How is a bad mood different from depression? Depression or bad mood

At all times, there were diseases with beautiful names, which were not so prestigious to be ill with - rather, it was fashionable to say that you have them, or to replace real ailments with them. As soon as you said “monstrous influenza” instead of “terrible snot”, those around you immediately began to respect you and your delicate organization.

Today, the disease that everyone talks about, often without understanding the original meaning of the name, has become. It’s customary to blame everything on her: impotence, missed emergency jobs, and reluctance to go to an alumni reunion. At the same time, few people know that depression is a very specific illness caused by such complex biochemical changes nervous system, What a common person He won’t be able to summon them even for money. It is actually quite difficult to contract depression, and what is considered to be depression is, as a rule, a depressive accentuation of the personality, Bad mood or even simple hatred of people.

Do you want to know the whole truth about whether you have depression? You have two scenarios to choose from: either you go to a psychoanalyst, and he gives you a clinical test that is 100% guaranteed to diagnose depression; or you pass exactly the same clinical test that we took as a souvenir when we went to get checked ourselves.

Yes, and keep in mind: the causes of depression are usually very specific - prolonged mental stress, overwork, chronic brain injury, severe and long-term illnesses internal organs, surgical operations, deficiency of blood supply to the brain and congenital neurochemical disorders. If you don’t have and never had any of the above, then most likely there’s no need for any tests. Just stop pretending to be depressed and it will go away!

According to the international classification of diseases “ICD-10”, depression is not even one disease, but seven different ones. In the sense that it is divided into groups.

Due to the occurrence

Neurotic D. caused by internal conflict.
Reactive D., which is a reaction to mental trauma.
Endogenous D., which is generally not difficult to treat, since it has neurochemical causes.

According to the nature of the flow

Classic D.
Hidden D.

By severity

Malaya D.
Big D.

Of course, these types can be combined. For example, major depression can be both classical and reactive. But that's not all. Only for MAXIM readers! Having caught hidden depression, you get two more types of the disease as a gift!

Jokes aside. Hidden depression can be somatized (this is when, in addition to a bad mood, you are tormented by some physical ailment such as stomach disease or dystonia) or masked. In this case, you will have all the symptoms of another disease, for example, appendicitis. However, an autopsy will show that you didn't have one.

What illnesses does depression like to disguise itself as?

1. Abdominal syndrome

Pain, heaviness, bloating, cold or heat in the abdomen, nausea, loss of appetite. Of course, the culprit could really be expired mold on the cheese. However, depression often uses these symptoms to lead doctors down the wrong path. The condition of your stomach worsens in the morning, and by the afternoon you again begin to pick at the contents of your plate with a sad look, feeling relieved. Patients are admitted to hospitals with suspected acute appendicitis and cholecystitis, but surgical intervention does not bring relief.

2. Headache

A person cannot say where exactly it hurts. More often, the pain appears to him in the form of iron hoops squeezing the skull, or something that is crawling inside the head. The condition, as in the case of the stomach, worsens in the morning and goes away in the evening. Such patients are diagnosed with migraine or vegetative-vascular dystonia”, and then they take useless painkillers for years.

3. Facial pain

Sly depression imitates neuralgia trigeminal nerve(it goes from ear to eyebrow and lower jaw) and inflammation temporomandibular joint. Desperate patients ask dentists to completely remove them healthy teeth, which sometimes, by the way, brings temporary relief. The mask of depression also causes a surprisingly vivid sensation of roughness and hairiness of the tongue.

4. Cardialgia

Imitation of interruptions in the functioning of the heart, burning or cold behind the sternum. The results of the cardiogram do not correspond to the patient’s complaints, but out of pity the doctors prescribe him heart medications. They reduce pain, but do not remove it completely.

5. Arthralgia

You think that you have radiculitis, joint diseases and neuralgia. But the doctors, after looking at your X-ray, twirl their finger at their temple. At the same time, your joints hurt not where they should be, but a few centimeters higher.

