Understanding Depression

Introduction:

Hi everyone. I hope you’re well. I welcome you to my next article about Depression. Within this, I aim to write about the definition and symptoms of depression as well as ways of how we can manage it better. Happy reading!

Defining Depression

According to the NICE guidelines, depression is one of the most common forms of mental health. Sometimes we can have periods of feeling low that can last for a few days., however some people may experience sadness for a much longer time.

What are the symptoms of depression?

When an individual struggles with depression, they may feel the following:
- Constant low moods
- Emotional and wanting to cry
- Irritable and angry due to feeling out of control
- Helpless and hopeless, potentially leading to suicidal thoughts and/or self harming behaviours
- Disconnected and numbness
- Struggles to maintain or form relationships
- Lose interests in hobbies and activities
- Feel there’s no purpose to life
- Fatigued due to overthinking
- Lack of motivation
- Ruminate and repeat events in their mind, affecting their self-esteem
- Neglect basic needs and not self-caring
- Feel physical and emotional pain
- Have communication problems

What are the potential causes of depression?

To be honest, there may be different reasons that contribute to depression or it could be multiple factors such as some of the ones listed below:
- Harsh childhood experiences
- Victim of physical or emotional abuse
- Victim of traumatic sexual abuse
- Losing a loved one, including pets
- Relationship breakdown
- Victim of bullying, in the past or present
- Experiencing major life changes such as a job change, welcoming new additions to the family or moving to a new place
- Hormonal changes

Sometimes people may find themselves having none of the triggers above and experience symptoms “out of the blue.” Let me assure you that’s ok. It’s not always necessary to have a direct trigger.

Support and Possible Treatments:

One thing I always tell my clients is to never self-diagnose. If you’re in any doubt about how you feel, you can contact your GP for advice. I understand they may offer medication and not everyone would want to take that route, which makes complete sense. You have the autonomy to do what is right for you.

Always remember you can try other methods such as:
- Talking to someone you trust such as a family member, friend or colleague and if you’re not able to, you could speak to a mental health professional or contact helplines such as Mind, Calm or Papyrus to name a few.
- Trying Talking Therapy so it could give you a filter to explore things in greater depth confidentially
- Try joining peer groups such as SidebySide initiated by Mind Charity, where you could interact with others facing similar issues
- Try mindfulness techniques so it can help you to focus on yourself in the moment
- Make subtle changes to your lifestyle such as eating healthy and incorporating exercise/yoga, whichever you prefer
- Avoiding recreational drugs or smoking -Spending time exploring new hobbies and interests at your own pace
- Writing down how you feel in a journal as a transference process
- Going for walks and exploring nature
- Creating a comfort box with items that hold significance for you such as a cuddly toy, song lyrics, favourite perfume and so on
- And most importantly, looking after your general health and wellbeing

Further organisational support:
There a few organisations you could contact for further support

CALM 0800 58 58 58
SAMARITANS 116 123
PAPYRUS 0800 068 41 41
NHS

Final words….

Depression can be so hard to move past and it’s ok not to be ok. You’re only human and you’re allowed to feel stuck. It’s always important to give yourself time to heal gently and not rush the healing process. You and your mental health matters!
On that note, I’d like to thank you for taking time to read this. I hope it has been helpful. Do take care and as always. Please feel free to contact me if you’d like to arrange for sessions. Bye for now :)