Mental Tools To Help Manage Depression

The science of mental tools when we go through various mental disorders is a great help in dealing with depression.

What is depression?

Depression is a mental health condition. Sadness, guilt, and self-deprecation take over those who suffer from it. This affects their normal daily chores.

Depression reduces one’s interest in what was previously appreciated. It tends to start in puberty or when one is between 20 and 30 years old. Nevertheless, children are not exempt from suffering from it.

Contrary to popular belief,  depression is not synonymous with weakness. Nor is it necessarily related to a lack of affection, trauma in adolescence or personality disorders.

The causes can be very different : Deaths in the family, emotional breakdowns, situations at work, serious illness, and even hormonal changes.

Statistics show that 30% of primary care patients have symptoms of depression, and that 10% end up in a serious condition. One in six people may be affected by this problem.

Symptoms of depression

Feeling lethargic, fatigue, sadness, irritability or anxiety are symptoms of depression. People lose the ability to experience certain emotions, such as happiness and joy.

Instead, they have feelings of guilt, hopelessness, loneliness, uselessness and the feeling of being abandoned.

In these situations, the person concerned has difficulty making decisions,  they sleep little and may end up considering suicide. They also stop caring about personal hygiene, their children or pets.

Physical disorders and depression

Physical disorders can have a direct or an indirect cause in relation to depression:

• As an example, low metabolism can affect hormone levels which in turn can cause symptoms of depression.
• Cerebral tumors, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s, dementia or sleep apnea can trigger depression.
• Tuberculosis, pneumonia and hepatitis may also play a role, among others.
• Anxiety, alcoholism or schizophrenia can also cause it to occur.

Depression and a little more

Depression can continue to worsen and become a serious condition that persists.

To begin with, the person in question is sad and down. Their eyes are filled with tears every day for several weeks at a time. They avoid eye contact and have no desire to participate in conversations.

• The persistent state of depression lasts for 2 years or more. They lose their sense of humor and ability to have fun; they are more silent, pessimistic and skeptical.
• In what is called “premenstrual dysphoric disorder”, the symptoms only exist in the days just before menstruation. It can start at an early age, but disappears with menopause.

How to deal with depression?

Complementary therapies, psychotherapy and medications  are the medical tools used to treat and manage depression.

In general, it does not require hospitalization, unless you are struggling with thoughts of suicide, weight loss or that the condition includes heart problems.

• If there is a mild depression, a doctor’s visit can complete the psychotherapy. This is a treatment that can be done individually or in groups. It helps with progressive adaptation to the pressures we experience in life.

• If the depression goes from moderate to severe, the therapy will also come with a new generation of antidepressant medications or heterocyclic compounds. There are also optional serotonin reuptake inhibitors and monoamine oxidase inhibitors.
• If necessary, electroconvulsive therapy may be used. This consists of placing electrodes on the head that induce convulsions in the brain through the use of electric currents. It requires general anesthesia to be performed.
• Depression associated with season is treated with light therapy. This takes place in a box that emits light, and the person being treated must have it on their face for 30 minutes without looking directly at it.

Fight depression

There are many mental tools that can help you deal with depression:

• Participate in activities that interest you. This will increase your physical and mental energy and will help you avoid negative thoughts.
• Turn negative thoughts into positive thoughts. All in all, developing your self-esteem will help you avoid depression, because it will help you value yourself and tolerate mistakes.
• In addition, another mechanism is to promote your self-confidence or your ability to support your own opinions.
• The fact that you can accept your emotional states, even when they are negative, shows emotional intelligence. It is necessary to be able to identify anxiety, anger, sadness or fear, and learn to deal with it.
• In life, your goal is to motivate you and keep you going. Because of this, a stimulus that helps you deal with depression is to work towards predetermined goals.

• Relaxation  as a way to loosen up your muscles and head is very important.
• Meditation  is also a very effective exercise.