Depression


Many of us, heck maybe even all people have felt low or depressed at some point in their lives… feelings of discouragement, despair and frustration are normal reactions to various setbacks life brings our way. But when it’s just a mood, it’ll usually pass after a week or two and doing things to make yourself feel better generally work well.

The difference is that sometimes a low mood won’t pass and will start to interfere with day-to-day living (work, family, etc.) This can be a sign of depression. How serious it will become is believed to be a combination of genetic, biochemical, environmental and psychological factors. How serious it is can also vary from mild (where reconnecting with supports and working out solutions to help you work through your feelings can go a long way) to major (where medication, therapy or other more serious steps may be necessary). Complicated, to say the least.

Two main types of depressions: Clinical (or major) depression and bipolar disorder (we actually have a separate section on BPD).

Clinical depression is a highly treatable mental illness. In general, the earlier you can start working on it, the more effective treatment will be and the less it will recur. It doesn’t get “cured” exactly, but recovery is possible.

Symptoms of Depression:

-feeling worthless, helpless, hopeless
-sleeping more or less than usual
-eating more or less than usual
-difficulty concentrating or making decisions
-loss of interest
-decreased sex drive
-avoiding others
-overwhelming feelings of sadness or grief
-strong feelings of guilt
-loss of energy
-thoughts of death or suicide

Things to remember:

  • Recovery is possible!
  • Depression is only part of who you are. There are other parts of you that are valid and good.
  • Learning about your illness and seeking others who share it can help
  • Exercise! Depression makes it harder to do but the neurotransmitters and endorphins you get from exercising can really, really help.
  • Medication can help but is not the only answer. They also need to be used with other treatments or coping strategies in order to be really effective.
  • Getting active, activities like yoga & meditation, therapy, faith, and eating well are just a few examples of things that can also be helpful to your recovery.

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From the blog: Low Moods and Depression – (July 17th, 2010) what’s the difference?


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