Are bad moods, drowsiness and irritability following you around? There are two news about this. Let's start with the good one? Experts note that this is a normal reaction of the body to the approaching cold and lack of sun. But the bad news is that if nothing is done about this condition, it is fraught with serious consequences for mental health and the body as a whole. Practicing psychologist Nadezhda Chikilina shared with us professional life hacks on how to cope with sudden sadness.
Women and the elderly are at risk
The WHO statistics on depression are staggering. Just think about it: every 20th person on the planet is fighting this disease right now (and that’s a total of more than 350 million people, more than the population of the United States and Canada combined). The disease makes no exceptions; people of any age, gender and material income are susceptible to it. Thus, depression is diagnosed in 5% of children under the age of 10 years, in 10–15% of adolescents 10–16 years old. The disease affects every tenth person over 40 years of age, and every third person over 65 years of age. Women are slightly more susceptible to depression than men, and make up 65–70% of all cases.
In addition to women and older people, high-risk groups include:
people with a low level of education divorced and widowed men and women unemployed social workers: doctors, staff of nursing homes, orphanages, preschool institutions people suffering from chronic diseases (for example, diabetes, heart failure, migraines, hypothyroidism, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and many others) people who have suffered a traumatic brain injury people whose close relatives (parents, brothers, sisters) suffered from depression young fathers and especially mothers people who receive insufficient or inadequate nutrition or adhere to a strict diet for a long time
Autumn blues or depression?
Seeing the fragile boundary between prolonged blues and real depression is sometimes difficult even for a psychotherapist. And yet, knowing the main differences between these conditions is very important. Noticing the first signs of depression in yourself or a loved one in time and admitting that there is a problem means taking the first step towards recovery.
So, it's most likely that you're just having the blues if you:
you feel depressed for several days in a row, but for no more than two weeks you can more or less accurately indicate the cause of your condition, tell how and when it started despite your bad mood, as before, you enjoy your favorite films, books, music, after eating you get tired faster than usual, but in the morning you are still cheerful and active; you continue to take part in the life of your family, meet with friends, you can share your experiences and problems with them, even in a depressed mood; you are able to perform your daily work at the proper level; you sleep as usual; nightmares or insomnia, if they occur, quickly pass on their own
The symptoms of real depression are in many ways similar to those listed above, but they have a more negative connotation and last much longer. You can suspect the disease if you:
you have been in a depressed mood for two or more weeks, and every week your condition only gets worse; you cannot name the reasons for your bad mood and have difficulty remembering when it all started; you often experience inexplicable fear, anxiety, and guilt; you are irritated by every little thing; even the most familiar things that you would not have paid attention to before; you have lost interest in everything that recently made you happy and filled you with emotions;
you are equally indifferent to music, delicious food, sex, travel, and in general you have become indifferent to everything that happens around you; you constantly feel tired and exhausted, especially in the morning. Sometimes you cannot get out of bed at all and even miss meetings and events because of this. You feel a little better in the evenings, only at this time you can work or do housework, you take part in family life less and less, and you move away from friends and family. It is difficult for you to maintain any relationships and simply communicate with people, so you try to reduce all contacts to a minimum, literally forcing yourself to go to work or do household chores. You concentrate less and less on work, you make a lot of mistakes, you have difficulty making even simple decisions, you look at your future with pessimism, you don’t believe that something good can happen in your life, you have lost your appetite, and any food seems equally tasteless to you, the world around you has become “ gray": all colors seem dull to you, and sounds are muffled; you cannot get a good night's sleep: you either fall asleep for a long time and then wake up from every rustle, or, conversely, you sleep for 12–14 hours, but still do not feel rested. Remember: presence even a few of the listed symptoms are a good reason to consult a psychotherapist for accurate diagnosis and treatment.
Symptoms of depression never go away on their own. Over time, they only become more severe, ultimately depriving a person of positive emotions and interest in life and forcing him into self-isolation.
Let the light in
Experts believe that it is the lack of light that is to be blamed for the depressive state that overwhelms people in winter. It gets dark early, dawns late. So it turns out that you get up in the dark, get ready to go to work by touch, and then, as if under the cover of darkness, return home. The lack of light negatively affects not only our worldview, but also our health. In winter, the body lacks vitamin D, hence weak immunity, malfunction of the thyroid gland, poor skin condition, etc.
Try lighting scented candles; they create a feeling of homeliness and warmth.
Of course, the light of a lamp is unlikely to help you get rid of bags under your eyes, but it can easily lift your mood. Therefore, let light into your life: open the curtains during the day, and do not skimp on electricity in the evening. By the way, try lighting scented candles, they create a feeling of home comfort and warmth.
Can depression be cured?
Yes, in the vast majority of cases depression is treatable. Today there are many pharmacological drugs, psychological programs, and experimental techniques that make it possible to take the course of the disease under control and return a person to normal life.
But, unfortunately, according to WHO, more than 90% of people suffering from depression do not receive proper treatment. There are several reasons for this.
1 Many do not consider their condition to be a disease, but attribute everything to difficult life circumstances, problems at work, fatigue, and the like. They often try to overcome depression on their own, for example, they promise themselves to start a new life on Monday - bright and positive - and force themselves to go to parties, communicate with people, and get a new job. As a rule, the reserve of strength and enthusiasm is only enough for a few days or weeks, and the person plunges even deeper into depression, simultaneously blaming himself for all the failures.
