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Diagnosis of depression, Treatment of depression

Depression in the family

When a loved one is suffering from depression

Facing the challenging reality of battling a psychological issue can be quite daunting. Mental suffering penetrates through all domains of life: changes relationships at the workplace, at home, and most of all – changes a person’s relationship with themselves. Unfortunately, the change is usually for the worst. A creeping feeling of worthlessness, self-hate, constant negative dialogue in the head, the list goes on. As hard it is to be a person dealing with mental illness, it is just as challenging to live in the same household with one. There are a lot of changes that occur and the most reported family issues are: decreased social life activities, marital difficulties, anxiety, insomnia. Moreover, a study from 2010 discovered a direct correlation between family burden and patients’ adherence to treatments. Also, family psychoeducational interventions have been found to be effective tools in regards to improving patient’s compliance to treatment.

If someone in your family is suffering from depression, you most definitely have already felt the struggle. This text will try and help you navigate this complex matter and suggest strategies that could help improve your loved one’s situation, as well as your own.

Depression has a great impact on personality. Often people become more irritable, distant and overall avoiding. They may act hostile and quickly diminish any enthusiasm in family members to be helpful and caring. From a psychoanalytic perspective, a depressed person is described as someone who has “pulled back” their “cathexis” (Bezetzung;  the process of allocation of mental or emotional energy to a person, object, or idea) from the outside world into themselves. In real life, it could translate into distancing and seeming lack of interest or care in the outside world. Figuratively speaking, the person needs a lot of mental energy to cope with depression and normal interaction with family and friends is “over capacity”. Please note, this is not literal speech, it is not a conscious decision, but rather an emergency coping mechanism of the psyche to help gather all resources and direct them to the inside, rather than outside. People would feel awful for ignoring their spouse, for example, but have no mental capacity to communicate their troubles.

A family is a living system. One member suffers, the whole system suffers. People do feel the suffering of their loved ones as if they were their own. The closer people are, the harder it is sometimes to distinguish between one’s own feelings and those of the person standing in front. This is why, when situations and emotions at home escalate, it is important to be mentally prepared.

Seek professional help

In case you feel your spouse or family member shows signs of depression, do your best to encourage them to see a health professional. Whether it’s your family doctor, or a psychotherapist, they would provide you with a professional assessment of the current situation. Depression is a condition that can and should  be treated in a timely manner, just like any other physical or psychological condition. If this step has not yet been taken, you should make an appointment with a doctor as soon as possible to plan how to proceed.

Learn about depression

A quite very basic tip: of course it is enormously helpful to know as much as possible about the illness of depression, the effects and the therapy possibilities, etc. This not only creates understanding for the partner, but also will give you more knowledge, thus more realistic expectations on the process of coping, types of treatment and overall good practices to implement together. Please see below the main signs of depression:

  • Depressed mood by self-report or observation made by others
  • Loss of interest or pleasure
  • Fatigue/loss of energy
  • Worthlessness/excessive or inappropriate guilt
  • Recurrent thoughts of death, suicidal thoughts or actual suicide attempts
  • Diminished ability to think/concentrate or indecisiveness
  • Psychomotor agitation or retardation
  • Insomnia/hypersomnia
  • Significant appetite and/or weight loss
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Build a strong supportive environment

Home and family support will play a major role in recovery from depression. Every effort you put into the home environment will probably have a greater effect than you expect. It is true you can’t “fix” your partner, but you can most definitely help.

Depression is found to have direct correlations with food, sleep, level of activity. On the other hand, it diminishes motivation. Often depressed people find themselves immobile, apathetic and overeating. That is why a spouse or partner is a position to be of great help. Firstly, try to create a stress free atmosphere. Talk to your partner about their needs. Maybe introducing more routine into life: eat at the same time, take meds, go for walks, etc. at the same time, so that your partner feels more in control and not overwhelmed by day to day life. Encourage them to make plans for the near future: go to the movies next week, go out to dinner, so on. Depressed people would often avoid almost any social situations and interactions, or any activity whatsoever. It is good to be there to encourage at least a minimum amount of activity and planning the future.

