Talking Through Depression and Understanding the Symptoms: You are Not Alone
Helpful advice to cope with depression. Understanding what affects it has and looking at some famous people who’ve had it.
The world appears to be a much faster place. We seem to deal with more pressures financially, politically and domestically every day. Weakness in this world is pitied and becomes a hindrance in a competitive setting. Whilst physical effects such as sickness can generally be understood by others and considerations be made, it is often more complicated explaining troubles of the mind. How much easier it is to tell someone you have the flu, than to tell someone you are feeling depressed. It may not be obvious, even to the sufferer, but it will eventually have to faced.
Some symptoms to look out for can include:
- · Lack of energy
- · Seeing small tasks as daunting
- · Feelings of guilt and failure
- · Feeling anxious
- · Feeling sad, helpless and discouraged
- · Difficulty sleeping
If you believe you suffer from depression, you should treat it with as much importance as any other illness. It may not be something you find easy to talk about but it is crucial that you do so, with someone you trust. I spoke to several people who had suffered from depression. I asked one lady whether she thought it was something she could tell others “I do now, but when I was at my worst I couldn’t.” When asked about public awareness she said that “I think there is still rather a negative stigma for something that is actually quite common-I don’t think people understand enough about the causes.”
Telling people may sometimes be more difficult for men. As one guy said when asked if he was able to talk depression he said, “No generally, because I wouldn’t want to be any kind of attention seeker, or particularly want the attention.” A typical strong macho image would make talking about feelings difficult. Even when it is something physical men can be irritable and push themselves further than they should, to achieve what they believe they have to achieve. Depression isn’t something to be ashamed of though and takes a strength to deal with. It is a great accomplishment to face the problems in your life.
Even those who we may see as successful, through fame fortune and joyous persona’s can be affected.These include:
Image source Wikipedia
Jim Carey
Made famous through his lively acting and expressive facial expressions, Jim Carey doesn’t fit the apathetic or dull stereotype of depression. However although smiling on the outside he’s admitted in interview of times of despair and was once on Prozac. He stopped taking it after coming through the difficult period.
Image via Wikipedia
Harrison Ford
In contrast to his tough characters of Indiana Jones and Han Solo, Harrison Ford was bullied at a young age. He has said how he overcame his shyness and fears when he joined a drama class at college.
Image via Wikipedia
JK Rowling
Before her Harry Potter series, JK Rowling has told that she was suicidally depressed struggling as a single mother. She was determined to be there for her daughter and despite some negative experiences with Doctors managed to eventually get the help she needed.
A man who has an unbelievable dream which no one else will be able to do for years. With Neil Armstrong he was the first to land on the moon. However he has admitted to times of depression and has said he wants to be open about it to show others that no one is immune or above getting help.
It is easy to feel isolated when depressed making it hard to be around others. Attention can be especially worrying as feelings of being different are on your mind. This is quite common and can cause people to withdraw into themselves. This may be helpful occasionally as it is good to take time out. But too much of this can lead to frustration and even more difficulty relating to people. Most people have known someone who suffers from depression. The old attitude of ‘get over it’ and the idea that it is simply in your head, is passing.
Making people aware can reduce stress, as they will be more understanding rather than frustrated with you when you’re in different moods. If they don’t know, then they won’t understand some of your actions, such as having moments to yourself. It is good to talk to family and friends who can be very understanding.
It is important not to feel helpless. Telling others has helped many people, but you can also still help yourself, even when you are feeling at your worse. Another man I talked to said, “It is better facing up and taking the hits and highs than just being constantly neutral.” He had realised this after months of withdrawing from people and responsibilities. Avoiding situations may be easier for a time but eventually they have to be faced. Many people feel worse doing little or nothing, but it’s also hard to have motivation. This creates a trap, but a trap that can be broken.
One thing to do is visit your Doctor. A woman I spoke with said how medication worked best for her as it gave her thinking time. It can lift you up enough so that you can focus on the underlying issues. It’s also possible that the depression is caused by imbalance of chemicals called neurotransmitters in the brain. Medication can help adjust the balance but it’s important not to depend on them. Your Doctor can advise the best form of treatment and will see how you progress on anything they prescribe.
There is also the option of counseling, which can help you work through some of the more complicated issues. Whilst delving into the underlying causes. There are many well trained counselors who can help you gain better insight into your thoughts and behaviors. You can ask your doctor about this or look up local counseling centers. There may be a waiting list but it has proven useful to many people.
My Story
I struggled with depression for over ten years and for a large part of that couldn’t talk about it with anyone. It was when I realised how much it was affecting my life and future that I opened up to others and got counseling through my Church. This showed me that I was a valuable person and that I had become stuck in some bad ways of thinking. I still get down occasionally, but I am determined to press through, enjoy myself and to keep learning and growing. Three ideas I remember are
Work, Food, and Fun
Food
Image by author
Eat Healthily
Many nutritious meals are also delicious and a joy to eat and prepare. It has been shown that deficiencies in vitamins such as B1, B3, B5, B6, B12, C and mineral such as Calcium, Magnesium, Zinc, Iron, Manganese and Potassium, can cause symptoms of depression symptoms. Sharing a meal with friends is also a nice and relaxed, communal activity.
Fun
Image by author
Despite the feelings of apathy and low energy it is important to remain active and to do things you enjoy. Learning new activities is fun and gives you a feeling of accomplishment. Exercise also helps to keep the body healthy which reduces stress and illness. So simply find something you enjoy and do it regularly. I found it positive to more deeply explore my faith. Also trying things I never thought I could do such as snowboarding showed me that I wasn’t as limited as I thought I was.
Work
Not in the stressed competitive way we often view work. But continuing to be productive, part of a team and achieving goals can help feelings of self worth. It doesn’t have to be paid work, just helping others, working on a project or learning about something you enjoy, will make a day feel more satisfying.
Do not be disappointed if you don’t see immediate results. Stay positive, even if it is hard to and don’t dwell on negative thoughts or events that have happened. The path may be rocky but it can turn towards a happier future.
For my homepage with more of my work go to http://www.triond.com/users/Nathan+Grace
Liked it
S Air | Feb 5, 2009 | Reply
Good article. Thank you for raising awareness.
Nathan G | Feb 5, 2009 | Reply
Thanks it is my first piece on here appreciate comment.
R Gill | Feb 5, 2009 | Reply
Really informative article, which will help alot of people.
JK Kristie | Feb 6, 2009 | Reply
Very informative article. Great post!
Welcome to Triond!
Sonia Grove | Feb 10, 2009 | Reply
I really enjoyed reading this and it has a very different appraoch to talking to people about depression. Its very informative.Good work and i hope you continue yor superb work.
Amsky | Feb 14, 2009 | Reply
I’m about to write something about your topic. But you have written it all leaving me no more to explain.Nice one!
postpunkpixie | Feb 14, 2009 | Reply
Good article. I’m manic depressive myself, what you advise is pretty much what the shrink tells me to do.
grace85 | Feb 24, 2009 | Reply
Good work, more needs to be done to help people become more aware, been there i know what its like and would love to help other peope…. good job!!
Kimberly Moore | Mar 14, 2009 | Reply
Your excellence is most effective! Great Work on article!!:)
macon | Mar 21, 2009 | Reply
this is a very good article. very helpful for people with depression. good work!
Debra. | Apr 16, 2009 | Reply
Well written and very informative article. Well done.
Miss Heda | Apr 16, 2009 | Reply
good article i have had depression for many years now its a hard thing to deal with sometimes
brianberu | Apr 16, 2009 | Reply
Having walked down that road albeit many years ago I can much appreciate most of your article, on several occasions during this period I tried to take my own life, then I woke up one morning and thought to myself i’m at the bottom of this pit of despair, and I want out, and that was the start of my recovery,it was a long slow haul, but I made it, this was nearly 30 years ago, and being a young man I didn’t want to wear my heart on my sleeve, one thing I found a great help was writing everything down, good and bad, and started focussing on the good,very good article
HatedNation | Apr 16, 2009 | Reply
Good Information, you might help many poeple!
nutuba | Apr 16, 2009 | Reply
This is useful and valuable info!
