Living with depression
It is difficult to explain depression to people who have never experienced it before. Some people Living with depression see it as a heaviness. Of carrying a backpack full of rocks. Trying to man-over your every day moves with heavy weights. There are therapists who say: “there is a way to live without coping”. Those Living with depression realize that it is important to try to get through their condition. Depression has a lot of psychological affects on those who have it.
So what are the upsides of depression? Some of the upsides of depression is that it can be treated. It can be managed and controlled well. Treatment and recovery is very possible.
A man with depression once described it as: “living life with a fifty ton weight on your back. Whilst I want to get up and get going, I often feel as though I cannot do this”.
A woman once described depression as: “some of my life had been taken away from me. The four years I once had will never return”.
Once a person has been formally diagnosed with severe depression, they may be happy to know that they have been given a name for the emotional pain they have been enduring. Some people may feel somewhat overwhelmed about the treatment they are about to have. The good news is that, other people have gone before. Others have got through it successfully. It has been found that ten to twenty five percent of women and five to twelve percent of men will be diagnosed with severe depression at some point throughout their life. Whilst it might feel like recovery is too hard, please know that depression is something that can be managed and treated. It can be controlled. Not only that, but a person’s life and over all mood will improve much quicker than what they might first think.
We have provided some information at what is often discussed and dealt with during treatment time. We have also come up with a few things you can do to make your treatment powerful and successful.
Common Misconceptions about Living with depression and it’s treatment.
Whilst many people out there experience depression, there are still a large number of misconceptions that people believe. Some of these misconceptions include:
Toughen Up And Accept It.
All of us should understand that: “depression is not something that is natural. It is also not a punishment for the way we live life. It is a condition that people do not have to toughen up and accept”. There are ways of dealing with it and learning how to manage it.
The Depression Will Just Not Go Away.
Those Living with depression often tend to believe that their condition will never go away. They think their symptoms of inability, lack of concentration, fatigue, lack of interest and irritability will hang around forever. They think that the help out there will not do anything for them. Thankfully, though, there is powerful treatment approaches that an be used. Those with this condition can seek help and support.
It will go away.
If a person Living with depression does not treat their condition, they will begin to think that it will go away by itself. This will only leave the person with the condition for much longer than it should. There is also a greater chance that the person with depression will commit suicide.
Getting Depression Diagnosed.
Before seeking treatment for depression, it is very important that the condition is formally diagnosed first. Getting it formally diagnosed will mean that you will be able to get the right sort of treatment. Diagnosis will involve a very thorough evaluation of the condition. A person will be required to have an interview. During this interview, they will be asked a large number of different questions. These will usually be about what stresses them, and the symptoms they may be experiencing. The person will also be required to fill out a thorough survey as well as an assessment about suicide. The persons doctor may also get them to go and get some blood tests that can help determine whether or not they have depression.
Letting Others Know About Your Condition.
There are a large number of people who do not know whether or not they should let others know about their condition. This of course, will depend on how intimate an individual is with those they mix with and communicate with.
Family members and relatives should know more about others you may not feel as close to. Those who you would with, only need to know that you are having a hard time at the moment. They do not need to have a lot of information about this. It is also worthwhile letting them know that you are dealing with the particular issue you are facing. Looking for Couple therapy London ?
There are times when some people think they need to give you ideas on what you can do to help fix it. In response to this, you can simply tell these people that you are seeking assistance. Or you are working on what it is that you are going through. These responses should let these people know that they do not need to suggest things for you to do.
If you are one unfortunate person Living with depression, you do not need to know that it is difficult to deal with. Low moods will hang around for a lengthy amount of time. These moods are very different to sadness. Such moods will have an affect on your life every day. Not just occasionally. Most people Living with depression will also find that they no longer appreciate or enjoy the activities they once enjoyed. Some will simply want to stay in bed all day. Others, might be able to hide their condition and continue on with the every day jobs that have to be done.
Not only is Living with depression hard on the person who is dealing with it, but it can also be difficult for those they see and interact with every day. Most people with this condition will not seek assistance early on. They will let the condition continue on as long as possible before they go about seeking that assistance they so desperately need. Some people will think that they will feel like they cannot control themselves. They may also be afraid of being ridiculed or rejected.
How can we tell if we have depression?
Most people are too afraid to seek assistance to work out whether they may or may not be experiencing this condition. If you are finding it hard to deal with emotions that cannot be managed, then chances are, support and assistance of some kind will help you greatly. All of us deserved and can be helped, supported and valued. It does not matter how difficult or how you see the issues you are experiencing.
In order to get that help and support, it is important to have a chat with your professional doctor. They will be able to provide some suggestions to you as to what you can do. They may be able to refer you onto a counsellor, or provide some medication, or get you to go and have some psychotherapy for a while. Understand that no person is exactly the same. Everybody will require different support for their various needs.
What does depression feel like?
When experiencing depression it will often feel like: You are not worth it to yourself or to anybody. You will often feel like you do not want to be alive. Feelings of worry, anxiety may be experienced. You may find yourself crying more than what you normally would. A lack of concentration on the activities you would normally be able to concentrate on. Not being able to decide what to do about such and such. Those Living with depression will also often feel like they cannot tolerate other people. They will feel irritable with themselves and others. These people will not enjoy life as much as they once did. Their self-esteem levels may drop drastically. They will feel guilty more than what they should. Those with depression will also not be motivated or interested in things they once loved to do.
Some other things that may occur might include:
Not being able to sleep well as you once did. You may either sleep too much, or too little. The way you eat will change. You may either eat far too much, or far too little. Much less energy and tiredness will be experienced often. Stomach aches or headaches will occur regularly. Chronic pain of all sorts might be felt. It is also possible you may not even speak as good as you once did. Menstrual cycles might start to change. Interests and hobbies will be placed aside and forgotten about. Isolation from those you know well may make you not want to see them. You’ll not want to go to as many social activities you once did. Productivity at work or in general will gradually begin to disappear.
It is possible that we as individuals will not even know that we have been showing signs of depression. Depression is something that can take its time to creep in. Sometimes weeks, sometimes months, or sometimes even years. There are times when others will recognize it in you and will have to be the one to tell you that you may be experiencing depression.
Sometimes depression can start from one negative thought about ourselves. These negative thoughts can very quickly become too much. As a result of this you will feel despair. You may even find yourself feeling miserable far too often.
What Makes Us To Become Depressed?
There are times where it is very easy to work out what has caused us to become depressed. But there are also times when it is too hard to identify what has caused it. This is because we are feeling so very down about ourselves and about life. Perhaps it is because a loved one has passed away. Or perhaps it is because you are angry, frustrated or disappointed about something that has occurred. There is always something that has caused us to become depressed. This of course, will be different for everybody.
Some of the reasons why someone may find themselves depressed may include the following:
Grief.
It is only natural that we will feel down and upset about someone we love has passed away. Whilst the actual loss itself is not the only thing that can cause depression, but it is also how we go about dealing with this. Grief is something that has to be dealt with correctly. Otherwise, we are sure to find ourselves Living with depression.
Experiences We Had As A Child.
Experiences that we have when we are a child can play a major part in causing depression. Perhaps we went through divorced parents, or a car accident. Maybe we were abused emotionally or physically. Not all children are taught how to deal with problems that come into their lives. This can result into problems when we become older.
Anger.
Anger that we have built up over the years can lead to depression. Perhaps somebody has done something to get us feeling angry constantly. When this occurs, it is possible to not deal with the anger at the time the issue happened. This particular anger can remain inside of us for a very long time. Before we know it we will find ourselves Living in depression. Always make sure that we deal with anger in the correct way at the time it happens.
General Circumstances.
Some general circumstances that can lead to depression include: not having anybody to talk to regularly, stress, exhaustion or loneliness.
Social Media.
Getting onto social media too much can result in depression. Especially if we find ourselves looking at the lives of other people and comparing our live to theirs. All of us have very different lives and circumstances in them.
Illnesses.
There are a range of different illness that can contribute in resulting in this condition. Some of these conditions may include the following: conditions that threaten our life such as cancer or heart disease. Viral infections such as flu or glandular fever. Illnesses that go for a long period of time or that are painful such as arthritis. Hormonal difficulties such as thyroids that are not as active as they should be.
Too Much Alcohol.
Too much alcohol an lead to heavy drinking. Not only will this have an affect on your physical health but it is very likely to lead to depression. Alcohol does not fix things as we like to think. It only makes things so much more worse.
There are many different types of depressions that a person can be diagnosed. There is no one size fits all. Some of the different types of depression include the following:
Seasonal Affective Disorder – This is something that relates to the amount of days somebody is experiencing depression. People will often get this form of depression during the colder seasons when the days are not as long as they are during the warmer seasons. Once the days start to get longer and brighter, the symptoms will usually start to go away.
Postnatal Depression – Postnatal depression will occur in woman who have recently given birth to children. This can often take place anywhere from two weeks or two years after they have given birth.
Mild Depression – This type of depression will involve the symptoms having a small effect on an individuals every day life. An individual will likely find themselves low in spirit and mood on a regular basis. These people will not want to do they things they would usually enjoy.
Bipolar Disorder – Bipolar Disorder is discovered when a person is having a large number of lows and highs in their life. Some will go into hypo mod and others will think that they can manage jobs that are too ambitious. If they cannot achieve these tasks they will soon begin to find themselves experiencing depression that is severe.
There are a large number of different types of therapies that can help those Living with depression. Some of these particular therapies may include the following: interpersonal therapy, cognitive therapy, art therapy, mindfulness therapy and psychodynamic therapy. Each of these therapies focus on their own specific methods for specific depression conditions. Group therapy is also a great type of therapy worth considering if Living with depression.
Hoxton Therapy notice: Never act on any advice given in these articles or videos. Always seek professional help from us before acting on anything you read or watch on this website.