Many mental disorders are in one way or another associated with altered states of consciousness, which allow you to take a fresh look at yourself, the people around you, and the whole world. However, disorders are called disorders because those who suffer from them have initially programmed themselves to see the negative in everything. Sometimes it seems that if some people happen to find themselves close to God or in Nirvana, they will still be able to endure only the most negative experiences, will run to psychiatrists and willingly pass all the tests, and then will take antipsychotic drugs all their lives.
These attitudes will never allow you to realize what is really happening. There is nothing good in depression, or despondency, as it is called in Orthodoxy. However, this may be the bad thing that will allow you to reassess your values. It is quite possible that this type of mental deviation is almost the only way to remember that a person is not a body, at least not only a body. True, this kind of attention to the spiritual aspect of existence most often only causes panic.
Sometimes depression can lead to overestimation of life values
Fatigue
We all burn out at times. But if you feel unexplainedly tired every day, even though you go to bed on time, it could be a sign of chronic depression. According to research from the US National Library of Medicine, fatigue is the most common symptom of major depressive disorder.
Psychotherapist Shemiah Derrick says:
You may notice physical exhaustion and lack of energy. These symptoms usually appear after you try to solve the problem mentally, the body begins to act, but the situation is not resolved. So there is a dissonance between what you think and what you do.
Urgently see a doctor: a psychologist listed the TOP-6 signs of the onset of depression
"I am depressed!" - we often hear this phrase from people who are simply in a bad mood or have a bad day. But some people don’t even know that depression is a serious illness that requires medical intervention. Psychologist Olga Korotina-Hesse told 5-tv.ru about how to identify a depressive state.
“In order to identify signs of depression, you need to pay attention to the following factors: first, you begin to notice that your mood is decreasing. There seems to be no reason, but the mood is decreasing,” the expert said.
Dejection
According to the doctor, bad mood and despondency are the first “bell” of depression. What was previously very interesting becomes unnecessary.
“Despondency comes over you. You don't feel very well. It is precisely this decrease in mood that gives rise to a state of despondency. You get a feeling of hopelessness, the meaninglessness of life,” the psychologist noted.
Inattention
Decreased concentration is the second sign of depression. According to the psychologist, it may seem to a person that the onset of forgetfulness is associated with memory lapses, but this is not so. The reason for the fact that he may not remember something is precisely problems with concentration.
Guilt
It is also common for a person with depression to blame themselves for everything. Moreover, an all-consuming feeling of guilt can roll in without any apparent reason.
Thoughts about suicide
Another dangerous symptom of depression is a feeling of worthlessness. Some people feel so lonely that they have suicidal thoughts.
“Uselessness: “Nobody needs me, and I don’t need anyone.” I want to crawl under the blankets and not talk to anyone.” Sometimes thoughts of suicide may appear,” said Olga, a specialist.
Insomnia
Depression causes serious sleep problems. A patient suffering from this disease may not sleep at night, wake up too early, or very late.
Changing eating behavior
The psychologist added that a person with depression may change their eating behavior dramatically. He may either begin to starve or experience overeating.
Slowness in movements
“You know, this feeling is as if your inner strength has been taken away from you. You don't have enough energy. There is a certain slowness in movements. Sometimes you feel like you are slowly picking up some objects. This is all also associated with a certain change in your condition,” the doctor explained.
Olga Korotina-Hesse advised to closely monitor whether you exhibit any of the above symptoms. And if you notice at least a few of them, you should immediately contact a psychologist or psychotherapist.
Previously, 5-tv.ru wrote that how to determine alcoholism in yourself by the volume and frequency of drinking.
Pain
Along with depression, most people experience pain and discomfort. Some people feel tension in the neck and back, or pain in the joints; someone’s chest is compressed and their breathing becomes difficult. Many patients experienced unconscious holding of their breath.
Nicolette Amarillas, a life coach, confirms that spinal pain is most common in people with depression. This can also be seen in the changed gait: the shoulders are slouched, the head is increasingly lowered down.
Risk factors that contribute to the development of depression
- severe emotional experiences in childhood;
- personality traits (perfectionism);
- the loss of a loved one by a child - mother or father;
- lack of social experience;
- the presence of a physical disability, somatic diseases;
- negative experiences in relationships with peers or brothers and sisters.
Risk factors for developing depression. Photo: slide-share.ru
Headache
Tension in the body also causes another pain - headaches. Depression affects neurotransmitters and neurohormones that regulate the stress response, inflammation, and other systems.
