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Depression is not a one-size-fits all mental disorder. There are many types of depression including major depression, persistent depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, seasonal affective disorder, psychotic depression, peripartum (postpartum) depression, premenstrual dysphoric disorder and situational depression. It is impractical to expect then that one treatment plan will be effective across all types of depression. A thorough evaluation by a psychologist or psychiatrist will help pin point the specific type of depression so that a specific treatment plan may be developed.

Patients with mild depression may positively respond to strategies that do not include medication. Lifestyle changes for example, including exercising moderately three times per week, have been proven by research to diminish the symptoms of depression. Other strategies include educating oneself about the disorder and avoiding isolation by spending time with trusted friends and family. Talk therapy may also prove to be effective. While these approaches may provide gradual incremental improvement for milder forms of depression, more severe depression may require prescription medications.

Depression is a complex mental disorder and it is not fully understood. However medical science has identified several underlying causes as follows: sexual or physical abuse, grief, drug or alcohol abuse, genetics and unexpected life events. Thyroid disorders and diseases of the endocrine system (hormones) can also cause depression. Chronic illness, including heart disease, kidney disease and diabetes may also contribute to depression. Recognizing the complexity of depression is not difficult; nor is it difficult to understand that use of antidepressants for the treatment of depression must be carefully supervised by a properly trained medical professional. An understanding by the patient as to how the chemistry of antidepressants work may be helpful.

Our brains are composed of complex communication circuits and chemicals called neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitters allow the chemical transmission of signals from one nerve cell to another nerve cell. You may have heard these chemicals referred to as serotonin, dopamine or norepinephrine. Serotonin is found in the brain, bowl and blood platelets. It is believed by some medical scientists to be our body’s primary “mood regulator” and an imbalance of serotonin may lead to depression. At this time science is unsure if decreased levels of serotonin cause depression or if depression causes a decreased level of serotonin. In either case, the relationship has been established and represents the basis of how antidepressants work.

You may also have heard certain antidepressants referred to as SSRIs, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. SSRIs are thought to minimize depression by increasing levels of serotonin. Said another way, they enhance nerve cell function by blocking the reabsorption (reuptake) of serotonin in the brain making more serotonin available. This class of antidepressants targets (selects) serotonin and allows the buildup of serotonin between nerve cells thereby affecting emotion and depression.

Antidepressants such as SSRI’s can take two to four weeks to produce effects. They may also cause side effects which may decrease in time. A licensed psychiatrist or psychologists can explain both benefits and potential side effects. In all cases, close supervision by your treatment provider is necessary, and if you are prescribed medication, do not stop taking the medication without first consulting with your health care provider.

Carolyn Ehrlich LCSW, CGP specializes in Relationship Counseling NYC. I increase your self- awareness and help you gain more insight into your inner-life. We’ll work together so you can get more out of every day and meet any challenge life throws at you.

How understanding the way couples interact can help us learn about society as a whole.

Have you ever changed the way you acted when you were in a group? Let a popular opinion change the way you thought? Or even observed the changes people experience when they’re put in positions of power? All of these topics and more are related to Social Psychology and can have a significant impact on individual and interpersonal behaviors. Taking an in-depth look at the science of social psychology can help explain why people do what they do and the implications of those actions.

Social Psychology is a researched based field that aims to explain how the thoughts and actions of individuals are influenced by the thoughts and actions of other human beings they interact with. Different people shape our experiences and the people that are around us at any given time can affect the choices we make.

Social psychology looks at a wide range of social topics, including:
Group behavior
Social perception
Leadership
Power dynamics
Nonverbal behavior
Aggression
Conformity
Prejudice
Couples Counseling

Having a better understanding of how people interact can help us understand the world in which we live.

Social Psychology vs. Sociology:

These two disciplines are often confused as they are very similar. Both Social Psychology and Sociology look at social behavior but sociology looks at it in a broader cultural level. Sociology focuses on the influence of institutions and cultures on human behavior whereas Social Psychology focuses more on interpersonal relationships and how individual people or groups of people affect social situations.

