Bring abusers to justice! Online petition: Bring The Abusing Clergy To Justice! 'Brutal' shock treatment condemned in Senate The campaign against ECT (Electro Convulsive Therapy) received a big boost on 25 June 2008 when a Private Members Bill was debated for two hours in Seanad Eireann. Proposed by Green Party senators Deirdre de Burca and Ciaran Cannon together with Senator David Norris, the Bill deals with two provisions of the Mental Health Act 2001. One is section 58, which refers to psychosurgery, the surgical removal or modification of parts of the brain to achieve a psychological aim — lobotomy. The other is Section 59, dealing with ECT. The Bill would ban its use without the consent of the patient concerned. At present, electric shock treatment is widely used on involuntary patients in mental hospitals in Ireland. Read more here>> MEETINGS PSYCHOSIS DIALOGUES Weds 2 December 2009 7.30-9.00pm DEPRESSION DIALOGUES Thur 3 December 2009 7.30-9.00pm All meetings take place at 2 Eden Park, Glasthule, Dun Laoghaire, Co Dublin, For details of how to get there click HERE For more information on these meetings, see our Events page SIGN UP If you would like to receive information and updates by e-mail, register HERE SSRIs plus painkillers multiply bleeding risk Taking antidepressants with painkillers can increase the risk of bleeding from the stomach, new research says. People using SSRI antidepressant drugs have double the usual risk of bleeding from the stomach. But researchers from the University of East Anglia have found that combined with painkillers, the risk increases by a factor of six. Read more here New series a success: Psychosis Dialogues Following on the success of the Depression Dialogues meetings which began in June 2004, we recently extended the format into new series of public meetings, Psychosis Dialogues, which deals with the difficulties and trauma faced by those who find themselves in the disturbing state of mind which we call 'psychosis', and where one may have lost contact with consensus reality, everyday reality. The first meeting on Wednesday 6 June 2007 saw a packed house and meetings will continue to be held on the first Wednesday of each month. More details on our sister site here­ DONATE NOW! HELP RUN THIS SITE Other ways to donate: GO>> SSRIs: birth defects The risk of birth defects is doubled in women taking SSRIs MORE>> Newslinks Links to news stories, articles, and sites covering anti-depressants and other drugs HERE>> Message from the Dalai Lama

Dedicated to all who experience the soul pain
of depression and are searching for solutions

Depression is an emotion, just like fear, anger or love. It is the imprint felt after a stressful or traumatic experience. Depression is natural. It represents a legitimate response to life's difficulties. It is not a disease process reflecting a change in brain chemistry, disconnected from individuality, race, colour, creed, upbringing, belief systems, environments, relationships, socio-economic factors, life events and coping skills. To isolate a depressed, suffering human being from their thoughts, from their behaviours, and from the workings of their world is a tragedy beyond words, as it reduces them, and the rest of us, to a chemical soup encapsulated in skin. In this soup there is no place for uniqueness, imagination, will, acceptance, compassion, love, peace, creativity, personal freedom and the unfathomable depths of the human spirit.