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Straightforward Publishing - Nicolette Heaton-Harris

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60 pages

English

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Without doubt, the rising incidence of depression in society, the source of which is manifold and complex, is of growing concern to many people, whether layperson or professional. Explaining Depression by Nicolette Heaton-Harris is a wide-ranging introduction to the nature and origins of depression and also the existing support framework. This is the perfect guide for all those who wish to develop their knowledge of this important area.

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Publié par	Straightforward Publishing
Date de parution	18 avril 2014
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781847163103
Langue	English

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0300€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

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EMERALD GUIDES

EMERALD GUIDES
EXPLAINING DEPRESSION
NICOLETTE HEATON-HARRIS

Emerald Publishing
www.emeraldpublishing.co.uk
EMERALD GUIDES
Brighton BN7 2SH
© Nicolette Heaton-Harris 2012
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in a retrieval system or transmitted by any means, electronic or mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright holders.
ISBN 9781847163103
Printed by Berforts Press Bedford
Cover design by Bookworks Islington
Whilst every effort has been made to ensure that the information contained within this book is correct at the time of going to press, the author and publisher can take no responsibility for the errors or omissions contained within.
Dedication:
For my Mum and all those people whose diagnosis of depression is delayed because they spend so much time putting on a brave face for the rest of the world.
The author and publisher would first of all like to state that this book should not be used as a source of medical diagnosis. This book is intended as a detailed advisory text, for patients who have already been seen by their general practitioners, who wish to know more about and understand their condition. The author does not possess a medical qualification. This book is solely the result of careful research.
Contents
Foreword
1.    What is Depression?
2.    Post-Natal Depression
3.    Manic/Bi-Polar Depression
4.    Juvenile Depression
5.    Other Types of Depression
6.    Treating Depression
7.    Self-Harming and Suicide
8.    Nutrition, Exercise and Mental Health
9.    Bereavement and Depression
10.  Useful Addresses
Authors Acknowledgements
Index
Foreword
Each and every one of us experiences times in our day to day lives, when we feel ‘down’ or a ‘little blue’. These times can be the result of anything small or significant occurring, depending upon the type of character we are. For example, an upsetting phone call from a relative, a bad day at work, a harsh commute, the end of a relationship or simply turmoil in our own homes.
This ‘blue’ mood may make us feel a little lethargic for a while. We may feel like we can’t be bothered to try and put things right, we may even have a little cry to get the upset out of our systems. We may discover our sleep gets disturbed on one or two nights or we may comfort ourselves with food.
But after a while these feelings pass.
We slowly return to ‘normal’.
This is not considered depression, even if you do say to colleagues or friends that you ‘felt’ depressed for a while. This relatively short experience is described as having a low mood.
Depression on the other hand, usually lasts for two weeks or more.
Constantly.
And it also has greater effects on the sufferer. Unfortunately, the symptoms are many and varied and can be missed or mistaken for some other medical condition.
But put simply, if you have a low mood that lasts continuously for more than a fortnight and you have a real hardship just to simply get through each day, then you must visit a GP for a thorough assessment and medical check-up.
Depression will not go away on its own. You cannot stick your head in the sand like the proverbial ostrich and hope everything gets better without your input. It takes more than just being able to pull yourself together.
Depression is not a weakness. It does not make you any less of a man or a woman because you suffer from it. It’s a very common condition, affecting one in five adults during their lifetime.
If you’re reading this book, then I’m going to assume you’ve already been diagnosed by your doctor, or you at least strongly suspect that you have this condition. If so, let’s take a good long look at what is ailing you.
Knowledge is power, and by knowing what you are up against, it will arm you in the fight ahead to regain your health.
It can be beaten.
1
WHAT IS DEPRESSION?
Depression is not a static condition that is the same for every sufferer. It is a rapidly changing animal, in a constant flux, affecting different people in different ways.
However, this does not mean that the symptoms cannot be reported. There are general patterns and doctors can be signposted by descriptions or certain words you use when you see them to tell them how you’ve been feeling. They note these ‘red flags’ of warning and come to a diagnosis.
You have depression. But what is it? And what is it not?
FACTS

