Defining you with Dr. DeVries

On this episode, we will discuss other supplements that might help with symptoms of depression. We will go over creatine, vitamin D, and saffron, We will also mention cannabidiol, as many of my patient’s ask me if this supplement reduces anxiety, depression, and possibly pain. 

On this episode, we will be discussing various herbal supplementations for helping with symptoms of depression. We will be going over what depression is, at the biological level, and then we will be getting into science-supported ways for treating and perhaps avoiding depression altogether. We will be discussing St. John’s wort, SAMe, EPA fatty acids. 

In this episode, we will be discussing what happiness means, and some of the key concepts mentioned in the book called “The happiness Hypothesis” by Jonathan Haidt. Through clinical practice, seeing patients in the psychiatry clinic, I noticed that the primary goal for my patients is to find  relief in their suffering, primarily by increasing their level of happiness.  And what I found interesting is that everyone’s definition of what happiness is different, but the destination always seems to be the same. For  centuries, philosophers have wondered how to find happiness.  Buddha, for instance, cast aside all of his worldly possessions in the hopes of becoming happier and Ancient Greek philosophers wrote various treatises on the nature of happiness, but which one of those many ideas are useful to our own lives?

Is it possible to find happiness?
I believe that your life reflects your attitude. But by seeing patients, I see often that people struggle to find the bright side to things, and that they are prone to negativity, which can breed psychiatric illnesses such as anxiety and depression. We struggle to find the positive in things partly due to our evolution as a human species, because we are hardwired  to pay close attention to threats that are around us. For most of us, and my patients, the bad always seems to outweigh the good. Our ability to be happy is also affected by our genetics, and actually happiness is one of the most heritable aspects of our personality. So if we are predestined to be happy or not, can we do anything about it to change it?  Find out on this week's episode.