How Are Depression And Anxiety Diagnosed
There are no specific tests but your GP may perform some blood tests for other health conditions that share similar symptoms with depression or anxiety.
Your GP will need to get a good picture of the way youre feeling mentally and physically. They will ask you lots of questions about your symptoms and the changes youve noticed.
It can be difficult to think about specific answers on-the-spot but the following suggestions might help you plan ahead for your appointment.
- Make a list of all your symptoms, whether they are worse at certain times of the day or on particular occasions, how long youve had them and their effect on your day-to-day life and relationship with others.
- Explain any circumstances that could be contributing to these symptoms and the way you feel.
- Take a list of all medications you currently take, including any supplements or non-prescription medication.
- Be as open and honest as you can remember anything you say is confidential.
What Morning Depression Feels Like
Depression upon waking described by sufferers as deep sadness, a lack of desire starting the morning, a lack of motivation, feeling of emptiness, unexplained unhappiness, heaviness, and a desire to sleep as much as possible.
They also say that when the alarm buzzing, their brains look for excuses as to why they should not wake.
These excuses, when remembered, later on, do not make sense to the depression sufferers. When completely immersed with their daily routine, a few hours later, they regret that they did not wake earlier. They also realize that staying asleep was sort of surrendering to the depression and excuses their minds created.
According to research, this morning depression phenomenon is called Diurnal Mood Variation.
This includes people who suffer from symptoms of depression during certain hours of the day, usually in the morning, while being emotionally balanced and grounded later on.
What causes this specific morning depression condition and how can you avoid it, or at least reduce it significantly so that it will not hit you with intensity in the mornings?
Get Yourself Motivated With Routine
Dont rush yourself to get up and get ready and take all the pleasure out of the morning. You can also try using other forms of motivation to get up, like your phone.
Let yourself check your email or watch a cute animal video to start your day. Just to ensure that youre not staying on your phone all morning in bed, set a timer. Keep it around 15 minutes for phone time. Another option is to place your phone out of reach so you have to get up to use it.
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Brain Dump Any Negative Feelings You Have Each Morning
Keeping a notebook and pen next your bed can prove really handy on days where negative, depressive thoughts flood your mind as you wake. Try taking a few minutes on such mornings to sit comfortably and empty your mind of any depressive thoughts. You may wish to write them down, or draw them simply on paper. Then, close your notebook, and do your best to leave behind those thoughts and begin your day. .
Depression And Suicide: Getting Help In A Crisis
Some people who are depressed may think about hurting themselves or committing suicide . If you or someone you know is having thoughts about hurting themselves or committing suicide please seek immediate help. The following resources can help:
- Call to reach a 24hour crisis center or dial 911. is the National Suicide Prevention Lifelineexternal icon, which provides free confidential help to people in crisis. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administrationexternal icon runs this lifeline.
- Get help from your primary doctor or other health care provider.
- Reach out to a close friend or loved one.
- Contact a minister, spiritual leader, or someone else in your faith community.
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Difficulty Experiencing Joy Or Connection
When were depressed, it can take all of the enjoyment out of the things we love and make it more difficult for us to connect to those closest to us. We may begin to lose interest in hobbies, friendships, schoolwork, social activities, sex or life in general. When this happens, we may find ourselves feeling isolated from friends, family members or others who care about us.
Why Am I Waking Up Depressed
Some individuals who struggle with depression report feeling worse in the mornings. This is a direct result of depressions disrupting our circadian rhythm, or the cycle of our physical, mental, and behavioral changes. Sleeping at night and being awake during the daytime is an important example of this rhythm as we rely on this pattern to function normally in our everyday. And when it gets thrown off, we suffer.
One reason many feel more severe depression in the morning is that depression has been shown to disturb the circadian rhythm, Sarah Epstein, a marriage and family therapist, explains. A persons circadian rhythm impacts energy level, mood, and thinking. So, a person with depression gets poor sleep and their normal circadian cycle suffers, causing all sorts of depressive symptoms like fatigue, anger, frustration, and irritability.
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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.
How To Get A Good Nights Sleep When Youre Depressed: 3 Tips
Lets do our best to stop this harmful cyclethe good news is that if youre depressed and your sleep quality is suffering, you can make a few simple changes to get a good nights sleep again. First, drop those energy drinks and pour out your pot of coffee. Now, try crawling into bed only when youre ready for sleep, follow a bedtime routine, and ease yourself asleep:
1) Declare your bed your sleeping place. While beds were made for sleeping, most of us dont strictly use them for sleeping: we watch Netflix in bed, we read in bed, we talk on the phone in bed, we scroll through social media in bed, we do everything we possibly can from the comfort of our bed. I know, its cozy! But what if I told you that you could get a better nights sleep if you declare your bed your sleeping placein which you utilize it strictly for sleeping. Thats right, doing so will help you to sleep soundly at night, as your brain starts to associate your bed with sleep instead of a place for various activities.
