Depression is a state of mind. It affects the brain, one’s personality, social life and everything related to a person. It doesn’t discriminate anyone. It affects men, women, teens, young kids, the elderly and basically anyone who might have had a great change in their life to cause this state of mind. Whether it is pressure, fear, failure, rejection or some other type of trauma and huge changes in life, it can cause you to sink into a dark hole that someday you’d have to fight hard to get out.
Being depressed doesn’t mean you’re crazy. But if you don’t treat it properly, then you might as well be. How do you know if you’re depressed?
There are many symptoms that can lead to depression. Most of these are ignored by many people and yet, one day they find that depression doesn’t just go away with a bite of a healthy apple and a love life.

• Emotionally unstable – whether you feel grandiose or down, or maybe irritated, being emotionally unstable is one of the most common symptom of depression. Being sad is different from being depressed. Being sad takes a few minutes, a few tears and then a hug. Being depressed is emptiness, numbness and the feeling of loneliness all at once and may continue for weeks. Learn the difference of being sad and depressed – because both are two very different feelings.
• Sleep abnormalities – insomnia or oversleeping, you’re just not sleeping right. Thus, this can affect your studies, your work, your performance daily and your personality.
• Loss of interest – a very common symptom that is highly likely to be ignored in teenage years. This is because as a teen you think your interests change a lot and change may be a good thing. But when you lose interest in something that you’re not ready to lose interest in, now, that’s a problem. One day, you like soccer, the next day you just want to sit and play play-station all day and forget soccer ever happened – and then it trudges on and on until you realize you have a passion for soccer.
• Fatigue – Being lazy can be a one time thing. When you’re fatigued, you’re not just lazy, you’re tired and yet, you haven’t done a thing to be tired of.
• Feelings of worthlessness or guilt – this can occur especially after a loss or a great change in a person’s life. You feel worthless, you feel guilt, you blame yourself for everything. You can’t forgive yourself. And suddenly, you’re on the couch with no plans of moving.
• Increase/decrease of appetite – while some people lose appetite while depressed, others turn to food for comfort.
• Anxiety – you’re always thinking, you’re always worrying, you’re always anxious – and sometimes, anxiousness can catch you in your sleep.
• Crying – buckets of tears have poured out. Your eyes are swollen. Yet you still cry – and worse, you wonder why.
• Difficulty in concentration – you lose concentration in work, at school. When talking to someone, you just can’t concentrate. When you’re studying, you can’t remember a thing.
• Lack of good judgment – making bad decisions, wondering why you even made them in the first place. Other times, you can’t even decide at all.
• Suicidal thoughts – the worst and yet one of the most ignored symptoms of depression. Having suicidal thoughts is not normal, nor is it any type of joke. Hurting yourself in any way physically is already wrong.

Depression doesn’t mean you’re a psycho or anything. Don’t hate yourself for being depressed. But you have to help yourself. Don’t let others misguide you into thinking you’re alone. You’re not. Millions of people suffer from depression. Hundreds die of it. Help yourself and fight for your future. Contact a psychologist or a psychiatrist as soon as you can.

Manic Depression, also known as bipolar depression is a psychiatric illness that causes unusual shifts of mood, energy and ability to function. It affects one’s moods from overly “high” or manic to overly “low” or depressive conditions. This refers to a person’s change of moods between two poles, mania (high) and depression (low); and mixed episodes wherein there are features of both manic and depressive states occurring simultaneously. This is different from the normal ups and downs of life as this can result in damaged relationships, poor job or school performance, inability to concentrate on daily activities, loss of interests and even suicide.

Symptoms of manic depression can become severe once not taken seriously. In the depressive state, signs include feelings of sadness, guilt, anger, loneliness, or hopelessness; overeating or loss in appetite, insomnia or oversleeping; fatigue, loss of interests; problems in concentration; self-loathing, apathy, loss of interest in sexual activity; chronic pain; lack of motivation and loss of drive to live; and even thoughts of suicide. Manic state indications include increase of energy, loss of need to eat, pressured speech and racing thoughts, low attention span, impaired judgment and abnormal behaviors such as aggressiveness, intrusion and feelings of grandiose and delusional ideation. When in a mixed episode, symptoms of both states may occur simultaneously, for example, agitation, anxiety, aggressiveness or belligerence, confusion, fatigue, impulsiveness, insomnia, irritability, morbid and/or suicidal ideation, panic, paranoia, persecutory delusions, pressured speech, racing thoughts, restlessness, and rage.

People with manic depression or bipolar disorder cycle between the two poles every few months or weeks while others experience both high and low states in a day. Manic depression can be experienced by both men and women usually in the late adolescence, or in the late teenage years (18-21 years old). It also appears to have a genetic link and tends to run in the family, thus those closer to an individual with bipolar disorder may be vulnerable to the illness as well.
The good news is manic depression can be treated. Since manic depression is a recurrent illness, a strategy of both medication and psychosocial treatment practiced on a long term basis is preferable for managing the disorder over time, usually years. Medications known as mood stabilizers are prescribed to help control bipolar disorder. Although primary care physicians who do not specialize in psychiatry may also prescribe these medications, it is always best to see a psychiatrist – medical doctors (M.D) with specialties in mental disorders and depression.

