Dear Dr Buckingham, I have been married for just a year and we were dating off and on for 10 years because he was deployed a lot and I was stationed elsewhere. We both already had 1 son from previous relationships, and 3 years ago we had a son together. BLENDED! Over the past 7 to 8 years my husband has gained about 175 pounds and he gets depressed. When I tell him to cut … [Read more...]
Depression: Do You Know What to Do When it Impacts Your Family?
Sobbing uncontrollably, I found myself in a space that I never thought I would enter. I was at a loss and completely confused about what happened to my own mother. How could she be in such despair? After raising two happy, healthy kids, how could she be filled with so much pain? I struggled to write this. Not because I am uncomfortable sharing, but because I respect my … [Read more...]
5 Decisions Your Kids Will Thank You For When They Grow Up
As parents, we do our best to make the right decisions. We don’t always get things right, but we try. Parenting is hard work and as our little ones grow up, we realize how much they understand, what they internalize, and how our day-to-day decisions impact their lives. We often find ourselves consumed with the impact our decisions will have on their childhood. We try to get … [Read more...]
7 Signs You’re Unhappily Married and What You Should Do About It
I consider myself a happy wife. Am I happy with my husband every single day of the week? Not at all. Is he happy with me every day? I doubt it. I mean, neither of us is perfect. But, we’ve found a way to understand each other – most of the time—and the challenges that are thrown our way on a daily basis are manageable. We do our best to keep the other happy and usually we get … [Read more...]
For Brown Girls, Karyn Washington Commits Suicide: Yes, Black People Suffer Depression Too
Last week, I joined thousands of people in shock, sadness and devastation as we learned about the passing of Karyn Washington, creator of For Brown Girls and the #DarkSkinRedLip project. Her mission was to encourage, empower and uplift women of color to recognize the beauty in darker skin, exchange dialogue regarding experiences, and discover ways to get rid of insecurities. … [Read more...]
The Battle Over Depression: Black Men and the Wives That Love Them
I had a chance, last week, to catch up with D.C. music producer/song writer, and owner of Fire Drop Music Group, Don Cox. Don is a humble, down to earth brother with a powerful story that he wants to share with men by exposing the often silent, inner battle that men have with depression. Depression is a form of mental illness that so many men, particularly African American men … [Read more...]
Baby Blues & Postpartum Depression: It’s Ok to Admit You Need Help (Part 2)
It is estimated that 1 in 5 women in the U.S. experience postpartum depression. In part one of our interview, we spoke with Quiana Wade, a PPD survivor who cares so much about the well-being of other moms that she wanted to share her story. In this interview, we caught up with Dr. Johannson for a deeper understanding about PPD. Is there an under diagnosis of PPD? The hard … [Read more...]
Baby Blues & Postpartum Depression: It’s Ok to Admit You Need Help (Part 1)
When I heard people talking about postpartum depression (PPD) and the baby blues, it was just something I brushed off because I felt like it was something that other women went through. I always looked forward to being a mother, had a loving and supportive husband, and had it all planned out. But by the time our third child was born, I started to realize that no one was exempt … [Read more...]
Untreated Depression May Be the Real Reason Your Spouse Still Smokes
by Dr. Jeff B. Brown (www.jeffreybrownmd.com/) It is hard to imagine how anyone who lives in America today is unaware of the myriad of health problems associated with smoking cigarettes "” from developing lung cancer to colon cancer to even breast cancer. You know the ol' saying that "ignorance is bliss," but when it comes to the dangers of smoking, I highly doubt that … [Read more...]
Putting Life Into Perspective
by Ronnie Tyler Watching Oprah's show last Wednesday really helped me put my life into the proper perspective. I have been feeling overwhelmed, tired, and probably a little depressed lately. The every day hustle and bustle consisting of getting up, taking care of the kids, going to work,and taking care of the kids after work plus any household chores was taking it's toll on … [Read more...]
Dear BMWK, I’m a Depressed Dad
This came from the comments of another post but we felt it warranted it's on topic: I am a single father of six children. I have custody of all six(all are from the same mother). Their mother does not support me financially or emotionally. It is stressing and depressing at times. I Find myself tired, losing focus on the job and alone. I work full time and all my free time is … [Read more...]