Tuesday, March 26, 2024

Will I Have Depression For The Rest Of My Life

How Is Depression Diagnosed

Will I have anxiety for the rest of my life? Facebook Friday! #KatiFAQ | Kati Morton

Tell your doctor about your symptoms. Dont expect your doctor to guess that youre depressed just by looking at you. You may feel embarrassed. It may be hard for you to imagine treatment will actually help you feel better. But dont wait to talk to your doctor. The sooner you seek treatment, the sooner the depression will lift.

Once you tell your doctor how youre feeling, he or she may ask you some questions about your symptoms, your health, and your family history. Your doctor may also give you a physical exam and do some tests. It is important to tell your doctor about any medicines that you are taking.

Reasons to get help early:

  • Early diagnosis and treatment helps keep depression from getting worse or lasting a long time.
  • Diagnosis and treatment can help you return to your normal self and enjoy life.
  • Treatment can help prevent depression from coming back.
  • Thoughts of suicide are common in people with major depression. The risk of suicide is higher the longer you wait to treat it. When depression is successfully treated, thoughts of suicide go away.

How Do Antidepressants Work

The most common antidepressant medications for children are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors . These medications increase the level of serotonin in the brain. Serotonin is a chemical that can help increase feelings of happiness and well-being.

Use extra caution with antidepressants in children. Some children show no improvement with the medications, or may even feel more depressed. If a healthcare provider recommends antidepressants, watch your childs condition closely. Never allow your child to stop taking antidepressants suddenly. Doing so can cause serious side effects or make depression worse.

Smoking Drugs And Alcohol

If you have depression it may be tempting to smoke or drink to make you feel better. Cigarettes and alcohol may seem to help at first, but they make things worse in the long run.

Be extra cautious with cannabis. You might think it’s harmless, but research has shown a strong link between cannabis use and mental illness, including depression.

The evidence shows that if you smoke cannabis you:

  • make your depression symptoms worse
  • feel more tired and uninterested in things
  • are more likely to have depression that relapses earlier and more frequently
  • will not have as good a response to antidepressant medicines
  • are more likely to stop using antidepressant medicines
  • are less likely to fully recover

A GP can give you advice and support if you drink or smoke too much or use drugs.

You may also find the following pages useful:

Read Also: How To Fight Depression As A Christian

Personal Factors That Can Lead To Depression

Personal factors that can lead to a risk of depression include:

  • family history depression can run in families and some people will be at an increased genetic risk. However, this doesnt mean that a person will automatically experience depression if a parent or close relative has had the condition.
  • personality some people may be more at risk because of their personality, particularly if they tend to worry a lot, have low self-esteem, are perfectionists, are sensitive to personal criticism, or are self-critical and negative
  • serious medical conditions these can trigger depression in two ways. Serious conditions can bring about depression directly or can contribute to depression through the associated stress and worry, especially if it involves long-term management of a condition or chronic pain
  • drug and alcohol use can both lead to and result from depression. Many people with depression also have drug and alcohol problems.

What Do I Want To Do Before I Die

Sleeping Next to Someone You Love Not Only Reduces Stress ...

This question will tell you:

  • What you want to achieve in life
  • How you can start ticking things off your bucket list

What would make you say at the end of your life, I went all in?

List absolutely everything you want to accomplish before you die. It doesnt matter why. There could be 100 items on the list. The number is irrelevantjust brain dump.

Once youve spent a decent amount of time brainstorming and developing a solid bucket list, divide it up into three categories:

  • Things I need skills for
  • Things I can do immediately
  • Things that I need time for

First, go through the skills category and list the skills youll need to accomplish each bullet point. Then lay out the action plan to acquire each skill you need.

Next, pick something on your immediate list to tick off straight away so you gain some momentum and motivation to keep going.

Finally, which items on the third list would you feel the worst about not accomplishing at the end of your life? Answer that, and you have your priorities.

Key Takeaway

Also Check: How To Control Depression Thoughts

What Are You Good At And Find Interesting

This question will tell you:

  • Your skills
  • Your passions
  • A list of careers you should test out

I declared business as my major immediately upon entering college. I thought any other degree would be useless in todays professional landscape.

The thing was, I couldnt pass my business classes. Macroeconomics still gives me nightmares to this day!

Then I noticed something. I was killing my English classes, scoring 100s left and right on papers.

Because those As felt so good, and because I seriously loved Sex and the City at the time, I began exploring the thought of becoming a writer.

The thing was that it just seemed too damn impracticaltotally unrealistic.

How would I ever make money as a writer when the news industry was crumbling before my eyes?

Plus, I wanted to be rich. Writers arent rich.

It took failing macroeconomicsmultiple timesto realize I just wasnt cut out for numbers, and finally, I applied to the journalism program at my school.

Today, Im a full-time, well-paid writer.

I am where I am today because I tied my skills with my interests, and voila, out popped a phenomenal career that I enjoy waking up for each day. It also helped that I trusted that the dots would connect in the future.

If you have trouble figuring out what youre good at, ask others who know youteachers, advisors, friends, etc.

If youre stuck, here are a few more questions to consider.

Key Takeawayyou

How Common Is Depression

Major depression is one of the most common mental illnesses in the country. An estimated 17.3 million adults in the US reported having at least one major depressive episode over the course of a year, a 2017 report by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration shows.

Thats 7.1% of all adults ages 18 and older. Women have a higher prevalence of experiencing a major depressive episode than men .

Depression is especially crushing for the workforce: Its the number one leading cause of disability worldwide, according to the World Health Organization. The total economic burden of MDD is estimated to be $210.5 billion per year in the United States alonea figure that reflects costs associated with missed days, reduced productivity, treatment for depression, and suicide.

Also Check: I Think I May Be Depressed

What Have I Always Thought Id Do For Work Why

This question will tell you:

  • Why youre doing what youre doing
  • If you should be doing what youre doing

What expectations do you have for yourself? What expectations do othersparents, friends, teachers, etc.have of you?

Write them down and note why you have these expectations. Where did they come from?

For example, maybe your dad wants you to be a doctor because he thinks its a secure, well-paying job, and he wants you to have a steady income to support yourself.

Its important to know his underlying reason in case you dont want to be a doctor and need to tell your father this someday.

I like this question because a lot of us, if not all of us, have this little should monster in our heads.

I should go to law school.

I should study business.

I should become a doctor.

The dangerous thing is we never really explore why we think we should do these things. Not investigating why youre doing something is a sure-fire way to wake up one day in your 40s, miserable, thinking: I absolutely hate what I do. WTF.

If you routinely find yourself waging war against this little should voice, I recommend checking out our guide to mindfulness. Youll find tips in there about how to talk back to this voice, which can help you when you find yourself thinking, I dont know what to do with my life!

Key Takeawayright

What Questions Should I Ask

How to stay DEPRESSED for the rest of your life

Living with mental health challenges can be difficult and confusing. Free depression hotlines can help you successfully navigate this period in your life by answering questions that you may not even realize you needed answered.

Here are some questions to consider asking when you call a depression hotline:

  • What are some common symptoms of depression?
  • Do I actually have depression, or am I just sad?
  • Will I feel like this for the rest of my life?
  • Is it possible to have more than one mental illness at a time?
  • What can I do to start feeling better?
  • What should I expect when I seek treatment?
  • What levels of treatment are there for depression?
  • What type of therapy or medication can help me resolve my depression?
  • Will I have to be on medication for the rest of my life?
  • Will insurance cover the cost of treatment?
  • If I don’t have insurance, how much will treatment cost? Are there any free or low-cost resources in my community?
  • What should I do next?

Watching a loved one struggle with depression can be just as difficult and frustrating as experiencing it firsthand. Family members may feel helpless or even give up trying to help their loved one. It is important for family and friends to know that resources are available for them as well.

Read Also: How Does Depression Cause Weight Loss

Improve Your Eating Habits

Research continues to find clear links between diet and mental health. In fact, there have been so many studies that have shown improving nutrition can prevent and treat mental illness that nutritional psychiatry is becoming mainstream.

There are many brain-essential nutrients that can affect depression. For example, a 2012 study found that zinc deficiency is associated with symptoms of depression.

Improving your diet could be key to reducing your symptoms.

But before you make any major changes to your diet or begin taking vitamins or supplements, talk with your physician.

Life Events And Depression

Research suggests that continuing difficulties, such as long-term unemployment, living in an abusive or uncaring relationship, long-term isolation or loneliness or prolonged exposure to stress at work can increase the risk of depression.

Significant adverse life events, such as losing a job, going through a separation or divorce, or being diagnosed with a serious illness, may also trigger depression, particularly among people who are already at risk because of genetic, developmental or other personal factors.

Also Check: Is Depression And Anxiety A Mental Illness

Sometimes You Feel Nothing At All

People who are struggling with depression will often talk about a complete lack of emotion and feeling:

Nothing, that was what I felt. All day, every day, NOTHING.

