How to get out of severe depression

Severe depression is characterized by low self-esteem, feelings of guilt and even suicidal thoughts. The physical condition is disturbed: weight decreases (less often - increases), sleep is disturbed, and unpleasant pain occurs in different parts of the body.

In the brain, although temporary, quite pronounced changes occur in the biochemical and physiological processes of nerve cells: disturbances in the ratio of excitation and inhibition processes, changes in the exchange of neurotransmitters, etc.

Getting out of severe depression requires the help of a doctor. Depressive conditions are treated by a psychiatrist and psychotherapist. Only a doctor has the necessary knowledge in the field of psychology, physiology and biochemistry of the body, and knows the mechanisms of development of a depressive state.

Each person with depression has their own individual combinations of causes and mechanisms for the development of a depressive state. The doctor finds them out and accordingly selects treatment tools: medications, diet, rest, sleep, isolation from external stimuli, psychotherapy, physical therapy, etc.

Recent research in the field of neurophysiology has shown that severe depressive conditions are characterized by significant, but often completely reversible changes in brain function and mental state.

The most important thing to know is that depression (even severe) is a reversible condition!

What are the dangers of severe depression?

Behavior changes. From simply avoiding their usual activities to changing their lifestyle, people with depression end up in sects and extremist organizations. From stopping self-care to attempting suicide.
Loss of usual social connections: dismissal from work, family breakdown, loss of friends. What has formed around a person over the course of life, forming his environment, is destroyed by severe depression.
General exhaustion: dystrophy, weight loss, metabolic disorders.
The development of psychosomatic diseases: cachexia (weight loss), skin rashes, asthma attacks, gastrointestinal disorders (constipation, diarrhea), temperature regulation disorders, excessive sweating, hypotension or hypertension and many other disorders.

How to help someone with depression at home

Depressions that occur during the spring-winter period are often associated with a lack of sunlight. Therefore, the first recommendation is very simple: go for a walk more often. Depressive disorder leads to suppression of physical activity, so the patient himself may not want to go outside - this is where your energy and perseverance will be needed.

It’s good if the walks take place in the lap of nature: beautiful landscapes and sounds of nature will become part of audio and art therapy and will have a positive effect on your mood. Visit art galleries, exhibitions, museums, places with beautiful architecture. All this can help gradually return a taste for life to a person suffering from depression, or rather, show him that he is far from alone in this world and expand his perception.

Stimulate a person for physical activity: exciting games, walks, swimming, gymnastics have a beneficial effect on the state of the nervous system and are widely used by psychotherapists in the treatment of mild and moderate-severe depression.

Allow the person to speak out and reveal their mental suffering to you - this will help relieve the severity of negative experiences. Such a simple way of helping - support, sympathy, human warmth - can protect a person from committing suicide. In addition, this will allow him to quickly cope with depression or, at least, alleviate its manifestations.

How to get out of severe depression?

The first step is to contact a specialist psychiatrist or psychotherapist. The second is the implementation of his recommendations. Good specialists can be found in clinics that are licensed and certified to provide assistance in the areas of psychiatry and psychotherapy.

Most depressive conditions can be treated at home. After all, placement in a psychiatric hospital is already a psychological trauma for many. A significant proportion of those who suffer from severe depression do not seek help precisely because they are afraid of ending up in a closed psychiatric ward! Opportunities should be found to provide active treatment for severe depression outside the hospital.

One of the solution options is treatment in a day hospital: the patient comes to the clinic, where a doctor will talk with him for an hour or two, procedures will be performed as prescribed by the doctor (physical treatment, IVs, biofeedback therapy), a psychotherapeutic session will be held, and then you can return home.

Hospitalization is required only in cases where behavioral control, intensive pharmacological treatment is needed, and when there is a risk of suicidal behavior.

How to help a loved one who is in a state that is close to depression?

About one in four people have experienced depression at least once in their life. It is very important to distinguish between the blues, a mild depressive state (minor depression, subdepression) and real clinical depression, which can last for several months.

Clinical depression is characterized by three main symptoms:

Bad mood. But not the kind that usually happens after a hard day or week. With depression, a person loses the ability to rejoice and does not enjoy usual things - food, communication with friends, sex, music, movies. This condition is called anhedonia.
Thinking disorder. It is difficult for a depressed person to think; it feels like thoughts are “like jelly.” Work is done more slowly.
Motor retardation. Depression is always accompanied by a constant feeling of fatigue. It is extremely difficult to force yourself to go somewhere in this state.