If possible, prepare your food at home, encourage them to take part in cooking. It’s good for two reasons. First, the obvious one: eating healthy food is extremely important and a powerful factor in recovery. Second, the mere process of cooking needs a good amount of involvement. Also, planning, shopping, preparing the food every day, thus taking control and responsibility, also putting in effort in one’s health. Perhaps your partner will not be willing to help every day, but do encourage them to take part. We can’t mention food without mentioning movement. Be there to initiate walks, runs, hikes, yoga or whatever physical activity you like. In moderate depression episodes, exercise can be as powerful as antidepressants in regards to positive effects, while in severe depression it is a powerful accompanying treatment. What people eat is important, but sometimes what they drink becomes the problem. Watch out for change in alcohol consumption habits: if the usual glass of wine has suddenly turned into the usual bottle, make sure to take notice. Same applies for drug use, prescription medication, etc.

Take care of yourself

Being the support system itself, family members, children, spouses, friends will need mental strength and agility. It is not shameful to need time for oneself, it is not shameful to need a break or someone to talk to. Not only is it not shameful, it is necessary. A depressive episode may last for months and it is a great challenge for all. Having someone to talk to is very important. Maybe a friend, or a specialist, or a support group?

People often decrease their social interactions in accordance to their depressed spouse. If it’s possible, try and take part in life, as it is important for your own mental health. Your partner may be unable and unwilling to meet with people, uninterested in seeing movies or going dancing, and it is absolutely normal because they are depressed and all that activity is too much. You, on the other hand, have a responsibility to yourself as well. Take some “time off” being a caregiver and enjoy whatever activities you like, this is not betrayal. Think of it as emotional fuel recharging.

Reaching out to friends

It is research-confirmed that people who receive support from their family members have better recovery prospects. Another interesting fact is that support from friends can be an even stronger predictor of successful recovery. One way to think about it is that, in some sense, support from family is to be expected. While support from outside of the immediate family group may be perceived with even greater value. There are also instances of family conflict, bad communication and unhealthy atmosphere at home. In those cases, receiving support from outside that circle can be absolutely crucial for recovery. However, people are often unwilling to share their troubles with friends as they don’t want to be a burden. You could ask your partner about their relationship with their friends over the course of depression. Do they still communicate regularly or they have been avoiding contact. If they are in touch, has your partner shared any of their depression-related problems with friends? Encouraging your spouse to seek out a friend and maybe open up about their condition, or simply spend some time together can be a good idea.

What NOT to do

If the partner of a depressed patient has the mindset that depression is just being sad or lazy, they might do more harm than good. The type of tone to avoid would be: “Can’t you just cheer up?”, “It’s all in your head”, “Why are you so lazy?”, “You know some people have it much worse than you?”, etc. This brings us back to point two: learn about depression and be empathetic. Give your partner space to be depressed and go through their emotions. Ask them how they feel, rather than why; asking how you can be of help, rather than telling them what to do to fix it. Ask about their sleep, appetite, energy levels, try to notice things they might be unable to notice in themselves.

Being witness to a loved one suffering can be very challenging and overwhelming. It is difficult to keep the balance between being empathetic and wanting to help and feeling helpless at the same time. It is important to note that patience, peaceful environment and emotional stability will be your key partners in the battle with depression in your family. Try to learn more about depression and don’t hesitate to contact a professional.

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edupression, Psychoeducation, Treatment of depression

Self-help groups for depression

Self-help groups – an established support system

Self-help groups have been a popular type of assistance while coping with a wide range of problems. From alcohol and drug abuse to mental health issues or cultural support. There are, of course, self help or support groups for people suffering from depression. It is important to note that support groups are not the same as group therapy. To classify as therapy, a group gathering must meet a lot of criteria, there would be a professional (usually a psychotherapist) specifically trained to observe and interpret group interactions. General support groups, on the other hand, are less restricted in that sense. Attending such a group is not official therapy per se, but they have a therapeutic effect that shouldn’t be underestimated.

They are based on sharing personal experience in relation to the target of the group. The process is happening in a safe environment. They can be guided or not, but the evaluation and discussion of problems is led by the participants. Most often, this is a completely new experience to all participants. It involves a sufficient amount of discomfort and unease to share feelings of guilt, shame, worthlessness, sorrow, etc. Exactly because everybody takes part and gets to “feel uncomfortable” and then receive feedback, a great sense of empathy and comradery is created.

