What is Depression?
“Depression is a mood disorder that causes a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest. It affects how you feel, think and behave and can lead to a variety of emotional and physical problems”
Have you ever been depressed? Do you know someone who is? Maybe more importantly do you know someone that looks and acts in their usual way, but who is, in fact, hiding their depression? Do you understand depression?
“When you are depressed you don’t control your thoughts, they control you.”
How is Depression Caused?
Depression can be caused by changes in the brain’s chemistry and a lot of research has been done to try to identify other factors that contribute to the onset of depression. Some of the results show that the things that may trigger depression are:
- Genetics
- Changes in hormone levels
- Some medical conditions
- Stress
- Grief
- Difficult life circumstances
It’s not always easy to spot if someone is suffering with depression – I have known people who have managed to hide their depression for 20 or 30 years but have ended up being hospitalised as a suicide risk. They were the “lucky” ones as recent news about depression related suicide demonstrates. Mike Thalassitis, who starred in Love Island and Celebs Go Dating, took his own life at only 26. He’d been suffering with depression and, towards the end of his last year, his friends were really concerned but thought he’d turned a corner. Keith Flint of The Prodigy was only 49 and also took his own life and his friends had no idea he was struggling with depression.
Those Feelings of Hopelessness
These men are just two of the thousands that make that awful decision every year, often because they feel that they have nowhere to go and no one to turn to. They feel “hopeless and helpless” and can see no other way to escape from the way that they are feeling. MIND states that suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem. That is a very powerful statement and worth thinking about for a moment. In no way is it making light of anyone’s suffering but it is highlighting the fact that a temporary state can be the trigger for a very permanent act because depression can be so overwhelming.
How Can We Change This?
How can we change this? Firstly, it’s important for us to recognise that we or someone close to us is suffering from depression as soon as possible. We can all feel some or all of the following at times:
- Feeling sad
- Feeling low
- Lack of energy
- No longer enjoying things we once enjoyed
- Frustration
- Tiredness
- Low self-esteem
- Worrying a lot
- Feeling anxious or panicky
- Inability to focus
Is This The Start of Depression?
However, if the symptoms continue for more than a few weeks it is worth considering that this may be the start of a bout of depression and it is important to take action before it gets any worse. You would do this if you had a persistent cough or painful shoulder for a few weeks and depression is no different – it’s also an illness that needs attention. There are many types of help available – the important thing is to accept that you need help and that it is possible for that help to have a positive impact. All of this is very hard if you suffering from depression, particularly as you need to find the therapy and the therapist that works best for you. So, if you are close to someone that you believe is depressed, encourage and support them to find the help they need. Just as with an illness like cancer, early treatment can prevent death – don’t wait until that hopeless and helpless state where it seems that suicide is the only way out.
Mindfulness for Depression
Mindfulness is one option as it allows us to become more aware of the stream of thoughts and feelings that we experience and to see how we become entangled in that stream in ways that are not helpful. This is how Professor Mark Williams, former Director of the Oxford Centre of Mindfulness, describes it. He goes on to say that Mindfulness lets us stand back from our thoughts and start to see their patterns and then, gradually, we can train ourselves to notice when our thoughts are taking over and realise that thoughts are simply ‘mental events that should not have control over us. Even if we are not suffering from depression, many of us have issues that we find hard to let go of and Mindfulness can help us to deal with them more healthily. If you have experienced depression then there is a high risk that it may recur. Mindfulness can help you to prevent further episodes and is recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care (NICE) as a way to prevent depression, particularly in people who have had three or more bouts of it.
NICE guidelines on coping with depression talk in the first instance about managing it with medication This can alleviate the symptoms although there can also be significant side effects. In addition, medication does not deal with the trigger(s) that brought on the depression, though it can elevate mood sufficiently to enable the sufferer to access other help that can deal with those triggers. However, if medication works for you with no significant side effects then it’s fine to continue taking it for the rest of your life, under medical supervision of course.
Psychological Treatments for Depression
Psychological treatments can also help you to manage depression. NICE recommend 1-1 cognitive behavioural therapy (which can be done in hypnosis) if you are in the middle of a bout of depression. If your depression has improved but you’re anxious about it returning, NICE recommends learning Mindfulness and practicing it regularly. So, if you are between bouts of depression and want to significantly reduce the chance of it recurring, then Mindfulness could be the answer for you.
Mindfulness is not the answer to everything and is not the right approach for everyone, but you’re never going to know if it’s appropriate for you until you give it a go.
So what are you waiting for? Can I help you?