The pit I am in is the pit within me. I am the pit; and the pit it is me. When you look into my pit; it's not you that I see. I look up and see darkness, I see only me.
Anxiety Persistent sadness Empty mood Pessimism Sense of helplessness Reduced Energy Feelings of Guilt Fatigued Sense of worthlessness Feeling defeated Poor concentration Poor Memory Loss of interest in activities once enjoyed Insomnia Difficulty making decisions Change of appetite Weight loss or gain Thoughts of suicide or self harm Restlessness Inappropriate behavior Loss of interest in self appearance Inexplicable aches and pains Headaches Irritability Digestive disorder Poor judgement Turmoil Racing thoughts Feeling there is no point in it all Feeling worthless Feeling a burden to others Feel no future Fragility Unreasonable behaviour with others No interest in sex
There is an enigma that has always interested me:
"The mind controls the body and the body controls the mind."
This puzzling interaction between what we often consider as completely separate parts of our being can be used as a way of understanding the symptoms of our depression. Depression is a "whole-of-our-human-being" illness, involving negative, uncomfortable or painful reactions experienced in our body, mood, emotions and thoughts. While it may seem that our brain or spirit is depressed, it affects the way we eat and sleep, the way we feel about our self, and the way we think about everyday experiences. Another way to look at this is to remember the butterflies in the stomach sensation experienced before, say, a school exam. We worry in our mind yet it is our body that is worrying too. The physical symptoms of our depression are reflective of the psychic symptoms.
No one expects to be happy all the time and, as they say, into every life a little rain must fall. Being sad after the loss of a family member or the end of a relationship and a period of the blues is natural, but a depressive disorder is not the same as a passing blue mood. People must not feel guilty if they experience what a doctor describes as a depressive disorder since it is not a sign of personal weakness or a condition that can be willed or wished away. People who are living with a depressive illness cannot merely "pull themselves together" and get better. Without treatment, symptoms can last for weeks, months, or even many years. But with appropriate treatment, however, most people who suffer from depression can be helped.
Your depression may not show itself in the same way that the next person's does. The actual experienced symptoms of depression may vary from person to person, and also depend on the depth of the depression. Because of the link between body and mind, depression causes changes in thinking, feeling, behavior, and physical well-being.
You have probably experienced some of the above at times of stress or excitement in your life, but imagine the exhaustion of these symptoms lasting for weeks or even months without respite. Imagine feeling this way, not just from time to time, but almost all of the time. Depression is present if you experience many of these symptoms for a period of several weeks. The descriptions we give are not so you can diagnose yourself, that is not a good idea, but so that you can recognize in yourself or in others that continuing low mood may be more than the blues that will pass. If you think that you might be depressed, see a doctor as soon as possible. They can assess whether you are depressed, or just under a lot of stress and feeling sad; and with the diagnosis can come appropriate treatment and help. Remember, depression is treatable. Instead of worrying about whether you are depressed, do something about it. If you don't feel like doing it right now, remember that this is the depression talking.
Ringing your Doctor for an appointment will be the first step in beating depression.
Your doctor may prescribe anti-depressants which many people find helpful in the short term, but some find the idea of using drugs to control their moods an unsatisfactory solution. We at Absolute Discretion Counselling Therapy know that people want to be able to regain control of their lives, so if you would prefer to keep the use of drugs to a minimum then you will probably prefer to make use of a good counselor with whom you can discuss the underlying reasons for your unhappiness.