Depression Statistics: Disturbing Trends Helpful Treatment
Unfortunately, there are plenty of people who, like Kashuk, know exactly what it means to be depressed. An estimated 17.3 million, or 7 percent, of adults in the United States had at least one major depressive episode in the past year, according to the National Institute of Mental Health, making it one of the most common mental illnesses in the United States.
Whats more, a recent report from Mental Health America, a nonprofit founded in 1909, offers startling statistics pertaining to one of depression’s most disturbing symptoms: thoughts of suicide.
According to its 2021 State of Mental Health in America report, suicidal ideation among adults increased by 0.15 percent between the 2016-2017 calendar year and the 2017-2018 calendar year, the most recent years for which statistics are available.
There is a bright side. Although there is no one-size-fits-all cure for depression, there are many effective treatment options, one of which is bound to help you heal if youre struggling with the illness. This cannot be emphasized enough, given that roughly two-thirds of people living with depression do not receive the care they need, according to a report in the journal Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment, published online February 22, 2019.
Practice These Coping Skills Every Day
I recommend doing many if not all of the following coping skills and techniques once a day when experiencing depression. Its important to know you probably wont be motivated to do any of them at first because depression frequently saps motivation. In other words, know that its normal to feel unmotivated until youre halfway done.
The patients I work with who frequently practice these coping skills get better.The seven techniques can be memorized with the acronym MY PEERS.
1. Meaning: Find small ways to be of service to others.
Find personal meaning by serving something larger than yourself. Remember service doesnt have to be big to count. Consider this, Success, like happiness, cannot be pursued it must ensue as the unintended side effect of ones personal dedication to a course greater than oneself. Viktor E. Frankl, Mans Search for Meaning
2. Your goals: Find workable goals that give you a sense of accomplishment.
Most people feel guilty when talking about goals because they set unreasonable or unworkable goals. A goal is workable if its:
If something goes wrong with your goal, adopt a what can I learn from this? attitude . Also, be careful when comparing your progress with others. We usually compare our biggest weakness with another persons biggest strength. This is unfair .
3. Pleasant Events: Schedule pleasant activities or events.
4. Engagement: Stay in the present.
Establish A Consistent Sleep Routine
Inadequate sleep is linked to poor mental health. In fact, studies show that people with 6 hours of sleep or less each night are 2.5 times more likely to experience mental distress. When youre awake, your brain is hard at work making sure your legs move, your eyes receive information, etc. Sleeping gives your brain a chance to process emotions and experiences from the day when its least busy.
A good sleep routine could pull you out of your depression rut and boost your mental health as a whole. Here are some Sleep Routine Tips you could incorporate into your daily life.
Recommended Reading: Can A Woman Have Postpartum Depression After A Miscarriage
What If My Symptoms Dont Improve
If youre not responding to treatment, you may live with treatment resistant depression. This is when your symptoms have not improved after at least 2 standard treatments. This can also be known as treatment-refractory depression.
There is currently no official criteria used to diagnose treatment resistant depression.
What treatment is available for treatment-resistant depression?There are treatment options for treatment resistant depression. Even if antidepressants have not worked already for you, your doctor may suggest a different antidepressant from a different class.
The new antidepressant you are offered will depend on the first antidepressant you were given.
Sometimes your doctor can prescribe a second type of medication to go with your antidepressant. This can sometimes help the antidepressant work better than it does by itself.
Where antidepressants have not worked, your doctor may suggest talking therapies, ECT or brain stimulation treatments. See the previous section for more information on these.
What is an implanted vagus nerve stimulator, and how is it used in treatment resistant depression?If you live with treatment resistant depression, and youve not responded to other treatments, you may be able ask for an implanted vagus nerve stimulator.
Please speak to your doctor if youre interested in this treatment and for more information. You may be able to get this treatment funded through an Individual Funding Request.
- NHS – Your Rights by clicking here.
Know When To Seek Help
For those who feel hopeless, scared and alone, its not uncommon to attempt to relieve depressive symptoms with alcohol or drugs. Sadly, the depression always returns, causing many to self-medicate over and over again and leading to a cycle of substance misuse and addiction. If you are in this destructive cycle, help is available.
At 7 Summit Pathways, we treat addiction and the underlying mental health conditions that sometimes reinforce substance use. With Dual Diagnosis treatment, you can find the strength you need to change your life. Contact us today to learn more.
Recommended Reading: Natural Solutions For Anxiety And Depression
Read The Starter Guide
The starter guide on the official Bullet Journal website offers a deep dive into the entire system, from start to finish.
As you comb through the guide, you might already sense that there are parts of the system that will serve you well, while others might need to be modified. Take note of potential tweaks and keep them on standby for when its time to set up your journal.
Causes And Risk Factors For Depression
There is no single cause of depression. Various risk factors have been identified as contributors to clinical depression. When there are several risk factors, the likelihood of developing depression increases.
