NOTE: My field is psychology, but I do advise that people with depression get elemental magnesium supplementation 200 mg twice a day (not magnesium oxide) and give it a few weeks to work provided you do not have kidney disease. Magnesium citrate and magnesium glycinate are good. Do not take with a fatty meal.

Nuts are good sources of magnesium. Magnesium deficiency comes about from ingesting alcohol, caffeine, sugar, white flour products, stress, high protein diet, saturated fat, low intake of green raw foods. Another mood booster is DHEA, like 50 mg/day for men (or more) and 25 for women. But take DHEA or 7-Keto only if you are over 40 years old. Available at your health food store or on line. And here is a reference on pregnenolone, also readily available.
http://www.life-enhancement.com/article_template.asp?ID=95 (external link; opens in new window)

Try everything nutritional that's reasonable. Methyl donors have been reported as better than Prozac. These include folic acid, vitamin b-12 (sub-lingual). vitamin B6 (200 mg/day), choline, TMG (trimethylglycine), SAMe. All but SAMe are relatively inexpensive. Depression is not fun, and I suggest you throw everything nutritional you can at it.. The book "Methyl Magic" has a lot of nutritional info in it about depression and it is available cheap, used, thru http://www.Amazon.com.

Depression can be lessened by psychological techniques. I do it all the time, working with cancer patients. People like to believe that depression is not mental. Mostly, they're dead wrong. Of all the mental health maladies, some depressions and phobias are the easiest to cure, or at least make them so they are no longer a serious problem. It takes only a matter of minutes in some cases, such as guilt following an abortion, or a death of a friend, loved one or animal. I have to remove the guilt. Guilt you lay on yourself and it causes profound depression.

Depression beginning in childhood is most likely from feeling unloved. It can be fixed. Disconnect upsets involving parents.

Depression due to death of a person or pet is very common. It can be fixed too, if you're willing to give up the guilt.

Depression from being unhappily married, lonely, broke and hurting for money or love can be more difficult. That's because it often requires an attitude change, something people are not very willing to do, and it's an ongoing stress.

Ongoing stresses are very difficult or impossible for me to work with because I am not a trained counselor and sometimes a divorce or job change is the only practical solution. But I'm not about to recommend divorce to anyone. That's for you to decide for yourself. If you will not face up to an ongoing problem, get help or suffer the consequences.

But usually there are a bunch of upsetting incidents in one's life that you can get disconnected from emotionally. And you don't do that with chit-chat with a therapist or trying to reason. I find the same things at the root of depression again and again. The most common causes are family deaths, love affairs gone bad, unloved as a child,poor self-image,and guilt. All these are fixable but there MUST be a conscious change of attitude.

Most mental and lots of physical illnesses are caused by people still carrying old emotional upsets, often at an unconscious level. My job, as a lay therapist, is to find the upsets and attempt to disconnect the person emotionally from them. Emotions come out of the subconscious. Depression is usually caused by several things, not just one.

Are retarded people depressed? I think not.

To lessen depression, the subconscious has to be given commands (suggestions) that are acceptable to the conscious mind. The only way I know to do that on untrained subjects is by voice, either in person or recorded. And usually you have to find several incidents of rejection or guilt or betrayal or whatever and disconnect emotionally from all of them. Time to get on with your life and live for the future, not letting yourself use the past as an excuse to feel bad and create problems for those around you.

To disconnect old emotional baggage you should play the streaming audio or hear the automated telephone therapy several times choosing different targets. My experience with people who've done that is the depression gradually lifts, and sometimes rather quickly. They feel "lighter."

By all means, disconnect yourself from emotional upsets you experienced with family members and former lovers. Those upsets are prime causes of depression. If your father was abusive or hurtful when you were young but you get along with him OK now or he's out of your life, do the disconnect of father (or mother) or if either died, disconnect from them. The good feelings will remain, but the trauma of the illness and death will be much lessened. The message only disconnects the upsets, not the good stuff. When you've hit the right target, you'll likely feel lighter. This is extremely important.

