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Beyond Blue

There are three words in Hebrew that mean essentially “the full monty.” They are “Ehyeh asher ehyeh,” translated as “I am who am” (or “I-shall-be that I-shall-be”), the response God gave Moses when he asked for his name. My theology professor tried to explain the phrase one day in class for a course called “Christology”…

Ever since my friend helped forge the connection between Kierkegaard’s act of kenosis, or self-emptying (in my case sharing with the world my story of depression and recovery) and “The Full Monty,” I’ve been on the lookout for other flashers like myself. The following is a gripping post on RealLivePreacher.com, produced by Gordon Atkinson, the…

Another poignant testimony is the 4,500-word article entitled “Hell and Back” by Chris Rose, a columnist for The Times-Picayune in New Orleans, who reported on the post-Katrina life, and, as a result, got sucked down the “rabbit hole” (as he describes it) of depression. It’s worth reading the entire article (click here), which elicited more…

This is why I need to be in touch with people currently battling the demons of depression: they remind me of where I was, so that in the event I find myself in that massive pile of animal waste again, I’ll remember how to climb out and get rid of the smell. One rule comes…

I just shared my belief that depression is conquerable. But how? Here are some treatment facts, according to “The Johns Hopkins White Papers 2007: Depression and Anxiety” by Karen L. Swartz, one of the physicians who evaluated me in Spring 2006. (I must assign a lot of power to her because I dreamed last night…

Also from “The Johns Hopkins White Papers 2007“: “If you’re on an antidepressant and it’s not working, don’t give up on it: You may need a higher dose, a longer duration of therapy, a different drug altogether, or a combination of medications. That’s the important lesson to learn from a large, six-year, four-step government study…

Click here to read a fascinating interview on “Medscape Today” with Helen S. Mayberg, MD, Professor of Psychiatry and Neurology, at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, about her groundbreaking research into the neurophysiologic loci of depression and the benefits of Deep Brain Stimulation (DBI) for patients with treatment-resistant depression. Three word conclusion: There is hope.

Thanks to Reader Peg, who posted the following comment on the “The Happy Ending” post: “My current medicine of choice for myself is smoking about ten cigarettes a day. Before I get the health lecture, I quit twice for four years when my kids were small. I have tried antidepressants without success. I now realize…

Lest my readers think that I’m contracted by the Dark Side (sorry, watching too much “Star Wars” lately) to encourage addictive behavior and rationalize all weakness, here are a dozen addiction zappers and depression busters I use in deficient moments (23 hours of any given 24-hour day): 1. Get Some Buddies It works for Girl…

Even as my dad’s behavior was hurtful at times, he was easy to love–he could made me laugh in the middle of an argument with a sarcastic and hilarious aside–but I can think of a few people in my life that suffocate and starve my warm fuzzies. For them, I remember the first of “The…
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