Although people feel depression in a variety of ways, some symptoms are much more noticeable than others. Sadness and crying are usually recognized as indications of depression. However, other symptoms are more subtle and more often overlooked. You could be troubled by a sense of isolation and loneliness but are not able to find the energy to reach out to friends and family and nurture connections. Maybe you have lost interest in things you used to enjoy or find that you just don’t get excited about anything anymore. Possibly you realize that you have lost confidence in yourself, or you have become critical of yourself and others. You might lose your temper and feel irritable, or you might seem to have no feelings at all. Maybe you’ve developed problems with sleeping or eating and/or physical ailments.
Many with depression suffer silently, living a life that seems difficult or pointless. You might have trouble recognizing depression or not knowing what to do about it. You may have felt bad for so long that you believe that it is normal for you, just “the way I am.” You might believe that it is a sign of weakness to feel sad or that you should be able to get past it. You could believe that nothing will help or that you don’t deserve to feel better.
If You are Struggling with Depression, You Are Not Alone
Depression is a mood disorder which affects many people; in fact, 3-5% of the population experiences depression at any given time. Any individual has a 17% lifetime risk of becoming depressed. Most people have experienced grief, sadness, hopelessness, even despair. Painful life events cause these feelings, which normally lessen over time. However, you may have these feelings daily or nearly daily, sometimes for no apparent reason. This can make it difficult to carry on with normal, everyday functioning.
Depression is a very real condition in which a person feels discouraged, sad, hopeless, unmotivated, or disinterested in life in general. When these feelings last for a short period of time, it may be a case of “the blues”; it is normal to feel sad or overwhelmed at times, especially a major life change. If the feelings persist longer than a few weeks, however, it is wise to consider whether you are struggling with depression. Depression is commonly expressed differently by men, women, adolescents, and the elderly and frequently co-exists with anxiety problems.
Physical Factors Link to Depression
Although the precise causes of depression are not known, there are several physical factors which may predispose you to become depressed, including genetics, brain chemistry, and hormones. Brain imaging technologies have found that the brains of depressed people look somewhat different from those who aren’t depressed.
Depression may occur with other serious medical illnesses such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, or cancer. Treating depression can help improve the outcome of the co-existing illness. Sometimes depression is worse in the winter when there is less sunlight. There are practical, common sense strategies that may help counter an underlying predisposition. For example, you could develop a regular routine, get enough sleep, exercise regularly and learn stress management tools.
Depression Can Appear With Anxiety
It is not uncommon for someone with an anxiety disorder to also suffer from depression or vice versa. Nearly one-half of those diagnosed with depression are also diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. These disorders are both treatable and quite responsive to counseling.
Grief and Loss Are Distinct Emotions
Endings happen to us all. It is normal to feel grief and sadness at the end of something meaningful. Although depression is a common response to loss, there are differences. Grief is a normal, powerful reaction to the loss of someone or something important. Although it can be very intense, grief comes and goes and diminishes over time. Depression may look similar to grief, but it differs in several ways. It can last indefinitely and seems to always be present. You may feel unable to face your grief and try to avoid it. Guilt, remorse, and fear of the unknown, are often present and sometimes crippling. You may feel like a different person or not know how to cope and become overwhelmed or immobilized. Depression interferes with necessary adjustments to change. Depression treatment can help you determine how your emotions are interacting.
Grief Counseling
Whether or not depression is present, grief counseling can enable you to integrate painful experiences and helps you to heal. People respond differently to loss and there is no “correct” way to process it. Major life transitions bring up questions about who you are today, in your present circumstances. Although things will never be the same, you will be able to redefine yourself in meaningful ways. Moving forward in life is not about forgetting; rather you can focus on finding meaning and satisfaction in new ways.
Psychotherapy Is an Effective Form of Depression Treatment
Talk therapy is a very effective treatment for depression. It can help you to adjust to a current difficulty or to explore longstanding issues. Learning to identify and change patterns that contribute to depression help can help you regain a sense of satisfaction and control in your life. I have listed some types of depression treatment that I find are especially effective. There are similarities as well as differences among them.
1. Cognitive Behavioral Psychotherapy
Learned patterns of thinking and behaving can increase the likelihood and continuation of depression. Those prone to depression are often critical of themselves and unforgiving of normal faults and failures. Because your thoughts influence your emotions, constant and automatic negative thinking contributes to a variety of negative feelings. If you are prone to certain thought patterns, such as all or nothing thinking (“It wasn’t perfect so it is no good”); generalization (“I failed the test so I must be stupid”); or taking things personally (“She didn’t say hello—I always knew she didn’t really like me”), you might also be prone to low self-esteem and depression. Ongoing negative interpretations of yourself and your experiences can lead to feelings of worthlessness, powerlessness, shame, and frustration.
Many studies have shown that Cognitive Behavioral Psychotherapy is a particularly effective treatment for mild or moderate depression. CBT helps people restructure negative thought patterns to interpret their environment and interactions with others in a more realistic and positive way. You can recognize and change thoughts and behaviors that are contributing to depression and replace them with healthier and more satisfying patterns. Setting realistic goals, developing ways to achieve them, and recognizing the small steps that make up change can help you feel more positive and in control of your life. When you become aware of self- defeating thoughts, you have the opportunity to challenge and change them. Improving communication skills, learning assertiveness strategies and stress management techniques, and practicing constructive ways of expressing your feelings with depression treatment can also help to improve the quality of your life.
2. Mindfulness
Mindfulness is a mental state of awareness, focus, and openness which allows you to engage fully in what you are doing at any moment. Although mindfulness may be taught through meditation, it is can also be learned in depression treatment. Mindfulness involves awareness, not thinking. If you get caught up in thoughts, you lose connection to here and now. Most of us have had the experience of being preoccupied during an activity and have realized later that we weren’t really there at all. Becoming “lost” in your thoughts or trying to avoid or control your feelings prevents engagement with your present situation.
Experiences, even negative ones, which have been fully felt, are the most rewarding. You can appreciate the present reality and not diminish or disregard it while hoping to somehow feel better later. When you tune in to yourself and pay attention, without judgment, to the present moment, you fully engage with yourself, others, and events. As you observe your experience with openness and receptiveness, even painful thoughts, feelings, sensations, and memories seem less threatening or unbearable. Mindfulness is an important, effective piece of depression treatment.
3. ACT
ACT is a mindfulness-based form of cognitive behavioral therapy (Acceptant and Commitment Therapy). Central principles involve the commitment to take effective action, based on your deepest values, and to create a meaningful life. You learn to increase awareness of habitual avoidance of certain feelings and to assess the usefulness of certain thoughts. You might attempt to escape painful feelings and constrict activities, interactions, and possibilities. The resulting detachment from yourself and others is often a key factor in depression. It is the reaction to an event, rather than the event itself, that creates ongoing suffering and dysfunction.
Attempts to control and avoid feelings may lock you into rigid patterns and diminish your coping options. However, when you are able to notice and accept your sensations, thoughts, and feelings, you have the ability to allow them to be present. Feelings are less powerful and overwhelming if you know that they are endurable and will pass. Having confidence in your ability to confront and manage your feelings can help you to overcome barriers to the changes you want to make in your life.
