A MENTAL HEALTH BLOG FOR ALL OF US
DEPRESSION
About
Many of us face bad days, changes in mood, and the feeling of "the blues". Feeling down from time to time is a temporary and normal part of life, but one who lives with depression feels stuck. Emotions such as hopelessness and despair take hold and just won't go away. Someone experiencing depression is grappling with feelings of severe despair over an extended period of time. Almost every aspect of their life can be affected, including their emotions, physical health, relationships, school, and work. Depression makes it tough to function and enjoy life like you once did. Just getting through the day can be overwhelming. But no matter how hopeless you feel, you can overcome this. Educating yourself about depression is the first step to living a better life.
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keep scrolling down for more information
SYMPTOMS
In addition to the above, clinical depression has a variety of symptoms such as:
Affective Symptoms:
- sadness
- irritability or restlessness
- anhedonia (no pleasure in normally pleasurable things)
- hopelessness
- worry
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Cognitive Symptoms:
- thoughts/feelings of worthlessness
- excessive guilt
- difficulty concentrating, making decisions, and remembering
- self-criticism
- loss of confidence
- difficulty making decisions
- rumination (overthinking or obsessing about situations or negative life events)
- pessimism
- slowed or sped up thinking and movement
- thoughts of death/suicide
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Physiological Symptoms:
- fatigue or loss of energy
- change in appetite
- change in weight
- nausea
- dizziness
- loss of coordination
- hot/cold flashes
- blurred vision
- racing heart
- sweating
- agitation
- crying easily or not being able to cry at all
- unexplained aches and pains (shoulder, back, joint, etc.)
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Behavioural Symptoms:
- loss of interest in activities you usually enjoy
- loss of interest in life
- change in sleep (too much or too little)
- low motivation
- negative coping (e.g., drinking, throwing/punching, smoking, harming oneself)
- withdrawal and isolation from family members and friends
- self-neglect (not taking care of self, not showering, not maintaining cleanliness, etc.)
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You may not have all of the above. In fact, you might only be experiencing a handful of them. Depression is not the same for everyone. It varies from mild to severe. Some may have a few symptoms that occur some of the time, while others may have a large number of symptoms that are frequent, long-lasting, and very disturbing to that person.
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A depressive episode qualifies as experiencing these symptoms nearly all day for two consecutive weeks. Along with clinically significant stress and impaired functioning.
DO NOT SELF-DIAGNOSE. If you are experiencing many of these symptoms, make an appointment with your doctor or health-care professional and address your concerns.
If you are having suicidal thoughts, please call 911 immediately. We can get through this together, I promise.
WHO CANÂ DEPRESSION AFFECT?
Although there are many statistics out in the open, depression can affect anyone. No matter their age, gender, race, social class or background. Sure, there are some higher trends among communities, ethnicities, and geographic location, but do not feel as if you "shouldn't" have depression, just because the numbers may not be on your side.
WHAT CAUSES DEPRESSION?
There is not one cause of depression. It is not something that happens to people who are unusual or crazy. Depression is everywhere, and is the "common cold" of emotional issues. There are a number of different factors that can combine to cause the disorder:
Biochemical (biology) :
- genetic predisposition (hereditary)
- neurochemistry (lack of serotonin in the brain)
*ALTHOUGH WE CANNOT READILY CHANGE OUR BIOLOGY, WE CAN CHANGE OUR BEHAVIOUR AND THE WAY WE THINK*
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Interpersonal (social life) :
- relationship conflict
- interpersonal loss (e.g., death, separation, etc.)
*GRIEF OR LOSS IS NOT DEPRESSION, BUT CAN LEAD TO IT*
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Behavioural (what you do) :
- increased stress
- decreases in positive/enjoyable experiences
- decreases in self-care (healthy eating, sleep, and exercise)
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Cognitive (how you think) :
- distorted and/or maladaptive ways of thinking
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Suffering in silence is not easy, and depression is not something to be ashamed about. If you are or think you may be living with depression, please talk to a trusted adult, friend, or family member. You have many options (anonymous support, relations support, therapy, medication, and BA) even if you feel like you have none.
Talk to your doctor and look at all your options before you decide on anything.
Everyone's case is different, so some things will work better for you than they will for others (and vice versa).
Remember friends, we got this.
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Stay tuned for an upcoming in-depth blogpost about treatment and BA!!
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GIVE A SHOUT
Thanks for your interest in my mental health blog!
Support systems:
CONFIDENTIAL HOTLINES/ CRISIS LINES:​
Canadian Suicide Prevention Service (CSPS) 1-833-456-4566 (Open 24/7 in English & French)
Reach Out: 1-800-933-2023 (Crisis and Support Line for Mental Health & Addictions - Open 24/7)
Muslim Youth Helpline: 1-866-627-3342 (Mon-Fri 6pm-9pm EST)
First Nations and Inuit Hope for Wellness 24/7 Help Line: 1-855-242-3310
Trans LifeLine – All Ages: 1-877-330-6366
Kids Help Phone: 1-800-668-6868
Good2Talk: 1-866-925-5454 (you can rant all you want, they are AMAZING) Professional counselling, information and referrals for mental health, addictions and well-being to post-secondary students - Open 24/7)
LGBT Youth Line~ Call: 1-800-268-9688, Text: 647-694-4275, or Online Chat on youthline.ca
FOR EMERGENCIES: Please call 911 immediately
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WEBSITES:
- http://thequietplaceproject.com/thethoughtsroom/en (you get to vent anonymously, check it out, its pretty cool!)
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APPS:
- Calm (Meditation + Breathing Practice)
- Breathe (Meditation)
- Headspace (Meditation)
- Flora
- MindShift
- A Soft Murmur (Soothing Sounds)
- Thisissand (Stress Relief Game)
You are never alone. (Even if it may feel like it sometimes)
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SHARE YOUR WORK:
- if you feel like sharing your story, or a piece of writing (short story or poem) about mental illness, lifestyle, struggle, or recovery, etc., you may submit through e-mail
- submit your artwork (paintings, drawings, sketches, photographs, or anything else) by emailing me a J.PEG image of it, to be featured in the Mindfulness Gallery