Contact A Medical Professional For Treatment
If your symptoms are severe if you feel you might harm yourself or your baby, for example go to an emergency room. Otherwise, contact your ob-gyn, your childs pediatrician or your primary care provider to seek treatment and a mental health referral. Sometimes postpartum depression or anxiety can improve over time without intervention, Dr. Snyder said, but treatment will speed up the process and allow mom to enjoy her baby and her life now rather than waiting for months or longer.
Treatment can involve medication, talk therapy, changes in behavior or lifestyle , or some combination of the three. Antidepressants, particularly selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, are the gold standard for treating postpartum depression and are safe to take while breastfeeding, Dr. Snyder said.
Another reason to seek treatment: Untreated postpartum depression has been shown to pose long-lasting behavioral and neurodevelopmental risks to a womans children. It can cause marital strife and anxiety for other children in the home who often dont understand what is wrong but can identify that Mommy isnt herself, Dr. Snyder said.
How To Recognize A Downward Spiral Of Depression
Being stuck in a spiraling depression can be emotionally exhausting. It can be difficult to break out of or stop the negative spiral if you dont recognize it is happening in the first place.
I can certainly attest to this. Thankfully, there are ways to recognize what is happening and be more prepared.
How Can I Help A Loved One Who Is Depressed
If someone you know has depression, help them see a health care provider or mental health professional. You also can:
- Offer support, understanding, patience, and encouragement.
- Invite them out for walks, outings, and other activities.
- Help them stick to their treatment plan, such as setting reminders to take prescribed medications.
- Make sure they have transportation to therapy appointments.
- Remind them that, with time and treatment, the depression will lift.
Take comments about suicide seriously, and report them to your loved ones health care provider or therapist. If they are in immediate distress or thinking about hurting themselves, call 911 for emergency services or go to the nearest hospital emergency room.
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Causes Of Depression Relapse
If you are experiencing a depression relapse, you might be wondering why your depression has returned. It’s true that depression can return at any time, even if you are taking medication or receiving therapy. It can also return without any obvious outside trigger or stressor.
However, sometimes depression relapse follows an external event. Below are some potential triggers or causes of a depression relapse.
- Experiencing the death of a loved one or other significant loss
- Going through a stressful life event
- Hormonal changes related to your life stage
- Failure to use coping strategies or discontinuing their use
- Changes in the medication that you are taking
- Sleep disturbances
Ocd Social Anxiety And Self
Because both social anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder are related to feelings of anxiety, self-therapy is frequently used as a means of addressing both. In fact, just under a quarter of those found to have OCD are also diagnosed with social anxiety .
Self-therapy, in this case, will often involve identifying the anxious âpartsâ of our psyche that are driving obsessive thoughts, compulsive behavior, or feelings of fear relating to social situations.
Social anxiety can often drive behaviors, particularly avoidance-related behaviors, and self-therapy directed at treating it often starts with psychoeducation.
Research points towards the effectiveness, in particular, of cognitive-behavioral bibliotherapy and internet-based programs for individuals with social anxiety . Even more encouragingly, these improvements showed signs of having endured in follow-up trials a year later.
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Adhere To Medication Plan
If you were prescribed antidepressant medication as part of your treatment plan, it is very important that you adhere to the medication schedule that you were prescribed. Do not abruptly stop taking medication if you do not like how it is making you feel.
Instead, schedule an appointment with your doctor to discuss your medication and possible changes that you could make. Abruptly stopping your medication could lead to withdrawal effects instead, follow the advice of your doctor before stopping or changing any medication.
Create A Morning Routine Worth Waking Up For
Many people myself included get stuck in a routine of dragging themselves out of bed to get to work and thats it. We barely have time for breakfast in our routine. Were just trying to get out the door.
But if you create a morning routine worth waking up for, you may have a different outlook for your morning.
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Are The Signs Of Untreated Depression In Men Different From Those In Women
Men who have untreated clinical depression may exhibit more anger, frustration, and violent behavior than women. In addition, men with untreated depression may take dangerous risks such as reckless driving and having unsafe sex. Men are not aware that physical symptoms, such as headaches, digestive disorders and chronic pain, can be symptoms of depression.
Depression In Children Yes It Can Happen
Although depression can occur in young children, it is much more common in adolescents and, after puberty, occurs much more frequently in girls. For a diagnosis of depression in children, as in adults, at least five symptoms must be present for a period of at least two weeks.