Social Psychology’s influence:

Since popular concepts such as social loafing and the crowd mind were introduced in the late 1800s, Social Psychology has shaped our understanding of how individuals interact with the world. Despite the earliest ideas of this science taking shape from the writings of Plato, Social Psychology really solidified itself after World War II. Events such as the Holocaust helped Social Psychologists understand the effects of social pressures, conformity and obedience and why people can be coerced into following orders to such an extreme level. This event coupled with a few groundbreaking social experiments were the cornerstone of Social Psychology as we know it today.

The Milgram Obedience Experiment:

One of the most well known Social Psychology experiment was organized by scientist Stanley Milgram and was conducted to help understand obedience and power dynamics. It took place in the1960s and was created to help understand why so many people would follow and support Hitler during the Holocaust. A group of men were tasked with asking their “students” questions and has to administer an electric shock when a wrong answer was given. The “students” were in on the experiment, and no actual shock was given, but they acted as if they were in pain and eventually began pleading and begging with the subjects to make the shocks stop. Each time the men paused they were urged by the study’s administrator to press on, eventually being told that “It is absolutely essential that you continue.” and “You have no other choice; you must go on.” Despite the fact that they believed that they were hurting the “students” 65% of the men consented to authority and administered the maximum shock. This was astonishing to Milgram as he believed that his authority wouldn’t have had as much influence on the subjects. This experiment was paramount in helping scientists understand the horrors of the Holocaust.

So the next time you experience “group think” in a meeting or see a teenager engage in dangerous behavior just to impress their friends, know that Social Physiology is at hand. Learning how this powerful science effects us is the cornerstone of understanding how we operate as a society.

Christy Weller, Psy.D., Couples Counseling Boulder. I bring a genuine curiosity, a kind appreciation of where you have been, and a non-judgmental stance so that you feel comfortable exploring your story and making sense of it. I tailor my work to each client and I’m trained in both short-term and long-term therapies.

Unfortunately, loss is a part of life for everyone. Whether it’s a close friend, a relative, or even a certain situation, we’ll all have to deal with some type of loss at some point. The hard part is that we all respond to it, and deal with it differently.

There are healthy ways of coping and dealing with loss – that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s any easier for some people than others, but some people are better able to carry it with them and get through their lives. For others, loss can feel like a crushing defeat. It can take over your life and make you feel as though the walls are closing in around you.

It’s perfectly normal to grieve and feel a sense of loss when the situation is appropriate. But, when it starts to completely take over your life and feels impossible to deal with, it’s time to work on how to get through it for good.

Whether you feel angry, confused, hurt, lost, or even guilty, we can help you to focus on your future without feeling the constant weight of your personal loss. In the meantime, let’s take a look at a few helpful tips that can guide you through your grief.

Don’t Keep It Inside

One of the best ways to deal with grief is to talk to someone about it. It might sound cliché at first, and there’s a good chance you won’t want to ‘burden’ anyone with your feelings, but you can’t let yourself be held back by those thoughts. Confiding in someone can make a big difference, whether it’s a family member, friend, or even a professional in mental health.

Keep a Routine

If you already had a daily routine, try to keep it in tact. Doing ‘normal’ daily things can make coping easier and make life feel somewhat balanced again. You can also develop a new routine. Something as simple as waking up at the same time each day to go for a walk can make a difference.

Take Care of Yourself

Eating well, getting enough sleep, and even exercising can help to make the feelings of loss seem less daunting. When your mind and body are taken care of, your emotions will be, too. The stress that comes with loss can also make you feel exhausted, so don’t be afraid to fight that exhaustion by getting enough sleep.

Don’t Use Negative Substitutes

Out of the many ways to cope with loss, one of the worst things you can do is try to fill that void with something negative. Unfortunately, many people turn toward things like alcohol, gambling, or other harmful vices. Dealing with loss can take time, and there are healthy ways to get through it. Trying to find a ‘quick fix’ in order to numb the pain might work for a short period of time, but it can easily lead you down a destructive path.

Again, the best thing you can do when dealing with loss is to talk it out with someone. If you’re not comfortable sharing your feelings and emotions with friends or a family member, we can help when it comes to listening and providing guidance for the future.

Counselling Burnaby Vancouver, Via Counselling & Consulting. Burnaby Counsellor Shari Wood, M.Ed., R.C.C. dedicated to helping clients begin their personal therapeutic journey. A Clinical Counsellor, specializing in helping people overcome self-doubt and build healthy relationships.

