CNN.com - Health

How can I get help for PTSD induced by an ICU stay?

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 18:46:54 GMT

Following a two-month ICU stay five years ago, I was told that I had many symptoms of PTSD. The near-death experience would have been enough to shake me up alone, but when I wound up with ICU delirium ... I don't know how long it lasted, it felt like years, and the hallucinations were worse than all of the surgeries and physical therapy put together. Worse than anything I have ever experienced. They were just too vivid, and my periods of lucidity were few and far between. I couldn't sleep soundly through the night for almost a year afterward.

I feel like a new person after getting on the right meds

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 18:31:45 GMT

I don't have a question. However, I would like to make a comment. I found the antidepressant Lamictal to be a godsend. I feel like a new person since I've been taking it. I also take Neurontin, which really takes the edge off. I feel for the person who can't find the right medicine. Don't give up, keep trying new drugs.

How can I keep my depression from recurring?

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 18:26:36 GMT

It is known that people who have had a depressive episode have a high chance of experiencing a second depressive episode. It seems that people are more "sensitive" to stress/life events (kindling hypothesis). What options are available for people who had a depressive episode in the past, to avoid having a recurrence or at least lower the chances of a recurrence in the future?

How can a new mom who's lost her own mom battle depression?

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:30:07 GMT

My mom died nine months ago, and two days later, I gave birth to my daughter (she was full term, actually late, and completely healthy). I have been struggling with depression and all sorts of other medical problems since my mom passed. I cannot seem to get past crying over my mom. I cried all the time. We were very close, and losing her has been very hard. At the time, my husband was in Iraq, so I was dealing with a newborn by myself, as well as the loss of my best friend, my mom.

New help for moms with postpartum depression

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:42:41 GMT

Shortly before last Mother's Day, 28-year-old Lauren Meehan-Machos broke down in front of her startled husband. "This is more than I can handle," she sobbed.

Treating trauma victims may cause its own trauma

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 12:48:33 GMT

They listen to tales of life's worst moments, but they can't go home and tell their spouses about what they've heard. Sometimes no amount of schooling is enough to shield them from taking on some of their patients' suffering.

How to squash worry and grab more happiness out of life in tough times

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 20:20:37 GMT

These days it can feel like the age of anxiety is winning over the pursuit of happiness. An uncertain economy and the swine flu are just the tip of our worry iceberg.

Sex, then amnesia...and it's no soap opera

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 13:38:10 GMT

It was either mind-blowing or completely forgettable. Either way, Alice doesn't remember.

Will I ever feel really secure in my life?

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 18:42:51 GMT

I have had a quite a few ups and downs in my life. I have had depression since I was 8 years old. (I am now 26 and was diagnosed as bipolar three years ago.) In my lifetime, I have suffered major emotional abuse and betrayals from a variety of people, not to mention rough circumstances (losing a job last year, and unstable conditions in my current job). I have now gotten to a point where I've become obsessive about money due to fears of once again becoming unemployed, and I find myself drifting away from friends because I don't feel safe being close to anyone any more. It's scary for me because I went through a major depressive episode from ages 14 to 18, and I had to fight just to keep myself alive (medication was not available for me at the time, either). I've fought so hard just to get to my current point in life, which was graduating from college and living independently. I'm just so terrified of losing everything that I've fought for and returning to those lows, but I feel like I have to strike it out on my own just to maintain myself. Is there any chance of me ever feeling any form of security in my life ever again?

Do digital diaries mess up your brain?

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 22:13:17 GMT

The meal you ate the first day you started working. The first exam you aced in high school. The shoes you wore to the prom.