“Strangers” as ideal support

Some people would argue that it is better to simply share with a group of friends or family. In fact, being strangers to each other is more beneficial than it sounds. Potentially more uncomfortable, but more beneficial as well. The dynamic one would get while sharing with family can be very helpful but in a different way. Sometimes, conversations get stuck in the same closed circle where no new information or perspective comes to light. Other times, it is easier to discuss problems with people with the same experiences and not be afraid that someone is worried or overly-emotional. The type of feedback one would receive from people they are emotionally involved in is different than that from strangers. Some participants have bad family relationships and a self-help group would make them feel less alone with their condition.

People who suffer from mental health issues are sometimes ashamed and believe their situation is so bad, they are afraid to talk about it. Sharing that experience with someone going through the same thing, is an eye-opener because people get to see and hear a lot of stories and relate to most of them, feeling less of a “freak”. They can exchange ideas, gain experience in dealing with their illness, receive specialist information and help – and give it themselves. The self-esteem and self-confidence of the participants can be significantly increased. They increasingly get the feeling that they can deal better with the situation and are no longer overwhelmed by it. Feelings of helplessness are reduced.

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Inspiration from the group

Depression is most often associated with feelings of worthlessness, no self-confidence, weakness, etc. While in a self-help group, the participants get to be in two very therapeutic positions. On one hand, to be the one that shares and gets things off their chest and receives comfort. On the other, often unexpectedly for them, they can be an inspiration to someone else. Being thanked to, being encouraged by a stranger, feeling useful and appreciated: those are often powerful changes in personal narrative and eye-opening feedback that pushes self-acceptance and appreciation.  This experience has great powers and is difficult to find in a regular environment.

These positive changes increase in the course of time; the more frequently and regularly participants attend their group, the better the way they deal with the depression, the more cheerful and less isolated, the more self-confident, the more influential the participants feel. This is especially the case for long-term participants who show an increased resistance to stress and better composure. In fact, self-help groups can make a similarly important contribution to well-being as that of family or partners.

Despite all the positive support that a self-help group can offer, it is important to know that they are not an alternative to medical treatment. They are much more suitable as an effective tool for the mature patient to deal more successfully with his illness.

Volunteering

Perhaps the thought of a support group is too scary or there are no such groups in your area. There are different options where one can find a group to join and feel beneficial effects, even the protocol of a self-help group.

Joining a volunteering organization or volunteering at a place you find by yourself, can be a helpful and profound experience. In times of feeling weak and sad, giving your free time or skills to someone in distress can help raise self-perception and morale. Whether it is your local church, homeless shelter, soup kitchen or an animal shelter, it will provide some distraction from bad thoughts, will provoke action and empathy-driven interaction with people (or animals), who are also coping with hard times in their lives.

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edupression, Psychoeducation, Treatment of depression

The positive effect of exercise on depression

On some level, all of us are aware that exercise is good for our body.

However, more often it is not just our body that needs help, but our mind craves it too. Sport and exercise can boost our mood and improve our sleep, but it’s not solely that is it?

We are here to learn how sport and exercise can help us deal with mental disorders such as anxiety and depression, and if you want to know how exercise has come to be one of the most effective treatments – read the text below.

Exercise for depression and benefits of it

It is a common “misconception” to think that people exercise regularly to maintain their looks, however, that is not the case.

Mostly, people who exercise the most, and who do it regularly, do it because it helps them feel better. They tend to have more energy throughout the day, they sleep better, have better memory and have an ability to think more clearly and positively during the day.

The thing with exercise is, no matter what your age is or how fit you are, it has more than a positive influence on your overall health, not to mention the impact it can have on mental health issues such as anxiety or depression.
Let us read into “the effect”
The exercise “effect” refers to a pile of health benefits emerging from exercising regularly. For instance, regular physical activity can help in releasing the endorphins, or the so called “happiness hormones”, that improve your mood and protect you from heart diseases, lower your blood pressure or improve your sleep cycle.

How does this even happen?