6. Insomnia

Depression without sleep disorders is like Fyodor Konyukhov without legs. Moreover, sometimes insomnia may be the only symptom of masked depression. In this case, you will wake up unrested, have breakfast with an aversion to food, and then arrive at work already tired and immediately turn to a cigarette or a cup of coffee. Peaks of activity are possible, but usually they occur at 10-12 o'clock in the morning, and at this time you are still sleeping, because in the evening, despite being tired, you could not sleep and tossed and turned all night. And so every day.

7. Phobias

You understand that there are no sharks in soup, and the majority of aliens do not want to kill you. But this does not help overcome groundless fear. However, exotic phobias are rarely characteristic of depression. More often it causes fear of death from cessation of breathing, panic attacks. The phobia usually intensifies at night and in the morning.

8. Sexual disorders

Weakening erection? Accelerated or, conversely, delayed ejaculation? Don't rush to bequeath your penis to science. Perhaps it is again a matter of depression. By the way, the famous “demon in the rib” (or, in scientific terms, the desire for increasingly strong sexual stimuli) is also a sign of depression, and usually the earliest one.

9. Drug addiction and alcoholism

Indulgence bad habits brings short-term relief. A hangover or withdrawal symptoms are accompanied by monstrously violent symptoms taken from the previous eight points.

Clinical test for depression

Instructions

There are 44 groups of statements in front of you. In each of them, choose one answer option that best describes how you feel. Remember, your task is not to win, but to find out the truth. Answer sincerely. To make it easier for you to do this, we didn’t even intrusively “make fun” of the answers, as we usually do.

How to deal with depression

This part will be of interest primarily to people who have scored significant amounts in the test. If, according to the results, you do not have depression, you can read this block with detached schadenfreude. So, getting out of a gloomy state on your own can take months and even years, and only on the condition that you protect yourself from stress - preferably with a monastery wall or a grove of palm trees. It’s easier to see a doctor, because depression is treatable. In fact, it is a metabolic failure. Doctors will treat you not only with pills, but also with intimate conversations (the most unpleasant part). Without the simultaneous elimination of physiological and psychological factors it is impossible to cure a person.

Yours best friend I should become a psychotherapist for the next six months. Experienced mental trauma, mental stress, quarrels with others and internal conflicts, difficult experiences about one’s own health - all this can be the basis of depression. Treatment only powerful pills(without psychotherapy), of course, helps, but after stopping the medications, the disease can come visit you again.

What will they give you?

Sometimes particularly skillful psychotherapists lift their unfortunate patients out of depression without medication at all. Alas, in some cases it is impossible to do without medication: an advanced disease destroys the brain so much that the balance of neurotransmitters is not restored on its own.

Antidepressants

The basis of any course of treatment. Side effects and doses may vary, but the purpose of the drugs is one - to eliminate the biochemical basis of depression.

Vitamins and biostimulants

And these useful pills will help you improve the supply of energy and other useful little things to your brain cells. Actually, these are not some secret substances, but the same vitamins that healthy people drink to increase stress resistance and immunity.

Tranquilizers

These by themselves potent drugs do not cure depression. But they struggle with its symptoms (and sometimes even succeed): melancholy, fear, bodily manifestations. Antidepressants do not have an immediate effect, so to make it more fun for you to wait for it, the doctor will probably prescribe you “trunks”.

Neuroleptics

In essence, these are ordinary sedatives, but they are so strong that they can drive you into a calm state even an elephant that has just lost all its relatives, both tusks and a share in the business. Neuroleptics reduce arousal and eliminate fears, remove the patient from a mental impasse and reduce the physical manifestations of masked depression.

However, it may not come to neuroleptics. Doctors usually start a course of a cocktail of antidepressants and biostimulants. And only if it doesn’t work, two other components are added.

Why might this not help?

Pills are almost useless if the psychotherapist has not eliminated the personal causes of depression - for example, he has not forced you to quit.

You have untreated thyroid diseases, diabetes, hypertension and other ailments, causing depression.

You stopped the course too early, overjoyed at the improvement. If you stop taking antidepressants before they have a lasting effect, depression will develop again.

Sometimes the disease returns a year or two after completing the course, because you stopped seeing a doctor and taking antidepressants in for preventive purposes. And they give you the test again...

Sheehan Anxiety Scale

If the first test gives a negative result, proceed to the second. The Sheehan test will help you find out whether you have at least anxiety, a condition that precedes depression. If you don’t score enough points here, then, alas, you are a mentally healthy person, who now only needs to come up with new excuses for your impotence and innate laziness.

