[Anjae]

FTT That NYT article is in line with the studies on wall street (and other) men who do fine for the first years but end up costing more in the long run because they loose the ability to access risk.

But if women are better at taking risks and make more sound judgements then how does OW fits in? They are women taking risks, being very angry at the LBS, etc. Or does it mean that the OW is really the one making decisions because the MLCer is too messed up?

To be fair I do not believe women are any better than men to handle small stress situations. I know too many female family, work and friends who make a mess of small stress and do not know how to handle big stress. And if you look at countries run by women you will not found much difference from the ones run by men. Margaret Tatcher took more risks than most men would, Angela Merkel put southern Europe under an iron fist and only thinks of profit, etc.

[Ready2Transform]

http://www.drjoecarver.com/clients/49355/File/Chemical%20Imbalance.html

Just bumping with this because it's a solid article to start learning about imbalances, especially enlightening is the section on Serotonin.  Three years in and this is still the article I refer to most commonly.

When Serotonin is severely low, you will experience some if not all of the following:

· Thinking speed will increase. You will have difficulty controlling your own thoughts. The brain will focus on torturing memories and you’ll find it difficult to stop thinking about these uncomfortable memories or images.

· You’ll become emotionally numb! You wouldn’t know how you feel about your life, marriage, job, family, future, significant other, etc. It’s as though all feelings have been turned off. Asked by others how you feel – your response might be “I don’t know!”

· Outbursts will begin, typically two types. Crying outbursts will surface, suddenly crying without much warning. Behavioral outbursts will also surface. If you break the lead in a pencil, you throw the pencil across the room. Temper tantrums may surface. You may storm out of offices or public places.

· Escape fantasies will begin. The most common – Hit the Road! The brain will suggest packing up your personal effects and leaving the family and community.

· Memory torture will begin. Your brain, thinking at 100 miles an hour, will search your memories for your most traumatic or unpleasant experiences. You will suddenly become preoccupied with horrible experiences that may have happened ten, twenty, or even thirty years ago. You will relive the death of loved ones, divorce, childhood abuse – whatever the brain can find to torture you with – you’ll feel like it happened yesterday.

· You’ll have Evil Thoughts. New mothers may have thoughts about smothering their infants. Thoughts of harming or killing others may appear. You may be tortured by images/pictures in your memory. It’s as though the brain finds your most uncomfortable weak spot, then terrorizes you with it.

· With Serotonin a major bodily regulator, when Serotonin is this low your body becomes unregulated. You’ll experience changes in body temperature, aches/pains, muscle cramps, bowel/bladder problems, smothering sensations, etc. The “Evil Thoughts” then tell you those symptoms are due to a terminal disease. Depressed folks never have gas – it’s colon cancer. A bruise is leukemia.

· You’ll develop a Need-for-Change Panic. You’ll begin thinking a change in lifestyle (Midlife Crisis!), a divorce, an extramarital affair, a new job, or a Corvette will change your mood. About 70 percent of jobs are lost at this time as depressed individuals gradually fade away from their life. Most extramarital affairs occur at this time.

[Pixiegirl]

R2T,
Thank you for bumping this up. I have not seen this before. Excellent!!!!

[Anjae]

This article is not about neuroscience or brain research rather a man writing about his father depression and suicide and his own depression. It is quite sad as well as interesting.

And things like "My doctor asked me if I was having thoughts about hurting the people around me or other “dark” thoughts. Indeed, these had plagued me for years. When the lows of those oppressive Montreal winters hit, the thoughts became unrelenting. I won't go into detail about the content of those thoughts, but suffice it to say they were filled with terrible things that made me feel like a danger to those around me. In an interview about living with manic depression, comedian Maria Bamford couldn’t talk openly about her intrusive thoughts—that’s how dark they are. And when you feel this low, you soon feel ashamed—convinced that you’re capable of such heinous acts, even when you’re not. (When my father suffered from a nervous breakdown and near-suicide in the early 1990s, I learned that he also suffered from intrusive thoughts.)"

brings to mind our MLCers. It also has a good part about several things that can be done to help with depression.

http://arstechnica.com/staff/2014/10/harnessing-depression-one-ars-writers-journey/

[calamity]

I don't think we've even begun, as humans, to understand depression.  Hope it turns out to be a virus.

For your information, just noticed the website for This American Life has a podcast on testosterone.  I decided not to listen to it as that would not be about ME.    Looks interesting tho.

[Anjae]

A virus would not be far from what some scientists think it. Some scientists think that depression and scizophrenia can have several causes, one of them a virus. I think depression can come from many sources.

The testosterone podcast must be interesting but I tend to prefer to read articles than to listen to podcasts.

[Ready2Transform]

I don't think we've even begun, as humans, to understand depression.  Hope it turns out to be a virus.

I  , but then I  a little.  Maybe?  Not that far fetched.  It will be interesting to someday know what the trigger is, and why it seems to be so much more widespread now (or is it just that we discuss it more?). 

For your information, just noticed the website for This American Life has a podcast on testosterone.  I decided not to listen to it as that would not be about ME.    Looks interesting tho.

Thank you for this!  And not for me OR Hoss - my dad is always seeking his fountain of youth and deeper health, so this will be a good fit for him.  

[kikki]

Quote from: calamity on Today at 10:20:04 AM
I don't think we've even begun, as humans, to understand depression.  Hope it turns out to be a virus.

I  , but then I  a little.  Maybe?  Not that far fetched.  It will be interesting to someday know what the trigger is, and why it seems to be so much more widespread now (or is it just that we discuss it more?). 

That is such an interesting concept, and such a potential.  Add in environmental/lifestyle factors, and bingo.

For your information, just noticed the website for This American Life has a podcast on testosterone.  I decided not to listen to it as that would not be about ME.    Looks interesting tho.

  Nearly 5 years of this stuff, and I sure do know what you mean.

[Anjae]

... and why it seems to be so much more widespread now (or is it just that we discuss it more?). 

We discuss it more. And we also live longer.

[Ready2Transform]

"My Lovely Wife in the Psych Ward" - Good article about episodic crises that is a lot more empowering and realistic for some of us than the title suggests:  http://www.psmag.com/navigation/health-and-behavior/lovely-wife-psych-ward-95567/