Depression
Twenty percent of all adults (1 in 5) will experience depression during their lifetime. Women are diagnosed with depression almost twice as much as are men. Fewer than 30% of the people suffering from depression will seek treatment, although over 80% of those who do seek help will experience significant improvement.
How Do You Know If a Person is Depressed?
If you or someone you know exhibits four or more of the following symptoms for more than two weeks, professional help should be considered.
- Sleeping too much or too little
- Frequent wakening in the middle of the night
- Eating too much or too little
- Inability to function at work or school
- Headaches, digestive disorders, nausea, pain with no medical basis
- Excessive crying
- Thoughts of death or suicide
- Lack of energy, constant fatigue
- Slowed thinking
- Difficulty in concentrating, remembering, making decisions
- Loss of interest in daily activities
- Loss of sex drive
- Persistent feelings of sadness, anxiety, hopelessness
- Restlessness, agitation, irritability
- Feelings of inappropriate guilt or worthlessness
How to Help Someone Who is Depressed
- Be supportive and patient; let the person know that you are concerned and you care
- Don’t blame the person or get angry
- Don’t be overly cheerful, try to “make the person smile”, or give false assurances
- Tell the person that depression is not a sign of weakness
- Encourage the person to seek professional help
How to Help Yourself
- Change your normal routine -- take a break and do something fun, even if you don’t feel like it
- Exercise; do something active
- Avoid stress
- Avoid making major changes or decisions until you feel better
- Seek professional help if symptoms persist
- Relax and enjoy (or tolerate) your feelings of sadness
- Talk your feelings out with someone you trust
- Have a good cry
- Analyze the situation; try to pinpoint the source of your depression
- Eat right; especially focus on increasing your intake of B vitamins
- Write -- or draw -- your feelings
- Check out the assumptions you are making which are leading to your depression
- Treat others with respect
- Avoid shopping or eating binges