Depression is a mood disorder that makes you sad, but it is different from normal sadness: it may difficult for you to work, study or carry out any daily activity, affecting how you feel, the way you think and how you act.
It is a condition that if not treated in time can worsen and last longer, with aggravation of symptoms. Fortunately, treatments can be very effective on improving symptoms of depression. How do I know if I am depressed? How to recognize the symptoms for depression?
Recognize the symptoms for depression:
Depressed people feel low most of the time (for at least one week to two weeks), and may experience mixed emotions, such as:
- They no longer enjoy themselves or they don’t care about doing things they used to love to do.
2. They feel sad, depressed, hopeless or irritable for most of the day.
Depression can also make you:
- Losing or gaining weight
- Sleeping too much or too little
- Make you feel tired or as if you have no energy
- Make you feel guilty or as if you are worthless
- Forget about things or make yourself feel confused
- Make yourself move and speak slower than usual
- Act restlessly (can’t sit still)
- Thinking about death or suicide
How to get out of depression?
People suffering from depression may receive one or more of the following treatments:
- Consultation with a psychologist or psychiatrist
- Psychotherapy
- Magnetic stimulation (TMS)
People who doesn’t suffer with severe depression can improve either by taking medications or psychotherapy; it is a personal choice and that must be agreed in consultation with an experienced professional. People with severe depression, according to scientific guidelines, need combination of drugs and psychotherapy.
Another treatment is, placing a device on the scalp and passing magnetic waves into the brain. This is “transcranial magnetic stimulation” or “TMS”, a non-invasive technique that doctors may suggest to you in some specific cases.
How to overcome depression?
Different treatment options take different time to start working. Many people start to feel better after two weeks, but it usually takes 4 to 8 weeks to work properly.
Many people who see a specialist start to feel better after a few weeks, but it may take 8 to 10 weeks to get the most benefit.
If you cannot find benefit from your therapy, tell your doctor right away, but don’t give up. Some people need to try different treatments, or combinations of them, before finding an approach that works. Your referral specialist can work with you to find the right one to solve your problem.
Read also: Are pills really important?
How to decide which treatment to do?
You and your doctor will need to work together to choose the right treatment. Medicines may work a little faster, but medications can also cause side effects. Also, some people don’t like the idea of taking medicine.
Is depression the same for adults and teens?
No. The symptoms of depression are slightly different for adolescents than for adults. Some teens are often moody or sad. This makes it difficult to tell when they are truly depressed. Depressed teenagers often seem irritable, easily become “annoyed” and “quarrelsome”.
What if I take depression medication and want to have a baby?
Some medications for depression can cause problems for the unborn baby but there are no absolute contraindications. But having untreated depression during pregnancy can also cause serious problems. If you want to get pregnant, inform your doctor but do not stop taking the medicines. Together, you can plan the safest way to have a baby.
It is also important to talk to your doctor if you want to breastfeed after the baby is born. Breastfeeding has many benefits for both mother and baby. But having untreated depression after childbirth can also cause problems, so don’t stop taking your medicines (some depression medications are safer than others to use while breastfeeding). Your doctor can work with you to plan the safest way to feed your baby.
Read also: What is the purpose of life?
Isn’t there any remedy except all these mentioned above?
Of course there are! Recognize some other remedy for your symptoms of depression.
We recommend our readers or their relatives to sleep at least 8 hours a day or sometimes more. Some people rest one to three hours in the evening additionally to those eight hours you sleep during the night. Sometimes, it is absolutely fine to sleep more because not everyone is relaxed equally.
Further more, we suggest to walk lonely or doing some physical activity because it helps you to think and organize your thoughts. Indeed, I was depressed once same as you, but then I started to walk and run every night. Some times, many of us need just some of free time. Indeed, the idea of blogging came to me from those walking nights, and look at me now. I can earn an additional income from what I started in my dark nights as a remedy to depression. Now, you don’t have to blog like me as a remedy! Instead, you can learn something from watching documentaries on YouTube, reading books, gardening, teaching something you know to others or walk in nature to mention some.
Keeping your time busy is another option. I met many people who cured their depression or sad thoughts just from working from morning to night so, they don’t have a free time to think about unnecessary thoughts like “what am I going to do if my girlfriend will break up with me” or “what if I lose my job”. Remember, THERE IS A SOLUTION FOR EVERYTHING so, don’t stress yourself too much thinking about negative thoughts.
Read also: How to enjoy your life without drinking and having sex?
You may atheist, but start reading a book about a religion may help you! Here is the thing, you don’t have to stop reading about religious books just because you read something that you think it is impossible. For an example, you may not believe in a life after death, but continuing your readings you may find the solution. I recommend reading some books about Buddhism as it has philosophical thoughts.
Read also: Why do we have to believe in an religion?
Meditation may help you as well. Just keep your eyes closed and start counting how many times you inhaled or exhaled at least for 10 to 20 minutes a day.
If these tips won’t work, then you may talk to your doctor to recognize the symptoms for depression and your doctor may suggest something good. But keeping it as an secret will harm you and who are around you.