conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Do you know a description for a book titled Depression about Loretta, Columbia, Reverend with the genre: Biographies & Memoirs, Memoirs?
conversations.from: assistant
conversations.value: Reverend the author lives in Columbia, SC where she is CEO of the author Ministries, and has a gospel show at 96.3 FM/6:20 AM entitled, Sunday Nights with Loretta. She is a retired administrator of the City of Columbia Parks and Recreation. Loretta is also a member of Brookland Baptist Church under Pastor Charles B. Jackson, Sr. Since 2012, Loretta has authored 2 books, Trusting God in Your Struggles: (You Can Begin Again), and Power Thoughts and Words of Wisdom. Depression is book three with more soon to come.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Do you know the first five paragraphs for this book?
conversations.from: assistant
conversations.value: Depression
  You've also heard that exercise, yoga, meditation, and hypnosis can help. Your friends and family may be telling you to just snap out of it, that you just need to try harder, or that things really aren't that bad. You may even feel as if there's no way to sort through the confusion to find the best treatment for yourself. But there is a way. In this chapter, we'll provide a short overview of the treatments that have been found to be the most effective for treating depression.
  Several practitioners can diagnose depression. If you have a medical doctor you see regularly, he or she can rule out any medical conditions and can screen you for depression or other common mental health issues. Since depression is so common, many general practitioners and family practice doctors now screen patients for depression as a normal part of any health checkup. Your doctor can then give you a referral to a psychotherapist or support group and to other resources you can go to for help. You can also seek out a psychiatrist, who can prescribe medications for your depression if you both decide that's the best option. A clinical psychologist or licensed therapist is also qualified to make a diagnosis of depression. All of these health care professionals can then help you decide the best way to begin treatment.
  Once you're sure you have clinical depression and not another disorder or a physiological problem, the next step is to decide which treatment is the best option for you. With depression, the best way to get better is to seek more than one type of treatment and to combine treatment with lifestyle changes, such as getting enough sleep and exercise, eating right, and dealing with issues that may be linked to depression, such as substance abuse. You may decide to take an antidepressant as well as to find a therapist to teach you better coping skills. Or you may decide to try Saint-John's-wort and a fish-oil supplement, join a yoga class, or join a support group especially for people with depression. Every person with depression will have a different path to mental wellness, so you'll need to be persistent in exploring your options until you find a combination that works well for you. If something doesn't seem to be working, it's okay to try something else instead, as long as you give the first method a chance to work. We'll discuss proven treatment methods in the following pages.
  There are many different types of antidepressants on the market. If you decide to use prescription medication, it's important that you work with your medical provider to find the right medication, or combination of medications, and the right dosage for yourself. Report any symptoms or troubling side effects in detail to your medical provider, and be aware that most antidepressants can take between two to six weeks to work. Also bear in mind that about 25 percent of those who ultimately have a good response to antidepressants require eight to ten weeks of treatment before their symptoms go away (Preston, O'Neal, and Talaga 2010). If you don't immediately feel better, be sure that you've given the medication enough time to have an effect.
  It's also important to never stop taking your medications suddenly, as this may cause withdrawal symptoms or trigger the return of a depressive episode. Always work with your health care provider to decide when and how to discontinue your medications. The most commonly used types of antidepressant medications are described below.
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conversations.value: Do you know another paragraph?
conversations.from: assistant
conversations.value: People with high or healthy self-esteem have a generally accurate view of themselves, including a nuanced understanding of both their strengths and weaknesses, and a sense of being generally valuable and worthwhile despite their imperfections, even in the midst of difficult events or circumstances.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Do you know the last three paragraphs?
conversations.from: assistant
conversations.value: Demitrack, M. A. 2005. Difficult-to-treat depression: Better choices, better outcomes. Program and abstracts of the American Psychiatric Association. 158th Annual Meeting in Atlanta, Georgia, May 21-26.
  Gollan, J., and N. Jacobsen. 1999. Personality styles predict those at risk for recurring major depression. Press release: University of Washington, November 12, 1999. www.washington.edu /newsroom/news/1999archive/11-99archive/k111299b.html.
  Thayer, R., O. Godes, N. E. Lobato, M. Serrano, J. Hernandez, and S. Culver. 2003. Walking, energy, and mood are interrelated: An important health indication. Paper presented at the American Psychological Association Annual Meeting in Toronto, Canada, August, 2003.