There are many stereotypes about mental illness — like wrongly thinking that someone is able to just "get over it." But, like phy...
I don't know about you, but one rumor I have heard of is that birth control can cause mood disorders. Which, to me, is a big side effect.
And it made me wonder — do women have to choose between not having children…and being happy?
So I decided to do some research on this. Does birth control really cause depression?
According to the latest research, the answer is no.
American Journal of Epidemiology looked at birth control use and depressive symptoms in 6,654 sexually active women between the ages of 24 and 34 from 1994 to 2008. And Women's Health Magazine reports that those taking hormonal contraception had lower levels of depressive symptoms and were less likely to report a suicide in the past year.
Dr. Katherine Keyes, lead study author, told Reuters, “This counters somewhat some of the prevailing wisdom that hormone contraceptive use in general is associated with adverse mental health outcomes in women. When you look at it on a national scale, certainly there’s no evidence that at a population level hormonal contraceptive use is associated with an increased risk of mood problems.”
But although Keys says that birth control doesn't cause thoughts of suicide — she doesn't deny that a side effect of birth control could be mood swings — which she says is a lot different than depression.
I know some women who say that, when they started taking a new birth control, they would start crying out of the blue, for no reason. To me, this makes sense. After all, changing the levels of estrogen and progestin in your body is bound to have more effects than just on your reproductive organs.
Birth control is one of the most commonly used prescription drugs — taken by more than 10 million women across the nation. It's used t...
I think this is one desire that most people in the world share.
Yes, to be loved, but, I think even more than that, is to be accepted -- just as you are.
We all have our weird quirks. I know that I have many, which probably couldn't even be counted on all my fingers and all my toes.
But one thing I have learned is that, although it is wonderful to have others accept you as you are, it is probably even more important to learn to accept yourself -- just as you are.
How can we expect others to accept us as we are if we don't do it ourselves? Instead, be proud of these quirks. They make you who you are. They make you unique. Stop trying to change the person you are and stop being ashamed.
Louise Watson wrote on the website tinybuddha.com, "It seems whatever personality you’ve got, you’re always going to be 'too much' of something for someone. ... When you learn to accept yourself, you’re likely to find that others will accept you too. But if they don’t, it really doesn’t matter."
In my favorite scene of the movie "Bridget Jones Diary," the character Mark Darcy tells her, "I like you very much. Just as...
The people sitting at a desk with their headsets on, taking a deep breath every time the phone rings, have one of the most important jobs.
They are the staff and volunteers for suicide-prevention call centers. Their voices could literally mean the difference between life and death. To me, they are just as brave as police officers and firefighters. I believe they are nothing short of heroes.
These employees and volunteers help people who need referrals of psychiatrists and counselors to treat their mental illnesses— trying to prevent them from becoming suicidal in the first place. The volunteers also help those who are on the edge of a bridge, ready to jump.
An article in last week's Time magazine followed the operators at the 24/7 LifeNet hotline in New York City, which is part of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. And these volunteers are not just twiddling their thumbs, waiting for the phone to ring. According to the Time magazine article, the National Suicide Prevention line is expected to receive 1.2 million calls this year. That's more than 3,000 calls a day! And each year the number of calls rise by about 15 percent.
Founding Director John Draper, PhD, told Time, "If your calls are increasing, does that mean more people are in distress? … That's not necessarily true. It means more people may have been in distress all along but didn't know this resource was there."
I think for many people who are suffering from depression, just having someone to talk to can be life saving. Someone who won't turn them away. Someone who won't ever tell them, "Just get over it." I know a man who said he was considering suicide. And when he was about to do it, a friend called him. She told him, for some reason, she felt like she needed to call him and that he needed her.
That one call saved his life.
But some people aren't that lucky to have someone call when they need it most. I think it is comforting to know though that there are people out there who are there when you need them most — waiting for your call and waiting to help you. You don't even know them but they care about you enough to want, more than anything, to save your life.
If you are considering suicide or are looking for help, call 1-800-273-TALK and you will be routed to the call center closest to you.
The people sitting at a desk with their headsets on, taking a deep breath every time the phone rings, have one of the most important jobs....
