The word "depression" used in everyday life can mean a depressed state caused by some event. But negative emotions are quickly replaced by positive ones. This condition usually goes away within a few days, rarely lasting more than a month.
Scientifically speaking, depression is a mental health disorder. She manifests herself as prolonged despondency, negative thoughts, and inappropriate behavior. Accompanied by headaches and insomnia. If diagnosed early, it responds well to treatment.
Causes and symptoms
Usually a person realizes that he is depressed. It is characterized by three main features:
- depressed mood and inability to experience joyful emotions;
- negative thoughts;
- decreased activity.
There are many reasons why it occurs. This could be a divorce, a breakup, the death of a friend or relative, a serious illness, or loss of a job. It is important to recognize this condition in time and consult a specialist.
The period of depression is individual for each person. Some are freed from it after just a few months, while others suffer for years. In rare cases, it is practically untreatable.
Development of depression
Further, all manifestations worsen: attacks of melancholy become more frequent and lengthened, physical retardation becomes more pronounced, desire decreases until libido fades. Speech becomes impoverished, becomes monosyllabic, “dull,” and slow. Professional skills are partially lost.
Women have a tendency to self-blame. They consider themselves incapable of professional activity, unsuitable for family relationships, and incompetent in terms of raising a child. During this period, daily mood swings are common, with patients feeling worse in the morning than in the evening.
Factors influencing duration
Sometimes a person may have the impression that such a depressed state will last forever. Of course, no one can say exactly how long depression lasts. This is influenced by several factors:
- Heaviness. Its mild and medium forms last up to 9 months. Most people cope with depression on their own. If the form is severe, then you cannot do without the help of specialists.
- Cause of occurrence. Usually depression recedes if the cause that caused it is removed. For example, depression is caused by job loss. It is logical to expect that it will pass when a person finds a new one. If depression arose due to the death of a loved one, then relief will come only after a year. In cases where the cause disappears, but the depressed state remains, it means the depression is physiological in nature. To get rid of it, you will need to take medications. When the problem lies in childhood psychological trauma, a deep and thorough study with a psychotherapist is necessary.
- Treatment. It includes medication and psychotherapy. If depression appears due to psychological reasons, it will not be possible to cure it only by taking pills. With regular therapy, you can fully recover after six months, but this is an approximate time frame.
- Timely contact with a specialist. The sooner a person consults a doctor, the more effective the treatment will be. If you postpone a visit to a psychologist, the condition will gradually worsen. Then you will have to look for reasons for a long time and deal with the accumulated load.
It is also necessary to take into account your personality type. If a person has a sensitive psyche, he quickly gets involved in the problem, worries actively and for quite a long time.
What can hurt with depression?
In addition, depression can manifest itself in the form of pain, loss of appetite, sleep disturbances, increased fatigue, decreased libido and poor concentration.
The same fibromyalgia that is often encountered in the practice of neurologists is not always a separate disease. The fact is that depression, like anxiety, is accompanied by quite strong bodily tension, which is manifested by algia - pain symptoms and syndromes. Tight skeletal muscles can create this chronic pain. Sometimes these are chronic tension headaches, which in 70% reflect an unfavorable emotional state, pain in the back, abdominal cavity, and limbs.
Fibromyalgia (mainly muscle pain), cephalgia (headaches), cardialgia (pain in the heart), abdominalgia (pain in the abdomen), neuralgia (pain along the nerves, such as intercostal neuralgia) and other algia can be a reflection of anxiety and depressive disorders , representing psychosomatic symptoms. Therefore, often after some time, against the background of psycho-emotional relaxation, these manifestations also go away.
Features of female and male depression
Representatives of the fairer sex are more emotional. It is easier to unsettle them and make them feel worthless, so they are at risk. Women often suffer from prolonged depression. They occur during menopause, pregnancy or childbirth. Various psychological traumas bring them more suffering than men. Let's consider how long depression can last in women during the period:
- Divorce. A woman can worry about separation for about two years. Creating a new family can shorten this period.
- Postpartum depression. It can go on for years. It is aggravated by the development of psychological disorders. With timely treatment, you can get rid of it in six months.