We all cope with things like grief and stress differently. Life tends to throw a lot of things our way, and how we respond to each situation can greatly affect the next ‘chapter’ in what we do. Some negative coping mechanisms may not seem like such a big deal: Perhaps you reach for a pint of ice cream when you’re stressed out. Or, maybe you need a drink to take the edge off.

When these coping mechanisms start to turn into regular habits, or things we turn to in dependency whenever we get stressed, bigger problems can occur. Unfortunately, you may not see your coping skills as negative until they’ve already become a bigger issue. Let’s dive deeper into what negative coping actually looks like. Once you recognize the patterns, you can choose to take control of your life again and practice positive coping habits instead.

Negative Self-Talk

Getting down on yourself about things easily is an easy way to shift the blame of a problem you may be dealing with. You can almost use talking down on yourself as a type of ‘excuse’ for whatever you’re going through, but it doesn’t make the problem go away and certainly won’t make you feel better. If you find yourself criticizing the things you do, or simply the way you are, you could be falling into a poor coping habit.

Drinking, Smoking, and Drugs

If you’ve never been an avid drinker or smoker before, but you turn to these substances in times of stress or grief, it’s important to take a closer look at why. Many people who don’t want to face negative situations will look for outlets that either make them feel ‘numb,’ or as though they can avoid that particular situation for awhile. Avoidance will likely only make the problem worse, as it continues to build up and never gets resolved.

Becoming Aggressive

Stress or grief can weigh heavily on anyone. While some people’s response is sadness and proneness to depression, other people tend to act out in anger and aggression. If you find that you have a ‘short fuse’ when you’re going through a stressful time, it could be your own negative way of dealing with things. This could include anything from yelling at friends, family members, or your children, to becoming violent at times. Take stock of your aggression when you’re going through a stressful situation.

What Are Some Positive Coping Habits?

There are plenty of additional negative coping mechanisms to consider. Everything from your eating habits (overeating or undereating) to taking risks (driving too fast in your car) can come into play. They are different for everyone. The important thing is to recognize how you respond, as an individual, so you can better determine if you’re coping in a healthy way or not.

On the other side of things, there are multiple ways to cope in a healthy and positive manner.

This includes things like:
Going out with a friend
Spending time with a pet
Doing something that makes you laugh
Exercising
Meditation
Being creative

One of the best things you can do to ensure you’re coping effectively is to seek out some type of counsel if you can’t do it on your own. If negative coping mechanisms have turned into habits, getting the right kind of help can make a big difference.

We’re happy to work with you to build on the positive coping habits you can create for yourself. It can take time and a little extra effort, but by working together, we can make sure the stressful situations you deal with regularly can be handled in a healthy and appropriate manner. Not only will you start to feel better about how you handle stress, but you’ll undoubtedly notice the positive impact these changes can have on your life.

Anna M. Hickey, Counseling Macomb, works with couples and families struggling with relationship issues

Everyone on the planet has felt a little out of control at times. You get angry or stressed out, tired or overwhelmed. After all, we’re all human. However, one thing as humans that we have on our side is the ability to breathe. Simply taking a deep breath and becoming aware of a moment when you feel your most stressed is profoundly helpful. The idea that breath and awareness help to cope with stress isn’t all in your head either. Pausing during stressful times to become present is an incredibly powerful practice. It’s so powerful in fact that it’s been studied, organized into a program and taught around the world. This process is called Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), and it can be used to help alleviate chronic pain, reduce stress, and improve your quality of life. MBSR incorporates meditation, body awareness and yoga to help people become more mindful. It was developed at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center in the 1970s by Professor Jon Kabat-Zinn and has been used since to provide calmness and stillness to those that practice it.

Despite having roots in Eastern spiritual practices such as Buddhism and Hinduism, MBSR itself is secular and can benefit anyone that chooses to learn and practice this useful skill.

MBSR teaches participants, through in-person or online courses to be present in any given moment. Noting a definitive joy, pain, anxiety or even a particular taste or smell can help you process it easier, providing you with more fulfillment or peace at any given moment.

The beauty of this practice is that it can be useful for both positive and negative experiences. MBSR can help make you more present at joyous events just as it can help you understand what’s exactly making you anxious during periods of negativity.

Try it for yourself:
Close your eyes, sit in a comfortable position, and focus on your breath for just 2 minutes. Become aware of the way your breath feels moving through your body or the way your body feels in your chair. If a passing thought comes into your mind, acknowledge it and then recenter your focus. After the 2 minutes are over, note the way you feel. Relaxed? More centered? Better poised to tackle the rest of the day? Try to do this once a day or at least when your anxiety gets the better of you. Awareness is an incredible thing, and once you learn to use it, it’s very powerful.

Who would have thought that simply being more aware of yourself can so strongly affect your well-being? Do you think that MBSR is for you? Both online and in-person trainings are available to help you learn and thrive from this technique.

Dr. Takos is a Newport Beach Psychologist specializing in the treatment of adolescents and adults suffering from depression, anxiety, and trauma-and stressor-related disorders.

When we think about ADHD in general, we tend to label it as a disorder commonly associated with children. While the effects of this disorder can carry into adulthood if not properly treated, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder typically does show signs in younger people. It’s a mental health disorder that can affect your child’s success, relationships, and growth.

Unfortunately, symptoms can often be customary on an individual basis. It takes a doctor’s diagnosis to officially determine if a child has ADHD. Far too often, the symptoms go unnoticed and an official diagnosis is never given. Most children aren’t diagnosed officially until they are into their early teen years, even if they exhibit symptoms and behaviors earlier.

To help your child cope with the effects of ADHD, it’s important to recognize possible symptoms. Again, everyone may express these symptoms in a slightly different manner. But, knowing the overall signs can help you to determine whether or not you should take your child to a doctor to be diagnosed. Keeping your eyes open for some of these signs can be beneficial for your child if it gets them the treatment they need.

They are Only Focused on Themselves

It’s sometimes hard for children with ADHD to consider the needs of others, or think about other people’s feelings. This can lead to things like frequent interrupting during conversations, or difficulty waiting their turn. They are very self-focused and self-driven, and don’t typically understand why everything can’t be about ‘them’ all the time. Obviously, this can lead to trouble in forming friendships and healthy relationships.

They Can’t Sit Still

This is one of the most common symptoms people associate with childhood ADHD. Fidgeting, or the inability to sit still for long isn’t necessarily uncommon in most children. But, a child with this disorder will find it nearly impossible to stay in one place for any length of time, for any reason.

They Have Trouble Focusing

Another symptom people commonly associate with ADHD is a child’s inability to focus. We don’t expect our children to have extremely long attention spans, but this lack of focus is different. If they have trouble paying attention even when someone is talking directly to them, it could indicate a problem.
Furthermore, this easily distracted behavior often leads to things like daydreaming, making frequent mistakes after being given specific instructions, or even forgetting something they were just told. They may also avoid any task that requires sustained effort, mentally. This could unfortunately include things like paying attention in a classroom setting.

They Showcase Symptoms Regularly

While these are just a few of the common symptoms, it’s important to pay attention to them at home as well as school. If your child’s teacher brings up any of these signs, consider their behavior at home. A child with ADHD will show symptoms almost everywhere, not just in one specific location or during a specific circumstance. If they aren’t focused in school, are they focused at home? If not, it might be time to get an official diagnosis.

The sooner you are able to get a diagnosis, the sooner a treatment plan can be put into place to help them deal with the symptoms and inconveniences of this distracting disorder.

Marcy M. Caldwell, Psy.D. is a licensed clinical psychologist who specializes in the treatment and assessment of adult ADHD Psychologist Philadelphia.

Jumping into a new relationship too quickly after a breakup is known as “rebounding”.

It’s a fairly big word that describes an emotional quagmire in which the grieving party (or parties) find themselves when what was once pledged as “forever” turns out to be closer to 2.6 years, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

It’s a time for sorrow. A time for regret. In some ways, it’s like mourning the death of an old friend, and no one can tell you how long you should suffer, how sad you should feel, or how quickly you ought to “just get over it and move on”.

In this time – best simply called “after” (after the love, after the dreams and plans, after a part of life ends) – you may have more than one rebound. You may also buy a Porsche, dye your hair purple, find relief in an ashram, or take up bungee jumping. It may all seem like avoidance strategy – who even wants to feel emotional pain? – but in fact you are growing up, and here’s how you can tell.

