Depression and Its Consequences

The first step to getting rid of depression is to understand what it is, why it occurs and how it affects your life.

Depression Means Low Mood?

The word “depression” is commonly included in our everyday life. Often people observe depression simple short-term depressed mood due to some unpleasant life events. Usually, however, these episodes of mood decline is a normal reaction to stress that regularly undergoes all healthy people. Even reduced over a period of several days to several weeks, the mood may be a reaction to severe stress (eg, dismissal, divorce, illness or death of a close relative). The mood in such cases is normalized after the settlement of a stressful situation or change of attitude to it. On the other hand, if the occasion is an important enough, people highly worried about it, as well as due to other minor reasons, it may be a symptom of depression. Or if there was a lot of stress for a long time and people can not get over it, perhaps this event is triggered depression beginning.

How to Talk to Family about Depression?

Start with a story about your experiences;
Be truthful in describing your experiences. Do not be afraid that you will not be understood. Describe your feelings to them. You might be easier after you tell them what happens to you;
Explain what is depression;
Tell them what you know about depression – exactly it is a condition that can have many causes, that it is based on changes in metabolism in the brain, and that there are methods of its correction. If relatives and friends will understand that this is an abnormal state – they will be able to help you.
Spend time with them;
You can offer to spend time with them, for example, to walk together, to solve a crossword puzzle. Tell family members that simply being in their company can ease your condition;
Do not hesitate to ask for help;
You may need their support to go to a doctor or help around the house.

Take Care of your Loved ones

Do not forget that communication is a two-way process. Your loved ones may wonder why you have less to take off and experience to communicate because of this, or even offended. Explain that because of depression, it may be difficult to communicate a lot, you can get tired of great emotional stress. Tell us what you’re trying to maintain a relationship, and that you care of them. It will help you keep a relationship with your loved ones until you will feel better.

How to Get Rid of Depression?

Depression is a condition from which you can get rid of.

If you are experiencing only mild symptoms of depression for a few days – you can try to deal with it yourself. Set yourself a deadline of when you expect to improve your condition and if it does not – visit a specialist.

The First Steps in Depression Treatment

Learn more about depression and its treatment using materials of Stacy’s Family Pharmacy website. Note any symptoms you have read about existing methods of treatment, you can read what questions may be discussed with the doctor;
Visit a specialist – psychotherapist. It will help you determine whether you have depression and how to cope with it;
Talk to your relatives or friends. Depression can alienate you from them. Close people can support you in this period and help to find a specialist for the disease. You do not have to stay with depression alone. After a conversation with people, you will feel better.

Specialist Attendance

Depression disfigures perception of human life and may cause shame, fear and guilt for the fact that a person suffers from it. Many people suffer in silence, feeling depressed. Some are ashamed or afraid to admit their feelings; others deceive themselves, underestimating the severity of symptoms, as a result, disease’s treatment is delayed.

Remember that one of the depression manifestations is hopelessness. It will be difficult to believe that something can help you, but in most cases depression is treatable.

After you tell me what happens to you, you can ask doctor-therapist:

Do you think I have depression? (After all, even if you have some of the symptoms described above, only a doctor can establish an accurate diagnosis)
Do you think what causes depression
What should I do to get rid of depression?
Do I need to consult further any experts? (Depression is often associated with neurological disorders);
Do I need to take a vacation, to absolve themselves of responsibility as something else to change lifestyle?
How long can last depression?
What are consequences that may appear if I do not start treatment now?
What method of treatment is preferred – medication, psychotherapy or combination therapy?

How to Get Rid of Depression?

Choice of treatment depends on depression type, its origin (endogenous or psychogenic, that is caused by stress), the severity of symptoms, previous experience of treatment, tolerability of side effects, characteristics of patient’s personality.

When endogenous depression, the basic element of treatment is antidepressants; they are selected individually with individual dosage.

When reactive depression mandatory component of treatment is psychotherapy.

For diagnosis and treatment is best to consult doctor-psychotherapist – he can accurately determine if you have depression, what is the origin and how best to deal with it.

What Else Can You Do?

Do not make important decisions. Depression can interfere with you to make an informed decision because in depression people perceives themselves and the world nonobjective;
Try to avoid stress. For a person suffering from depression, even a small loading may seem a heavy loading. Not over tense yourself even when you feel that you have power – it can cause deterioration;
Take care of your body. The depressed person often loses physical strength, feels exhausted. If you feel that you have any physical force – give your body a little exercise, but do not overdo it – start slowly walk or care for flowers;
Eat regularly and with pleasure. If you have an appetite – do not deny yourself of good food. It will help you to regain a taste for life. When depression breaks down the immune system, so try to eat more vitamins;
Avoid negative thoughts. If you have a negative thought – try to think of something pleasant, distracted by some action – a cup of tea, listen to the radio, or call a friend;
Communicate with friends and family, even overcoming yourself. Your loved ones can be a source of support. They can help you make decisions or solve problems that you are afraid not to cope with, help with housework;
Do not hesitate to inform doctor-therapist of any problems or changes in well-being. The doctor will help to cope with any problem if he knows about it;
Do not take drugs and alcohol – they can provoke deterioration. Try not to abuse hypnotics.

Talk with loved ones that you are concerned – they will support you

How to Prevent Depression?

Do not impose themselves too excessive demands;
Do not scold yourself for all failures, you’d better calm down and think about how to solve the problem;
Make a schedule and try to follow it;
Reward yourself for any achievements (for example, buy nice clothes, etc.);
Exercise on a daily basis (charging) or at least 2 times a week;
Periodically relax, either alone or together with family;
Most often communicate with family and friends;
If in your life you’ve endured quite a strong depression, in order to prevent its recurrence advisable to periodically consult with your doctor, therapist and/or undergo psychological training.

How Is Depression Manifested?

Some people with depression say depression – is a black stripe in their life, a series of misfortunes when everything seems black. Many people say they feel that they lack physical and spiritual strength, power, that they can not focus. Others constantly feel causeless irritability because of trifles. Different people have depression which manifests itself in different ways.

People with depression may say:

“I feel sad all the time”
“I feel something wrong with me”
“I do not get the pleasure of communicating with friends or things that are pleasing me before”
“Sleep does not bring relief to me”
“I have no cause of pain throughout the body”
“Sometimes I do not see the point in my life”

Common Symptoms of Depression

Emotional symptoms:

Constant sadness, irritability, tension;
Loss of interest in things that previously brought pleasure. A very common symptom is the inability to enjoy life;
Feelings of guilt, hopelessness, fatigue;
Slowing of thinking, difficulty concentrating and making decisions, obsessive return to the same issues;
Fear (before everyday life or indeterminate), inner restlessness, anxiety;
Increased irritability;
Unwillingness or lack of strength to communicate with friends and acquaintances.

Physical symptoms:

Constant feeling of power lack, feeling of weakness and fatigue;
volatile pain, headache;
A sense of melancholy;
Sleep disturbance: difficulty with falling asleep, shallow sleep, early morning waking up with the inability to fall asleep afterward. Or vice versa – constant sleepiness;
Feeling of weakness, powerlessness in the morning, until the inability to stand. Sometimes patients may lay in the bed for the whole day. Often, however, there is some activity in the evening;
Loss of appetite accompanied by weight loss or, more rarely, weight gain;
Characteristic changes in taste sensations. People suffering from depression, saying: “food has become tasteless, like grass.” No less characteristic of loss of preferences in food – a person is still there, he does not want to “tasty” things;
Colors may appear dim, unnatural sounds of the world “flat”;
Sexual disorders (loss of libido, potency disorder);
Vegetative symptoms (dry mouth, constipation, sweating, heart beating, mydriasis);
Sometimes in severe cases, depression is accompanied by thoughts of death or suicidal thoughts.

A combination of several symptoms may indicate depression presence, and one should consult a psychotherapist. By no means, it is impossible to diagnose or self-medicate. Man perceives himself always subjective, as well as his relatives.

You also need to have expertise and experience to be able to accurately determine the presence of depression and distinguish it from other possible diseases. Moreover, only an expert is able to assign appropriate treatment, appropriate to this particular patient. Some of these symptoms are also characteristic for anxiety disorders. It is important to diagnose disease because it affects the choice of its treatment methods.

Category: Healthcare

Tags: antidepressants, depression, depressive disorder