Dealing With Depression

Don't go it alone: Professional help and a strong support system are critical when dealing with depression.

Feeling hopeless. Unable to sleep. Irritable. Weepy. Reclusive.

These are just some of the hallmarks of depression. If these feelings sound familiar, you’re not alone: Depression is a common psychological ailment, affecting nearly 20 million people in the United States annually.

Many mistake depression as just a phase and never seek medical assistance. But if you get the right help, in 30 days you may see significant improvements in your mood and get on the road to beating depression.

Depression: No Simple Sadness

“We all experience feelings of sadness, but depression is very different,” explains Joseph Luciani, Ph.D., a New Jersey-based psychologist and author of Self-Coaching: The Powerful Program to Beat Anxiety & Depression. Depression “is a physical illness with many more symptoms than an unhappy mood. The person with clinical depression finds that there is not always a logical reason for his or her dark feelings.”

Symptoms of depression can include an overwhelming feeling of unhappiness; changes in sleep and eating patterns; loss of interest in activities that once gave you pleasure; and restlessness and irritability. If you have suffered from these symptoms for two weeks or more, you could be dealing with depression.

The sooner you get help for your depression, the sooner you’ll feel better. “There are many different treatment options available, and it’s important to know help is available, and to take steps to get that help,” says John Preston, Psy.D., a board-certified neuropsychologist in California and author of You Can Beat Depression: A Guide To Prevention & Recovery. “Over 80% of people who seek depression help see improvements in their symptoms."

Depression Help: Treatment Options

Doctors and therapists generally stick to certain depression treatment options, usually consisting of talk therapy and medical or self-help techniques. Your treatment choices will depend on your diagnosis, severity of symptoms and preference.

“If depression is chemical in nature, a combination of medication and therapy might be necessary,” explains Preston. “The majority of depressions are psychological and most people can usually recover with simple self-help procedures and/or professional psychotherapy.”

In fact, talk therapy or psychotherapy has been shown to greatly improve depression symptoms. A Canadian study in the 2004 Archives of General Psychiatry found that patients who recover from depression with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)—a type of talk therapy that aims to change one’s negative thought patterns—show an improvement that’s similar to taking an antidepressant.

“Medications can help to accelerate recovery, but talk therapy helps to promote changes in behavior, like getting patients out of bed and doing activities they enjoy,” says Luciani. Also, therapists can teach patients how to use self-talk to diffuse negative thought patterns, like “I’m a loser” or “I’ll never get better.”

In addition to talk therapy, your doctor will discuss antidepressant medication with you. These drugs aim to improve your neurons’ ability to function, thus improving your depression symptoms. Popular antidepressants include Paxil, Zoloft, Lexapro and Prozac. Be warned: Finding the right medication may take time. Every person responds differently to these medications (some don’t work, some bring on nasty side effects), so the first 30 days may be a time of experimentation and patience.

Hilary James* from Seattle, tried three different antidepressant medications before finding the right one for her. “I was prescribed Paxil and Effexor by my doctor, but both medications made me very tired,” she explains. “Finally, after taking Zoloft for a few weeks, I noticed I was feeling better and not experiencing the same fatigue that I did with the other medications.”

There are also a number of holistic options available to treat depression. Kathleen Albertson, an acupuncturist and holistic nutritionist from Irvine, CA, treats depression patients using acupuncture and Chinese medicine.

“If your body is not nourished physically and emotionally, this imbalance can cause many patterns of illness, including brain fog, insomnia, anxiety and depression.” Albertson claims that her techniques help 80% of her depressed patients.

Nutrition and diet can also play an important role in dealing with depression. Recent research at Ohio State University has shown that increasing your intake of omega-3 fatty acids—found in salmon and walnuts—may affect your brain just like antidepressants and may improve your symptoms.

Exercise helped Brooke Stanford* from New York, who was diagnosed with depression last year. “There have been days when getting out of the house was the last thing I wanted to do,” she says. “Having a family member suggest we go for a walk or some other activity really helped.” Meditation, massage therapy and light therapy (wherein she spent an hour each day in direct sunlight) also helped Brooke in dealing with depression.

Consult your doctor before trying any natural treatments for depression.

Dealing With Depression: The Power of Positive Thinking

Luciani knows firsthand what it’s like to be depressed. Even as a child he experienced symptoms of depression, constantly worrying about his parents dying at a young age and fretting about his schoolwork. As an adult, he continued to lack self-esteem and constantly worried about what might go wrong in his life.

“I remember driving home from work one evening and thinking how there was absolutely no rational reason for me to be so miserable,” Luciani says. “I realized that I was tired of feeling bad and that I had the power to choose how I felt and to help myself feel better.”

Today, Luciani gets depression patients to feel good again by working to change reflexive, habitual, negative thinking. “I believe the answer to our doubts, fears and insecurities can be broken down into two words: control and habit,” he says. “I teach patients how to use self-talk strategies to turn their negative inner critics into positive feedback. You need to believe in yourself and in your abilities.”

Though it may feel like a long, uphill battle, remember that seeking professional help and trying different treatments are the best things you can do when it comes to dealing with depression. As long as you are your own healthcare advocate and are determined to find the right treatment, this first 30 days will be the start of reclaiming your life!

* name has been changed.