Blog posts, news articles, and other resources from The Center • A Place of HOPE
Finding the motivation to perform even the simplest tasks when you’re depressed can be challenging. However, it’s possible to take some positive, actionable steps to increase motivation even when you’re feeling low. One of the most common symptoms of depression is a lack of drive to accomplish things you know...
It’s understandable if people who are struggling with depression ask themselves this question. After all, depression can be disorienting. People often don’t notice their memory skills are affected until after they are diagnosed with depression. Many studies have been conducted on this topic, and the general scientific consensus is that...
It’s a perfectly human experience to feel sad or down at times. But for some people, these feelings go further than everyday sadness. For people who suffer from a depressive disorder, their symptoms severely disrupt their lives. Depression is a lot more serious than sadness, and it requires treatment. When...
Depression is a serious medical illness that requires treatment. We often equate depression to a feeling of sadness, and sadness can be one of its symptoms. However, depression is a lot more severe than everyday sadness, and can debilitate people’s lives when left untreated. The World Health Organization lists depression...
Over 280 million people around the world suffer from some type of depression, making it one of the most common mental illnesses in the world. [1] Most people have at least a vague awareness of what depression is. To define it in the most basic sense, depression is a diagnosable...
Approximately 40 million adults in the United States struggle with anxiety, and more than 16 million adults struggle with depression. [1] Anxiety and depression are two of the most common mental health challenges people in the U.S. (and throughout the world) face. There’s still a lot of confusion surrounding these...
Depression, like most mental illnesses, is a complex disease. Many have tried to narrow down the single cause of depression. Some have said it’s a chemical imbalance that causes depression; others say it’s hereditary, and some argue it’s caused by life circumstances. But what research so far has found is...
Have you been asking yourself questions like “I feel sad for no reason?” or “Why am I so tired all the time?” Have these questions started popping up alongside a sudden change in the weather? If you said “yes” to any of the above, a condition known as seasonal affective...
Depression is a diagnosable mental health condition. Unfortunately, it's more common than you might expect 一 over a quarter of a billion people worldwide[1] are estimated to suffer from a depressive disorder. Sadly, depression doesn't only affect the person who's diagnosed with it; it's also extremely difficult for friends and...
Why seek treatment for depression and anxiety? And why would anyone seek in-patient treatment? Let’s take these questions one at a time. Why seek treatment at all? This is easy to answer for severe depression that is keeping you out of work, or completely disabling your ability to deal with...
Where do you begin to support your mental health when life feels chaotic and overwhelming? Notice I said when and not if, because who doesn’t feel like life is chaotic and overwhelming right now? The Depression and Anxiety World We Live In In our fast-paced, fad-driven, fact-confused world, we’re given...
I remember my first group breathing exercise. “This will totally relax you,” our instructor promised. “Breathe in deeply….slowly….now hold it. Longer….longer….now breathe out as S-l-o-o-o-w-l-y as you can….” In my chair, obediently following all the instructions, I was freaking out. Where was the relaxation? I was about to lose my...
Your body is paying a heavy price for an eating disorder. If you are bulimic and use laxatives or vomiting to purge, your skin is probably quite dry and frequently breaks out in small rashes and pimples. If your salivary glands haven’t yet become enlarged because of your constant vomiting,...
People arrive at the point of depression from many different places, indicating there are a variety of paths to recovery. In short, there is no one answer for depression and no single path to recovery. Just as the reasons for depression are a varied as the individuals who suffer from...
Here is Dr. Gregory Jantz's FREE Depression Guide. This guide is meant to be informative and provide helpful comments and tips for conversation starters for pastoral staff, counselors, and individuals working with someone struggling with depression. It is not intended to be a substitute for treatment or professional care. If...
Depression is a common and serious illness that can affect how you feel, think, and act daily. If you or a loved one are suffering from depression, you are not alone. Over 350 million people worldwide suffer from depression each year. But the good news is that depression is treatable with...
According to recent statistics, about 25 percent of people with eating disorders also engage in some form of self-mutilation, self-injury or self-harm. Self-mutilation, also known as self-harm or self-injury, is the act of intentionally harming one’s own body through cutting, burning, hair-pulling or a wide range of behaviors that inflict...
Around New Years, we make a lot of promises to ourselves—less procrastination, more exercise, less junk food, more study, and so on. Most of these resolutions involve greater will-power and self control, something we always seem to have in short supply. Guess what research shows is the number one most...
The whole person approach to treatment integrates all aspects of a person’s life: