The Ancient Greek physician Hippocrates described a syndrome of melancholia as a distinct disease with particular mental and physical symptoms; he characterized all “fears and despondencies, if they last a long time” as being symptomatic of the ailment. It was a similar but far broader concept than today’s depression; prominence was given to a clustering of the symptoms of sadness, dejection, and despondency, and often fear, anger, delusions and obsessions were included.

Major depressive disorder (also known as clinical depression, major depression, unipolar depression, or unipolar disorder) is a mental disorder characterized by a pervasive low mood, low self-esteem, and loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities. The term “major depressive disorder” was selected by the American Psychiatric Association for this symptom cluster under mood disorders in the 1980 version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-III) classification, and has become widely used since.

Non-traditional alcoholism treatment methods have always recognized that 12 Step models work for some individuals but not for most, at least not for very long. The problem is that nothing else seems to either. Designing effective treatment for individuals turns out to be a complicated business that must take into account many variables in ways that don’t easily lend themselves to any particular model. As a result most programs offer little beyond “don’t drink, go to meetings, work your program, and repeat – forever.”

When it happens that the heart, mind, and body become overloaded with negative impressions concerning events that they are subject to while in a state of helplessness or necessary conformity to the circumstances at hand, then conditions are ripe for the inner disorder that has come to be known as ‘post traumatic stress disorder’ (PTSD).

PTSD is not primarily a disorder of the mind, though it may appear as such, but rather a disorder of the heart that no longer feels capable of dealing with the helplessness that it has had no way of preventing.

Schedules, meetings, career, family, kids, parent meets – stress! By the end of the day, you are ready to pull your hair out unless you can do something to relax. But, in a scenario where there is not a moment to spare, it is difficult to find time-effective ways to unwind. Then, how can you overcome stress?