Dealing with Depression?

[atinymonkey]

As a side note, and because I’m supposed to spread the profile around, there is an organisation called the Samaritans that provides emotional support, listening to people who are distressed. They are there for almost all emotional crisis, including depression and suicide.

 

They can be contacted by email at - Jo @Samaritans. org , 24 hours a day.

http://www.samaritans.org/

[coquina]

Yes - I am down here on the Coastal Plain, at the mouth of the Chesapeake - which has to be, I believe, the most beautiful tidal estuary in the world, not that the mountains aren't glorius in their own right.

 

 

the song continues...

 

fat ones, skinny ones, long ones, short ones,

oooey, gooey, slimy, grimy WORMS.

[Wotanaz]

5614:

obviously, everyone has problems, thats what this thread is about, depression, a common problem. it is human nature to compare things, although you dont have to you can not compare yourself to others, but it is - on the whole, a natural thing to do.

 

Nobody's disputing that, but there are healthy and unhealthy ways to compare yourself.

 

to solve depression you must make yourself look and feel good and better about yourself.

 

Simplistic. A person who is clinically depressed will not "feel better" without therapy (generally medication) no matter how much they smile and make themselves look good.

 

thats not true, you often here of selfless acts, such as saving a life at the risk of your own, thats selfless and is also an action, therefore that quote isnt technically right.

 

Your logic is very very flawed.

Saving another's life at the risk of your own is still a selfish action - you are trying to preserve one of your group, which benefits you.

 

NavahoEverclear:

I'm not sure myself if there is such thing as an unselfish action. Depending on the maturity of your thought process, you may no longer care for your own rewards, but in all the time and paths leading up to that were surely covered by actions for the benefit of yourself. Its just instinct, theres nothing wrong with that. There are many actions that are good for yourself and others. Infact i think it can be selfish to put too much emphasis on trying to be unselfish. I'm not sure how to explain why i say that, but i'm sure some of you understand what i mean

 

Makes sense. Our instincts are selfish, and can lead us to act in "unselfish" ways.

[MolecularMan14]

One of the best ways to deal with depression is to stay active both mentally and physically. All of us go through stages of depression in our lives' date=' some more severe than others. The trick is to not over think things. If you think your depressed you will get depressed more easily. However if you stay active by pursuing some form of mental exercise, either studying or writing, you will have less time to be depressed as such emotions are generally prevalant when you are inactive. Physical exercise can also make a marked improvement in your general well being, both mental and physical, as it produces endorphins which can make you feel mildly euphoric. Thus the phrase, healthy body, healthy mind.

 

Also trying to assess which aspects of your life are particularly prone to trigger bouts of depression cannot be undervalued. If you know what it is that tends to set your depression off then you can either avoid such situations in future or formulate a series of mechanisms to deal with the situation next time it arises.

 

Often depression is considered by many, including the sufferer, to be in the 'too hard' basket. However as a former sufferer, it is this hopelessness that is often at the seat of the problem and once you become more active you will find that things you previously saw as insurrmountable, are merely a matter of perception.

 

Keep active and remember that no matter how bad things get, there is always people worse off than you.[/quote']

 

Absolutely! Truthfully, Im not one of those crazy teens who has terrible mood swings, and goes on and on about how depressed they are and how terrible life is. And thus, I can't remember EVER being depressed. I keep active (mentally more than physically). Ive heard somewhere that smiling actually enduces happiness. I dont know why, but acually forcing a smile can bring happiness. I think that was on the discovery channel (So now im an expert) lol. But hey I figure if it works, then it works. Try it

 

Death cannot bring any good, there is no divine solution in quittin life itself. So if anyone EVER considers hurting themselves to ease pain, then remember that you will never get rid pain by bringing more.

 

Life brings unlimmited opportunity. No matter how bad, things can always get better, and there are ppl who will see to that.

 

Sry if I sounded like a shrink right there , but I had a friend try to kill herself, so I know what Im talking about.

[atinymonkey]

Sry if I sounded like a shrink right there ' date=' but I had a friend try to kill herself, so I know what Im talking about.[/quote']

 

Not to belittle your experience with your friend, but you are no expert. I talk to suicidal people regularly, and I’m no expert. I certainly would not suggest they just start smiling more, if anything this will just hide the visual signs of depression to other people.

[MolecularMan14]

Oh, I know im not an expert, Im just saying that I know what I mean when I talk about when Im talking about feelings. And I dont mean faking smiling, b/c there's a difference between faking a smile and acually smiling, and bringing happy memories.

lol

All in all, nothing is worth death. It doesnt solve anything

[Glider]

5614:Simplistic. A person who is clinically depressed will not "feel better" without therapy (generally medication) no matter how much they smile and make themselves look good.

Medication alone is usually not very effective. Chemical intervention is properly used to break the depressive cycle, giving the individual a chance to change their thought patterns, often through some form of counselling. It's a bit like nicotive patches; they deal with the craving, whilst the individual changes their behaviour.

 

Antidepressants alone may provide some relief from the worst of the depressed feelings, but they're not a cure for depression. Outcome measures plus follow-up studies have shown that the most effective combination with clinical depression is primary chemical intervention backed up with cognitive-behavioural therapy. This combination has a very good sucess rate, and excellent maintanance. Individuals are usually weaned off medication during the CBT process.

[BrainMan]

My understanding is that CBT, medication (of many different forms), and some other forms of therapy are all of equal effectiveness from a statistical standpoint, and medication + therapy is more effective in only some limited cases.

 

Am I misinformed?

