Life has its ups and downs and it’s inevitable for us to have good days and not so good days, but depression is a word that is used all too often these days. If somebody is feeling unhappy you will often hear them say that they are depressed. However, real depression is far more than just a day or two of feeling down.
It is quite normal for us to feel low for a while following an event like an argument with somebody that we care about, a job loss or even a bereavement – but we usually deal with these things, soon start to feel better and move on. Depression is different as feelings in depression are more persistent and ongoing. Depression is a medical disorder whereby the sufferer experiences abnormal levels of sadness and other symptoms.
Here is a list of common symptoms linked to depression:
- Feeling sad or having a depressed pessimistic mood
- Irritability and mood swings (including crying)
- A feeling of worthlessness and/or hopelessness
- Loss of interest or pleasure in activities that were once enjoyed (including sex)
- Changes in appetite, noticeable weight loss or gain (unrelated to any dieting)
- Trouble sleeping or sleeping far too much
- Feelings of less energy or increased fatigue
- A noticeable change in speed of movement and/or speech
- Reduced concentration and ability to make decisions
Over a period of time, the depressive feelings can start to interfere with the person’s day to day life; including study, work and relationships. Depression changes how we think and feel, and this goes onto affect the way that we behave, and so on. From the outside, other people might say that the person just needs to ‘wake up’ or ‘get a grip on life’ – but for the sufferer that feels much easier said than done.
In more severe cases, a condition of Psychosis can develop and there is also a tendency to think about self-harm or even suicide. Furthermore, depression can deliver secondary issues to health due to escalating the symptoms of existing conditions such as arthritis, asthma, cancer, cardiovascular problems, diabetes, and obesity.
Statistically most people are diagnosed with depression at a younger age, averaging around 20 years old, and women seem to experience depression more than men. However, I personally think that depression is experienced by far more older people and men than is documented; it is just that they tend not to recognise their situation as a depressive disorder or are less inclined to report it due to social stigma.
What causes depression?
Certain events or circumstances that cause inevitable sadness can lead onto a full depression if the person is not able to recover and move on. Some common examples of these are:
- Bereavement
- Financial issues
- Isolation & Loneliness
- Moving on (Life stage)
- Relationship issues
- Unemployment
Other causes of depression can be as follows:
- Brain chemicals – certain imbalances in brain chemicals can cause depressive states
- Environmental – people who experience environments of abuse, neglect, poverty, violence are more vulnerable to suffer from depression
- Genetics – it has been found that depression can sometimes be hereditary
- Medical – people that suffer from chronic medical conditions seem more vulnerable to experience depression. Thyroid, natural light and vitamin deficiency may also cause depression
- Personality – people with personality traits of pessimism, low self-esteem and low resistance to stress have been found to be more likely to suffer from depression
- Substance abuse – people with a history of drug and/or alcohol abuse are much more likely to develop depression disorder (and vice-versa)
It is important to note that a very high percentage of people that suffer from the following also suffer from depression: (You may find the related articles of interest)
Abuse – Anxiety disorders – Eating disorders – Obsessive disorders – Chronic pain – Stress related disorders
How is depression treated?
Traditional treatment for depression has been via pharmaceutical medication in the form of anti-depressant tablets and other psychotropic medicines. This method is an attempt to control the brain chemistry but it can take several weeks or even months to see an improvement. It is ‘trial and error’ as different drugs affect different neuro-transmitters in the brain. Therefore, if no improvement is made then another medication is tried until a positive result is seen.
Needless to say that this approach is lengthy and aside from other side-effects, it is very common for patients to become psychologically dependent upon their medication. I personally question this approach in terms of its actual success. I do see that the medication can often help manage some symptoms enabling the person to function a bit better than in their initial worst days of depression, but I rarely see a full recovery. I see that most people on this treatment ‘own’ their depression and the medication is something that they have to take for their depression. Therefore, they always ‘have’ the depression and it has become part of them or their lives.
Fortunately, many doctors are now offering additional assistance in the form of brief psychotherapy. This can be very helpful for mild cases but I feel that for more complex cases there is not enough time or resources given to these courses and sometimes they are too generalised as opposed to being independently focused into the patient.
Help is Here
In my coaching, to help my clients with most of the problems that arise, I use the ‘cause and effect’ philosophy. Depression is no different – if there is no medical reason for the depressive state then I believe that if the underlying psychological and emotional causes are explored and worked upon, then the symptoms should be able to be relieved. Coaching is then able to take this further by helping the recovering person to see and design a more compelling future and work towards achieving it too.
My coaching toolbox has a range of different applications that allows me to offer a blended approach of tackling the depression from a range of perspectives. This helps to induce more rapid and extensive changes than those experienced from the conventional methods of treatment as described above.
If you or somebody that you care about are suffering from depression and would like to discuss how I can help with this, then please connect with me.