Are you fed up and stressed out from waiting for the next panic attack to occur. The medicines and pills the doctors give you barely help you and just mask the symptoms. Some are addictive and they have side effects as well.

Some medicines can turn you into a zombie in the attempt to prevent these attacks. If you do not take action to stop them besides taking medication then they will not stop and the attacks and symptoms can drive you to desperation.

Whenever you feel the symptoms coming on one way of dealing with them is with panic attack breathing techniques. These will help to get the attacks under control and even stop them. These methods work by using deep breathing to help you relax.

These breathing techniques can be found in yoga, meditation and self hypnosis. You do not have to be a quiet environment to use them either. Once you know how to do them you can use them in a car or at home and they do help you not only cope with these attacks but can help you as part of panic attack cures.

This is just one method to help you to cope. There are many other techniques that do work and homeopathic remedies use many of them to help you to gain relief from these awful episodes which take over your whole life.

Thousands of people every day find relief and even stop these attacks by using homeopathic remedies and they do work.

If you are looking for a way to stop these attacks use homeopathic remedies. This is guaranteed to work and give you your life back.

Introduction

Unlike with some other illnesses or disorders, there is no simple explanation as to what causes depression. In general, depression is caused by a mixture of ‘pressure’ or ‘strain’, which can be mild or severe, combined with a vulnerability or predisposition to depression, which, too, can range from mild to severe. For each type of depression, there are likely to be different mixtures of causes. For psychotic or melancholic depression, physical and biological factors are generally more relevant. By contrast, for non melancholic depression, the role of personality and stressful life events are generally far more relevant.

Genetics

Contrary to the popular view that depression is due to life experiences and/or personality factors, there is strong evidence that genetics are a significant factor in a person’s predisposition towards developing depression.

Depression can be inherited. The genetic risk of developing clinical depression is about 40%, with the remaining 60% being due to factors in the individual’s own environment. Depression is unlikely to occur without life events, but the risk of developing depression as a result of some such event is strongly genetically determined.

Biochemical

Our knowledge of the human brain is still fairly limited, therefore we do not really know what actually happens in the brain to cause depression. It is likely that with most instances of clinical depression, neurotransmitter function is disrupted. Neurotransmitters are chemicals that carry signals from one part of the brain to the next. There are many neurotransmitters, serving different purposes, however three important ones that affect a person’s mood are serotonin, noradrenaline and dopamine.

In normal brain function, neurotransmitters jump from one nerve cell to the next, with the signal being as strong in the second and subsequent cells as it was in the first. However, in people who are depressed, the mood regulating neurotransmitters fail to function normally, so that the signal is either depleted or disrupted before passing to the next nerve cell. In non melancholic depression, it is likely that the transmission of serotonin is reduced or less active, whereas in people with melancholic and psychotic depression, the neurotransmitters noradrenaline and dopamine are more likely to have failed or be functioning abnormally.

Illness

In a simple sense, illness can lead to depression through the lowered mood that we can all experience when we are unwell, in pain or discomfort, confined, and less able to do the things we enjoy. Illness can also change the body’s functioning in a way that leads to depression. Even if the illness isn’t making us feel down we still end up with a depression. For example:

- it is known that certain cancers can produce a depression ” in these cases the person might be

quite unaware that they have the disease

- certain medical conditions can lead to mania

- compromised immune functioning might play a part in the emergence of depression, although

further research is needed to establish this link.

Ageing brain

As we age, our brain’s capacity (in terms of general functioning) reduces, while certain neurotransmitters (which influence mood state) can become affected. Three reasons for these changes are worth mentioning in relation to depression.

Some elderly people who are developing a dementia may at some stage (often early on) develop a severe depression for the first time. The depression is commonly of a psychotic or melancholic type and reflects disruption of circuits linking certain basal ganglia and frontal regions of the brain. Sometimes these changes merely reflect an ageing process, particularly in people who are vulnerable to this kind of ‘wear and tear’. In others, however, high blood pressure or mini strokes (often unnoticed by the individual and their family) may contribute. Good blood pressure control can reduce the chance of depression in some people with this problem.

