Dealing With Depression
Depression is quite common and affects about 10% of the general population at any one time. Studies have shown that about 4% of children aged 5-16 in the UK and one in five adults are affected by depression. Although men experience depression as well as women, mistakenly viewing this as a weakness they often find this more difficult to talk about and so delay seeking help thus exacerbating the problem.
There is no one cause of depression and some people are more prone to depression than others because of experiences or family background. Although everyone has low moods from time to time, if you are experiencing at least five of the following symptoms on a regular basis you could be depressed.
- Lacking self-confidence and self-esteem
- Waking up early, having difficulty sleeping, or sleeping more
- Feeling tired and lacking energy; doing less and less
- Smoking, drinking or taking drugs more than usual
- Not eating properly and losing or putting on weight
- Crying
- Difficulty remembering things
- Physical aches and pains with no physical cause
- Feeling low-spirited and helpless
- Feeling numb, empty and despairing
- Being unusually irritable or impatient
- Loss of pleasure in previously enjoyable experiences
- Sexual difficulties
- Finding it hard to concentrate or make decisions
- Feelings of self blame and guilt
- Preoccupation with with negative thoughts
- Distancing yourself from others
- Experiencing a sense of unreality
- Self-harming and/or thinking about suicide.
Step approach to depression:
- Always consult a medical professional if you feel that you may be depressed.
- Many people with depression benefit by making lifestyle changes such as getting more exercise, cutting down on alcohol and eating more healthily.
- Although if depressed you may lack motivation to seek help speaking to a counsellor/psychotherapist may help you to identify the causes of depression and improve the way that you feel. With help most people can recover from bouts depression.