Death of our century - depression. The disease received this name from the media, and the comparison with the most terrible diseases of the Middle Ages arose not by chance: if you believe the forecasts for 2020, among other ailments, depression wins the championship, overtaking the leaders of today - cardiovascular and infectious diseases; It is this disorder that will become the 1 destroyer. Already, more than half of all suicides on Earth are committed by depressed people.
Depression is a short-term simple decrease in mood associated with some unpleasant life events. Most often, however, such episodes of low mood are quite a common reaction to stress, which every he althy person regularly experiences. Even a low mood from a few weeks to a whole year is a reaction to a strong shock (reduction at work, death orillness of a close relative, divorce).
Depression or stress?
We have to deal with stress almost daily, solving various kinds of problems. Poor grades in exams or failure to pass tests cause strong negative emotions of varying degrees. A person can experience stress while in a long line, due to problems at work or difficulties in the family, with unrequited love, when there is a lot to do, but there is no time for this, when there are a number of unrealized opportunities, due to everyday viewing of crime stories on TV and many other reasons, the list of which is endless. Stress and depression are inextricably linked. After stress, the body must necessarily have a protective (response) reaction - a depressive state. For each, even the most insignificant, unstarted stress, the body applies adequate depression. But a little stress is sometimes even good for a person.
Causes of depression
Listing all the causes of stress is an unreasonable exercise, because each person is individual and each has his own patterns of behavior and thinking. Everyone on this earth has his own life experience and everyone shows his own attitude to emerging situations. And so there is a huge variety of stressful situations. At the same time, each of these situations has one thing in common: events pose a threat to our well-being and life. This happens in reality or the difficulties are fictitious.
A situation that provokes unpleasant sensations of great sadness or sadness in our body is calleddepressive factor. It is he who determines the cause and time of depression in a person's life.
Main causes of stress
Finance. Financial relationships, according to most researchers, are the main cause of depression. Purchasing a house or car, such as losing money due to theft, debt to a third party, losses, etc.
Work. Due to the fact that work is directly related to financial relations, it was identified as the second in the list of main sources of stress. It seems at times that work and career are continuous causes of depression. Many people make maintaining their own employment a top priority in their lives.
Safety and he alth. Safety and he alth problems have always been perceived painfully by a person, because these problems pose a threat to his life.
Family. Relationships with family members, especially strained ones, can be a serious cause for depression. Such a stressful situation sometimes drags on for many years and turns into a serious illness.
Personal relationships. Relationships with acquaintances, friends and even strangers are always emotional and often give rise to the causes of depression.
Personal problems. People always strive to have control over their own lives or over the lives of others. But when control weakens, stress sets in, as people tend to control others and themselves.
Death. Even the death of a pet is stressful for its owner, not to mentiontragic death of loved ones. The expectation of death can also be called a big source of such an ailment as depression. The doctor in this case works, approaching from a psychological point of view.
The impossibility of self-expression. A person wants to express himself and start to represent himself, but not everyone succeeds.
Anxious depression
This is the most common diagnosis, which is determined in general and primary medical practice in those suffering from somatic pathologies. Patients exhibited a variety of symptoms of depression and anxiety. Several or one somatic symptom (fatigue, sleep disturbances, pain, for example) may be seen at first. Further questioning allows us to ascertain definitively depressive mood or anxiety. Key Features:
1. Depression and anxiety manifest as a variety of physical and mental symptoms.
2. These problems are not associated with the manifestation of laziness or weakness, as the patient tries to overcome them.
3. Conducting effective therapies requires regular consultations to select adequate treatments.
Main symptoms of depression
Going headlong into work, frequent sports or engaging in such a sporting event that is associated with extreme situations, risk, as well as deepening in gambling - all this to a certain extent may indicate a depressive state. Depression is difficult to recognize. This is due, on the one hand, to the erroneous opinion that it is necessary to tellother people about their experiences, and the inability to cope with them yourself is a sign of human weakness. On the other hand, the fact that in most cases patients hide their depression behind alcohol abuse and / or aggressive behavior.
Emotional manifestations
- Suffering, melancholy, depressed, depressed mood, despair.
- Anxious mood, inner tension, expectation of misfortune.
- Irritable.
- Regular self-blame, guilt.
- Dissatisfaction with their appearance, reduced self-confidence, reduced self-esteem.
