Why Some People Dont Understand Depression
Mental health is hard to see, plain and simple. Chances are, you know at least one person who has struggled with major depression, but they may have never exhibited any signs of their disorder at least, none that youve noticed.
Theres a wide knowledge and experience gap between people whove personally dealt with severe depression and those who havent.
For people with mental health issues, depression symptoms are very real. But for those who havent struggled, someone elses symptoms of depression may be easily written off as something less serious.
These misunderstandings are called stigma. And over the centuries, theyve been a massive hindrance to the evolution of mental health resources, the people suffering from disorders like depression and anxiety, and society itself.
Statistics paint a clear picture of the toll. Around one in four Americans will experience a mental health issue in their lifetime. And yet only in the last few decades have medication and therapy emerged from the shadowy shame spaces into the spotlight, where they can save more lives.
Depression Makes You Feel Even More Alone
Depression is tricky.
It makes you believe things that are not true, and in the process, it keeps you more isolated from your loved ones and the people who can help you.
Depression makes you believe all kinds of lies. And many times, you dont even realize that its tricking you.
Has depression ever made you say these things to yourself?
- Im surprised there are people out there who love me at all. Really, I bring everyone down.
- Everyone is so busy these days, why would they make time for me?
- Look at them they are so happy. Dont be a downer by sharing how you are feeling.
- You are already a burden. Opening up to them will only weigh them down even more.
- Nobody notices you anyway. If they did, they would have come up to you and asked whats wrong.
- They are going to think you are insane if you tell them how you feel.
- They are not going to believe you. You dont cry enough. You look like you have a great life.
- They are going to think you just want attention.
- You are going to come across as ungrateful.
- They will probably say something stupid like cheer up or snap out of it. Why even bother?
One of the best things you can do to fight depression is to find someone to talk to about it. Yet, your mind will put you in a place where you begin to pull away from people.
Dont listen to these negative thoughts. Reach out and find someone to talk to.
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Where Can I Find Clinical Trials For Depression
Clinical trials are research studies that look at new ways to prevent, detect, or treat diseases and conditions. Although individuals may benefit from being part of a clinical trial, participants should be aware that the primary purpose of a clinical trial is to gain new scientific knowledge so others may receive better help in the future.
Researchers at the National Institute of Mental Health and around the country conduct many studies with patients and healthy volunteers. Talk to your health care provider about clinical trials, their benefits and risks, and whether one is right for you. For more information, visit NIMH’s clinical trials information.
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Other Sites That Can Help
www.atareira.org.nz – Support, education and information for family and whnau.Carers New Zealand – Information and support for people in caregiver roles.Mental Health Foundation – Information about mental health covering a range of topics.Small Steps – A range of simple tools you can use to manage your stress, anxiety and low mood.
Take Care Of Yourself
It can be pretty scary and intense to see someone you care about experiencing depression or anxiety. You can be there for your friend, but its equally important to do things that keep you well. By taking care of yourself, youll be in a better place mentally and physically, and this allows you to better support the people around you.
Remember to do the following to make sure your own wellbeing is looked after:
- Monitor your mood. You might be really worried about your friend, but it’s important that you also monitor your own mood and stress levels. This could include rating your mood out of ten each day, to track how you’re doing.
- Don’t give up the things you enjoy. Always make sure you’ve got the time to do your favourite things.
- Make time to relax. Relaxation is great for helping you to unwind and deal with stress.
- Set boundaries. You arent going to be able to be there for your friend all of the time. Set some limits around what youre willing, and not willing, to do. For example, you might decide not to take any phone calls in the middle of the night, or not to miss social events just because your friend isnt up to going.
- Ask for support. Its important that youre getting your own emotional support. Talk to people you trust about how youre feeling.
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Say What You Have Practised
When youre ready, just go for it. Say what youve practised, and if you feel more comfortable taking your notes with you, then do so. If you get tongue-tied or shaky then dont worry. Its perfectly acceptable to tell the person that youre finding this difficult. If you find that youre becoming a bit overwhelmed, then just take a break and come back to the conversation later.
