Depression is considered one of the most common diseases of the 21st century. And it requires exactly the same serious treatment as many other diseases. Today, people have become more sympathetic to those suffering from depression. But the awareness of the need for her treatment and treatment of psychotherapy does not come immediately – many continue to rely on their own strength.
What is depression?
Many people mistakenly consider their state of depression, confusing it with a temporary bad mood or bouts of depression. Others prefer not to notice the signs of this serious disease or not to attach special importance to them. Those close to a person suffering from depression may also not consider it a serious disease, claiming that it is a “whim” or arises from idleness.
In Russia, for a long time, it was not customary to contact a specialist with mental disorders. Psychotherapy, for the most part, was associated with punitive methods applied to psychiatric patients. Therefore, it was believed that she was unable to cure, and vice versa, to turn a mentally healthy person into a patient.
Today, therapeutic methods have changed significantly, and treatment by a psychotherapist and a psychiatrist does not imply registration. However, many people still believe that depression does not need serious treatment and passes from the employment of affairs – work, study, physical labor. But the mechanism of its development is much more complicated than people who are far from medicine and psychiatry think.
Depressive states can develop as a result of stress or for no apparent reason. In some cases, they may be associated with other diseases.
Main signs of depression
Often a depressed mood is taken as a depressive state, which improves after a few hours or days. But signs of depression observed in humans for several weeks, and then you need to see a specialist and begin treatment.
In the international classification of diseases are the following signs of depression:
- deterioration of mood, general breakdown;
- reduced appetite or lack thereof, inability to feel the taste of food;
- increased fatigue;
- loss of interest in activities that previously brought joy;
- sleep disturbance;
- guilt and dissatisfaction with yourself;
- weight reduction or increase;
- lack of interest in physical proximity;
- suicidal thoughts.
In a person’s life there may be one or more depressive episodes. Also, depressive disorders can occur in a latent form. Having one or more signs of depression for a long time does not necessarily mean that a person is depressed or upset about something all the time. The patient can continue to live a normal life – go to work or meet friends, perform family duties. But this may persist, for example, suicidal thoughts or the loss of interest in life.
In severe cases, people suffering from depressive disorders may refuse to communicate or go out. To determine whether this serious disease is present in humans, only a specialist can.
How to treat depression: alone or with psychotherapy?
Unfortunately, many people tend to delay a visit to a specialist if they suspect a depressive disorder. Men resort to the help of a psychotherapist much less often than women, because in general, they are less worried about their own health. Self-treatment methods can be the most sophisticated and unexpected, for example, alcohol or drug abuse. But they do not cure the patient, but on the contrary, they can aggravate the disease and add even more health problems.
It is easy to be convinced of the destructiveness of alcoholic or narcotic “therapy”, recalling sad examples from the lives of those around you. No alcoholic or drug addict looks happy and happy. Quite the contrary – psychoactive substances gradually destroy the mind and personality of a person, leading him to addiction.
For self-control of depressive disorders, one should resort to the help of methods such as extreme sports or getting positive impressions from communication with people. Extreme sports can provoke a surge of adrenaline and feel a surge of new strength. If you have the power to communicate with people, then it also helps to overcome negative thoughts.
Helps in the treatment of depressive disorders and outdoor recreation. Many people know that the urban environment with a small number of trees and corners of wildlife, consisting of industrial zones and high-rise buildings, contributes to the development of depressive states. Therefore, contact with nature: trees, flowers, birds can help improve the patient’s health.
Sports, as well as physical activity can seriously alleviate the negative state of the psyche. Sport helps to eliminate muscle clamps and strengthen the body. It helps to improve sleep and appetite.
All methods of self-control of a depressive disorder can be successfully applied in combination with the treatment prescribed by a psychotherapist. Depending on the severity of the disease, treatment methods such as cognitive-behavioral, interpersonal or psychodynamic psychotherapy may be applied to the patient. The cognitive-behavioral method allows you to identify the negative attitudes of the patient and teach him to think differently. Interpersonal therapy is aimed at adjusting the patient’s interaction with others and eliminating communication problems. Psychodynamic psychotherapy helps the patient resolve his inner conflict and identify strengths and weaknesses.
The success of any therapy and auxiliary methods in the treatment of depressive disorders depends on one key factor – the recognition of the problem by the patient. The earlier the patient is aware of the seriousness of the disease and the need for treatment, the easier it will be to cure him with the help of effective therapies that are suitable exclusively for him.