2) Follow a bedtime routine. Take some time to put together a relaxing, beneficial bedtime routine. This might include taking a warm shower, journaling, reading your book, or spending a few minutes cuddling with your pup. Once you start employing this routine, your brain will start to associate it with bedtime , and signal to your body that its time to wind down.
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Favorite Apps Products And Gadgets
If youre feeling sad, lonely, or stressed, the 7 Cups app could provide you with online therapy and emotional support. With180 professional therapists and more than 300,000 trained listeners and licensed therapists, youll be able to speak to someone 24/7 in a confidential setting.
This app offers activities and games to overcome negative thoughts. Youll receive a happiness score that you can improve each time you play. Its based on effective, evidence-based psychological strategies. The company says 86 percent of those who use the app report feeling better about their lives after just two months.
If you suffer from seasonal affective disorder , bright light therapy may help improve your symptoms. We like the Verilux HappyLight Lucent 10,000 Lux LED Bright White Light Therapy Lamp. Its compact and portable, so you can use it on the go. And it received an average of 4.5 stars on Amazon reviews. The cost is around $45.
What Are The Treatments For Depression
Many helpful treatments for depression are available. Treatment for depression can help reduce symptoms and shorten how long the depression lasts. Treatment can include getting therapy and/or taking medications. Your doctor or a qualified mental health professional can help you determine what treatment is best for you.
- Therapy. Many people benefit from psychotherapyalso called therapy or counseling.7,8 Most therapy lasts for a short time and focuses on thoughts feelings and issues that are happening in your life now. In some cases understanding your past can help but finding ways to address what is happening in your life now can help you cope and prepare you for challenges in the future.With therapy, youll work with your therapist to learn skills to help you cope with life, change behaviors that are causing problems and find solutions. Do not feel shy or embarrassed about talking openly and honestly about your feelings and concerns. This is an important part of getting better.Some common goals of therapy include:
- Getting healthier
- Making sense of past painful events
- Identifying things that worsen your depression
- Having better relationships with family and friends
- Understanding why something bothers you and creating a plan to deal with it
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Substance Or Alcohol Use
People already dealing with anxiety should avoid alcohol and recreational drug use.
Although substance use and alcohol use do not have direct links to anxiety, they can make symptoms of anxiety worse.
As a result, alcohol or other substances can affect how a person sleeps or how they feel when they wake up.
There is evidence that how happy a person is in their relationship can directly affect aspects of their health. These include illness recovery and sleep patterns.
In a small-scale study , researchers asked 29 couples to record their relationship experiences during the day and how they slept at night. The results indicated that when females reported having positive interactions with their partner during the day, both they and their partner slept better than when the interactions were negative.
In a similar way, relationship status may cause a person to wake up feeling anxious.
GAD and other anxiety disorders may develop due to ongoing or acute stressful life events. Some life events that might trigger anxiety on waking include:
- changes in living arrangements, for example, moving to a new area or someone else moving out
- changes in employment, such as switching jobs or losing a job
- experiencing physical, mental, or sexual abuse
- the separation from or death of a loved one
- emotional shock after a traumatic event
However, for some, thinking and worrying about finances can become an overwhelming problem.
Getting Out Of A Funk: How To Help Yourself Through Depression
Everyone has off days where they feel tired, irritable, and sad. Its normal to feel sadness as a response to challenging life events, loss, or changes, but sometimes these feelings can stick around for a while if left unaddressed and make it difficult for you to get through each day.
Heres how you can tell when youre in a funk or maybe even experiencing a mild depression as well as what you can do to help yourself feel better.
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Tips For Coping With Depression
In addition to talking to a provider about treatments for depression, there are several steps you can take on your own:
- Exercise: Low-intensity exercise, even walking 10 minutes a day, can lead to improvements in mood and physical health. For some people with mild to moderate depression, exercise can work as effectively as an antidepressant.
- Support: Experiencing depression can feel isolating and hopeless, so remember that youre not alone. Spend time with others, talk about what youre experiencing, and try not to isolate yourself.
- Be realistic: Even with effective treatment, symptoms of depression may improve gradually.
