When To Get Help For Depression
If youve tried all of the above and your depression symptoms are persisting or getting more severe, then it might be right to consider seeking professional help. Depression is a treatable condition, and seeking specialist support is not a sign of weakness. These self-help tips will likely play some part in your recovery and help you to prevent symptoms returning once your treatment is complete.
Priory offers outpatient, inpatient and day care treatment for depression, as well as online therapy via Priory Connect. We will work closely with you to decide on the right direction for your recovery. Use the details below to get in touch with a mental health professional today and being your journey to beating depression.
For details of how Priory can provide you with assistance regarding mental health and wellbeing, please call 0800 840 3219 or make an enquiry. For professionals looking to make a referral, please click here.
Take Care Of Your Body
Nutrition, exercise, and sleep have profound effects on our well-being. Making healthy food choices nourishes the body and mind rather than contributing to the toxins that our systems must detoxify. In addition, keeping the body in motion stimulates feel-good endorphins that combat symptoms of depression. Along the same lines, getting enough sleep gives the body the time necessary to recharge versus constantly trying to run on empty.
Coping Strategies For Living With Multiple Personality Disorder
Multiple personality disorder is a rare mental health condition characterized by the existence of multiple personalities with distinct traits. These personalities determine a persons behavior at various times. Other symptoms like memory loss and depression may also accompany this condition.
National Multiple Personality Day is observed every year on the 5th of March to raise awareness about this condition. It also serves as a day to evaluate your own personality and personality traits.
If you ever got a chance to catch M. Night Shyamalans Split, you might have a general idea about what this disorder entails.
In the movie, the villain, James McAvoy, is shown to be living with 23 different personalities behaving in entirely divergent ways from one another.
Although the movies portrayal of the disorder is not entirely accurate, showing the main antagonist as having violent and sadistic tendencies, it still serves as an interesting and worth watching film.
The movie faced considerable criticism from mental health experts who believed that people having multiple personality disorders are unlikely to hurt someone.
These people often live in pain and are usually not a danger to society. Moreover, they are more likely to hurt themselves rather than others.
Below, well discuss more on this condition, including how those living with it can manage their symptoms better.
Don’t Miss: Partial Hospitalization Program For Depression
What Do I Do If Self
If youve tried the depression self-help strategies above but your symptoms are still overwhelming, go and see your GP or a mental health professional for additional depression help.
Your GP will have suggestions for alternative things you can try to help manage your depression from day to day, and will be able to assess what to do next. Treatments such as psychological therapy and medication, and having a good relationship with a GP, psychologist and/or psychiatrist, can be effective in treating depression and improving mood.
Do The Opposite Of What The Depression Voice Suggests
The negative, irrational voice in your head may talk you out of self-help. However, if you can learn to recognize it, you can learn to replace it. Use logic as a weapon. Address each thought individually as it occurs.
If you believe an event wont be fun or worth your time, say to yourself, You might be right, but itll be better than just sitting here another night. You may soon see the negative isnt always realistic.
A lengthy to-do list may be so weighty that youd rather do nothing. Instead of compiling a long list of tasks, consider setting one or two smaller goals.
For example:
- Dont clean the house take the trash out.
- Dont do all the laundry thats piled up just sort the piles by color.
- Dont clear out your entire email inbox just address any time-sensitive messages.
When youve done a small thing, set your eyes on another small thing, and then another. This way, you have a list of tangible achievements and not an untouched to-do list.
All goals are worthy of recognition, and all successes are worthy of celebration. When you achieve a goal, do your best to recognize it.
You may not feel like celebrating with a cake and confetti, but recognizing your own successes can be a very powerful weapon against depressions negative weight.
The memory of a job well-done may be especially powerful against negative talk and overgeneralization.
Focus on times when you feel the most disorganized or scattered.
Don’t Miss: Major Depressive Disorder With Psychosis
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy For Depression
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy or CBT is considered to be one of the leading psychological treatments for depression. All of our online courses use CBT strategies to help ease symptoms of anxiety and depression. Click below to see if CBT can help you tackle your symptoms to improve the way you feel.
Strategies for Dealing with Depression
Cognitive Strategies
People who are depressed generally have a negative thinking style.
They often think of themselves as worthless and of the world as being a bad or unfair place, and they find it hard to hope that their lives will improve in the future.
When something bad happens, they blame themselves, but when good things happen, they tell themselves they are just lucky.
Furthermore, people with depression are less likely to recognize and appreciate positive events when they happen rather, they tend to be more tuned into the bad things in their lives and brood over those events.
The aim of a cognitive approach is to help people identify and correct their distorted and negatively biased thoughts.
This approach identifies and challenges underlying assumptions and beliefs.
