Contrary to popular belief, depression doesn't necessarily mean feeling melancholy or "sad". You don't have to cry a lot, be suicidal, or sleep 23 hours a day to be suffering from clinical depression, which comes in many forms. True depression can consist of any of the following symptoms, which may be constant or cyclical:
-Fatigue, oversleeping
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Amotivation or lack of interest in things that you once enjoyed
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Weight loss or gain
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Decreased libido
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Foggy, clouded thinking that is slow and takes considerable effort
-Slowed speech and
lethargy
-Increased anxiety, panic, or stress, leading to deepening depression
-Low self-esteem/body image problems
-Low mood, flat affect, or negative emotions (crying, sadness, anger, etc.) for no real reason
-Loss of appetite or, conversely, greatly increased appetite with overeating
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Substance abuse/"self-medication" to improve symptoms
-Suicidal thoughts or actions, though depression needn't be present for suicide to occur and vice versa.
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orsening job performance, grades, and other things that take energy and focus to do well
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Relationship and friendship problems
Few depressed people suffer from all of these, but most have 2 or more of these symptoms for a period of 6 months or longer.
Depression needs no external trigger, such as divorce or loss of a loved one, as it's a mental illness resulting from low levels of certain neurotransmitters. Many physical diseases can cause symptoms of depression as well, such as hypothyroidism, anemia, hormonal imbalance, yeast overgrowth, AIDS, and many others. Depressed persons have been found to have lower-than-normal levels of certain vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and other nutrients in their bodies, such as B-12, calcium, magnesium, and virtually any of the other 40+ nutrients vital for proper functioning of the mind/body. Does this mean that deficiencies of these nutritents are the cause of all cases of depression? No. But if you ARE deficient, as about 99% of people in today's society are, supplements could decrease your depression dramatically. Here's a list of natural/alternative substances that have been found to help depression in some people:
**Essential fatty acids (EFAs) like fish oil, flaxseed oil, or hemp oil. A deficiency of these essential nutrients causes symptoms known as "depression" in nearly ALL deficient people.
**Gingko Biloba, ginger root, or any other herb that increases circulation of blood to the brain can help with the brain fog that can accompany depression.
**Supplements like SAM-e, 5-HTP, L-Tryptophan, St. John's Wort and related substances serve as "natural" antidepressants, naturally increasing the production of certain neurotransmitters in the brain. (DO NOT TAKE WITH PRESCRIPTION ANTIDEPRESSANTS!)
**Cannabis is a safe, natural, and effective antidepressant for many people. To cut down on health risks, vaporise or cook in food/beverages instead of smoking. Hemp is one of the only substances in nature to contain all 9 essential amino acids (EFAs) which are vital to our health and well-being. It's a nutritional powerhouse, and the psychoactive compounds provide immediate treatment for many ailments, from AIDS wasting syndrome to anxiety to anorexia.
**Also remember that it's important to get plenty of sunlight, fresh air, exercise, and quality sleep to avoid depression. These things are the very foundation of a happy, fulfilling life and must not be neglected.
While clinical depression doesn't require an external trigger, our life circumstances certainly play a large role in our mental state. Take steps to break away from dysfunctional relationships, set aside plenty of time for relaxation and recreation, and find a job that makes you feel productive and fulfilled. I mean REALLY fulfilled, not just wealthy or admired by other people. The perfect job is one where you don't even realize you're working; it's something you'd do in your spare time for free even if you didn't have to have a "job". Friends should be supporting of whatever lifestyle or life changes you embark on and should lift you up when you're down, and the same goes for family and romantic partners.
Another common contributor to depression is negative self-talk. That is, when that little voice in your head tells you "you're stupid, incompetent, not manly enough, a bad son/brother/friend, etc." That voice should be saying things like, "It's okay. Nobody is perfect. I'm a good person because I have the inherent value that all human beings have and are given by our creator. I'll do better next time." Or something to that effect. We also construct imaginary audiences in our minds that discourage us from doing the things we want, judge us for our feelings and actions, and ridicule us. When you do something embarrassing like slip and fall down, your imaginary audience may laugh at you, make you feel clumsy and say degrading comments, leading you to believe you really ARE a clumsy soandso, etc. It's VITAL to separate our imaginary audience from our "real" audience by remembering that the real people in our lives do not think such terrible things about us and aren't half as judgmental as our imaginary audiences are. In fact, other people don't notice 90% of the"embarrassing" things we beat ourselves up for, as they're too preoccupied with their own lives and with avoiding similar embarrassment. We all have these internal dialogues, and being able to see it for what it is is very helpful. Negative self-talk comes from conditioning, and the longer it goes on, the more we believe it. The more we believe it, the more it hurts us and distorts our perception of reality. The next time you catch yourself thinking, "Boy, what a stupid idiot I am", stop whatever you're doing, take a deep breath, and remind yourself that it's only
your opinion and others don't think this about you. Replace negative self-talk with positive affirmations.
