(01-06-13) Ten-year study establishes link between bad relationships and depression

by Mike Bundrant

(NaturalNews) If you buy into the medical propaganda that depression is the
result of a chemical imbalance, then you've bought into just that - propaganda.

We've yet to see the evidence of those mysterious chemical imbalances, even
though trillions of dollars are made promoting them.

Some research efforts still support the logical link between your actual life
and your mood.

Analyzing data from nearly 5000 participants, with a follow up at 10 years,
researchers have scientifically established what most people know intuitively.
If your relationships are bad, your mood is likely to follow.

"Our study shows that the quality of social relationships is a significant
risk factor for major depression," says psychiatrist Alan Teo, MD, of the
University of Michigan. "This is the first time that a study has identified
this link in the general population."

Relationship strain, feelings of isolation in relationships, a lack of support
and other issues among spouses, families and friends contribute to depression.
It isn't the quantity of relationships that is important, according to the
research, but the quality.

Make no mistake about it; the quality of your relationships is a determining
factor in your physical and mental health
"The magnitude of these results is similar to the well-established
relationship between biological risk factors and cardiovascular disease," Teo
says. "What that means is that if we can teach people how to improve the
quality of their relationships, we may be able to prevent or reduce the
devastating effects of clinical depression."

Yet, when you go to the doctor, how often are you asked about your
relationships? The health of your relationships may be the most critical factor
in your overall health, for that matter. Yet, most doctors never think to
inquire. In fact, most doctors have horrible relationships skills.

What you can do to improve the quality of your relationships and increase your
mood
Here are some ideas:

Forget your mood and focus on your relationships.

Which are the most important relationships in your life? What is wonderful
about them? What is missing? What steps can you take to improve them, beyond
passively wishing that other people will magically change?

Learn real relationship skills
Do you know how to take another person's perspective? Do you understand how to
look at a relationship from a neutral perspective? Do you know your preferred
way to receive love? Do you know your partner's? Do you know how to mediate a
conflict when you are in the midst of one?

Most people do not have great intuition about these things. Most often, we
assume other people should give love in the precise manner that we like to
receive it. Most people assume that they should defend themselves with solid
information when attacked. Most people assume the words they say are the most
important aspects of the relationship. These assumptions are all dead wrong,
even damaging to relationships.

Get some relationship skills! My professional bias is toward NLP or neuro-
linguistic skills, but any conscious study is usually beneficial.

Beware of self-sabotage in relationships
The number one destroyer of relationships, in my experience working with
people, is self-sabotage.

Beyond pure relating skills, self-sabotage is the number one issue in
relationships. Most sabotage is done unconsciously, which is why it is
imperative to expand your awareness? Do you unwittingly sabotage your
relationships? Here are just a few signs that you do:

1. You don't express your needs
2. You take on more than your fair share of the burden
3. You resist accountability to your partner
4. You act like a child that needs supervision
5. You annoy your partner and encourage rejection

There are hundreds of signs that you are sabotaging your relationship, most of
them leading to feelings of being controlled, deprived or rejected.

For your relationship to last - or more importantly - to be peaceful and
happy, you must address the unconscious patterns of self-sabotage. To learn
more about self-sabotage, watch this free, 20-minute video.

It is now firmly established that the health of your relationship is tied
directly to your mental health. Guard it with care.

Source: NaturalNews

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In evidenza

"L'informazione presente nel sito serve a migliorare, e non a sostituire, il rapporto medico-paziente."

Per coloro che hanno problemi di salute si consiglia di consultare sempre il proprio medico curante.