On the afternoon of August 11, 2014, American comedian Robin? Williams was found dead in his home and police believe it was a suicide. Many people did not realize until they heard the sad news that the talented actor, who was hailed by the American media as “the first person to bring joy to America” and “touched every element of the human soul,” had reported struggling with depression for more than a decade, and was also plagued by He also suffered from drug and alcohol addiction. There is no doubt that his psychological problems were a major factor in his ultimate choice to commit suicide – but who stole his happiness? The answer: depression!
(1) Coping with depression
Depression is a common mood disorder that can be caused by a variety of reasons with significant and persistent depression as the main clinical characteristic, and the depression is not commensurate with its situation. Depression has many manifestations, such as a low opinion of self, a negative experience of life, and a lack of hope for the future. At its core, it is a subjective distress that is difficult for others to detect if it is not severe enough to disrupt social functioning. Depression is like a cold, an illness caused by something wrong with the body; unlike a cold, depression occurs quietly and has serious consequences, and patients and their families and friends need to work very hard to fight it. Depression is not just a “bad mood”, it is a disease; it is not something to be ashamed of, but the disease needs to be treated.
No one in the world is immune to depression. In modern society, depression is a killer of happiness, it makes a person live but wither spiritually. Studies have shown that the younger the generation, the more people are depressed. American psychologist Speeler said: depression tends to attack those who are the most ambitious, the most creative, the most serious work. In ancient and modern times, there are many celebrities who have had zero contact with “depression”.
Li Longji, Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, died of depression after being forced to kill his favorite concubine Yang Yuhuan during the mutiny at Mawei Po on his way to defeat and escape from the army.
After composing the opera “The Marriage of Figaro”, Mozart was persecuted, envied, ostracized and ridiculed by the conservative forces of the society and suffered from depression due to the severe psychological damage and pressure. In the days when the peach story with Lewinsky was in the limelight, Clinton took “Prozac” to survive the mental crisis. Cui Yong Yuan told everyone very seriously: I have depression, a very serious major depression. So, who is more immune to depression? Rich people or poor people? Men or women? Adults or children? Easterners or Westerners? It doesn’t matter if you are a commoner or some successful person, no one in the world is immune to depression. Depression can attack anyone, anytime, anywhere.
Virtually everyone will experience depression in their own lifetime. For example, unexpected unemployment, failure in college entrance exams, death of relatives, illness, loss of pursuit, social changes, fierce competition, emotional damage, pressure of accelerated pace of work and life, etc. lead to depression, irritation, sadness, grievance and other bad emotions, which often relentlessly gnaw at people’s hearts and prevent them from studying, living and working normally. Sometimes there is even no reason for the emotional defeat. Most people can quickly get rid of depression and sadness, but some people are not. Depression can develop over time if psychological guidance is not provided in a timely manner. Depression is now the fourth most common disease in the world and is expected to become the second most common human illness after heart disease by 2020. Depression can lead to a significant reduction in social functioning and is no less serious than myocardial infarction and angina pectoris.
Depression causes great harm to the patient, the patient’s family and society.
Clinical manifestations of depression: The clinical manifestations of depression can range from sullenness to grief and even malaise, with some cases having significant anxiety and motor agitation, and in severe cases, psychotic symptoms such as hallucinations and delusions. Most cases have a tendency to have recurrent episodes, most of which can resolve with each episode, and some can have residual symptoms or turn chronic.
The three core symptoms of depression are: depressed mood: you don’t like to do what you used to like to do, and you can’t be happy when you meet something happy; diminished interest and slow thinking: you are not enthusiastic about anything, you seem to be “broken”, and you feel that nothing is interesting. The person has a sense of “rust in the brain”, a sense of diminished volitional activity, low energy, excessive fatigue: weak and lazy, unable to do anything, unable to do anything. “Wearing gray glasses” to see the reality of life, no self-confidence, incompetence, useless, isolated, unable to help themselves, others can not help. Thinking about the worst prospect, no hope for the future, life has reached the end, living meaningless.
Psychological concomitant symptoms: anxiety, self-blame, psychotic symptoms, decreased cognitive functioning, cognitive distortions, suicidal ideation and behavior, agitation or retardation, incomplete self-awareness. Patients with anxiety-depression have been reported to have more severe symptomatology, to respond less well to usual antidepressant treatment, and therefore to have a worse prognosis
Somatic symptoms (the symptoms most likely to cause misdiagnosis): pain, sleep disturbances, appetite disturbances, decreased libido, nonspecific somatic symptoms. Somatic symptoms and anxiety are two symptom clusters that often mask the core symptoms of depression. The patient’s self-esteem is so low that he or she is indifferent to life and often feels that “life is like years” and “life is worse than death”.
Suicide due to depression is the most dangerous symptom: According to studies, the suicide rate of depressed patients is 20 times higher than that of the general population. Pessimism and disappointment are very dominant symptoms, but are not the main basis for diagnosis and are often the root cause of a patient’s negative suicide. Patients with depression recall the past with nothing to do, face the reality with difficulties, and look to the future with gloom.
Treatment of depression
Effective treatment of depression is a three-part process: speak up in time when you are depressed; specialist hospitals are beneficial in prescribing the right medication; depression can be treated by medication. Antidepressant medication is currently the main means of depression maintenance treatment, very effective way, do not be afraid to take medication, disease is not a stigma, treatment is even less.
Generally speaking, there are three processes of getting better in depression: the first thing that happens is that sleep and appetite improve; the second thing is that thinking feels flexible and movement gets more; and the last thing that happens is that mood improves. If a patient has a poor appetite, tosses and turns at night, gets up and walks around at times, but claims to be in a better mood, this is against the usual pattern of depression recovery and should be alarmed. Of course, these three processes are not always appropriate for all patients.
4 misconceptions about treating depression: choosing a general hospital for consultation; depression is often masked by physical illness and neglecting depression treatment; having depression is a stigma; and resisting medication.
What to do when someone close to you is experiencing depressive symptoms? The main thing to avoid is trying to convince the person that “you are wrong to think like that, you shouldn’t think like that”, “why don’t you pull yourself together”, or “you are weak and useless”. to stimulate. The right approach is to suggest that they see a psychiatrist to reduce their psychological barriers to medical treatment, to adjust the way they talk from their perspective, and to encourage them to stick to their medication regimen.
Self-medication measures for depression
There is a significant increase in the number of people suffering from depression worldwide. They feel very miserable and even negative and anorexic. The following self-healing measures are proposed for the actual situation of depressed patients.
Lower your expectations: never set yourself some goals that are hard to reach, understand your current situation correctly, face your condition squarely, stop holding a large number of positions, and don’t take a big responsibility for many things. You can divide a large and complicated work into several small parts, according to the priorities, do what you can, do not “show off”, so as not to fail to complete the work and discouragement. Try to contact and interact with people more often, not alone. Try to participate in more social activities, try to do some physical exercise, watch movies, TV or listen to music, etc. Patients should not make major decisions, such as changing jobs, getting married or divorced, without consulting someone who knows their actual situation well. It is better to write out how you feel, then analyze and recognize it, what is negative and belongs to the manifestation of depression, and then find a way to get rid of it.
Book therapy: According to the British “Daily Telegraph” reported that the British psychiatrist prescribed several books, the patient took it to the library “according to the prescription to catch the book”, take home to study and digest, to achieve the treatment of depression. 35 books are divided into two categories: one is to help patients understand mental illness, one is to help patients themselves to exclude negative emotions. Only after four weeks of no effect is medication considered. Experts believe that reading therapy is effective for mild depression and anxiety.
Food therapy: Eat bananas, tomatoes and fish regularly.
Bananas are very effective in treating depression. Bananas are known as “happy food”, regular consumption of bananas can not only cleanse the intestines, help digestion, but also can make people relieve tension and reduce depression symptoms. Bananas are rich in dopamine, a substance that makes the brain happy, so people who are easily upset are always partial to bananas. Bananas are also the best source of tryptophan and vitamin B6, all of which can help the brain reduce depression.
Regular consumption of tomatoes has a significant preventive effect on depression. A new study done by Chinese and Japanese scientists found that eating tomatoes several times a week can cut the risk of depression in half. Researchers say tomatoes are rich in a variety of antioxidant components that are effective in fighting many diseases. Among them is lycopene, which helps reduce the risk of prostate cancer and heart disease. Several early studies have linked lycopene to mental health and physical health, based on its ability to reduce oxidative stress and prevent damage to healthy brain cells.
Studies have found that people who ate tomatoes 2-6 times a week had a 46 percent lower risk of depression compared to those who ate tomatoes less than once a week, and eating tomatoes daily reduced the risk of depression by 52 percent. Although there is no way to be sure whether lycopene directly affects mental health, the new findings do suggest that eating tomatoes regularly has a significant preventive effect on depression, the researchers said.
Eating more fish can improve depression. A scientist at the University of Oxford in England says that eating more fish can help alleviate depressed moods as well as difficulties reading aloud. The scientist, named Alexander? Richardson, a neuroscientist, said the human brain needs a certain kind of fat to function properly. She said some fish are rich in Omega (Omega)-3 fats can help improve the mood depression. The scientist said excessive stress, excessive drinking and smoking, and excessive caffeine consumption can all lead to lower levels of these fats. A large study conducted in Finland found that people who ate fish less than once a week were 31 percent more likely to suffer from mild or severe depression than those who ate fish more often. The amount of fish eaten was inversely correlated with the incidence of depression. In New Zealand, the annual per capita consumption of fish was 4 kg and the incidence of depression was 6 percent. In Japan, with an annual per capita consumption of 18 kg of fish, the incidence of depression was less than 1%. In the UK, when doubling the intake of seafood, the rate of postpartum depression among women dropped from one in six to one in 12. Why didn’t Saddam commit suicide after he was captured? The reason is said to be his love of fish.
The development of science and technology has turned the earth into a “small village”, the quality of life of human beings has improved unprecedentedly, from the ancient times the average life expectancy of people in the teens to today’s people live seventy is not unusual. If the ancient people of thousands of years ago came back to the world today, they would feel that we are living in paradise today. But modern people who live in paradise feel depressed all the time and do not feel happy, why? First of all, human greed and the cruel social competition cause human suffering. Secondly, the loss of self-confidence and blind comparison. Again, the lack of self-knowledge and the search for eternal happiness. The World Health Organization predicts that depression will become the main killer of human beings in the 21st century, depression has become a serious public health problem that cannot be ignored, and the number of people suffering from depression is growing worldwide …… Please pay attention to depression and lend a caring hand! It is as unjustified to accuse depressed people of not being strong as it is to accuse deaf people of not speaking. We still have a long way to go in the face of depression, and prevention and treatment are a long way to go.