Week 3 | Dealing with Depression: Feeling Blue?

Depression is typically experienced as a constant sense of hopelessness and despair. It may be difficult to work, study, sleep, eat, and enjoy friends and activities.

While the experience of being depressed is generally similar, the causes and circumstances around depression can change how it affects your life and how to treat it. As a result, there are a several different types of depression. This is not the full list of types of depression, but it is a list of the most common ones.

Let’s break these down:

Clinical or major depression. Also called "unipolar depression," this type is named primarily to distinguish it from bipolar depression. Some people may experience this type of depression once in their life, while others have it several times in a lifetime.

Persistent depression is when depression lasts for an extended period of time, sometimes years. The symptoms may disappear for a while, but then return.

Seasonal depression occurs during the fall/winter when the days get shorter and colder. This type of depression usually goes away once the weather starts to warm up and spring rolls back around.

Temporary depression can occur after a traumatic or devastating event, such as the loss of a loved one or friend; the loss of a job or promotion; the end of a relationship (romantic, friendship or professional); a conflict; or an illness. With proper coping skills and talk therapy, these events can be processed so you can move on.

Bipolar depression is depression in someone with bipolar disorder. With bipolar disorder, you experience cycling periods of both depression and mania or hypomania. Mania is a period of high elevated energy, emotions and affect; people experiencing mania can be agitated, uninhibited and reckless, and tend to need less sleep than most people.

Now let’s talk symptoms and signs

Signs of depression may include but are not restricted to:

Emotional

• Extreme irritability over seemingly minor things
• Anxiety and restlessness
• Trouble with anger management
• Loss of interest in activities
• Fixation on the past or on things that have gone wrong
• Thoughts of death or suicide

If you see something, SAY something! It may make you feel uncomfortable but it could save a life. CAPS offers a great one hour training about suicide prevention. They use the acronym SAS – Stop – Ask – Share.

Physical

• Insomnia or oversleeping
• Debilitating fatigue
• Increased or decreased appetite
• Weight gain or loss
• Difficulty concentrating or making decisions
• Unexplained aches and pains

(In children and adolescents, depression may cause low self-esteem and guilt, poor concentration, and frequent absence from school.)

Last but not least, causes

Depression is an extremely complex disease. No one knows exactly what causes it, but it can occur for a variety of reasons. Some people experience depression during a serious medical illness. Others may have depression with life changes such as a move or the death of a loved one. Still others have a family history of depression. Those who do may experience depression and feel overwhelmed with sadness and loneliness for no known reason.

• Abuse. Past physical, sexual, or emotional abuse can increase the vulnerability to clinical depression later in life.
• Conflict. Depression may result from personal conflicts or disputes with family members or friends.
• Death or a loss. Sadness or grief from the death or loss of a loved one, though natural, may increase the risk of depression.
• Genetics. A family history of depression may increase the risk. It's thought that depression is a complex trait, meaning that there are probably many different genes that each exert small effects, rather than a single gene that contributes to disease risk. The genetics of depression, like most psychiatric disorders, are not as simple or straightforward as in purely genetic diseases such as Huntington's chorea or cystic fibrosis.
• Major events. Even good events such as starting a new job, graduating, or getting married can lead to depression. So can moving, losing a job or income, getting divorced, or retiring. However, the syndrome of clinical depression is never just a "normal" response to stressful life events.
• Other personal problems. Problems such as social isolation due to other mental illnesses or being cast out of a family or social group can contribute to the risk of developing clinical depression.
• Serious illnesses. Sometimes depression co-exists with a major illness or may be triggered by another medical condition.
• Substance abuse. Nearly 30% of people with substance abuse problems also have major or clinical depression. Even if drugs or alcohol temporarily make you feel better, they ultimately will aggravate depression.

These tools are not the end all be all to diagnosing whether or not you have depression, but they may be a good place to start. Only a medical professional or trained counselor can diagnose you with depression, but these tools may be a good place to start. Give these a try:

CAPS offers a free online screening for depression, as well as other mental health conditions.

The Beck Depression Inventory Scale is a tool you could use and discuss with your medical provider. Here is a link to take the quick and easy 21 question inventory: https://www.ismanet.org/doctoryourspirit/pdfs/Beck-Depression-Inventory-BDI.pdf

Depression.org online self-test: https://depression.org.nz/is-it-depression-anxiety/self-test/

Psychology Today online depression self-test: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/tests/health/depression-test

In order to know for sure if you are suffering from depression, you would need to consult with a medical provider and/or trained counselor. During the visit, the provider will ask you numerous questions. It is very important that you answer them honestly, even if it makes you feel uncomfortable, or even embarrassed.

Having the thoughts and feelings associated with depression is nothing to be ashamed of. You are HUMAN, and having these feelings and thoughts is not your fault. Once the consultation is complete, they can discuss possible treatment options with you, regardless of whether you are suffering from depression; after all, if you are feeling badly enough to be wondering if you're depressed, there is clearly a problem, even if it's not actually depression.

Tools such as the Beck Depression Inventory Scale and other self-tests could be a good “starting” place for you and your doctor to begin discussing the topic of whether or not you are depressed.

There are many ways to cope with depression. Some popular ones are: journaling, exercise, talk therapy, mediation, photography, being mindful, being outdoors in nature, yoga, join a group or club you have interest in, do artsy things like drawing, painting, coloring, doodling. Sleep hygiene is an incredibly important tool for mood maintenance; keeping a consistent sleep schedule is key to feeling good.

Your depression is unique to you. A combination of coping skills that works for someone else may not work for you. Playing around with different coping mechanisms until you find what is best for you is key.

One good coping skill is resuming hobbies or activities you gave up due to losing interest or being too tired. Here are some other tips: read a good book, play with a pet or animal, take a long bath, listen to music, watch a funny TV show or movie, or make a list of things you like about yourself.

It is important to remember you are always evolving and growing as a person. It is possible that things you enjoyed before will not be fun or interesting to you anymore, even as you recover from depression. It's okay to change and pursue new interests! The objective is not to be exactly the same person you were before, but rather to be happy and fulfilled.

Living with depression is not impossible. Being aware of your triggers is an awesome way to stay on top of and manage your depression. Like discussed in day 1, depression can come and go, or be stubborn and persistent. Knowing what can set you off is a good way to keep your depression at bay.

Make sure to utilize healthy coping skills when you feel it flaring its ugly head. Because depression is not like other illnesses that can be “cured”, those who have depression must learn to “live” with it. While it is completely possible to get to a point where depression is no longer a consistent concern, there is always the chance of symptoms flaring up in response to life stressors.

If things get out of hand and you feel like you are slipping back into the dark hole that is depression, do not hesitate to reach out. The hardest part about having depression is making the first step to getting better but once you have done it once and you realize depression is “normal” and nothing to be ashamed of or embarrassed by, it will become easier and easier to live with.

https://www.helpguide.org/articles/depression/coping-with-depression.htm

https://www.verywellmind.com/tips-for-living-with-depression-1066834

https://thiswayup.org.au/how-do-you-feel/sad/

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/322495

https://headsupguys.org/cope-with-depression/

https://www.verywellmind.com/forty-healthy-coping-skills-4586742

https://www.yourlifeyourvoice.org/Pages/tip-99-coping-skills.aspx

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/ending-addiction-good/201609/understanding-and-choosing-better-coping-skills

https://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/psychpedia/coping-mechanisms