By Yvonne Sinclair M.A., LMFT

Have you been feeling sad a lot lately, can’t seem to shake the blues. Do you know someone who has changed, no energy, lack of concentration, libido decreased? In this broadcast we will explore the faces of depression. How do the mental health professionals determine if we are sad or having a Major Depressive Disorder episode? AND what do we do then. Are we stuck being sad for life, can we change the way we are feeling? Do we have to take medication to make it all better? What can we do to be the real US again.

Depression can happen to anyone. It can be caused by a traumatic event, a change in your body chemistry, a sense of deep loss around something, or even because you have inherited a family pattern, or what is sometimes called a predisposition for Depression. Feeling sad, low energy, low libido, irritable can indicate you are experiencing an episode of Major Depressive Disorder. Notice the diagnosis is “disorder” this is not a mental illness that is untreatable and maintained only with medication. It is a disorder and like physical flu can go away. 

Depression can deeply affect your relationship. Not only does it color your world differently it may not be understood or accepted. Your partner may just want you to get over it and be yourself again. If depression is not understood or both partners are depressed or one is angry the other is depressed, the relationships health suffers. So, understanding depression and how to help it lift will increase the ability of each partner to cope with depression in their relationship.

Today we will be discussing Adult Depression. Depression presents itself differently in teens and children. Dysthymia is a depression that is milder than Major Depression and lasts for at least two years. Bipolar Disorder is also a Mood Disorder that usually includes Depression. Today I want to explore Depression that is not dysthymia or bipolar disorder. I will be offering information from studies of depression. 

The list I will offer later will be from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder. This DSM is used by Counselors, Psychologists, and Psychiatrist’s to diagnosis Major Depressive Disorder. This will be a list of emotional and physical symptoms that may mean you are experiencing Major Depressive Disorder. In children depression can present as Irritability only. 

While sadness touches all of our lives at different times, the illness of depression can have enormous depth and staying power. If you have ever experienced depression or been close to someone who has, you know that this disorder cannot be changed at will or wished or joked away. It is not just the blues and you cannot just “get over it”. 

If you go to the medical Doctor and tell him or her you have headache, fever, muscle aches and you are throwing up. This doctor will probably diagnose the flue and tell you to go home drink lots of fluids and rest. So, you go home and say to yourself-“self this is so stupid, why you cannot just get over this fever and throwing up!” Right? NO you do not. You take care of yourself and let your body heal. Depression is a form of emotional flu. I instruct my clients to take care of themselves and let their mental body heal. Saying to yourself “self – this is so stupid, why can you not just get over feeling low energy and irritable” will not cure you depression. Just as saying get over it for flu symptoms will not cure the flu.

Being depressed has nothing to do with personal weakness. Scientists' reveal that changes in nerve pathways and brain chemicals called neurotransmitters can affect your moods and thoughts. These changes in brain chemistry may show up as symptoms of depression — including sleep problems, change in appetite, irritability, decreased energy.

Although these symptoms are signs of depression, if you talk to any two depressed people about their experiences, you think they were describing entirely different realities. For example, one might not be able to have their usual energy level, while the other might feel tired and unable to motivate themselves. Sometimes when people are depressed it feels like there are up to their neck in mud. Everything is a huge effort. One person may feel sad and break into tears easily. One might pick at food without any appetite, while the other might want to eat constantly. 

Sometimes we slip into depression. The sad mood starts out light and slowly becomes deeper without our realizing we are slipping into a depressive state. The check list will be a reality check to see if your sad has slipped past the Just Sad mark... 
  
Some studies show, despite such wide variations, depression does have certain common patterns. For example, women are almost twice as likely as men to suffer from depression. And while major depression may start at any time in life, the initial episode occurs, on average, during the mid-20s.

 One theory is that Depression is anger turned inwards. If we identify our anger and express it towards the reason we are angry instead of within, our depression may lesson or even dissolve. 

Men are notoriously taught it is not okay to cry, but it is okay to be angry. So when they are sad, sometimes they turn it into anger. Women are generally taught it is okay to cry but not to be angry….so you guessed it. Women turn anger into depression. This may account for the higher numbers of women than men experiencing depression. Depression or hopelessness may feel so paralyzing that you find it hard to look for help. 

   Studies show, the vast majority of people who receive professional treatment rebound emotionally within two to six weeks and then take pleasure in life once again. When major depression goes untreated, though, suffering can last for months. Furthermore, episodes of depression frequently recur. About half of those who sink into an episode of major depression will have at least one more episode later in their life. 

