Beating Depression
How Many People Experience Depression?
According to the Mental Health Charity "Mind", depression affects about 10% of the adult UK population at any given time (see Depression Statistics) and many but not all people suffering from depression experience anxiety at the same time. Depression affects the way that you think and feel about the world.
What are the Symptoms of Depression?
If over a period of 2 weeks or more you experience a depressed mood most of the day and marked loss of interest in activities most of the day as well as 3 or more of the symptoms below on a regular basis then you may be suffering from clinical depression. The other possible symptoms are listed below (this is not an exhaustive list and there may be alternative explanations for the symptoms):
- weight loss
- insomnia
- agitation or alternatively slowness in your mental responses
- fatigue
- feelings of worthlessness or inappropriate guilt
- poor concentration or lessened ability to think clearly or make decisions
- recurring thoughts about death or suicide
What are the Causes of Depression?
There is no one cause for depression. Difficult or painful past or current experiences can contribute to depression and depression can also be triggered by a significant life change or a loss of some kind, such as a bereavement or relationship breakdown. In some cases depression may also be caused by an underactive thyroid gland. Suppressing or not dealing adequately with difficult feelings may also sometimes contribute to depression. There is also anecdotal evidence to suggest that occasionally people may react to certain foods by becoming depressed and keeping a healthy balanced diet is recommended as one aspect of managing depression (see below).
How to Beat Depression - Medical Treatment
If you experience several of the above symptoms, you should consult your doctor. One option may be to take prescribed antidepressants but these quite often can take some time to have an effect and there are other options not involving medication, such as CBT or Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (see below), which can assist you in beating depression either on their own or in conjunction with medication prescribed by your doctor.
Beating Depression - Practical First Steps
Aside from seeking advice from your GP and considering Cognitive Behavioural Therapy or Coaching, inital steps you can take to try to help you manage depression include:
- Set yourself reasonable goals
- Try to break tasks down into smaller achievable elements if they seem difficult
- Do some moderate exercise
- Try to eat regularly and healthily without overeating
- Avoid drinking alcohol or misusing drugs
- Be wary of having too much caffeine - this can heighten anxiety
- Recognise that improvements may be gradual and if possible monitor your progress towards achievable goals
- Try to set aside some time each week for relaxing
How to Beat Depression - CBT
CBT or Cognitive Behavioural Therapy has been shown to be effective for many people in helping to manage depression and deal with the symptoms. Effective depression help lines and depression management courses may use CBT techniques to support you. I use CBT in the Telephone Coaching that I provide. In fact the techniques involved in CBT have been so successful that the government in October 2007 announced its intention for a large scale project for training and courses in psychological therapies such as CBT for health and social services professionals to help with depression management and treatment of anxiety disorders (see, for example: Government Plans for Training in Psychological Therapies).
CBT is a pragmatic model for helping people to deal with negative or problematic thoughts and feelings, which recognises the connections between thoughts, feelings and actions and helps individuals to address them in a planned, structured and practical way. I have been trained in cognitive behavioural methods and have found them to be one of the most effective methods available for helping people to overcome and break out of mental and emotional difficulties and anxieties. A brief introduction to CBT is available on this website at the link at: CBT - Cognitive Behavioural Therapy.
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Further Information
For information about an eBook guide to CBT techniques for dealing with negative thoughts, go to: CBT Techniques