Are you somebody who is dealing with stress or depression? Does it effect your day to day life? Here is some helpful information you may be interested in.
What is Depression?
The majority of people have ups and downs. Sometimes you can feel a little low. This may be for many reasons, for example: you failed an exam or experienced a number of set backs. Sometimes you can feel very low: overcoming the loss of someone, or experiencing a relationship disintegrating.
A Long lasting Low Mood
People may state that they feel depressed, this however does not mean they are suffering from depression. Depression is a long lasting low mood that will affect your day to day life. It will stop you feeling any pleasure and you will not be interested in any activities such as socialising and/or attending an event or even eating.
Depression Affects Many People
Depression is noticed and experienced worldwide. It is a common illness that affects around 1 in 10 of us. It is possible for anyone to suffer with depression however, not everyone will. There are treatments available for depression, and we will talk about those later on.
Depression is not something that you can ‘snap-out of,’ it is also not a sign of weakness. It is also something that does not last forever. It is experiencing feelings of severe despondency and dejection.
Symptom of depression include: 
- A depressed mood during the majority of the day, especially mornings
- Fatigue or loss of energy almost everyday
- Feelings of worthlessness and guilt most days
- Impaired concentration, indecisiveness
- Insomnia or hypersomnia (excessive sleeping) most days
- Recurring thoughts of death or suicide (not just fearing death)
- A sense of restlessness or agitation
- Significant weight loss or gain.
- Persistent aches or pains, headaches, cramps, or digestive problems that do not ease even with treatment
- Inability to get out of bed
- Fear or dread
- Inability to eat or stay on top of personal hygiene
- Feeling extremely stuck and paralysed.
People who suffer with depression don’t all experience the same symptoms; each case of depression is different from how severe the depression or symptoms are to how long they last or vary. It all depends on the individual and their particular illness. The symptoms can also occur in patterns.
Depression can also affect children. It is different from the usual ‘blues’ and everyday emotions a child will feel as they develop. If your child feels sad, this does not mean they have significant depression, it is when the sadness becomes persistent day after day. If your child has disruptive behaviour that interferes with normal social activities, interests, schoolwork, or family life, it may indicate that they have a depressive illness.
Who Does It Effect?
Depression can effect anyone – any age, any gender, any ethnicity at any time. It does not only affect the person suffering with the mental illness, it also effects family, friends and others who care about the person suffering. They feel they want to help and it may also upset them that they have to bear witness to such low states. It is said that women are twice as more likely to be affected by depression compared to men. Children, young people and the elderly can also be diagnosed with depression. It is also said that people aged in their mid-thirties are at the average age where depression develops. It then increases as the person gets older.
Statistics
- The NHS estimates that 4% of children aged between 5-16 years old have depression.
- Between 2003-2013 it was recorded that 18,220 people with a mental health problem took their own life in the UK alone. – ‘Mental Health Foundation’
- Major depression is thought to be the second leading cause of disability worldwide and a major contributor to ischemic heart disease. – ‘Mental Health Foundation’
- Around one in ten people are diagnosed with depression in their lifetime – ‘Rethink Mental Illness’
- Around six million people are affected by late life depression, only 10% however receive treatment.
- Up to 80% of those treated for depression show an improvement in their symptoms generally within four to six weeks of beginning medication, psychotherapy, attending support groups or a combination of these treatments. (National Institute of Health 1998)
- Untreated depression is the number one risk for suicide among youth. Suicide is the third leading cause of death in 15 to 24 year olds and the fourth leading cause of death in 10 to 14 year olds. Young males age 15 to 24 are at highest risk for suicide, with a ratio of males to females at 7:1. (American Association of Suicidology, 1996)
Depression often occurs with other illness’ & medical conditions.
- Cancer: 25% of cancer patients experience depression. (National Institute of Mental Health, 2002)
- Strokes: 10-27% of post-stroke patients experience depression. (National Institute of Mental Health, 2002)
- Heart attacks: 1 in 3 heart attack survivors experience depression. (National Institute of Mental Health, 2002)
- HIV: 1 in 3 HIV patients may experience depression. (National Institute of Mental Health, 2002)
- Parkinson’s Disease: 50% of Parkinson’s disease patients may experience depression. (National Institute of Mental Health, 2002)
- Eating disorders: 50-75% of eating disorder patients (anorexia and bulimia) experience depression. (National Institute of Mental Health, 1999)
- Substance use: 27% of individuals with substance abuse disorders (both alcohol and other substances) experience depression. (National Institute of Mental Health, 1999)
- Diabetes: 8.5-27% of persons with diabetes experience depression. (Rosen and Amador, 1996)
Examples of People with Depression
“Yes, she is smiling but don’t let that fool you, look into her eyes, she’s breaking inside”
– Anonymous.
“There are wounds that never show on the body that are deeper and more hurtful than anything that bleeds.”
― Laurell K. Hamilton, Mistral’s Kiss
“That’s the thing about depression: a human being can survive almost anything, as long as she sees the end in sight. But depression is so insidious, and it compounds daily, that it’s impossible to ever see the end.”
― Elizabeth Wurtzel, Prozac Nation
How Can Depression be Treated?
The AoC can help you if you are suffering from depression. We provide our clients with affordable, high-quality, evidence based expertise in the form of either personal, one-to-one, couple, family or group therapy and counselling.
We offer a range of counselling and therapy styles to suit you – from the traditional talking therapies including integrative counselling, and psychotherapy to CBT to creative arts therapies – including art therapy, dramatherapy and play therapy.
What is Dramatherapy?
