What Is Depression?
Depression is a mental disorder that leads to excessive sadness, loss of productivity, interest in life and often results in low motivation. If depression is severe in nature it can even lead to suicidal attempts. Suicide is a leading cause of death in the U.S. and depression plays a major role in Suicide.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) WISQARS Leading Causes of Death Reports, in 2017:
- Suicide was the tenth leading cause of death overall in the United States, claiming the lives of over 47,000 people.
- Suicide was the second leading cause of death among individuals between the ages of 10 and 34, and the fourth leading cause of death among individuals between the ages of 35 and 54.
- There were more than twice as many suicides (47,173) in the United States as there were homicides (19,510).
Feelings of sadness, emotions of sorrow etc. are normal experiences that are triggered by adverse events in life. Such events could include loss in a family, major life changes, work related stress, or disappointment with your partner or a loved one. In most cases, these sad feelings resolve as you come to terms with the changes in your life. In situations such as bereavement, these feelings may persist for months and return at significant times, such as birthdays and anniversaries related to the lost loved one. Provided you have times when you can enjoy things, however, this sadness is not a sign of depression.
Depression is common. One in three people will experience a major depressive episode at some stage in their lives. While most cases of depression are mild, about one person in ten will have a moderate or severe episode.
What Are The Signs Of Depression?
- Feeling miserable. This misery is present for much of the day but may vary in its intensity. The misery lasts for weeks.
- Loss of interest or pleasure in usual activities.
- Slowed or inefficient thinking with poor concentration, leading to difficulties sorting out problems or making plans or decisions.
- Loss of sleep despite feeling exhausted. Sleep is typically restless and unsatisfying with early morning wakening (one to two hours earlier than usual). Some people, however, may actually sleep a lot more than usual.
- Slowed activity and speech.
- Recurring unpleasant thoughts, particularly about being guilty, being a bad and unworthy person.
- Loss of appetite with excessive loss of weight.
- Loss of interest in sex.
- Loss of energy, even when not physically active.
- Thoughts that you would be better off dead or of harming yourself in some way.
How to Overcome Depression?
No one really knows what causes depression in human beings as it has several reasons and factors that may cause depression. There are a range of ways to deal with depression, and often they are best used in conjunction with each other. There are several ways to overcome depression such as seeking help from a therapist, life coach, counselor, education and other coping strategies that help in overcoming depression:
Behavioural Strategies:
A key feature of depression is inactivity. People find that they are doing less and then feel even worse because they are doing less. Behavioral strategies for depression aim to identify and change aspects of behavior that may worsen depression. People are encouraged to act against the depression by increasing activities, even though this is the last thing that they feel like doing. Relevant behavioral strategies include activity scheduling, social skills training, structured problem solving, and goal planning. One of the advantages of this form of treatment for depression is that once acquired, these new behavioral styles can be applied throughout life, minimizing relapse or recurrence of depression.
Education
Education for people with depression is extremely valuable. Education provides a knowledge base that potentially gives the person greater control over his or her disorder. Greater control in turn may lead to reduced feelings of helplessness and an increased sense of well-being. Providing education for families or carers is also very important to help increase the support and assistance they provide to the person.
The most essential pieces of information for a person with a major depressive episode are that depression is a common disorder and that effective treatments are available. It is important to remember:
- Depression is an illness, not a sign of weakness or a character defect.
- Recovery is the rule, not the exception.
- Treatment is effective, and there are many treatment options available. There is a suitable treatment for most people.
- The goal of treatment is to get completely well and stay well.
- The rate of recurrence is quite high: half the people who have had one episode of depression will have a recurrence, and the rate increases with the number of previous episodes.
- The person and his or her family can be taught to recognize and act upon early warning signs of depression. By seeking early treatment, the severity of the episode may be greatly reduced.
Overcoming the symptoms of Depression
The symptoms of depression can be addressed to help you feel better. Here are some ways to deal with these symptoms.
BEHAVIOURAL STRATEGIES:
- What activities do you enjoy? Try to increase the amount of time you spend on these enjoyable activities.
- Reward yourself for your efforts. Ask others around you to encourage and praise you for each small step you take. Recovering from depression is a bit like learning to walk again after breaking your leg.
- Avoid comparing the way you are behaving or feeling now while you are depressed with the way you used to behave or feel before becoming depressed.
- Set goals for daily activity. Plan full days of useful activity by making a list of the activities you are going to engage in at different times during the day. Try to stick to this plan as closely as possible.
- If a task seems too difficult, do not despair. Break the task down into even easier steps and start again more slowly.
Seek Professional Help to overcome depression
Managing depression can be challenging and seeking professional help from a life coach or a therapist can help you overcome depression and lead a happy and productive life. I am a certified life coach and relationship counselor helping both individual and couples deal with depression and overcome it through coaching, guidance and counseling.
