Depression Is Real. How Can You Fight the Battle?

There isn’t just one singular cause of depression. There are in fact many. Depression is a result of psychological, environmental and biological factors. 

Some risk factors are:

• Family history of depression
• Major life changes situations or trauma
• New physical impairments
• Deficient coping skills: low self-esteem, easily stressed, pessimistic, noncompassionate 
• High levels of stress
• History of abuse, poverty, and neglect 

Dysthymia

Dysthymia is a persistent depressive disorder. It combines major depression symptoms with less severe ones. They are permanently present and severely impact habits and personal life.

Psychotic Depression

Usually the result of a combination of psychotic and depression symptoms. People suffering from psychotic depression may experience delusions, hallucinations, and psychotic beliefs, which are mixed with depressing thoughts. 

Postpartum Depression

Women feel severe depressive and anxiety symptoms during pregnancy and/or right after giving birth. Sadness, exhaustion, and anxiety usually get in the way of the mother-baby connection. 

Bipolar disorder 

Mixed symptoms characterise this disorder. People suffering from bipolar often experience extreme opposites – a combination of mania: episodes of euphoric moods with major depression symptoms

Seasonal Affective Disorder

Winter can be hard for some people. This disorder appears during cold months when there’s less sunlight. People suffering from Seasonal Affective Disorder experience feelings of sadness and continuous depression. These feelings and behaviours tend to disappear when springs come and return every winter.

Depression can be treated. Reaching out for help can be life-changing. A trained psychologist will work with you to develop the right toolkits and strategies to combat depression. 

What else is needed?

• Love and Empathy: This is key for recovery from depression. Strong bonds with family and friends are helpful. But loving and supporting yourself is even more important. Be kind to yourself and acknowledge that what you’re going through is common and often out of your control. It can be treated.  
• Mindfulness: According to numerous studies, the practice of mindfulness has been shown to prevent depression recurrence and maintain a greater level of happiness over time. Mindfulness has also been shown to help with self-compassion and to improve coping skills. 

Practice Gratitude

Gratitude is an amazing tool to focus on the good things that are happening in your life. It’s a powerful tool in helping you take in all aspects of your life – good and bad. 

Every night before bed, think and write on a paper three things that you feel gratitude about that happened during the day. It could be a coffee with a friend, feeling healthy, feeling better, or having love in your life.

Moderate Alcohol Consumption

Depression and alcohol are usually – and unfortunately – very close friends.

Alcohol has been shown to alter brain chemistry in a way that is conducive to depression. Sometimes alcohol is used as a coping mechanism for unhappy thoughts and worries because of the short term feelings it can sometimes provide. In the medium to long term, depending on alcohol could actually be one of the worst things you can do to manage your depression.

Rest

Do you know that the vast majority of people with depression have sleep disturbances? A lack of sleep has been shown to directly impact mood. 

To practice effective sleep hygiene:

• Avoid screens at least an hour before sleep time
• Practice a consistent bedtime every night
• Use your bedroom only for rest or intimate purposes. This will prevent your brain from associating your rest place with work or stress