Questions:
What are the 3 causes of depression?
Situational depression is caused by a major stressor in a person’s life, such as loss, financial hardship, or job dissatisfaction. It is usually temporary but can last for as long as the stressor is present. Clinical depression originates in the brain. It tends to run in families and is believed to be genetic. Circumstances are not the root cause of clinical depression but can make it worse. Medically induced depression is caused by a medical condition or substance (including prescription medication). Before stopping any medication, talk to your treating physician. For more information about the causes of depression, see the link below.
What are the top 3 symptoms of depression?
Symptoms unique to depression are feelings of hopelessness and helplessness, lack of interest in usual activities, and suicidal thoughts. Other symptoms include insomnia or hypersomnia, poor appetite or overeating, feelings of worthlessness and/or low self-esteem, feeling overwhelmed, fatigue, and poor concentration. If you have thoughts of harming yourself, call or text 988 immediately. This number is specifically for mental health.
Can you lead a normal life with depression?
Absolutely. Depression is very treatable. Unfortunately, stigma discourages a lot of people from seeking help, sometimes with tragic results. Therapy helps people identify thoughts and behaviors that contribute to depression and teaches coping skills to manage the causes and symptoms. Prescription medications target neurotransmitters, messengers in the brain related to mood. Research consistently finds that therapy combined with medication is most effective. Other interventions include sleep, nutrition, exercise and meditation. See the link below for more information about how antidepressants work.
How is depression like high blood pressure?
When someone has Hbp, the physician advises them to stay away from certain foods, get exercise, and reduce stressors. But they also prescribe medication. It’s no different with depression. Therapy provides behavioral interventions to manage depression. Medication reduces the symptoms of depression to a manageable level so the interventions can work.
What are 5 coping skills for depression?
Be patient with yourself. Break down goals into do-able steps.
Trust yourself. You’re feeling depressed for a reason. Identify the cause and address it.
Stop negative thoughts. They serve no productive purpose and make you feel worse.
Nurture yourself. Give yourself permission to make time for you. Think of it as a mini-vacation for your mind.
Educate those close to you. Share information about depression. Explain what helps and what doesn’t.
What are 5 things NOT to do when you’re depressed?
DON’T compare yourself to others. Your depression is as unique as you are. No one has the exact same experiences and deals with the exact same stressors.
DON’T be hard on yourself. This serves no productive purpose. It just makes you feel worse.
DON’T ignore your depression. It will keep coming back.
DON’T isolate yourself. Keep in touch with loved ones, talk to a therapist. You are not a burden. Think of what you would do if a loved one had depression.
DON’T consume alcohol. It is a depressant and doesn’t do anything to fix the problem. Therapists call this self-medicating.
Is depression a sign of weakness?
One myth about depression is that you can “pull yourself” out of it if you try hard enough. Give yourself some credit. If it were that easy, you’d be doing it. Human beings are way more complicated than they give themselves credit for. Depression is no different. That is why therapy is so important. Watch my video, How does therapy help with depression, to learn more.
How do you help someone with depression?
Pushing a person with depression into doing something before they’re ready makes them feel like they’re doing something wrong. Instead, ask them how you can help and encourage them to talk to a professional. Check out my video, Is depression a weakness?
9. How does therapy help with depression?
If you’re not sure why you’re feeling depressed a therapist can help you figure it out. Therapy identifies thoughts and behaviors that contribute to depression and teaches coping skills to manage the causes and symptoms. Therapy also provides personal insights you can’t get from a book, podcast, celebrity or friend.
10. How do I know if I have depression?
Do you have periods of feeling better only to find yourself depressed again? Do you get overwhelmed easily? Is it hard to motivate yourself to do simple tasks? Do you feel emotionally flat? Do you cry at the drop of a hat? Many people have a form of depression called Persistent Depressive Disorder and don’t know it. It is a milder but chronic depression. Learn more about PDD at the link below.
11. What is the best therapy for depression?
Because depression is common, most therapists can help you with it. Depression is also complicated so most therapists take an eclectic approach – meaning a combination of interventions: insight-oriented (such as exploring feelings), cognitive (such as changing negative thinking) and behavioral (such as relaxation exercises). Research has consistently found that it is the relationship between the therapist and client, not the type of therapy, that is most important. Watch my video, How does therapy help with depression? for more information.
12. Do I need an antidepressant? Part 1
There are a lot of myths about antidepressants. It is not a happy pill. It levels the playing field. Imagine going through life carrying a sack of bricks on your back. Antidepressants remove the bricks so you can function normally. People who take an antidepressant often say it makes them feel normal. Remember, you are not a depressed person. You are a person with depression and it’s preventing you from reaching your full potential.
13. Do I need an antidepressant? Part 2
I’ve had many patients over the years against taking an antidepressant. They tell me, “I don’t like taking any medication, even Tylenol,” or “I prefer to manage my depression with natural remedies.” Of course, I respect their wishes. Besides, I always err on the side of seeing how therapy works before recommending an antidepressant. But, if you’re applying interventions learned in therapy and still feeling depressed, it’s likely the symptoms aren’t manageable without medication. Every one of my patients who changed their mind about antidepressants told me, “I wish I had tried this sooner.” Check out my video, How is depression like high blood pressure? for more thoughts about antidepressants.
Take-Aways
There are 3 causes of depression: situational, neurological and medically induced.
The top 3 symptoms of depression are feelings of hopelessness and helplessness, lack of interest in usual activities, and suicidal thoughts.
Depression is very treatable. Therapy combined with medication is most effective.
Depression is like high blood pressure in that both usually require behavioral and pharmaceutical interventions.
5 coping skills for depression are be patient with yourself, trust yourself, stop negative thoughts, nurture yourself, educate loved ones.
5 things NOT to do when you’re depressed are don’t: compare yourself to others, be hard on yourself, ignore your depression, isolate yourself, consume alcohol.
Depression is not a weakness. If it were easy to overcome, you would have already.
The best way to help someone with depression is to ask them how and encourage them to talk to a professional.
A therapist can confirm if you have depression and teach coping skills.
Many people have a form of depression called Persistent Depressive Disorder and don’t know it.
Most therapists use insight-oriented, cognitive and behavioral interventions to treat depression.
12. Therapy is most effective when combined with medication.
13. Consider trying an antidepressant before deciding it’s not right for you.
Links
Brain-related causes of depression
How antidepressants work
National Alliance for Mental Illness “Family & Friends” ebook (97pgs).
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