Why Am I Depressed For No Reason
The pressure to explain or justify negative emotions can actually worsen symptoms of depression. In general, researchers are still learning about the different mechanisms that drive this mental health condition. But more often, its a combination of factors that cause or trigger the onset of symptoms. Research suggests that for some individuals, neurotransmitters may play a role in contributing to mental health disorders. Lack of certain substances in the brain can lead to imbalances in brain chemicals. Antidepressants may be necessary to restore balance.
Understanding the chemistry of depression may help others become familiar with the various treatment options. Psychotherapy is helpful for most diagnosed with clinical depression. However, if a client finds that therapy alone is not fully addressing issues, antidepressants combined with psychotherapy may be more effective.
Feeling Suddenly Depressed Can Be Really Scary Really Scary
But understanding why you might be so can go a long way towards helping you manage your sadness.
Talk to your doctor about your brain chemistry, consider what has been happening in your life recently, make sure you are taking care of yourself and take stock of the weather.
It is important that, if you are depressed, you deal with it right away. Depression that goes untreated will only get worse. So, deal with your depression today!
Make Sure You Are Taking Good Care Of Yourself
Are you eating well? Getting exercise? Spending time with friends? Taking care of your hygiene?
If not, this could be the cause of your depression.
Taking care of our mental and physical bodies is a key to mental and physical health. If you dont take care of yourself, but instead live on wine and ice cream, eventually your body is going to react.
A body that isnt well fed or exercised will start to turn on itself, causing all sort of debilitating issues. One of those issues is depression.
So if you find that youre suddenly feeling depressed for no reason, examine how you are taking care of yourself. If you are not doing a good job try to make a change. You might find your depression lifts if you do.
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The Next Step: Getting Help
If you notice any of these serious depression symptoms in yourself or someone you love, reach out and get help. In most people, even major depression is a very treatable disorder, with a wide range of medications and therapies that have been proven to work, according to the APA.
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Two Strategies To Cope For Times When Depression Comes Out Of Nowhere
If youve suffered from depression, you know how debilitating it can be, especially when it comes out of nowhere. If youve gone through depression, and come out the other end, its such a relief to finally feel better. But what can you do when depression comes out of nowhere? The hopelessness and helplessness you already feel, can start to feel even worse.
Depression makes you feel like giving up, like nothing matters anymore. Especially when youve already been through it before. If you have depression that lasts at least two weeks, and then goes away, and then comes back again for two weeks or more, this can be a sign of a more serious depression that needs to be addressed.
You might feel like you are slogging through each day. Things are fine, but not great. You may have a constant low level depression. It has lasted so long that it just feels normal. You may be so used to it that you dont realize that you could be feeling depressed and that you can do something about it until it takes a turn for the worse.
Symptoms of depression include tearfulness, irritability, emptiness, worthlessness, poor hygiene, not taking care of yourself, insomnia, weight gain or loss, feeling slowed down or restlessness, inability to concentrate, recurrent thoughts of death and loss of interest in previously enjoyable activities.
Depression can negatively affect your day-to-day functioning at work, school, and socially. Are you isolated and not getting anything done?
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Seek Professional Support For Depression
Regardless of whether or not you already have an official diagnosis of depression, it is recommended that you reach out for an assessment and professional support if you are concerned about the fact that you are waking up depressed. It is important to do this if you are experiencing other depression symptoms too.
You may want to book an appointment with your local GP, who will be able to provide an initial assessment and access to specialist care and support.
You can also visit a consultant psychiatrist at one of our Priory hospitals located throughout the UK. They can provide you with an assessment and put together a treatment plan for managing your depression, which can include therapy, a residential programme and medication if needed.
The types of therapy used to treat depression at Priory Group include cognitive behavioural therapy , dialectical behaviour therapy for depression, 1:1 therapy and group therapy.
A new treatment – repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation is also available at Priory Wellbeing Centre Harley Street, where areas of your brain linked to mood control are stimulated.
Coronavirus information
Page medically reviewed by Debbie Longsdale and Prof.Dip. in Integrative Therapeutic Counselling), Priory Therapy Services Director.
For details of how Priory can provide you with assistance regarding mental health and wellbeing, please call 0800 840 3219 or . For professionals looking to make a referral, please click here
Most People With Depression Need Treatment To Feel Better
If you think you may have depression, start by making an appointment to see your health care provider. This could be your primary doctor or a health provider who specializes in diagnosing and treating mental health conditions . Certain medications, and some medical conditions, such as viruses or a thyroid disorder, can cause the same symptoms as depression. A health care provider can rule out these possibilities by doing a physical exam, interview, and lab tests. Your health care provider will examine you and talk to you about treatment options and next steps.