Seeing your former significant other (SO) with a new partner doesn’t kill you, because you now realize that, just because he/she wasn’t happy with you doesn’t mean they can’t be happy with anyone else. But you might want to block your Facebook page.

When rebounding lines you up with someone who thinks they were put on earth to rescue you. Don’t go there: the only person who can rescue you from impossible expectations and fantastical presumptions is you.

The truth about most rebound relationships is that they fail, and for a very obvious reason. You got into the relationship to distract yourself from your pain. But when the glow fades and the grownup games end, you’re pretty much back to square one and asking yourself the ultimate question. If you could not tolerate a certain behavior in your ex, how are you going to put up with it from your rebound?

Finally, beware the drama queens of either sex, who simply need another pair of ears to listen to their endless tale of sorrow and woe. These people really can’t stand life without crises. They have to be the center of attention, and when they aren’t they pout and take revenge in ways that suggest arrested development.

In some ways, these needy people come across as emotional refugees. In others, they skirt the edges of borderline personality disorder, or BPD. This is a serious form of mental illness characterized by instability – in moods, self-image, behavior, and relationships.

Couples Counseling Boulder, by Therapist Christy Weller, Psy.D.  Also specializing in Psychotherapy and Psychological Assessment Services.

Psychodynamic therapy works for at least 80 percent of individuals, including the very young and the very old.

How young, and how old? One very successful psychotherapist in California, when asked, said that his youngest patient was 9 and his oldest patient 82. In fact, psychodynamic therapy delivers a number of psychological benefits, all of them integral to the patient’s unconscious, and all of them related to the conflict between conscious and unconscious thoughts and wishes.

Therapists using the psychodynamic therapy form of psychoanalysis are responsible for teaching patients how to recognize, reveal, and correct unconscious influences over conscious behaviors. In addition to that, therapists provide a level of support not found elsewhere in the patient’s life, teaching patients how to cope with anxiety, depression, stress, self-destructive behaviors, and psychosocial dysfunction associated with borderline personality disorders.

In some instances, a therapist can even help a patient resolve a creative block stemming from the conscious suppression of unconscious desires. In fact, psychodynamic therapy in particular is strongly oriented toward reshaping the psychological underpinnings of various personality disorders.

Therapy for the real world

Individuals who do not have a major psychological disorder can also benefit from therapy. Conflicts may be as mundane as finding a home for an angry, aging parent, deciding whether to take that high-stress job offer; or how to tell an old friend that he or she is out-of-bounds when it comes to offering marital advice.

In these instances, the therapist offers a unique point of view, perhaps one that the patient never even considered. This may also lead to unexpected solutions. The best part about this, and almost every other exchange between patient and therapist, is that the therapist is bound to your privacy – unless therapy reveals ongoing child abuse, violence against another person, or a legal matter in which the patient’s mental status is involved.

For most people struggling with the ordinary trials and tribulations of life, psychodynamic therapy – which deals with the unconscious motivations of conscious behaviors – can offer insights and solutions that are not only “outside the box” but inherently life-changing. These may include revealing one’s true vocation, changing a lifelong – and self-defeating – behavior pattern, enhancing self-confidence, or helping a patient identify the childhood source of adult problems (like spending too much, eating too much or too little, or other addictions).

What if I’m managing on my own?

You have this really fantastic friend who is always there when you need him or her, listens without interrupting, and always offers the best advice you have ever had.

But if you don’t, and that is where a good therapist comes in.

Even if you have been in a loving relationship for two decades, there are some things that can’t be revealed, and you are just smart enough to know when you could use a helping hand. Or ear. In fact, psychodynamic therapy is ideal for individuals who are perceptive enough to realize when they have gotten in over their heads, psychologically speaking.

How can I tell if therapy will help?

Getting into therapy is like sailing across the Atlantic. The journey is more important than the goal. The more you immerse yourself in the process, the greater your understanding – not just of yourself, and your real needs, but also the hopes and needs of those around you.

The only time that therapy “fails” is when you go in with preconceived notions about what ought to be. As John Lennon so presciently pointed out, “Life is what happens when you are busy making other plans.”