- Refusal of alcoholic beverages. This decision may also cause depressed feelings. It is impossible to say exactly how many days depression associated with alcohol withdrawal lasts. But usually this is no more than a month. If there is a mental illness associated with alcoholism, then a state of depression can be observed for several years in a row.
- Parting with a loved one. Here everything will depend on the age and individual characteristics of the woman. In severe cases, the condition persists for years.
- Menopause. A depressive state can last from a year to 5 years.
It is worth noting that depression in men is 10 times less common. They are taught from childhood to control their emotions, but no matter how hard they try, a depressed state still arises.
Depression most often affects men:
- previously suffered from this disease;
- having relatives susceptible to depression;
- having low levels of income.
Men with severe illness are also susceptible to depression. For example, if there is cancer, diabetes, AIDS and the like. Symptoms of depression due to illness can last for several months.
Features of male depression are aggression, craving for alcoholic beverages and inappropriate behavior. They rarely admit to their condition, so the disease may go untreated for a long time. Mostly men are affected by:
- Major depression. It interferes with work, sleep, and leading a normal lifestyle. Her symptoms are vivid and last for several months.
- Dysthymia. Its symptoms are milder than those of major depression, but the duration is much longer.
- Bipolar disorder. The person is either depressed or euphoric.
Taking antidepressants and psychotherapy helps get rid of depression in men.
Teenage depression
Adolescence is the most difficult period in a person’s life. Boys and girls are trying to find themselves, so they are often in a stressful state. They may worry about their first love, worry about quarrels in the family, but this period must be passed. This condition lasts from a couple of weeks to several months.
Often teenage depression is not treated in a timely manner. Sometimes the parents themselves are to blame for this. They simply attribute symptoms of depression to a difficult age. In some cases, teenagers try to drown out their depressed state by using drugs and alcohol.
Depression in older people
It is generally accepted that depression in old age is quite common. This statement is not true. Typically, older people are satisfied with their lives. Depression occurs in older people due to illness or loss of loved ones. It is rarely diagnosed, since older people often complain about their physical health and do not pay much attention to their emotional state.
Typically, symptoms of depression in older people are subtle. When the disease is diagnosed, medications and psychotherapy are prescribed. Often the latter is sufficient, since older people do not want to take medications. Depression at this age can be treated quite quickly.
Resistant type
This is the most difficult form of depression. It is long-lasting and has pronounced relapses. With each appearance their intensity increases. The resistant type is difficult to treat. There is no particular relief observed after the procedures. It usually occurs against the background of dysthymia. Its temporary reduction in symptoms is followed by a pronounced relapse.
Ways to get rid of depression
The first thing you need to realize is that the cause of your disorder doesn’t matter, you just have to take responsibility for your current state. Don't blame anyone for this, not even yourself, the culprit is your brain, and your body will help reboot it. Physical actions are as effective as possible. When you do something physically, your subconscious mind notices it. There is a realization that your actions contradict your negative thoughts. This will gradually change your perception of yourself.
Understand! Depression does not indicate your emotional weakness or lack of masculinity. Every person experiences mood swings and an unwillingness to live.
When you think in a negative way, it affects your body. When the body and mind are filled with negativity, there is no room for good. Start controlling your thoughts now. Yes, it won't be easy right away, but your body will help you, use it to tame your brain.
These methods will help you overcome severe depression:
- Do something that will engage your mind. This will distract the mind from depressing thoughts, and gradually it will begin to emerge from the “autopilot” state. The more often you do this, the less your brain will tend to fall back on old ways of thinking.
- Start doing simple exercises in the morning. Physical activity releases endorphins in brain cells.
- Try to be surrounded by people. Don't sit alone.
- Do not take antidepressants (unless your doctor has prescribed them for you). These drugs have negative effects on the body. Vitamin C has also been shown to effectively reduce levels of cortisol, the main stress hormone produced by the adrenal glands.
- Get enough sleep. Lack of sleep causes and worsens depression. Go to bed when you really want to, and for deeper sleep it is recommended to eat 3-4 yolks a day. Egg yolks contain vitamin B6, which promotes the biosynthesis of melatonin (for deeper sleep).
- Get enough sunlight. Sunlight dispels negativity and synthesizes vitamin D, which is necessary for the production of hormones that support your mental health.
