It is true that most of us go through times in our lives where we seem to cry more than normal, we feel sad and it is difficult for us to get through everyday life, but when the situation we reach becomes an impediment to leading a normal life , at that time we talked about a depression disorder.
In this PsychologyFor article, we offer tools to distinguish and properly treat this alteration. Keep reading if you want us to help you with your question. “I think I have depression: what do I do?” or if you know someone who needs these tips.
If we feel sad, without the desire to do anything, if we cry for no apparent reason and if it is difficult for us to get out of bed, it is time to start considering whether we may suffer from depression. Although there are many free and easily available tests, it is more advisable to go to a psychologist so that he can diagnose us correctly.
Below is a list of signs1 to know if we have depression and whether or not we should go for a consultation:
Continued sadness
Pessimism
Feelings of failure or worthlessness
Feelings of guilt and punishment
Dissatisfaction with oneself and excessive self-criticism
Loss of pleasure or interest
Uncontrolled crying
Agitation and irritability
Changes in sleep and appetite patterns
Loss of sexual interest
Difficulties in decision making
Thoughts of suicide
Difficulty concentrating
Tiredness and fatigue
If you believe that this is an extremely dangerous situation and could threaten your own health, go to your nearest health center as soon as possible.
What can I do if I have depression?
To answer the question of “I think I have depression: what do I do?”, first of all, it must be diagnosed by a doctor. Once depression is diagnosed, we must find out what to do to treat it so that it subsides and we can lead a normal lifestyle. It is important to know that each person has their own path and that there are different treatments2 for depression according to the personality of each individual.
Mindfulness
Mindfulness therapy to deal with depression is on everyone’s lips. It has recently been shown that this treatment based on meditation and mindfulness In our emotions it is very effective in a multitude of disorders, both depressive and personality.
emotional management
Many times we are depressed and feel overwhelmed by emotions that we cannot control. One way to help treat depression is being master of your own emotions. By identifying how we feel, it is much easier to manage situations without our emotions overwhelming us.
A trick to learn to manage emotions is to find out the thought that generated them. We give the following examples:
“Why do I feel sad?Maybe it’s because I lost my job. What I can do?look for a new job and keep my mind busy with other tasks.
“Why do I feel depressed? my boyfriend left meWhat I can do? b“Look for distractions and start loving myself.”
It is important guide your thoughts towards solving the problem that makes us sad or depressed. If you want to know more about this treatment, you can consult our article: Learn to control your emotions.
Behavior therapy
This treatment focuses on develop enjoyable activities that generate a feeling of well-being to recover from depression. It also offers tools to face problems in a better way and train social skills; Social skills are a very important point in the person since thanks to them we can express our needs and expose our discontent in an assertive way and avoiding the discomfort of not saying what we feel.
Psychotropic drugs
An alternative to psychological therapies to get out of depression are drugs, we must keep in mind that Only someone qualified can prescribe them to us. such as a doctor or a specialized psychiatrist. These medications change our brain chemistry so that it generates more transmitters dedicated to making us feel good (serotonin and dopamine, although they mainly focus on serotonin). Among them, stand out the Prozac (fluoxetine) and Zoloft (sertraline).
Tips to get out of depression
Ask your loved ones for help: Talk to them openly about your feelings, don’t be afraid to express yourself, they can help you find solutions.
Contact a support group: Once we have gone to see a psychologist or psychiatrist, they can provide us with a support group of people who have suffered or suffer from depression. This advice can help some people share their path to improvement, but sometimes it is not appropriate, it depends on each person’s personality.
Sleep the necessary hours and at an appropriate time: Sleeping at an appropriate time and taking advantage of the hours of natural light helps our brain generate the chemicals necessary to make us feel good. Otherwise, our body suffers from imbalances that can worsen the depression disorder.
Avoid toxic relationships: Surrounding ourselves with a healthy environment helps us avoid problems and feel more comfortable with the people who are by our side; trusting them ensures support.
Own your own emotions: As we have mentioned before, managing and controlling our emotions prevents them from dominating us.
Avoid drugs at all costs: In addition to creating an environment of toxic people, drugs are substances that completely damage our mind, worsen all disorders and create an addiction from which it is very difficult to get rid of.
Remember that you can get out of all bad situations with a lot of willpower, social support and professional help; there is no reason to look for escape routes that avoid the problem or make it worse.
This article is merely informative, at PsychologyFor we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
If you want to read more articles similar to I think I have depression: what do I do? we recommend that you enter our Clinical Psychology category.
References
Items consulted in: Sanz, Jesús, Antonio Luis Perdigón, and Carmelo Vázquez. “Spanish adaptation of the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II): 2. Psychometric properties in the general population.” Clinic and health 14.3 (2003).
