How To Reach Out For Depression Support
Look for support from people who make you feel safe and cared for. The person you talk to doesnt have to be able to fix you they just need to be a good listenersomeone wholl listen attentively and compassionately without being distracted or judging you.
Make face-time a priority. Phone calls, social media, and texting are great ways to stay in touch, but they dont replace good old-fashioned in-person quality time. The simple act of talking to someone face to face about how you feel can play a big role in relieving depression and keeping it away.
Try to keep up with social activities even if you dont feel like it. Often when youre depressed, it feels more comfortable to retreat into your shell, but being around other people will make you feel less depressed.
Find ways to support others. Its nice to receive support, but research shows you get an even bigger mood boost from providing support yourself. So find waysboth big and smallto help others: volunteer, be a listening ear for a friend, do something nice for somebody.
Care for a pet. While nothing can replace the human connection, pets can bring joy and companionship into your life and help you feel less isolated. Caring for a pet can also get you outside of yourself and give you a sense of being neededboth powerful antidotes to depression.
10 tips for staying connected
How Is Depression Diagnosed
If your mood has been low for a while and you are having difficulty coping with day to day activities, talk to your doctor or a trusted professional. Your doctor will ask you questions about your symptoms and your medical history and may ask you to complete a questionnaire that may help to diagnose depression or refer you to a psychiatrist.
You can also call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-8255, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, or have an online chat . All information is confidential and free.
Psychological Depression Symptoms Include:
- doing poorly at work
- difficulties with your family or home life
It’s not always possible to tell that you’re having symptoms of depression right away it can start and progress gradually. A lot of people don’t realise they’re ill and try to carry on and cope with their symptoms. Sometimes it takes a friend or family member to notice that there’s a problem.
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Can A Psychologist Diagnose Mental Illness
Psychologists hold a doctoral degree in clinical psychology or another specialty such as counseling or education. They are trained to evaluate a persons mental health using clinical interviews, psychological evaluations and testing. They can make diagnoses and provide individual and group therapy.
What is the best type of therapy for depression?
Some types of therapy teach practical techniques to reframe negative thinking and change behaviors. There are many types of therapy available. Three of the more traditional methods used in depression include cognitive behavioral therapy, interpersonal therapy, and psychodynamic therapy. Often, a blended approach is used.
Complementary And Alternative Therapies
Some people find complementary and alternative therapies help to manage their symptoms. For example, this may be aromatherapy, reflexology or acupuncture. Complementary therapies may also help manage some of the side effects of medication, if you decide to continue with it.
Some herbal remedies can interact with antidepressants and other types of medication. So if you are thinking about taking a herbal remedy alongside any medication, speak to your doctor or pharmacist about whether this is safe.
St John’s wort
is a herbal medicine that is sometimes used to treat symptoms of depression and anxiety. It is available to buy without needing a prescription.
There is some uncertainty about the effects of St Johns Wort, as well as the correct dose to take and how it interacts with other medicines. It is best to seek advice from your doctor before taking it, especially if you are already taking any kind of medication.
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How Long Will Therapy Be Needed
Research indicates that 50 percent of patients recover within 15 to 20 sessions. As with drug therapy, patients fare better when therapy is continued for a period beyond symptom remission. There are three goals of psychotherapy. The first is responsean improvement in symptoms. Patients may begin to experience improvement within a few sessions. The second is remissiondisappearance of all symptoms and a return to healthy functioning in all domains of life. There may be a temptation to stop therapy at this point, but the consensus of experts is that treatment should continue at least four months after disappearance of symptoms to ensure recovery and to maintain the ability to handle the stresses of daily life that challenge coping skills. Completing a full course of therapy is critical for full recovery.
Appreciate The Highs Of Life In A New Way
When youre feeling low for an extended period of time, it can change the way you look at the happy moments in life.
Often, a person who has experienced the lows of depression may find themselves more deeply appreciative of the highs of life, says Dr. Natalie Christine Dattilo, a clinical health psychologist and mental wellness expert in Boston, Massachusetts.
They make it a priority to savor positive moments and not take happiness or joy for granted.
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D Omega 3 Fatty Acids
There is growing evidence that Omega 3, not only prevent the occurrence of heart attacks but works well in treating depression as well. Omega-3 enhance the traveling of signals in our brain. DHA made up a critical part of our brain while EPA plays a vital role in preventing neuroinflammation.
Studies on patients with severe depression who are treated with fish oils rich in Omega 3 shows dramatic improvement in their condition. There are also studies that recommend a taking a higher ratio EPA to DHA as they found EPA plays the more important part in countering depression. They are normally found in fish or you could get it as a
Natural Relief For Depression
The lows of depression dark moods, lack of energy, loss of joy affect many people at some point in their lifetime. Now, a Johns Hopkins review of research suggests meditation deserves a place among the therapies shown to lift mild to moderate depression symptoms.