- Take a cold shower. It has a powerful antidepressant effect.
And also pay attention to your breathing, it is directly related to your state of mind. If the brain is excited, the breathing rate will be fast. Therefore, consciously observe your consciousness: you can calm your mind simply by slowing down your breathing rhythm.
Follow the described tips daily, and your mind will gradually lose power over you. The main thing is patience. Understand that you are not your brain, it should not control you, but you should control it. When this happens, you will be able to solve those mental problems that make you think negatively.
Treatment
This mainly involves taking antidepressants and psychotherapy. With a mild form, you can do without taking medications. Combined treatment alleviates symptoms and helps cope with life's problems. Severe forms are additionally treated with electroconvulsive therapy. The session is performed under short anesthesia.
When taking antidepressants, improvement occurs within the first week. To achieve a lasting effect, they should be taken for about a month. You should not stop taking medications on your own. Refusal of them may lead to relapse. Usually medications are withdrawn gradually. This gives the body the opportunity to readjust.
Coding is not used in the treatment of depression.
Refusal of sex
One of the characteristic symptoms of depression is a lack of sexual desire. Those suffering from depressive disorder experience a decrease in sexual activity due to insufficient secretion of sex hormones. At the same time, women experience not only a decrease in libido, but also a disruption of the menstrual cycle. And during sexual intercourse, if it does happen, the patient with depression does not experience the expected release. In addition, he does not try to please his partner. Therefore, he begins to feel guilty. Constantly feeling guilty, by the way, is also a symptom of depression.
Symptoms of the end of the disease
We've looked at how long depression lasts, now let's look at how it ends. You can understand that the disease is receding by the following signs:
- the person has become more cheerful and sociable;
- he had new plans, an interest in life;
- he better concentrates his attention on what is happening, his performance has increased;
- symptoms of insomnia disappeared.
It is important to remember that depression needs to be treated. The illness must not be allowed to drag on. This can lead to unpleasant consequences.
Indecisiveness
Have you always been a person who is confident in your decisions, but suddenly everything has changed? Do you stand in front of the counter for half an hour, unable to decide whether you want a loaf of bread or black bread? Or you can’t sign an important contract at work all day, fearing that you’ll let the whole company down? Unfortunately, such indecision may indicate the onset of a depressive disorder. With depression, a person is unable to make even the slightest important decision. In addition, he begins to believe that he is insignificant and no one needs him, and nothing depends on his decisions. Often this symptom of depression goes hand in hand with another - the emergence of new phobias.
Positive attitude
A psychotherapist is not a magician, he only helps a person cope with suppressed feelings. The positive attitude of the patient himself gives great benefit during treatment. To speed up the process, you need to:
- Always remember that depression does not last forever. Over time, everything will fall into place. Life goes on, a person forges his own happiness.
- Avoid unnecessary stress and making important decisions when depressed. Let everything take its course.
- If possible, go for walks and play active games with friends. Go outdoors with a noisy group.
- Surround yourself with things that bring joy. It could be a favorite book, a sweet, a relaxing bath.
- Ask your friends for help. Loving people will always listen and help with advice.
In order not to aggravate the situation, you need to give up alcohol and negative thoughts. Make it a goal to take care of your body. Eat right, have pleasant cosmetic procedures.
Finding solitude
Another symptom of depression in the early stages is a refusal to meet with friends and relatives. Subconsciously, a person is looking for a place where no one would touch him and where he could indulge in his gray thoughts that the world is terrible and life has no meaning. In addition, being depressed, or more precisely at the very beginning, a person does not want to show his condition to his loved ones. It seems to him that no one will understand him, much less help him. But that's not true. Taking medications, talking with a psychologist and supporting loved ones are important factors for getting out of depression.
Preventive actions
To avoid prolonged depression, you need to consult a psychologist, psychiatrist or psychotherapist at the first sign of depression. You can also reduce its symptoms at home by:
- attend trainings to improve self-esteem;
- tune in to positive thoughts;
- exercise regularly;
- stop watching dramas;
- change communication if it leads to negative thoughts;
- get rid of bad habits.
