It's a topic that has popped up time and again over the past week, in both conversations with friends who I was surprised to learn also battle depression and/or take anti-depressants and in the midst of over heard conversations between people I have never even met. In light of how many people this very real illness is affecting all across the world, I felt especially compelled to write about this topic in the aim of offering some kind of consolation to others out there; not just as a support and reassurance that you are not the only one out there, but also as a sufferer myself.
As I very briefly mentioned in my last post, I was diagnosed with clinical depression in the year 1999/2000, when I was just 13 years old, and such began a long and painful struggle to crawl my way out of that all too familiar "black hole." Besides the past year, I had actually been doing really well; I had found a way to manage my depression without the use of prescription drugs or therapy and was living what seemed to me, to be a fairly normal existence. I'd love to be able to say I could pin point exactly where things went wrong or even what caused it, but unfortunately, all I do know is that gradually over the past year I have felt as if I were sitting at the top of a very slippery slope down and there are still very real days when I fear I'll lose the battle with my mind.
So the aim of this post is to talk about what exactly depression is and in the forms in which it can affect people, how you can identify if you, a family member or friend may have depression, a look at natural remedies, medication and therapy and finally, how you can help or support yourself, a family member or friend who may be struggling with depression. Throughout this post, I have used Beyond Blue, the National Depression Initiative in Australia, as one of the main sources of reference; they are a fantastic resource and I would definitely recommend a visit to their web page at www.beyondblue.org.au
Depression & its many faces
Feeling blue is normal for most people at some time of another throughout their lives, but depression is not just a 'sad mood,' it is an illness which is believed to affect the chemical make-up in your brain and may in fact be passed down hereditary. It should not be confused with a 'bad' or 'sad' mood; depression typically affects people for periods of up to weeks at a time and in a lot of cases, can actually affect people for years, even their entire life. Specialists have spent years debating the evidence that depression sufferers are likely to actually be more prone to suffering multiple spells throughout their life, following even just one episode of depression at an earlier time. Typically, depression is seen mostly in five main types:
Major or Clinical Depression: This type will generally effect sufferers by inducing a constant state of low mood for a period of at least two weeks
Psychotic Depression: Typically, this type of depression gives sufferers a low mood, coupled with hallucinations, paranoia and/or delusional behaviour
Dysthymia: This type of depression appears similar to major/clinical depression but over a longer period of time, years in fact
Mixed Depression & Anxiety: This type is another nasty face, giving the sufferer both feelings of depression with additional anxiety
Bipolar or Manic Depressive Illness: Typically bipolar will affect people for their entire lives and is characterised by periods of extreme 'high' or 'mania,' followed by extreme depressive moods
Symptoms & Signs of Depression
Unfortunately, it can be difficult to diagnose depression as there do not appear to be physical characteristics of this illness, however there are certainly mood changes you can use when you try to identify whether you or a friend/family member is suffering from depression. I am in no way advocating self-diagnosis, this is just an example of typical symptoms and if you do believe you are a sufferer, please see a medical professional as soon as possible!
Typical symptoms can include, but are not necessarily limited to, a feeling of hopelessness or helplessness, where the sufferer may believe there is no chance they will be able to overcome their situation and feel better. They may also have drastic weight changes, usually an increase in weight in women however some will lose weight suddenly, and they may change their sleeping patterns to the point where they are either barely sleeping or over sleeping, while still feeling drained of all energy. You may start to see an unnatural self-loathing in sufferers which may extend into extreme anxiety and worry, anger issues and reckless behaviour, putting either themselves or others in danger and it is quite common for them to lose all interest in their favourite past times, hobbies or things they had previously found enjoyable. For more information regarding these signs, you and find an interactive questionnaire on the Beyond Blue web page at the following link: http://www.beyondblue.org.au/index.aspx?link_id=89.676
Natural Remedies, Medication & Therapy
There is a fantastic website, http://naturalcuresfordepression.com which deals directly with natural cures for depression from lifestyle changes to natural medicines. I want to speak about a few natural remedies which have been known to help people suffering with depression; lifestyle changes can certainly make a huge difference, such as exercise - believed to be one of the most effective - diet, stress and relationships, however I wont be touching on these topics today as I will be discussing lifestyle changes in depth in other blogs... please stay tuned! So, as far as natural remedies are concerned, four of the major players available on the market are: St. John's Wort, Omega 3 Fish Oil, Vitamin D and 5-HTP.
St. John's Wort
St. John's Wort is a plant extract which has been found to be very successful in the treatment of depression and is available without a prescription at many drug stores worldwide. It has been said to be just as successful in the treatment of depression as some medications and is believed to display far less side effects than some of its prescription counterparts. Typically, it is available in the form of tea, tablets and oils and according to the http://naturalcuresfordepression.com, you can expect to see results within 4-6 weeks. I haven't personally taken St. John's Wort, however I would encourage you to see your Doctor before you begin treatment; St. John's Wort has been said to lower the effectiveness of some other medications like birth control.