Meditation has been studied for decades, but we wanted to know if it was really better than the placebo effect, says Johns Hopkins expert Madhav Goyal, M.D., M.P.H. So he and a team of researchers reviewed 47 meditation studies, involving 3,515 volunteer patients, most of whom were not suffering from clinical depression or clinical anxiety.
Their conclusion: Meditation appeared to provide as much relief from some depression symptoms as other studies have found with antidepressants, Goyal says. Volunteers who took an eight-week meditation course experienced a 10% to 20% improvement in depression symptoms and a 5% to 10% improvement in anxiety symptoms. Meditation also showed similar promise to reduce pain.
Goyal notes that a 2021 review of 136 trials looked at the effects of mindfulness-based programs for depression on more than 11,000 people who did not have a medical diagnosis. The results of that review were similar to the ones we found, he says. Mindfulness-based programs reduced depression to roughly the same degree when compared with an active control.
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Try It Find A Meditation Expert
Curious about mindfulness meditation? The best way to learn is with an experienced teacher, says Goyal. Learning to observe your mind, thoughts and emotions without judging yourself can be challenging.Find a class near you by checking on the web, with local hospitals or with your health care providers.
How Effectively Do Antidepressants Relieve The Symptoms
There are a lot of different medications for treating . But it’s difficult to predict how well a particular medication will help an individual. So doctors often first suggest taking a drug that they consider to be effective and relatively well tolerated. If it doesn’t help as much as expected, it’s possible to switch to a different medication. Sometimes a number of different drugs have to be tried before you find one that works.
Studies show that the benefit generally depends on the severity of the : The more severe the depression, the greater the benefits will be. In other words, antidepressants are effective against chronic, moderate and severe depression. They don’t help in mild depression.
The various antidepressants have been compared in many studies. Overall, the commonly used tricyclic antidepressants were found to be equally effective. Studies involving adults with moderate or severe have shown the following:
- Without antidepressants: About 20 to 40 out of 100 people who took a placebo noticed an improvement in their symptoms within six to eight weeks.
- With antidepressants: About 40 to 60 out of 100 people who took an antidepressant noticed an improvement in their symptoms within six to eight weeks.
In other words, antidepressants improved symptoms in about an extra 20 out of 100 people.
Antidepressants can also relieve long-term symptoms of chronic depressive disorder and chronic , and help make them go away completely.
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How Meditation Works For Depression
The most helpful type of meditation in Goyals study was mindfulness meditation a self-awareness practice that involves focusing on the present moment and gently refocusing, without judgment, whenever attention wanders. The theory: Meditation may ease depression by stopping, for a while, the ever-churning worries and fears that can fuel it.
If Im depressed about a life change like divorce or losing a job and keep thinking about it, I may become more depressed. And the churning thoughts can cause a cascade of symptoms that lead to feeling debilitated, Goyal says. One way mindfulness may help is by causing you to pause and react less to whatever is bothering you. This process can reduce the symptoms, making them less bothersome, and over time can become second nature with more meditation practice.
Who Is At Risk For Depression
Depression can affect anyone, no matter their age, gender or circumstances. About 16 million Americans experience depression each year.
Women may experience depression more often than men. And your genetics or other health conditions can increase the likelihood that youll have at least one depressive episode in your lifetime.
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Who Is Better For Anxiety Psychologist Or Psychiatrist
Psychologists Treat Less Severe Conditions, Psychiatrists Treat More Complex Mental Health Disorders. Generally, psychologists treat conditions that dont require medication. These types of conditions can include behavioral problems, learning difficulties, anxiety, and mild cases of depression.
Is it better to see a psychiatrist or psychologist?
In many situations, it is hard to know whether seeing a psychologist or seeing a psychiatrist would be a better choice. Psychiatrists are able to prescribe medications, which psychologists cant do. Because of this, psychiatrists tend to look after more people with severe mental illness who need medication.
Is Your Diet Making You Depressed Best And Worst Foods For Depression
- There is a scientific reason behind your diet affecting your emotions as there is a close association between our brain and GI tract. Here are best and worst foods for depression.
We are what we eat, said German philosopher Ludwig Feuerbach almost two centuries back. The context of his words may be different but the saying holds true even today as several scientific studies prove that a healthy diet can have a positive impact on ones mind and body, and our mood and personality are affected by what we eat. Consuming unhealthy and fast food is associated with increased risk of suffering from depression, a study published in Public Health Nutrition journal said. On the other hand, eating a nutritious and balanced diet is capable to significantly reduce your risk of developing depressive symptoms, as per another study.