The signs of depression more frequently seen in children are:
- Irritability or sadness
- Inability to concentrate
- Preoccupation with death, writing or talking
Young people may also engage in high-risk sexual activities and other behaviors including shoplifting, physical fights and abuse of alcohol or drugs.
Untreated, depression can lead to devastating consequences in young people, including ongoing problems in school, at home and with friends, losing critical developmental years and increasing the risk for substance abuse.
If you are concerned your child may be depressed, it is important to talk to him or her about your observations and how he or she is feeling and to listen for key warning signs. You should try to create an open, honest communication where mental health issues, like depression, are treated like any other health risks affecting adolescents.
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What Is A Relapse
The definition of relapse in relation to depression is a recurrence of symptoms after remission has been achieved .
While it is possible that those who relapse will experience the same symptoms they did during their first depressive episode, it is also possible that the symptoms that they experience will be entirely different the next time.
Socialize With Friends And Family
Even if you are experiencing mild depression or a funk, you might find yourself drawing away from others, avoiding social situations, or not wanting to burden people with your feelings. One of the hardest but most helpful things you can do to see yourself through depression is to find that strong support circle and spend time with the people you love.
Schedule times to visit with family and friends or plan to grab lunch with a coworker so you have a specific time and place where you can lean on others when youre feeling blue. You might also find that some of these people have experienced depression themselves and they might be able to relate with you on the subject and share ideas of what has helped them in the past or just lend an open ear.
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How Do You Deal With Sadness In A Healthy Way
During periods of sadness, it’s important to connect with others for emotional support and to focus on self-care. It may seem obvious but sleep and diet are important aspects of mental wellness and helpful ways to destress. So is regular exercise. It takes courage to sit with sadness and accept your feelings. 2 But if it persistsor starts to impact daily functioningit’s important to seek help from a trained counselor. Working to understand the causes of strong emotions through introspection, education, and professional help can be a helpful way to understand them.
Seek Social Support And Keep Yourself Physically Healthy
Having a support network that can step in when you and your baby are in need is extremely important, said Dr. Trachtenberg. If you have the option, ask friends and family to help out, or ask your partner to take on additional responsibilities. This also gives you time to exercise, time with friends away from the baby, and time to get the sleep you need to recharge your brain.
In addition to a healthy diet and exercise, Dr. Snyder and Dr. Stuebe both said that the sleep issue is critical: Work with your partner to ensure you can get several blocks of consolidated sleep each day.
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How To Reach Out For Depression Support
Look for support from people who make you feel safe and cared for. The person you talk to doesnt have to be able to fix you they just need to be a good listenersomeone wholl listen attentively and compassionately without being distracted or judging you.
Make face-time a priority. Phone calls, social media, and texting are great ways to stay in touch, but they dont replace good old-fashioned in-person quality time. The simple act of talking to someone face to face about how you feel can play a big role in relieving depression and keeping it away.
Try to keep up with social activities even if you dont feel like it. Often when youre depressed, it feels more comfortable to retreat into your shell, but being around other people will make you feel less depressed.
Find ways to support others. Its nice to receive support, but research shows you get an even bigger mood boost from providing support yourself. So find waysboth big and smallto help others: volunteer, be a listening ear for a friend, do something nice for somebody.
Care for a pet. While nothing can replace the human connection, pets can bring joy and companionship into your life and help you feel less isolated. Caring for a pet can also get you outside of yourself and give you a sense of being neededboth powerful antidotes to depression.
10 tips for staying connected
How Long Does It Take To Fight Off Depression
Fighting off clinical depression is difficult without professional help since the passage of time won’t typically resolve symptoms. Becoming educated about the symptoms, causes, and treatments for depression can be helpful. Anger, irritability, and unexplained physical symptoms can be symptoms of depression. If symptoms persist beyond a few weeksor interfere with your ability to go to work or schooland you find it difficult to get out of bed, it’s important to seek treatment. Untreated depression is linked to an increased risk of suicide, Ask your primary care physician to refer you to a trained therapist or seek help online from a reputable online counseling service. If you lack health insurance or can’t afford therapy, many providers offer reduced fees for their help. You can also ask in your community for free or low-cost treatment for people struggling with depression.
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What To Do When Youre Too Depressed To Work
Are you too depressed to work?
Everyone gets sad from time to time, but the major depressive disorder is a serious mental illness
If you have DMM, there are massive consequences.
Your symptoms of depression can be crippling, and the statistics back it up!