The Headache Center in New York states that people with persistent migraines are two to three times more likely to suffer from depression than the general population. Both migraines and depression share common roots in the brain and can develop due to environmental factors or genetic reasons.
Goodbye blues - hello health
Adequate treatment involves taking independent actions:
- Treat depression with dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA). One of the chemical criteria for depression is an imbalance between the hormones DHEA and cortisol. As part of the daily biological cycle, the body produces the sleepy hormone melatonin at night, and the invigorating hormone cortisol in the morning. Normally, DHEA helps maintain the balance between these substances, but in some cases it does not cope with its task. People who have a deficiency of DHEA with excess cortisol are predisposed to depression.
- Boost your mood with omega-3 fatty acids. Not only do they have a wonderful effect on the cardiovascular system, but they also help prevent mood disorders.
- Take B-complex daily. It is necessary for the formation of the calming neurotransmitter serotonin.
- Beat the blues with St. John's wort. This herb has been used for centuries to treat mental illnesses. Warning - St. John's wort is contraindicated for those already taking antidepressants, as it can accelerate the development of dependence on them.
Give yourself compliments, do yoga, get out in the sun more, laugh to your health. All these actions evoke positive emotions, which not only contribute to a lasting lift in mood, but also increase the level of certain immune cells.
Foggy mind
Depressed people are forgetful and unable to concentrate. When a healthy person has brain fog, all it takes is a good rest. If this condition lasts for a long time, then this is a sign of a serious problem. In such a situation, specialists can help identify possible causes of depression and get out of the fog.
Historical background on depression
Depression was first discovered by mankind back in antiquity. At this time, Hippocrates described this state with the term “melancholy” and noted that it depended on external influences - weather, time of year.
Hippocrates. Photo: visualizepicture.com
However, the first information about depression as a disease appeared in the 50s. last century in the USA, when the first medications began to appear - antidepressants.
Signs and symptoms of depression vary in timing, severity, amount, and frequency.
Tests for depression
Diagnosis of depression consists of several stages:
- screening;
- clinical assessment (depression test and medical opinion);
- assessment of individual symptoms (anxiety, suicidal tendencies, anhedonia).
Today, the diagnosis of depression is based on the use of questionnaires and medical experience. To screen for depressive disorder, various tests are performed to determine self-esteem. These include the following:
- Self-Rating Depression Scale Answers are rated from 1 to 4: “never”, “sometimes”, “often”, “all the time”. Results: 20-49 – normal condition; 50-59 – mild depression; 60-69 – moderate depression; 70 and above – severe depression. The complete testing procedure with processing takes 20-30 minutes.
Fragment of the Zang scale. Photo: yandex.ru
- Beck Depression Inventory. The Beck Depression Inventory is a psychological test for depression administered by a qualified psychologist. Also currently, the test can be taken and completed independently. The Beck Depression Test scores each category from 0 to 3 as symptoms become more severe.
- The Hamilton Depression Rating Scale is a tool that was developed to assess the condition of patients with depression before, during and after treatment. This technique is widely used in clinical research and medical practice.
Fragment of the Hamilton Scale. Photo: en.ppt-online.org
- The Zung Depression Scale has high sensitivity and specificity.
- The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale consists of two parts - an assessment of the level of anxiety and depression.
Interesting fact! All people susceptible to mood disorders are recommended to undergo a full examination to exclude somatic pathology that has caused the development of depression.
Consequences of depression
A large percentage of depression remains undiagnosed due to the fact that patients try to remain silent about their symptoms. This is due to the following factors:
- fear of the need to take antidepressants and the development of their side effects;
- the desire to cope with your problems on your own;
- fear that any information regarding mental health problems will become known to others, and especially to the employer.
Lack of necessary screening and timely treatment lead to severe consequences of depression. Inadequate treatment or its absence can lead to irreversible consequences - the development of prolonged depression and suicide.
Can a person die from depression?
Often severe depression leads to decreased appetite and refusal to eat. Severe malnutrition can cause organ dysfunction and death. Such patients require intensive care. Also, with vital depressive disorder, patients complain not only of melancholy and anxiety, but also of somatic pain.
4. Long-standing psychological trauma
When his son turned nine, Alexander fell into a deep depression. Not understanding what was happening (after all, everything seemed to be in order in his life), he turned to a psychotherapist. During the work, it turned out that when Alexander himself was nine, his father died in a fire. These traumatic memories remained partially repressed until his son reached the same age.