Have you been bothered during the last week...

And not necessarily because they want to deliberately exaggerate their psycho-emotional state. In the understanding of the common man Bad mood And depression are identical. But we must not forget that depressive disorder is a disease that doctors psychotherapist must be observed and treated.

How to distinguish a bad mood from depression?

Bad mood manifests itself in a feeling of depression, sadness, slight irritation - this normal condition human response to stressful situations. Therefore, there is nothing to worry about when it lasts for several days. But when the decline in mood becomes prolonged, this becomes an alarm bell and a reason to seek help from a specialist.

It should be taken into account that a depressive state is characterized by the following points:

• mood disorder;
• disorders in the autonomic system;
• asthenic disorder.

Characterized by depression sharp changes mood towards a downward trend, apathy, blues, feeling of anxiety, nervousness. Panic attacks are common and mark the peak anxiety states and the fact that depression develops into a very acute mental disorder. From panic attacks and nervousness, depressive disorder can manifest itself in a state when a person cannot do anything, his movements are inhibited, it is difficult for him to think and concentrate on some work.

Depression affects the general physical condition. If the examination does not reveal signs of any disease, then the physical ailment is of the same nature as mood disorders. Here depression manifests itself in change blood pressure, fever, headaches, loss or increased appetite, decreased libido.

Regarding the asthenic component depressive disorder, then here depression manifests itself in irritability, sleep disorders, constant fatigue, often in connection with this a diagnosis is made (CFS).

Depression has an extreme point in its development, which indicates severity mental state person - thoughts about existential problems: the meaninglessness and purposelessness of life, obsessive suicidal mood, with subsequent plans for implementation.

It should be noted that in psychiatry there is such a concept as or chronic depression . This diagnosis is made when symptoms of depression last more than two years. As a rule, it has a cyclical occurrence with a high frequency of manifestation of a complex of symptoms of a depressive disorder. All symptoms of depression taken together are the same full-fledged symptoms of the disease as, for example, the flu. Depression has a primarily existential basis, affecting not only physical state, but also an acute, stable psycho-emotional state.

From all of the above, the following warning signs can be identified:

• changes in appetite;
• insomnia or constant drowsiness;
• feeling empty and tired;
• problems with concentration, restlessness;
• obsessive feeling of meaninglessness, inability to obtain satisfaction from favorite activities;
• thoughts of suicide.

If you or your loved ones have the above symptoms to varying degrees of severity, you need to make an appointment with a specialist who will help you deal with the problem by prescribing a course of treatment.

Depression is a group of mental disorders that affect mood. There is a whole group of symptoms that describe this disease - depressed mood, decreased physical activity and speed of thinking, irrational fear and even somatic symptoms.

The causes of depression are not fully known; only factors that can contribute to its occurrence have been identified, for example, changes in the structure of the brain, viral infections, genetic factors, psychological or social.

Depression for a reason

What is depression? It would seem that everyone can name its symptoms - sadness, apathy, melancholy, reluctance to act, but we all feel this way from time to time. This does not mean that everyone is constantly depressed.

Depression has found...

Depression is not a fiction and an excuse for laziness, an escape from problems. This serious illness which requires appropriate treatment.

The disease is characterized by the intensity of symptoms and for a long time their course (according to at least, two weeks). What should cause anxiety is not just a bad mood, but the fact that it has been going on for a long time, and this affects our work and disorganizes our daily life. Sadness in depression does not appear from time to time, but constantly accompanies us and begins to fundamentally change us.

Depression is crying that comes without apparent reason– there is a decrease in the dynamics of the standard of living, difficulties with thinking arise, and the topics of our thoughts are significantly impoverished. Ambition, success or competition cease to matter.

Characteristics develop sleep problems: at neurotic disorders the patient cannot fall asleep, and during depression he falls asleep quickly, but then wakes up early in the morning. If we consider the exchange of information between a person and his environment as information metabolism, then we can say that depression is a disorder of information metabolism.