Talking to Your Health Care Provider About Your Mental Health
Communicating well with your health care provider can improve your care and help you both make good choices about your health. Read about tips to help prepare and get the most out of your visit. For additional resources, including questions to ask your health care provider, visit the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
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What Is The Word For Feeling Sad For No Reason
Feeling sad for no reason can be confusing to go through. Although there are several mental health conditions that can cause this, the world for feeling sad is sadness. Its not always just a feeling, though. If you think you may be struggling with depression or another mental illness, consider reaching out to a therapist for an official clinical diagnosis.
Is It In Your Genes
If anxiety appears to run in the family, it may be that your genetic inheritance that biological lottery has set you up for some vulnerability to anxiety.
That does not necessarily mean your genes are the cause of your problem. The story is far more complicated than that.
Not every timid, shy and anxious child develops into a fearful adult with anxiety problems.
Lifestyle factors, parenting and other experiences, as well as your manner of dealing with stressors , determine the ultimate outcome.
Your personal development, and here the development of anxiety, depends on
- how safe your environment was when you grew up
- to what extent essential emotional needs were met
- whether or not you had parents who were overprotective
- whether or not you had a parent who was always anxious
- whether or not you were encouraged to become more resilient and deal with, rather than avoid, feared situations at home, with friends and at school
These experiences would have shaped your own reactions and general attitude towards stressful situations and life events.
But ultimately, yes, your genes could indeed be the cause of your anxiety.
So, what can you do about it?
Youve always been a nervous type chronically anxious?
Regardless of whether that is through a genetic predisposition or any of the above, you just need to follow all the steps below to permanently get over that sense of panic.
Unless you need treatment for trauma, decide to focus only on the here and now from now on.
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Personal Factors That Can Lead To Depression
Personal factors that can lead to a risk of depression include:
- family history depression can run in families and some people will be at an increased genetic risk. However, this doesnt mean that a person will automatically experience depression if a parent or close relative has had the condition.
- personality some people may be more at risk because of their personality, particularly if they tend to worry a lot, have low self-esteem, are perfectionists, are sensitive to personal criticism, or are self-critical and negative
- serious medical conditions these can trigger depression in two ways. Serious conditions can bring about depression directly or can contribute to depression through the associated stress and worry, especially if it involves long-term management of a condition or chronic pain
- drug and alcohol use can both lead to and result from depression. Many people with depression also have drug and alcohol problems.
Consider Where You Are In This Time And Place
As I write this its February. Its 32 degrees here in NYC and it gets dark by 5pm. It is a time of year where lots of people get depressed.
Seasonal Affective Disorder is a depressive disorder caused by the change of seasons. Some people get depressed because of the reduced daylight hours. Some people because of the temperature changes. Everyone affected by SAD finds themselves sad without something being wrong.
How do you deal with SAD? The most effective way is with a full spectrum lamp. The lamp will help your body tolerate the change in seasons by exposing it to full spectrum light.
Another thing to ask yourself is if something has happened to you this same time of year in another year that was painful.
I know that every year in early June I get very depressed because it is the anniversary of my mothers death. Sometimes it creeps up on me and I dont even know it.
So consider if you have been in a painful place before this time of year. If the answer is YES then you might have your source!
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Get Your Thyroid And Vitamin D Levels Checked
Two major causes of depression can be thyroid hormone levels that are off and low vitamin D.
When our thyroid hormone levels are off a variety of symptoms can arise. One of them is depression. Many of my clients who come to me complaining of depressive feelings often end up having thyroid disorders.
Vitamin D deficiency is also one of the major causes of depression. Because of the prevalence of sunscreen use, and a significant shortage of sunshine during some parts of the year, many Americans dont get enough sun. The sun is the only way for a human being to get Vitamin D so sun deficiency means a Vitamin D deficiency and Vitamin D deficiency leads to depression.
Fortunately, in both cases, testing is easy a simple blood test and treatment involves taking a pill.
So if youre suddenly feeling depressed for no reason call your primary care doctor and get your blood checked right away.
Take It One Step At A Time In The Mornings
If you wake up depressed, the idea of working your way through the day can feel like a real struggle. Rather than thinking about the day in its entirety, focus on the first thing that you need to do, which could be making a cup of tea, feeding your pet or taking a shower. Whatever it is, keep it simple.
Once you have finished the task, take a minute to recognise the big step that you have taken and use this to motivate yourself to do another simple task, which could be pouring yourself a bowl of cereal, brushing your teeth, or opening the curtains. Breaking the morning down into easy-to-manage steps can stop it from becoming overwhelming.