Another reason to do the disconnect exercises for mother and father is that they were your disciplinarians as a young child and we ALWAYS disconnect the earliest emotionally upsetting experiences we can find. Also because broken highly emotional attachments,like parents, friends, pets are very common contributors to depression. Next, disconnect love affairs gone bad, starting with the earliest, by disconnecting a person. Then disconnect any other person with whom you've experienced an upset.

Look, UPSETS of various types are the main causes of depression. DISCONNECT them! They're over and done with! You don't want them dragging you down. The memory will be there but that's not a problem. The emotions of depression will be gone if you target the right upsets with my voice exercises and an attitude change.. Then you should feel better, immediately. Your down periods will be shallower and farther between. If you're suicidal, seek professional help.

You must realize that if you are now in an upsetting situation, which includes loneliness, conflict, unable to make a decision, and worry, you have to take care of those things yourself. No therapy can help you if you refuse to manage your own mind in a reasonable manner. Current stresses are things I'm not able to deal with other than to make you less sensitive to them. In all cases, there must be an attitude change. Some people are unwilling to do that. They continue to suffer and seek a drug remedy. They bounce from therapist to therapist getting no result. Depression is created by you yourself, by your own thoughts. My work helps find hidden causes the person was unaware of. For most people it is quite successful.

Chronic depression, in my experience, is the easiest to work with because its roots are from long ago--stuff that is over and done with as a rule. Like being born a girl when they wanted a boy, or vice versa. It's common to find that a mother told her child "I wish you'd never been born." Makes you feel good all over, doesn't it? Oddly, the death of a beloved pet does tremendous damage to some, often involved in allergies. You have to take all these things out, whether you think you're over them or not. And if grandma is the only one who loved you and she's gone, disconnect the bad stuff and you'll get the funeral too. If you lay guilt on yourself because you didn't go to the funeral or didn't get there soon enough or often enough before a loved one passed away, you have to get rid of that guilt. Guilt causes depression, more than anything else--and you do that to yourself. Get rid of it. You can't change the past. We all do things we wish we hadn't done.

As mentioned, the basic problem is that most depressed people are carrying excess baggage, old emotional upsets they don't consciously relate to the present, yet they have a telling effect. One unconsciously retrieves the emotions of the related event, but not the memory. When I do therapy personally, I always go first to the earliest depressing experiences and clean them out, even though they may have been forgotten. They still remain in the subconscious to a lesser or greater extent and exert their influences when triggered by current events.

It is not necessary to remember all the events or use hypnosis to do this. It is not necessary to tell the therapist anything about the event itself, only the people involved. (mother, father, former lover, etc.)

Easiest to alleviate is long-standing depression. If the cause is something that is over and done with for some period of time, like months or years, it's easier. Depression is almost always the result of numerous upsetting incidents from the past. In person or by phone, I take out the stresses one by one or grouped. I usually take out 8 or so for the average depressed person. I always ask "When did the depression start?" "Have you had an abortion?" (women). It gives me a starting point. "Did you feel your parents loved you as a child?"

Acute depression is often helped but because the condition causing it may still exist, results are not as good. This may require professional help or even drugs. I'm not sure ALL depression is psychological, but certainly most of it is.

Chronic depression is caused primarily from three things--rejection, guilt and loss of a loved one. What a doctor has said to you can cause FEELINGS OF HOPELESSNESS THAT MUST BE TAKEN OUT! You must realize that there have been cures of virtually all illnesses and psychological conditions. To retain an attitude of hopelessness means you think your knowledge is greater than that of anybody else in the world. That's ridiculous. How can having an attitude like that give you any chance of recovery? Attitude plays a primary part in getting well, and is probably more important than any other mental thing you can do. Keep hope alive!