Symptoms of depression

Depression grows slowly and unnoticeably. The mood gradually decreases, the person becomes lethargic, passive, does not want to show any activity, is more willing to live away from other people, seeks loneliness, and withdraws into himself. The sadness cannot be dispelled by loved ones or positive events in the patient’s life. What previously gave the patient pleasure, for example, the realization of his interests, no longer interests him.

In severe depression, the patient is convinced that he has no prospects for himself, that in the current situation nothing can be changed, delusions of persecution, self-blame, as well as irritability and aggression arise. The person is convinced that all evil comes from him and that he generates all the problems. Negatively evaluates himself, his achievements and prospects for the future. Negative thoughts very persistent and the patient cannot get rid of them. In this condition, the risk of attempting suicide greatly increases.

Somatic (bodily) symptoms of depression, this is for example:

• sleep disturbances (insomnia or too much sleep);
• problems with appetite (excessive or weakened);
• weight loss or gain;
• problems with menstruation;
• headache;
• decreased libido;

Please note that not every decrease in mood or deterioration in well-being means depression. In order to make such a diagnosis, certain symptoms must be present for a long time (at least 2 weeks).

In addition to the time criterion, other conditions must be met:

• at least two from this group:
  • depressed mood (long-term, poor health);
  • loss of interests and ability to have fun;
  • increased fatigue.
• at least two from this group:
  • weakening of concentration;
  • low self-esteem and low self-confidence;
  • feelings of guilt and worthlessness;
  • a pessimistic, black vision of the future;
  • thoughts of suicide;
  • sleep disorders;
  • decreased appetite.

Symptoms of depression, as opposed to mental disorder, last a very long time. Patients cannot find peace. Are experiencing unreasonable fear, have thoughts of suicide. There is no way to improve your mood.

Depression also has various symptoms, depending on its type.

There are:

• dysthymia;
• seasonal depression;
• postpartum depression;
• bipolar disorder.

Questions and answers about depression

Depression is a serious illness that is difficult to diagnose early stage. It often happens that for a long time the doctor is not able to make an accurate diagnosis.

If frequent mood swings raise suspicions of depression, then you can ask yourself questions that can help not only you as a patient, but also as a doctor.

Will convincing the patient that “everything will be fine” or forcing him to be active help the patient?

- No. Saying “everything will be fine, calm down” for patients is discrimination. As a rule, they say this because they underestimate the patient’s problems. People suffering from depression feel inferior, worthless, and good for nothing. The fact that they cannot cope with their problems can make the illness worse. The same can be said about compulsion to activity. Patients constantly feel tired and unwilling to perform any actions (do not feel pleasure from what they do). By encouraging them to engage in normal activities, we may arouse additional feelings of guilt in them. They feel like they can't handle simple things.

What is depression?

Depression belongs to the group of mood disorders. Diseases of this group are expressed primarily by fluctuations, for example, periods of alternating excessive grief and excessive joy. We can recognize mood disorders when excessive sadness or joy lasts inappropriately long relative to the stimulus that caused them, or when there is no specific explanation.

What average age onset of depression?

This value is believed to lie between 20 and 40 years. However, it happens that children also get sick, and depression among the elderly reaches almost 20%.

How long does depression last?

In half of patients without treatment depressive episode lasts on average six months. The introduction of pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy reduces the time of illness.

Can I take antidepressants during pregnancy?

There are several factors that determine the use of antidepressants during pregnancy. These include: clinical picture diseases and severity of symptoms, stage of pregnancy (in the first trimester of pregnancy the use of any drugs is contraindicated, since at this time organs and intake begin to develop medicines may lead to birth defects in children). A situation that requires urgent introduction of antidepressant treatment - severe depression with thoughts of suicide.

In subsequent trimesters, the use of medications is no longer so dangerous. However, you should remember that 2 weeks before your due date you should start reducing the dose of your medications. Thus preventing complications in newborns (the so-called withdrawal syndrome) and allows the mother to start breastfeeding her baby. Taking medications during pregnancy should always be done under the supervision of a doctor.

How long will treatment with antidepressants take?

