Dealing with Depression

Recognizing the Symptoms of Depression

Always feeling under the weather?

Always not in the mood to be around others and have a good time?

Always feeling tired and worn out?

If you have been suffering from prolonged sadness for quite some time now, you may be suffering bouts of depression. Recognizing these prolonged symptoms is the first step in dealing with depression.

The second step is to visit your doctor and get yourself diagnosed. Your doctor may refer you to a psychiatrist who can further diagnose why you are feeling this way.

Depression or prolonged sadness is actually quite common in the United States, around 9.5 percent of the American population actually suffer from this illness. Unfortunately, not all of them get to be treated, thus, depression and its ill-effects continue to be a burden to some individuals.

Dealing with Stress/Anxiety? Visit my other Lens

Are you Depressed?

Recognizing Depression

Depression can easily get in the way of an individual's daily activities and his or her's normal functions, one's zest for life can quickly and easily dissipate due to depression. So in place of an individual's sunny disposition is more or less a person who hates his or herself, having no self-confidence, trying to isolate one's self from the world and basically just not caring about living any more. More so, a person suffering from depression isn't the only one who's going to suffer from this destructive illness, his or her loved ones are sure to follow suit.

Still, people tend to not recognize depression. Being honest with one's self is key to being able to cure such an illness. Never overlook the various symptoms, depressed individuals often exhibit uncharacteristic behaviors such as suddenly lacking interest in one's hobbies or other stuff that he or she usually enjoys. Sleeps too much or suffers from insomnia, suddenly becoming anti-social, talks a lot about death or being a worthless person. There are many other symptoms but if you or someone you know exhibits these symptoms, talk to your doctor.

Self Help for Depression

Books on Depression

Loving Someone with Bipolar Disorder

by: Julie A. Fast, John D. Preston Psy D ABPP

Amazon Price: $10.17 (as of 11/09/2009)

I Don't Want to Talk About It: Overcoming the Secret Legacy of Male Depression

by: Terrence Real

Amazon Price: $10.20 (as of 11/09/2009)

SOS Help for Emotions: Managing Anxiety, Anger, and Depression

by: Lynn Clark

Amazon Price: $7.63 (as of 11/09/2009)

Why Am I Still Depressed? Recognizing and Managing the Ups and Downs of Bipolar II and Soft Bipolar Disorder

by: Jim Phelps

Amazon Price: $12.89 (as of 11/09/2009)

Undoing Depression

by: Richard O'Connor

Amazon Price: $10.20 (as of 11/09/2009)

Facing Depression Head On

Dealing with Depression

This illness may seem quite simple to treat but in reality, it takes more than a little cheering up to actually cure depression. Constant visits to a cognitive behavior therapist is a must, as well as taking all the prescribed medicines that the doctor will ask the patient to take. None of these exactly come cheap, but the amount of suffering that a person is going through because of depression is enough reason already for others to start taking notice and face depression head on.

Fortunately depression can now be cured, especially when diagnosed early. Depressed individuals can actually be treated through therapy and medication, although it may be a bit costly, a person's good mental health is something that shouldn't be scrimped on. Cognitive behavioral talk or interpersonal talk are just some of the available psychosocial treatments that cognitive behavior therapists can offer to their patients. Both actually prove to be able to produce fruitful and positive results.

Depression shouldn't be something that people fear. Instead, people should just start taking charge of their lives and actually face this illness and fight it. Life is too beautiful a gift to waste and if one spends the majority of his or her life just moping around then what kind of life would that be? Depression may not kill one's body but it can certainly kill one's spirit if you let it. Don't be a victim.

Signs and Symptoms of Depression

Know What to Look For

There are certain signs and symptoms that characterize clinical depression. These signs and symptoms include:

the inability to concentrate
a loss of appetite
feelings of extreme sadness
helplessness
guilt
hopelessness
insomnia
thoughts of death
difficulty making decisions
an "empty" mood
fatigue
irregular sleeping hours
a loss of interest in things that the person use to enjoy
irritability

Of course these signs and symptoms may actually vary from person to person.

Music to Help Fight Depressed Moods

My favorite anti-depression music

Listening to music can help you when you're feeling depressed. Not all music is helpfull, mind you, so you must choose carefully. Pick music that is up-beat and mostly Instrumental, if not completely Instrumental.

Close your eyes, think, dream, wander. Let the music take you away, far away. Think of nothing but the music you hear, ignore everything else. Headphones are helpfull for this.

Just click on the pictures and you will be taken to my lenses that have the corresponding artists music to listen to.

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Physical Signs and Symptoms

Your Body May be Affected as Well

Depression also has some physical signs and symptoms which include:

headaches or migrains
back pain
muscle aches
joint pain
digestive problems (this could be in the form of a feeling of either queasiness or nauseous)
diarrhea
chronic constipation
change in appetite or weight
a loss of appetite or a craving for certain foods such as carbohydrates
chest pains

If you do have chest pain, you should get it checked out immediately because it could also be a sign of a serious health problem. Some people may already have these problems and thus they may get worse whenever the person becomes depressed.