When asked how long to treat depression, doctors answer: about 4-9 months. With bipolar affective disorder and a chronic illness, a person is forced to take medications throughout his life.
Which doctor treats depression?
An important condition under which healing is possible is a request for help. Most often, people are afraid of even visiting a psychiatrist or psychotherapist. They are afraid of the thought that this will be perceived by others as a sign of madness. Meanwhile, without the help of a good doctor, it is almost impossible to recover from real depression. Therefore, the question is often asked: who treats depression, which doctor, who else, and is it possible to avoid a visit to a psychiatrist?
✔️ Psychologist
First, you can make an appointment with a psychologist. Unlike a psychotherapist and psychiatrist, who are certified physicians, psychologists engage in theory, studying the properties of the psyche and behavior and emotions, without the right to prescribe treatment. However, a psychologist can help at the initial stage by recognizing the signs of a serious illness. Cases when people independently realize the gravity of their situation are extremely rare. Especially when it comes to making a diagnosis. It is very difficult to realize the moment when you become depressed. First you need to at least admit the problem - bad mood, deterioration in well-being, depression, apathy. Then you will need to analyze the situations that happened before the loss of strength.
This is necessary to understand the possible cause and this is where a psychologist can help. After all, it is very difficult to analyze the source of depression on your own, especially when you are in a state of depression. Often the answers to the sacred question “why?” is located in the subconscious, which can only be reached with the help of a specialist. Therapy sessions in a psychologist’s office help to understand the source of the disease, understand when this condition arose and what was the provoking factor.
The reasons may lie in any biographical fact and at different ages, starting from the moment of birth. A psychologist’s help with depression consists of providing measures to help find the source of the disease, influencing it and eliminating the manifestations of the disease. First of all, these are consultations. By interacting with the client, the psychologist corrects his behavior and helps him choose the right direction.
✔️ Psychotherapist
Unlike his previous colleague, the psychotherapist is a doctor with special education. He influences the patient’s psyche through conversations, consultations, and any other way of communicating with a person. He has the right to prescribe medications, but more often he does without them. This is the difference between a psychotherapist and a psychiatrist.
Psychotherapy is prescribed for any form of depression (clinical, chronic, manic, endogenous, cognitive, reactive). It is noted that contacting this specialist has the greatest effect, as does taking antidepressants. In general, psychotherapy is teaching the patient how to cope with a destructive condition and the ability to control their emotions. As a result, the disease is alleviated and cured.
✔️ Psychiatrist
This specialist is the last link in the treatment of depression. They resort to his help in difficult cases. Many people are afraid to see such a doctor, believing that they will be placed in a closed institution for the mentally ill. However, this is a wrong judgment, because timely seeking help is the first step to returning to your normal life. The help of psychiatrists is needed by 30-60% of people suffering from depressive disorder. What is the difference between a psychiatrist and other specialists? It is he who prescribes antidepressants and develops the necessary drug therapy.
What prevents you from getting out of depression on your own?
Dysfunctional negative thinking of a person leads him to disbelief in his capabilities, reduces daily activity, up to complete inactivity, which, in turn, leads to so-called anhedonia - a decrease in satisfaction and pleasure from life and what previously brought them. This suppresses mood and further contributes to negative assessments, reasoning, and forecasts.
At the same time, a person’s negative vision of himself increases, which again leads to a reduction in activity due to a feeling of helplessness and hopelessness. Following this, compensatory strategies are activated, when a person does not resolve the causes of the depressed state that arises, but tries to compensate for the bad mood with some situational actions.
If a woman tries to get rid of or at least distract herself from suffering by, for example, shopping - she buys a lot of unnecessary things that “closets are full of them, but there’s still nothing to wear,” this ultimately aggravates her condition. After all, as a result, she may begin to blame herself for wasted time, wasted money, etc. Hence the feeling of hopelessness, since, as expected, as a result of the purchases she did not feel better, on the contrary, she became worse. And again - a depressed mood, a new round of wandering in a vicious circle begins.
Avoidance is one of the most common compensatory behavior strategies, which a person does not always notice, because it seems to him that this is a coincidence. However, avoidance can manifest itself in dozens or even hundreds of different forms, when a person seems to be random, but does not do what it makes sense to do.