Gender

Gender is a partial, but incomplete, explanation of why a person develops depression. Essentially, equal numbers of men and women develop melancholic depression. However, studies have shown that there is a much greater likelihood of women developing non melancholic depression than men.

There are a number of explanations for this, among them: women are more likely than men to ‘internalising’ stress, thereby placing them at greater risk of developing depression; additionally, women with unsatisfactory marriages or a number of young children are highly overrepresented among samples of depressed people, suggesting a sex role component or a reduced inability to seek assistance or support.

Hormonal factors commencing in puberty may account for the increased chance in women of developing anxiety ” a precursor to depression ” or depression. While sex hormone (or biological) differences may create a greater chance among women of developing depression, certain social factors still need to come into play before depression will be experienced.

Stress

It is important to recognise that nearly every individual can be stressed and depressed by certain events. Most people get over the stress or depression within days or weeks while others do not. Ways that stress can lead to depression include the following:

-          Past and long standing stresses can increase the chance of an individual developing depression in later years. An example is an abusive or uncaring parent, which may result in the child developing a low self esteem and thus being vulnerable to develop depression in adult life.

-          Most individuals who develop non melancholic depression usually describe an important and understandable life event that occurred before the depression started.

-          The events that are most likely to ‘trigger’ depression are ones where the individual’s self esteem is put at risk, compromised or devalued. For most adults, self esteem is closely linked to an intimate relationship as well as in other important areas, such as a job. Thus, the break up of a relationship or a marriage is a very common trigger for depression.

-          Other individuals develop depression when they feel a sense of ‘shame’, such as when they feel that they have not lived up to their own or others’ expectations, thus reducing their self esteem.

Our researchers have confirmed an important link between a genetic marker (involving the serotonin transporter) and risk to depression.

The impact of life events upon melancholic depression is not always clear. They may serve to trigger the depression ” or rekindle it ” rather than cause it. If you are depressed, it can be helpful to find out whether stress contributes to the depression either by:

-          its severity ” so that you feel under ‘too much stress’ ” in which case generic stress management programs may be helpful; or

-          its particular meaning to you: if a particular event or set of circumstances is likely to trigger stress in you and may do so repeatedly if you are re exposed to those triggers, it can be helpful to seek sophisticated counselling or psychotherapy to identify what those triggers are and why they produce the stressful reaction.

Personality

The Black Dog Institute has shown that people with the following personality types are more at risk of developing depression than others, those with:

1. high levels of anxiety, which can be experienced as an internalised ‘anxious worrying’ style or as a more externalised ‘irritability’

2. shyness, expressed as ’social avoidance’ and/or ‘personal reserve’

3. self criticism or low self worth

4. interpersonal sensitivity

5. perfectionism

6. a ’self focused’ style

Those who are high on the first four factors are at distinctly greater risk to depression (especially non melancholic depression). ‘Perfectionism is somewhat protective against the onset of depression but, if depression occurs, it can promote longer episodes. Those who have a high ’self focused’ style are likely to be at greater risk for brief depressive episodes only. There appears to be little effect of temperament or personality on the development of melancholic depression.

* The information in this Fact Sheet is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.

Evidence for the benefits of exercise in managing depression

Regular exercise can be an effective way to relieve some forms of depression and is often a neglected strategy for treatment of depression. Numerous studies have shown that people who exercise regularly experience fewer depression and anxiety than those who do not exercise regularly. Several trials have shown that regular exercise of moderate intensity can be an effective treatment by itself for mild to moderate depression. Two trials have found that 16 weeks of regular exercise is equally effective as an SSRI antidepressant medication in the treatment of mild to moderate depression in older adults who have been inactive. Research also suggests that exercise can further assist depression in individuals with depression who have responded only partially to an antidepressant medication. Both aerobic exercise (e.g. brisk walking, cycling or jogging) and resistance or strength training (e.g. weight-lifting) have been found to be beneficial for depression.

How does exercise help depression?

Research suggests that regular exercise may increase levels of serotonin in the brain. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter involved in mood, sleep, libido, appetite and other functions, and has been linked to depression. Exercise may also increase endorphins, which are chemicals in the brain with ‘mood-lifting’ properties. Regular exercise may also help depression by:

- Increasing energy levels
- Helping to get a good night’s sleep
- Providing distraction from worries and rumination
- Providing social support and reducing loneliness if exercise is done with other people
- Increasing a sense of control and self-esteem, by taking an active role in the individual’s own recovery.

Key points about the role of exercise in treating depression

Regular exercise can be an effective treatment by itself for non-melancholic depression (particularly for people who were previously ’sedentary’ or inactive). For more severe melancholic depression, exercise may be a helpful adjunctive strategy alongside other treatments (e.g. medication or psychological therapies). Exercise does not need to be extremely vigorous to be helpful for depression - simply briskly walking each day can be beneficial. For those with a melancholic depression and experiencing a distinct lack of energy in the morning, immediate exercise on getting out of bed can be beneficial.

Other benefits of exercise

In addition to being helpful for depression, there are numerous physical health benefits of regular exercise that are well-established by research. These benefits include prevention of numerous (including life-threatening) medical conditions such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, strokes and certain types of cancer. At a population level, physical inactivity is ranked just behind cigarette smoking as a cause of ill health. Therefore, regular exercise as a treatment for depression has the added benefit of improving general health and preventing serious diseases.

Exercise recommendations

The National Physical Activity Guidelines for Australians recommend:

- A minimum of 30 minutes of moderate intensity exercise on most, preferably all, days of the week (an example of ‘moderate intensity’ exercise is brisk walking where you notice a slight increase in breathing and heart rate) .

- Exercising for at least 10 minutes at a time - the 30-minutes total does not need to be continuous - you can combine short sessions of different activities to a total of 30 minutes or more each day.

- Being active in as many ways you can each day (e.g. use the stairs).

At least one study has shown that exercising at around the above level for 12 weeks can significantly reduce symptoms of depression amongst people who are inactive and experiencing mild to moderate depression. For people who are very inactive, health benefits can be gained by becoming even slightly more active. A little activity is better than none, and more is better than a little. For extra health and fitness, it is recommended that adults (who are able) should also do vigorous activity that makes them ‘huff and puff’ (e.g. jogging, squash, rowing). For best results, vigorous exercise should be done for 30 minutes or more on 3-4 days per week (on top of moderate exercise).

Getting started

Feeling tired and being less motivated in general are two very common symptoms of depression. This means that exercise is often the last thing that people feel like doing when they are experiencing depression. Therefore, it can be useful to use some of the strategies below to help with motivation to gradually become more active:

Make a plan

Start slowly and build up gradually. For example, if you have not been exercising at all, start with a 10-15 minute walk each morning, and gradually increase this to 30 minutes per day. Set short-term realistic goals for exercising each week (e.g. 3 x 20 minute walks per week). Plan to exercise at specific times of the day that fit in with your lifestyle and write your plan down.

Keep motivated

- Keep an activity diary each day.
- A pedometer can be helpful in keeping track of your activity levels.
- Reward yourself when you achieve your short-term exercise plan.
- Get other people involved - ask a friend, partner or relative to join you. Although it is common to not feel like socializing when experiencing depression, it can be helpful to include others in exercise, to gain support and help with motivation.
- Write down the specific benefits that you would like to gain from exercise, and refer back to these to help with motivation (e.g. reduce stress, improve mood, get in shape, and improve sleep).
- Write down the situations that you would expect to make it more difficult to exercise, and a plan to address these (e.g. if it rains, go for a walk in a shopping centre; if feeling tired, go for a 10 min walk)

Keep it up

You don’t have to join a gym - try a variety of different types of activities to find those that you enjoy (e.g. swimming, walking the dog, jogging whilst listening to music, riding a bike, gardening, bushwalking, yoga, weight-lifting). Give yourself a break - if you don’t stick to your exercise plan, simply start again from where you left off. Remember that it can take time for the benefits of exercise to occur. (Most exercise studies showing a significant reduction in depression have examined exercise programs of at least 8 weeks).

SEEKING MEDICAL ADVICE:

If you are new to exercise, are pregnant, a smoker, are overweight, have heart disease or major health problems, it is recommended that you see your doctor for medical advice before commencing vigorous exercise.