Archive for April, 2009

Seeing & Writing

Posted in Publishing Parlor on April 27th, 2009

At certain time of Life, under certain conditions of life person can become more sensitive, more sentimental, more impressionable. He gets plunged in his memories and forgets about the reality. A person becomes captured with various memories, which touch his heart and soul.

The memories of the childhood, of the family, of parents, of the loved person turn to be very useful, especially for a person, who is in despair, who is on the verge of ruin. Because memories can make a miracle by urging a person on searching the way out of the difficult life situations.

Memories make people believe that the life is wonderful and it is worth living. And it’s truly said that “CAPTURING MEMORABLE MOMENTS IS ALSO OFTEN A MATTER NOT ONLY OF NATIONAL CONSCIOUSNESS BUT ALSO OF PERSONAL INEREST” (seeing and writing, 141).

And here I am…. Sitting in front of the fire-place, feeling the tender warmth of the fire…. It is raining outside, rain pattering does not allow me to have a nap. And I’m alone in this dull, gloomy depressing evening.

To distract my mind from my cares and to capture some memorable moments I take my old album and start looking through it. There are kept photos of all my life. Opening the album the first photo I see is a baby picture of me. I was two then and I was with my mother holding me and with my dad at a Chinese restaurant.

I feel the smile emerges on my face, my heart starts beating. How happy we are on the picture! How young and beautiful my parents are! We enjoy our staying together, we enjoy our life!

I feel warmth of my mother’s hands… I feel tenderness of her touches… I feel incredible intimacy with her. How I miss this all! I am carried away to my childhood, where I can hear my mother’s tender voice, her endearing words, I can see love and care in her eyes. But these are only my memories, only my dreams.

I start feeling loneliness and despair. I’m closing my eyes and trying to recollect my mother’s touch, embrace, kisses. At this moment I would give everything for only one minute of staying with my mother to take her in my arms, to kiss her, to say “I love you!”.

And then I feel overwhelming desire to write. I have never been so inspired since I started my career as a writer. Now I understand the following words: “I THINK THAT WRITING AND PHOTOGRAPGY GO TOGETHER. I DON’T MEAN THAT THEY ARE RELATED ARTS, BECAUSE THEY’RE NOT. BUT THE PERSON DOING IT, I THINK, LEARNS FROM BOTH THINGS ABOUT ACCURACY OF THE EYE, ABOUT OBSERVATION AND ABOUT SYMPATHY TOWARD WHAT IS IN FRONT OF YOU (INCLUDING MEMORIES). IT’S ABOUT TRYING TO SEE INTO THE ESSENCE OF REALITY. IT’S ABOUT HONESTY, OR TRUTH TELLING, AND A WAY TO FIND IT IN YOURSELF, HOW TO NEED IT AND LEARN FROM IT. “(seeing and writing, 141).

While stating my thoughts on paper, memories of my dad rush into my mind. I look at the picture. Yes, I have always remembered him such as he is pictured on the photo: smiling, happy, very handsome.

He is a wonderful person, he has been an example for me that I have been following all my life. On the picture he folds my mother in his arms, he loves and worships her. Looking at the picture I really admire their love to each other, I have always craved for having such sincere, reliable, trustful relationships with my dear person as my parents have.

My dad has always been a support for me and my mother, he always has been ready to give us any support, help us out, give us a piece of useful advice.

I wonder how I manage not to think about them for so long time. I close my eyes and try to imagine my dad: what is he doing now? Does he think about me? Strong desire to see him, to feel the strength of his handshake, the firmness of his voice and real love in his words arises in my heart.

And you know, the most terrible thing struck me is that I am not the only person who misses his parent, there are also a lot of people who have to live far from their parents. They miss them greatly and can not change anything in their lives.

It’s awful but it’s only my fault that I have not seen my parents for ages. You see it’s me who left them, who forgot them! When I was seventeen I decided that it was high time to become independent, to earn my living, and I left my parents without even saying them good-buy. And since that one question has been always haunting me: how I dare leave my parents, people who gave birth to me, who brought me up? How I could be so ungrateful?

And now I am sitting alone in my dull room, in front of the fire-place, without nobody to comfort and warm me with his love and care.

I keep on writing and writing…. Looking at the picture I have mixed feelings: delight and disappointment, joy and sadness, happiness and grief. These mixed feelings can be explained. On the one hand my happiness is stirred up because I arrive at the truth that I am not alone. This picture shows me that there are two people in this world who love me, care about me and are always waiting for me.

But on the other hand, my grief concerns the fact I have not kept in touch with my parents, I ignored them. And can you imagine? It is the first time for the last fifteen years when I open this album.

It was said: “WHETHER WE TAKE PHOTOGRAPGHS, CREATE SCRAPBOOKS, KEEPJOURNALS, DESCRIBE OUR EXPERIENCES IN LETTERS OR EMAILS TO FRIENDS, SHARE FAMILY STORIES DURING THE HOLIDAYS, OR SIMPLY REPLAY MEMORIES IN OUR MINDS, WE ARE FAMING OUR EXPERIENCES — FOR OURSELVES AND OFTEN FOR OTHERS. AS THOSE MEMORABLE EVENTS DRIFT INTO THE PAST, WE OFTEN REVISE AND EMBELLISH OUR STORIES ABOUT THEM.. INDEED, WE CONTINUALLY RESHAPE THE NATURE AND TONE OF YOUR STORIES EACH TIME WE RECALL THEM.” (SEEING AND WRITING, 223).

But I have had no memories for these fifteen years, you know I think I just avoided recollecting anything to make my life outwardly happy.

But I’m sure that even if I have any memories, they would be only for me, as I have no friends to describe them to.

Out of the blue I stop writing. Everything seems me to be like a real nightmare. Parents, my parents… I need to see, to see right now, immediately! Without realizing anything, perhaps being completely unaware of what happening around, I rush to the phone. But why? I want to call my parents! Yes, I want to call them! But I do not know their number! What shall I do? What can I do? It occurs to me that I can go to their place. I should order the ticket by phone… Yes, I’ll go to my parents! I grab the picture, the picture that has changed all my life, I rush out of the house, I drive to an airport at a very high speed. I drive to the meeting with my parents, to the meeting with my future!

Now I’m already sitting in the plane, looking at the picture and smiling through tears. I’ll see my parents! Thank you, thank you my dear picture! I’m happy now and I’m laughing like a child!

Memories! What a miracle they are! They are of a great importance. People should keep their own memories and save them as if they were a real treasure.

Person who forgets his family, his native home, can lose his soul. He can became alone in the world with nobody to comfort him.

Memories allow us to keep something beautiful in our hearts and souls, something warm, pleasant, exciting: memories of our family, of our children, of our parents, of our dears.

Memories can direct our lives. AS captured with memorable moments of success, good luck, rapture, joy, we will never loose our will, persistence and belief.

Some memorable moments are present in the life of everybody. Being a child or an elderly person, a man or a woman, a married person or a divorced one, a lucky man or a failure, it does not matter. Everyone has his own memories, that should be remembered all his life.

Aaron is a senior writer at Custom Essay Writing Network. He is an experienced custom essay writer and will be glad to share his experience of custom essay writing with you.

Give Your Body a Rest with Purity12

Posted in Beauty, Internet Product Resources, School of Health on April 27th, 2009

Try Purity 12 For PH Balancing And Energy Renewal

The Purity 12 system is a gentle colon cleansing formula, one of which takes the shape of an oral dietary supplement. This colon cleansing system not only cleanses your colon. It also contains anti-parasites formula that kill parasites and worms.This colon cleaner also beats out the at-home ‘do it yourself’ suppository kits, for it is better than those ‘do it yourself’ kits, and it’s much more easier to consume, considering that it is an oral supplement, while the at home kits are typically suppositories. This product made up of all natural ingredients, which ensures that it is extremely safe for your body. As it contains only all natural ingredients, this amazing colon cleansing system will not harm your body in any way whatsoever, but can only help you.

Each human is exposed to various amounts of poisons on an once a day basis. This poisonous, unhealthy build up makes it much tougher for waste to make its way thru your guts and out of your exit. When your colon is full of toxic waste build up, your body produces excess gas.By having a toxic waste build up in your intestines, your body is more susceptible to becoming bloated. A toxic colon loaded with build up prevents the waste from passing not as easily, but also as often as it should, thus leading to constipation and thorough discomfort. By employing Purity 12, poisons can be removed from the body simply.

Colon cleansing is a medical practice that has been occurring for many years, decades, centuries, and even a millennium! In fact, colon cleansing has been documented as having been practiced as early as 1500 B.C. in Egypt. Now, years, centuries, a millennium even, colon cleansing is still going on. Recently in fact, colon cleansing has become one of the most popular, as well as one of the most necessary, therapies in today’s society. Colon cleansing is still so popular today because, quite simply, it really works. A great colon cleansing system to try would be Purity 12 Cleanse.The people of the past were not ignorant to its benefits, and neither are we.

An Introductory Guide to Dyslexia and It’s Signs, and Learning to Read despite it All

Posted in Education Online, School of Health on April 27th, 2009

Having Dyslexia simply means one must overcome reading difficulties. Diagnostically, dyslexia translates to say that a person who is very smart in most areas and who possesses the ability to learn and had the opportunity to do so, still demonstrates labored reading. Being dyslexic certainly does not indicate that a child is debilitatingly disabled or stupid, just the opposite! By its very nature, Dyslexia appears only in those with at least average intelligence or better and sometimes creative spirits. No matter how dyslexic people might be, they have a hard time reading as children and even adults.A few potential signs of dyslexia related reading difficulty include situations like inability to read even phonetically simple passages or a constant struggle learning new words individually, or essentially faking reading in general. Perhaps your child may not be developing reading skills at the same pace as peers, dyslexia may be a a possibility. Reading difficulty may also cause underachievement in subjects like math and science After learning you or your child has a reading difficulty, what’s next?With some work, can a dyslexic person finally learn how to read easily, and correctly interpret the encoded symbols she or he encounters? Can an adult with dyslexia grow the sub-skills necessary to reading fluency? Definitely. Sally Shaywitz, nationally-recognized Dyselxia researcher and founder for the Yale’s Dyslexia Research Center, {makes that point clear in Overcoming Dyslexia, her book. However, there exists a lot of conditions that are associated with dyslexia. They will typically be identified by a knowledgeable speech-language pathologist or educational reading assessment.

Writers Organize!

Posted in Publishing Parlor on April 27th, 2009

As a writer, I am on a continual quest for ways to organize all the various tools that are important to my craft. Sometimes I read about a new idea. Other times, I have a flash of brilliance all my own. Let’s peer into one of my flashes.

When searching for markets for my work I look in many places: magazines, trade books and online. This can be overwhelming! One popular writer’s market book is enormous. Often, when I am ready to look for a place to submit my piece, I’ve forgotten where I saw the market! So, I gave it some thought and came up with an idea to organize this information.

I went to a local super center and purchased four plastic index card boxes. Then, of course, I bought index cards. On each box, I used scrapbooking alphabet stickers to label the boxes for articles, short stories, novels and poetry. And, being the creative type I am, I added additional stickers to make the boxes my own.

The next step was going to be a bit tedious. I took that huge market book and sat down with it. As I find a market that is compatible with my style and genre or simply captures my interest, I write all the information on an index card. I admit this will take time to do, but it is worth the effort. As I find markets in magazines and online, I write down the information and add these to the mix. As I finish each card, I place it in the appropriate box. Now I don’t have to turn the house upside down to find it when I need it.

To further organize, I purchased alphabetized cards for a few of my boxes. For short stories and novels, I’ve chosen to make my own cards separating the entries into genres. For markets that cater to more than just one of my chosen areas of writing, I make a duplicate card for each box that the market pertains to. In this way I won’t have to search further.

Once I have my boxes organized, life will be simpler. If a market ceases to exist, I can remove the card. As new markets come onto the scene, I add them. I have all the information I need for submission at my fingertips. It is a tool that will never wear out and is versatile. Now, I can cross one more item of my quest list.

Nikola lives and writes in Oklahoma. She is active in her local Citizen’s Polcie Academy Alumni and Volunteers in Policing. She enjoys reading, scrapbooking and spending time with her dogs. Nikola is an author on Writing.Com
which is located at http://www.Writing.Com/ and is accessible by anyone.

Get Started In Erotica Writing

Posted in Publishing Parlor on April 27th, 2009

Erotic fiction has been around for centuries but, in recent years, has enjoyed a surge in popularity. If you have every toyed with the idea of writing erotica but don’t know where to begin, here are a few tips to help get you started on the road to writing bedroom fiction.

  1. Get with the genre:

    Though both deal heavily with the subject of sex, pornography and erotica are two different animals. Erotica follows the basic rules of writing in that there must be interesting characters and a plot surrounding the sexual elements. Porn, on the other hand, deals strictly with the act itself. If there is a plot or even interesting characters, it’s purely coincidental.

    It is important to know the difference therefore immerse yourself in the writing of published erotica authors such as Katy Terretaga and Erica Jong. There are also many websites that offer a library of free stories by both professional and amateur writers. I assure you, you’ll quickly get a sense of what is and what is not erotica.

  2. Study up on the basics:

    As mentioned before, erotica is character and plot driven despite the descriptive love scenes. Before even thinking about getting your characters into the bedroom, work on developing them and their relationship to each other. Books like ‘Characters and Viewpoints’ by Orson Scott Card and ‘Plot’ by Ansen Dibell will put you on the road towards this goal.

  3. Decide on a flavor:

    Just like other genres on the market, there are many subcategories under the umbrella of Erotica. There is softcore, where the sex alluded to, and hardcore where the sex scene is described in graphic detail. You can write Scirotia; erotic with science-fiction elements, Literotica; erotica in the style of Lady Chatterly’s Lover, Gay and Lesbian; homosexual erotica and a myriad of choices in between.

    Most people find it easier to begin in a genre they are familiar with through their mainstream reading favorites. This means if you enjoy fantasy, you may be more comfortable writing about a hot romance between two elves. Wherever you decide to start…

  4. Do your research:

    Nothing ruins a story faster than ignorance. Unless you are writing in the subgenre of science fiction or fantasy, make sure your sex positions are humanly possible and that your characters are equipped with the proper parts. Spend some time getting to know how the sex organs function. I assure you there is more to it than erections and orgasms. With erotica, the probability is high that your reader is going to know a little something about sex and anything odd or unbelievable can cause them to drop your story like it was on fire.

  5. Get work-shopped:

    The best way for neo-writers to hone their craft is to join a writing group and get feedback. But not all critique groups are created equal. Be aware that not everyone is open minded about sex and sexuality. Therefore, to get the best feedback join a writing group tailored specifically towards erotica writing.

    Before submitting your work, spend time on the site reading what others have submitted and the type of comments they received. If the majority of the critiques go something like “Good read” or “Nice story” move on. This is a feel good group and the most you will get out of it is a few strokes to ego. You want a group who will be fair and honest in their evaluations and will tackle not only your spelling and grammar but your characterizations and plot. Be warned, however, that these types of groups also expect you to put in the same type of effort in your critique of their stories. The benefits you receive are worth the trouble.

Whether for publication or your own personal enjoyment, erotica writing can be both fun and fulfilling. Just remember that no one wrote a best seller in a day. Take your time, be persistent and most of all enjoy the ride.

Happy Writing

Indigo Black - EzineArticles Expert Author

Indigo Black is a freelance writer with an innumerable number of interests that include: writing, blogging, erotica, mythology, philosophy, web and graphic design. Currently, she is the administrator of SmutWriter, a resource site for erotica authors and Blogilepsy, a resource site for novice and pro bloggers alike.

Darn Fonts - How Arial can Mess You Up

Posted in Publishing Parlor on April 26th, 2009

Those darn fonts can be hard to get right!

We spend more time reading at work than almost anything else… so you’d imagine we’d have got it right by now. Unfortunately not, the fonts and font sizes we use often conspire against us. They slow our reading and occasionally make us seem like fools.

Darn“. That is very different to “dam“. Yet in Times New Roman, a default font, the r and the n actually touch creating what looks like an m. A yarn can become a yam, etc. A diplomatic incident was averted when someone pointed out that “the stupid dutch” was in fact written as “the stupid clutch“… but in Tahoma, font size 12, c l looks very like a d. There are lots of examples… would you prefer to be “torn in two ways” or “tom in two ways”? to have a clue or a due?

Font choice is critical for ease of reading. With the right font choice you will read faster, with less eye strain and greater concentration. Studies at ReadPal show that optimal formatting can double people’s reading speed. Yet people still write digital articles in Times New Roman. Presumably, this is because Microsoft has (criminally!) used this as a default font in their templates. Times New Roman reads very well when printed but on-screen the little tails it adds to letters, (known as serifs), are clunky and indistinct on-screen. No wonder we print out documents just to read them. So, if you are sending an article please use Tahoma, Verdana or even Arial, they are far superior on-screen and perform just as well when printed. With the proper font choices we could save many a forest from being made into paper. A serif font can look classier when printed - but use Garamond instead.

Font choice is especially important at small sizes. If you wish to condense a document you can diminish the font size or choose a font which takes up less space. E.g. You are printing out a book and you want a serif font, as they look more intellectual. However, you want to conserve the number of pages. Instead of reducing the font size of Times New Roman or Garamond making them illegible choose Perpetua instead. Some fonts come in ‘condensed’ forms, e.g. Arial, these have a similar height and overall shape but are thinner, (this is a free font). In some circumstances they can work well.

Anti-aliasing is a smoothing technique that makes characters look crisper on-screen. It is very helpful but doesn’t always work well, or sometimes at all, when the letter is just one pixel thick on your screen. So knowing the transition size from one to two pixels is important. In Tahoma this typically happens at font size 12, (with a normal screen). Below this the on-screen reading experience will be poor. Century Gothic and Courier are worse again. They are to be avoided unless you are making a B science-fiction film.

There are a lot of playful things you can do with fonts, (even free fonts). It amazes me how the spammers have not coped onto this. Instead of sending words filled with *s, with a little ingenuity, they could send properly written words that would just be read the ‘wrong’ way. For instance, sex is flagged by most anti-spamming software. Instead of se!*!! they could just write se>< in the Garamond font. The greater than and less than signs actually kiss in the middle forming a perfect "X". [Note to anti-spammer software writers there are only about 162 useful font-size-letter combinations so you will be easily able to filter these should they popularise].

So to se>< up your life and for fast, efficient reading choose your font carefully.

Louis Crowe is a doctor, inventor and co-founder of ReadPal. ReadPal was started because of the frustration of reading on-screen. People would insist on writing in small, ugly fonts that slow down your reading speed and irritate your eyes. People would print documents just to read them!

ReadPal takes the web page, email or Word document you are reading and with a single click it re-presents the text in the best font, size and color for you. The full screen mode eliminates glare. You’ll no longer print things out just to read them.

It includes AutoSkim for free. This removes unimportant words so you can skim faster. “The cat sat on the mat” becomes “cat sat mat”! Your brain can easily fill in the gaps. It can remove up to 50% of a document for you.

Make your life a little easier and download the FREE trial today.
ReadPal.com

If I Only Had a Heart

Posted in House Of Self Improvement on April 26th, 2009

I know you probably have heard of the movie,
“The Wizard of Oz” right? Well, for those of you,
who have somehow managed to miss this movie,
let me give you a brief description of it.

A young lady named Dorothy is upset with her
home life and decides to run away. But before
she can get very far, a tornado strikes. Her
entire house flies away in the cyclone. She
lands in a land called Oz.

Now, all of a sudden, Dorothy wants to get home.
When she was home, she wanted to run away. Isn’t
that just like us? We are never happy.

Anyway, she learns that the only person who
could help her get home is The Wizard and he
lives in Emerald City (am I confusing The Wizard
of Oz with The Wiz?)

Nevertheless, on her journey to meet
The Wizard, she meets a scarecrow,
a tin man and a lion, each of who decides
to join her on her journey to meet The Wizard.
They figured if he was going to do something
for her, then perhaps he could do something
for them too.

See the scarecrow needed a brain. The tin man
needed a heart and the lion needed courage.
They figured The Wizard would be able to give
them what they needed.

They take you through this long journey through
The Land of Oz, where it becomes apparent to
everyone except the individual that he already
has exactly what he is looking for but he doesn’t
believe he has it.

The scarecrow, who believed he didn’t have
a brain, was the one who came up with all
the ideas and was able to defeat The Wicked
Witch of the West (or was it East?)

The tin man was so sensitive and cried so
much that everyone but him could tell he
had a heart of gold and the lion, defended
and defeated everyone who came in their path.
He, too, had what he was looking forcourage.

I tell this story because I was watching it
the other day with Erica and Eli and it reminded
me about how so many of us are today.

We settle for anything and everything because
we believe we do not have what it takes to be
successful. We believe we are not skilled,
or smart enough, or strong enough to get the
job done. Yet, if we were to ask others, people
who know us well, what they thought we were good
at, they could run off an entire list of things
that we can do well. And, when we hear the list
of things that others think we excel at, we
deny it. We say, “No, not me. I couldn’t do that.
For real? You think so?” We find it hard to believe.

So we continue to search for The Wizard.
And when we find him, we discover that he
is just a nice, old man standing behind
curtains working a Wizard machine and that
everything we ever needed was right inside
of us all along.

What are you seeking that appears to be
out of reach?

What do you desire for your life?

What do you really wish to do but feel
you do not have what it takes to accomplish it?

Chances are you do have it. You already have
all that you will ever need to be the person
you desire to be. All it takes is for you to
recognize it, claim it, and visualize your
way to success.

See, in the movie The Wizard of Oz it wasn’t
until The Wizard, or nice, old man behind
the curtains gave the scarecrow a piece of paper,
the tin man a golden locket, and the lion a medal
of honor, that they started to believe in themselves.

Are you that person who needs a picture-framed
diploma hanging around your office before you
believe you have what it takes?

Then make one up yourself.

You have a computer. You can put together a
certificate. Make it say whatever you want
it to say. Say something like, “I, Dawn Fields,
am certified to Do, Be and Have ANYTHING I desire.
I am fully capable and able to do whatever it
is that I wish to do with my lifeRIGHT NOW,
in this VERY moment. So long as I invite the
God that is within to go along for the ride.”

Now go out and be the best that you can be.

Dawn Fields - EzineArticles Expert Author

Dawn Fields is a motivational speaker, author and spiritual life coach. She also hosts Your Life’s Purpose Interactive Internet Radio Show every Thursday night at 9 p.m. EST at http://www.dawnfields.com/radioshow.htm. Be sure to visit the web site at http://www.dawnfields.com and sign up for the inspiraitonal and motivational weekly newsletter Your Life’s Purpose by sending a blank email to with SUBSCRIBE in the subject line.

