" Depression is an illness of mind and body. Most people have both physical and
psychological symptoms, but their exact nature will vary from one person to
another. Different symptoms will be more
or less prominent in each person's illness." (Dr K. McKenzie) "
11) Signs &Symptoms of depression
The signs and symptoms of clinical
depression vary from individual to individual, some people under eat, some
overeat; some get insomnia, others excessively sleep; but there are some
symptoms common to most. Many people
think you have to be suicidal or can’t get out of bed in order to be depressed,
this is not so.
Depression can vary in its severity from mild
to moderate to severe. In mild depression
symptoms are not so severe as those in severe depression and a lot of people
with mild to moderate clinical depression can still function, go to work, etc.
all be it with a struggle. So it is
possible to be depressed but not appear depressed. Also to complicate matters further it is
possible for a person to be depressed without
knowing it (masked depression) because
their symptoms may be mainly physically based.
There are many signs and symptoms of
depression; these can become worse as the severity of the depression increases,
depending on the severity of the depression some of the symptoms can include
Physical Symptoms
_
Fatigue
_Agitation
_
Pain
_
Muscle aches
_ Low or increased libido
_ Headaches, Migraines
_ Tension headaches
_ Neck ache
_ Low back pain
_ Taking unnecessary risks
_ Withdrawing from people
_ Neglecting self-hygiene
_ Reduced activity
_ Neglecting domestic and family tasks
_ Unable to sleep, early morning wakening
or excessively sleeping
_ Weight loss or gain, not due to dieting
_ Feeling of being slowed down or speeded
up
_ Gastro-intestinal, constipation,
diarrhoea
_ Irritable bowel syndrome
_ Immune symptoms, increased
susceptibility to minor infections
Behavioral Symptoms
_ Excessive smoking, drinking, gambling,
sex; taking recreational drugs, excessive shopping, excessive eating, binge
eating.
_ Behaving out of the ordinary, ie
shop-lifting, drink driving etc.
_ Slowed thinking
_ Difficulty concentrating
_ Poor short term memory
_ Problems making decisions
_ Ruminating
_ Excessive, unrealistic guilt
_ Thinking we are worthless
_ Thinking we are a failure
_ Low confidence
_ Low self esteem
_ Low motivation
_ Excessive worrying
_ Depressed thinking
Thinking Symptoms
_ Self-bullying internal self talk
_ Negative, pessimistic thinking about
self,
other people and the world in general.
_ Remembering all the mistakes we have
made
_ Thinking we are a bad partner, parent
etc
_ Thinking we are weak and useless
_ Oversensitive to perceived criticism
_ Suicidal and morbid thoughts
_ Excessive self blame
_ Helplessness/hopelessness
_
Morbid thoughts about death
_ Irritability
_ Impatience
_ Anger
_ Aggression
_ Excessive crying
_ Excessive worrying
_ Feeling sad
Feeling Symptoms
_ Anhedonia - loss of pleasure in things
we used to find pleasurable
_ Emotional numbing, loss of feelings
towards family, friends
_ Overwhelming feeling of impending doom
_ Reduced or increased libido
_ Feeling useless
_ Despair
_ Relationship difficulties
Social Symptoms
_ Domestic violence
_ Problems with keeping a job
_ Isolating self from friends and famil
2) Strategies for treatment the depression
balanced lifestyle
Leading a balanced lifestyle can help
make living with depression more manageable. The strategies below are
suggestions from real people who have had success in managing the illness.
Become an expert
There are many excellent sources of
information on depression. Learn all you can about medications, keep up with
current research and treatment options, attend local conferences and network
with other people at meetings and support groups. Build a personal library of useful
websites and helpful books.
Recognize early symptoms
Learning your pattern of symptom
development is key. Identifying certain triggers, times of year or other
factors that may aggravate symptoms may help identify an emerging episode. This
can prompt more aggressive intervention to prevent the worsening of symptoms.
Don’t be afraid to ask the people around you for help—they can help monitor
behavior.
Engage in your treatment
The relationship with your health care
providers is fundamental
to the successful management of major
depression. To be partners, you both must develop a trust and a strong line of communication.
Provide the information your health care provider needs to help you recover,
including complete and honest reports about reactions to medications, improving
or worsening symptoms and anything that could trigger a depressive episode.
Develop a plan
To reduce uncertainty and stress, know
what to do in a crisis. Although it might be challenging to discuss your
illness, get your loved ones, friends and health care providers to help. Most communities
have a crisis hotline or emergency walk-in centers, so know where they are and
keep them handy.
Find support
Emotional support from others living
with depression is an important part of recovery. It is helpful to share
thoughts, fears and questions with others who have the same illness. For more on
NAMI support and education programs, see the resources section. Online message
boards and groups found through social sites like meetup.com are good resources
for connecting with others, too.
Avoid alcohol and substances
Drugs and alcohol disturb an already
delicate emotional balance, and can also interact dangerously with medications.
Both depression and mania make these drugs appear to be attractive options to
“slow down” or “perk up,” but the potential damage will block your road to
recovery.
Get healthy
Maintain a well-balanced diet and engage
in regular exercise. This helps produce positive mental and physical health
benefits. Try to incorporate low-key activities like meditation, yoga or Tai Chi
into your life to help alleviate stress and achieve balance.
Get involved
If paid employment is not an option now,
volunteer work can enrich your life, teach you useful skills and help create a
sense of purpose and structure. Learning a new skill or immersing yourself in a
hobby--particularly a creative one--can offer constructive alone time to help
balance out a busy life. Engaging in your community—from coaching youth sports
to helping your parks and neighborhoods stay clean and green— are all ways you
can get involved with the world around you.
Friends and Family
There are many actions a caregiver can take to provide
help to a loved one living with depression. Offering emotional support, talking
and listening carefully to what a loved one is experiencing and learning about
the illness so you can understand what your friend or relative is experiencing
are all great ways to be supportive.
Caregivers also need support and the opportunity to talk to people who
understand and can help. It is common for both the person living with the
illness and family members to experience grief because of the drastic changes
in their lives and the trauma that previous episodes may have caused.
Individuals living with mental illness, and their
families, must work together and discuss past episodes so that they can clearly
recognize the early signs of a developing episode. Whatever the indicator of
possible relapse is, everyone should agree on what the objective signs of a
possible episode are.
I suggest this book "antidepressant skills
workbook" and I hope that will benefit
you
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