DEPRESSION?

"It (depression) is not a fleeting sadness but a pervasive and relentless sense of despair. A lack of interest in life accompanied by weight loss, loss of appetite, feelings of uselessness and sleep disturbance are some of the more common symptoms.

There can be an array of causes - it can be due to stresses in the home or at work, or it can just come out of the blue. Sometimes family history can be a major factor, relationships etc." Professor Scott Henderson Director of NHMRC Centre for Mental Health Research at ANU

An official definition of depression.....

Source: World Health Organisation's International Classification of Disease

• Two weeks of abnormal depressed mood
• Loss of interest and decreased energy
• Loss of confidence
• Excessive guilt
• Recurrent thoughts of death
• Poor concentration
• Agitation or retardation
• Sleep disturbance
• Change in appetite

Mild depression includes the first two symptoms and at least one other. Severe depression is the first two symptoms and at least five others.

Now for a list of symptoms which may be more familiar .....

People with depression experience many of the following for prolonged periods: sadness, lethargy, helplessness, hopelessness, worthlessness, difficulties with decisions, memory, concentration, loss of interest, energy, changes to sleep patterns - difficulty sleeping or staying awake, changes in weight - either significant loss or gain in weight, relationship problems with partners, friends, family, colleagues, isolation, thoughts of death, suicide, anxiousness, unusual fear or feeling panic. The degrees of these experiences will vary greatly. If you have many of these symptoms for prolonged period you are very probably experiencing depression, and should see your doctor regarding a professional assessment and treatment.

Importantly, there are also other illnesses which may produce similar symptoms to depression, and that require a very different treatment. Your doctor will be able to test for these. If you only have a few of these symptoms and don't consider yourself to be depressed, treatment for depression, either traditional or alternate, may help. It is certainly worth speaking with a medical professional you are comfortable with.

'TYPES' OF DEPRESSION

Because there is so much that is not yet known about depression, you may come across many different ways of categorising and describing depression. Depression is a very complex illness. No-one really knows for certain what causes depression, and everyone's experience of depression is different. What we are intending to do here is to simply present a little information on the terms people use to describe depression that may relate to either theories on it's origin, or terms that seek to differentiate between possible 'sets' of symptoms.

Link to http://www.depressionet.com.au/index.html

A SKILL TO HELP FIGHT DEPRESSION

How you think is important.

Let’s focus on the role of thinking in depression. No matter what the other causes of depression may contribute, thinking always plays some role and can always make matters worse.

• If you are depressed because of a biochemical imbalance you will still be thinking about your life experiences.
• If you have too much stress you will certainly think about the stressful events.
• If you learned to be depressed then your usual pattern of thinking will maintain it.

Thinking is always occurring, and therefore plays a fundamental role in creating not only depression , but all of our other emotions as well.

Understanding how our thinking creates our moods and behavior is an area of cognitive psychology. Trying to improve our thinking to improve our moods and behavior is cognitive therapy. Cognitive therapy provides a good model for self-help.

Cognitive Therapy: Rational Emotive Therapy (RET)

One of the easiest cognitive therapy approaches to understand is that of Rational Emotive Therapy (RET) as developed by Albert Ellis.

Rational Emotive Therapy tells us about the ABC’s of emotional life. It is practical and easy to apply.

"A" stands for "Actual Event" and represents what happens to you in life.
"B" stands for a "Belief" about what happened.
"C" stand for the "Consequence" of the event on mood and behavior.

In life it appears to us that events happen and that the events cause our moods and behavior. It appears that A (an event) causes C (a consequence). So, if a friend breaks your trust you may be hurt and depressed. You may later tell someone that your friend has ruined your life and has made you miserable.

However, in order to be hurt and depressed you have to have a belief about what happened. You must be thinking in a certain way. It is your belief or thinking that is creating your reaction. You might be thinking, "It is horrible. It is terrible. I have been betrayed. I’ll never trust again."

It is your belief that is creating the consequence. Change the belief and the result will change. What else could you be telling yourself? What might be a more realistic assessment of the event?

You could be thinking, "This is tough and I don’t like it but I am glad that I found out now rather than later. I made a mistake, but I can learn from it. I can get through it." You reaction might be one of hurt and disappointment which is a more realistic response. You would not fall into a state of depression and misery.

Changing your belief changes the result.

Your belief will show up in the inner dialogue that you have with yourself. It is in the "Voice of Conscience" that talks to you about life.

This is the "Voice" that often speaks up when you look in the mirror or get on the scales. It can talk you into a lot of trouble. Learn to pay attention to this inner voice and be sure that it is realistic. Don’t fall into a negative pattern of worry or self-criticism which can only make matters worse. Realistic thinking will lead to realistic consequences over which you have a sense of control.

When you do find a negative belief then you must challenge it. You do this with steps D and E of the ABC model.

"D" stand for dispute. Dispute means that once you have identified a negative or irrational belief you challenge it. You dispute it. You create a more realistic view and a more supportive inner dialogue.

A new dialogue leads to "E" which stands for "Effect" – a new effect. The result of a different belief is a different response. The same event now leads to different emotions and behaviors. With a new dialogue you regain control of your life.

Remember the ABC’s of emotional life. Always evaluate your "self-talk" and don’t talk yourself into more trouble than you need. Remembering your ABC’s will help you to make life go better.