Depression shouldn’t be a terminal illness. How to tell if your depression is serious, and when to seek care.
According to the CDC, one in ten Americans reports having a major depressive episode. While many of us may not experience a clinical depression lasting three months or more, most of us have times where we are low.
It isn’t something we talk about readily. While more than one in ten Americans are on antidepressants, discussing mental illness is still taboo for many people. We talk about weight loss and physical health issues ad nauseum, but our emotional health is often still a subject we avoid.
For men, this cultural reticence to talk about our mental health carries a heftier risk. Fewer men than women seek help for their depression—or even recognize it as such. Untreated depression takes its toll on relationships, work performance and our physical health as well. We’ve all had those low times after a break-up or job loss. For some, these depressive episodes linger, and result in thoughts of suicide or suicide attempts. While women attempt suicide more often, men are more likely to successful. Depression doesn’t need to be a terminal illness! We need to make our mental health a big priority.
It’s time we start treating our “lows” as a serious health red flag.
Anyone with a depressed mood lasting more than three months or having repeated suicidal feelings should see a health care provider in addition to any self-care for improved mood. For those of us facing shorter term or less intense depression, self-care is a first great step, but talking with your health care provider about your mental health should be as natural a part of routine physicals as having your blood pressure taken.
Seven self-care steps we can take to improve our moods:
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Get moving. You don’t need to train for a marathon to feel better, but the endorphins released through exercise can be a huge mood boost. This adds both an immediate mood improvement, and lasting benefits as well. Let’s face it though, when depressed it’s tough enough to get out of bed, let alone go for a run. Start with going for a walk and build from there.
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Get a little sunshine. Getting outdoors during daylight improves our moods in multiple ways. Even if your depression is not due to a Vitamin D deficiency, the added boost will definitely help. Fresh air, sunshine and being out in nature also helps in ways that medical science cannot quite address. You don’t have to go on a full-day nature hike or head to the beach to reap the benefits; even 10 to 20 minutes outdoors during the day will help boost your vitamin D levels and your mood.
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Talk with friends. While some people opt for talk therapy for depression, having at least one friend we trust with these feelings is an important step as well. When we get physically sick, we let friends help us. It’s important to reach out to the people we care about with our emotional health issues as well. A good friend can often offer a fresh perspective, and encourage us to seek professional help if depression has become more severe.
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Laugh. If it wasn’t for Facebook and funny Youtube videos, all of us would be much more productive. Still, taking five minutes to laugh at something silly during the workday is a great emotional wellness habit. Children laugh nearly 300 times a day, while adults laugh 20 times on average. Call a friend who makes you laugh, watch that stupid cat video again or pick a comedy on Netflix instead of that intense drama.
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Get a massage. Massage relaxes our peripheral nervous systems and helps take us out of that “fight or flight” anxious state that lingers when we’ve been busy or overworked. Besides relaxing our muscles, the oxytocin released through receiving positive touch is a huge mood boost. If not a massage, give someone a hug or snuggle up with your dog. Both giving and receiving positive touch can help release oxytocin and improve our moods and overall health.
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Meditate. It doesn’t have to be anything “weird.” You don’t have to chant or subscribe to any particular religion to meditate—or for it to benefit you. It can be as simple as sitting for two minutes with your eyes closed, paying attention to the rhythm of your breath. Jon Kabat-Zinn has some wonderful resources on mindfulness meditation for reducing stress and depression.
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Write it down. Journaling can help you deal with depression and other difficult emotions in a few ways. On the one hand, it’s a way to get those thoughts out rather than rolling them over and over in your mind. Putting them on paper is a way to give yourself permission to begin to let them go. Journaling can also allow you to see patterns and notice what is making you feel better or worse. It is a great tool whether in conjunction with therapy for deeper depression, or as a self-care tool when dealing with mild depression.
In Canada and the U.S., the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-TALK (8255). In the U.K., ring the Samaritans on 08457 90 90 90.
Read more on Suicide.
Image credit: Rennett Stowe/Flickr
Just to chime in on Robbie’s and John’s comments, indeed clinical depression has some helpful answers (as described by the article) but more is needed. What’s that saying, that depression is the common cold of mental health issues? The big difference is that the common cold can’t kill you. Also, finding a good therapist (never easy for me) is difficult; now that I’m under-employed I can’t afford one. But self-help cognitive therapy books are available which seem to help, as does meds.
I have to agree with Robbie on this one. Exercise, fresh air, social interaction and a good laugh are excellent tools for a healthy person stay healthy but certainly not a solution for the clinically depressed.
Seeing a competent therapist should be anyone’s FIRST step. No competent therapist will go without working all of these self-care courses into your treatment. A competent therapist will also assess whether or not medication will be helpful, and can refer you to a psychiatrist with whom he or she has a good working relationship and can team up with on your care. Relying on your “heath care provider,” is advice based on a fairytale utopian healthcare system that exists . . . nowhere, and will get you nowhere. Anyone ever been to a primary care physician that had no more… Read more »
Yes, agreed—as far as clinical depression goes. As I’ve said in the article, these are great steps to take for general lows. I’m sorry if this made you angry; it seems you skipped over the idea that these are good general management for our ups and downs, and a good addition to working with a therapist for anyone facing clinical depression. I would add, though, that the APA has taken position statements on all of the above as helping with depression. None of these are fluff, but a great add on for those who are in therapy, or good basic… Read more »
And perhaps to clarify: health care provider = any of a range of mental health or physical health care providers. Some people see psychotherapists, some see psychiatrists, some start at their primary care and rule out underlying physical issues exacerbating depression. In any case, yes, we are in agreement here (though it seems like you missed those points) depression and mental health issues should be something we make a habit of seeing a professional about.
Having suffered from clinical depression since adolescence, (sometimes quite serious depression,) I think this is all good advice. I spent years in therapy, on and off antidepressants. It helped me, but in the end, I think I recovered by taking control of my environment and behavior. Instead of wallowing in sadness when I feel low, for example, I get out of the house and do something. I have to be constantly vigilant over my tendency to be self destructive and to sink into a state of passive misery. I need to be in control of my feelings instead of the… Read more »