Depression saps both energy and hope from you, making even basic tasks such as rising from bed or brushing your teeth feel impossible.
Stay in contact with friends and family via video calls, phone calls or texts; prioritize face-to-face interactions whenever possible.
Be mindful when speaking to yourself, reframing any negative or sarcastic thoughts into more realistic, hopeful approaches to thinking.
Signs
Over 264 million people worldwide live with depression, which can manifest itself through various symptoms. You might feel hopeless, have difficulty sleeping or experience energy decrease. Furthermore, they could struggle with lack of energy or weight gain.
Depression can be treated. Many individuals find relief from its symptoms with medication, psychotherapy or both, lifestyle modifications such as exercise and eating healthily as well as medications.
Assist your loved one with depression to create an atmosphere of low-stress by setting a schedule for daily activity and offering encouragement as each step they take is accomplished. Be patient as recovery may take time; learn about their condition so you can offer to drive them to therapy appointments or run errands and praise all their efforts for making progress in mental health care.
Causes
Depression is more than simply feeling down or sad after experiencing something challenging; it is a medical condition that affects your emotions, thinking processes, appetite and sleep patterns. Left untreated, depression can have serious repercussions for relationships, work productivity and even lead to suicidal thoughts or acts.
Depression can result from various biological, environmental and psychological causes. It may run in families, with those who have had prior depression more likely to recur later.
Depression is one of the most treatable mental health conditions, typically using both psychotherapy and medication as treatments. Psychotherapy (or talk therapy) helps you cope with feelings by identifying and altering unhealthy thoughts, behaviors, beliefs and actions; your doctor can recommend various forms of psychotherapy such as cognitive behavioral therapy and interpersonal therapy for this. Finally, medication may alter brain chemistry that contributes to depression by targeting specific neurotransmitters in your system.
Treatment
Many individuals living with depression can benefit from receiving therapy and other health care options to treat their depression and prevent further episodes. Treatment should help people overcome it, improve their life and stop any further recurrences of this condition.
Recognizing depression as an illness is the first step toward treating it effectively. Consulting a doctor could assist individuals in understanding how depression impacts their life, as well as providing tailored treatments to meet individual needs.
Some individuals suffering from depression require medication to manage their symptoms, but this can sometimes cause unwanted side effects. Therefore, therapy and healthy lifestyle changes may also be useful as alternatives to medication treatment.
Talk therapy can provide people with ways to cope with their problems and learn skills for managing their moods. Therapy sessions may take place either individually or as part of a group; for optimal results it's important to find someone whom you feel comfortable working with - ask friends and family members for referrals, as well as national mental health organizations for recommendations.
Prevention
Although many individuals cannot prevent depression from coming back once feeling better, effective treatment options exist that can help keep it at bay once symptoms have subsided. Our team will offer positive lifestyle modifications such as daily rituals and sleep hygiene techniques to maintain stable and healthy emotions and ensure we provide you with effective support during recovery.
Discover what triggers your depression, such as certain foods, people or activities that make you anxious or depressed. Although each person's triggers will differ, tracking these indicators of potential issues will allow you to better avoid future encounters with depression.
Spend time with people who care for and support you, whether in-person or via video call/chats. Depression often results in isolation; quality time spent with loved ones can help diminish negative emotions.