There are numerous activities that affect one’s fertility in a negative way. Alcohol, cigarettes and drugs are just three of them that affect a person’s fertility, both men and women.
Lots of research has been made to prove that alcohol really affects fertility. All concludes that there is a negative effect; yet, the amount and percentage affecting one’s conceivability still remain a mystery. One thing is for sure – drinking alcohol can decrease one’s fertility by 50%. The more alcohol intake; the less likely for a person to conceive. Drinking alcohol will result in the reduction of sperm count, increase of abnormal sperm and fewer proportions of motile sperm. Alcohol is also known to hinder a person’s ability to absorb zinc, an important mineral for fertility. Not only will alcohol lessen a person’s fertility, it may also increase childbirth defects like preterm birth, miscarriage or even impaired fetal growth.
Aside from the obvious defects smoking during pregnancy can result in, smoking will also affect one’s ability to conceive by 40%. When a woman smokes, it affects the way the hormone estrogen is released into the body. It may even reduce the amount of estrogen a woman’s body produces. Smoking lessens the flow of blood to genitals, causing the vagina to dry. Nicotine from the cigarette destructs the eggs while they’re in the ovaries, making it impossible for the eggs to reach maturity resulting in a lower egg count. Smokers also risk their fallopian tubes to fallopian tube diseases. Other research has also proved that smoking will give a negative affect to the ability of an embryo to grow in the uterus. If the woman is exposed to smokers, her chances of conception decrease by 14%.
An intake of drugs not for fertility and childbirth affects a woman’s ability to conceive – most of them in a negative way. If you are consuming drugs for a different reason, consult the doctor of the effects this medication will have on your fertility. Drugs that contain steroid like cortisone and prednisone, beta-blockers, anti-depressants or even thyroid medication will affect one’s fertility. These kinds of drugs results in the loss of libido, lowered sperm count, erectile dysfunction, menstrual irregularity, abnormal ovulation, sterility and reduced production of hormones such as follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinizing-stimulating hormone, prolactin.
Alcohol, cigarettes and drugs really do have an affect on one’s ability to conceive. If you and your partner are considering having a baby, it is best to reduce intake of alcohol, cigarettes and drugs at least 3 months before conception.

A medical myth that has been around for some time: “There is no scientific evidence that will prove that there are certain foods that will increase one’s fertility.” This myth is false.

Being healthy at least 3 – 4 months before conception helps a woman increase her ability to conceive. Not only does proper nutrition affect a woman, but also the men, because study shows that fertility in women has more effect on men that are healthy. Unlike what the myth states, in fact, there are foods that will help in increasing one’s fertility.
As studies prove, the nutrient Zinc is essential to a person’s body. This nutrient is rich in semen and helps in the functions of the prostate gland, the increase of testosterone in men and the growth of the reproductive organ. Aside from this, Zinc is also known to contribute to a woman’s ovulation and fertility. An average intake of 15mg of zinc a day will help increase a person’s fertility. Foods like oysters, liver, beef, eggs, milk, wheat and fruit contain zinc.
An intake of average amounts of Vitamin B and folic acid help in reducing the risks of birth defects. Naturally green vegetables have sufficient Vitamin B and folic acid that will help in the production of new cells. Pre-natal vitamins actually contain up to 800mcg of folic acid. Studies show that increasing the intake of these leafy vegetables with pre-natal vitamins will increase one’s fertility, as well as the safety of the baby at childbirth.
Increasing one’s intake of calcium will also help in conception. Doctors say that for women who are considering becoming pregnant must take at least 1000mgs of calcium daily. Milk, cheese, beans and broccoli all contain calcium. Other supplements and vitamins are also recommended to increase the nutrients needed for conception.
As busy people, coffee has become a need. But for those who would like to increase their fertility, reducing the intake of caffeine is a must. Studies show that 300mg of caffeine a day will lessen the probability of becoming pregnant by 27%. Taking too much caffeine will also hinder the absorption of iron and calcium. Unhealthy intakes of alcohol, cigarette and non-prescribed drugs will also decrease fertility or even harm the conceived baby.
For any woman that is thinking of conceiving a child, not only should she learn to keep herself healthy, but consider the health of her baby as well.

Some factors that will affect a person’s fertility are the person’s age and health problems. These not only affect the conceivability of a person, but increase risks of childbirth.
At the birth of a girl, she is equipped with the eggs she will ever need – over a million of them. But this decreases by time – 300, 000 of them already by puberty. This decreases about 3.5% even more after the age of 30. Once a woman reaches the age of 40, the percentage rate increases up to 5-10%, as well as the risk of producing egg abnormalities. Conceiving a child at a younger age will also decrease the risk of miscarriage and other genetic birth defects. This happens because there is a change in the production of the follicle-stimulating hormone, the hormone that helps in the development of eggs during menstrual cycle. As women age, their levels of FSH rise, thus, affecting the ovary’s ability to produce eggs. To know whether a woman’s FSH will hinder her chances of conception, consult the doctor to perform a test on the third day of her menstrual cycle to check for the FSH’s level. If the level of the follicle-stimulating hormone is consistently high, she is likely to have a small chance of becoming pregnant.
On the other hand, a man’s fertility is also affected by age because his testosterone level declines naturally and his sexual drive will also start to diminish. The quality of the semen he produces will start to drop as he.
Aside from age, certain health problems also decrease a person’s fertility. Although most people are able to survive their health problems and still conceive, these problems will create an increase of hardships for the woman during childbirth. Diseases like ovarian cancer, also reduces a woman’s fertility. Medicines containing anti-androgens, also available in cancer treatments will inhibit the testosterone’s functions reducing the fertility of men. Other potential factors come out of infectious diseases, like AIDS, diabetes, congestive heart failures and hypertensive problems. Women with AIDS are considered for CS when they are pregnant to prevent the baby’s risk to the disease.
Before considering conception, it is wise to consult the doctor for anything that may be unhealthy for the mother and the child conceived. Whether the disease is infectious or not, the parents must understand that there could be life or death risks in conceiving with health problems.