To summarize, depression is not just one disorder or disease, it's any one of a long list of symptoms that varies greatly from person to person and over time within the same individual. However,
all people with depression are at risk for lowered immune function, increased illness, and other health problems, as depression directly affects our body systems on an intimate level. Not to mention it can lead to career problems, relationship issues, and a general lower quality of life all around. It's important to search for the underlying CAUSE of your depression so you can know how to treat it. SSRIs like Prozac and other antidepressants only work for some people in some situations. If your depression is caused by a vitamin deficiency, for instance, these medications will do little to no good for your particular type of depression, and if you're suffering from undiagnosed bipolar disorder, they can even be dangerous. Conversely, if your depression is caused by a troubling external situation in your life, neither supplements nor medications will help; the solution is to learn healthy coping and communication skills to deal with problems more effectively. If your symptoms are caused by a health problem like low thyroid function, none of the above will provide relief--the solution is taking medication to treat your physical condition and complying with your dosing schedule.
So there are many potential treatments for depression, but you must know the cause in order to treat it effectively. Not all negative life cycles are a sign of clinical depression, as it's normal to experience ups and downs in the areas of emotions, career success, relationships, etc. Our culture, being so influenced by the pharmaceutical industry and their "magic bullets" for every condition under the sun, has made many people overly concerned about their health, thinking every emotion or negative sensation they experience is a sure sign of disease. On the other hand, depression is a very real physical disease, just like diabetes or heart disease, and should not be overlooked or downplayed. Depression may actually be more prevalent today than in the past due to the pressures of living in the 21st century: eating deplorable diets devoid of any nutritional value and being deprived of sleep/down time while running 100 mph at jobs that underpay and undervalue employees. Throw in a family history of depression, and you have a recipe for disaster.
My best advice would be to do some research on clinical depression as soon as possible. Learn about the different types (atypical, dysthymia, etc.), possible causes, symptoms and treatment options and just absorb as much info as you can. This may take days or even weeks, but be persistent in learning all you can.
The second step is to evaluate your life circumstances and external stressors: Is your boss too demanding or degrading? Are you under pressure to live up to a certain level of prestige in your profession? Are your friends supporting you and helping you grow, or are they dragging you down and making you feel worse? How's your love life? Is your home life one of peace and cooperation or one of chaos and disorder? Do you have someone you can pour your heart out to at any given time without fear of judgment and rejection? Writing down these questions and answers helps immensely in getting your thoughts organized and seeing where things are going wrong.
Third would be to list all the stressors in your life and try to find ways to deal with them so they don't crop up and kill you slowly. When do you feel the most stressed? The saddest? The most defeated? Learn relaxation techniques like deep breathing, meditation, and others to prevent anxiety from turning into deep depression.
From a biological perspective, look at your diet, level of physical activity, sex life, spiritual life, the time you spend relaxing, the number of hours you sleep, and other health-related subjects. Look for ways to get more sleep, exercise, nutrients, and recreation into your life even if it means putting other people second sometimes (which it will). Practice positive affirmation each morning by repeating a phrase like, "I am a caring, loving individual who is good at _____, _____, and ______. I will make this day the best it possibly can be." Work on your psychological self-talk and deal with issues from the past by confiding in someone who's mature and caring enough to listen. Unresolved emotions can wreak havoc on our current lives, even if we don't realize it.
Things NOT to do would be going to GNC without researching health supplements, loading up on everything the store clerk recommends for depression, spending tons of money and possibly making things worse by being ignorant to the effects of your supplements. Equally bad is going to your physician and telling him/her you're depressed...all they'll do is write a script for a medication they know little about for a condition they're not qualified to treat. If you need medication, get it from a
psychiatrist. Don't focus all your attention on your symptoms and overanalyze them, but don't just neglect your mental health by ignoring it and staying uninformed about your condition either. Find a balance of being knowledgable, concerned and proactive about your treatment without being a compulsive worrier, self-pitier, or hopeless zombie. Knowledge really is power when it comes to depression, so read up. Ask questions. Reach out for help and support. You'll be glad you did.
(Sorry so long. I'm just passionate about this topic and have extra energy left over from a Benzedrex run)
![:\](https://bluelight.org/xf/BL_Images/Orig_Emoji/wrygrin.gif "wry grin :\")