Some researchers think that diagnosing depression early and treating it successfully can help forestall such recurrences. They suspect that the more episodes of depression you've had, the more likely you are to have future episodes, because depression may cause enduring changes in brain circuits and chemicals that affect mood. 

Counseling can also help you identify and remedy the underlying issues that may be the cause of your Depression. Counseling can help you change your way of looking at events, the way you communicate your needs, and offer ways to empower you to be happy. 

Can Depression Be Prevented?

Depression is usually caused by what we perceive as a traumatic event and therefore is not a preventable condition. What we do to help ourselves, our diet, exercise habits, and thinking patterns can play a part in its progression. Making changes now can offer long-term benefits to your mental health. 

A word here about my statement about depression following a perceived traumatic event. To one person trauma can be a huge horrible event and to another it can be something more subtle. Each person has their own reality and another cannot say what is traumatic for you. Only you can determine what feels traumatic to you.

Let’s discuss some depression prevention activities beyond staying in touch with feelings and being assertive about your own needs and personal boundaries.

• Stay active: physical activity is good for your physical health, and it can also help to lift or prevent depression. Almost any type of physical activity for at least 30 minutes, three to five times a week, is enough to serve the purpose. Aerobic activity is good for lifting depressive symptoms when they are not severe. Walking, swimming, things that are repetitive. Aerobics for 20 minutes a day is recommended for lifting depression symptoms. 
• Stay connected with friends and family: Keeping you social life active helps to keep your mind occupied and fulfilled. Sometimes people suffering from depression have the tendency to want to close the door and lock out the world. This only exacerbates the depressive symptoms. Taking steps to stay involved with the people in your life — and reaching out to meet new ones — can help to prevent this from happening. 
• Find somewhere to talk: Sometimes a friend or family member is not enough. Preventive therapy, whether you choose to see a therapist one-on-one, in a support group, or even online counseling, can give you third party insight into your situation and help you through it. 
• Other activities: Find an activity that you can enjoy without the help of others, such as yoga, or tai chi, start a BlogTalkRadio profile and chat about ways others have managed their depression, journaling, or reading, other activities can help to relieve stress and serve as a distraction. A word of caution. Sometimes we do the busy busy busy to avoid our own issues. These activities would best not be ones to prevent you from addressing what is the underlying cause of your depression.
• Care for your physical health: If we don’t feel good physically it can have an effect on our mental health.  Have a medical doctor appointment to address your feelings of depression and trouble shoot about any physical symptoms that may be adding to your ability to feel good emotionally. Remember to eat healthy. Whole grains are believed to help lift depression. Popcorn, whole oats, whole wheat, and oatmeal are all great ways to get our whole grains. Alcohol is a depressant-a word to the wise.

Let us explore your symptoms with our DSM based check list. I will state the symptom and if you find you have five or more yes answers to the symptoms below, you are probably experiencing a Major Depressive Order. If there are more than five yes answers your episode may be in the severe range. I you have printed a copy of this check list from my website. Make an extra copy and you can check your symptoms at a later date to see how you are doing, or share this check list with a friend.

CLICK HERE FOR SYMPTOM CHECKLIST

To help with recovery, see your Physician, Naturopath, Herbalist, and/or Counselor. 

When you are experiencing Major Depressive Disorder the theory is that the chemistry in your brain has changed. Sometimes it takes a chemical to change the brain chemistry back to “normal”. I am not sure what “normal” is, but to me the word “normal” in this case means back to the usual YOU. When your sad is deep enough to be diagnosed as depression the natural remedies do not seem to make a big difference, and medication is an option for you. There are dozens of anti-depressant medications and natural remedies. A consult with your Physician would be a good place to start. Take a copy of the symptom check list with you.

Some clinicians today believe that depression is caused by a combination of things, biological (including a possible predisposition to depressive episodes), social, and psychological factors. Treatment which focuses exclusively on one of these areas may not as helpful as a treatment that which addresses all three of them. Complementary and alternative therapies, such as herbal treatments, exercise, relaxation or meditation exercises, and acupuncture are all possible solutions for depression. My advice would be to address all areas of yourself, physical, mental, social, personal relationships, and emotional. 

Share with your Medical Doctor and or Naturopath any other therapies you will be seeking. Interaction of herbs, supplements, and medication is a possibility. If you seek the help of alternative medicines make sure they are authentic and quality care. Also, your doctor may be able to offer advice about that particular alternative therapy. 

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