Autumn. The days are getting shorter, the sun is less and sometimes we are sad. And let’s try to answer as we grieve. Try to refer to yourself the following statements:
• I feel depressed, depressed. • Recently, my appetite and weight have changed . • I feel anxious and out of place. • I cry a lot.
• I feel tired for no apparent reason. • I do not enjoy the activities I love . • My thoughts are not as clear as they used to be. • My future seems bleak to me. • I do not feel that my life is useful to people. • I believe that others would be better off if I died / died.
And if more than 5 assertions suit you, then have you possibly depression. Depressive states can manifest themselves in very different ways. Possible forms range from weak initiative and a little depression, fatigue, sleep disturbances to depression, headaches, appetite disturbances, constipation, loss of balance in life, and finally to complete apathy. The specific manifestations of depression are so varied and individual that it is difficult to make an appropriate diagnosis and often the disease is not recognized in time .
Medicine distinguishes between three types of depression:
- Depression caused by organic diseases such as myocardial infarction, heart failure, hormonal disorders, trauma.
- Endogenous depression. This form of depression comes from within, as a result of a person’s mental disposition. “Endogenous” – specifies the depth, internal processes (in including and biochemical). Such depression brings special suffering, since the patient is not able to feel not only joy, love, interest, but also grief, anger, compassion. Accordingly, it is especially important to recognize such depression in time, since it is well controlled by modern antidepressants.
- Psychogenic depression. It arises from subjectively intolerable experiences in connection with traumatic situations, and emotions are so strong that they need to be suppressed (depression – suppression). Moreover, for different people, people with different personality types, such a trauma can serve as completely different in strength, content, duration of the event.
Common to all depressions is a change in self-attitude, a change in the perception of one’s past and future, as well as the world around, when everything begins to be seen in pessimistic tones.
In particular, older people are prone to depression, suffering from loneliness after the death of a spouse, the loss of peers who previously surrounded a person, changes in habits, restrictions imposed by frequent illnesses.
Depression deprives a person of the connection with the future, of guidance for the future. Psychotrauma deprives people of hope and strength to see tomorrow, when prospects promise only trouble, expected suffering, setbacks, pain, despair, collapse of undertakings. Everyone has their own trauma – divorces, separations, difficulties at work, financial difficulties, the suffering of a stray dog. You know better how it is with you. In cases of depression caused by traumatic events, the effectiveness of drugs is minimal. Here, psychotherapy is especially shown, aimed at recognizing unsuccessful strategies, finding resources, internal and external, realizing the true problems and causes of depression, which consist in the suppression of important human needs. Depression shows that there is something that oppresses a person and requires that he remove it.
A person who is under the yoke of depression is not happy with himself, does not trust himself, does not want to see reality, he loses his own depth.
Depression can often be associated with diseases traditionally referred to as psychosomatic.
The important thing is that “mild” depressions are completely normal if they occur after periods of great stress, as they allow the body to rest. But if they are delayed, this is evidence of trouble. It makes no sense to persuade the patient to relax in a cheerful company, to go to distant countries, to argue that everything is not so bad and will soon pass, it is pointless to tell that this happened to you, to demand from the patient that he pull himself together and not let go ignore the possibility of suicide and the signs of preparation for it. It makes sense to show the patient that he is loved, that they are attentive to him, they want to help. Be prepared for mood swings, gently help him return to himself, become himself, help the sufferer explore his life story, and with him find the true causes of the mental disorder. It is optimal when such assistance is provided by a qualified psychotherapist.
It is paradoxical that in some cases, in order to recover, you need not fight against depression, but, on the contrary, fall into it, only in the depths of your being is it possible to oppose yourself to what has been oppressing for so long. “Fall to the bottom of the well.” In the east, depression is sometimes considered a gift from the Gods, as it gives an opportunity and even forces us to think about the meaning of life, look for answers to the question “Who am I”, “Why” and be renewed and rediscovered to the joys and sorrows of this world. And if you go through depression with a guide, plunge into it, such a journey will allow you to fill these difficult experiences with meaning, life will once again sparkle with colors that may have long been forgotten.