Are you feeling low? Have you lost interest in activities that you used to enjoy? You
may be suffering from depression. And you’re not alone. Between 9 and 14 million
Americans suffer from some form of depressive illness. One in four women and one
in 10 men can expect to develop depression in their lifetimes. Children, too, are
affected by depression. Approximately one in 33 children and one in eight
adolescents exhibit signs of depression, yet, less than one third of these children
ever receive treatment.

So what are the signs of depression? Symptoms differ for adults and children.
Following are some simple checklists that can help you determine if you or your
child might be at risk for depression. When reviewing the checklists, consider the
following: How long have the symptoms been present? How severe are the
symptoms? Are the symptoms getting worse over time? Do you feel unable to cope
with yourself or with you child’s symptoms? In general, if symptoms last more than
two weeks without letting up, you or your child may be experiencing clinical
depression rather than just the blues. In children, excessive or chronic moodiness,
withdrawal from normal activities or aggressive behaviors should be considered
warning signs. Of course, teens are often moody and irritable, but if these
symptoms are chronic and unrelenting, there may be more to it than the normal
teenage angst. A good guideline is: symptoms should be checked out by a
professional if they cause disruption in normal daily activities. When in doubt,
always consult a mental health professional, such as a clinical social worker (LISW,
clinical counselor (LPCC), psychologist or psychiatrist.

Recent studies have shown that there is no one medication that is consistently
superior to another in treating depression, and medication alone has about the
same success rate (approximately 50%) as psychotherapy alone. However, both
together have about an 80% success rate. For people with chronic depression, who
choose not to continue medication over a long period (more than one year),
cognitive behavioral therapy has been shown to reduce relapse rates from about
80% (with no treatment) to 25%.

Depression Symptom Checklist: Adults

. Persistent sad, anxious or “empty” mood

Loss of interest or pleasure in ordinary activities, including sex

Decreased energy, fatigue, feeling “slowed down”

Sleep problems (insomnia, oversleeping, early-morning waking)

Eating problems (loss of appetite or weight, weight gain)

Difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions

Feelings of hopelessness or pessimism

Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, or helplessness

Thoughts of death or suicide; a suicide attempt *

Irritability

Excessive crying

Recurring aches and pains that don’t respond to treatment

Depression Symptom Checklist: Child/Adolescent

Persistent sadness

Withdrawal from family, friends and activities that were once enjoyed

Increased irritability or agitation

Changes in eating and sleeping habits (e.g., significant weight loss, insomnia,
excessive sleep)

Frequent physical complaints, such as headaches and stomachaches

Lack of enthusiasm or motivation

Decreased energy level and chronic fatigue

Play that involves excessive aggression toward self or others, or that involves
persistently sad themes

Indecision, lack of concentration or forgetfulness

Feelings of worthlessness or excessive guilt

Recurring thoughts of death or suicide *

(Source: National Mental Health Association)

* Immediately seek help with a mental health professional, crisis center, or doctor if
suicidal symptoms are present.

Rita Milios, the Mind Mentor, is a psychotherapist, author and speaker on topics of
mind, behavior and creativity. She is the author of Tools for Transformation,
Discovering Positive Thinking, and more than two dozen other books. View more
helpful articles at http://www.ritamilios.com/

Tags: checklist, depression, mental health, symptoms, treatmentchecklist, depression, mental health, symptoms, treatment

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Americans love dessert so much that some of us eat it before the meal instead of after. Fudgy brownies, gooey layer cake, cookies the size of saucers - we savor them all. But these desserts are high in sugar, fat, and calories. Is there such a thing as a healthy dessert? Yes, and it’s fresh fruit.

“The New Mayo Clinic Cookbook” recommends fresh fruit as a regular dessert and for good reasons. Fresh fruit contains fiber, something we need to eat every day. Our bodies also need vitamin C and fresh fruits are loaded with it. Some fresh fruits, such as red grapes, may protect your body from heart disease and cancer, according to Mayo Clinic.

There are other reasons for eating fresh fruit. An article on www.MyPyramid.gov says fresh fruit may reduce the risk for type 2 diabetes, protect the body against colon and rectal cancer, and reduce the risk of kidney disease. When the government and Mayo Clinic recommend fresh fruit, they’re talking about plain fruit, not something under a mountain of whipped cream.

You must store fruit properly in order to reap its health benefits. The University of California, Davis, says some fruits should be stored at room temperature. Bananas are an example. If you put bananas in the refrigerator they get black spots on them and the flavor diminishes.

Honeydew melon, cantalope, and other fruits that can be refrigerated should be chilled after they’re ripe. Store fruit in a separate bin, away from vegetables and meat. Fresh fruit should be washed just before you eat it.

Choosing fresh fruit for dessert satisfies your craving for sweets and helps you get the recommended five servings of fruits and vegetables a day. These desserts are the perfect ending for a casual or fancy meal. They’re healthy, too, so if you want to eat dessert before dinner, do it!

RED AND GREEN GRAPES WITH FRENCH CREAM. Wash grapes, pat dry with a towel, and put them in a large bowl. For French cream, combine 1 cup of fat free sour cream, 1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar, 1/2 cup Splenda, 1 teaspoon of grated lemon peel, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Spoon mixed grapes into serving dishes and top with a dollop of French cream.

ORANGE FLOWERS WITH RASPBERRY SAUCE. Carefully remove the peel from four oranges. With a serrated knife, cut tic-tac-toe slices in the top of each whole orange, being careful not to cut all the way through. Place the oranges on serving plates. Spread the orange “petals” apart, leaving the center “stamen” in tact. Combine 1/2 cup low sugar raspberry jam with 2 tablespoons hot water and 1 tablespoon of honey. Drizzle sauce over the orange flowers and garnish with mint.

STRAWBERRY DELIGHT PARFAITS. Wash and slice 1 pint of strawberries. Sprinkle with Splenda and set aside. Break apart mini vanilla wafers until you have 1 cup of crumbs. To make parfaits layer strawberries, fat free, sugar free strawberry yogurt, sugar free topping, and crumbled wafers in parfait glasses. Stick a whole wafer on top of each parfait before serving.

BAKED APPLES WITH CINNAMON CRUMBLE. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Peel 4-5 Granny Smith apples. Cut the apples into slices and arrange in concentric circles on a 9″ pie plate coated with baking spray. Combine 1/2 cup light brown sugar, 2 tablespoons whole wheat flour, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon cloves, 3 tablespoons extra-light olive oil, and 1/2 cup sliced almonds. Sprinkle crumble mixture over apples and bake until the top is golden brown, or about 30 minutes. Serve warm with a spoonful of fat free, sugar free vanilla yogurt.

Harriet Hodgson has been a nonfiction writer for 27 years and is a member of the Association of Health Care Journalists. She was a food writer for the former “Rochester Magazine” in her home town of Rochester, MN. Her 24th book, Smiling Through Your Tears: Anticipating Grief, written with Lois Krahn, MD is available on http://www.amazon.com.

For more information on her work go to http://www.harriethodgson.com

Tags: dessert, fruitdessert, fruit

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There’s nothing like a good weekend barbecue with family and friends in your own backyard to wash away the stresses of a hard week at work and rejuvenate you for the coming week ahead. It would be great to have a barbecue every weekend, wouldn’t it? But as I realized only lately, there are so many other things to consider if you want to aspire for the barbecue. It’s not a simple as putting meat on the grill and letting it roast, as I used to think.

First of all, you have to consider your choice of wood because different types of wood give the meat a distinct kind of flavor. The choice of wood is also important considering that some kinds of wood burn faster than most. You may want to consider combining wood and charcoal for better smoke control and a consistent fire.

When it comes to charcoal, using a commercial bag of processed charcoal briquettes is good enough, but for best results you should use lump charcoal instead. What’s the difference? For one thing, lump charcoal has not been ground and shaped as opposed to charcoal briquettes. In addition, lump charcoal is the purer type of charcoal and, obviously, it is the charcoal of choice by barbecue purists who scoff at the use of processed charcoal.

Using a chimney starter matters as well especially if you want to make sure that the heat stays at a consistent level all throughout your cooking. Others also use an electric iron to heat the coals. The lazy ones are prone to soaking charcoal in lighter fluid but though this technique may be quick and easy, it gives the meat an unnatural chemical taste.

Once the coals are covered in ash, usually after 15-25 minutes, you can either barbecue the meat directly (by piling the coals together in the center beneath the meat) or indirectly (by spreading the coals around the grill’s perimeter and placing the meat in the grill’s center).

For maximum convenience, gas grills are the way to go because they are easy to light and easy to control. But purists have a bone to pick with this technique as well, claiming that cooking with gas grills lessens the flavor of the meat compared to cooking with wood and charcoal.

Jonathon Hardcastle writes articles on many topics including Food, Fitness, and Nutrition

Tags: Barbecues Health, fitnessBarbecues Health, fitness

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