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Using Neurofeedback To Help Heal Depression That Comes Out Of Nowhere By Working Directly With Your Brain
Neurofeedback is another way to help heal depression. We can directly target parts of the brain to help you feel more positive. For example, the right frontal lobe of the brain calms emotional misery such as despair and anger. Neurofeedback can get to the core problem of very low self-worth through stabilizing the right frontal cortex of the brain.
The right back of the brain is targeted to make you more aware of and calm your body, reducing physical agitation. This helps reduce self-injurious behavior and also improve self-care. It helps you feel more grounded and relaxed. You can start to feel more connected to yourself and more positive.
Make The Necessary Life
Your anxiety is much less likely to rear its ugly head in the future if you commit to making lifestyle changes that protect your body, mind and environment from damage.
Now Im going to refer you to my page on how to get over a nervous breakdown.
I wrote that article for people who are on the far end of the scale with their anxiety theyve had a complete burn-out.
They may or may not have previously suffered from excessive stress or anxiety, but the advice for you is the same as it is for them.
Be sure to also visit my article on how to treat anxiety symptoms.
Next enlist your partners support
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Mitzi Bockmann Life And Love Coach At Lydb Coaching
I am a NYC based Certified life and love coach. I work with people to help them develop the tools to find, and keep, happiness and love. Email me at mitzi@letyourdreamsbegin and let me help you too! Check out my course, 4 WEEKS TO LETTING GO OF LOVE AND MOVING ON, if you are living with a broken heart and want to work through it and move on, quickly!
Aspenridge Recovery Dual Diagnosis Care
AspenRidge Recovery offers dual diagnosis care for individuals suffering from substance use disorder and clinical depression. The Joint Commission accredits our treatment facility, and our licensed clinicians are experienced in addressing co-occurring disorders. Our programs offer evidence-based care, and we provide various levels of care.
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Sadness Before Your Menstrual Cycle During Pregnancy Or After Childbirth
Reproductive hormones can also play a part in depression symptoms, so tracking what time of the month symptoms show up can offer some important clues.
- Symptoms of premenstrual dysphoric disorder generally show up a week or so before your period starts. Along with depression symptoms, you might experience anxiety or nervousness, paranoia, or panic. Some people also have a sense of general overwhelm, or feel as if theyre losing control.
- Perinatal depression involves episodes of depression that might begin during pregnancy or anytime in the first year after childbirth. It can involve worries about your ability to care for your child and intrusive thoughts about harming yourself or your child. You might also struggle to bond with your child.
- Depression symptoms can also develop along with perimenopause, or the transitional period before menopause. You might feel very tearful, lose interest in your usual activities, and find it difficult to manage ordinary stressors.
Spend Some Time In The Sun
Have you tried going outside? can sound like something a well-meaning loved one with no real knowledge of mood disorders might say. Yet while sunlight wont completely cure feelings of sadness or depression, regular sun exposure can make a difference for both physical and mental well-being.
Experts believe sunlight prompts your brain to . When you have lower levels of this hormone in your system, youre more likely to feel depressed, especially as fall and winter roll around. Spending more time in the sun, then, can increase serotonin and potentially relieve sadness.
Exercise can also offer some mood-boosting benefits , so if you feel up to it, combine your sun exposure with a walk around your neighborhood or in your favorite park.
Cant get outside easily? Little sun to speak of? Light therapy with a SAD lamp can help you get some artificial sun that still offers very real benefits.
Coping strategies wont always help relieve sadness. If nothing seems to help you find relief, it may be time to talk to a therapist or other healthcare professional.
Professional support is always recommended when symptoms:
- go away and come back regularly or continue to get worse
- begin to affect daily life and relationships
- keep you from taking care of responsibilities
- show up in physical ways appetite or sleep changes, unexplained aches and pains
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Anxiety Is Not Uncommon
Anxiety is scary. It gnaws at you wherever you go, sapping the joy out of life. You could be safe at home with your family and still feel it a constant worry buzzing in the back of your mind that can grow into panic. It can make your most important tasks feel impossible. Who can work, drive a car, or care for children when they can only focus on their intense feelings of fear? Its even worse when you have no idea why youre anxious. If you cant understand it, how can you explain it to your family, friends, or co-workers? Anxiety can make you feel isolated, and no one should have to go through a scary time alone.
If youre experiencing anxiety, youve got company. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, anxiety disorders are the most common mental illnesses in our country, afflicting about 40 million adults a year. And although effective treatment is available, only 36.9% of sufferers are treated. People may feel embarrassed about admitting that theyre anxious. They may be dismissive of their anxiety. Or, they may not be aware that frequent anxiety is a mental health problem. But awareness of your anxiety is the first step in getting treatment for itand in understanding its causes.