There is a scientific reason behind your diet affecting your emotions as there is a close association between our brain and GI tract. When we eat well, there is a generation of healthy bacteria which further helps in generation of happy hormones like serotonin and dopamine. No wonder, eating a nutritious diet can take care of those mood swings and complaints of feeling low.
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Foods to eat during depression
Dr. Bhargava and Coutinho recommend the following foods to combat depression.
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Meet Yourself Where You Are
Depression is common. It affects millions of people, including some in your life. You may not realize they face similar challenges, emotions, and obstacles.
The key to navigating depression is to be open, accepting, and loving toward yourself and what youre going through.
Every day with this disorder is different. Its important to take your mental health seriously and accept that where you are right now isnt where youll always be.
Psychological Treatments For Depression
Psychological treatments have been found to be an effective way to treat depression. They can help you change your thinking patterns and improve your coping skills so you’re better equipped to deal with life’s stresses and conflicts.
As well as supporting your recovery, psychological therapies can help you stay well by identifying and changing unhelpful thoughts and behaviour.
There are several different types of psychological treatments including:
- cognitive behaviour therapy
- behaviour therapy
- mindfulness-based cognitive therapy .
CBT is one of the most commonly used psychological therapies. It helps people with depression to monitor and change negative patterns of thinking and improve their coping skills so they are better equipped to deal with lifes stresses and conflicts.
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Brain Foods That Help Depression And Anxiety
When youre in deep depression or anxiety, getting the right foods may be the last thing on your mind. Or you may be eating yourself deeper into depression with the wrong types of food without even knowing it.
According toDrAxe, your body would naturally crave for foods that are high in carbohydrate, fats or sugar as a response to the stress you are going through.
While you may satisfy your food craving, the choice of food that you take could aggravate your stress level which leads to a prolonged state of depression and anxiety.
Negative Thoughts And Depression
Worrying or thinking negatively is common in people with depression. This affects your ability to focus on getting better and makes you more vulnerable to unhealthy emotions.
Tips to help you control worry and reduce negative thinking include:
- Write down what you are worried about. Go through each concern and think about how realistic your negative thoughts are. Explore alternative thoughts and explanations.
- Try not to focus on the things you cannot change.
- Focus on the present. Accept your thoughts without actively engaging with them.
- Write down your problems and brainstorm solutions. Jot down the pros and cons with each option and choose the one that seems the best. Review whether it worked to overcome the problem.
- Avoid making major decisions about your life at this time.
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Sleeping Patterns And Depression
Depression can disrupt sleep patterns. Its essential to try to restore a regular sleep pattern to make a full recovery. Some tips for restoring a regular sleep pattern include:
- Try to go to sleep and get up at about the same time each day.
- If youre worrying about things during the night, set aside some time for problem solving during the day.
- Avoid drinking caffeine after 4 pm and try not to drink more than two cups of caffeine-type drinks each day.
- Avoid using alcohol to help you sleep. As the alcohol is broken down in your body, it causes you to sleep less deeply and to wake more frequently.
- Allow yourself time to wind down before going to bed. If you are working or studying, stop at least 30 minutes before bedtime and do something relaxing.
- Give your mind a break from online activity such as social media for an hour before bedtime, and consider putting your phone in a separate room from your bedroom at night time.
Questions To Ask About The Great Depression
The Great Depression is one of the most studied periods in American history. And for good reason it was a time of unprecedented hardship that affected millions of people in this country and around the world.
Families were torn apart and many people never recovered from the devastation. If youre curious about this tumultuous time in American history, here are a few questions to get you started.
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God Will Never Leave You
It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed .
Dont be dismayed because God is with you! Just as he swore to never desert the people of Israel, he will NEVER leave you or forsake you because you are in Christ. You are his child, and like a dad clearing a path through the woods for his small child, so God is going ahead of you, clearing the way.
Different Types Of Depression
There are different types of depression, and there are some conditions where depression is a symptom. These conditions include:
- Bipolar disorder people with bipolar disorder, which is also known as “manic depression”, experience times of depression, where the symptoms are similar to clinical depression. They also go through phases when they have excessively high moods . Bouts of mania can include harmful behaviour like unsafe sex, spending sprees and gambling.
- Seasonal affective disorder is also called “winter depression”. It’s depression that is related to weather, usually winter, so it happens seasonally.
- Postnatal depression happens to some women after they’ve had a baby. It’s treated similarly to other types of depression, with antidepressant medication and talking therapy.
Learn more about how depression is diagnosed here.
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