Depression
Depression can be a devastating illness. It can be debilitating in the areas of social, family, occupational, and physical functioning. Depression is fairly common, with some research showing that one out of three Americans will be severely depressed during their lifetime. Depression can affect anyone, from children to the elderly. While depression is the most common problem for which people seek psychotherapy, many people do not seek help when they are depressed. This is unfortunate because depression is perhaps the most treatable emotional problem.
Depression can be caused by a variety of factors. Research has shown that genetics can lead to depression; some people may simply be more genetically prone to becoming depressed. Chemical imbalances in the brain are also associated with depression. Thus, medications can often help to restore the balance and, at least partially, alleviate the depressive symptoms. Depression can be triggered by events in a person's life, such as financial problems, physical illness, loss of a job, family or marital problem, divorce, death of a loved one, or problems from one's childhood or family-of-origin. Occasionally, depressive symptoms can be caused by factors such as medical disorders (e.g., hypothyroidism), substance abuse (e.g., alcohol), or medications (e.g., for hypertension or high cholesterol).
Most people experience depressed feelings or sad moods. When depression becomes a "disorder," the symptoms usually include depressed mood, change in appetite (usually loss of appetite), insomnia, lack of energy and motivation, inability to concentrate, hopelessness, pessimistic outlook, thoughts of death, and social withdrawal. The difference between normal sadness, grief, and depression usually involves the length of time you feel depressed. If the depressed feelings last more than three months, it may be depression.
Drug Therapy
Pharmacological treatment (drug therapy) involves using antidepressant medication to change the chemical balance in the brain. This often works to some extent for most people suffering from depression, but it may not completely eliminate the depressive symptoms. In addition, the good results from antidepressants often do not last for a long period of time after the person stops taking the drug. A more effective treatment usually involves psychotherapy by itself or in conjunction with drug therapy. The results of this tend to be more positive and last longer than drug therapy alone.
Currently, there are at least a dozen different antidepressants on the market. Psychiatrists and other medical doctors can prescribe these medications, but they can only make an educated guess about which agent will work best for you. Some people need to try several different types of medications before finding one that works for them. Most medications have unpleasant side effects of which you should be made aware. Commonly prescribed antidepressants include:
-
Prozac
-
Paxil
-
Effexor
-
Anafranil
-
Wellbutrin
Treating Depression
1. Tune Into Your Thoughts. People usually find that their own thoughts account for their depressed feelings. When you are depressed, you tend to think negatively about yourself, your abilities, others, etc. Some common traps that people fall into in their thinking include jumping to conclusions, seeing things as "all or none," generalizing one failure into a pattern of defeat, disqualifying positive experiences, or exaggerating the important of things (catastrophizing), to name a few.
2. Don't blame yourself for feeling depressed. If it were so easy to think positively, so many people would not end up being depressed.
3. Focus on solving the problems. People who tend to focus on their emotions or ruminate about how bad they feel are more likely to stay depressed. These people tend to avoid actually coping with the problem and may end up avoiding other people, sleeping a lot, and just wishing the situation were different. People who focus on solving the problem tend to distract themselves from their feelings. Thus, it may be possible to change your mood by changing your coping style. Of course, some introspection and attention to your emotions is essential - just don't overdo it.
4. Seek professional help if problems persist.
Additional Reading
-
Burns, D. (1980). Feeling Good. New York: Signet.
-
Burns, D. (1989). The Feeling Good Handbook. New York: William Morrow.
-
Cleve, J. (1996). Out of the Blues. New York: Berkley.
-
Hazelton, L. (1985). The Right to Feel Bad: Coming to Terms With Normal Depression. New York: Ballantine.
|