Carolyn Ehrlich LCSW, CGP specializes in Relationship Counseling NYC

“The greatest problem with communication is we don’t listen to understand. We listen to reply…” Roy T. Bennett wrote in his book “The Light in the Heart “.

This, perhaps more than any other facet of a relationship, is the key to staying married, staying partners, even staying friends. True listening, listening to understand, is a passive suspension of disbelief, and one of the few times when passivity is a positive response.

To achieve this passivity – this openness to impressions, opinions, and ideas – we need to do several things. First, we need to become completely calm. If we have been fighting, we need to step away from each other and find a “safe” place where we can let our heart rate drop below a certain threshold (90 beats per minute for females, 82 beats a minute for males). Anything above this and the body’s defense systems will kick in for the fight-or-flight (or freeze) response.

This reaction, also known as the acute stress response, triggers all kinds of hormones, none of them useful unless you are being attacked or inside the house when a fire starts. In fact, it is only when your heart rate drops below this threshold that you can access the logical portion of your brain – the only area worth connecting unless you want an instant argument.

It will likely take you about half an hour to access this calmer, cooler you. Once you have reached stasis, or emotional equilibrium, you are no longer in danger of having the stress function of your brain overcome the logical function. Only then can you resume communication without having to worry about saying something hurtful.

The second step is not to sweep all those negative emotions under the rug and hope they won’t crop up again, because they will – again and again, until the relationship is truly beyond repair. Instead, focus on the issue that brought on the storm. Most times you will find it is a small thing – someone forgot to turn off the alarm on the weekend, or failed to reactivate the cell phones.

Once you have identified the “trigger” issue, talk about it, but in a blameless way. Say something like “We need to have our cell phones ready at all times, in case one of us is hurt or in trouble.” Always use the word “we” and always make it a joint issue.

Once you have explained your frustrations, you can move on to other topics. Silence may be golden, but not in a relationship. On the other hand, communication doesn’t always have to be about problems. Throw in some praise, or memories of good times, to balance the more negative problem areas. Because once couples settle into a relationship, the rapture begins to unravel – as it must over the long term if that relationship is to survive.

Finally, never have a conversation when one person seems solely focused on a project, a program, or a promise. If she has a girlfriend over fitting a dress, if he is watching the NBA playoffs, or if only one half of a couple remembers the time you both agreed not to have “company” on Sunday, turn the anger off. Not every interaction requires a winner or loser. Or, as a wise woman once said: “Pick your battles, but remember. Winning the battle is not the same as winning the war.”

Written by Kin Leung, MFT, providing Couples Therapy Burlingame

Depression directly affects millions of people. It’s one of the most common psychiatric disorders people suffer from. Substance abuse is typically viewed as a different issue altogether. However, the two may be more connected than many people realize. Because of their close connection, we are often left with a ‘chicken or the egg’ type question, in determining what causes what: Does depression lead to addiction, or does addiction lead to depression?

Many common addictions are actually called ‘depressants,’ such as alcohol. Alcohol can trigger feelings of sadness and make you feel lethargic. However, many people use alcohol as a crutch when they are feeling low, to lift their spirits for a short time. As you can see, It’s not always easy to differentiate the two problems. They are so connected, in fact, that the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry has reported that 1 in 3 adults who struggle with some type of addiction also suffer from depression.

What are the Warning Signs of Addiction?

Depression can easily open up an individual to addiction. Again, many people who become addicted to a substance initially reach for it to stop feeling so depressed. This isn’t to say that having a glass of alcohol or trying a different substance automatically will lead to addiction, but there are some important warning signs to look out for. Some of the most common signs of addiction include things like a heavy tolerance for the substance, and withdrawals if the substance is taken away.

Withdrawals are nothing to take lightly if addiction and depression are linked. Individuals who have abused a substance for too long can actually become even more depressed if they are deprived of it. Unfortunately, the substance is often used as a ‘blanket’ to cover depression, and that psychiatric state only shows up with the substance is removed.

When these two problems are linked, it’s important to treat them both. Trying to treat one without the other typically ends in failure, and it’s not common for the individual struggling with the problems to simply ‘give up’ on the process.

