Depression

Depression is mainly characterised by a strong chronic mental state of sadness and hopelessness. Depressed people perceive the world and their lives as pointless and feel rarely positive feelings of joy and motivation. They tend to think that whatever actions they take have no impact. Thus, they feel helpless and trapped in this vicious circle of negative thoughts and attitudes towards themselves, their environment and the future. As the feelings of sadness, use- and helplessness are omnipresent, strong depression causes a lot of suffering for the person concerned but also for close relatives living with the depressed person.

Common symptoms are

On the emotional level…

  • Sadness
  • Joylessness
  • Fear
  • Increased irritability
  • Hopelessness
  • Reduced interest
  • Inner emptiness
  • Loneliness

On a psychophysical level…

  • Sleep disturbances
  • Loss of energy
  • Increased sensitivity to pain

On the cognitive level…

  • Negative thoughts and attitudes
  • Pessimism
  • Concentration and memory problems
  • Thoughts about death

On a motivational and behavioural level…

  • Listlessness
  • Social withdrawal
  • Slower speech and movements
  • Suicidal actions
  • Avoidance behaviour

What to do

If you are depressed

  • Pick one thing you like, one thing that makes you happy. It doesn’t have to be a big thing, just one thing you can do in your everyday life that raises your mood. It can be having a small discussion with a neighbour you are fond of, 10 minutes of running or 15 minutes of listening to music with a relative. Whatever it is, take this action and implement it into your everyday life. Set a time when you want to implement your action and remind yourself of this plan the night before going to bed and once again when you wake up. Right before doing it, pay attention to your mood. What is it you are feeling and thinking right then? Do the same right after taking this action. Do you notice a difference?
  • Do you sometimes have self-destructive thoughts such as “I am useless’, “Everything I’m doing is nonsense”, or “Nobody cares about me”? Pay attention to them. How frequent are they? What triggers them? As described in the section “What causes a mental illness?” those thoughts are well explained and understandable. However, they won’t help you, if anything they will just lead you further into depression. Thus, being aware of those thoughts is the first big step out of this cycle. Next step: Try to evaluate other possible thoughts. What else could you think in that specific situation? What less-destructive thought alternatives are there?

If your family member or friend is depressed

  • Try that simple question on a regular basis: “What made you happy today?” Make sure that you get an answer. It is important that the depressed person thinks about it and comes to an answer, as the purpose of this question is to trigger a long-term change in the way your family member or friend thinks. Just thinking more frequently about something that makes him or her happy might help directing his or her thoughts into a more positive direction.
  • Involve him or her into small actions, such as going for a small walk with you or others. The more your relative is active the less he or she will tend to fall back into the vicious circle of negative brooding. Tipp: Any type of physical exercise is especially effective as it releases substances in our brain that make us feel happy.

For more ideas on what you could do, see also the page  What can you generally do.

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