Once depression is diagnosed, the doctor must initiate therapy. Depending on the severity of symptoms, as well as the type of depression, antidepressants or psychotherapy are used. Most often, however, both of these treatment methods are combined. After selecting the appropriate drug and its dose, treatment should be continued for 8-12 months in the case of the first episode of the disease. The situation looks different when we are dealing with recurrent depression. In the case of the second episode, treatment is carried out for 2 years, and the third - until the end of the patient’s life.

The effect of antidepressants is noticeable only after a few weeks. In this regard, patients must be patient. It is also difficult for them to agree with the need to take medications and attend follow-up examinations after their health and general condition improves.

Is depression hereditary?

- No. So far, not a single gene responsible for the occurrence of the disease has been identified. However, quite often there are cases of family depressive disorders. Scientists believe that this may be associated with other hereditary diseases, including depression.

Is it possible to talk to people suffering from depression about suicide?

When there is a person with depression in your environment or among loved ones, we experience difficulties with communication. People suffering from depressive disorders often have thoughts of suicide. They do not know how to think positively about themselves, about their future. They see themselves as a person with no future, worthless and useless to anyone. Thoughts about own death bring relief to patients.

A conversation on the topic of life and death should be conducted by the patient’s leading psychiatrist. It is also necessary to inform the family about these tendencies, which can notice suicidal tendencies in time.

Is it possible to drink alcohol while taking antidepressants?

As a rule, while taking drugs that act on the central nervous system(brain), you should not drink alcohol at all. Typically, information about drug interactions with various chemicals indicated in the document. New generations of antidepressants with a small amount of alcohol, as a rule, do not cause strong side effects. However, it is difficult to predict the individual reaction of the body.

Can antidepressants be addictive?

Drugs used to treat depression are not addictive. This stereotype stems from the belief that all drugs that affect brain function lead to addiction. It is also not true that when using antidepressants it is necessary to constantly increase the dose. Indeed, sometimes the doctor increases the amount of the drug given, but only if treatment fails.

Treatment of depression

The treatment of depression uses pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy. Antidepressants affect the level of serotonin or norepinephrine in the blood. These may be non-selective norepinephrine and serotonin reuptake inhibitors, otherwise called tricyclic antidepressants. selective inhibitors norepinephrine and serotonin reuptake inhibitors, serotonin monoamine oxidase inhibitors. The effect appears after several weeks.

Depression is a mental disorder characterized by loss of the ability to feel joy, decreased mood, and suffering. IN last years there is a catastrophic number of people experiencing symptoms around the world of this disease. The insidiousness of the disease lies in the fact that the patient does not realize that he is caught in the web of depression, and therefore cannot overcome the depressive state on his own. A special technique allows you to determine the type and characteristics of the disease. differential diagnosis, which is successfully used in modern medicine.

Causes of depressive disorder

The exact causes of depression are still unknown. They often appear under the influence of several factors at once. The risk group for depression (ICD code 10) includes people with low self-esteem, pessimists and adolescents. In psychiatry, there are a number of reasons why a person develops anxiety-depressive personality disorder:

• taking drugs, psychostimulants;
• taking antidepressants;
• alcohol abuse;
• childbirth, pregnancy;
• avitaminosis;
• neurological, oncological, endocrine pathologies;
• uncontrolled or long-term use neuroleptics;
• stress;
• hereditary predisposition;
• low amount of sunlight consumed;
• side effects of medications;
• lack of dopamine and serotonin in the blood;
• experiences (separation or death loved one, loss of money, job, change in social status and other negative factors).

Why is depression dangerous?

If you leave depressive state If you can’t do it yourself, you should definitely contact a specialist, otherwise over time it can lead to disastrous results. Consequences of mental disorder:

1. Problems with loved ones. The person becomes withdrawn and alienated. It is difficult to be around someone like this all the time, especially if depression occurs in women.
2. Deterioration appearance . A patient who cannot overcome the symptoms of depression becomes indifferent and stops taking care of himself. Motivation disappears, hair loses its shine, splits, nails break, skin turns pale and peels.
3. Decreased quality of life. A person loses energy, activity, and a feeling of uselessness appears. In severe cases of the disease, there is a risk of suicide.
4. Cardiovascular diseases. If the help of a specialist does not arrive in time, then, against the background of constant worries, a person will experience physical pain in the area of ​​the heart, head, abdomen. If the depressive state is not relieved in time, then chronic diseases heart disease, there is a high risk of seizures and even death.
5. Diabetes. The risk of obesity is increased by 58%. Bad mood, mild anxiety or regular sadness causes a person to “eat up” problems, which contributes to the development of diabetes.
6. Tobacco, narcotic, alcohol addiction . When it is not possible to get rid of a depressive state for a long time, people try to free themselves by taking psychotropic substances. However, their side effects only aggravate the problem, reducing functional features brain.