What Treatment Should I Be Offered
The National Institute of Health and Care Excellence writes guidance on what treatment doctors should offer you. But your doctor does not have to give you these treatments. And the treatments may not be available in your area.
Different treatments may be available in your area. Your doctor might think these suit your symptoms more than the recommended treatments.
NICE recommend that depression is treated in different steps depending on how severe the condition is for you. The steps are as follows.
Step 1: Everyone who may have depression
Your doctor should offer you:
- an assessment of your symptoms,
- support, such as regular appointments in person or by telephone,
- information on how to deal with your symptoms,
- monitoring of your symptoms and follow-up, and
- referral for further assessment and treatment if needed.
Step 2: Mild to moderate depression
Your doctor may offer you:
- low-intensity interventions, such as self-help guided by the doctor or computerised cognitive behavioural therapy ,
- physical activity programmes,
- group cognitive behavioural therapy ,
- medication if you have a history of moderate or severe depression, or you have had symptoms for a long time, and
- referral for further assessment and treatment if needed.
Step 3: Moderate to severe depression, or mild to moderate depression when other treatments havent worked
Your doctor may suggest:
Step 4: Severe and complex depression or if your life is at risk Your doctor may suggest:
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Ways To Help A Friend With Depression Or Anxiety
If you want to be there for someone whos dealing with depression or anxiety, youre already being a great friend. It can be hard to know exactly how to help someone with depression or anxiety, and what to say to someone who’s having a rough time. Remember that each person is different, and while these tips are a guide, when helping a friend with depression or anxiety, its important to talk with your friend about what they feel they need.
How To Talk About Depression With Family And Friends
by Yoho | Mar 8, 2019 | Conversation, Depression, Major Depression, Mental Illness, Relationships, Stigma, Symptoms, Treatment |
Due to the very nature of the subject, depression is often achallenging discussion topic. People are sometimes afraid that they will saythe wrong thing or misinterpret their words. The point of having theconversation is to have an open and honest talk about depression. The lastthing that is desired is for the conversation to be seen as too aggressive orinsensitive.
The Fear and Taboo ofDepression:
Misunderstanding about mood disorders can make someone experiencingdepression feel worse about themselves. These misunderstandings are remediedthrough education, versus staying silent and refusing to learn more about thecondition.
It is better to have a sincere conversation about depression, rather than simply ignore it and hope the condition cures itself and goes away. This topic, and its relation to suicide, is too important to ignore. The fear and perceived shame in talking about these topics are misplaced. The topic of depression is no longer considered a taboo subject.
Talking about depression will not make others catch thedisorder or worsen the symptoms of depression. People need to realize that depressionis a real medical issue, and not a personality flaw or sign of weakness. Thesemisconceptions encourage fear and anxiety in people who are experiencingdepression, but do not know where to turn or how to deal with their depressivethoughts.
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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.
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How To Talk To Friends About Your Depression
Deciding to tell the people you love that you’re struggling with depression is a big step. Not only is it challenging to find the energy to reach out to people, but there are naturally worries about how the news of your diagnosis will be received.
Unfortunately, there are too many misconceptions about mental health and what it means and the last thing you need is to be judged negatively because of it.
But, opening up about your depression is one of the most effective ways to get the help and support you need at a time when you likely feel vulnerable and alone, especially if you choose to disclose your illness to people that you know and trust.
Remember though, you are in control and you get to choose who knows and who doesn’t. Just don’t let fear of the unknown keep you from opening up to the people who care about you.
If you’re considering disclosing your diagnosis to the people close to you but just aren’t sure how to start the conversation, here are some things to consider.
How To Help Someone With Depression And Depression Treatment Through Chat
When you chat with friends in a chat room about depression, you will feel better. The community at depression chat room can help you in making healthier lifestyle choices. Chatting in a chat room about depression can help you in taking up numerous physical activities like gardening, walking and exercise. People who use depression chat rooms have successfully taken up new and healthy habits. These habits include reading, listening to music, finding a hobby and spending time with friends.
