Depression & Anxiety Disorders Information Center

If you are looking for information about non-drug, safe, non-invasive alternative treatment options for anxiety and/or depression, or know someone who does this website is for you.

  We believe the tools for you to take charge of your recovery can be found on this website, but ultimately you must do the hard work to make it happen.

We are a father and son team dedicated to help those individuals who suffer from depression and anxiety get control of their lives, rather than their illness controlling their fate. 

To learn why we have chosen to set up this website go to our goal page.

We wish to acknowledge that many lives have been saved, and millions of others have been made better by the traditional approach to mental health since the mid 1950's, namely talk therapy,  medication and electro-shock therapy, but psychiatrists readily admit that roughly a third of their patients do not respond to this type of treatment.  Dave being one of them.

Below is listed several  alternative (holistic) treatment options that we have researched:

The two that we are showcasing on this website are: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Food Supplementation by Truehope.

 

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

  Yoga

  Laughter Yoga

  Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

  Food Supplementation,

  Naturopathic Medicine

  Meditation

  Biofeedback Therapy,

  Medical Herbalism

  Acupuncture

  Homeopathic Medicine

 

I have not personally suffered from an anxiety disorder, but  generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and agoraphobia put Dave's life on hold for over 40 years.

He can't remember when he was not anxious and depressed. Dave has endured this nightmare most of his life, and I have supported him through his transition from constant terror and torment, to where he is able to control his life, rather than his emotions controlling him.  Dave looks forward to the future with hope and optimism, where before he seen nothing but hopelessness and fear.

As a supportive father the views expressed are from that position, whereas my son's insight and views are from a person suffering horrendously from generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and agoraphobia.

There is no question that Dave's illness put his life on hold for most of his life.  He has seen his friends graduate from high school, go on to university, get good jobs, marry and have children, and own their homes, while he crashed and burned over and over again.

Each time he crashed and burned he had to return home to live with us to be able to survive, which reduced his self-image even further.

To read about those years go to: Dave: Before Treatment

Dave's perfectionism was a noose around his neck for most of his life, but it has proven to be one of his greatest assets today, now that has control of his emotions.

The information placed on this website is based on eight years of exhaustive research by us into the treatment of depression and anxiety disorders. 

 Everyone is unique, so what works for one will not work for all.  However there seems to be a common problem faced by most, if not all  who suffer from depression and anxiety.

  They tend to have a self-defeating perception of reality, about themselves and the world they live in.  This certainly was Dave's situation. 

The answer for Dave was to reprogram his brain to think more positive and rational about himself  using cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).  He believed from early childhood that he was mentally challenged and unable to learn, thus calling himself  "stupid" hundreds of time a day for over 40 years. 

Through CBT he has learned that this is not true, but instead it was his fear that prevented him from focusing, and therefore not able to learn.

In breif Dave went from being totally housebound and unemployable ten years ago to a partnership in a very successful construction business.  To read about Dave's journey from constant terror to hope go to: Dave: Treatment Years

Some time ago we purchased a copy of  " The Spectrum" by Dr. Dean Ornish, M.D.

Dean Ornish, M.D. is the founder and president of the nonprofit Preventative Medicine Research Institute and Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of California.

 What makes this book unique is that it is based on three decades of research proving what works, what doesn't, for whom, and under what circumstances when it comes to making positive lifestyle changes.

 His lifestyle program is based on science, and it has been proven to work. 

  He says "people often think that advances in medicine have to be a new drug, a new laser treatment, or a new surgical procedure to be effective."

 He goes on to say "that they often have a hard time believing the simple choices we make in our lives each day, what we eat, how we respond to stress and how we exercise can make a powerful difference in our health and our survival, but they often do just that."

Dr. Ornish's book is by far the best we have seen on how and why you should make positive lifestyle changes to improve and/or maintain your health, both mental and physical.

  Sadly in our eight year search for answers we have found that tradtional medicine   does not stress the importance of making positive lifestyle changes, nor mention the need to reprogram the brain to think more positive and rational.

  Few psychiatrists use CBT to help patients reprogram their brain to think more positive. 

Dave's psychiatrist depended on antidepressant medication as well as  talk therapy, which was a rehashing of the past that simply deepened Dave's depression, rather than CBT, which is the proactive how-to approach Dave needed to remove his, anger, fear and strongly held self-defeating perceptions of reality.

 NOTE:

 The information contained on this website is for informational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice.  We readily admit that we are not psychologists and have no medical training.  We are simply expressing our findings regarding what we have found effective, and hopefully our experience will help others make better treatment decisions. 

We have come to the conclusion that psychological illnesses (central nervous system dysfunction illnesses) fall into two broad categories. 

The first category is mental illnesses, such as bipolar disorder (manic depression) and schizophrenia. Latest scientific research at the University Of Calgary by Dr. Bonnie Kaplan seems to indicate that these individuals metabolize the nutrients from the food they eat very poorly; however a carefully formulated food supplement by Truehope, a southern Alberta food supplement company, allows thousands to live symptom- free lives.