Dramatherapy is a dramatic form of psychotherapy. It carefully and sensitively supports the client to explore their issues or concerns safely. Dramatherapy can work with any difficulty and with all age groups. The dramatherapist may use stories, drama, movement, vocal work, poetry, myth, music, dance, puppetry, masks and games in combination or isolation to meet the aims, needs and preferences of the individual or group.
Dramatherapists are both artists and clinicians and draw on their training in theatre, drama and therapy to create methods to engage clients in effecting psychological, emotional and social changes.
Dramatherapists are trained inn both psychological and arts-specific assessment and evaluation techniques. They are committed to generating practise-based evidence and deliver sound evidence-based practice.
Clients who are referred to a Dramatherapist do not need to have previous experience or skill in acting, theatre or drama. Dramatherapists are trained to enable clients to find the most suitable medium for them to engage in group or individual therapy to address and resolve, or make troubling issues more bearable.
The British Association of Dramatherapists
” It didn’t seem enough to only thank you in person for allowing me to sit in and observe your dramatherapy group, I wanted to thank you in writing also, as I really believe your drama group session is such a brilliant experience. I personally experienced the light go on within me as to what person centred care is really about. I sincerely hope you will invite me to future dramatherapy sessions so I can observe and learn more.”
– J. Johnson. 2013.
Integrative Counselling?
Integrative therapy, or integrative counselling is a combined approach to psychotherapy that brings together different elements of specific therapies. Integrative therapists take the view that there is no single approach that can treat each client in all situations. Each person needs to be considered as a whole and counselling techniques must be tailored to their individual needs and personal circumstances.
Integrative counselling maintains the idea that there are many ways in which human psychology can be explored and understood – no one theory holds the answer. All theories are considered to have value, even if their foundational principles contradict each other – hence the need to integrate them.
The integrative approach also refers to the infusion of a person’s personality and needs – integrating the affective, behavioural, cognitive, and physiological systems within one person, as well as addressing social and spiritual aspects. Essentially, integrative counsellors are not only concerned with what works, but why it works – tailoring therapy to their clients and not the client to the therapy.
Other Treatments
The first step to getting treatment is to see your GP. If your GP thinks you have depression, they will talk to you about the treatments they can offer.
Talking therapies
The AoC provides a range of traditional talking therapies including integrative counselling, CBT and psychotherapy.
According to the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE), cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is one of the most effective therapies for depression.
- Psychodynamic therapy
- Problem-solving therapy
- Interpersonal therapy
- Behaviour activation
- Mindfulness based therapy
- Interpersonal therapy
- Counselling
Ask your GP about therapy if you are interested. Not all of these therapies will be available on the NHS in your area. Mindfulness is a form of meditation that may be as helpful as CBT for treating anxiety and depression.
Computerised cognitive behavioural therapy (cCBT)
Computerised cognitive behavioural therapy (cCBT) is one way of treating mild to moderate depression. You learn CBT techniques online using a computer. You will go through the same type of session as you would if you were with a therapist. It can be helpful after you have finished talking therapies to stop your symptoms coming back. ‘Beating the Blues’ is one of the cCBT programmes you can get. They are free but you need to talk to your GP about it.
Antidepressants
Your doctor might offer you an antidepressant. You may need to try different types before you find one that works for you. If you do not want to take antidepressants, tell your doctor and you can discuss other options.
Antidepressants can have side effects and can affect other medicines you are taking. Your doctor will check if you have physical health conditions or if you take other medication. It is important to talk to your doctor before you stop taking medication, because stopping suddenly can cause problems.
Exercise Therapy
Having good physical health and exercising can help with depression. Some GP surgeries will put you in touch with local exercise schemes. These might sometimes be called ‘exercise on prescription’.
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a procedure sometimes used to treat severe depression. In this treatment, an electrical current is briefly passed through your brain while you are under general anaesthetic which means you are not awake during the procedure. You should only have ECT if you have very bad depression and your life may be at risk or no other treatments have worked.
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)
TMS involves using magnetic fields to try to change the way the brain works. Scientists think that this could help people with depression and does not cause any major safety concerns.
Complementary or Alternative Therapies
Complementary therapies are treatments which are not part of mainstream medical care. They can include aromatherapy, herbal remedies, acupuncture, massage, meditation and yoga. These treatments may help improve your emotional well-being and may help with side effects.
The above information ‘how can it be treated’ was used from www.rethink.org depression fact sheet.
Top Health Tips
- Stay in touch – Don’t withdraw from life. Socialising can greatly improve your mood. Keeping in touch with family and friends means you have someone to talk to or be with.
- Be more active – Take up some sort of exercise, whether it be walking, taking part in a dance class or sports activity. There is evidence that exercise can lift your mood. If you haven’t exercised for a while, start slowly with a simple 15-minute walk.
- Face your fears – Don’t avoid the things you find difficult. When people feel low they often avoid talking to people. It may cause you to lose confidence going out.
- Don’t drink too much alcohol – For some, alcohol can be a big problem. You may drink more when you are low, hiding emotions as a coping mechanism. Alcohol will not help solve your problems and could lead to you becoming more depressed.
- Eat a healthy diet – Some people do not like eating when they feel depressed and risk becoming underweight. Others find comfort in food and begin to start gaining weight. Antidepressants may also affect your appetite. It is important to have a balanced diet.
- Have a routine – When depressed, people can get into poor sleeping patterns, staying up later than normal or sleeping throughout the day. Try to get up and sleep at your normal times. Without a routine you will see an affect on your judgement to care for yourself. You may stop cooking regular meals and skip them instead.