Depression

Everyone experiences depression at one time or another.

It is usually triggered by some event that is viewed as a life altering event. It could be something as major as the death of a very dear loved one, like a child, spouse or parent, or the loss of a job. A divorce or even transitioning from school to the work force can bring about an episode. Most people recover on their own, but some need treatment to help them.

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Maybe you've recently been diagnosed or care about someone who has. Learn more about this common mood disorder, including its causes, types, tests and treatments. You can take control of your moods and live an active, healthy life. I've been depressed and suicidal myself and recovered. No one is sentenced to a life time of helplessness.

Now, I'm not a psychiatrist, psychologist or anything. I haven't even taken classes in psychology. But I do have personal experience with being depressed. I have read many books, gone to therapy myself and watched family members struggle with it. I avoided writing about this for a long time because I am no expert, I didn't think it was really appropriate for this website and well, frankly, it's a depressing subject. But I kept being directed back to the subject. I think it's because depressed people are in the most need of self-improvement. And since Thoughtful Self Improvement is all about helping people lead better lives, articles about negative emotions do fit on this web site.

What is Depression?

It is a state of body and mind that is predominately negative. It is a disease of it's own and a symptom of many personality disorders like schizophrenia.

Some people say that it feels like a black curtain of despair coming down over their lives. Many people feel like they have no energy and can't concentrate. Others feel irritable all the time for no apparent reason. The symptoms vary from person to person, but if you feel "down" for more than two weeks, and these feelings are interfering with your daily life, you may be clinically depressed.

Most people who have gone through one episode of despair will, sooner or later, have another one. You may begin to feel some sadness and a sense of loss several weeks before you develop a full-blown episode. Learning to recognize these early triggers or symptoms and working with your doctor will help to keep the despair from worsening.

Most people never seek help, even though the majority will respond to treatment. Treating it is especially important because it affects you, your family, and your work. Some people try to harm themselves in the mistaken belief that how they are feeling will never change. It is a treatable illness.

I read an essay by Joan Didion "On Self Respect" and thought "WOW, she's got it right". Here's a small excerpt that really caught me.

"To do without self-respect, on the other hand, is to be an unwilling audience of one to an interminable documentary that deals one’s failings, both real and imagined, with fresh footage spliced in for every screening. There’s the glass you broke in anger, there’s the hurt on X’s face; watch now, this next scene, the night you came back from Houston, see how you muff this one. To live without self-respect is to lie awake some night, beyond the reach of warm milk, the Phenobarbital, and the sleeping hand on the coverlet, counting up the sins of commissions and omission, the trusts betrayed, the promises subtly broken, the gifts irrevocably wasted through sloth or cowardice, or carelessness."

When we are depressed we endlessly run our failings through our minds. Over and over again. Platitudes and the opinions of others don't make a dent. Or if they do, our ruminations quickly fix that. We can, after all, recall so many more failures than successes. And what successes we can recall are all flawed. There was always something better we should have said or done.

Every fault. Every failing. Every mistake is another rope that ties us to a bad self concept. Another piece of mud that clings to us. Millions of clumps of mud we heap on ourselves then pat into place. We water them like plants with our ruminations so they don't dry and flake off. We can't see our real selves through this muck. Others telling us something good about us or congratulating us doesn't do any good. The image is from inside. One we created. And one only we, the creators, can destroy.

Causes of Depression

It is an extremely complex disease. It occurs for a variety of reasons. Some people experience misery during a serious medical illness. Others may feel down with life changes such as a move or the death of a loved one. Still others have a family history of it. Others may feel overwhelmed with sadness and loneliness for no known reason. Learn more about what causes it, including the genetic link, so you can seek treatment before it robs you of your quality of life.

Tests for Depression

If you are planning to see your doctor about your depressed moods, here is information about the kinds of tests your doctor might ask for. First, keep in mind that not every test is a "depression test." Some tests aren't used to diagnose a mood disorder but rather to rule out other serious medical conditions that may cause similar symptoms.

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In most cases, the doctor will do a physical exam and ask for specific lab tests to make sure your symptoms aren't related to a condition such as thyroid disease or cancer. If your symptoms are related to another serious illness, treating that illness may also help ease the feelings of helplessness.

The most popular test for mood disorders is the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI).

Treatments for Depression

Treatment for mood disorders can be divided into antidepressant medication and psychotherapy and is dependant on what the doctor or therapist believes the cause is. Severe feelings of helplessness and hopelessness is usually treated with both.

Psychotherapy is talking to a trained mental health professional to discover what events, thoughts and/or behaviors are contributing to the depressed feelings. The most effective of these is Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT).