Are you depressed right now?

I keep seeing many questions about depression and my fingers are getting tired from answering all of them!

So, here is a list to help those of you who are feeling depressed.

I hope this helps! : )

1) There are different types of depressions. Teens who are depressed usually are because their hormones are unbalanced and that causes emotional and physical changes in the body. When these level out, so do the mood changes.

2) There are different types of depression. One of the most common is situational--such as a death, divorce, major move, job loss, etc. Situational-type depression usually fades when the situation improves.

Clinical depression is more serious and requires regular therapy and usually medication if there are mental health issues that involve suicide for example.

And then there are depressions caused by food, allergies, weather and a host of other things. Eating junk foods, drinking sodas, alcohol and taking street drugs will send some people into a depression very easily. Weather in certain regions can affect you too--SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) is caused by lack of sunlight.

3) An easy way to help yourself is to get sun either by going outside for 10 minutes or more, or by getting a special light box. Taking vitamin D helps a great deal too, for all depressions, since most people are lacking it in their diets. Taking a vitamin D pill with at least 1000 IU's helps many people regain a better mood. Get exercise everyday--it helps to boost endorphins in your brain--the "feel good" chemical. Eating healthy makes a difference, what you put into your body can have affects besides weight gain, it can change your moods. Sugar is one of the worst offenders, so is caffeine and junk foods.

4) Supplements that can help are the old standby St. John's Wart, but an even newer one is Phenocane, once used for painful joints. They found it lifted peoples moods!

5) Seeking out a counselor for talk therapy does wonders. Studies have proven that "unloading" with a counselor can help get it out of your mind and out in the open. Working on traumas; abuse, abandonment, etc., is essential to move on in life. Learning coping skills is essential, not everyone is taught how to deal with life's problems. You can find counselors who work on a sliding scale, making it affordable and some churches and health clinics have free or very low cost counselors too. No need to go to a high priced psychiatrist unless you need meds.

6) Get a physical to make sure you don't have a physical problem that is causing your depression. Things like diabetes, thyroid imbalances, anemia, all can cause depression symptoms.

If you are depressed, I hope you have found an answer here that will begin to make you feel much better.