Sluggish depression

Sluggish Depression People with inadequate levels of norepinephrine and dopamine tend to slow down, sleep way too much, and have trouble concentrating or motivating themselves to work. When depressed, they often become confused and absent, even—or perhaps especially—in their most intimate relationships. 

The Adrift or Denial Type People who are prone to low dopa/norepi levels and sluggish depression —what Mind-Body medicine calls Earth types—are likely to react to stress with confusion. These are Denial types who feel frequently adrift. If you re a Denial type, you ll notice that difficult situations often inspire you to turn off, numb out, or freeze, seemingly without emotions or opinions. Awareness is your route to joy, waking up to life s many possibilities and to your own vital nature. 

Unfortunately, no routine tests exist that can measure levels of brain chemicals—at least, not yet. But we can infer these levels by the types of depression and the clusters of symptoms that people manifest. Depending on which chemicals are imbalanced, you may tend toward anxious depression, agitated depression, or sluggish depression, each of which is a relatively distinct syndrome with its own behaviors and personality characteristics. 

Symptoms of Dopamine/Norepinephrine Depletion, or Sluggish Depression ... 

If you can, add strength training, especially if you suffer from sluggish depression (shortages of norepinephrine/dopamine), tend to be overweight, or are an Earth/kapha type (see Chapters 7 and 10). 

In animal studies, effects of exposure include increased mortality gonadal atrophy, and carcinomas. The LCso for rats was 3 68 ppm for 1 hour and 103 ppm for 8 hours. Irritation of the eyes and respiratory tract was observed at levels of 60 ppm and higher. Moderate depression of the central nervous system was manifested as sluggishness and ataxia. 

Although it is widely claimed that the benzodiazepine drugs have a specific calming or anxiolytic effect, their most prominent and easily quantifiable action is central nervous system depression. In very low therapeutic doses, this depression manifests as relief of anxiety that is often accompanied by a feeling of sluggishness or drowsiness. As the dose is increased, the degree of depression is intensified such that muscle relaxation, hyp-... 

This reversible and ideal relationship predicts that the more effective depressants of interfacial tension tend to accumulate in the interface to the exclusion of others. Actually, in many cases the amount of material concentrated at the interface is greater than would be predicted by the Gibbs equation, and the system is not reversible or only sluggishly so. 

When a depressant drug like methaqualone is stopped abruptly, the body responds by overreacting to the substance s absence. Functions such as heart rate that were slowed by the depressant will suddenly accelerate, often erratically. Conversely, withdrawal of a stimulant drug can cause an overall sluggishness that results in depression and extreme fatigue. These changes result in very uncomfortable and potentially life-threatening physical symptoms, called withdrawal syndrome. 

Combination Types Some people are a combination of two Ayurvedic types, and so they need to figure out the diet, exercise plan, and activities that are most balancing for them. And some people partake of all three types. When these triple combination folks get depressed, they might suffer from anxiety, anger, and sluggishness, as their brain chemicals fluctuate and their mood varies. 

If serotonin soothes us, norepinephrine and dopamine wake us up. These two brain chemicals are known as the energizers. They help create alertness, energy, and aggression, and, accordingly, their lack creates sluggishness, listlessness, and passivity. As you might expect, stimulants like caffeine, cocaine, and speed temporarily induce the release of these vital chemicals, whereas alcohol, tranquilizers, and other depressants cue our bodies to make less of them. 

If you have mild to moderate depression, especially with sluggishness or lethargy, you may want to try SAMe Begin with 200 mg taken at least a half hour before breakfast, and if you tolerate it well, increase to 400 mg after four days Make sure it comes in individual foil packets to preserve freshness ... 

Cindy used the Energizing Breath Technique described in Chapter 6 to give herself a boost each morning and early afternoon, right after her session with the light box, which she used to combat SAD. She also relied on this useful technique whenever she felt depressed or sluggish or when she had difficulty concentrating. 

Thus Denial types seem to carry a double burden. Not only are they upset, but they have no idea that they are upset. Lisa knew she was depressed, of course, but she denied for quite a while that there was any reason for it, any sorrow or anger behind the sluggishness and mental confusion. Her strategies of shutting down and withdrawing seemed to protect her, but they also incapacitated her from taking action. 

---