The first day I had sex again I cried. But this time it wasn’t because I was in pain. The uncontrollable tears came from what felt like years of my life lost to vulvodynia and now finally having a chance at a pain-free life. I don’t know how I got through my trial with vulvodynia, there were times I really felt like letting go. It was the most horrible period of my life and now all I want to do is to help other women from ever going through the torture I went through to becoming cured.

Dr. Bennett, where can suffering women with Postpartum Depression / PPD turn for help? Dr. Bennett (Dr. Shosh) is a licensed psychologist who founded Postpartum Assistance for Mothers in 1987 after her second undiagnosed postpartum illness.

No parent wants to hear or believe that their teenage son or daughter is depressed, but it happens. It could be that the teen is having difficulty in dealing with the loss of a family member or close friend, are having difficulty with other students at school or are suffering from stresses from home, school and/or work. Ignoring the problem will not help it go away. Parents who believe their child might be depressed should find help for their teenage son or daughter, instead of ignoring the problem and hoping that it will go away.

When most think of depression, they think about a family member with depression or someone that they know of who is suspected of being depressed in school or the workplace, but few will think about what to do with a depressed friend. What can one do for their friend who appears to be suffering from depression?

Some medications that are given to people who are suffering from anxiety are from the family of medication called benzodiazepines, though they are sometimes prescribed to help people who have difficulty getting to sleep, to help control seizures and to help patients who are working to become less dependent on alcohol. The purpose of this medication is to calm a person enough so that they can relax. What happens is that the benzodiazepine medication reduces the activity in some parts of the brain, and this is what causes a person to calm down and relax.

Hundreds live their lives without realizing they are depressed. How can this be?