What To Do If Your Suffering From Depression

Putting On A Good Face

Now, some people hide their depression and some people broadcast it in the hopes of gaining validation or sympathy from the outside. I was the kind who hid it and I hid it well. Very few people knew that I was dying on the inside because I made every effort to put on a good face. I thought that this was my problem to deal with and mine alone. I didnt want anybody else to know that I was struggling, I didnt want anybody else to talk to me about it, I just wanted to be left alone.

This is a common feeling with depression. We feel like its our problem and everybody else should just mind their own business and leave us alone and that seems perfectly logical. After all we have the right to do or feel or say whatever we want as long as were not hurting anybody else.

More Evidence That Depression Shortens Lives Webmd

More Evidence That Depression Shortens Lives.

It is very important to maintain taking the medication, also if it does not appear to be working at first. Some individuals need to switch medicines or add medicines to obtain results. Lots of hormone variables might add to the raised rate of depression in females. This consists of menstruation changes, premenstrual syndrome what to do if your spouse is suffering from depression, pregnancy, miscarriage, postpartum duration, perimenopause, and menopause. Lots of females additionally handle added stresses such as duties both at the workplace as well as house, solitary parent, as well as caring for both youngsters and maturing parents.

Maybe You Should Take Meds Or Are You Taking Your Meds

Not everyone who suffers from depression takes their meds, but I do. I still have wanna-be psychiatrist loved ones telling me that I should take my meds. Sometimes when its bad, and I mean excruciating, my loved ones ask if Im off my meds. Well, the truth is, the medicines can only do so much and the depression leaks right through.

I wish I could tell you that I was off my meds or whatever, but sometimes, they just arent strong enough for some levels of darkness.

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Try These Five Tips For Decreasing Depression

There isnt a quick fix as in Boom, youre cured and will never again be beset by the blues. But, there are techniques that can help lift the emotional paralysis and ruminating that often accompany depression. Both of which make it much more difficult to focus on the behavioral changes that are necessary to prevent a relapse. Luckily, there are ways to punch holes in the curtain of unrelenting darkness.

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Ways To Help Yourself Through Depression

If you are going through depression, it’s best to get help from a therapist. To get the most from your therapy, you can do things to help yourself, too.

Here are five things you can do to feel better. They may seem simple, but they can help a lot.

Feeling Depressed Or Suffering From Depression

We often get mixed up between low mood and unhappiness and depression. The two things are very different. Depression isnt about feeling unhappy, its feeling youll never be happy again, explains Colin Grange, Psychologist and Clinical Director of Lifeworks.

If youre feeling low, is it starting to interfere with your day to day life? Are you not doing things that you used to do? Are you losing motivation in and enjoyment of life? Are you starting to not enjoy your hobbies? Is everything becoming an effort?

People suffering from clinical depression often experience a range of symptoms both physical and emotional which can interfere with day to day life. Discovering whether you are suffering from one or more of these symptoms could be an important step towards getting the help you need.

Quiz: Am I depressed?

• 5min

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Medications For Dog Depression

If nothing else works, medications can help dogs get past their depression. Karen Sueda, DVM, a diplomat of the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists, said medications for depressed dogs are the same as those used by depressed humans — Paxil, Prozac, and Zoloft. She also uses Clomicalm, an FDA approved drug for the treatment of separation anxiety in dogs.

Continued

Its important that people deal with the problem before it gets too bad, Sueda said. By the time cases get to me, theyre bad. But most cases can be successfully treated early on with behavior modification and environmental enrichment, so it doesnt have to get to the point where we need to use drugs.

Beaver said it can take up to two months for drugs to become effective. But unlike people, who often remain on antidepressants for years, most dogs can get better in six to 12 months and then be taken off the drugs, she said.

Take Care Of Yourself

You can also improve symptoms of depression by taking care of yourself. This includes getting plenty of sleep, eating a healthy diet, avoiding negative people, and participating in enjoyable activities.

Sometimes depression doesnt respond to medication. Your healthcare professional may recommend other treatment options if your symptoms dont improve.

These options include electroconvulsive therapy or repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation to treat depression and improve your mood.

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What Causes Depression In Canines

Dogs are more emotional than a dog owner may realize. They experience a wide range of emotions, from the joys and laughter that we enjoy to deep sadness, just as humans do. The problem for dogs is they cannot communicate these feelings with each other or their owners. It can be easy not to know when something’s wrong until you notice unusual behavior in your pup. Here are some of the top causes of dog depression:

Just Stop Talking About It

Im sharing a secret with you. I was told, not too long ago, that I should stop talking about my illness and it would go away. What makes it so hard is that the one who told me this is my spiritual leader. First off, Im not trying to come down on spiritual leaders but Ive tried talking the darkness into light and it worked momentarily, but it did not stay away.

The point is, depression is a real thing, whether I wish to talk about it or not, no one else should have the audacity to tell me to ignore the problem and it will go away. How mature is that, anyway? Dont do this, plain and simple.