• Anyone of any age can suffer with depression
• More women than men are affected
• One in five adults will suffer with depression in their lifetime *
• Every year, doctors diagnose two million new cases in the UK alone
• On average, each GP in the UK will see one depressive patient a day
• Depression can be treated effectively
• It is not a weakness of the mind
• Rates of depression have increased over the last few decades
• Stress is greatly related to depression
Where you live may greatly affect your chances of suffering with depression. Dwellers of inner cities who live in a hustle-bustle world are twice as likely to suffer with it as those people who live in the remoter parts of the country. So if you live in, for example, London, and you have what you consider a ‘normal’ life, you are still twice as more likely to suffer with depression than someone who lives in the country, simply because of your geographical location. So in this example, your risk factor of having depression, is nothing to do with you as a person, whether you have a confident manner, or not. It is out of your hands and down to the place you live in.
Depression comes in two distinct forms - reactive and endogenous. Reactive depression comes about because of an event in that sufferer’s life. Eg, the birth of a baby, redundancy, long illness, bereavement, etc. Whereas endogenous depression means it has come from within and appears to be for no obvious reason, except for chemical changes within the body and brain.
Depression can show itself in two distinct ways.
Psychologically and physically.
Some of the psychological symptoms may be a result of the physical symptoms and vice versa. Sometimes the physical symptoms aren’t even noticed because the psychological symptoms are so bad. So if you do suspect you have depression and have not yet been to your doctor, try to make a note of everything that you feel is wrong with you, as it may well all be connected.
PSYCHOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION

Not all sufferers of depression will report ‘feeling low’
You may feel constantly anxious
Emotionally numb (feel you have no mood changes at all)
Low mood
Persistent feeling of sadness
Feeling empty
A sense of loss or dread
A low mood worse in the morning (Diurnal Variation)
Nothing seems to bring any pleasure (Anhedonia)
Low mood may seem worse in the evenings
The odd good day, outnumbered by the bad
Crying more often from slight or even no upset
Depressive thinking
Concentration and memory problems
Delusions
Hallucinations
Suicidal impulse
As you can see, psychological symptoms are all those symptoms classed as happening in your mind.
PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION

Difficulty with sleeping (getting to sleep/waking too early/sleeping too much)
Mental and physical slowing
Increase or decrease in appetite
Increase or decrease in weight
Problems with libido
Tiredness and lethargy, aches and pains
Constipation
Problems with the menstrual cycle
Here, physical problems come from what is happening to the body.
I’m now going to take a more in-depth look at some of these symptoms, so see if you feel that they match some of your own. If they do, then make sure that you mention them to your doctor.
ANXIETY
Anxiety is a generalised, pervasive fear of something known or unknown, however in the case of depression, the anxiety is usually of an unknown source. Physically, when we feel anxious, our bodies create adrenaline and extra blood is sent to the brain and our muscles throughout our body for ‘flight or fight’.
We feel edgy. Tense. But, if nothing dangerous occurs, this feeling passes and we begin to relax, yet if you have depression, this anxious feeling of being constantly on edge can last for months. It can be exhausting in itself.
You wake up in the mornings already in a high state of dread and this in turn, can make you irritable. You may snap at those close to you that you love, upsetting others as well as yourself, leading to other feelings of guilt. This anxiety can make you nervous. Indecisive. It can make you second guess your every decision and debate your self-worth because you just don’t know what to do for the best. Therefore the anxiety adds to the depression and becomes a vicious cycle.
(Lizzie’s Story : “I had the worst anxiety when I suffered with depression. I was in university and living away from my family and trying to cope with these huge workloads of study. I doubted my ability to cope and I got into the habit of biting my nails so much they would bleed. Seeing the blood frightened me at first, but then it made me feel better. It was like I was finding an outlet valve for the pressure inside of me and so I started to find other ways of making myself bleed. Small cuts at first. Then bigger ones. The more I hid it from everyone the bigger a secret it became. I felt ashamed of myself and felt a fraud.”)
EMOTIONALLY NUMB
Some severely depressed people may say that they feel emotionally numb.
There are no highs or lows for them. Everything is constant. Nothing inspires an emotional response and they cannot even cry. They may say they feel that there is nothing inside of them to give, making the sufferer feel that they are completely separate from family and friends.
DEPRESSIVE THINKING
How you think changes dramatically when you have depression. A sufferer can view the world around them in a completely negative light, which reinforces their initial thoughts. They do not see good things h