- Reduced or lost ability to enjoy previously enjoyable activities.
- Reduced interest in the outside world.
- Lost ability to experience different feelings (in case of deep depression).
- Depression is a combination of a depressed state with anxiety about the fate and he alth of relatives, as well as with the fear of appearing bankrupt in society.
Physiological manifestations
- Disturbed sleep.
- Changeable appetite (overeating or vice versa).
- Intestinal dysfunction.
- Reduced sexual desires.
- Reduced energy, weakness, increased fatigue during normal intellectual and physical exertion. All this can be the cause of a disease called depression. No strength for the basic things of everyday life.
- Unpleasant pain is felt in the body (for example, in the intestines, in the heart muscle).
Behavioralmanifestations
- Difficulty in purposeful activity, passivity.
- Avoiding contact (tendency to seclusion, loss of interest in other people).
- Rejection of entertainment.
- Substance abuse, drug abuse and alcoholism providing temporary relief.
Thought manifestations
- Difficulty concentrating and concentrating.
- Difficulties in making decisions.
- Predominance of negative thoughts about your life.
- Pessimistic, bleak future planning with no prospects, thinking about your meaningless existence.
- Thoughts of suicide (severe cases of depression). This is why depression is often treated with various medications.
- Thoughts about your own helplessness, insignificance, uselessness.
- Slow thinking.
A diagnosis of depression can be established if a certain number of the listed symptoms persist for several weeks.
Depression Scale
This scale was developed based on clinical observations that identified the predominant symptoms of depression and recorded frequent complaints of people. This scale has been adjusted several times, one of its latest versions appeared in 1996. The first publication of questionnaires took place in 1961. Tests are used not only to assess the condition of adults, but also to diagnose depression in adolescents. For them, an adapted version of the test has been created. depression scalehelps to measure the dynamics of depressive disorders, thanks to which tests are used to evaluate the quality of the treatment provided.
Proceedings
Testing is initially carried out in the presence of experts reading out the statements. Copies of questionnaires are given to patients, but they answer orally. Experts also take into account additional indicators (the level of development of the subjects in terms of intelligence, anamnesis, etc.). However, now the procedure for passing tests is increasingly being simplified. The test form consists of 20 groups of statements, each of which contains phrases marked with numbers from 0 to 3, or unmarked (in this case, scoring is carried out after passing the tests). It is necessary to single out one statement from each group, which most accurately reflects the state of the person during the week and at the time of testing. Phrases in each group are arranged in order of increasing degree of manifestation of signs. Some categories include alternative items that are valued the same. Before choosing one or another statement, you should familiarize yourself with each option presented in the group. The 1996 version lists each group of statements with a name. Sleep, appetite, anxiety, fatigue, self-accusation, the obvious presence of suicidal tendencies, and so on are assessed. There is a clarification: if several statements in one group seem to be true, you need to choose the last item. In previous versions, you could select every valid claim. Phrase phrasing has also undergonerecycling.
Methods of getting out of depression on your own
How to get out of depression on your own? Most studies have confirmed the importance of self-help in the process of getting rid of behavioral, emotional and physical difficulties. Answer the following questions, and then you can easily determine if self-help is enough for you:
1. Have you had suicidal thoughts? If the answer is yes, you need expert help.
2. Is there a sense of the impact of depression in most areas of life: in relationships, work, he alth, ability to have fun? If the answer is yes, it is possible that you have severe generalized depression, which will require an intervention deeper than self-help to get rid of it.
If you answered yes to both questions, you can start your self-help. If you don't see any improvement after a few months of self-study, seek additional help. Uncertainty, suicidal thoughts, increasing despondency, or any other worsened state of he alth indicate the need for immediate professional referral.
Books, CDs, videocassettes
So, how to get out of depression on your own. Books give you a we alth of information that you can't get in therapy sessions. You can read at your own pace, put the book aside for a while, or read it again. When you combine work and psychotherapy with books, you achieve faster good results. CostsIt should be noted that there are many books on the topic of psychological disorders, for example, "Depression is canceled" by Richard O,Connor.
People who perceive visual information better, watching CDs or videocassettes dedicated to improving their own condition and combating depression is suitable.
Self-help group and internet
The Psychology Team provides members with the understanding and support they need. When people with similar problems meet, they can share experiences and information and speak out without fear of judgment.
