Depression is an insidious and dangerous disease that affects more and more people. If left untreated and disregarded by the environment, it may even end in death – a person affected by depression may one day take his own life. Therefore, depression cannot be underestimated. If someone close to you suffers from it, even if they can’t communicate it clearly, they need your help. Depression steals the will to live and destroys you from within. That is why the support of loved ones is crucial here.
DEPRESSION – A DISEASES OF THE 21ST CENTURY
Depression is a disease of civilization. In the 21st century, many people suffer from it, and you have to be aware that these – already alarming statistics – may be underestimated, because not every person with depression is diagnosed or even aware of the fact that it is ill. How to recognize depression?
It’s a difficult task, but if you suspect someone close to you is suffering from it, watch them to offer help. A symptom of depression, for example, is a chronically depressed mood that lasts for several weeks. A depressed person may also slowly but steadily lose interest in social gatherings or activities that have recently consumed them. Hobbies, physical activity, common passions – all this goes into oblivion. A depressed person can also be chronically tired, to the point that even the simplest activity overwhelms and tires them.
He may also have problems with memory and concentration, as well as with sleep. She may be constantly drowsy or, on the contrary, suffer from insomnia, restless sleep and nightmares. He may also suffer from headaches or abdominal pain. There is also a chance that there will be problems with appetite – either a complete lack of appetite and refusing to eat, or eating excessively and gaining weight quickly.
In extreme cases, depression can lead to thoughts and even suicide attempts, so it cannot be underestimated. Depression is also a disease that can affect anyone, regardless of age, gender or social status.
Tms Therapy is a non-invasive method to treat depression. Read here how much does TMS Therapy cost.
HOW TO HELP A PERSON WITH DEPRESSION?
A depressed person may not ask for your help – they may not even know what’s going on with them, be devoid of energy or reluctant to socialize. But he needs this help. She needs support and conviction that whatever is happening to her, there is someone who supports her and is by his side. Just the thought that there is someone else, just feeling someone’s support can do a lot.
The most important thing is to convince the sick person to go to a doctor and a psychotherapist. In the treatment of depression therapy Manhasset, psychotherapy plays a really huge role – it helps to understand the essence of the problem and work through it. It is supported by pharmacotherapy – this type of treatment can help fight the symptoms and make it easier for the sick person to function on a daily basis. Sometimes depression is so advanced that without appropriate pharmacological treatment, the patient is unable to attend psychotherapy.
It is important to strengthen the person who is fighting depression in the belief that they are important, valuable and mean a lot to others. She needs to receive support and believe that there are people around her whom she can trust, on whom she can rely and who truly believe in her.
It is also worth persuading a depressed person to simple activities so that they do not plunge into apathy and a sense of hopelessness. However, you can’t force it – if a walk is too much for someone, maybe you can at least convince them to go out to the garden or on the bench in front of the house. Everything should be done in small steps. Without the atmosphere of coercion, screaming and stress – it will certainly not help the sick person.
Don’t be afraid to ask others for help – you can talk to a psychiatrist or psychologist. Psychoeducation also plays a huge role. Thanks to it, you will better understand depression and how a person affected by it functions. You will also learn how to help and understand where certain behaviors of a sick person come from.
Resources: CirqueLodge
HOW NOT TO HELP A DEPRESSED PERSON?
Depression is still misunderstood by many people. Hence the attempts to “help”, which are not help and can only harm, even very seriously. Depressed people not only have to struggle with their illness, but also often have to come into contact with people who not only do not understand themselves, what they do not even know what depression is.
A very bad way to support is to say that if the sick person wanted to, they could stop being depressed. It is a disease that does not depend on will or lack thereof. You might as well ask a person with a broken arm to try not to have a broken arm. This is a rather absurd example that perfectly illustrates how depressed people feel when they hear such advice.
Telling a sick person that they are lazy, demanding and have only whims, because they are too good in life will not help them here either, just like saying that others have it worse. This awareness will only overwhelm the sick person even more, who will become convinced that he is ungrateful, inferior to others and completely unnecessary.
You can’t criticize, shout and force yourself to “get it together”, force you to work with shouting and say that it’s all inventions made of laziness, and hard work can cure everything, because “people used to work for sixteen hours and no one was depressed” – here the error lies at the very basis of such reasoning. Because once such people also had depression, simply no one diagnosed it, because there was a lack of knowledge and understanding.
You also cannot try to make people happy by force and force them to meet people or other activities that the sick person may not want to do. You can suggest and encourage, but you can’t force certain behaviors.
Also, do not underestimate the sick person – especially when he starts saying that no one cares, it would be better without him and he will probably hurt himself. This may be the last attempt to get help, which is why ridicule, dismissing and rolling eyes, accusations of drama can have truly tragic consequences.
Remember – depression is not a fad, it is not a fantasy or a fad. It is a very serious disease and the sick person does not decide that he will get it. Just like a person with the stomach flu didn’t choose to have the stomach flu.
