Depression: how to recognize the danger?

Depression is one of the most common reasons people seek therapy. It never appears out of nowhere. It can start with the loss of a loved one, divorce, health problems, or being fired.

It happens that depression creeps gradually, like clouds on a once cloudless sky. At some point, we get used to the world in muted colors and begin to believe that it has always been like this, it cannot be otherwise. Some live in this mode for years, not finding the strength to ask for help.

Path to awareness

Many people with depression are not ready to admit that their condition needs help. They drive experiences deep inside, direct them to some external object, or become discouraged because of any little thing. This is the problem with diagnosing depression: it is difficult for a person to realize that the source of his constant suffering is concentrated in his way of thinking and feeling.

“Depression makes a person helpless, as if he can’t swim,” writes Robert O’Connor, author of Depression Canceled. – He strains, tries to solve problems, but all efforts are fruitless, because he lacks the ability to stay afloat. With this disease, there is a real battle between different sides of our “I”. A person is pulled down by shadows, spirits, aspects of the personality that he cannot cope with and cannot get rid of.

The most common symptoms of depression:

• decreased appetite (or lack thereof)
• strong fluctuations in weight
• lack of motivation
• apathy, drowsiness, heaviness in the head
• social exclusion, unwillingness to communicate with people
• avoidance of activities, procrastination
• feeling lost and helpless
• thoughts about death as a release from suffering
• in extreme forms – suicide attempts

What therapy to choose?

How do you know which therapy is best for you? It all depends on the specific circumstances and on the correct diagnosis of depression. Some require a short, targeted work, focused rather on the restructuring of thinking. In this case, cognitive behavioral therapy may be the best option.

For those who live under the burden of years of suppressed feelings and thoughts, who cannot determine the reasons for their actions, deliverance is not limited to obtaining tools or training certain skills. They want not only to know how, but also to understand why. For them, psychoanalysis may be the best option. This approach takes time, but it provides a deeper elaboration of the problem, starting from the very foundations of personality.

It is important to understand that depression will not go away on its own. Perhaps it will be possible to mute it for a while. But in a situation of vulnerability, she will return with renewed vigor.

“People suffering from depression must learn to live differently with themselves and with others: acquire new emotional skills,” explains Robert O’Connor. “It takes practice, consistency, flexibility. Instead of slapping the water in a panic, you need to master emotional habits, similar to the calm, rhythmic movements of a swimmer, learn how to stay afloat, feel comfortable in this element. Such people are usually excellent fighters, but to fight is to drown. It is better to try to make sure that the water itself supports the person.