Dr. Popper, a psychiatrist at the Harvard Medical School, who has used Truehope's food supplement in his private practice since 2000 concludes that " my opinion is that this stuff works - in many cases dramatacally and much better, for many people, than conventional medications have."  To read his candid, humerous account of how he went from a very serious doubter to a believer go to: Dr. Popper's Opinion Of Empowerplus on our blog.

The University of Calgary has an ongoing mood study regarding the effectiveness of Truehope's food supplement Empowerplus. To see if you qualify go to: here

We believe Truehope's findings will prove to be the greatest scientific breakthrough in the treatment of mental illness is the last 100 years. Only time will tell.

 The second broad category is the anxiety disorders, such a panic disorder, social anxiety, agoraphobia,  generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and OCD, which are mostly learned behaviors, in our opinion.  It is a widely accepted belief that anything learned can be unlearned if done properly. 

In our 8 year search for answers we have come to the conclusion that CBT is very effective in the treatment of  panic disorder, social  anxiety, OCD, agoraphobia and GAD because it provides the tools to help you reprogram your brain to think more rational and positive.  We believe that because it is so very effective and economical that it should be considered the first choice of treatment for panic disorder, social anxiety, agoraphobia, generalized anxiety disorder and OCD. It certainly worked for Dave when nothing else did.

Those who have suffered long and severely from an anxiety disorder as Dave did may actually need food supplementation to build up and balance their neurotransmitter level. Prescription drugs can be effective for many to reduce the symptoms, but they were totally ineffective in Dave's case.  In fact we believe they actually made his depression and anxiety worse, not better.  Thus he needed Truehope's food supplement for six months  to build up and stabilize his neurotransmitter level.  He no longer appears to need it now that he has made better lifestyle choices, and trained his mind to think more positive and rational.

    We have no axes to grind or hidden agenda.  Our sole perpose for setting up this site is to help those of you who suffer from a psychological illness get permanent control of your emotions, nothing more, nothing less.  

  We have come to the conclusion that a global approach to the treatment of anxiety disorders and depression is the best approach for overcoming a psychological  illness. For this reason we have placed information on reprogramming the brain to think more positive and rationally, as well as the best information that we have found about sleep, exercise, medication, diet, food supplementation, and other lifestyle choices on our website.  We believe most if not all of these factors need to be addressed to overcome a depressive disorder permanently.

 Sadly there tends to be very little sharing of information about the cause and treatment options of psychological illnesses in the medical field.  It is our belief that if this information were freely shared it would greatly accelerate mental health treatment.

To add to the problem we believe that much of this valuable information is deliberately withheld from the general population by traditional medicine, the mass media and  governments, at all levels.

  It is Dave’s belief that without reprogramming his brain using cognitive behavioral therapy he never would have been successful in getting control of his life.

There are other means of accomplishing this task, but it is our belief that cognitive behavioral therapy is the fastest and most economical method that we have found.  We know the unemployed, as Dave was 10 years ago, and many underemployed can't afford a CBT course so we have decided to offer a FREE 24 lesson CBT course on this website.  To access the course click on: free CBT lessons.

  It is also our belief that because Dave was successful in overcoming his anxiety disorder using CBT, considering the uphill battle he faced, we believe that you too can be successful in controlling your emotions, if you are willing to put in the time and effort required to reprogram your brain to think more positive and rational.

  There will be many setbacks, but with your persistent and consistent effort, through the use of our cognitive behavioral therapy course we believe you will be in control of your life, instead of the illness controlling your actions.

  Reprogramming the brain to think more positive and rational is one of the most difficult tasks you will face, yet the most rewarding.

  For some of you, simply reprogramming your brain to think more positively will do the trick.

  For many lifestyle and dietary choices will also be required to improve, and for some food supplementation may be needed as well.

It is believed that up to age four the brain soaks up an enormous amount of information, but unfortunately it believes everything it is feed, whether true or not.

Dave told himself repeatedly he was incapable of learning at a very early age, probably at age six or less.  As a result Dave called himself  "stupid" hundreds of times a day for as long as he can remember. 

He is now convinced  that he had completely brainwashed himself to believe he was incapable of learning by the time he entered kindergarten.  Therefore we believe that everyone can benefit from a combined self-esteem cognitive behavioral therapy course, and had it been part of the regular elementary school program it could well have saved him from forty years of intense suffering.

 
We contend that regardless of what depressive illness a person suffers from that reprogramming the brain to think more positive and rational should be part of the treatment plan, and CBT appears to be the least expensive and most effective method.  
 


The path to wellness will not be easy, but the reward will be well worth the sacrifice.

A key strategy of CBT is slow speech. For this reason we are introducing it now, so when convenient we recommend that you read the information on this site out loud, and slightly slower than you normal pace. However what you read is NOT important, but we would recommend a subject that interests you, that you want to fully understand would be a good place to start. You may be pleasantly surprised at how much better you understand the information using this approach than if you read it in the normal way.

This strategy also helps to prevent your mind from wandering. It is also a good idea to put a little timbre into your voice. This tells your brain to pay attention, because it is a widely accepted theory that events that are emotionally charged, such as being raped, are stored in the emotional portion of the brain; therefore seldom forgotten.

