It is a shame there is a stigma attached to depression as being a form of weakness. As long as there is such a resistance in broaching the subject and bringing it out into the open, a great number of people shall continue to suffer, far more than we may realize. There is usually little hesitation to go to a doctor for a physical ailment, yet observe any group gathering and often the topics of conversation are health issues. Yet rarely do you hear people answering the question "How are you feeling" with anything other than the usual "I'm fine".
There is a difference between being sad and being depressed.
According to Dr. Olivia I. Okereke, the academic director of the
Geriatric Psychiatry Program at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, There are two core features of depression."To be diagnosed a person has to have at least one. The first is depressed mood. People are questioned if they sometimes feel sad. The second is anhedonia, or the inability to feel pleasure. People are asked if they still enjoy the things they previously enjoyed."
We all go through periods of sadness due to life circumstances. The difference between a bout of the blues and clinical depression depends on how things play out in time. When something traumatizing or devastating happens, we go through the stages of shock, the denial, the anger, the sinking, and eventually we accept what is and can move on with our lives.
However, if a length of time passes and everyday normal activities become too much trouble and nothing in life seems to mean anything, it may be necessary to seek professional help. People suffering from depression are very aware that what is happening to them isn't normal and it may seem ridiculous that just getting dressed has become too much trouble.
Oftentimes, the response from friends and family to this kind of apathy is impatience, advice to "snap out of it", to "get with it", to "get motivated", and "stop being so lazy"; as if it were that simple. Depression is a very real disorder and until society realizes that and takes it seriously, it will continue to be what they call the "silent destroyer".
Below is a very enlightening video by speaker, Andrew Solomon, about his own experiences with this disease. He speaks on how he survived this period of his life and reflects on his observations through speaking to other people suffering from depression.
The opposite of depression is not happiness, but vitality
Andrew Solomon
The standard methods of treatment for depression include drug therapy, such as SSRI's, which are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, antidepressants and psychiatric therapy.
These may or may not be effective and usually involve side effects such as feeling like a zombie, mood swings, and even suicidal tendencies. Then should a patient try to wean himself off of the medication, there are serious withdrawal symptoms to consider, oftentimes causing a spiral downwards even more.
Home Remedies for Depression is an option that many believe has a far better success rate than conventional methods.
Taking a holistic approach involves a lot more than popping pills. It takes commitment and often lifestyle changes. Rather than the accepted view that depression is a biochemical imbalance in the brain caused by a lack of serotonin and a genetic flaw, the holistic viewpoint is that the biochemical imbalance is caused by toxic overload and nutritional deficiencies. It is these nutritional deficiences that result in a serotonin imbalance, which then affects mood.
A list of dietary supplements which have shown results are as follows:
L-Tyrosine use shows an improvement in mental alertness and memory retain ability.
L-Tryptophan is one of the strongest home remedies for depression there is. It is known as an "emotional stabilizer" in that it has a calming effect.
L-Phenylalanine is very stimulating to the nervous system and brain. It increases mental alertness and memory.
L-Glutamine is known as "brain fuel". It is an energy source for the brain and absorbs toxic ammonia and accumulated heavy metals.
Chromium and Vanadium help regulate blood sugar levels.
Magnesium may be the most important mineral as far as natural treatments are concerned. Magnesium deficiencies cause mood levels to plummet. There is a strong connection between a decrease of magnesium in our soil and the deficiency seen in the human population today.
Other important nutrients your body needs to help combat depression include:
Vitamin D, Folic acid, Vitamin B5, B6, B12, Vitamin C, Zinc, Iron, Lithium, Co Q10, and the full spectrum of trace minerals.
Herbal Home Remedies for Depression
St. Johnswort can be very effective for mild depression. St. Johnswort is able to prevent the absorption of serotonin by the nerve cells in the brain, which helps to stabilize mood fluctuations.
Licorice Root acts on cortisol, which is the stress hormone. Licorice root is able to hinder production of cortisol in the body which eases symptoms of depression and stabilize mood.
Siberian Ginseng is considered an adaptogen in that it has a stabilizing effect and calms people in stressful situations.
Chamomile acts as a sedative and very popular taken in soothing tea form.
Ding Xin Wan is a Chinese herb and very helpful for insomnia and loss of appetite.
Saffron studies have shown it to be as effective as Prozac in treating depression.
Black Cohosh is extremely beneficial in the treatment of depression that is associated with menopause.
