There is a difference between feeling depressed, and being clinically depressed. We all feel depressed from time to time. But, how do we know when our feelings of anxiety or sadness, has crossed into something more serious? That's what Depression Screening is all about, and October is Depression Screening Month. Maybe it's you, or someone you know...But, awareness is the first step in recovery.

This is the thing...Blogging about politics is very stressful. And, we all know what stress can do to our health.

You know the movie "The Truman Show?" The one about Truman Burbank (Jim Carrey) who discovers his whole life is a TV show? Since the day he was born, he lived on a TV set disguised as a town, was followed by hidden cameras, and his friends and family were really hired actors and actresses. Well sit down, because I've made a disturbing discovery. I've discovered I'm the star of "The Megan Show."

You have a million and one things on your plate, are feeling overwhelmed and are reaching your breaking point. Yet when someone asks you to do one more thing, take on one more responsibility, juggle one more ball, you can't turn them down. I mean, if you say no, they might figure out you are not *gasp* perfect. But wait a second, you aren't perfect. I'm not perfect. None of us are perfect. So why is it that so many women, moms in particular and yours truly included, feel compelled to convince the world we can do it all, seamlessly, perfectly, without missing a beat?

Today Congress passed the Paul Wellstone Mental Health Equity Bill. This "bipartisan legislation will end discrimination against patients seeking treatment for mental illnesses by prohibiting insurers and group health plans from imposing treatment or financial limitations when they offer mental health benefits that are more restrictive from those applied to medical and surgical services."

Is politics making you stressed? Anxious? Depressed? Some days are worse than others for me. Today was particularly bad, especially with that stupid, fear mongering, "scare us into calling our senators" ad I've been seeing all day. I've written about this FISA issue so much already, it makes me want to just SCREAM! I guess that makes me a wee-bit stressed? Do you ever want to scream at your television? Here is a video clip of the FISA ad with the "truth" pointed out...

When I think about the shoddy way that new moms are treated in the United States, it is no wonder that so many women end up postpartum depression.  We get so little support and so little time to recover and figure out what the heck we're supposed to be doing in this new role with this new little, breakable person who came without a background file.

I’ve written a lot before about my bouts with depression and eating disorders . I have spent a lot of my adult life trying to understand the depression and anxiety of my childhood and learning how to stave it off when it knocks at the door now.