You will also find slow speech an invaluable tool to control the adrenaline and cortical levels in your body in those stressful social situations, if you are prone to panic attacks. You have likely noticed that as you become more anxious you tend to talk faster and faster. The faster you talk the more anxious you become because of the adrenaline and cortical build-up in your body. Slow speech is a valuable tool to use to prevent this from happening.

Sir Winston Churchill had a stuttering problem, and he found that by using slow speech he was able to prevent himself from stuttering.


People also tend to pay more attention to what you are saying if you use slow speech. Famous speakers such as Sir Winston Churchill and Martin Luther King were masterful at employing slow speech to get their messages across. Their speeches undoubtedly changed the course of history. The “Battle of Britain”, in the second world war was likely won in large part due to Churchill’s ability to get his messages across. Martin Luther King’s speeches resulted in the elimination of slavery in the USA.

The psychologist., Thomas A. Richards, Ph. D., founder of the Social Anxiety Institute in Arizona has found that slow speech an invaluable tool for people to use when working with his social anxiety CBT lessons. But he has discovered that slow speech needs to be practiced in the safety of the home until it becomes automatic before using it in real world situations.

We would recommend that you read this page in slow speech from top to bottom without following the links, then reread it again following the links.

 Dave hopes to make a career of helping those who suffer from depression get control of their lives.  I have agreed to help him get started. This website is the beginning of bringing Dave's dream to fruition.

To read about our hopes and goal for the future go to: Our Goal

  Although there is a wealth of information out there regarding the cause and treatment options for depression and anxiety, we have found that locating accurate up-to-date information has been extremely time consuming and frustrating.




Our mission in establishing this website is to help you separate fact from fiction.


 

At this time I would like to express our deepest gratitude to those who have supported Dave’s dream by placing our link on their website. We have set up a vistor resourses page to showcase their services. Please take a moment to view the listings.  You may find the exact service you have been looking for.

  There are many theories and beliefs about the best method of dealing with depression and anxiety disorders.

  Antidepressant medication came into vogue in the 1950's, and for many medication has allowed them to live relatively normal lives. Unfortunately for many like Dave they do not work.

 
For some people drugs work for a short time, but another antidepressant has to be found when the symptoms return.  Sometimes drug cocktails are required.  For some all drugs stop working for no apparent reason. To learn more about this go to our neurotransmitter page.

The latest scientific evidence seems to indicate, "that we are what we eat."  For this reason the website contains the latest information that we have found regarding diet, to protect not only your body's physical, but your mental health  as well.

The information contained on the website about dietary choices can be the starting point for you to change your eating habits for the better.  This could be the first big step in taking responsibility for your own mental health.  Doctors have no formal training regarding dietary choices so to expect them to be that helpful regarding dietary choices is a serious mistake, in our opinion.

  The second step that you can implement to take charge of your mental health is to remove all the false self-defeating information that you have told yourself, and replace it with the truth.  Our CBT course can do that for you if you are willing to put in the effort required.

 It would appear that "Brain Matters"  have discovered what psychological illness patients suffer from by observing the blood flow  imagery in the brain.  This could prove to be the best tool that modern medicine has to determine what psychological illness patients suffer from.

 Below is an email I received from a person taking my free CBT course a couple of years ago.

I'm amazed how I change and grow every day. CBT may have had some huge impact on me initially, but now it changes me all the time, with my focus being on different issues on and off, and each time it helps me in new ways that I never knew it could. The really huge thing is to really, really take it to heart and believe in it so that it can work really well for you. If you start out skeptical it won't help as much, although it still helps anyway. The more I put into it the more it helped. Its something I have to do on a daily, hourly, sometimes minute-by-minute basis. It has now just become a part of me and who I am. I still have things I want to accomplish and I'm not there yet but I am well on my way. At least I am not where I used to be, thank God! In the past six months I have had two very traumatic deaths in my family and although it was excruciatingly difficult, I have been able to handle it way better than I would have before. If I was like I was before, I couldn't have handled it at all. I'd probably be heavily medicated and/or in the psych ward, or both, if I was like I used to be. Life is a challenge but now although I'm not perfect, I'm up to the challenge. Thank you for all you've done for so many people! My life just keeps getting better every day. Setbacks are only setbacks and they are only temporary. The old, crazy 'me' is gone forever! I will never get that bad again. No more suicidal thoughts, no more barely getting through the day. That is a thing of the past. I'm alive, and I'm going to make the best of it. I'm keeping a positive attitude and I'm going to keep on making progress.


For more testimonial letters go to CBT course success stories.

The Ball Is Now In Your Court.  You Have No Excuses.

Whenever you feel ready to tackle the CBT lessons found on the site, proceed to the free CBT lessons page of our site.  Please follow the directions on how to study the lessons.

  To find out what is contained in the course go to CBT course content.

Important Notice

Without your help it will not be practical or possible to continue offering this FREE service indefinitely.

 As you realize to put together a website of this magnetude takes time and money to build and maintain.  Therefore we are asking for a donation from  those who can afford to donate a few dollars to help defray our costs. This will allow those that can't afford a CBT course to have access to ours.