Having depression can increase thoughts of suicide. If you or someone you know is in crisis, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline provides 24/7, free and confidential support.
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
Allow Yourself Adequate Time To Get Ready In The Morning
It is important to remember that when we are feeling depressed, we can feel sluggish and struggle to get done the things we need to. Its a good idea to allow yourself a little more time than normal to get ready in the mornings even ten minutes can make a huge difference. The last thing you want to do is worsen your feelings of depression by having to rush through your morning routine before you have even arrived at what you need to accomplish over your day.
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How To Help Someone Who May Be Experiencing Depression
If you are currently experiencing one or more of these symptoms, its okay to seek support. If you are having thoughts of suicide, call 303-492-2277 to access 24/7 crisis support from Counseling and Psychiatric Services .
If you notice a roommate, friend or classmate experiencing any of these symptoms, here are a few things you can do to help:
Everyday Life Contains Happy Feelings And Sad Ones
The truth is when you allow yourself to feel your sadness in a healthy way you discover that it has a natural lifespan and will pass through you, dissipating on its own. It will surely come back but will pass through you again and you will become stronger with each passing. The act of giving yourself permission to feel what you feel helps you to understand who you are and gain trust in your own ability to take care of yourself.
If you stop running from the sad feelings you will have more energy to devote to what is important to you rather than using it up trying to fend off what you are not allowed to or afraid of feeling.
A healthy balanced life does not center around pursuing just one feelinghappy. We are at our most content and healthy when we give ourselves permission to be who we are and feel all of our feelings, the ones we like and the ones we dont like.
To learn more about how to embrace sadness or other emotions you may be uncomfortable experiencing contact me and we will work with them together.
The Life You Want Blog
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Waking Up Sad And Angry
April 23, 2019Guest User
Sometimes I wake up sad and angry for no reason.
This morning was a case in point. I went to bed generally content. Id spent a profitable evening watching a Spider Man cartoon with my wife and eldest son. Id slept well. I dont even remember the 3am pee. But when I woke up I didnt want to get up. I was sad and angry.
I say sad and angry because I think that emotionally when I feel low I assume that this is other peoples fault. Sometimes I do sad mingled with self-pity. But more often I do sad mingled with self-righteousness. Which translates into sad and angry.
Its not that there are any real reasons to be sad and angry. I know that because the feelings usually come before I can find someone to pin them on. I feel therefore I blame! I also know theyre irrational because its now 9am and Im not sad and angry any more! And nothing has changed in the circumstances of my life.
The speed of my mood change also tells me that Im not clinically depressed. I say that not because I am ashamed of the possibility of being depressed, but rather because I dont want to trivialise the deep, debilitating darkness which swamps the genuinely depressed. Im just a bit of a depressive sort of person.
The funny thing is that as a Christian I shouldnt be surprised by my emotions malfunctioning. They are after all just the product of one of the major organs of my body, the brain The Bible teaches that the whole of creation, of which my brain is a part,
What Are The Types Of Depressive Disorders
Significant feelings of sadness or a loss of interest in their normal daily activities are common in all depressive disorders. Specific forms of depression vary based on the severity of symptoms and the situation in which they develop.
The most well-known type is major depressive disorder, and it is marked by symptoms that affect a person virtually every day for an extended period of time. It commonly involves sleep disruptions.
Persistent depressive disorder, also called dysthymia or chronic depression, may involve fewer symptoms than major depression, but symptoms last for at least two years and any symptom-free period lasts no longer than two months.
Other types of depression, such as premenstrual dysphoric disorder and seasonal affective disorder tend to come and go over shorter periods but can also involve significant sleeping problems.
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Tip : Reach Out To Family And Friendsand Let Them Help
Close relationships are vital in reducing isolation and helping you manage SAD. Participate in social activities, even if you dont feel like it. It may feel more comfortable to retreat into your shell, but being around other people will boost your mood. Even if youve retreated from relationships that were once important to you, make the effort to reconnect or start new relationships.
. Or reach out to someone newa work colleague or neighbor, for example. Most of us feel awkward about reaching out, but be the one to break the ice.
Join a support group for depression. Sometimes, just talking about what youre going through can help you feel better. Being with others who are facing the same problems can help reduce your sense of isolation and provide inspiration to make positive changes.
Meet new people with a common interest by taking a class, joining a club, or enrolling in a special interest group that meets on a regular basis. Whatever you choose, make sure its something thats fun for you.
Volunteer your time. Helping others is one of the best ways to feel better about yourself, expand your social network, and overcome SAD.