A study published on December 13, 2017 in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society says that having metabolic syndrome may make it more difficult to treat depression in older adults. What Is Metabolic Syndrome? Metabolic syndrome is a clustering of certain symptoms, including excess abdominal fat, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and high blood sugar. […]
Author: Nancy Schimelpfening, M.S.
Nancy Schimelpfening is the founder of Depression Sanctuary. Unless otherwise stated, all of the content on Depression Sanctuary is written by and maintained by Nancy. Nancy has a master’s degree in community health education from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, VA. She was the About.com (now Verywell.com) expert on depression from 1998-2016. She has also written for other online publications, including Healthline, Healthgrades Professional, Health Digest, and MindBodyGreen.
Antidepressants: What Are They, How Do They Work?
At its simplest, antidepressants are medications which are used to treat depression. Chemically, they are drugs which are capable of altering the amount of the substances within your brain that scientists believe are responsible for regulating mood (neurotransmitters). The Role of Neurotransmitters in Depression To understand how antidepressants affect our brain’s chemistry, we must first […]
Exercise and Depression: How to Set Doable Goals
You’ve probably heard about the many studies dealing with exercise and depression. Experts say it probably helps by increasing blood flow to the brain as well as triggering the release of feel-good chemicals like endorphins and serotonin. It may also help by providing a distraction from your troubles, boosting your confidence and helping you become […]
Dear Younger Me: Letter to an Abuse Survivor
When I was in my early twenties, I was in an abusive relationship. At various points in our relationship, he gave me a black eye, pushed me into a wall so hard I had to have my scalp stitched back together and squeezed my face so hard that my teeth cut into my cheeks and […]
How to Make a Suicide Safety Plan
If you suffer from depression, the possibility always exists that at some point you may have thoughts about harming yourself. Unfortunately, when you are in the midst of a crisis, you will probably not be thinking clearly or making the best choices. For this reason, it is a very good idea to make a suicide safety […]
When Friends and Family Don’t Understand Depression
When you have depression, it can be very helpful knowing that your friends and family are in your corner. But what can you do when they just don’t understand depression? Or, worse, maybe they’re even hostile towards you, blaming you for your illness or saying things that make you feel completely discouraged? If you are […]
How to Sleep Better to Feel Better
Getting a good night’s sleep is very important in how you feel. If your sleep is of poor quality, it can leave you feeling tired, grumpy and blue the next day. And, over time, not getting enough restful sleep can lead to feelings of depression. A very important part of both preventing and relieving your […]
Is There Racial Bias in Depression Screening?
Could it be that many black teens with depression are not being properly diagnosed and treated due to racial bias in depression screening? A study published online on October 26, 2017 in the Journal of the Society for Social Work and Research indicates that this may indeed be occurring. The study looked at a common depression […]
Epilepsy and Depression Share Genetic Link?
Scientists have long theorized that epilepsy and depression share some sort of connection. In fact, as early as 400 B.C., the “father of medicine,” Hippocrates, wrote that, “Melacholics ordinarily become epileptics, and epileptics, melancholics: what determines the preference is the direction the malady takes; if it bears upon the body, epilepsy, if upon the intelligence, melancholy.” […]
Transgender Children Who Receive Family Support Have Less Depression
As more and more Americans begin to live openly as transgender individuals, including young children and teens, questions have arisen about how these young people are faring. Statistics show that transgender people tend to have greater rates of depression, suicidality and anxiety than the general population. But, could this trend be reversed if families were […]
