Depression is a condition that frequently appears in psychological consultations; a global health problem that affects children, young people, adults and the elderly ; as well as men and women.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 350 million people in the world live with depression; thus being the leading cause of health and disability problems worldwide. In Mexico alone, 34.5 million people have become depressed, of which 14.48 million are men, and 20.37 million are women; being the fourth cause of disability in the country.
Let’s see What are the coping strategies for depression?
Depression is characterized by maintain a state of deep sadness for more than two weeks, often without knowing the reason ; unlike sadness as an emotion, which is transitory and generally caused by something that is perceived as negative for the person.
Added to this is an absence of pleasure and lack of motivation for any activity An alteration in appetite and weight is experienced, since sometimes there is a loss of these, while in some cases the person shows an excessive appetite.
In the same way, sleep is also affected as insomnia or excessive non-restorative sleep. The person presents fatigue or loss of energy, showing depression in their face and lack of care in their person; in addition to walking, moving and speaking slowly.
However, the characteristics of depression are not limited to physical alterations such as those just shown, since the person also experiences feelings of worthlessness and guilt for unimportant things, as if they were a hindrance to the people around them. around. Inevitably, limitations in mental capacity appear, that is, thinking becomes slow and attention and concentration decrease.
Finally, thoughts of hopelessness appear, showing an apathy towards life; so the person thinks of death as a remedy. In fact, according to the WHO, nearly 800,000 people commit suicide each year, which represents the second cause of death among young people between 15 and 29 years old.
Depression coping strategies
What to do when a friend or family member suffers from depression? Let’s see it.
1. Recognize your suffering
First, you need to listen to and acknowledge their suffering. Suddenly you usually try to cheer the person up using phrases like: “Cheer up! Don’t be sad”, “Don’t cry anymore”; causing guilt and frustration, since it is not something that depends on the person how they feel.
Instead, When their feelings are validated and empathy is shown, we become companions
2. Do not feed your sadness
It is not about reinforcing their suffering by promoting self-pity or incapacitating the person, but rather treating them as someone who is going through a difficult time. It also helps the family member stay busy. with walks, entertainment, small jobs, etc
3. Take seriously any suggestion or threat of suicide
A serious mistake is made when signs of this type are ignored, since the person may be giving a warning. The most advisable thing is to keep an eye on the person with depression not leaving her alone for long.
At this point, it is very common to resort only to medication. However, despite being useful, it only reduces the symptoms but does not solve the problem of depression. Therefore, it is common to find people under pharmacological treatment dealing with depression for a long time: months or more than a year.
Furthermore, the person on antidepressant medication does not begin to notice the effects of the medication until two or three weeks after starting treatment. So that The most advisable thing is to start a psychotherapeutic process to work on the required areas
Tips to prevent this mental alteration
These are some recommendations to apply on a daily basis.
1. Perform aerobic physical exercise
The chemical and hormonal balance produced by drugs can also be achieved or supplemented with sport and physical activity.
Fatigue is a source of health and good humor, since this type of exercise produces serotonin, which is a neurotransmitter that is related to sensations of pleasure and well-being; In addition, exercise promotes a state of mental peace, reduces daily stress levels and improves self-esteem.
These kinds of benefits make exercise the most effective antidepressant and, sadly, the least used.
2. Avoid isolation
A study (Nolen-Hoaksema and Morrow, 1991) carried out in the city of San Francisco (USA), showed that Isolation promotes depressive emotions and thoughts It is advisable to have a support network, such as friends or family.
3. Stay busy or busy
Whether outdoors or at home, look for an occupation; In this way, the activities will help keep your mind away from thoughts that accentuate depression.
If these tips are not enough, The help of a psychologist will always be the best option to get out of depression Appropriate psychotherapy can achieve the desired results.
Depression is a complex problem, so the recovery process is usually slow; so patience is required from both the affected person and those around them. Although depression usually requires psychological intervention, self-help strategies are beneficial as support for psychological treatment and even prevention.