If the Gym Equipment Fails What Good Is it

Posted in Fitness Equipment, Lifestyle Center, School of Health on April 24th, 2009

With so many darn home gyms available and abundance of advertizing how in the world is someone suppose to resolve what home gym to purchase. If you are anything like me you have probably purchased different craze products trusting that you will use them, simply to recognize that you have simply bought something to perch your dirty garments upon. I’ve discovered the hard way that I should see for particular characteristics. The first one I will speak about in this series is durability.

It is real that the choice and variation in home gyms is nearly too much to handle. I can sure enough understand why individuals might just think to buy whatsoever home gym is publicized or looks good. Sure Enough, esthetics does play a role in how someone might select a home gym. Notwithstanding, looks ought to be the last criteria to use.

Home gyms come in all shapes and sizes. Nonetheless, when searching at home gyms I believe the first criteria ought to be durability. If a gym is not durable then, of course, you will find yourself in the market place for a new home gym soon after buying the original. Yet, worse than that is the fact that psychologically when you are working out you recognize the gym is feeble and inadvertently ease up on workouts with intensity. Intensity is a key element in having a great workout.

And So, the strategic criteria to look at when choosing home gym equipment is durability. They’re umpteen home gyms intentionally produced not to last. The cost might be alluring, however, if the gym equipment fails after just a few uses then it turns into money wasted.

Graduation Diplomas For All

Posted in Education Online, Slip On on April 24th, 2009


Graduation Diplomas


Graduation diplomas are documents that are issued by an academic institution such as a college or university. These documents are evidence that an individual has been awarded a diploma certificate upon successful completion of a particular diploma course of study. A diploma is an official document. It signifies a certain academic level of achievement. graduation diplomas refer to the tangible document received at higher institutions of learning after a set number of academic years. It also refers to a specific academic award or field of study.
Graduation diplomas are awarded in relation to the education or academic discipline during which a certain period of time was utilized to study a particular course. These diplomas rank lower than a bachelor degree in terms of the levels of academic awards. The highest level of diplomas is often referred to as an Advanced diploma which is more in-depth and takes a longer time than ordinary diplomas. Diplomas can be withheld by an institution for reasons such as gross misconduct, repeated failure of course units and pending payments. It is therefore considered to be a worthy achievement if someone manages to overcome the challenges of academic study and receives his diploma at the end.
GraduationSource, a leader in graduation regalia products since 1960.

Researchers Urge Tackling Causes of Depression Instead of Use of Antidepressants

Posted in Enterprise, Law + Justice on April 23rd, 2009

3,347 Finnish employees, aged between 30 and 64 were studied as part of a research to find out if poor team spirit in the workplace increases employees’ risk of depression. The findings, which were recently published in ‘Occupational and Environmental Medicine‘, showed a high correlation between the two.

The employees studied were asked several questions about their workplace such as:

  • Team spirit
  • If the workplace was cordial
  • Level of hostility
  • Quality of communication
  • How much control the employees felt in while working
  • Whether new ideas were welcomed or shunned
  • Bias and Prejudice

The social aspects of the subjects’ lives were also taken into consideration, such as what kind of a living arrangement were they in, and if they had proper access to healthcare. This was done in order to remove any external issues that could have interfered with the results of the study.

The employees were then observed for three years to detect symptoms of depression. Data on their use of antidepressants was taken into account, as well as any pointers to alcohol misuse.

The results showed that employees who complained of a poor team spirit at work were 60% more prone to depression and were 50% more likely to using antidepressants as a remedy.

Commenting on the results of the study, the authors said that it was quite clear that more needed to be done in terms of improving the work culture in order to reduce cases of depression. They said that an increased use of antidepressants was a worrying trend, and a more holistic approach to fighting the menace of depression was needed.

Employers, now more than ever need to arm themselves with the right advice and training though the direction of experts in the field. Workplace Law Training run a highly regarded nebosh distance learning course that could be just the ticket for you.