This is the so-called “delayed grief”. A similar syndrome occurs when the child is still too young to fully understand the misfortune that has happened.
6.Loss of a loved one
Louise was very upset by the loss of her husband, with whom she had lived for 21 years. She had always relied on his support, but now that he was gone, she felt lost and disoriented. She understood that after such grief temporary depression was inevitable, but this condition did not go away.
Depression after the loss of a close relative usually lasts a year or longer; however, this is quite individual. Support groups can provide invaluable help: in them, a person realizes that he is not the only one experiencing such feelings.
Causes and types of depression
Depending on the manifestations of the disorder and the factors that provoked the disease, several types of depression are distinguished.
Based on their origin, depressive disorders are divided into two main types:
- exogenous (provoked by external factors);
- endogenous (caused by internal human problems).
Based on the severity, it is customary to distinguish between mild, moderate and severe forms of the disease.
Based on the nature of symptoms and characteristics of the course, the following types of depression are distinguished:
Depressive episode . A primary case that was not preceded by any episodes of illness. It manifests itself as insomnia, depressed mood, isolation, and decreased activity.
Recurrent (repeating) depression . Signs of the disorder appear approximately once a month and last for several days. It can also manifest itself with other symptoms, in addition to emotional ones: decreased memory and attention, deterioration of concentration.
Postpartum depression . A condition that can develop in women in the first days and weeks after childbirth due to hormonal changes. It manifests itself as nervousness, mood swings, insomnia, increased fatigue and - often - indifference to the newborn.
Depression in bipolar disorder . This disorder is characterized by alternating episodes of high and low mood in the patient. At the same time, the rest of the time the person lives a completely normal life.
Chronic depressive disorder . It is characterized by constant long-term (more than two weeks) physical and emotional devastation, decreased appetite, and sleep disturbances.
1 Biofeedback therapy for the treatment of depression
2 Biofeedback therapy for the treatment of depression
3 Biofeedback therapy for the treatment of depression
Causes of depression
The causes of depressive disorders in modern medicine are usually divided into three groups:
- psychological;
- sociocultural;
- biological.
Psychological factors . The overwhelming majority of patients with depression had a large amount of stress in their lives (conflicts in the family and at work, past infections, overwork, etc.).
An unconditional impetus for going into depression can be psychological trauma caused by the death of a loved one, loss of a job, divorce, or violence.
Socio-cultural factors . Many people are made emotionally vulnerable by the various labels that society places on them. Low/high self-esteem, objective or apparent deprivation of recognition, failure to meet someone’s expectations, goals not achieved by the deadline are common causes of depression in modern people.
Biological factors . Sometimes depression is a consequence of internal pathological causes - genetic predisposition, neurochemical processes, endocrine disorders, hormonal changes (such depression is more common in women), etc. And cardiovascular diseases can be both a consequence and a cause of depressive disorder.
Whatever the causes of psycho-emotional disorder, it is almost impossible to get out of depression on your own, and taking medications recommended by “experts” from the Internet is extremely dangerous! Only a specialist can understand the causes of the disease and develop treatment tactics.
3. Fresh psychological trauma
The consequences of psychological trauma usually do not begin to appear immediately. Maria had an accident, after which she spent a week in the hospital, and another participant in the accident fell into a coma. Although the incident was not her fault and she was glad to be alive, after three months she began to feel depressed. She began having nightmares that caused her to wake up in the middle of the night, began to have panic attacks, and found it difficult to even ride in a car as a passenger, let alone drive. Maria's case is similar to post-traumatic stress disorder, and she will require psychotherapy for treatment.
5. Consequences of abuse
Abuse and bullying can occur on many levels: physical, verbal, emotional, psychological, financial, sexual, spiritual. Often - on several levels at once. Chronic abuse over time can cause complex PTSD in the victim, which often leads to depression. The victim feels lost in a fog, loses hope, and feels like there is no way out of this endless cycle of abuse. Recovery may take years, and psychotherapy is the best way to help.
Prevention
The only effective method is to visit a doctor before the disease has time to gain strength and affect the body. By following his instructions exactly and constantly being under the supervision of loved ones, the patient is able to recover fairly quickly. However, here lies the main problem - the vast majority of people usually do not perceive depression as something serious. Because of this, a person’s life can be destroyed, since it is depression that becomes the basis for future illnesses and problems with society.
