting your creative ideas into motion, which of Maslow’s needs are you concerned about meeting or losing?

* If I commit fully to my art then I won’t be able to support myself financially – I could lose everything and be penniless and homeless

* If I put my creations out into the world, people may not like them – that means they won’t like me, they may laugh at me, I won’t fit in

* If no one likes my work, I won’t fit in. No one loves, understands or knows me. I’m not fulfilling a need in the world – no one needs me. I’m not serving a purpose.

* If I try to create, I could make a mistake. I’ll feel stupid and no one will like me.

To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong. - Joseph Chilton Pearce

* If I go another year without trying to get my creative projects off the ground, I may never break free of my limitations, and I may live the rest of my life with unrealized potential. I may die with my creativity still inside of me.

Even the fear of death is nothing compared to the fear of not having lived authentically and fully. - Frances Moore Lappe

Have I missed any? Probably. Of course each of us have our own unique fears – and these are more universal ones that relate to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and to our creative hopes and dreams.

A well-known acronym for fear is: FEAR = False evidence appearing real

In other words, even though what we’re fearful of seems very real to us, it’s usually something we’ve made up in our heads, as opposed to something we’re facing in physical form. Studies on the stress hormone cortisol show that our bodies react to our thoughts regardless of what is actually in front of us. Our fears feel VERY real. And……they’re not.

SARK, author of Make Your Creative Dreams Real suggests you to try this acronym on instead:

Fill yourself up creatively – Julia Cameron advocates something similar with her “Artists’s Date” assignment in The Artist’s Way. What sparks your creativity? A long drive in the country? Making a vegetable soup? Meditation? Prayer?

Explore what stops you – looking at your own unique methods of self-sabotage is a cornerstone of the Everyday Self-Care Workbook (http://www.genuinecoaching.com/esc-workbook.html), and of my upcoming book just for creative artists.

Accelerate movement – Do something, anything, to combat the inertia of staying still. SARK advocates “micro movements” that take anywhere from 5 seconds to 5 minutes to complete. Those micro movements are the building blocks for our creative dreams and most importantly, get us moving!!

Repeat – luckily for us, this process continues as long as we’re up for it!

Courage is fear that has said its prayers. - Dorothy Bernard

(c) Copyright 2005, Genuine Coaching Services.

People are habitual, and coming out of our comfort zone to change those habits can make us feel vulnerable or scared, and this is perfectly normal. Being scared is just a part of the process of change, however, facing something and dealing with it in spite of the fear is the very definition of courage.

Why are you seeking change?

Are you unhappy in your current situation? Are there habits that you need to change? For these questions, it becomes necessary to step back and look at ourselves. We have to be our own critic. Take a good, long look at yourself and ask a few questions. It can be difficult to ask these questions, and sometimes we would rather look at the surface of the water than stir it up with a stick and see what’s really in there.

However, this is something we must do if we want to be truly happy. Here are a couple of questions to ask yourself:
Am I happy with the way things are?
If I could change something about my life, what would I change?
In what areas do I feel as though I need to grow?

If you have answered these questions, and feel you truly need a change, you have accomplished a truly difficult thing. It can be hard to admit that we need to change, and when we know that we do, our battle is already half over. The next step is just to decide what to do about it.

Think of your life as a flower bed. You can grow some really beautiful and breathtaking flowers in your life, but you must be willing to pull out the weeds, water the dry areas, and face the sun. When you are willing to do the work it takes to change your life, you will be rewarded with a garden of colorful flowers.

What you can change and what you can’t.

There are things in our lives that we simply can’t change. For these things, dealing with them can sometimes be harder than changing ourselves, because we have to learn to accept them. Accepting things that we aren’t necessarily happy with can be difficult. It will probably frustrate you or make you angry, however, there is a need to accept the things that we cannot change. Often times, things will happen which are beyond our control, and as much as we want to fix it or change it, we just can’t. This is when we see what we are made of. To indulge in self-pity is to admit defeat.

Let’s look at things this way. There’s a big storm outside. It’s raining, the wind is blowing, and the thunder and lightening are ferocious. What if a huge limb falls on the roof and gouges a hole? Your roof starts leaking, and water is dripping onto the floor. Now, you didn’t choose for the limb to knock a hole in your roof, and you can’t go back and change it. Are you going to lay there on the floor and scream about the hole, or are you going to put a bucket under the hole to catch the rain? Are you going to live with that bucket in the middle of the floor, or are you going to wait the rain out, and get up there and repair that roof?

You can’t change what has happened, but you can do what you must and go on. This is accepting what you can’t change. You could have laid there on the floor and screamed, but you didn’t, or at least not for very long. You got up and did what had to be done.

This is what accepting is all about. It’s not an easy thing to do, but it can be done. Granted, the things that you often must accept in your life are a lot more important than a leaking roof, but the idea is the same. You pick yourself up, do what you have to do, accept it and go on. You do have to courage and the power to do this. You just have to reach down deep and pull it up out of yourself.

Finding the courage to change.

Finding the courage to change what you must is a hard thing to do. Most of the time the things that we need to change have strong emotions tied to them. It will probably hurt, and it might make you angry, but nevertheless, if you want to change, you have to dive in and do it. This can be made easier with some kind of support system.

Friends, family, a group or organization. Everyone needs support, and talking with people about your issues can make you feel a whole lot better. You may even find someone who has been through the same thing. Talking with someone who has been there can make things easier. You can see first hand people who have had to find the courage themselves to change things. They may even be able to offer advice or tell you something that will help you out.

When we endeavor into new things, no matter what they might be, it will be easier if we have someone there to talk to, someone who understands or who is just willing to listen. Try finding a support group related to your problems. This can sometimes be even more helpful than friends or family, because the people in the group will have an outside view. They will be concerned with what is best for you, and won’t be influenced by inside issues. Finding the courage to change is hard, but you can do it.

The rewards of changing.

As humans, we must have the power to make things in our lives grow, to find new things to grow, and to be able to destroy the things that aren’t growing. It’s just a part of life. Think about it like this. A plant will waste energy giving life to a dead stem or flower. This energy goes nowhere, because the flower is already dead, and it’s not coming back. However, when we pull off the dead flower or stem, the plant won’t send nutrients and energy there, it will focus on the living parts. The plant will flourish because the energy is focused in the right areas. It’s like this for humans too.

If we change what we don’t want, although it is hard, we will flourish. You will be happier, with the stagnant things in your life gone, the bad habits gone, and the change completed. You will be stronger, and you will know that you do have what it takes to make yourself a happier life. You will have accomplished something difficult, and you will be proud. There are rewards to changing, although we may not see them right away. They are there, however, and they are easier to see after we have changed for the better.

This is a hard thing to look at, to accomplish, and to take on. But you can do it. You have the power to create a better, happier you, and you can rely on yourself. No one else has the power, or the comittment to do it for you. Decide what you want, accept what can’t be changed, and change what can for the better. Grow those beautiful flowers. Good Luck!