Denise Kawaii | Apr 19, 2009 | Reply
This is a problem that many suffer from silently. Thank you for sharing, and for trying to bring more awareness to this very commen issue.
ashleycollier | Jun 2, 2009 | Reply
Great work, I can totaly relate to most of this article. i am having a lot of problems trying to carry on without letting everyone know what a hard time i am having i don’t even talk to my girlfriend about how i feel. I was diagnosed with depression about 9 months ago and went to councelling but it hasnt helped much to be honest, so i am thinking about going back to my doctor because my mood swing seem to be getting worse and nearly everyday i am suffering deep depression, i cant seem to concentraite at work very long and my relationship is struggling because i dont think she understsnds me. I just want to lock myself in a room away from everyone most days
Susan | Jun 2, 2009 | Reply
Keep it up!
Joe Dorish | Jun 2, 2009 | Reply
Good article Nathan!
Dood | Jun 2, 2009 | Reply
Nicely written article, very useful infomation that will help many people. Congrats. >.
chris73 | Jun 2, 2009 | Reply
Nicely written, thanks.
Taffy | Jun 2, 2009 | Reply
Good article, well written!
moteintheeye | Jun 2, 2009 | Reply
Great job. You do a good job of pointing out the vicious circle. Depression to withdrawal to isolation to depression. And round and round it goes. And how hard it is to get help.
motie
Thomas Hodge | Jun 3, 2009 | Reply
It is a very good piece. Very informative. I hope you keep on writing. You have a lot to share with the world.
Cashmere Lashkari | Jun 3, 2009 | Reply
This is very informative, I think my husband is suffering from depression as he exhibits many of the symptoms you outlined.
Andy Lin | Jun 4, 2009 | Reply
This is your first piece here? It’s amazing.
Jennifer R. | Jun 5, 2009 | Reply
Great way to open eye’s!
Lostash | Jun 13, 2009 | Reply
I have had friends that suffered from clinical depression, and it certainly was an eye-opener for me having not experienced it before. We spent a great deal of time just talking through their feelings, and that can really help. As you rightly say, trust is very important. Great article.
ARTHUR CROKER | Jun 17, 2009 | Reply
Well written ,however people who get depressed in the western world need to get real. No one in the western has real poverty or real problems other than in the mind.
As for pressures of todays living. Ask anyone who lived through the war what real pressure was. Ask people who lived before modern appliances made life in the home so easy that both partners can go to work.If one loses a job they get depressed.That makes me laugh.
What happened to the stiff upper lip instead of popping a pill go out and run or walk instead of sitting at home watching television . People are such time wasters these days that makes me depressed.
Nathan G | Jun 18, 2009 | Reply
Very negative there Arthur. You can’t compare one persons life to another. There can be all kinds of causes and not everyone handles things as well as others. People should seek help, not see their problems as insignificant.
krishnarain | Jun 19, 2009 | Reply
Definitely a great article
tastoony | Jun 25, 2009 | Reply
I agree people should have fun, especially during hard times like the financial crisis. Well Done!
BradONeill | Jun 25, 2009 | Reply
Arthur you are way out of line. Depression is an illness it is not the blues brought on by hard times. Depression can actually be worse during good times. Because the victim can not justify why they are feeling so bad. Your comments just throw fire on an issue you have no understanding of adding to the stigma of an already difficult to deal with disease.
Lesanndra | Jun 27, 2009 | Reply
very informative and useful article look forward to reading others just like it…
Nikita K | Jul 2, 2009 | Reply
Depression isn’t something I can associate with because I know no one with it but I must say it is an informative and intelligent article educating me to look out for the symptoms should any one suffer it.