Lavender is very popular as an essential oil in aromatherapy. It calms the mind and induces sleep.
Valerian has a very calming effect on the nerves and helps with sleeplessness.
Ginko is popular because it does not interact with drugs and supplements.
You will think better, sleep better, and feel better.
Taking the time for a relaxing bath is a luxury many people don't take advantage of. Allow yourself to rest. Your soul speaks to you in the quiet moments in between your thoughts. Utilize the benefits of plants through aromatherapy. Certain essences have an uplifting effect on the mind and emotions.
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Added 2019
Depression is like snow
Author: Anonymous
"Some days it’s only a couple of inches. It’s a pain in the
ass, but you still make it to work, the grocery store. Sure, maybe you skip the
gym or your friend’s birthday party, but it IS still snowing and who knows how
bad it might get tonight. Probably better to just head home. Your friend
notices, but probably just thinks you are flaky now, or kind of an asshole.
Some days it snows a foot. You spend an hour shoveling out
your driveway and are late to work. Your back and hands hurt from shoveling.
You leave early because it’s really coming down out there. Your boss notices.
Some days it snows four feet. You shovel all morning but
your street never gets plowed. You are not making it to work, or anywhere else
for that matter. You are so sore and tired you just get back in the bed. By the
time you wake up, all your shoveling has filled back in with snow. Looks like
your phone rang; people are wondering where you are. You don’t feel like
calling them back, too tired from all the shoveling. Plus they don’t get this
much snow at their house so they don’t understand why you’re still stuck at
home. They just think you’re lazy or weak, although they rarely come out and
say it.
Some weeks it’s a full-blown blizzard. When you open your
door, it’s to a wall of snow. The power flickers, then goes out. It’s too cold
to sit in the living room anymore, so you get back into bed with all your
clothes on. The stove and microwave won’t work so you eat a cold Pop Tart and
call that dinner. You haven’t taken a shower in three days, but how could you
at this point? You’re too cold to do anything except sleep.
Sometimes people get snowed in for the winter. The cold
seeps in. No communication in or out. The food runs out. What can you even do, tunnel
out of a forty foot snow bank with your hands? How far away is help? Can you
even get there in a blizzard? If you do, can they even help you at this point?
Maybe it’s death to stay here, but it’s death to go out there too.
The thing is, when it snows all the time, you get worn all
the way down. You get tired of being cold. You get tired of hurting all the
time from shoveling, but if you don’t shovel on the light days, it builds up to
something unmanageable on the heavy days. You resent the hell out of the snow,
but it doesn’t care, it’s just a blind chemistry, an act of nature. It carries
on regardless, unconcerned and unaware if it buries you or the whole world.
Also, the snow builds up in other areas, places you can’t
shovel, sometimes places you can’t even see. Maybe it’s on the roof. Maybe it’s
on the mountain behind the house. Sometimes, there’s an avalanche that blows
the house right off its foundation and takes you with it. A veritable Act of
God, nothing can be done. The neighbors say it’s a shame and they can’t
understand it; he was doing so well with his shoveling.
I don’t know how it went down for Anthony Bourdain or Kate
Spade. It seems like they got hit by the avalanche, but it could’ve been the
long, slow winter. Maybe they were keeping up with their shoveling. Maybe they
weren’t. Sometimes, shoveling isn’t enough anyway. It’s hard to tell from the
outside, but it’s important to understand what it’s like from the inside.
I firmly believe that understanding and compassion have to
be the base of effective action. It’s important to understand what depression
is, how it feels, what it’s like to live with it, so you can help people both
on an individual basis and a policy basis. I’m not putting heavy shit out here
to make your Friday morning suck. I know it feels gross to read it, and
realistically it can be unpleasant to be around it, that’s why people pull
away.
I don’t have a message for people with depression like “keep
shoveling”. It’s asinine. Of course you’re going to keep shoveling the best you
can, until you physically can’t, because who wants to freeze to death inside
their own house? We know what the stakes are. My message is to everyone
else. Grab a fucking shovel and help your neighbor. Slap a mini snow plow
on the front of your truck and plow your neighborhood. Petition the city
council to buy more salt trucks, so to speak.
Depression is blind chemistry and physics, like snow. And
like the weather, it is a mindless process, powerful and unpredictable with
great potential for harm. But like climate change, that doesn’t mean we are
helpless. If we want to stop losing so many people to this disease, it will
require action at every level."
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