Barrett,
That's a good question but one that has so many variables. Depression is a complex animal. Look up as much as you can about depression. If your depression has been on-going and you feel a doctor can help, set up an appointment to talk with one. There is much more info out there now about depression, anxiety, panic, etc. and doctors are becoming more capable of helping. Check into some info also about positive thinking to help with depression. Sometimes it takes a resolution of a problem in ones life to break out of depression. Sometimes just thinking positive thoughts and listening to positive messages can help turn things around and get your spirits up, leading to the ability and strength to resolve issues. Since we are at a workout site, working out helps me keep depression at bay. I feel like I accomplished something which makes me feel positive about myself.
Good post Garrocha!
I have dealt with depression using medication, exercise and I am trying to reprogram my thoughts away from negative thought patterns to more positive patterns. I am currently reading Psychocybernetics by Maxwell Maltz to try to reprogram. It may help to come up with a plan to change things that trigger the depression as well and then act on your plan.
Although I was never diagnosed as clinically depressed I spent the first 6 months of my marriage totally depressed (not a joke). At that time they were not dishing out meds for the condition so I ended up seeing a therapist for a few sessions but after laying out 2 bills a session to have someone look at me and let me vent I decided to do it on my own. Exercise, positive thinking and the support and understanding of friends was the key to my recovery. I was very happy that I never ended up getting meds for this as I would most likely still be on them even though I have fortunately had no relapses in over 14 years. I have also been divorced for 9 years which may have helped (now that is the joking part at least partially). I am a firm believer that God gives us no cross to bear unless he also gives us the strength to do it. Although sometimes that means knowing when to seek help. Good Luck
__________________ -50# by 4/1/10 2 down 48 to go.
Depression takes on so many forms, and treatments can be varied and expensive. I deal with my depression by living a clean healthy lifestyle with lots of "me" time. The "me" time is time to relax, enjoy a hobby and/or workout. Physical workouts are critical for me, as well as proper sleep and stress management. I have learnt to say NO to others, even my family, when their demands get too heavy. And I never miss a workout session unless I am physically sick.
__________________ "I'm growing older but not up. My metabolic rate is pleasantly stuck. So let the winds of change blow over my head. I'd rather die while I'm living then live while I'm dead."
I did a lot of reading and research on my own, as Garrocha suggested, but you need to see someone about it if the depression feels at all serious or persistent. I saw a therapist for several months; I learned some coping skills from our sessions that have been very helpful. It's important to find a therapist that you feel comfortable talking with, and who seems to be really listening to you. Occasionally, you have to try more than one such professional.
In the end, I realized that depression was a biochemical fact of life for me. It didn't mean that I was helpless; rather, it meant that in addition to valuable coping skills I'd acquired and attempts at exercise, I had to get over both my reluctance to take antidepressants and my irritation over feeling as though I had to ask some medical authority for permission to obtain such medication. I tried Prozac for several months, but the effect seemed to plateau. The same thing happened with the over-the-counter herbal supplement, St. John's wort. Some months ago, I began buying another OTC supplement, SAM-e (s-adenosylmethionine). It seemed to help, but again the effect seemed to hit a plateau.
About a two months ago, I realized that the dosage recommended by the SAM-e manufacturer (400 mg/day) wasn't nearly at the level used in clinical trials that had reported positive effects (1600 mg/day). Feeling that I had nothing to lose, I began taking 1600 mg of SAM-e daily. It took about three weeks for me to realize that clouds had greatly lifted from my mood. The most telling change for me is that my usual daily craving for cigarettes (I've been trying to quit for years, with fitful success and a lot of backsliding) is greatly reduced, and most days nonexistent. I haven't felt this free of the desire to smoke since my first experience with Prozac, many years ago. (Antidepressants like Prozac and Wellbutrin - selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs - are medically established as helpful in smoking cessation. It seems to me that a sufficient dosage of SAM-e is just as helpful in quitting smoking as those drugs.)
It's hard to explain what normal feels like when you haven't felt that way in a long time. The change in my emotional state is like night and day, and I believe the increase in the SAM-e dosage has everything to do with it. It's also a great positive that SAM-e can be purchased right off a grocery store counter, no prescriptions required. SAM-e does have a drawback, though - it's expensive, especially at 1600 mg a day. Still, it's worth it to me.
That's my experience, and I don't mean to pitch SAM-e like a salesman! I do believe that seeing a professional is really important; do that for certain, no matter what else you do. Good luck to you!
P.S. - I'm sorry; you asked about hypnosis, and I forgot to answer. I consider myself highly suggestible, but I was not very responsive the only time someone (a psych grad student) tried to hypnotize me. I've never tried it for clinical matters.
P.P.S. - I meant to mention this before, since I went on so long about s-adenosylmethionine. It is strongly advised that people supplement with B-complex vitamins if they are taking SAM-e. Although s-adenosylmethionine is a natural substance with many positive qualities, it breaks down into homocysteine, which has been strongly correlated with heart disease if it is left to build up within your cells. As I understand it, this is where the B-complex vitamins come in, particularly B-6, B-12 and folic acid. These apparently work to prevent homocysteine build-up by converting it into other, more benign substances. At least one supplement company I know of won't sell SAM-e without including B-complex vitamins for free with the order. Just something to keep in mind.
I read about a study that had a high rate of success with keeping the individual awake for 36 hours. It resets the brain chemistry seratonin levels and dopamine levels back to normal processing levels. You may want to try it if you suffer from bouts of depression. I will root around and see if I can find the actual study.
__________________
Never underestimate the predictability of stupidity.
I suffered from depression and found through a number of different things I got healed from it. The cause was multiple things from psychological, to physiological, to environmental, to biochemical, to habits.
Each of these had to be deal with over time and changes were made in each of these areas to a large degree.
For psychological, I did get therapy for this and lots of it over a number of years. Last year, various anti-depressants were given to me for a short period of time. They did NOT help me and really made my condition worse and brought on worse things for me.
For physiological, 2 energy psychological methods were used to bridge the gap between psychological and physiological. They were EFT (emotional freedom technique) and EMDR (eye movement desensitization reprocessing). BTW, I also experienced some trauma, which was why the EMDR was brought in.
Environmental - Lots of things became toxic to my body and I became environmentally sensitive to many chemicals, so many things had to be removed from my home and work areas.
Biochemical - I changed the foods I ate to be mainly organic, gluten & dairy free, little to no refined sugar and that helped significantly.
Habits - Had to completely change my way of thinking to be from "victimlike" to "victorlike". This meant changing the words I used to identify myself with, my self-talk, a lot of different things here. I also had to get rid of toxic habits and relationships. I also had to learn to get enough sleep, which is what I should be doing right now, as well as get rid of OCD and controlling type behaviors.
The combination of all these things has taken a number of years to fight - 7 to be exact. But, I feel great now and no medications are needed. I feel empowered to live life to the fullest.
It doesn't mean I periodically don't get into a depressed mode, but I do not stay there very long.
Depression
"I'm growing older but not up. My metabolic rate is pleasantly stuck. So let the winds of change blow over my head. I'd rather die while I'm living then live while I'm dead."
Linear Mode
