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Many have heard the term depression bantered about flippantly, and it is easy to assume what the symptoms of the illness are. Unfortunately, depression can be elusive as well as varying in its course. In fact, depression affects 1 in 3 persons at some point in the lifetime. Moreover, The illness may appear with a unique set of symptoms depending upon the age and sometimes gender of the person who is afflicted. Describing the variety of symptoms as well as methods for treating the illness is the focus of this article.
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual-IV (DSM-IV) (the manual used by therapists and psychologists to diagnose issues and problems) reports that depression is a major illness that leaves the person with an overwhelming feeling of sadness or hopelessness. Persons affected with depression report that the symptoms affect everyone connected with person. For this reason, it is important for all to understand what depression is as well as how best to treat it.
Unfortunately, the criteria most often mentioned for the diagnosis of the illness does not fit every person. Many suffer needlessly due to not equating symptoms with those of the illness. Moreover, as the illness takes its course, the sufferer may end up being blamed for the very behaviors causing them pain.
Specifically, assessment scales used for diagnosing depression were designed in the 1920's and 1930's. Originally, it was believed that depression was an illness that afflicted women. In the early days of diagnosis, neuropsychiatrists more often labled women with the diagnosis 'hysteria.' 'Hysteria' meant that the woman was feeling down but not able to identify a specific trigger for her malaise. Teariness and withdrawal from friends and family were the most frequently reported symptoms for the women in this upperclass population. Others included a lack of appetite as well as a feeling of helplessness. At the time, theorists posed that the women were not adjusting well to the greater free time enjoyed by the invention of fancy new appliances that now made housecleaning a breeze!
Fortunately, times have changed. Unfortunately, some of the diagnostic tools have not. However, research has uncovered a wider range of symptoms that we now know can be equated with the illness.
Surprisingly, children can be and sometimes are depressed. When depressed, children show difficulty concentrating or focusing on school work as well as activities from which they used to derive pleasure. They demonstrate a marked irritability or crossness and may drop the group of friends with whom they formerly played. Moreover, they demonstrate problems completing simple tasks and show frustration in negative ways. For instance, physical aggression and verbal back talk are used to ventilate their sad feelings. This channeling of sadness into anger is seen more often in young boys who are not permitted culturally to cry in front of their peers. If the illness is severe for the child, he/she will sabotage the efforts of authority figures who attempt to help.
Similarly, men as well may suffer from the illness of depression. Flashes of rage are frequent in men who are depressed. Strong, labored silences are other signs that a man might be suffering internally. Men in their late thirties and forties report fearing time left to live as a major trigger for their depression. Frequently, they encourage family members to connect without them. Excessive, but uproductive, sleep as well as an increase in appetite are often other signs of depression seen in this population. Family members frequently report that when their loved one is depressed, he does not believe he is performing well at work. Thus, he may fear the loss of his job, especially late at night when he is trying to fall asleep. T.V. viewing as well as internet surfing may be two methods for escape. Excessive drinking can also point toward the possibility that depression is underlying the desire to not feel fully present.
In addition, a population most likely to be ignored when searching for the possibility of depression is the elderly. Waning health as well as feelings of isolation and loneliness are frequently triggers for their illness. Talking too much or too fast could be signs that the isolation is posing a problem for them. Relating only to the past is another guidepost that rather than participating in life they are using 'euphoric recalls' to escape from painful feelings. In addition, the elderly are just as vulnerable to the excessive use of sleep, drinking and T.V. viewing.
This is not to belittle or demean those who do express depression in common ways. Teariness, intense feelings of sadness and hopelessness, diminished interest in activities, weight loss, insomnia, psychomotor agitation or retardation, fatigue, feelings of worthlessness or inappropriate guilt, difficulty concentrating and recurrent thoughts of death are serious signs that something is wrong. Moreover, contrary to popular belief, those who are depressed have often tried many different avenues to alleviate their despair. This is not an illness of the lazy. Upon clinical assessment, many report having reached out to friends, attempted daily walking or swimming and joined community activities in order to jump start a spark of enjoyment. Unfortunately, their attempts proved fleeting and brief.
So, how does one treat depression? Firstly, a person who suspects that he/she may be depressed should be evaluated by a state or nationally licensed therapist or psychologist who has an expertise not only in depression but also in the age and gender population of the sufferer.
Therapists most often recommend the use of antidepressants to overcome the illness of depression. Many patients initially balk at the idea of having to rely on pills to improve mood. However, research shows that antidepressant therapy is a powerful tool for alleviating the painful symptoms of the illness. For those who are completely resistant to the idea of traditional medication, there are alternative herbal supplements; however, these are not FDA approved. The lack of FDA approval means that no one can be certain of how much of the supplement could be considered toxic or how much of the supplement can be recommended for each person. Antidepressants, on the other hand, tend to be thoroughly monitored for side effects as well as dosage recommendations. Patients who have benifitted from an antidepressant report that their down moods finally feel as though they have a floor while the happy ones have a ceiling.
Along with antidepressant therapy, professionals sometimes use Cognitive-Behavioral therapy to teach positive thinking. Depression encourages the magnification of what is wrong, the minimization of what is good, and the overstating of character flaws. To combat these slants in thinking, Cognitive-Behavioral therapy affords the depressed person the opportunity to examine the negative thinking. Instead, therapists using this technique will ask patients to test their slanted views and reframe positive alternatives in their stead. After all, how one thinks has everything to do with how one feels, and those who have tried this form of therapy will attest that although cumbersome and stilted initially, reframing became easier with practice. Moreover, the behavioral aspect of the intervention recommends imposed structures in the person's schedule. For instance, one might perform the tasks one likes the least at the start of the day in order to build accomplishment and strengthen stamina.
Finally, researchers have concluded that support groups also encourage the relief of symptoms. Attendants discover that the symptoms they have been experiencing are not unique nor are they a reflection of the sufferer's personality. This discovery ignites a desire to want to transcend the illness. Nurturing obtained from the group facilitates a focus on self-care. Those who connect with a support group find that the rflection from other members tells them that self-care is important. Tools for attention to appearance, emotions and behaviors such as diet and nutrition are the pathways toward recovery.
Those who have come out from the underside of depression sometimes report that they found deep, spiritual meaning from the illness. In essence, the illness forced them to reexamine priorities and place value on each day of their recovery. So, depression does not have to mean the end of all joy. Instead, it is a beginning toward a new way of living, one now cautiously and carefully chosen by the person.
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