I need a new wardrobe with my medication

Aside from sexual dysfunction, weight gain is another side effect that becomes problematic for patients who need long-term antidepressant therapy.

News and Views on Mental Health and Depression

Spanish-only Latinos respond more poorly to antidepressants than English-speaking Latinos “For Latinos who speak only Spanish and who suffer from depression, the road back to mental health is longer and rockier than for those who speak English, a UCLA study has found.”
Study finds link between faith, depression “A study released by Temple University found that [...]

I’m Here to Remind You that You Are Not Your Illness

Medically speaking, I’m “in remission” from clinical depression. When I get the blues now, the blue mood does not expand and darken into the sinister depression that left me functionally crippled (albeit still highly functioning) for many years. For a while, I struggled with keeping up this website. I used to see this website as [...]

Courage to Hang On and Live

The haunting images of bipolar disorder as captured by the Jessica’s brother is more telling of the suffering endured by patients than any amount of scientific papers. Some time ago, writings told of Jessica doing well. When I read the update this time, I learned that she had taken her own life in May 2003.

My Creativity Comes Through Me and From Me, NOT Depression

I want to re-open this post to bring attention to a comment that James has sent (April 18, 2008), where he talks about his concept of having “caves” in our mind that constitute our “persona”. I found this metaphor intriguing, and I want to share this with you.
Article History: Originally Published November 22, 2007
In a [...]

Chemical Imbalance and Depression: Cause or Effect?

A couple of months ago, Dr. Jonathan Leo contacted me about an article he had published that asks a very important question on the relationship that we (including myself) have come to take for granted: chemical balance and depression.
The journal article is called, “The Media and the Chemical Imbalance Theory of Depression.” It is [...]

Dealing with Manipulation, Guilt, and Self-Pity

Ever since I reported on the high suicide rate of Asian American students, I’ve been thinking of writing something for them that addresses cultural conditioning.

Here is what I have observed from my own experience and coming from a first-generation asian immigrant family:

Many asian parents are amazing at using manipulation, guilt, and self-pity to get their kids to do whatever they want, or at least make them most miserable if the kids disobey. They aren’t necessarily being malicious on purpose, they just learned it from their parents.

I need to live the life I want to live, NOW, or I’ll die living the expectations of my parents, and be crappy job at it because I’d be miserable.

More About Our Society Than About Britney

Sure, I know about Britney Spears‘ fast track down the self-destruction path. It’s hard not to know. When I turn on the TV, she makes the evening news (that’s in addition to tabloid “news” magazines littering our stations). When I wait to checkout at the grocers, her image graces the tabloid magazine decking the “impulse-buy” [...]