Well let me first explain what is depression. Depression is a medical illness that negatively affects the way we think, feel and act. It can take the form of minor to major depression, seasonal affective disorder, dysthymia, and bipolar disorder. Depression causes one to feel sad, lonely, unable to concentrate, loss of interest in a lot of activities, isolation, and also physical problems like loss of appetite leading to diseases such as anorexia and bulimia, and so much more.
Now dont get scared. lol Depression can be cured!.
First let us seek to determine if you suffer from depression. Tick the following:
- Do you often feel sad or in frequent depressed moods?
- Do you experience a grave loss of interest in activities you once enjoyed?
- Have you noticed major changes in your appetite unrelated to dieting?
- Do you experience problems to sleep or you`ve been oversleeping recently?
- Have you experienced increased fatigue?
- Do you feel like you`ve developed a loss of energy?
- Do you often feel worthless, purposeless, or guilty?
- Do you experience difficult, concentrating, thinking or always indecisive?
- Do you experience frequent thoughts of suicide or death?
NB: In order for your symptoms to be classed as depression, they must last for at least two (2) weeks
Ok so as we said, depression can be treated. Here are some tips :
- Therapy- therapy is one of the best remedies for mild to moderate depression. In Trinidad there is an Association for Psychologists, whereby you can access therapeutic services. The info is as follows : Telephone (702-0232), Email (secretary@psychologytt.org) , Postal Address (P.O Box 887, 92Wrightson Road, Pos). Also for students, most highschools and tertiary level institutions provide counselling services. Please forget about peer pressure and do it for your own benefit!!! I myself attended counselling at UWI. Without counselling/ therapy, I would not have been able to cope with the workload. And please note that School Psychologists do not only focus on Education, they treat with other personal issues as well.
- Antidepressants - these can be both prescribed medication or self-motivating activities.
- Psychiatry - for more severe cases of depression, a therapist may refer you to a Psychiatrist, who will be able to prescribe medication for you. Also included in this is electroconvulsive therapy for persons suffering from bipolar disorder.
- Self Help - for the persons afraid to seek external help, you can try self help. This is done through discipline. One can exercise regularly as exercise helps create positive emotions and healthy well being. Try to get at least (8) hours sleep a day, this way the body will get enough rest and have your mind relaxed, and for the oversleepers it will help control the amount of sleep, this way alleviating the constant tiredness you may feel from over sleeping.
Thanks for highlighting, we really need to stop and pay attention to ourselves at times. Some employers also provide professional help. I recently came across a video where many celebrities were saying they started doing meditation which helps also...
ReplyDeleteMy 4th blog on how to cope with stress speaks on meditation and aromatherapy, as depression is caused by stress, these will also be useful in overcoming depression. You can check it out as well. Thanks for reading
ReplyDeleteDepression is a battle you have to fight everyday. It's so easy to get trapped into what society wants you to be, you get lost in the world. It's hard to speak about what you feel inside to others but sometimes you just have to in order to win the battle.
ReplyDeleteso very true. Majority of the population struggle with depression and are afraid to speak out. I too have suffered from depression, so i hope that this can be a motivator for some, to get the help they deserve
DeleteLife is stressful, often the anxiety from life's problems can cause depression, it helps to talk.... Trinidad is viewed as one of the happiest places on earth but still we have persons suffering from depression so it really is about finding ways to cope with our daily stressors.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing the information on where persons can get help
Ironically this is so true. Trinidad is viewed as one of the happiest places. This just goes to show that despite how happy persons think we are, alot goes on behind closed doors. Hopefully as persons see others speaking out, they will know they are not alone, n hopefully motivate to speak out n get help
DeleteVery informative. Allow me to ask....Can depression fluctuate day in and day out, dependent one the individual but not lasting as long as two whole weeks??
ReplyDeleteYes it can fluctuate. Two weeks does not have to be consecutively.
DeleteIn terms of the bipolar depression traits...its scary how an individual can have change of moods as frequently as they would. This leaves family and friends wondering what mood an individual is in, Avoiding heavy conversations because of reluctance of not trying to upset the person suffering with bipolar depression. From my personal stand point it leaves me feeling as though i'm walking along egg shells. Being afraid and going into a panic mode of what should I say and how to say it. Today we don't take these things seriously but one questions if and individual suffers with bipolar depression at any length of of time, can suicide be a just cause of concern?
ReplyDeleteBipolar depression is a more severe case of depression. A psychiatrist will need to be contacted to assess and prescribe medication.
ReplyDeleteRelative your last question, can you clarify. Is it that youre asking if suicide can be justified as a result of depression?
Depression to me is not a mental issue. We all face it. We all go through it. We all feel alone and empty. We all feel regret and resentment and feel as though we just want to be alone. In extreme circumstances there are treatment. Simple as working a 9 to 5, 5 days a week and having that same routine everyday can send you into a mental breakdown. We work to live and live to work. We forget what it means to be alive and that sends us into a depressed state. Life has gotten harder as the years go by. There no push to do anything. Because all there is around you is stress. Stress causes depression. Stress causes suicide. Stress causes drug uses. All you want is to be happy but how can you be when there's only the stresses of life around you.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, this is the life we live in. But there are mechanisms we can use to help make coping manageable. Yes we all experience depression at some point or the other, but it is a mental issue. Our brain is what controls our entire body, hence depression is a cognitive disorder
Delete