[Thales]

They recently identified that a shrinkage of the hippocampus, as well as the typical environmental factors such as; some form of abuse/neglect in childhood, are the two major contributors to clinical depression. When the two factors were present, the hippocampus factor being genetically related, the risk of depression at some point in life more than doubled when compared with people who suffered from only one of the afflictions. The identification of this arose via a study of children in Dunedin, New Zealand, as they became adults.

 

I think it is also important to realise, as some of our younger members may not, that being depressed and clinical depression are too vastly different concepts. People more often than not deal with some form of depressed feelings during the latter part of adolesence however this usually subsides as one developes into full maturity. Clinical depression, however, usually occurs over prolonged periods throughout a persons life. The difference may not sound large to one who is in the midst of teenage angst but it is really quite profound. Particularly as teenage/early twenties depression is usually a result of a feeling of helpless in a dark and gloomy world. Whereas clinical depression arises from a mixture of emotional problems and chemical imbalances that are not easily overcome.

 

The study I mentioned early also found that cognitive behavioural therapy, when combined with drugs designed to protect the hippocampus from undergoing shrinkage ,was by far the most effective(although as BrainMan points out, not universal) means of treating clinical depression.

 

Smiling is a good way to alieviate sadness, not depression, as smiling releases endorphins into the bloodstream, making things easier to deal with. try it next time you are feeling blue, I am pretty sure you will notice a difference. Its not about 'faking' it. Its about realising the insignificance of your problems and convincing your body and your mind that there really isn't all that much to be sad about, after all its a beautiful world.

[Glider]

My understanding is that CBT' date=' medication (of many different forms), and some other forms of therapy are all of equal effectiveness from a statistical standpoint, and medication + therapy is more effective in only some limited cases.

 

Am I misinformed?[/quote']

 

I believe it is the case that whilst drug therapy alone may alleviate feelings of depression, it does not address the underlying thought patterns, which are a key factor in the chronic nature of clinical depression. The drug therapy + CBT strategy has been shown to be significantly better in terms of maintenance than either drug therapy or counselling alone. The benefits last much longer, with a significantly lower relapse rate.

[coquina]

how does "cognitive-behavioral therapy" work?

 

It sounds like the therapist talks to the patient to help them understand why they are acting as they are, and then helps them modify the behavior that causes them to see the world as they do. Is that correct?

 

Are other techniques, such as hypnosis, used to help people get to a point where they can understand their own behavior?

 

I wonder if people who practice meditation or yoga prior to experiencing depression are less likely than the general population to develop it.

[Glider]

As far as I know (not being from the pink and fluffy end of Psychology), CBT works by focussing on the 'cognitive filters' that encourage depression, and the behavioural components of those filters.

 

To put it in simple terms, depressed individuals see things through 'depression tinted glasses'. For example, when looking back on past events, people with depression will remember more negative events. When looking forward to the future, they will predict more negative outcomes to their actions (elements of Seligman's Theory of Learned Helplessness). They are aften blind to positive events; literally unable to perceive or remember them. They are also more likely to interpret neutral events/situations in a negative way. Their behaviour is guided by their cognitive processes so their lives become a kind of self-fulfilling prophesy. Normal life challenges become perceived as insurmountable demands, so, for example, when offered a promotion, a depressed person is more likely not to, because they feel they won't be able to cope with the extra demands. But then they find themselves stuck in a menial role that bores them whilst they watch others climb over them (which is depressing).

 

Unlike many other schools of therapy, CBT therapists don't tell the person what to do, they don't really counsel as such. They act as objective guides, and enter into a partnership with the individual, rather than a 'therapist - patient' relationship. Between them, they agree a set of objectives and form targets; small, achievable steps towards those objectives. The depressed individual will try to reach those targets. The therapist will provide support, and objective perspective. In CBT, the therapist doesn't lead, rather he/she 'walks next to' the client, offering different perspectives on the client's perceptions of events/situations. When faced with some event, the client will tell the therapist their perception of it, the therapist will offer different ways of viewing the same event. When something positive happens, the therapist will help the client to recognise it, which provides the tools for the client to recognise positive elements in events on their own.

 

The eventual aim is to help the client develop a different, less negative set of cognitive filters; the ability to perceive alternative perspectives on events and to alter their automatic behavioural responses to those events (e.g. to reduce the automatic propensity to say 'no' to a promotion). Their lives (as are most people's) will still be, to a degree, self fulfilling prophesies, but the underlying prophecy will be less negative, if you see what I mean?

[coquina]

Thanks - very interesting and informative. Not to minimize CBT, but it does sound as though if a person has a good friend whom they can "bounce things off", it would accomplish many of the same goals. Problem is - they don't come along very often.

 

Do you remember the movie "Crocodile Dundee"? The Mick goes with Sue to a party and makes a crack to an older woman about people being crazy. Sue tells Mick the woman used to be really messed up but has a great shrink, then asks Mick if people don't have psychiatric problems in Walk-About Creek. Mick says, "Yeah, I tell Wally, Wally tells all my mates, pretty soon, "No problem". Sue says, "Yes, we all need more mates" Simplistic - yes, but true, I think. Good friends are invaluable.

[Glider]

Not simplistic at all. That's how it should be. People with lots of mates (i.e. a large social support network) are less prone to depression than people without. It's just that these days, with the 'nuclear family', the increasing prevalence of single parent families, increasing mistrust of 'strangers' and increasing social competition and isolation, sound social support networks (i.e. a large-ish group of really good mates) is becoming rarer.

 

The key factor is not so much a large groups of 'mates' but people we trust enough to tell such stuff to. Social competition is increasing and any admission of deeper problems is seen as weakness, unless you have your own therapist, which is seen as cool.