If these symptoms are observed for more than a month, then this is a reason to consult a doctor, but you can cope with mild depression on your own, with the help of loved ones and psychotherapy. At the same time, loved ones should remember a few simple rules - what to do and what they should never say. Here are some simple recommendations to help you.

Allow the person to be in this state for a while and experience it. Your loved one is very upset about something, he is not happy about what he usually loves. Don't rush him. Saying the phrases: “Stop thinking about it!” or “We need to move forward!” - it’s not worth it. The state of sadness is not so bad for a person. Sadness allows you to rest a little after the race that happened before, come to your senses, rethink, and then smoothly get out of this state.
Do not discount the suffering of a loved one. Phrases: “Forget”, “Stop”, “Your failures don’t mean a problem” will most likely only make things worse. A person can and should learn a lesson from his failures. Only this takes time and he must do it on his own.
Recognize the importance of this situation. “Yes, you tried, it didn’t work out, but it’s very important that you did it! The feelings you are experiencing now are very important. Sadness, loss of strength - all this is natural, but I am here and will help you.” It is important for a person in a state of sadness to know that someone is nearby. Always remember this.
Be careful with jokes. You should not make rude jokes, mock, or sneer at the situation. Of course, it’s hard when someone close to you is in a bad mood, you want him to smile and not walk around gloomy. It may seem that if you joke and make fun of the situation, he will immediately cheer up and everything will immediately go smoothly. But most likely it will only get worse. Any rude intrusion or criticism will prevent you from getting out of a depressive state.
Don't force it. Forcibly dragging a person to parties and walks in a depressed state is strictly prohibited. The mistake is that when we see a depressed person, we want to give him energy of life. We say: “Look how great this all is!” But a person is simply physically unable to appreciate this. When he sees how people enjoy life, this only worsens his condition, he begins to wonder: “Why can’t I do that?” On the other hand, being active can help take your mind off negative thoughts. Try to unobtrusively suggest resuming your former activity at least once a week (sports, hobbies, going to the cinema - something that previously brought pleasure to your loved one).
No aggression. Seeing that a person is closing himself off even more, in no case should you say aggressively: “Why are you still sad?”, “Why are you sitting and being sad?”, “Get yourself together, you rag!” Such phrases are prohibited even as a joke, because they usually have the exact opposite effect.
Be patient. There is no need to do anything excessive, be more restrained and calm. But if the condition of a person close to you does not improve within a month, this is a reason to consult a psychotherapist or psychiatrist. Perhaps we are talking about clinical depression, which needs to be treated with medication.
Help get rid of the fear of specialists. Many patients with clinical depression are afraid to go to a psychotherapist or psychiatrist. They think: “What if this is something worse than just depression, what if I’m going crazy” or “I can handle it on my own.” Close people at this moment should gently and carefully explain: “You know, it looks like it’s depression, and I read that it can be completely cured. We will find a way out. Let's go to a specialist together. I think this will help you get out of this state.” By doing this, you will once again show the person your attention to the problem and, perhaps, protect your loved one from more serious problems.
Stay close. Even if the person refuses your help at the moment, be nearby or nearby so that your friend always knows that if he needs help, he has someone to turn to.

Health to you and your loved ones!

Prepared by a psychotherapist

Ignatovich D.A.,

medical and psychological department.

How to identify a disease in a loved one?

You do not need to have any special education to diagnose depression in a person.

An ill person experiences the following changes in behavior:

sudden changes in lifestyle, atypical isolation and sadness for a person,
loss of faith in a bright future, loss of self-confidence,
almost complete isolation from surrounding people, the person has almost stopped going outside unnecessarily and spends all his time at home,
lack of manifestations of joy and inspiration, the person is no longer interested in what he was recently delighted with,
conversations about the meaninglessness of life and the lack of a bright future. “Life is over,” a person says more and more often,
complete indifference to what is happening, apathy,
slow movements and speech, sharp, nervous twitches,
loss of sense of reality,
lack of desire to move somewhere and do something, a person tries to quickly get rid of communication in order to remain alone,
sloppy appearance, neglect of one’s appearance and even hygiene,
unsmiling and pessimistic.

A once smiling and active person suddenly becomes passive and apathetic, and this state has lasted for quite some time. Most likely, the person is depressed and needs help from loved ones.