Just today I worked with a man whose headaches never ceased. Without neck and shoulder tension, that meant either guilt or allergy. He had been taking strong prescribed medication, usually twice a day. He was laying guilt on himself because he wasn't being as productive and industrious as he had been in the past (he was near retirement age, financially secure). I relieved some garbage from his past and took out hopelessness feelings. Then I asked him how his head felt. He said he didn't have a headache. I know he couldn't believe it. I told him to let sleeping dogs lie.

Emotions come out of the subconscious mind. Therefore the subconscious must be REprogrammed to effect a cure.

Depression may be self-induced, in a period of acute grief. It hangs on in Pavlovian fashion. That it is a disease is simply an excuse made by inept therapists. A rapid cure requires outside intervention in some form, and there are many ways of doing it with varying degrees of effectiveness. Some people use self-hypnosis effectively. I think hypnoanalysis is the best therapy for long-standing depression. What I do is an abbreviated form without the hypnosis. The subconscious is not a rational, reasoning mind. IF YOU CAN REMEMBER ANYTHING AND FEEL A NEGATIVE EMOTION WITH THAT MEMORY, YOU HAVE A PROBLEM!

I have helped thousands of people in classes and by radio and TV over a period of 30 years. I do not charge. I am now retired and do it only for the purpose of helping others and finding quicker ways. I do not have an advanced degree. I consider it a handicap.

I need no one's money. No therapist who works for pay is interested in getting anybody well in 5 minutes. The process I use is mechanical. It requires only that you WANT to get well. Believing you will get well is not a part of it, because nobody believes UNLESS he/she knows someone I've helped. I instruct people via this website in self healing to help themselves..immediately. I mean minutes. Many are helped, but not all. It's worth a try.

Where are you on a scale of 0 to 10, where 0 is virtually suicidal and 10 is as happy as you could reasonably expect to be? If you are 6 or 7, results would not be very noticeable and I ask that you not call. If you are below 5, I might help you. Results are immediate, one 15 minute session as a rule and no charge. ALWAYS try my telephone hotline first (go to Home page shown below). Many benefit directly from that. BUT depression is usually caused by several past upsets as well as present ones. It is a heavy feeling. I tell the subconscious to disconnect you from the upset causing the condition. There is no trance. Don't expect to understand. Just feel the results. The subconscious is always listening. When it works, you'll feel "lighter", almost immediately. Your mood will lift.

Most people cannot do it themselves. It takes an outsider. If you or someone you know fits the above and wants help (U.S. only) e-mail me at the address below. I have streaming audio web therapy on my home page, www.psychresearch.com. U.S. and Canada can be served by telephone automated therapy.

If you want to call and talk to me, be prepared to say what was going on in your life when the depression started. Common causes of chronic depression are being unloved by parents, broken love relationships, deaths, worry over money, failures, self blame, guilt you laid on yourself or accepted from someone else, etc. Guilt is the most devastating. Being broke or out of a job does not qualify because that's an ongoing stress you need to take care of on your own.

I have nothing to sell, but I do ask for feedback on the results within a few days. Otherwise you will forget you were ever depressed!

From a newsletter:

True depression is a serious condition that can indicate even more serious problems. And, as with many other health issues, depression during the later years of life presents different concerns than it does among the young.

Some of the typical symptoms of depression - such as sleep disorders, appetite loss, fatigue, and feelings of isolation -- are conditions that many people simply associate with old age. Yet, depression among the elderly may also indicate other health problems.

In research published in the journal Circulation, a six-year study of more than 4,000 subjects showed a clear association between elderly depression and an elevated risk of coronary heart disease. Researchers don't believe that depression actually causes heart disease, but the association is strong enough that they feel depression should be regarded as a possible early warning sign. Homocysteine excess is the killer, not cholesterol.

Needless to say, most mainstream doctors will quickly prescribe an antidepressant drug to treat depression in their older patients. But a recent study from the Netherlands demonstrates that depression in people over the age of 60 can often be addressed with a simple change in nutrition.

