I know that depression is a disease that never really goes away. i can tell that I'm getting symptoms of depression again…I want to sleep, I'm sad about everything, my mind goes to the sad part of my life automatically, I either overeat or don't eat at all. I need to know how to avoid the symptoms since I can't cure the disease. Help! I'm desperate.

Find things that make you laugh, surround yourself with people you love.

Ask Dr. Gott: Chronic cough usually benign

Jan 8, 2011 02:35AM

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Q: I am a 19-year-old female and have had a nonproductive cough for 16 months without any other symptoms other than some slight drainage down the back of my throat. I have kept food and cough diaries and cannot find anything that triggers it. I cough when I sit, stand, laugh, after strenuous exercise and around smoke.

I have been diagnosed with bronchitis, hiatal hernia, asthma and heartburn. none of the medication given for these diagnoses has worked. I’ve been on Symbicort, Spiriva, codeine, Prilosec, Zantac. I had a chest X-ray done in July 2009 without abnormalities.

At my last visit to the pulmonologist, I was told that I have irritated bronchitis and that I would have it for the rest of my life unless it miraculously went away.

Within the past two weeks, I have noticed that I have all of a sudden been getting heartburn. No acid comes up in my throat, and it usually never lasts for more than a few seconds, but it is a new symptom. Doctors have asked me in the past if I have had heartburn, but I never have up until now. Please help me.

a: Chronic cough can have many causes; most are benign. up to 90 percent of all cases are caused by postnasal drip, acid reflux or asthma.

I suggest that you take a look at your environment to determine if there is something that may be causing this. did you get a new pet or move? did you start wearing a new perfume or using a new scented soap or shampoo?

Talk to your physician about a trial course of an allergy medication. Over-the-counter options include Claritin, Zyrtec, Benadryl and various store brands. Prescription options include Nasonex, Flonase, Clarinex and more.

I am hesitant to believe that you have acid reflux or asthma because treatment failed to improve your cough; however, they may still be the culprits. Acid reflux can be helped through changes in diet as well as physical activity. Limit your intake of fatty, greasy, high-acid and spicy foods. Asthma may require daily preventive therapy such as a steroid inhaler in addition to a rescue inhaler for emergencies. your new symptom of heartburn may be related to acid reflux, but it may also simply be the result of your constant coughing.

I urge you to undergo another chest X-ray. your pulmonologist can then compare the two films to determine whether there are changes that might indicate a more insidious cause.

If you are uncomfortable with your current physicians and their assistants, start fresh with another lung specialist or primary-care physician. Express your concerns about the cough, and be sure to bring all your medical records with you. The new physician can offer a new perspective and insight into your situation and may find something that the others missed.

To provide related information, I am sending you a copy of my Health Report “Pulmonary Disease.” other readers who would like a copy should send a self-addressed stamped No. 10 envelope and a $2 check or money order payable to Newsletter and mailed to Newsletter, P.O. Box 167, Wickliffe, OH 44092-0167. be sure to mention the title or print an order form off my website at AskDrGottMD.com.

i'm currently a medical assistant student at western career college and was looking for it in one of my books. my play sister suffered from it several months ago.

It takes a physician, usually a psychiatrist to determine what causes a breakdown. it might have been triggered by depression, manic depressive illness, schizophrenia or any number of physical or mental disorder.( mental illness)

SiGNS:
Depression- Characteristic abnormalities or unusual characteristic. For example, sudden anger without reason.

Manic depressive illness- alternate or changing moods . For example, sudden irritation. less need of sleep, hyperactive, speaks rapidly, delusion, and may have sequences ideas that are impossible to follow. she can moved from manic phase to depression.

Schizophrenia- Sign if she has trouble finding the right words to express her ideas( continuous), she may show emotions that are totally inappropriate or her emotion may be blunted rather than extreme, she may laugh sad events, her behavior is bizarre.

By the way nervous breakdown is a commonly used term for various forms of mental illness.

Fidgeting, staring into space, withdrawn, unkempt, detatched, moody.