Depression is a common mood disorder that can be caused by a variety of reasons, with significant and persistent depression as the main clinical feature, and the depression is not proportional to its situation, the clinical manifestations can range from sullenness to grief, some cases have obvious anxiety and restlessness, severe cases may appear hallucinations, delusions and other psychotic symptoms. Most of the episodes are recurrent, and most of them can remit spontaneously with each episode, some can have natural remission, and some can have residual symptoms or turn chronic.
Depression is a common disorder that can be treated effectively.
Depression is not debilitating or lazy; the person is struggling to try to cope.
Certain medications may produce depressive symptoms, such as b-receptor antagonists, certain anti-hypertensive drugs, H2 receptor antagonists, oral contraceptives, and cortisol hormones.
Chronic excessive alcohol consumption can cause depressive symptoms.
How can family members help patients with depression to recover and prevent suicidal behavior.
1. Identify patients at risk.
The risk of suicide may be increased if the following conditions exist: members of the family who have committed suicide; strong feelings of despair and self-blame and self-guilt; people who have attempted suicide in the past; people with clear suicide plans; people with psychotic symptoms; people with comorbid physical illnesses; lack of family members’ supporters; elderly population, women and other high-risk groups.
2. To understand the possibility of suicide of the patient.
Does the patient often think about death or going to die?
Does the patient have a definite plan to commit suicide? Note: Never ask questions in an eliciting manner (e.g., by **way or **way? such questions)!
Has he/she made dangerous suicide attempts in the past?
Can the patient promise not to act on suicidal ideation?
If any of these problems exist, the patient needs close family care, to require hospitalization!
3. Develop a short-term activity plan that will give the patient pleasure or build confidence.
4. Encourage the patient to give up pessimistic thoughts and self-blame, never act according to pessimistic thoughts (such as ending the marriage, giving up work, etc.), and do not stay with negative thoughts.
5. Identify current life problems or social stressors and use small, targeted steps acceptable to the patient to reduce or improve them, and avoid making major decisions or life changes.
6. If somatic symptoms are present, explore with the patient the connection between somatic symptoms and state of mind.
7. After improvement is obtained, work out with the patient what steps to take in case of a relapse of symptoms.