Soothing Music on Amazon

Music to help you out of your "Blue Mood"

Instrumental Paradise Volume 8 [CD on Demand]

Amazon Price: $13.99 (as of 11/09/2009)

Liquid Mind III: Balance

Amazon Price: $14.98 (as of 11/09/2009)

Pure New Age Moods: A 5 Disc CD/DVD Box Set with 37 Audio Tracks and over 4 Hours of Soothing New Age Music from all Four Corners of the Globe!

Amazon Price: $16.98 (as of 11/09/2009)

Instrumental Imagery Volume 3 [CD on Demand]

Amazon Price: $14.98 (as of 11/09/2009)

Instrumental Odyssey Volume 2 [CD on Demand]

Amazon Price: $13.99 (as of 11/09/2009)

Symptoms of Depression Vary

We're Not All The Same

As you can see, depression has numerous different signs and symptoms. Two of the most common reasons why these things appear include:

· A person may lose their job when their company downsizes. While this may not be difficult to deal with in the beginning while they are spending a lot of time sending out their resume and hunting for jobs, but after a while this job-hunting may cause the person to become so weary that all they do is sit in front of the TV all day acting irritable.

· Many senior citizens are quite active before the death of their mate and the worsening of their own health. Once this happens though, all the person may want to do is stay in the house, with their curtains closed, unless they have a doctor appointment.

While these are the main signs and symptoms of depression, they are not the only ones. Some adults grow depressed after having been abused or neglected as a child. Of course, everyone may feel sad or depressed upon occasion. At these times this depression can be managed through natural remedies. Some of the things that can be done include learning a hobby, becoming involved in sports, or getting some exercise. If these things do not work for a person then they really should talk to their doctor.

Sometimes a person may become so debilitated by the signs and symptoms of depression that someone actually needs to step in and help them. Of course, the person may not want to be helped, but when you see that something is interfering with a person's ability to think, work, eat, sleep, enjoy being with others, or care for themselves then you have no choice but to step in to help them. This is especially important when the person begins to think or talk about death, harming themselves, committing suicide, or harming someone else. While the person may not actually make mention of these things, you can tell when they begin thinking about these things because they will start to give away the possessions that they value the most. It is then that a person is in definite need of help, even though they may not ask for it.

Types of Depression

There are various subtypes of depression that a person should know about. These subtypes of depression are based upon the symptoms that a patient exhibits. Although depression is a blanket statement for many mood disorders, there are also many variations between the types of depression.

Mono-Polar

The first subtype of depression is called mono-polar depression. This is also known as dysthymic disorder and it only consists of depressive symptoms. When a person has this form of depression, it will not interfere with their ability to work or participate in social activities. There are some more severe cases of this form of depression where these things can be affected though.

Bipolar

Bipolar disorder, which is also known as manic-depressive disease or cyclothymic disorder, is the second subtype of depression. With this form of depression a person alternates between mood levels that are either depressive or manic. While in the manic phase a person may show symptoms of increased mental and physical activity. This person will also have a difficult time sleeping and thus they will not be able to concentrate properly whenever they are awake. It is possible for a person to only have a mild form of bipolar disorder. This is what is called "cyclthymic disorder."

Manic Depression

Another subtype of depression is known as manic disorder. While this type of depression acts in the same way as bipolar disorder, the depressive state has not yet taken place. This form of depression is characterized by an abnormally elevated mood, which is accompanied by unrealistic optimism, a lack of sleep, and hyperactivity.

Types of Depression (cont...)

Physical

Physical disease is also able to cause another subtype of depression. The diseases that most commonly cause depressive symptoms include hypertension, hypothyroidism, Parkinson's disease, heart disease, stroke, and Cushing's syndrome. It is also possible for a lengthy illness, such as the flu, to trigger this subtype of depression.

Postpartum

Postpartum depression is a subtype of depression that sometimes occurs after a woman gives birth. The cause of this is the physical and mental fatigue that a woman experiences after this process, which can drain the body of important nutrients and thus cause depression.

Seasonal Affective

The final subtype of depression is Seasonal Affective Disorder. This subtype of depression occurs throughout the cold, dark wintertime. Once it warms up and the sun comes back out in the springtime, usually this subtype of depression will go away since sunlight stimulates the brain in a positive manner which does not happen whenever there is a lack of light.

Depression Self Help

Books on Depression

When Going Through Hell... Don't Stop! A Survivor's Guide to Overcoming Anxiety and Clinical Depression

by: Douglas G. Bloch

Amazon Price: (as of 11/09/2009)

Treatment Plans and Interventions for Depression and Anxiety Disorders

by: Robert L. Leahy, Stephen J. Holland

Amazon Price: $55.08 (as of 11/09/2009)

Cognitive Therapy of Depression (The Guilford Clinical Psychology and Psychopathology Series)

by: Aaron T. Beck, A. John Rush, Brian F. Shaw, Gary Emery

Amazon Price: $24.00 (as of 11/09/2009)

What Causes Depression?

