Depression

What is depression?

It is generally considered that if you suffer with 5 or more of the following daily or nearly every day over a minimum 2 week period, then you would be suffering with depression.

depressed mood for most of the day
loss of interest or pleasure in life
change in appetite or weight loss
insomnia or excessive sleep
acting or feeling agitated or slowed down
fatigue or loss of energy
feelings of worthlessness or excessive, inappropriate guilt
poor concentration or indecisiveness
recurrent thoughts of death or suicide, or suicide plan or attempt

What causes depression?

Depression is due to chemical changes in the body and can vary from everyday blues to serious depressive disorders. Not so widely appreciated is the fact that depression can also occur in other, more physical conditions such as:

under-active thyroid chronic pain stroke
alcohol and substance abuse
hepatitis
bowel disorders
certain types of cancer
viral pneumonia
Parkinson's disease
Alzheimer's
After heart by-pass surgery

Depression and sleep

Depressed people tend to have a much deeper and more rousing sleep and so sleep is less relaxing and you wake up tired all the time. Dream or REM sleep is essential to us all. We live out our immediate stresses and emotional problems in our dreams to help prepare us for the next day. REM sleep helps us deal with our emotions but too much REM can lead to clinical depression.

3 times more women than men attempt suicide (but men are more successful at it). Sadly, suicide is currently on the increase in men under 35 years and in young men who leave home and go away to university.

Is Post-natal depression any different?

No. This tends to be a clinical depression and can be treated in the same way as other depression. Changes to hormones, lifestyle and circumstances tend to bring on the depression at this time.

Will drugs cure my depression?

Some people do respond well to drugs for depression. Anti-depressants alter dream (REM) sleep, especially the last one of the night which tends to be the deepest. Since depressives have a deeper and more rousing dream sleep this can leave them feeling worn out, so using the anti-depressants to alter REM sleep can help.

Is there a more natural treatment for depression than drugs?

St. John's Wort is a popular alternative to anti-depressants, with similar effects, but without the side-effects. On the whole, it is a safer alternative, but there are a few conditions which don't mix with St. John's Wort, so it is worth seeking advice if you are concerned. There are other natural herbal remedies available but it is best to seek the advice of a qualified medical herbalist.

Cognitive psychotherapy, behavioral therapy and psychodynamic therapy have been shown to be a positive help in the treatment of depression and move the patient on and forward.

Long-term counselling tends not to help depression as it can lead to continual, negative rehearsal as you replay the depression over and over again.

Self help

There are a few things to do to help yourself:

Keep busy and focused. Lack of focus makes depression more likely and gives you more time to think about how awful you feel.
Find out what triggers your depression initially. Can you do anything to alter the trigger factor?
Look at when you are not depressed - why are you different then?
Look at when you are less depressed - if you can identify the reasons why you are not depressed then it helps you develop strategies to cope with the depression
Have things to do to take your mind off your depression e.g. go to the cinema, get out a video, go for a walk, train at the gym, go swimming.

Can I take anything else to help?

Good reports have been given for taking:

Vitamin B complex, especially B6 Calcium Zinc
Iron Magnesium EFA's - evening primrose oil

Remember:

Don't suffer in silence. Seek help, especially if you are suicidal.