Got my Prvention Mag

[demariana]

And one of the articles just screamed my name. I could have this. I might talk to my doctor on my next visit about it. The article is about a syndrome now called Body Blues. I took the test, (kinda long) and it suggested I have a mild case. Maybe I will try some of the suggestions

Prevention article

Comments

[sydb42.livejournal.com]

I just took the test and it showed I also had a mild case. However, some of the same symptoms of Body Blues are also symptoms of just being pregnant and all the hormonal stuff, so I don't think my result was accurate. Many of my answers would have been different, pre-pregnancy, so I don't think I have it.

[atrophying]

I read the entire article, and the one thing they didn't mention is what "body blues" is. That kind of disturbs me. What they're talking about is dysthymia, a type of mild-to-moderate, long running, chronic depression. It affects women more than men, and will sometimes come on strongly over the winter as seasonal affective disorder (SAD).

Their suggestions for dealing with it are pretty good, though. Exercise, getting enough light, and the vitamins are all common practices to relieve dysthymia without drugs. St. John's Wort is another, and I've found it to work just as well as brand-name happy pills. However, if you find that you follow those tips and things don't get better, or you find yourself getting worse off (can't get out of bed, no pleasure in anything, no moods whatsoever), then you need to see a doctor. Dysthymia can turn into major depression pretty quickly, and major depression is something I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy.