Depression: You don't have to suffer from it

What is depression?

When doctors talk about depression, they are talking about a condition called major depression. Patients with major depression experience the following symptoms all day long, almost every day for at least 2 weeks in a row.

If you have depression, you may also have headaches, pain in other parts of your body, or problems with digestion or sex life. An older person with depression may have difficulty understanding simple messages or requests made to them.

Symptoms of depression:

lack of interest in activities that were previously enjoyable.
Feeling sad or empty.
Tearfulness, causeless crying.
A feeling of inhibition or, conversely, a feeling of restlessness and the inability to sit in one place.
Feelings of worthlessness or guilt.
Rapid weight gain or loss.
Thoughts about death or suicide.
Difficulty thinking, remembering, or concentrating on current activities.
Difficulty making everyday decisions.
Trouble sleeping, especially in the early morning hours or feeling sleepy throughout the day.
Constant feeling of fatigue.
Feelings of emotional numbness, sometimes to the point of being completely unable to cry.

What prevents you from getting rid of depression?

Factors provoking the disease:

Types of manifestations

Neurotic - Occurs when the patient has been in psychotraumatic conditions for a long time. The first signs are a sharp deterioration in mood, tears for no reason, a feeling of injustice of others. Symptoms include sleep problems, frequent headaches, decreased blood pressure, and general weakness.
Psychogenic - Appears due to severe stress in life and requires mandatory treatment from a specialist. It develops quite quickly, the patient constantly thinks about what happened and becomes overexerted. Problems appear in your personal life and work, pessimistic thoughts intensify and often lead to suicide attempts.
Postpartum - Most often occurs in the mother within a month after the birth of the child. Symptoms are nervousness, sudden mood swings, hatred of the child. A few meetings with a therapist may be enough for treatment.
Circular - Appears during seasonal mood changes. During the treatment of depression, typical thoughts about the lack of meaning in life and prospects for the future are observed.

What causes depression?

In all likelihood, the development of depression is associated with a violation of chemical metabolism in the brain, which in turn causes a deterioration in the communication of brain cells with each other. There is also a genetic predisposition to the development of depression. Depression can be associated with certain events in your life, such as the death of a loved one, divorce or job loss. Taking certain types of medications, abusing alcohol or drugs, or having an underlying medical condition can also lead to depression. Depression is NOT a result of weakness of character, laziness or lack of willpower.

How can depression be diagnosed?

If you have symptoms of depression, be sure to tell your doctor about it, this is the only way you can get effective help. Don't think your doctor can tell you're depressed based on your appearance. The sooner you seek help, the faster you will get rid of depression.

If you tell your doctor how you are feeling, he or she may ask some clarifying questions about your symptoms, your health, and your family's medical history. Your doctor may also order some tests and perform a general examination.

What to do if a loved one is depressed

Create a safe, comfortable place

With depression, a person may feel like they don't feel safe. Try to make your home a comfortable place to stay. Change the decor a little: hang new curtains, decorate the room with decorative elements and textiles.

Do not forget to take care of the microclimate in the room of a patient with depression. Elevated levels of carbon dioxide (i.e. feeling stuffy) reduce concentration, cause fatigue, low mood and restless sleep. The CO₂ concentration begins to exceed the norm by 2 times after half an hour to an hour of staying indoors.

To ensure a constant flow of fresh air, you can open the window - but dust, dirt, allergens, and noise will enter through the window from the street. It is possible to ventilate the room even with the windows closed - using a breather.

Breezer is a compact supply ventilation with air purification. The device takes air from the street using a fan and passes it through three filters - from large contaminants, from the smallest particles of dust and allergens, and from harmful gases and unpleasant odors. In cold weather, the breather heats the supply air to a comfortable temperature.

Don't devalue

Even if a person's problems seem to be minor, this does not mean that he is not experiencing serious difficulties. Don’t hint at a lack of effort, don’t call on you to pull yourself together and pull yourself together - a person may really not have the strength to get out of this state on his own.

Stop phrases that should not be used when a person is depressed:

Don't be sad
You're making it all up
Nothing terrible is happening to you, but children in Africa...
Stop whining, pull yourself together
Get your act together!
You could get rid of depression if you wanted
You are to blame for your mood

If a person wants to speak out and trust, try not to interrupt, not to ignore complaints, not to take them for nothing, and not to reproach them. Show your involvement in what is happening: ask clarifying questions, you can give similar examples from your life, tell how you dealt with similar situations.

Don't give harsh advice

This partly relates to depreciation, but we decided to highlight this point separately. Depression is a serious illness that cannot be cured by motherwort or herbal tea. Even if you sincerely want to help and support, monosyllabic and harsh advice like “just go in for sports” or “drink valerian” can cause irritation and thoughts that you do not take depression seriously.

If there is anything to advise, then contact a psychologist or psychotherapist, and then a psychiatrist, if necessary. Sometimes a person does not feel the strength to go to a specialist. If so, then unobtrusively offer help: choose a suitable specialist together on the Internet and go to him for a consultation.

Avoid fake fun

When providing support, you should not use deliberate encouragement or feigned liveliness - you may be betrayed by falseness in your voice, which will be perceived as a frivolous attitude towards the disease.

With depression, people feel especially vulnerable and are able to overreact even to harmless words. Be careful when expressing irony, sarcasm and jokes in general. Check the reaction to certain statements - if the person seems more depressed or irritable than usual, discuss it.

Help with everyday difficulties

A depressed person puts enormous effort into simple everyday things. Help him: go to the store with him, offer to cook dinner, take on some of the household responsibilities.

Praise for small victories

With depression, any rise from the couch is already an act of heroism. Show that you see and appreciate all the efforts put in. Praise even for tiny achievements, the same way a child is praised for his first steps, for example: “Did you cook dinner yourself today? You're a big lad! I know how hard any activity is for you, and I’m glad that you managed to cook such a delicious dish.”

Do not break contact if it is “slipping”

It is easy to support when a person expresses sadness and helplessness. But depression is not always characterized by these feelings. People may be more irritable and depressed and often find it difficult to communicate with them. You can become disappointed, lose hope for your loved one’s recovery, and “catch” a response of irritation. The influence of a patient’s depressive behavior is described in D. Hell’s book “The Landscape of Depression”:

To provide support during depression, it is important to show that you remain close and are ready to support, despite the negative emotions shown in your direction. Or lack of emotions.

If it seems that a depressed person no longer loves you because he does not show the same feelings, this is not so. It’s just that a person doesn’t have the resource to express them yet.

Take care of yourself

Helping someone with depression is exhausting. Providing support, taking on new responsibilities, showing patience and tact is hard work that shakes one’s mental balance. Monitor your condition, do not take full responsibility for a person’s depressive state, allow yourself to rest. If necessary, consult a psychologist.

We hope that our article helped you learn how to deal with signs of depression. We wish you and your loved ones good health - and may the cold, sticky haze of depression pass by.

Author: Ekaterina Kiseleva

How is depression treated?

Depression is treated with medication or a special type of counseling called psychotherapy. Sometimes these methods are combined.

What about drug therapy?

Several types of medications can be used to treat depression. These drugs are called antidepressants, and they have proven themselves very well. These drugs correct the chemical imbalance in brain cells that leads to depression.

Antidepressants work differently for different people. Each of them also has its own side effects. Therefore, if one of the antidepressants is not suitable for you or is not effective enough, it is quite possible that another drug from this group will help you. Improvement may occur after 1 week of treatment with an antidepressant, but the full effect is usually achieved after 6 to 8 weeks of treatment. Side effects usually occur at the beginning of treatment, but usually go away after a few weeks.

How long should I take the medications?

The length of treatment depends on the type of depression you have. Your doctor will likely prescribe you a course of therapy lasting 4 to 6 months or more. The duration of treatment should be sufficient to reduce the risk of relapse of depression. Be sure to discuss all aspects of your drug treatment with your doctor.

How to deal with anxiety without medication

This is how nature intended

Our body and psyche have gone through millions of years of evolution to preserve the most important qualities for the survival of the species. Among them, the reaction to threat or danger is of paramount importance. Fear is a basic emotion of self-preservation, natural for humans and animals in situations of direct threat . The brain sends a signal of danger, the release of adrenaline triggers an autonomic response: breathing and heart rate increase, muscle tone increases, blood rushes to the muscles, and the body mobilizes for fight or flight. Those. this is a positive reaction from a biological point of view, but we experience it as strictly negative, excessively intense and depleting of resources.

Anxiety and fear are not the same thing

If fear is an intense, natural reaction to a real danger , which is designed to help in extreme conditions, then anxiety is a diffuse experience of an uncertain threat , a hypothetical unfavorable outcome. In this case, the danger can be either imaginary, imaginary, or real, but greatly exaggerated. “Fear has big eyes” is not about fear, but about anxiety. Yes, anxiety can be provoked by changes in the usual way of life: moving, changing the educational team, starting a new position, leaving a child for children's camp, etc. Any novelty and unpredictability. However, it is important to remember that it does not have a direct connection with specific events. One and the same event can be perceived by people in diametrically opposite ways: threatening for one, inspiring for another.

Yes, the experience of anxiety is less intense, but again a range of physiological changes are involved that prepare the body for a possible danger: an increase in general excitability, a decrease in the sensitivity threshold, an increase in blood pressure, changes in heart rhythm, sleep disturbances, etc. Considering that a person is in such a state stays much longer than with an immediate threat, it is obvious that these changes cannot take place without damage to physical and mental health as a whole.

That is why it is extremely important to be able to listen to your condition and take care of your well-being. And if your plans do not include a visit to a psychologist or psychotherapist, arm yourself with simple techniques that can normalize your emotional state and have a calming effect.

Identify what makes you feel anxious

Emotions greatly influence our thinking: the stronger the anxiety, the more difficult it is to think rationally. However, it is important to understand what the reason is. Or, at least, what triggers a chain of unpleasant experiences and physiological reactions of the body. If it was not possible to identify the stress factor, try to track what events this feeling resonates with and what it precedes. Maybe this is a restless anticipation of meeting a person with whom communication does not work out? Or do you not know how to behave when you are entrusted with an excessive workload, and your anxiety is a painful anticipation of not coping or falling out of favor with your superiors? For the purposes of better self-analysis, the practice of keeping a diary will do: indicate the time when you were very worried, assess the intensity of the experience, track the symptoms and manifestations of your anxiety.

2. Practice mindfulness

When the area of experience is clear to you, fight the cause - uncertainty . It is the unknown that fuels the intense anticipation. Answer yourself honestly: what is the worst case scenario that could happen? What will happen to you if this does happen? What is the probability of such an outcome? Can you influence these events? What actions do you need to take to avoid an unfavorable option?

For example, you are afraid of public speaking, and tomorrow you have to give a presentation to a new audience: ask yourself, what will happen if you speak poorly? Is it that scary? Is it worth the many hours spent in agonizing, anxious waiting? What kind of audience is this? Can you prepare the text by heart if you are afraid of confusion? Or make an effective presentation that will hold the attention of the public if this attention is not your joy? Is it possible to prepare handouts? Think over the algorithm, provide answers to likely questions, rehearse your speech, imagining a filled hall in front of you.

The benefits and effects of such activities are based on empirical observations, according to which emotions and thoughts enter into antagonism: the more clearly we formulate and understand the problem, the less intense the emotion accompanies it, and vice versa.

3. Learn to breathe

There are breathing exercises and techniques that can help reduce anxiety. diaphragmatic breathing technique saturates the blood with oxygen and helps slow down the thought process. Slowly take a deep breath, hold your breath for a few moments, then exhale. The inhalation should be shorter, the exhalation as long as possible.

Think about the process of breathing with each inhalation and exhalation. Where does the air come from? How deeply can you inhale and exhale? Try to feel your body better, release muscle tension while breathing, and let go of the thoughts that make you worry. The more you practice, the easier it becomes. Spend some time every day to practice this exercise. The best part is, you can do it anywhere. Try to practice at a time when you are already relaxed. This will make it easier to normalize emotions in a situation of anxiety.

4. Eliminate Thinking Errors

Please note that often “on emotions” we operate with phrases and thoughts that are far from the real picture. Unwittingly exaggerating the colors, focusing on negative aspects, we “wind up” ourselves, intimidate ourselves, and drive us into pessimism. Pay attention to such weed thoughts and pull them out without regret, replacing them with productive analogues - positive formulations.

Instead of “Father will kill me when he finds out that I want to leave the university,” think like this: “Father will be very surprised and dissatisfied, but I will explain to him the reasons, and he will be able to accept my decision.” You know that your father is not actually going to kill anyone, but the very wording makes you nervous. Such phrases are extremely dangerous, and they distort the picture of perception.

When you make a mistake, instead of saying, “I’m a failure,” tell yourself, “Now I know what to do next time.” A striking example of positive thinking is the catchphrase of Thomas Edison: “I have never failed. I just found 10,000 ways that don't work."

And of course, tell yourself more often that success awaits you!

5. Exercise and lifestyle

In case of anxiety, sports exercises help well: swimming pool, running, walking in the forest or in nature - even ordinary squats will relieve anxiety and help “recharge your batteries.” Don’t forget to get enough sleep and eat right, normalize your routine and try to distribute information and psychological stress evenly.

6. Look for positive emotions

Find a counterbalance in what gives you joy. Communication with loved ones, friends, pets, meditation, massage, favorite hobby or just listening to your favorite music in a familiar environment - you yourself know what energizes you and helps restore mental balance.

All of these methods together will give you a solid resource for counteracting anxiety states. If all of the above does not give the expected effect, and anxiety does not subside, it’s time to remember that anxiety can be pathological . Anxiety of this level will certainly require qualified help from a psychologist or psychotherapist.

What is psychotherapy?

During a psychotherapy session, you discuss with your family doctor, psychotherapist or psychiatrist certain events that are happening in your life. The emphasis may be on your feelings, hopes or relationships. You can also focus on your behavior, how it affects you, and what you can change about it. A course of psychotherapy usually lasts from 8 to 20 sessions.

Will I have to go to the hospital?

Depression is usually treated without hospitalization. Inpatient treatment is required if you have comorbidities that may interfere with treatment or if you are at risk of suicide.

How long does depression last?

It depends on how soon you receive qualified help. Left untreated, depression can last for weeks, months, or even years. The main danger of untreated depression is suicide. Treatment can help relieve depression in 6 to 8 weeks or less.

Overcoming depression:

Limit yourself. Don't expect to complete everything you were able to do before. Make a realistic work plan.
Don't give too much importance to all your negative thoughts, such as self-blame or expecting failure. Such thoughts are part of depression. They will disappear as soon as you get rid of depression.
Participate in activities that give you pleasure or give you a feeling of achieving a goal.
Avoid making important decisions while depressed. If you need to make this decision, ask someone you trust to help you.
Avoid drinking alcoholic beverages and drugs. Both make depression worse, and both can interact dangerously with the antidepressants you are taking.
Physical activity appears to cause chemical reactions in the body that improve your mood. Exercising 4 to 6 times a week for at least 30 minutes is an excellent achievement. However, even less activity can be beneficial.
Try not to be disappointed. It takes some time for you to be completely free from depression.