Using a chat room about depression also encourages its users to avoid alcohol and other drugs. Using drugs is bad as it alters the chemistry of the body and provides temporary relief. Depression chat with someone can help in managing stress. Talking to someone about depression can help improve sleeping habits as sharing feelings online can help the brain to calm down.
A depression chat room online helps in spending time with others who make you feel happy. Joining a chat room about depression allows you to talk to friendsand share your interests and hobbies. At a depression chat room, you can offer help to others for coping with their problems.
Depression chat room support
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How To Choose The Right Group For You
If you didnt find what you were hoping for, here are some tips on how to find the right online depression support group for you:
- Get the right focus. Support groups are usually open to anyone, but they often involve specific topics or groups of people. Youll probably want to do some research to find the right one for your situation.
- Make sure youre comfortable. You want to be comfortable in the support group space. You dont have to be discouraged if the first one you try isnt right for you. Weve put together some tips on how to vet support groups, which you may find helpful.
- Think before you take it offline. Most support groups warn against engaging in offline calls or visits with people from the group who you dont know.
- Keep in mind a support group is not a medical office. In an online support platform, anyone can often reply, including people who may not have the qualifications to offer medical advice. Its a good idea to check with your treatment team before trying anything new suggested online.
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Explaining How Depression Feels To Someone Whos Never Been Depressed
Mental health conditions like clinical depression are often difficult to put into words and it can be especially hard to find those words during depressive episodes.
In fact, one of the symptoms of depression is brain fog, which can involve reduced memory, difficulty concentrating and general cognitive issues.
When depressed individuals talk about their symptoms and experiences with depression, theyre often explaining their view of the world around them.
For instance, a person with a history of depression might say their current circumstances are hopeless or that their life is meaningless. They may also express a false belief that they have no value or that they feel an immense amount of guilt for things out of their control.
Depression is a mental health disorder. It affects how you see the world, almost like a camera filter. Imagine only being able to see negatives, and youll begin to understand.
Unfortunately, this is often where well-intended friends and loved ones can make the error of saying things like Cheer up or Just try to push through it. The issue here is in thinking the depressed person can see that theyre looking through a filter or that they can break free of their condition by some sheer force of will.
Either of those tasks is extremely challenging by itself. Together, theyre relatively impossible at least, without the right tools, information and expert support.
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How Are You Managing How Is Your Depression
This can give you some insight into how their treatment is going or if they need help getting professional assistance.
Depression is a medical condition. Its not a flaw or weakness. Its important to assure them theyre not weak or defective. If someone you love has depression, encourage them to seek professional help if they havent already done so. Remind them that asking for help is a sign of strength, not weakness.
Asking how their treatment is going can also encourage them to stick with their treatment plan. You may also tell them when youve noticed improvements. This can help validate its working, even if they dont always feel like it is.
The Truth About Depression: Six People Speak Out
Depression is not picky. Men, women, rich, poor, white, black. No one is immune. It is not just an illness for people with dark, mysterious pasts or chaotic presents. It is ubiquitous. Empirical and anecdotal evidence suggests this is fast becoming the disease du jour. Antidepressant prescriptions have soared. The World Health Organisation warns that mental illness will be second only to HIV/Aids in the burden it places on the world by the end of this decade.
Despite this, it is still badly misunderstood. Why? Because most people have been a bit low, a bit sad, a bit depressed at one time in their life, and so can’t see what all the fuss is about. After my own epic tussle with depression, I wanted to describe what it is really like and demonstrate that it is so much more than just feeling a bit blue on Monday mornings. And so I wrote a book.
But I didn’t just want to tell my story. I spoke to dozens of fellow travellers, some locally and others via the national mental health campaign Time to Change, and asked them about their experiences. Many did not want to go public. Depressed people still feel the world is deeply suspicious of them, is unlikely to befriend them and certainly won’t give them a job. But some were willing to speak openly about their battle with the illness.
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