Treating Depression and Addiction Together

To treat depression and addiction together first requires a dual diagnosis, which is why it’s so important to know the warning signs of addiction in the first place. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration suggests an integrated approach to treatment of these two conditions, including things like:

• Guiding the individual to discover the source of their depression
• Understanding that a full recovery from both conditions is completely possible
• Finding motivational techniques the individual can use to make changes

Changing and redirecting addictive behaviors

The most important thing to remember is that help is available. The most important resources a person struggling with addiction and depression can have are support and encouragement from friends and loved ones. A dual diagnosis is never easy, especially when you have two conditions that can depend on each other so strongly. But, with the right support, a willingness to get help, and the right techniques, beating both conditions is not impossible. If you, or someone you know, is dealing with this type of connection, know the warning signs, and know that with a dual diagnosis, it’s possible to finally find relief.

Dr. Jeffrey Ditzel is a Psychiatrist in New York City and specializes in issues involving Anxiety & Depression.

Life transitions are inevitable. From the moment we are born, we are transitioning mentally, emotionally and physically. Life transitions are necessary for individual and collective evolution. Here is a beautiful quote from philosopher and architect, R. Buckminster Fuller:

“I don’t know what I am. I know that I am not a category. I am not a thing – a noun. I seem to be a verb, an evolutionary process – an integral function of the universe.”

We are a fluid evolutionary process. In the midst of change, we must manage life transitions in order to maintain sound footing in the present and a watchful eye towards the future. Our mental, emotional and physical health depends upon it. Our ability to live happy productive lives depends upon the thoughtful grounded manner in which we manage life transitions.

Some people are able to successfully rise above intense crisis, see a silver lining and move towards a deeper more meaningful life. Other people unsuccessfully crumble from a minor stress. Some people seek out challenges and are invigorated and enriched from the bumps in the road that risk taking inevitably presents. Others avoid any new experience. Psychologists and researchers who study the human condition continue to seek answers as to why some people successfully manage transition while others do not.

William Bridges, PhD in his bestselling book Managing Transitions: Making the Most of Change makes a point of separating the two notions of change versus transition. Bridges explains that with change, a person focuses on the outcome that the change produces. He uses an example of moving from California to New York City; moving across the U.S. then learning to navigate in New York City. People understand the basic change and how they will be affected by it. However transition is quite different. Transition includes not only managing change from a starting point, but accepting the fact that one will have to leave the old situation behind; in other words, letting go of an old reality and embracing a new reality. Feelings of loss are surely generated in transition, and unless those feelings of loss are properly managed, change cannot successfully occur.

Self Efficacy in Changing Societies features the work of Matthias Jerusalem and Waldemar Mittag (edited by Albert Bandura). World famous psychologist Albert Bandura defined self efficacy as our personal belief in our ability to succeed in specific situations. Our sense of self-efficacy plays a major role in how we approach goals and challenges. In simpler terms, self efficacy defines how much or how little faith we have in ourselves. People with perceived high self efficacy trust their own capabilities to manage change along with new environmental demands. These people have a tendency to interpret demands and problems more as challenges instead of uncontrollable events outside their scope of control. They face stressful situations with confidence. A strong sense of self, one’s ability to navigate change and transition, buffers distress and fosters strength. Conversely, people with low perceived self efficacy are prone to self doubting and anxiety. Coping is replaced by worry, lack of self confidence and any feedback from others is interpreted as criticism of personal value. They feel more responsible for failure than for success.

When facing a significant life change, here are a few practical suggestions to make the transition more successful:
• Do not criticize yourself if you feel anxious or slightly depressed. Most likely these feelings will pass as you ground yourself in positive self regard and strength.
• Visualize your new situation with positive regard.
• Allow yourself time to let go of your old reality and see the new reality as an opportunity; a naturally positive occurrence in life’s path.
• Be realistic about the time and resources needed to adjust to your new environment.
• Most importantly, if you need help adjusting, get help. A professional licensed therapist will be able to help you navigate through change and make the most out of your new situation.

Polly Sykes, Registered Psychotherapist, MEd, RP, is a Toronto Psychotherapist with extensive post-graduate training and experience in the treatment of Trauma, and the use of Emotion-Focused Therapy for both Individuals and Couples. The support of an experienced and highly-skilled Psychotherapist can be a powerful tool to help you face the challenges of life with more hope, more self-acceptance, and stronger relational bonds.