With encouragement to reframe the way they think about life, people are able to recover from failures more effectively and to recognise and take credit for the good things in their lives.
People learn that they have some control over what happens to them. As with behavioural strategies, having these skills reduces relapse and recurrence of depression.
Create A Routine And Stick To It
One of the best things you can do for your depression is stick to a regular routine. If you have a routine, you will be less likely to lie in bed all day and feel sorry for yourself. Make a list of a few things you want to accomplish the next day, and do them. For example, you might want to start out your morning with a brisk walk and then eat breakfast while answering emails. It may be best to focus on easier tasks first to avoid getting overwhelmed.
Read Also: Shows To Watch When Depressed
Stop And Reflect Keep A Journal
Allow yourself time to meditate on your journey. Mentally or in writing, note the things youve discovered on this climb. Note how your emotions change. Consider what problems you might have encountered and what efforts youve made to continue.
Enjoy the journey. Let yourself laugh and be in the moment.
One way to help differentiate between sadness and depression is to monitor moods, symptoms, and triggers carefully. A journal is ideal for this purpose. It will also come in very handy when you see a therapist.
Be Aware Of Your Feelings
Feeling depressed is an uncomfortable feeling, and often we tend to push negative emotions away. We understand how difficult these feelings are to cope with, but understanding your emotions can be a big help when coping with depression.
Take the time to recognise and think about your feelings, as they might help you to understand the source of what is making you feel depressed. Depression is often linked to events in the past, and sometimes there can be no explanation at all. Either way, becoming aware of these things is part of coping with depression.
Once you have a better understanding of why you feel depressed, you can take steps towards rectifying the issue and improving your overall wellbeing.
“It is not weakness to ask for help. In fact, it is one of the bravest things that any of us can do.”
Don’t Miss: Lamictal For Treatment Resistant Depression
Spend Time With A Pet
Spending time with a pet can provide comfort and companionship that helps alleviate some symptoms of depression. Emotional support animals for depression can be a part of treatment. For depression, pets can also be used emotional support animals as long as they are properly certified.
The U.S. Dog Registry registers emotional support dogs and provides information about them. According to this organization, these dogs provide stability and love to their owners and are useful for people with conditions like depression. In addition, emotional support dogs are afforded protection under the law. For example, they can live in housing areas where pets are prohibited and can sit with their owners during airplane travel without additional fees. While training is not required for an emotional support dog to be registered, a note and a recommendation from a doctor are necessary for a person to have an emotional support dog.
Understand Symptoms With Depression Counseling
If youve been keeping a journal, bring it with you. What matters most is that your therapist learns as much about you as possible. For example, it helps to know if there are any underlying medical causes for your condition. From there, you will work together as a team using one of several proven therapeutic approaches for depression.
Youll learn the skills you need to understand what youre dealing with and why. Thanks to counseling, you can feel better and be better positioned to prevent depression from returning. The more you learn about it, the more equipped youll be to fight it.
Read more about the signs and symptoms, risk factors, as well as treatment and therapies for depression on theNational Institute of Mental Health website. Then take the first step toward help and health. Struggling with your depression symptoms is nothing to be ashamed of.
It can be hard to deal with depression and to own up to feelings of unhappiness, but living alone with depression doesnt help you or the people you love.
Learn more about depression therapy and its benefits, read our depression treatment page, orcontact a therapist at Eddins Counseling Group.
How to get counseling for depression, give us a call to schedule an appointment at 832-559-2622, or schedule an appointment online.
You May Like: Mental Hospital For Anxiety And Depression
Why Is It So Hard To Cope With Depression
According to the World Health Organisation, depression is one of the leading causes of disability in the world. Despite its high prevalence, it can be hard to detect depression till it becomes quite severe.
Its difficult to deal with this mental illness because it takes away your energy and willingness to do anything, let alone take care of yourself. Its common to experience low self-esteem, low self-worth, and feelings of hopelessness and helplessness when depressed. No wonder its so hard to cope with it.
Recovery Is Within Your Grasp
Its okay to feel sad, but its critical to examine both sadness and depression. Their differences and similarities impart vital information for a path toward relief and long-term mental health. When you are clear on what youre dealing with, it is then time to focus on getting the help you need.
Both sadness and depression are tough and should be honored for what they are. A significant part of this process is seeking out appropriate support.
Consulting a health professional can help you clarify whats going on and perhaps discern a source or cause. You dont have to suffer alone or in silence. There is no shame in naming your emotional pain.
Quality treatment is available. Healing can happen.
If you fear you may be suffering from depression, take our Depression Quiz to learn more.