The World Health Organization lists depression as the leading cause of disability worldwide.
If youre having trouble working during a depressive episode, dont beat yourself up over it. This is not something you can snap out of with willpower.
Mental health issues can be just as detrimental to your ability to work as physical health conditions.
Thankfully, there are options available for what to do, to get you back on your feet and confident at work.
Focus On Whats Around You
Paper and pens may seem old-fashioned, but the affect they have definitely isnt. Consider writing down something youre grateful for every day. Or even better, do this at night and reread your gratitude in the morning. Reminding yourself about the positives in your life can start your day a little better.
Another option is to focus on your pets, which have shown to provide many benefits . They can be a great motivation for waking up in the morning, whether its feeding, walking, or cuddling with them.
Spending just a few minutes being unconditionally loved by your pet can have an overwhelming positive effect on your mood.
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Whats The Difference Between Sadness And Depression
Whether youve lost a loved one, moved to a new place, or missed out on a job opportunity, there are plenty of stressful and upsetting events that can get you down. However, the difference between sadness and depression is that sadness usually passes with a little time, while depression is a mood disorder that can appear without any specific cause and last for two weeks or more.
Depression impacts almost every part of your life, interfering with how you think, feel, and go about your daily activities like sleeping, working, and socializing. Some common symptoms of depression include:
- Feeling empty
- Difficulty sleeping or sleeping more than normal
- Changes in appetite or weight
- Feelings of hopelessness
- Loss of interest in hobbies or activities
- Irritability or restlessness
- Aches and pains without clear physical causes
- Thoughts of death or suicide
To be diagnosed with depression, these symptoms must be present nearly all day, every day for at least two weeks.
Substance/medication Induced Depressive Disorder
Some people turn to drugs or abuse alcohol as a way of self-medicating, but this quick fix often backfires. The highs of alcohol and drugs lead inevitably to lows. If youre using substances daily, you may experience the lows as a hangover, tiredness, or the grayness of being without the substance and not really think of it as depression. But along with whatever pain and craving you feel, your mood is depressedtheres no question.
If youve been drinking or taking drugs regularly for a long time, your body will need time to regain its balance. Twelve-step programs are often effective because they provide much of what many depressed people need most: understanding, regular social interaction, optimism, forgiveness, and even a bit of laughter. If you believe in a higher powerall the better: that too can be a source of strength. But the bare bones of Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, and other programs are always sound advice: Keep the toxins out of your body and mind, and connect with other human beings.
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Or Spend Time With Loved Ones
Depression can tempt you to isolate yourself and withdraw from people you love and trust, but face-to-face time can help wash away those tendencies.
If youre unable to spend time together in person, phone calls or video chats can also be helpful.
Try to remind yourself these people care about you. Resist the temptation to feel like youre a burden. You need the interaction and they likely do, too.
Research has shown that keeping a journal can be a beneficial add-on method for managing mental health conditions.
Writing down your thoughts can help you express what youre feeling more clearly. It can also help you keep track of what symptoms youre having each day and identify what causes them.
You can make a goal to write for a few minutes each day or week. Most importantly, what you want to write about is completely up to you.
When you do the same thing day after day, you use the same parts of your brain.
Research shows doing new things can feel rewarding improve your overall well-being and strengthen your social relationships.
To reap these benefits, consider trying a new sport, taking a creative class, or learning a new cooking technique.
Respect Love Your Emotions
Practice loving your emotions. This can be a difficult concept. Why would you want to love painful emotions? Dont judge your emotion. It is not good or bad. It is just there. There are no bad emotions, just emotions. Anger, fear, sadness are all painful emotions, but they are not bad. Everyone has them, and they are just as valid as the happy emotions. Practice a willingness to experience and radically accept your emotion. Talk to yourself and your emotions kindly.
Exercises
This is difficult stuff. It takes time and lots of practice to get the hang of it, and more practice to get it to be a natural response to pain for you. Pick one small thing to try, and try it in a simple situation. Try using the above steps in the following scenarios:
- How you feel when the mail is late
- How you feel when you lose a favorite piece of jewelry
- How you feel if you get scared watching a horror movie
- Create your own!
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Meet Yourself Where You Are
Depression is common. It affects millions of people, including some in your life. You may not realize they face similar challenges, emotions, and obstacles.
The key to navigating depression is to be open, accepting, and loving toward yourself and what youre going through.
Every day with this disorder is different. Its important to take your mental health seriously and accept that where you are right now isnt where youll always be.