I’ve been getting several questions about how to talk to someone about depression, especially premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD).  I’ll give you as many ideas as I can.  Above all, I would say to keep it simple and stay emotionally calm.  Be prepared before you start, but you don’t have to recite a long monologue to get the conversation going.

Consider Their Perspective

They are likely feeling rejected or that they might be rejected.  When you have any form of depression, you tend to feel like the world is against you.  Just consider this before you say something so your compassion really comes through.

Hello, everyone.  I’m giving you a little update on my observation of sleep and my PMDD.  Last month, I shared my observations about the importance of sleep deprivation and exercise.  Before that, I talked about how I’d observed changes in my sleep around the week before my period.  Here’s the next chapter in that whole story.

Since my sleep and PMDD seem clearly related, I’ve been conducting a bit of an experiment.  Last month, my premenstrual week was right before a very stressful planned event. I spent a lot of time preparing for everything and thinking about what was to come. I got at least a few full nights of sleep, but rest didn’t seem to help my mood much.

Hello, readers.  Yesterday, you’ll recall I had some trouble falling asleep and had kind of a rough day.  Here’s the rest of the story.

Exercise Yielded Surprising Benefit

I had planned on doing a short exercise routine yesterday before I had my bad night of sleep.  Then when I felt so tired during the day, I was hesitant to do it.  But I went ahead and did it because I needed a break and I had promised myself I would stick with my plan.

You may have an image of depression in your mind, especially if you have not personally experienced or witnessed depression before.  However, there are plenty of times a person who has endured depression can have little “flare-ups” of symptoms.  They may not look like depression to the untrained eye, but they certainly come from that same dark place.

I had such a flare-up today.

You would think that after years of dealing with a hormonal cycle that I’d learn a thing or two!  Sometimes, premenstrual symptoms can still sneak up on you.  The trick is to realize them and evaluate whether it is typical PMS or something more – premenstrual dysphoric disorder.

What Is Normal For Your Premenstrual Symptoms?

Just recently I’ve been paying more attention to my sleep during my premenstrual time.  Even if I am more aware of my emotional stability (or instability), I always still seem somewhat agitated.  It doesn’t help that thoughts and images tend to whirl in my mind more actively at that time either.  I always just thought that if I kept myself calm, I’d have less trouble sleeping.

Turns out that no matter how calm or upset I am, I simply don’t fall  or stay asleep easily the week before my period starts.  That’s it, end of story.  What’s the importance of knowing this?

I did a presentation a few weeks ago about improving the identification of depression.  I used my own background of depression to illustrate some points, and I also dug up some statistics to go along with that.  As I was recalling my presentation, I decided it was worth bringing up here because the stats I found reflected depression across the lifespan.

When you think of depression, you might imagine someone feeling like they have hit rock-bottom. The whole world is against them and life is awful. That profile tends to describe someone who is experiencing a major depressive episode.

Many moms experience a short period of adjustment called the “baby blues” after they give birth. This shows up shortly after birth and usually goes away after a few days or weeks. But 15- 20% of moms across the general population develop some form of postpartum mood disorder. This could be postpartum depression, postpartum OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder), or the rare postpartum psychosis.

Back in January, a fifteen-year-old girl named Phoebe Prince hung herself after being bullied by several students. This tragic story got big headlines recently when nine of the bullying students were charged criminally for activities such as harassment and assault. So far, no adults at the school have been charged for anything.

Teens Charged In Phoebe Prince’s Suicide

Apparently, school officials and teachers knew about the harassment but didn’t do enough effectively to stop it. The students obviously did harmful things to her, but didn’t literally kill her with their bare hands. In the end, it was Phoebe’s final act that ended her life. But what about all the actions that led up to it? How does the ultimate responsibility fall out among those involved?

One particular comment has struck me.(link yahoo news) The mother of a girl involved in the bullying spoke out after her daughter was charged with wrong doing. She said that her daughter never laid a hand on Phoebe and “only called her names.”  This statement is very revealing. It was “only this,” not something really bad “like that,” a classic excuse for refusing responsibility.

Pointing fingers When Bullying Is Discovered

Rather than expressing shock and empathy towards the victims’ family, this mother seemed to put responsibility on Phoebe for conflict between the girls. While this is a very obvious statement from just one person, the tone of ignorance and minimization may actually reflect what many people in the community feel. Bullying isn’t that bad, bullying isn’t my business, bullying just involves physical situations, etc.

Clearly, some parents and people in the community have been very vocal about their concerns, which is great. Maybe their public scrutiny about the entire process can bring this whole thing into the light. Expose the excuses for what they are, force people to be uncomfortable about this, make people take another look at how they raise their kids.

I’m not entirely sure how much responsibility lies with the school — it seems like there are more details to sort out. They could certainly be a community leader for …

Health care reform is a white hot issue right now. Opinions vary widely on how successful, helpful, or even frustrating this whole plan will be for Americans. However, I want to draw your attention to a few small parts of the reform bill that are good for mental health. With all the controversy and political rhetoric, you may have missed these important pieces.