Having learned that a loved one is depressed, it is necessary to provide him with all possible help and support.

The apathy characteristic of a depressive state often simply does not allow a person to fully understand his condition and try to get out of it.

In this case, analysis and outside support are simply necessary .

How do you know if it's depression? 4 signs of depression:

How to recognize depression in your wife?

Typically, postpartum depressive disorders develop in the first couple of months after childbirth. When a young mother is completely immersed in caring for her child. New difficult activities, hormonal changes in the body, a body that has not recovered from childbirth, and much more can gradually break down a person’s fragile mental balance. As a loving husband, you should be alert to the following symptoms:

Severe tearfulness and bad mood for more than 2 weeks in a row. If you notice that for the past 2 weeks your spouse has been crying often, is in a bad mood in the morning, and often breaks into a scream, then it seems like it’s time to think about whether she needs help.
Problems with memory and concentration. She forgets what day it is and when she last ate. She doesn’t remember whether she gave the child medicine today, her food often burns or boils over on the stove, etc.
Negative outlook on the future, complaints and expressed anxiety.
Problems with sleep and appetite. There may be either insomnia, when she cannot fall asleep before 5 am, or, on the contrary, such drowsiness that she wants to sleep 18-20 hours a day and practically passes out at the door frame. Eating problems reflect impaired contact with her own body, then a woman may stop feeling the taste of food or eat negative emotions.
Hypercontrol and pronounced perfectionism. Missing a walk with a child is perceived as a tragedy, unevenly folded children's underwear throws people into hysterics, diathesis on the baby's bottom is interpreted as maternal failure.

Photo source: shutterstock.com

How to get a child out of this state?

Not only adults and adults are susceptible to depression, but also young children and teenagers.

Children are especially sensitive to all the events that happen to them, so you shouldn’t give up on their depressing state, attributing it to children’s whims.

Advice from psychologists on how to help lift a child out of depression:

establish sleep and eating patterns,
talk to the child, do not ask leading questions, but talk, communicate, talk about what he wants,
keep him busy with creativity, some manual labor,
change the situation, go on vacation even in the countryside,
burden the child physically, not too much, but enough so that he feels pleasantly tired,
limit the hours you work with the computer and gadgets,
get a pet so that the child can take care of his friend and forget about depressing thoughts.

Advice from psychologists on how to help lift a teenager out of depression:

How to help a friend get through a breakup or divorce?

Many people experience separation from loved ones painfully. This is natural, because in this case a person loses someone with whom he is accustomed, with whom he shared his joyful and negative thoughts, with whom he trusted and with whom he experienced positive emotions.

You can help a friend who is depressed due to a breakup with a loved one. To do this, you just need to have a heart-to-heart talk with your friend. There is no need to feel sorry, support him in despondency and overly exaggerate the weight of the loss. It is advisable to encourage the person, to say that life will get better, he will soon meet a worthy life partner.

It is especially difficult to start a new life after a divorce. After all, the person already lived with his loved one under the same roof and ran the household together. Perhaps the divorced couple had children together. After divorce, women who are left with small children usually suffer from depression. They will have to earn a piece of bread on their own and take care of raising their children.

If you want to help a woman who has divorced her husband, you need to be patient. First of all, it is necessary to make her believe in her own strength and external attractiveness. It is important to raise self-esteem. If a person finds himself in a difficult situation, he should know that he can cope with any problems and even improve his personal life.

You might be advised to get rid of things that will remind her of her unfaithful spouse. It is advisable to renovate the apartment and change the furniture. The mood of any woman will improve if she transforms her appearance. For example, he will get his hair done, new makeup, lose weight or, conversely, gain weight. You can do your wardrobe. Buy new clothes, fashionable shoes, expensive perfume.

Particular attention should be paid to work. After all, a divorced woman will have to provide for herself and her children on her own. I can advise you to make a career. Although, not in every situation an employee can count on a promotion. If for some reason you are not satisfied with the job, it is advisable to start looking for another suitable vacancy.

After a divorce, a woman needs to get used to the new state. Now she doesn’t have to report to her husband for every purchase or for coming home late from work. She can do whatever she wants, date whoever she wants. Can sign up for driving courses, jump with a parachute. If life closes one door, it opens another. It is important not to regret the past, but to move into the future as actively as possible.