An increased intake of omega-3 fatty acids has been shown to alleviate symptoms of depression. With that in mind, researchers at the Erasmus Medical Centre in Rotterdam, Netherlands, created a study to examine how the ratio of omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids might be associated with depression in older subjects.

The optimum omega-6 to omega-3 ratio is 1:1. But because omega-6 is abundant in processed foods (while the primary dietary source of omega-3 is fish) the omega-6 to omega-3 ratio of a typical diet is by some estimates more like 20:1; a ratio that has been shown to be associated with depression.

The Rotterdam team recruited more than 260 subjects with symptoms of depression. Each subject was 60 or older, and 106 subjects in the group were diagnosed with depressive disorders. Blood samples revealing omega-6 and omega-3 levels from all of these subjects were measured against a control group of 461 randomly selected subjects.

After analyzing the results, researchers found what they called a "direct effect of fatty acid composition on mood." Subjects with depressive disorders had a significantly higher ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids. This is not a surprise, of course, but rather a confirmation that a low intake of omega-3 fatty acids may be at the root of depression, especially among older people.

Dietary sources like walnuts and flaxseed deliver omega-3 fatty acids, but only fish contains both eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docohexaenoic acid (DHA). When combined, these two essential fatty acids have been shown to help prevent depression, as well as heart disease, Alzheimer's disease, arthritis, influenza, hyperactivity, and even some forms of cancer.

The drawback with fish (as I've also mentioned several times in the past) is the mercury content present in exactly the types of fish that contain the highest concentration of omega-3: dark meat fish such as tuna, swordfish, and salmon. Fortunately, fish oil supplements don't contain mercury and provide an easy way to insure a good intake of omega-3 fatty acids. End of article.

I have no personal experience with the forementioned supplements for depression.

You must be careful about buying SAM-e because it is expensive and some firms cheat. Use established names like Twin-Lab, GNC, Prolongevity and read more at Life Extension Foundation at www.lef.org. They are reliable.

Personal experience has been with DHEA methyl donor (TMG) and glutathione, available at some health food stores. I am male, 77. Taken in the morning, I find that I just feel more "up" during the day. Women, maybe 15 mg/day of DHEA. Older men, maybe 50 mg. My doctor suggested 100 mg/day but I take 25 to 50 and a hormone test put me in the normal range. Products mentioned are primarily for older people, not kids. You're on your own here. I'm not a doctor.

Melatonin, taken at bedtime is reputed to help reverse the aging process and allows a deeper sleep. The single most important psychological thing most people can do to reduce depression of long standing, is disconnect themselves emotionally from selected persons. Long-standing depression is most likely psychological, and not due to gradual hormone loss due to aging. Often it's mother, father, a former lover or husband, even a child. The message is designed to just take out the bad experiences, not the good ones. See my streaming audio on the main page and/or the automated therapy in the listing at http://www.psychresearch.com.

Admittedly, this page is a hodge-podge. I add to it as I think of things, so there is repetition. Just remember, it's free. I do this on my spare time.

I have found that good results are often obtained by disconnecting upsetting events occurring with a certain person, or event. We must make the subconscious look for the right target.

If you have had an abortion or a miscarriage, play my telephone or streaming audio message for abortion and have miscarriage in mind too. If you have played the messages and still have a problem with depression NOT due to severe ongoing stress, contact me and I will likely work with you by phone. All is free. I travel a lot. You may not get an answer right away.

Start with your high school crush "OLD LOVE AFFAIR" and work forward, keeping the person in mind each time you play. Include marriages gone bad, one at a time.  Click the Play button for the message you want to hear.

Audio File Disconnecting Hurt from an Old Love Affair

Audio File Disconnecting Guilt From Death in the Family, Pet too

Audio File Disconnecting Guilt

Audio File Disconnecting Childhood Feelings of Being Unwanted

Note: The author of this page is not a state or medically licensed professional.

Questions to: leparks2@yahoo.com

Loren Parks,
Psychological Research Foundation, Inc.

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Questions to: leparks2@yahoo.com
Last update July 19, 2006