There are various sites on the World Wide Web dedicated to fighting depression. You can read the material or chat in a chat or forum on the topic of "depression". Feedback is also a good help.
Love yourself, spare yourself, avoid stress
Illness consumes your strength, and there is not much left for daily duties. Try not to set yourself difficult tasks and take on more responsibility. Break big things into several stages and do little by little, as much as you can. If possible, avoid major life changes.
It's not easy to learn how to avoid stressful situations. Identify the range of behaviors and events that can have a stressful impact, and think about how to get around them. Do not use psychoactive substances and alcohol, which, like drugs, can only relieve depression for a short time. Once the intoxication wears off, these substances will only get worse.
Learn discipline
A great way to get out of depression on your own is half an hour of gymnastics several times a week. Able to improve your mood in a few weeks. Charging is able to relieve muscle and nervous tension, increase vigor, and strengthen the spirit. In addition, exercise stimulates the body's production of enkephalins and endorphins, substances that are similar to natural antidepressants.
Build a suitable daily routine for yourself and try to perform it to the best of your ability. Get up at the same time every day, eat at certain hours, and go to bed early to get a good rest. The formed routine contributes to the normal functioning of the body and the installation of its own biological clock, which is disturbed in depressive disorder.
Read! The more you know about depression, the easier it is to deal with the problem of how to get out of depression on your own. Being aware of depression makes it less scary and mysterious.
Love yourself and what surrounds you
Pay attention to what you think. Try to listen to them when you're depressed, but don't set out to decide if they're right or wrong. A conscious approach to one's thoughts will form the basis for an objective one's own view of the worldview, distorted by depression.
A depressed person often avoids communication. But alone, alone with personal difficulties, you will feel very bad. And in the company of other people you will be from your owndepressive experiences to be distracted. Do what you like with someone else. Support groups often help. People who are in a similar condition gather there.
And most importantly: be patient. Depression is a serious disease, it does not immediately go away. It is necessary to know that with this disorder, recovery is not the exception, but the rule. Be patient and always remember that you are on the way to recovery.
Medicated treatment
Drugs are widely used in the treatment of both manic and depressive states. This fact applies especially to the severe condition of major depressive disorder and during bipolar depression. Less serious types of depressive disorders can be treated without medication.
It doesn't matter if a person has been depressed for a year or a week - drugs are prescribed for patients with severe, moderate, and mild manifestations of depression. The main condition for effective treatment is regular consultation with the doctor: visits to the doctor, strict adherence to prescribed therapy regimens, a frank, detailed account of one's general condition and life difficulties. In the process of prescribing medication, you need to ask questions to the doctor, they will make a lot of things clear to you.
Life after depression (according to people)
As shown by numerous reviews, during the resolution of conflict situations and the elimination of psycho-traumatic factors, the phenomena of increased irritability become leading: easily changing mood, disturbed sleep. characteristicis hyperesthesia - intolerance to external stimuli. Many said that headaches often begin.
Irritability and impatience, increased fatigue, constant desire for various activities, even in an environment that creates the conditions for entertainment (some people have described this as "fatigue that does not seek rest") make life much more difficult. After depression, some people, judging by the reviews, on the contrary, have an elevated mood with pronounced fussiness, arousal.
Depression lifted
The patient jumps in turn for each thought, grabs several things at once, without bringing them to the end. Disturbed ability to work, reduced sleep. After depression, all these conditions develop due to impaired levels of serotonin, monamines and other neurotransmitters in the brain.
Numerous experiments and studies have proven a direct link between an active serotonin system and various emotional shifts. Other factors include various endocrine shifts that occur in response to stress.
During the onset of depression and after it, there is dysfunction of the gonads, thyroid gland, dysregulation in the "hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal glands" system. In addition, depression often leads to dysfunctions in the work of the inhibitory system of the cerebral cortex and diencephalic structure with desynchronization of biological rhythms and regulatory mechanisms.wakefulness with periods of sleep.
After depression, correction is also required. Various homeopathic remedies help to get rid of the consequences of such an ailment as stress and depression. Without entering into negative interactions with the internal environment of the body, these biologically active substances normalize the regulation of biochemical processes in the brain at the molecular level, as a result of which hormonal imbalance is eliminated and the quality of life of people who have experienced depression is significantly improved.