Don’t Miss: How To Get Through Depression And Anxiety
Lifestyle Factors That Affect Mood
When you have depression, you can find ways to take control of your life and manage your treatment even beyond medications. Making some lifestyle changes can boost your mood and help alleviate many of your symptoms, including low self-esteem. “Minimizing stress as much as possible is a good idea when you’re depressed, especially unnecessary or avoidable stressors that people can be pulled into when they’re depressed,” says Erik Nelson, MD, a psychiatrist and assistant professor of clinical psychiatry at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine in Ohio.
Mixed Anxiety & Depression Explained
Depression and anxiety have similar causes and some people can experience symptoms of both conditions at the same time. If youve been experiencing both low mood and persistent worry, tension, and unease, click below to learn more about the relationship between anxiety and depression.
How To Deal With Depression
There are a range of ways to deal with depression, and often they are best used in conjunction with each other. The primary medical options are Cognitive Behavioural Therapy , antidepressant medication, and in some severe cases, Electroconvulsive Therapy .
Education and coping strategies are also important when learning to manage your depression.
ECT is an effective form of treatment for depression, especially if:
- There are medical contraindications to medication.
- There is a need for rapid improvement because of suicidal intent or refusal to eat.
- The person has experienced treatment failure following CBT, several medications, or combined medication and CBT treatment trials.
- The person has had a previous positive response to ECT.
- Somatic symptoms are prominent.
- Psychotic symptoms are present.
What is CBT?
Read Also: Natural Remedies Depression And Memory Loss
Find A Way To Help Others In Need
Receiving support is one of the most valuable ways to deal with depression, and getting your own mental health right should obviously be a priority. However, evidence shows that supporting others might be another great way to boost your mood. The Journal of Happiness Studies found that those who volunteer receive a boost to their mental health and greater satisfaction in their lives.
Think about ways you can give back to your local community, either through charity work or helping someone else out who you know is in need. It might bring you as many benefits as those you are helping out.
What Is Multiple Personality Disorder
Dissociative identity disorder , formerly known as multiple personality disorder, is a complex mental health condition. People affected by this disorder have two or more distinct personalities.
Any of these personalities can take control of a persons behavior at any given time. This change from one personality to another is known as a switch.
Dissociative identity disorders are usually caused by a traumatic experience during childhood. Childhood trauma can range from sexual abuse to emotional neglect and physical abuse. It gets its name from how the affected people disassociate themselves from a traumatic experience or situation and lose connection with their true selves.
Therefore, the disorder is thought to be a coping mechanism for people who have experienced extreme trauma during their early years.
Symptoms can include memory loss , the existence of multiple, distinct personalities, losing connection with oneself, stress, depression, self-harm, and suicidal thoughts.
Don’t Miss: How To Help Your Daughter With Depression
What Are Coping Skills
Coping skills are techniques that are used to deal with big emotions or stressful and traumatic events. These coping tools can be healthy or unhealthy in nature. Examples of coping skills that are negative include turning to drugs or alcohol for relief during stressful times. While substance use may alleviate tension in the short term, it deteriorates a persons physical and mental health in the long run.
Alternatively, healthy coping mechanisms for depression tend to improve both mental and physical health. To illustrate, weve provided a list of coping skills to use any time symptoms of depression or anxiety arise.
NOTE: Depression can be serious. If you or someone you know is experiencing debilitating depression or thoughts of death or suicide, immediate mental health treatment is highly recommended.
Improve Your Sleep Hygiene
Sleep and mood are intimately related. A 2014 study found that 80% of people with major depressive disorder experience sleep disturbances.
But, you might feel like you just can’t fall asleep. Or perhaps you struggle to get out of bed because you feel exhausted all the time.
Good sleep hygiene could be key to improving the quality and quantity of your sleep.
Turn off electronics at least an hour before you go to bed. Use dim light to read a book or engage in another relaxing activity.
Only use your bed for sleep and sexual activity. Doing work in bed, or even in your bedroom, can cause you to associate your bed with stress, rather than relaxation.
Don’t Miss: How Can You Heal Depression
Help Us Make The World A Better Place
Empowering people become their best selves also includes helping people meet their basic needs. We work locally and globally to assist people to meet their basic needs like clean water to drink, enough food to eat, proper sanitation, educational opportunities and improving physical, mental, and emotional health and well-being.
100% of your donation goes directly to help those in need.
Enjoy The Emotional Benefits Of Exercise
Exercise offers physiological benefits that can help people going through depression. Physical activity relieves stress and can make you feel great. Plus, the satisfaction you get from finishing an engaging and challenging workout can boost your self-esteem as you get stronger and more physically fit. When you fight depression with a regular exercise routine, youll feel better emotionally and physically.
Recommended Reading: I Feel Sad And Depressed