Classification of the disease - types

There are two types of depressive states: exogenous, when the disorder is provoked by an external stimulus ( stressful situation) and endogenous, when depression is caused by internal experiences, often inexplicable to the patient himself. Until quite recently, it was believed in medicine that the first type does not pose a particular danger to humans, that the condition is transitory.

The endogenous species was considered a complex disease leading to serious neurotic pathologies. Now doctors are sure that the provocateur of a severe disorder is precisely external stimulus, and endogenous depression is characterized as a mild depressive episode.

Symptoms and signs

It is rare when a person can lift himself out of a depressed state. Basically, the disease only develops without the intervention of a specialist. Men and women tend to experience the same symptoms of depression. Conventionally, they are divided into 4 groups: mental, behavioral, physiological, emotional.

People feel a sense of sadness low self-esteem, sleep disturbance, loss of appetite, refusal of activity, negative outlook on the future. When a severe degree of depression develops, especially in older people, adolescents or women during pregnancy, it can be observed characteristic features disorders:

• lethargy;
• loss of libido;
• autonomic dysfunction;
• deterioration of self-care skills;
• idea of ​​guilt;
• somatic distress;
• suicidal tendencies;
• hallucinatory syndrome;
• difficulty communicating;
• obsessive fears.

Diagnostics

The most important factor in the treatment of depression is its diagnosis. It is very difficult to get out of depression on your own, and a person, entangled in depressive psychosis, does not know what to do. During the interview, the specialist must take into account many factors in order to appoint adequate treatment. Determining mechanisms psychological diagnostics is to identify the characteristics and causes of the disease.

After determining the cause, the doctor refers the patient to biochemical diagnostics, which is based on identifying the levels of norepinephrine and serotonin. This will allow us to determine which mediator is not enough to select the right series of antidepressants. To diagnose depression, there are special questionnaires that are considered psychodiagnostic scientific tools. The most popular methods:

• Beck scale.
• Methods of differential diagnosis using the Zung scale.
• Self-rating depression scale.
• Questionnaire of Depressive Conditions (DSI).
• Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS).

Treatment

Based on the results of tests and biochemical diagnostics, the doctor prescribes individual psychotherapy and/or drug treatment. Doctors are confident that latent depressive syndrome (latent depression) of any stage is curable. The most effective therapy achieved by combining medications, psychotherapy, therapeutic exercises and physiotherapy. Mild depression can be treated at home. If the patient has a predisposition to acute form mental disorder, he may be placed in a hospital.

A person's lack of ability to cope with depression on their own requires help in the form of antidepressants. Their essence is to force the human body to produce nerve impulses that are responsible for activity, behavior, and mood. What medications do you need to take for this:

1. Tricyclic structure (Imipramine, Amitriptyline). Block the reuptake of neurotransmitters. Very strong effect and many side effects. Prescribed only in outpatient setting in the most severe form of depression.
2. Second generation with tricyclic action (Pyrazidol, Befol), which already affects other receptors. Less side effects, have a calming effect, but do not cope with severe forms of depression.
3. Third generation antidepressants (Fluoxetine, Citalopram). Affects serotonin metabolism. Corrects phobias and panic attacks. Convenient one-time use.
4. Fourth generation antidepressants (Milnacipran, Duloxetine). Selectively affect serotonin and norepinephrine without affecting other mediators.

Which doctor treats you?

Psychologists, psychotherapists, psychiatrists, and neurologists help fight depression. The first ones work with the client’s thoughts and emotional experiences. Using available tools, they ask questions about how the person is feeling and provide moral support. Psychotherapists also rely on the power of words, but they work with the expansion of consciousness, teach how to overcome depression, change attitudes towards oneself, help find strength in overcoming everyday difficulties, and in rehabilitation after depression. These specialists, unlike psychologists, have the right to treat depression with antidepressants or tranquilizers.

