How is it that the mind can heal depression through the placebo effect? Placebo is a meaningless treatment that is presented as the real thing, but it can be almost as effective as antidepressants that have been on the market for years. I can’t know for sure, but I suspect that my brief recovery after […]
Mind Over Pit Bull and Depression
After a family-rich Thanksgiving week, I was hard at work Sunday morning writing a post on the placebo effect when my wife and I decided to take a refreshing walk with our two dogs. We didn’t know it, but we were on our way this foggy morning to a head-to-head confrontation with a stray pit […]
My Top 5 Movies on Depression
Movies about the realities of depression aren’t usually popular or profitable. As a result, there aren’t many that probe the condition deeply and honestly. The five films in this post are the best I’ve seen for the realism and dramatic power of their stories and the excellence of acting and production. There are many more […]
Tom Wootton and the Depression Advantage
Tom Wootton says that a few years ago he would have screamed if anyone had said there was an advantage to depression. So, to get a bit in your face, he named his book, The Depression Advantage. And that book came after The Bipolar Advantage. I didn’t scream when I saw those titles. As I […]
Struck by Living – A Memoir of Depression and Recovery
Julie Hersh wrote two versions of Struck by Living about her struggle with suicidal depression. She ended the first one with her hike to the top of a New Mexico mountain in a symbolic celebration of her recovery. A happy, triumphant ending. She bound the manuscript and sent it to dozens of her friends. Then […]
Taking Emsam: A Different Kind of Antidepressant
Since I’ve written several posts on my growing worries about antidepressants, I thought I’d tell you about the one I’m taking now. Emsam has worked for me longer than any other, and the dietary restrictions it requires have been a small price to pay. Among antidepressants, the MAOI class has been relegated to 3rd or […]