Additionally, women are more likely to develop depression than men, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. However, this disparity in depression levels may be partly due to the difference in reporting. A 2021 study concluded that females are more likely to report symptoms of depression than males. A National Health and Nutrition study found that 5.5% of men report symptoms, while 10.4% of women do. Note that this study was based on self-reported data. More research is needed to fully explore the differences.
There are also racial differences in depression rates. While white Americans tend to report higher initial levels of acute depression than Black Americans, 56% of Black Americans experience chronic depression compared to 38.6% of people who are white. Treatment rates are also lower in BIPOC populations potentially due to stigma and lack of access to treatment.
In addition to risk factors for depression, some triggers can contribute to a depressive episode. Common triggers for depression include but are not limited to:
- Stressful life events like the loss of a family member, loss of a job or significant relationship changes
- A diagnosis of a medical condition
- Previous incomplete treatments for depression
Read Also: Can Working Out Help With Depression
How To Get Out Of Depression
Getting out of depression can seem impossible. Depression has many negative effects. It can completely change someones life and rob him of the person he thought he was. Happily, that person isnt gone. That person is smothered under the weight of depression. The following ideas for how to get out of depression can be effective strategies for overcoming depression.
- Embrace and work with your strengths
- Operate from the perspective of gratitude
How To Talk A Loved One Out Of Suicide
If youre reading this, then chances are that a loved one of yours is at the point where they dont think life is worth living anymore. This can be extremely scary and stressful to go through, but theres no reason to panic just yet because with some careful consideration, suicide can easily be prevented!
Although it may seem difficult or pointless on your part, having an open dialogue about depression and suicidal thoughts will help greatly in understanding each other better as well as creating more opportunities for conversation later down the road As long as both parties involved keep their minds open while talking things through together.
Its hard enough keeping up with whats going inside our own heads without even thinking about someone elses problems, too, so if anything comes out of these conversations, it will either be a greater understanding of your loved ones problems or just an overall relief that theyre not alone in all this.
This is because depression can make people act and feel differently than their usual selves, which means that the way you deal with them may have to change as well. As long as both parties involved are prepared for what might happen during these conversations , then everything should turn out okay in the end!
Also Check: My Partner Has Depression How Do I Cope
To Start Your Bullet Journal Practice
This how-to video is where it all began. Ryder Carroll not only goes through what you need to know about the process, but sets up a sample bullet journal so you can see for yourself how the basic framework comes together.
The trick is to take the techniques he describes for a spin, and then modify them to suit you. In time, your personal bullet journaling style will take shape.
Learn About Their Experiences
One of the best ways to support someone in your life who is struggling with depression is to arm yourself with as much knowledge as possible. This way, when theyre comfortable enough to speak to you about it, youll feel confident in providing them with information and options for further support.
What is depression?
Depression, which is often diagnosed as ‘major depressive disorder’ or clinical depression, refers to significant feelings of sadness or a low mood that lasts longer than two weeks and gets in the way of your everyday life.Depression is a condition that can only be diagnosed by a health professional, and it is very different from just feeling sad.
You can read more about what depression is, the different types of depression and how it is diagnosed, in our guide to depression.
Management of mental health conditions
While it can depend on the persons particular diagnosis or the specific issues theyre experiencing, the most common methods for management of depression are:
- psychological treatments, such as cognitive behavioural therapy
- medication
- lifestyle changes, such as regular exercise, eating well, implementing sleeping routines and using self-help strategies
- finding other sources of support, such as trusted friends and family, and online forums .
You can learn more about treatments for depression here, or access our guide to self-help strategies for depression.
You May Like: How To Get Out Of Deep Depression
Tip : Challenge Negative Thinking
Do you feel like youre powerless or weak? That bad things happen and theres not much you can do about it? That your situation is hopeless? Depression puts a negative spin on everything, including the way you see yourself and your expectations for the future.
When these types of thoughts overwhelm you, its important to remember that this is a symptom of your depression and these irrational, pessimistic attitudesknown as cognitive distortionsarent realistic. When you really examine them they dont hold up. But even so, they can be tough to give up. You cant break out of this pessimistic mind frame by telling yourself to just think positive. Often, its part of a lifelong pattern of thinking thats become so automatic youre not even completely aware of it. Rather, the trick is to identify the type of negative thoughts that are fueling your depression, and replace them with a more balanced way of thinking.
Seek Out Professional Help
It doesnt matter if you are depressed or if you are simply experiencing a rut in your life due to a lack of direction. Seeking professional help to help you understand what is happening to you is the best step you can take to help yourself.
If you have identified depression as a possible cause, you can meet a doctor to identify your condition. The doctor can access you and direct you to the right physician who can help you get treatment.
Your prescribing physician can also get you the pharmacological treatment you need or even refer you to a therapist to deal with what is causing you so much distress and cope with depression symptoms.
