Depression

Introduction

Depression is not just being a bit sad or down, it is a real condition that affects the daily life of the sufferer. Although it is a widespread and potentially lethal illness, the prognosis of the sufferer is good with the right help.

Symptoms

• Low or irritable mood.
• Crying a lot or feeling tearful.
• Lack of interest and pleasure.
• Changes in weight or appetite.
• Changes in sleep patterns.
• Feeling tired and lethargic much of the time.
• Feelings of guilt, worthlessness and/ or hopelessness.
• Difficulty concentrating or making decisions.
• Agitation or restlessness.
• Physical aches and pains with no obvious cause.
• Feeling numb or empty.
• Self harm and/ or thoughts about suicide.
• Avoiding friends/ family/ work/ uni/ other activities.

Causes

There isn't an easy answer to this. There might be an obvious cause to it- an upsetting event for example- or it might just appear out of nowhere.

Biological factors- genetics, hormones and changing brain chemistry.
Psychological factors- the way you've been brought up, previous life experiences and how they affect your attitudes now.
Social factors- changes in circumstance, for example, financial situation, moving to a new place, availability of support networks.

All these things and more can influence a period of depression. It doesn't matter so much why it started, the fact is you're not feeling well and you need to feel better. The good news is that there are many ways to treat depression and the prognosis is good.

Self- help

Make sure you are eating properly and regularly and are getting enough sleep. Generally looking after your physical wellbeing can help immensely. Gentle physical exercise can also help as it can help you relax and will release endorphins which will boost your mood. It's also great for giving you a sense of achievement.

Steering clear of alcohol and drugs is vital. It is not helpful at all to try and self medicate. It might help ease some of the symptoms at the time but it is not a long- term solution and will probably add to your problems. Plus, alcohol is a depressant and will most likely make you feel worse about
yourself.

Giving yourself time out to relax if you're very stressed is also a good idea. Learn some relaxtions techniques like a full body scan can give you the respite you need to concentrate on yourself and what you need. Schedule this into your week so you can plan around it.

See the self help section for more detailed info.

Getting help

If the symptoms have been carrying on for over two weeks and are affecting your everyday life then it is definitely worth getting some professional help. If you are feeling suicidal or are thinking about hurting yourself then it is imperative that you seek help. It is not a sign of weakness, it is a sign that you are taking responsibility for your health. Below is a list of people and places you can get help.

GP - Your GP can assess your mood and daily functioning and suggest a course of treatment. They are able to prescribe antidepressants, recommend counsellors or psychotherapists and if needs be, refer you to the local psychiatric services for more specialist treatment.

University counsellor - gives you a space to talk about whatever's bothering you and can guide you towards helping yourself.

Types of treatment

There are two main treatments when it comes to depression: medication and talking treatments. They can be used separately or together depending on the person and the severity of the depression.

Antidepressants can give you the edge you need to be able to help yourself out of the problem and get on with your life. Equally, for a severely depressed patient, they can lift you up enough to able to respond effectively to a talking treatment. However some people argue that antidepressants just deal with the symptoms and ignore the underlying problems.

Talking treatments, for example, CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) are becoming more widely used as they enable the patient to deal with the problem thoughts and behaviours and deal with them in an appropriate manner. CBT in particular has been found to be particularly effective and in some studies has been found to prevent relapse better than a course of antidepressants. It is thought that this is because it lets you work towards finding alternative ways of thinking things along with your therapist. You work together as a team to find a useful solution. And it provides coping skills that you can apply to many situations throughout the rest of your life.