Good work and I await the arrival of some other articles of yours, Nathan.
therussian876 | Jul 4, 2009 | Reply
very nice article!
TomC | Jul 10, 2009 | Reply
Great work Nath, keep the writing up.
AvaRose | Jul 12, 2009 | Reply
Good work. I have a history of bipolar disorder and I wish there had been an article like this when I first became depressed. It may have urged me to try to get help much sooner than I did.
Mikayla | Jul 23, 2009 | Reply
Nathan..like to see a different perspective on a terrible mental illness such as depression which used to be called “melancholia”. I had no idea Jim Carey, Harrison Ford and J K Rowling suffered from depression.
Every day, five Australian men commit suicide; in rural Australia alone, 20 people commit suicide each week..that’s more than 1000 deaths a year..more than our road toll in fact. It’s good that you have addressed the attitude of most men..rather than getting adequate help they tough it out instead..it’s like a typical ethos for men to be action orientated..being emotional is seen as a sign of weakness. In addition, mental health is seen as a moral problem. Good job Nathan. I have written an article called “Taming the Black Dog of Depression” that you might be interested in taking a look at Nathan..I’ll send you the link.
Danielle | Jul 24, 2009 | Reply
very good article, its nice knowing people care enough to write for other people and their illnesses. i liked this a lot.
TjRockin | Aug 6, 2009 | Reply
One of the greatest articles on depression I have ever read in my life.
daring104 | Aug 7, 2009 | Reply
Very detailed article. It was very helpful Keep posting!
malcom | Aug 10, 2009 | Reply
I feel cornered. I feel depressed alot of the tie, and if i tried to talk to my mom about it, she would say something like:
“Blah Blah Blah your to young to be depressed. Blah Blah Blah whole life ahead of you.” But i feel like everyone hates me.
Nathan G | Aug 10, 2009 | Reply
Thanks for sharing malcolm i’ll send a personal message.
Aldrin A Wilding West | Sep 22, 2009 | Reply
Excellent article. Well researched, informative and helpful, not only to sufferers but to those who know a sufferer. How coincidental for me too, that you chose Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong as examples. The A in Aldrin A Wilding-West is for Armstrong. Born two days after the moon landing, I had parents with a real sense of history. Back to the point though, I like your articles combination of talking, eating, working and possibly medicating your way through depression. I will be sharing this article where I can.
Kind regards
Aldrin
lillyrose | Sep 29, 2009 | Reply
That was a brilliantly put together article and being a sufferer of depression over the last 17 years I can relate with all the people said. People, even friends will say to me, “well you look so good, I wouldn’t say you had depression!” this doesn’t help me at all and now after the last 9 months on 75mg of antidepressants I just don’t bother going out anymore or being in contact with my friends and I like it better that way. Wearing a smile 24/7 is hard, it gets you down and my happy nerves have been damaged by Multiple sclerosis, so who knows if I will ever be rid of depression completely!
Sorry that just came out, I don’t normally talk about it but your article opened it all up.
r.sridhar | Nov 11, 2009 | Reply
it is really to read this article
R.SRIDHAR | Nov 11, 2009 | Reply
i was suffering from bipolar mania, lost my my insight. i was thinking whatever i do was correct, i didn’t able to accept any persons ideas and views, due to which now i lost huge money, my respect in the society, job….
currently i suffer from suicidal thoughts….don’t have interest in life. i have wife and a 12 yr old son. don’t really know how to come out of this deadly depression….let me have some suggestions…
i want to live atleast for my wife and son.
i amn’t getting sleep at all…..why God has given me such a big punishment to me??????????
Nathan G | Nov 11, 2009 | Reply
Have you looked at councelling R.SRIDHAR ? Keep going it’s not easy but there are things to look forward to in the future.
abhishek40914 | Dec 4, 2009 | Reply
great article it will help many people suffering from depression
tatikos | Mar 4, 2010 | Reply
wow… It’s your first article … ??
Great one…
Very nice one with much information.