Sport or any kind of exercise triggers the release of proteins that are also known as growth factors that, in turn, cause the nerve cells to make entirely new connections. This is crucial to make you feel better, simply put.

The fact is – research has shown that people who are depressed have a smaller hippocampus, a region that is responsible for mood regulation. By exercising and triggering endorphins, you are actually influencing the growth of the hippocampus, which, in turn – helps relieve the symptoms of depression.

Can exercise help depression?

We basically managed to answer this question with all that is said above, however, let’s dig into the process a little bit more.

If you happen to be a person who suffers from some form of depression, or anxiety, you do know how hard it is to come back to sports, if you were once involved, or start exercising.

It feels like the hardest thing imaginable. However, once you start doing it, it becomes your safety net and one of the most effective ways to clear your mind, center yourself, and improve your mood.

In fact, exercising can be so effective it can keep anxiety and depression from coming back once you start feeling better.

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What are the other ways it can help?

Apart from having a part in endorphin release, and therefore, helping you improve your sense of well being, there are other factors that help in easing the symptoms of depression:
1. First of all – sport and exercise take your mind off things you worry constantly about, which means it can break the cycle, and stop you from spiraling into a negative thought pattern.
2. You get to socialize more. Physical activity can give you the chance to socialize with others, even just by jogging around your neighbourhood.
3. It will allow you to cope in a healthy manner. The coping mechanisms of most people usually involve alcohol, drugs, or contemplation, all of which can lead to worsening of the symptoms.
4. It will boost your self confidence. Exercise goals, even the ones that may seem the most insignificant will help you boost your self confidence, by making you feel better about your body too.

How to get motivated?

By now you are aware that exercise has a significant role in easing the symptoms of depression, but, motivation is usually what you lack to start exercising regularly, not to mention long term. Here are some pieces of advice that can boost your motivation and help you get started.
● Simplicity is key. In order to get more active, you need to start slowly and simply. Simplicity in being active is crucial to help motivate you to continue being active, and boost your self confidence about exercising. Even simple chores around the household, shopping or gardening are enough to propel you into a more active state of being.
● Plan out your routine. Make sure to include one type of exercise each day, and stick to it. This is how you programme yourself into being more active, but don’t try and stick to the plan obsessively. Have a breather and be flexible.
● Understand your barriers. Analyzing what is setting you back will help you find alternative solutions, if you happen to need any. For example, if you are feeling self conscious, start by exercising at home. If financials are the problem, start with something that won’t cost you a dime, such as regular walking.
● Plan out activities that bring you joy. As you are probably aware, people who have depression often lose interest in their hobbies and other things they used to find enjoyable. By once again including all the activities that made you relaxed and satisfied, you are putting your mind in a good place.
● Don’t withdraw from others. Socializing is part of recovery, so try and make sure to be more active by including your friends, family or your significant other into your activities.

Do you need exercise for depression? Speak with your doctor first.

If you are considering exercising or getting into some sort of sport in order to treat your symptoms, make sure to speak to your doctor first.

They are able to provide you some much needed insight into what kind of exercise you can do and how intense it can be, by taking any medication or therapy you take into consideration.

No matter if you happen to be pretty active and still battling depression or anxiety, or have no way to stay motivated, make sure to contact us and talk to some of our specialists – we are here to help you ease the symptoms that interfere with the quality of your way of life.

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Treatment of depression

Self-help groups for depression

There are some positive effects of self-help groups that have been demonstrated in depression and other diseases. These make them a good support tool for people of all ages and backgrounds.

Self-help groups offer low-threshold access for those affected, i.e. no special requirements or tests are required in order to participate. Self-help groups are characterized primarily by the mutual exchange of experiences; talking to others about your own illness and how to deal with it is the focus. This is often a new experience for the participants and can take place in a protected setting. The groups can either be guided or unguided; they can therefore be carried out with or without specialist staff. If there is specialist staff, specialist information is often discussed, but the evaluation of the respective problems of the participants is mainly done by the participants themselves – hence the name “self-help”. This clearly distinguishes this group work from group therapy. However, there is no need to worry about confidentiality and professionalism; there are always moderators who make sure that the boundaries between the participants are respected and due to the involvement of each individual, the participants often experience an enormous empathy and help that is otherwise rather difficult to get.

