I’m posting a bit late due to the holiday season. It’s a good thing too, because my topic this week is a doozy. It can be a bit of a downer, so I will do my best to make this concise and helpful.
Clinical Depression is on the rampage. In fact, of people with autoimmune diseases 50% have depression or anxiety! 50! Depression has also markedly increased among the general population in the wake of the COVID 19 pandemic getting up to 29% prevalence.
What is it?
The Webster’s Dictionary defines depression as:
“a serious medical condition in which a person feels very sad, hopeless, and unimportant and often is unable to live in a normal way.”
While that definition is okay, it doesn’t quite grasp the wide reach depression can have on all aspects of life and behavior.
To define depression I prefer to look at what symptoms people may experience when dealing with clinical depression.
Common Symptoms
- feeling sad, irritable, on edge, angry, or numb
- passivity and loss of interest in activities
- appetite/weight changes (this could be eating more than usual OR eating less than usual)
- sleep changes (increased or decreased levels of sleep as well as difficulty falling or staying asleep)
- decrease in energy levels, lethargy
- ongoing feelings of worthlessness and guilt
- difficulty making decisions
- thoughts of death or suicide or harmful behaviors (If you are currently struggling with suicidal thoughts or behaviors please call the suicide hotline at 988. You are not alone, I believe in you.)
If you experience depression you may feel all of these things, have a few, or face things I haven’t even included on the list.
Clinically speaking, you must have these things for at least 2 weeks before being diagnosed.
My Experience
Depression is something that I have dealt with for most of my life. In high school I found myself often feeling alone even amidst many friends and family.
I was diagnosed my first year of college after a particularly bad few months involving compulsive movie/TV watching, weight gain, and very low mood.
In Multiple Sclerosis, the autoimmune disease I have, there is a 40% prevalence of depression amongst patients. One reason for this is because it’s difficult to accept that you have a crippling disease. The bigger reason is that damage to your brain causes depressive symptoms. This is something shown by traumatic brain injuries.
Help
There ARE things that will help. In my experience it is a constant battle, but one that is worth fighting. Here are some things that have helped me.
- CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy): Therapy of any kind is often helpful
- Medication
- Exercise
- A healthy diet
- EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing)
- Meditation
- Blue light therapy
There are many other things out there that can be beneficial, but there are also things that can be harmful. Any kind of numbing behavior be it drugs, alcohol, food, or media worsens depression in the long run.
If you are struggling and need a listening ear or help finding a good therapist I am here for you. Reach out to me at msandmo123@gmail.com and I will get back to you as soon as I can.
