About Depression - Information for Depression Sufferers
The similarity between anxiety and
depression is that they are both, in some ways, essential parts of
being human. Life is full of stresses and that means it
can also be full of disappointments and unresolved problems.
We all have a store of things in our past which we sometimes feel
unhappy about. Most of us overcome our feelings of depression and
manage to recover our emotional equilibrium. As with anxiety, sometimes
a period of depression can be productive - it can make
us think about past failures or disappointments, and consider how we
might take steps to avoid similar occurrences in the future. Grief can
be seen as a protective reaction too, just like certain types of
anxiety. It is a way of retreating from the world when the mind needs
time to cope with upsetting change.
If anxiety focuses the mind on a coming threat, then depression
focuses the mind and body inwards, on a general
thinking-out and adapting to a change of circumstances brought about by
an upsetting event. Depression, like anxiety, becomes a problem when it
gets out of proportion. Deciding when depression becomes a problem is a
difficult decision in many cases. As with anxiety, the best guideline
is that when the symptoms of
depression begin to take over your life and affect everything
adversely, then you might well need help to deal with it.
So what sparks off depression? Depression can be
triggered by many things including genetic factors, life events and
psychological factors. Some psychologists attribute depression to
"learned helplessness", when we feel so out of control in our lives
that it seems pointless to even try. Others attribute it to faulty
thinking, i.e. the way we view the world affects our
moods. Psychoanalytical theories see depression as being
a result of aggression turned inwards upon ourselves. Depression can
also be caused by biochemical imbalances, for instance an essential
amino acid, tryptophan, has been found to be low in sufferers.
Other causes are thought to be environmental pollution and allergies,
low blood sugar, drugs - including "social" ones like alcohol, or the
pill. Illnesses such as a bout of glandular fever can be a trigger,
also an accident or an injury. Surgery, menstrual problems, divorce or
separation, or bereavement and the ensuing loneliness, can spark it
off, as can fatigue and overwork... So there are lots of
reasons why people end up being depressed.
People with minor depression, vulnerable personalities or life
stresses, can be helped by careful analysis of the problem, discussion
and counselling. Nevertheless, anti-depressants are still the first
line of treatment, the idea being that they can correct biochemical
disturbances in the brain. Short term treatment on anti-depressants can
be extremely effective for lifting someone out of a mood in which they
have become trapped, but long-term medication can often prevent a
person from looking at other ways to deal with their depression.
Medication does not change the stresses and social factors which
trigger depression in the first place, so it therefore
makes good sense to learn how to protect yourself from distressing
emotions and try to reduce your dependence on medication.
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The commonest and most obvious symptom of depression is sadness. This melancholy is likely to be persistent with a tendency to cry more often, at the slightest upset, or even without an upset at all... more |
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