Problem: Article: If you are in any way unsure of your emotional state or are struggling to stay afloat amidst a depressive episode, seek therapy. A therapist can help you to understand your depression and help you find ways to cope and prevent future depressive episodes.Therapy is a highly effective treatment for depression, as it helps you to explore possible causes, overcome your negative feelings, and begin to feel and behave normally again. Cognitive-behavior therapy (CBT) is highly effective at treating depression. It helps you confront your negative thoughts and thought patterns into more positive patterns. You can learn to re-interpret your environment and your interactions in a more supportive way. For some, therapy coupled with medication can be helpful in treating symptoms of depression. Recognize that medication is not a cure-all and comes with risks. Seek out your medical provider or a psychiatrist to learn more about antidepressant medication. Discuss possible side effects with your prescriber and learn the risks of going on medication. If you experience an increase in suicidality due to medication, speak to your prescriber immediately. If you begin taking medication for your depression, do not stop taking it immediately upon seeing results. Use as directed by your prescriber. It's important to feel loved and supported, but it is especially important if you struggle with depression. It can be easy to disengage from friends and family when you feel depressed, but spending time with friends can boost your mood. When deep in depression, make time for your friends, even if your body or mind wildly protest. You can also join a support group. Check out the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) at https://www.nami.org/ to connect to information about depression and how to find a support group. The benefits of exercise for treating depression are strongly supported by a growing body of research. Some studies show that exercise alone can help alleviate symptoms of depression and prevent onset for the future. It can be difficult to motivate yourself to go to the gym or go for a walk-- especially when depression seems to drain all of your energy-- but find some motivation and get some exercise. Exercise can be as simple as walking 20-40 minutes each day. If you have a dog, commit to walking your dog each day for double the happiness boost. If you struggle to find motivation to be active, remind yourself that once you get moving, you will not regret putting in the effort. It's rare for somebody to leave the gym thinking "I totally wasted my time, I should not have gone." Get a workout buddy to help your motivation. Having some accountability can help you get to the gym. Managing stress is one way to cope and prevent depression. Make a daily practice to do something that relaxes you (no, social media does not count). Try yoga, meditation, tai chi, or muscle relaxation techniques. You can also begin journaling or putting to use some creativity to draw, paint, or sew. For more information, check out Reduce Stress.
Summary: Seek out a mental health professional. Consider consulting with a psychiatrist. Avoid isolating yourself. Engage in exercise. Manage your stress.

Problem: Article: Controlling any jealously or possessive urges that you may feel could prevent unnecessary drama. Before you do or say anything, decide not to allow another person's actions negatively impact you. Sometimes your inability to maintain control may be the result of past experiences where you did not feel secure. If you have ever had someone cheat on you before, you may fear that it will happen again, which may cause you to feel jealous. Realize that your past is not your present and jealousy is not warranted in this situation. When you react to another person staring at your wife, you display a lack of trust in her and possibly even low self-esteem or low self-worth. Not allowing the stares of others to affect you will show that you trust your wife and those staring are not a threat. Remember that she chose to marry you and likely has a connection with you that she does not share with anyone else. Building your relationship on love, trust, and respect can reduce feelings of jealousy and help you to maintain control when someone is staring. You must believe that your wife will not do anything to break your bond and know that what you have is special. Most wedding vows include "forsaking all others," so remember that your wife made a commitment to you that probably means a lot to her. Whether it is a confident walk or standing tall, presenting yourself with confidence when you enter a room can sometimes eliminate the problem because those observing will know that they cannot compete with you. Feelings of inadequacy can sometimes create possessiveness because you want to control the person so that they do not leave you. Having confidence can alleviate that need for control. To build your confidence, you can make a list of all of the things that you like about yourself and perhaps even include the things that your wife likes about you. This exercise can help to remind you that you are in fact a great catch. It is not uncommon for a man to admire a woman. There were probably even times when you observed an attractive woman and found yourself staring. It is reasonable to expect that your attractive wife will receive admirers, but that does not mean that anyone will act on those feelings. When observing a guy staring at your wife, it may be hard to tell what kind of person you are dealing with. He might have an anger problem or a chip on his shoulder, which could create a problem. Instead of getting upset or jealous, just ignore him. You cannot change what other people do, but you can certainly change your response to their actions.
Summary: Use self-control. Trust your wife. Present yourself with confidence. Be reasonable. Ignore him.

Problem: Article: Mitral stenosis often presents with a heart murmur that can be heard when your doctor listens with his or her stethoscope. Although this is not enough to diagnose mitral stenosis, it is suspicious of a heart problem and would be an indication for your doctor to order further investigative tests. A chest x-ray is normally one of the first tests your doctor will order, if he or she suspects a lung and/or a heart problem, such as mitral stenosis. A chest x-ray allows your doctor to examine your lungs for fluid build-up (called "pulmonary edema") which may go hand-in-hand with mitral stenosis. Your doctor can also evaluate for enlargement of any of the chambers of your heart, such as the right atrium, which may also be a sign of mitral stenosis. A chest x-ray is also useful in ruling in or ruling out other heart or lung conditions that may present similarly to mitral stenosis. It is for this reason that it is normally one of the first investigative tests that is ordered. In the evaluation of heart or lung problems such as mitral stenosis, an ECG (sometimes accompanied by an exercise stress test) can be helpful. An ECG is able to detect the amount of "stress" on the heart in various situations. In order to confirm the diagnosis of mitral stenosis (or of any other form of valvular heart disease), an echocardiogram is needed. The first type performed will normally be a TTE (transthoracic echocardiogram). In a TTE, the ultrasound probe is placed on the outside of your chest. It then projects a real-time, colored, moving image of the heart on a screen, where the doctor can look at the structure of your heart as well as the flow of blood with each heartbeat. The color in the TTE can help indicate the flow of blood. A TTE may be sufficient to observe and confirm the diagnosis of mitral stenosis. If it is not, a TEE (transesophageal echocardiogram) may be ordered. In a TEE, rather than the ultrasound probe being placed on the outside of your chest, it is inserted into your esophagus. Your esophagus is much closer to your heart anatomically, so a TEE can provide a much more detailed view than a TTE, which can aid in the diagnosis of mitral stenosis.
Summary:
Have your doctor listen for a heart murmur with a stethoscope. Get a chest x-ray. Consider an ECG (electrocardiogram). Receive an echocardiogram to definitively diagnose mitral stenosis.