Participants in self-help groups particularly value the fact that they are free from the feeling of being alone with their illness; they can get to know other affected people, exchange ideas, gain experience in dealing with their illness, receive specialist information and help – and give it themselves. The self-esteem and self-confidence of the participants can be significantly increased. They increasingly get the feeling that they can deal better with the situation and are no longer overwhelmed by it. Feelings of helplessness are reduced.

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These positive changes increase in the course of time; the more frequently and regularly participants attend their group, the better the way they deal with the disease, the more cheerful and less isolated, the more self-confident, the more influential the participants feel. This is especially the case for long-term participants who show an increased resistance to stress and better composure. In fact, self-help groups can make a similarly important contribution to well-being as that of family or partners.

Despite all the positive support that a self-help group can offer, it is important to know that they are not an alternative to medical treatment. They are much more suitable, as is psychoeducation, as an effective tool for the mature patient to deal more successfully with his illness.

If you don’t feel like talking about your personal business with others or you want to stay anonymous, but still exchange ideas, there is also the option of our edupression self-help program. We do not only offer you a forum to exchange your experience with others but also a huge, in-depth-journey into the science of depression and how to overcome it.

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edupression, Treatment of depression

Ways out of depression

The first step in finding your way out of depression is one of the most difficult for many sufferers: allowing and accepting a diagnosis of depression. The difficulty in accepting this disease has several understandable causes.

Often, the symptoms experienced are not associated with depression.
Physical pain, irritability and fatigue are phenomena that are not necessarily associated with a depressive episode.

Another reason why many patients try to differentiate themselves from this diagnosis for as long as possible, is their inexperience with the subject of “mental illness”. Each of us has often had colds, fallen victim to one or the other intestinal virus and has survived minor falls and accidents.

But perhaps you have never been mentally ill. Mental instability is associated with extremely unpleasant images that are threatening and frightening. That is why depression is still a social taboo today. It is surprising that one in four people suffer from this disease once in a lifetime. Those who accept the diagnosis, take it seriously and work together with depression specialists, will quickly realize that this disease has been well researched and can be treated successfully.

There is a lot of knowledge about effective drug and psychological therapies. This knowledge can calm you down and, above all, lead you on the right path – out of depression.

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If you are willing to take this first step, you will find a lot of support from science, the medical care system, various depression experts and also from edupression.com. Scientific studies have proven that these supportive factors can help you to overcome depression.

In addition to medication, this also includes certain forms of psychotherapy, activation programs and exercise. The more you know about depression, the sooner you will choose the right therapy, find the right depression specialist, experience a successful treatment response and return to your old self.

Immerse yourself in the exciting world of neurology – a world that needs to be brought back into balance in the event of depression. Learn to recognize symptoms of depression and how to deal with them properly.

We will introduce you to diagnostic criteria and the different severity levels of depression, as well as scientifically proven therapy options that you can implement immediately.

Get to know the different phases of treatment and which depression specialist is suitable for which therapy intensity. Strengthen your inner balance, calmness and concentration with a variety of therapeutically effective exercises.

Welcome to edupression.com – empowering you to beat depression.

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Psychoeducation, Treatment of depression

Depression and physical activity

People suffering from depression tend to be less interested in excessive exercise and physical activity. However, this is exactly what feeds the spiral of depression – in fact, physical activity of all kinds is ideal for counteracting depressive symptoms.

Exercise in the great outdoors and group or team sports have proven to be particularly effective.

Individual sport also has some advantages, but there is a lack of a social component and a sense of belonging, both of which have an additional positive effect on self-esteem.

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The advantages of exercise can also be effectively understood through neurobiological connections: sport, like some antidepressants, increases the serotonin level in the brain, which has a positive effect on mood.

It also causes the body to break down stress hormones. In addition, being physically active has a positive effect on most people – you overcome your inner “couch potato”, and this increases your feeling of self-confidence.

You learn that, despite depression, you are still able to manage activities successfully. If you would like to know which intensity, frequency and sports are best suited for the prevention and therapy of depression, try out our psychoeducation program.

Here you will find detailed information on these topics and you can find activities suited to your individual needs and interests.

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