2 Often the reason for refusing to see a psychotherapist or psychiatrist is the existing prejudice in society against mental disorders and those who suffer from them. People are afraid that their acquaintances, colleagues, and relatives will become aware of the diagnosis or the very fact of visiting a psychiatrist - and this will inevitably affect the attitude of others towards them, career prospects and other important aspects of life.
3 Even if a person is aware of his illness, he can avoid visiting a doctor at all costs, as he fears that he will be prescribed antidepressants. It is widely believed that all medications for depression negatively affect mental abilities, interfere with driving, performing professional duties, and even cause addiction. Fortunately, this is no longer the case. Modern antidepressants can quickly and effectively fight the disease, while causing a minimum of side effects.
4 Turning to non-core specialists is another common problem. Often, people suffering from depression turn to their primary care physician and tell him only about physical symptoms, such as weakness, fatigue, loss of appetite, headaches, and do not even mention psychological symptoms. As a result, the doctor prescribes treatment that is absolutely useless. After going through a series of examinations and a course of such treatment, a person becomes convinced that nothing can help him, and withdraws even more into himself.
It is important to understand: depression is not an illness that goes away on its own. All kinds of folk remedies, tinctures of valerian and motherwort, as well as grandmother’s recipes, are also useless in the fight against it. And numerous sleeping pills and sedatives that can be purchased at pharmacies without a prescription can also aggravate your condition.
Only a qualified psychotherapist (or psychiatrist) can prescribe truly effective treatment that is right for you. Therapy often lasts 4–6 months or longer, and you should not expect results in the first days. It is important to be patient and finish what you started - this is the only way you can return to normal life and avoid illness in the future.
Causes
If a person is healthy, then the restructuring of the body from summer to autumn will take place with minimal mood swings. But there are a number of factors that can aggravate the situation:
- Somatic conditions. This is a special type of physical ailment associated with disruption of the hormonal and nervous system. In people prone to this, the body reacts sharply in the fall to a lack of serotonin and vitamin D.
- Chronic stress. A person may be in this state under constant physical and psycho-emotional overload. If you don’t learn to cope with it, then it’s one step away from depression.
- Incorrect upbringing in childhood. Excessive care and control on the part of parents can lead to the fact that a person is not ready to cope with difficulties on his own. He has a much higher chance of getting into a stressful situation.
- Hereditary predisposition. If one of the parents or grandparents suffered from autumn depression, then the likelihood of similar symptoms appearing in their offspring is quite high.
It's better to fight together
If it is not you yourself who are dealing with depression, but one of your close friends or relatives, it is in your power to help him in the fight against the disease. What should be done for this?
Try to learn as much as possible about the disease in order to understand how someone close to you is feeling now. If you see signs of possible depression in a person, do not under any circumstances diagnose or intimidate him. This is the worst thing you can do. It’s better to leave him a brochure about the disease, offer to take an online questionnaire together to identify hidden depression, and gently lead him to the idea of psychological help. Offer your possible help. For example, many people with depression avoid talking on the phone and don't like going to unfamiliar places. Offer to help make an appointment or accompany you when you visit a therapist. But act very tactfully and do not persist, otherwise this may scare away and alienate the person from you. Create a positive atmosphere around your loved one, but don't overdo it. Excessive fuss, noise and ostentatious fun will increase irritation and anxiety and will not help the healing process. Involve him unobtrusively in everyday activities, playing sports together or going for walks. People with depression get tired very quickly, so don’t force them to do something against their will and let them rest more often. Support your loved one at all stages of treatment, believe in him, praise him even for minimal success. However, do not arrange ceremonies and do not attract undue attention to the treatment process if the person himself does not want it. Do not create “hothouse” conditions around a person and do not protect him from everyday worries and problems. This will only increase his feeling of uselessness and helplessness. Be understanding about the desire to be alone. Do not insist on attending parties, mass events, or crowded places. If your friend or relative begins to express thoughts about the futility of life and possible suicide, under no circumstances leave him alone and contact your doctor as soon as possible.
Remember: treating depression is a long and very difficult marathon. And success in it depends not on speed at the start, but on team support, patience and consistency. But the reward - a returned interest in life and the ability to enjoy it - will pay off all the work and effort a hundredfold.
Praise yourself for the smallest steps
In a state of apathy, even the smallest step is a big victory. Because the main sign of depression is the reluctance to do something. And this is not laziness, understand and do not scold yourself for it.
Depression is a displaced state, it is an almost healthy psyche, with the key word almost. And to get out, you really need desire and willpower. It’s just that some people spend months in green melancholy, for others it’s a week of apathy – horror.
Precisely because the first steps to free yourself from captivity are difficult, praise yourself for every sneeze during this period of life. Remember all the incentives that had a positive effect on you. The smell of fresh ground coffee with oriental spices, with a top of whipped cream.
Milk porous chocolate, with creamy bubbles spreading in the mouth. A tangerine, peeling which makes you remember the New Year, the Christmas tree and childhood, and the very taste of the sweet and sour slice hits the tongue and gives pleasure.
Don't just praise, but reward and motivate yourself. Of course, it wouldn’t hurt to go to the mirror and smile at yourself, and remember that you have found a way to get rid of the blues and apathy. Perhaps at first it will be an exhausted smile, and after a week you will already be winking at your image.
You deserve to live a happy life, and you will definitely overcome this obstacle course too. You can read on a related topic: “How to become a successful person.”
With faith in your success, Svetlana Vasenovich
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