Omega 3 Fish Oil
I recently watched a documentary featuring Actor & Comedian Stephen Fry, called Stephen Fry: The Secret Life of the Manic Depressive. It is a great documentary in two parts and if you have the time or the interest, I would encourage you to give it a watch. You can find it online free at http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/. There is a part in the documentary where Stephen meets with a woman, a GP in fact, who suffers Manic Depressive Illness and she shares her story on how she self-manages her illness through the use of diet & Omega 3 Fish Oils. Omega 3 is a huge player in the vitamin world and has been said to help such conditions as heart disease, rheumatoid arthritis and is believed to be very helpful in the treatment of depression, either taken alone or in conjunction with anti-depressants. Omega 3 can be found naturally in some foods including oily fish like salmon and mackerel and in walnuts and flaxseed.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D seems to have taken the war against depression by storm in very recent years. It can be found naturally in some breeds of fish and most commonly, sunlight, and a recent study published by Mayo Clinic Proceedings, Vitamin D may be commonly lacking in people suffering from depression and has been linked with helping several other health conditions. In talking about Vitamin D with a few friends, I discovered many people are opting to buy ultra-violet lights as exposure to them is said to improve mood and over long periods of time, actually help diminish the effects of depression! Friends have assured me they seem to get great benefit from the lights by using them in the morning and either sitting under them or allowing the light to just sit on their skin for about 30 minutes each day. The lights can be purchased online and in some stores and are averagely selling for a few hundred dollars each.
5-HTP
5-HTP or 5-Hydroxytryptophan, is a plant extract which aids the brain in producing natural serotonin. According to the http://www.5htp.com/ website, 5-HTP can be used to treat multiple conditions including, but not limited to, depression, obesity, migraine headaches and sleep conditions. It is available in many health food stores without prescription and comes in a capsule form of which you take three per day. I tried taking 5-HTP regularly for about six months and found it was really effective in helping me cope with everyday stresses and gave me peaceful sleep with vibrant and wonderful dreams... however I can't say it cured my depression. I would certainly recommend adding this to your vitamin list however, but if you are purely looking at treating your depression, you may find it more useful if you take it in conjunction with additional help.
Prescription Medications
I'm not going to get into prescription medications a great deal; there are many options available on the market today and this blog would go on forever if I tried to talk about all of them. What I will say is that while I prefer to use natural remedies where possible, I have had success using prescription medication in the past. I am of the opinion that these medications are best taken as a short term aid that allows you enough clarity and energy to make additional changes in your life where you need to help cure your depression; for example, medication and therapy can be very effective used in partnership. Furthermore, while many anti-depressants in years gone by came with severe and nasty side effects, a significant portion of medical research has been allocated to this particular area and some of the anti-depressants available on the market today are far better for you and don't have the same stomach-churning side effects of some of their older friends. I also want to note here; it seems a large number of people are growing more and more against the idea of taking prescription medication to deal with depression; this should absolutely be your choice to make and if you want to, or already are, taking a prescription anti-depressant, there is no shame in it! As someone who suffers depression personally, I can say that any treatment or combination of treatment that offers you relief and keeps you from harming yourself or others is absolutely a good thing and power to you for having the strength and taking the control to deal with your depression the best way you can! If you're not taking prescription medication but believe this is an option for you, please see your family doctor for a consultation.
Therapy
Therapy... this is a soft spot for me because I genuinely believe, despite all other forms of treatment, this is what helped me to overcome my depression for the few years before my relapse. Personally, I have tried a few different forms of therapy and the one that I found most effective was an alternative Therapist. With an open mind and an eagerness to heal, I visited a therapist in Perth, Western Australia, who had me hitting padded blocks with baseball bats, stretching, crying, participating in meditation and even vision quests... I can't really explain it, but after only four intense & long sessions with her, the depression that had been haunting for almost 8 years already... was gone! And I went on and lived a normal life... until now. So perhaps I have more work to do, I certainly believe I am more susceptible to depression as a result of my history, however I now know that I can in fact live a normal life, without medication, without doctors, just me, as I am. Now I can't say that therapy will have the same effect on you or a loved one, however I would absolutely encourage you to give it a go; it can help you deal with issues you may not even realise you are storing away and are causing you additional pain. I believe clearing your life of negative energy can help to heal your depression, whether it be negative energy from a painful childhood, loss of a friend or loved one, a relationship breakdown... whatever the reason may be, in order to heal, you need to let go.
So lastly, I want to talk about what you can do to support yourself or a friend/family member who is battling depression. This is a tough one because I do believe it is very difficult for people who have never suffered depression, or who have since been cured of depression, to understand what it feels like to be that ill person in that moment. One thing I do know, is that without throwing a pity party, please support them as much as you can by listening and being understanding. While most of your advice may be very good advice, practical & reasonable, it is usually not as easy for someone with depression to see that or to act on it and many times, this is why people with depression feel so isolated and believe no one understands what they are going through. Having said that, for those of us who have depression, we must appreciate that our friends & family can't always be our go to point; it can exhaust them, cause them to feel down and worry about you excessively and go easy on them; it can be especially difficult to help a loved one suffering depression. So, I encourage you to allow yourself to speak with friends and family when you need to within reason, and when you need additional support and people to talk to, there are many amazing & very helpful support centres that you can phone 24-7. In addition, there are so many amazing support groups available online, through Facebook and one-on-one group sessions and I encourage you to connect with them; they are there to help and support you in what you need.
So in conclusion, to those of you that do suffer depression, you are not alone! You are not weak, or broken, or pathetic - you are an incredible person who is suffering from an illness... please do';t be so hard on yourself! You would never hate your children for having the flu so please don't hate yourself for being ill and never stop believing that help is available and you can be cured!
Picture sourced from http://shiratdevorah.blogspot.com. I do not own the rights to this image.
Week Three Challenge:
If you have depression, your challenge this week is to research the support in your area, contact them & say a special thank you to the family members & friends who have supported you!
If you are a friend or family member of someone with depression, please show your support by doing something special to show your friend or family member that you care x
"It's Challenge Time"photo sourced from: http://budgetofyourlife.com