After a while they might even forget what it feels like to feel, leaving them unable to know how to respond to things that happen each day:

I didnt have the energy, empathy or motivation to feel happy for my friends. I vividly recall a friend telling me shed got engaged and I felt nothing. I think I said congratulations but in a dull, emotionless way that led her to believe I didnt care. And I didnt. But that wasnt me talking, it was my depression. I really hurt her but I didnt intend to, Id just lost the ability to care for and be happy for her. You can see me in all of her wedding photos. The unsmiling bridesmaid. I wanted so much to be able to smile and feel happy for her but I just couldnt remember how.

Castle Estate Take Me Away

Can T Wait To Spend The Rest Of My Life With You

If capturing another century versus a decade is your thing, and you always felt you would be suited for the royal treatment, then this laser cut castle doll house is your thing. I couldnt find the kit for sale, but it might be possible to find a video with the step-by-step laser saw demonstration. One can dream and wish upon a star I suppose!

Recommended Reading: Mental Hospital For Anxiety And Depression

Load Up On Vitamin D And Vitamin B

I was relieved that Dr. Weiss included blood tests to check vitamin D and vitamin B-12 levels, as well, because deficiencies in both of those vitamins can cause severe depression. They are included in my list of 10 Nutritional Deficiencies That Can Cause Depression. According to a 2009 study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, as many as three-quarters of U.S. teens and adults are deficient in vitamin D. Last year Canadian researchers performed a systematic review and analysis of 14 studies that revealed a close association between vitamin D levels and depression. Researchers found that low levels of vitamin D corresponded to depression and increased odds for depression. In another 2009 study, more than a quarter of severely depressed older women were deficient in B-12. I take each of those vitamins in liquid form so that they absorb quickly and efficiently.

Why I Struggle More With Depression Than Celiac Disease

Many people in my life are familiar with the fact that I live with celiac disease. Its an autoimmune disease that affects around three million Americans, in which consuming gluten damages the lining of the small intestines. Celiac can often go years undiagnosed because of its wide range of symptoms, ranging from headaches to digestive issues to fatigue. The only treatment to manage celiac is to adhere to a gluten-free diet.

Food is an everyday, multiple times a day part of our lives. Its more than a physical necessity, its a social experience its how friends and family spend time together, its how coworkers break up the work day, its how you get to know a new place. Whether I plan on discussing having celiac or not, its rather inevitable when everyone at the table goes for the bread and butter before the meal, or friends suggests going to a beer garden and you hesitate at the idea. When people realize I am strictly gluten-free, they are more often than not completely understanding. In fact, they tend to be curious about the disease and interested to learn more, especially since the word gluten has spiked in usage recently.

What people may not realize is I actually live with two diseases. After being diagnosed with the first, a second one made its debut in my life. Its the ever-elusive, swept under the rug, misunderstood disease calleddepression.

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Where Do I Derive My Inspiration

This question will tell you:

  • Who you can look to for guidance and mentorship
  • What you want to show others about yourself

If youve done a lot of the exercises in this article and youre still finding yourself thinking, What do I do with my life? then it may be time to look at some people you find inspiring.

Make a list of people whom you look up to. These can be people you knowparents, friends, colleagues, etc.or they can be people youve never met, like social justice advocates, celebrities, or politicians.

For each person you come up with, list out the attributes, behaviors, and events that have made them so inspirational to you.

Finally, do a little research into the people on your list. If its someone you know, simply ask them if you can pick their brain about their journey. If its someone you dont know, head over to Wikipedia or pick up a biography. Learn about what they went through to get where they are, what they wish they could do differently, and what choices they made to find success.

While your journey in life will be completely unique, hearing from people who have done what you want to do can guide you as you carve your own path.

Key Takeaway

What Does Recovering From Chronic Mental Illness Mean

LL – Anywhere For The Rest Of My Life FULL ALBUM (EATEOT Anxiety Version)

Recovering from a mental illness is different than recovering from physical injuries. First, it is an invisible disease. It’s not easy to explain to people that you are sick if you do not look sick even though you are in pain and working to be free of it. Sometimes, you lose people who had previously been a vital part of your life. Surely, the best people will hang on for the ride.

The definition of recovery, the very roots of the word, mean to be healed or to be cured. People are not cured of mental illness but we do heal, and we do recover. It’s important to understand what the word recovered means when tied to mental illness. Recovering is the process you take to find wellness and stability. It is the months, the years, you work to find the right medication and balance in your life. Recovering is hard work. It is the hardest thing I have ever done and something I work to maintain on a daily basis. Unlike a self-limiting physical injury, recovery is defined on a consistent basis. It is the medication you take when you should, the appointments with doctors or therapists, and the support network you nurture.

Read Also: Anti Depression Meds That Cause Weight Loss

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