Don’t Miss: Can Sleep Disorders Cause Depression
What If I Am Not Happy With My Treatment
If you are not happy with your treatment you can:
- talk to your doctor to see if they can suggest changes,
- get an advocate to help you speak your doctor,
- ask for a second opinion if you feel it would help,
- contact Patient Advice and Liaison Service and see whether they can help, or
- make a complaint.
There is more information about these options below.
Advocacy
An advocate is independent from the NHS. They are free to use. They can be useful if you find it difficult to get your views heard.
There are different types of advocates available. Community advocates can support you to get a health professional to listen to your concerns. And help you to get the treatment that you would like. They arent available in all areas.
You can ask an advocate to help you make a complaint. Advocates that do this are called NHS complaints advocates. They are free to use and don t work for the NHS. They re available in all areas.
You can search online to search for a local advocacy service. If you cant find a service you can call our advice service 0808 801 0525 . You can email us too at . We will look for you.
Second opinion
Talk to your doctor about your treatment to see if you can resolve the problem with them first. If you dont agree with their decisions about diagnosis or treatment, you could ask for a second opinion. You are not legally entitled to a second opinion, but your doctor might agree to it if it would help with treatment options.
‘PALS’
Complaints
- Advocacy by clicking here.
Know That Today Isnt Indicative Of Tomorrow
Internal emotions and thoughts can change from day to day. Tracking experiences through journaling or keeping a mood diary can help to remember this.
If you were unsuccessful at getting out of bed or accomplishing your goals today, remember that you havent lost tomorrows opportunity to try again.
Give yourself the grace to accept that while some days will be difficult, some days will also be less difficult. Try to look forward to tomorrows fresh start.
Don’t Miss: How To Fight Depression After A Breakup
What Is The Difference Between Depression And Sadness
Depression, also known as major depressive disorder, is more than just sadness. Its a mental illness that can cause physical symptoms like fatigue, insomnia, and weight loss or gain. Depression can make it hard to concentrate, enjoy activities you used to love, and even get out of bed in the morning. If youre struggling with depression, know that youre not alone and there is help available.
Plan For The Occasional Day In Bed
We all have bad days from time to time. Some days can be worse than others. Plan ahead for the times you just cant find it in yourself to jump out of bed and take on the world. It might be something as simple as throwing on some comfy clothes, having a special treat in the freezer for breakfast, or maybe even keeping face masks, lotions, or other at-home spa treatments readily available for those extra difficult days.
You May Like: Ways To Overcome Seasonal Depression
When To Get Professional Help For Depression
If youve taken self-help steps and made positive lifestyle changes and still find your depression getting worse, seek professional help. Needing additional help doesnt mean youre weak. Sometimes the negative thinking in depression can make you feel like youre a lost cause, but depression can be treated and you can feel better!
Dont forget about these self-help tips, though. Even if youre receiving professional help, these tips can be part of your treatment plan, speeding your recovery and preventing depression from returning.
Create A Support Network
When you feel depressed, you may have a tendency to hide away and bottle up your feelings. However, the best approach is to build a support network of friends, relatives or even dedicated support groups, who can help you address how you are feeling.
We recognise that talking to someone about your depression can be difficult for you. Whoever it is, its better if it is someone who is able to listen and empathise with you about how youre feeling. Dedicated support groups for depression can be a great way to find like-minded people to share your experiences with, either in person or remotely. Look online to find what depression support groups are out there for you.
Read Also: Brief Psychotic Disorder Vs Schizophreniform
You May Like: Depression Meds And Weight Loss
How Can You Get Rid Of Depression And Anxiety
Submitted:Category:
Welcome to JustAnswer. My name is***** and I am an experienced psychologist here to assist.
I am sorry to hear that you have been struggling with depression and anxiety. I am sure this has not been easy for you and has taken a toll on your mental and emotional well-being.
Can you kindly explain the type of thoughts that lead to depression and anxiety so I can best assist you with an informed answer?
I am so sorry to hear what you have been going through this challenging time a breakup can be the most challenging time in a person’s life.
There are 2 ways to address depression: The first is the behavioural model of depression. Essentially, when we do most anything, we feel a subtle mood boost. This could be sports, listening to music, being social, going to the gym, or cleaning. But when we start to feel bad, we become less inclined to go out and do anything. We don’t have that rewarding experience, so our mood lowers. Once the mood is lower, we become less likely to get up and do anything. The trouble is that once the mood is lower if we do anything, it only boosts the mood a little bit. You might not even notice it, so you say, “See, that didn’t help.”
When you have a negative, depressive, or anxious thought, try this technique. Create a worksheet with three columns:
1) Negative Thought: Write the negative thought here.
2) Dispute the Thought: Write what’s incorrect about the thought. Use evidence. 3) Effective New Thought