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How Can I Help My Adult Child With Depression

Dear GoodTherapy.org,

My adult daughter is incredibly gifted , but she has pretty serious depression. The sleeps-all-day, forgets-to-eat kind. It took her an extra two years to graduate from college because she kept turning assignments in late. Once she got her engineering degree, everyone thought shed get a job easily, but she bombed all her interviews. Eventually she ended up working as a waitress.

Shes been in therapy for a year now, and her more serious symptoms have improved. My daughter says she wants to quit her job and go to graduate school. However, she keeps procrastinating on applications and missing deadlines. When I try to ask about her progress, she clams up and shuts me out.

I know shes an adult now. I cant do everything for her. But I would hate to see my daughters depression sabotage her career. All she needs is a little support for her condition.

Should I take a more active role in guiding my child? Or is my daughters procrastination a sign shes not actually ready for graduate school? I want her to reach her full potential, but I dont want to push her into a situation she cant handle. Not an Empty Nester Yet

Dear Not an Empty Nester,

If she owns her choices and the results of those choices, good or bad, she will move into adulthood on better footing.

Best of luck,

Reward Center Of The Brain

Let me explain that a little further. Our brains have a system of rewards that bring pleasure and help us feel good. There is a part of the brain that we call the reward center, and when we experience something pleasurable, there are neurotransmitters like dopamine which flood our neural pathways in the reward center and that makes us feel good. Those good feelings are created by a chemical reaction in the brain.

But our brains are instruments of balance, and we have another system that exerts a restraining force. This system, called the nociception modulatory system, is a key to how the brain modulates pain. The neurons in this system emit molecules called nociceptin. Nociceptin suppresses dopamine and shuts it down. If the brain is producing an abundance of nociceptin it neutralizes feelings of joy and happiness and restrains motivation.

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What If I Am Not Happy With My Treatment

If you are not happy with your treatment you can:

• talk to your doctor to see if they can suggest changes,
• get an advocate to help you speak your doctor,
• ask for a second opinion if you feel it would help,
• contact Patient Advice and Liaison Service and see whether they can help, or
• make a complaint.

There is more information about these options below.

Advocacy

An advocate is independent from the NHS. They are free to use. They can be useful if you find it difficult to get your views heard.

There are different types of advocates available. Community advocates can support you to get a health professional to listen to your concerns. And help you to get the treatment that you would like. They arent available in all areas.

You can ask an advocate to help you make a complaint. Advocates that do this are called NHS complaints advocates. They are free to use and don t work for the NHS. They re available in all areas.

You can search online to search for a local advocacy service. If you cant find a service you can call our advice service 0808 801 0525 . You can email us too at . We will look for you.

Second opinion

Talk to your doctor about your treatment to see if you can resolve the problem with them first. If you dont agree with their decisions about diagnosis or treatment, you could ask for a second opinion. You are not legally entitled to a second opinion, but your doctor might agree to it if it would help with treatment options.

‘PALS’

Complaints

• Advocacy by clicking here.

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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How Is Depression Diagnosed

To be diagnosed with depression, an individual must have five depression symptoms every day, nearly all day, for at least 2 weeks. One of the symptoms must be a depressed mood or a loss of interest or pleasure in almost all activities. Children and adolescents may be irritable rather than sad.

If you think you may have depression, talk to your health care provider. Primary care providers routinely diagnose and treat depression and refer individuals to mental health professionals, such as psychologists or psychiatrists.

During the visit, your provider may ask when your symptoms began, how long they last, how often they occur, and if they keep you from going out or doing your usual activities. It may help to make some notes about your symptoms before your visit. Certain medications and some medical conditions, such as viruses or a thyroid disorder, can cause the same depression symptoms. Your provider can rule out these possibilities by doing a physical exam, interview, and lab tests.

Read NIMHs Tips for Talking With Your Health Care Provider to help prepare for and get the most out of your visit. For additional resources, visit the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality website.

Whats The Difference Between Grief And Depression

Given that the primary symptom associated with depression is sadness, it can be easy to think of grief or bereavement as depression. But grief is a natural response to specific experiences, such as the end of a relationship or the death of a loved one. While you might feel regret or remorse, and you might withdraw from usual activities if you are experiencing grief, youre unlikely to feel the overwhelming sense of worthlessness, thoughts of self-harm or suicide, and other symptoms of depression. Another important difference is that in grief, painful feelings usually come in waves and are often mixed with positive memories.

In some cases, however, grief and depression do coexist, or grief can trigger depression, according to experts writing in the journal American Family Physician. Having a mental health professional help you distinguish between them can ensure you get the support you need.

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How To Help Someone With Depression

Depression can develop slowly. Someone who is experiencing depression sometimes doesn’t realise it.

Often it’s a partner, family member or carer who first realises that help is needed. They may encourage their friend or relative to see their GP or find some other source of support.