DEPRESSION
DEPRESSION
By: Jack Guyler
Let’s talk about what it is, the types of depression and ways we can battle it in order to live healthy and productive lives.
WHAT IS DEPRESSION?
Everybody experiences sadness and grief at some points in their lives. But depression is chronic sadness – an ongoing and unending sadness. “It is a debilitating condition that interferes with our ability to experience pleasure, interact with people or actively participate in life…Unlike sadness, it can last for months or sometimes years.” [1] I believe all depression is triggered by some sort of loss, whether that be a loved one, a dream, love, financial or some other loss. Some people may be prone to it genetically or by the environment in which they grew up.
TYPES OF DEPRESSION
Depressed mood – this is the most common type of depression which causes temporary sadness. Most people will experience this more than once in their life
Melancholic depression – sadness that is triggered and usually worse in the mornings
Postpartum depression – this affects about 20% of mothers after birth and can last typically months but even years
Manic depression – affects about 1% of people. This is a cycle of experiencing severe depression followed by mania, being too happy, too talkative, unreasonable thoughts or unable to sleep
Dysthymic disorder – 3-4% of the population suffers from this chronic mild form of depression. It causes people to feel constantly sad, pessimistic or down in the dumps. Sometimes this is referred to as depressive personality
Clinical depression – also known as major depression. People with this depression may lose interest in things they once loved, they may lose weight, have changes in their sleep patterns, lack energy, feel worthless or guilty, be unable to concentrate or have recurrent thoughts of death or suicide [2}
One of the major issues with depression is that it sucks the joy out of life and often takes your energy. This causes people with depression to sometimes (based on the severity of it) to not even have the motivation or energy to address their depression. Of course, this just allows it to rule over the person even more. David Feherty (sports broadcaster) once said in describing his depression, “it’s like sitting on your sofa watching TV with a cup of coffee next to you and you don’t even have the energy to pick up the coffee you want to drink.” He is describing how debilitating it can be and how hard it is to sometimes fight it.
HOW TO BATTLE DEPRESSION
Experts recommend the following:
Exercise – physical activity is good for the body and the mind
Use Socratic Questioning:
What are facts and what are my subjective perceptions?
What evidence supports my perception?
What evidence contradicts my perceptions?
Am I making any thinking errors?
What is an alternative, more balanced view of this situation?
Set Goals – working with purpose toward a specific goal helps to keep people focused on a task and off of the things that depress them
Make a Schedule – scheduling your day and even your week helps you focus on things ahead (whereas depression causes us to focus on things in the past) rather than stewing on your problems. Even if you don’t do everything on your schedule, that’s okay, because you are pointing at things to do, which will give you greater focus and positive energy
Accountability Partner – if you have someone to help hold you accountable to set goals and work toward achieving tasks you have set out to do, it will help you stay on target. And this will change both your mood and overall thinking
Counseling, Therapy, Intervention – there are times a professional counselor is needed to help you manage your depression. And there are times when you need the help of a medical psychiatrist who may prescribe medication
1, 2 – Change Your Thinking, Sarah Edelman, PhD