There are many factors for depression. These things can either act alone or in combination with each other in order to cause you to feel depressed. Here are the 3 main factors for depression:

Environmental

Environmental factors for depression occur whenever you react to an event that has happened. Usually this has to do with a great loss (i.e. A death in the family) or change in your environment (this is especially true for children who have to move from one province to another). These things are quite obvious but there are also things that are a lot less obvious such as being greatly disappointed by the way that you see your career going. It is also possible that you may be depressed because you feel as though you are stuck in a monotonous lifestyle and thus you do not have anything that you can look forward to. At times like this you may feel as though you do not have any control over your life. This is enough to make you feel depressed. Other things that commonly lead a person to become depressed include: financial difficulties, domestic disputes, and being unable to express your feelings.

Psychological

Studies have shown that internal things can lead you to have psychological factors for depression. If you have a pessimistic outlook on life, or if you do not have good self-esteem, then it is possible that you could become depressed. An illness, or a change in an illness, can also cause you to become depressed. It has also been shown by various studies that depression is a "natural" part of a cardiovascular disorder.

Physiological

There are also physiological factors that lead to such forms of depression as clinical depression. Here it has been shown that certain personality types are affected by the things that happen in your life and that this will in turn influence your mood. This is something that doctors are still studying. It is difficult to study this though because the casual relationship with biological variables is unknown. For this reason it is difficult to pinpoint the condition's roots. However, there are definitely some physiological factors that do cause depression, including:

There may be a genetic disposition toward depression.
If you have a low level of dopamine when you undergo a lot of stress you will most likely become depressed.
Sleep patterns that are very radical can cause your body to feel out of whack and thus it is possible for depression to occur.
Many women suffer from depression due to a hormone imbalance that occurs either during PMS or menopause.
Males can also undergo a testosterone imbalance that causes them to become depressed.
Certain medications, such as corticosteroids can lead to depression.
A chronic illness causes many people to become depressed.
The changes in season, thus causing a lack of sunlight, will lead to SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder).
Any of these aforementioned factors for depression may be at work within a depressed person. These factors can either work alone or in combination with one another to contribute to depression. If any of these factors are present in your life then you can now understand why you are depressed.

More on Depression

Coping with the stress of back pain, using your powerful mind: When you are coping with back pain and sciatica symptoms and especially if you are in a lot of pain or the symptoms go on a while you may be familiar with the three monsters of anxiety , stress and depression. There is currently debate over whether back pain causes depression or depression causes ba

Let me Know What You Think

Lensmaster

eft_training wrote...

thank you for sorting out on how to deal with depression. depression normally starts when you are feeling sadness or emptiness. Also normally depression appears to be caused by numerous unresolved emotional issues such as guilt, shame, fear, anger and the like. What I did to relieve all of those causes is by means of EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique).

eft training really works well on persons who has a depression.

And eft training manual for depression are to be reliable in practice but am not putting it forward as areplacement for competent medical advice.

Posted September 15, 2009

Lensmaster

Care_4_you wrote...

Thanks you for your informative lens, Dough. In severe cases of depression, people really struggle to get better. Some have to live with it, and need medication and psychotherapy their whole life. However, there are different types of depression, for this reason people can heal. They are not doomed!There is hope!

Posted September 01, 2009

Lensmaster

alfieeea wrote

Posted August 04, 2009

Lensmaster

HandyProductsMaster wrote...

Good stuff, this is full of some good info, as I am a depression sufferer I can relate to much of it and got some extra info that I didn't know about too..very cool...has inspired me to write a new lens on how my depression affects my diabetes even though diabetes is the main cause of my depression!

Posted June 18, 2009

Lensmaster

NOT IMPORTANT wrote

You're a flake ! You fake it. get a life

Posted May 23, 2009

Lensmaster

davidstillwagon wrote...

Great lens! Very informative. I'll give it a 5

Posted May 22, 2009

Lensmaster

margp wrote...

I know first hand the pain of being consumed with mentl health issues as well as now knowing the beauty of living free from them... great job helping others find a life of freedom

Panic Away

Posted March 25, 2009

Lensmaster

acheson wrote...

Great lens. My best friend was diagnosed with bipolar disorder years ago and suffers terribly from depression. It has been hard supporting her also and I think that supporters of those with depression need their own support network. Please visit me at Bi polar Disorder or Bipolar symptoms

Posted March 24, 2009

Lensmaster

Dave Kanofsky wrote

Under the caption "Facing Depression Head On" , the second paragraph begins by stating, "Fortunately depression can now be cured...." Not quite. I've had clinical depression for over 35 years and after many years of therapy and now the right medication for me, my depression is now completely under control, but I am not cured, nor will I ever be. If I were to go off my meds, I know for an absolute fact that slowly but surely, the depression would come back all over again.

Posted March 21, 2009

Lensmaster

AlexWong wrote...

Hey there Dougby,
Big thumbs up to this lens, i think depression is and always going to be a very big topic amongst health issues. It is good to see that there are support groups and information such as you lens. If you get a change check out Goal Achievers website which has some insightful and useful information, support on depression, stress, anxiety, motivation, self esteem etc.

Posted October 07, 2008

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