A psychiatrist helps to get rid of the average and most severe forms depressive disorder. Specializes in mentally ill people. He will not conduct intimate conversations and will not require the patient to describe his condition. The work of a psychiatrist is a tough position towards the patient, who is treated mainly on an outpatient basis with the permission of the patient or his family. Neurologists deal with depressive cases that lead to neurological diseases- Alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia and so on.

Correction methods for children and adolescents

Depressive symptoms in children are a constant apathetic state, rebellious behavior, complex nature, insomnia, tired general state. The most problematic disorders occur between the ages of 14 and 19 years. During this period, suicidal tendencies are observed; adolescents are often in a drug-induced state or after drinking alcohol. Depression does not go away on its own for everyone.

Parents have to turn to professionals for help. IN medical practice Correction of depressive disorder in adolescents is carried out through counseling or medication. Medicines prescribed calming pills(Novo-passit, Persen). If the condition worsens, the same therapy is carried out as for adults.

How to get out of depression on your own

In psychology, there are several tips for self-relieving stress. The first and main step is proper nutrition. You need to include foods that improve your mood in your diet: chocolate, fatty varieties fish, vegetables and fruits of bright colors, seaweed, bananas, nuts, cheese. Second step independent exit from a depressive state - good sleep. Having 7-8 hours of sleep will strengthen the nervous system.

Physical activity helps overcome depression. Even if a woman is on maternity leave last weeks pregnancy, she can still spend 15-20 minutes daily for stretching or yoga. People who do not know how to think positively are susceptible to stress. It is advisable to find literature that will help you understand how to learn not to react negatively to stimuli and pay attention only to the beauty of life, and look for interests in the world around you.

Prevention

Depression is not a human weakness, but a disease that requires specialist intervention. In order not to bring yourself to visit a psychiatrist, at the first symptoms of a depressive state you need to follow simple rules:

1. Light. Depression and apathy occur mainly in the off-season, when there is little light outside. For this reason, you need to have a lot of lighting fixtures in your home. During the day, try to go for walks more often. fresh air, and trying to take a depressed family member out for a walk will add to his health.
2. Movement. Motor functions release endorphins into the blood. Spend a few minutes a day doing gymnastics, and symptoms of depression will not affect you.
3. Cheerfulness. No one will diagnose you if you are always in good shape. Stimulating the body will help with this natural means: rosehip decoction, herbal balms, teas, ginger.
4. beauty. Pay attention to everything beautiful, buy only bright things, keep order in your home and workplace. Take care of your body. Try to fill every moment of your life with beautiful images.
5. Future plans. Try to plan your future correctly and set your priorities. Find a hobby, new friends with similar interests. May your wishes be fulfilled!

There can hardly be anything worse than depression. Depressed mood, decline vitality, hopeless pessimism, lack of desire to do anything and show at least some interest in existence... This and much more accompanies this mental disorder. When a person is immersed in such a state of mind, he becomes helpless, indifferent and “empty”. Some people manage to cope with this alone, while others do not. But in any case, you need to know how to overcome depression and depression.

First stage

When depression first begins, a person refuses to recognize this fact. He believes that he is simply not in the mood, due to fatigue at work or school, or weather changes. At the first stage initial symptoms accompanied by pronounced apathy, increased fatigue and lack of desire to do anything. Lack of appetite, problems falling asleep, as well as irritability and nervousness are often observed. Despite fatigue, a person cannot fall asleep, even if he takes sleeping pills.

In addition, there is a deterioration in concentration, decreased performance, and loss of interest in previous hobbies and interests. A mountain of tasks that previously managed to be resolved long before the deadline begins to accumulate. It becomes increasingly difficult to finish what you start. And this is not just a depressed mood and a lethargic state. This is how it manifests itself initial stage depression, which subsequently develops more and more intensely.

Deterioration of condition

If a person has ignored how his mood and overall routine changes, a restructuring of the body begins. The production of serotonin, which is commonly called the hormone of happiness, stops. He does not eat at all, or consumes some minimum in order to “clog” his stomach. Immunity is reduced and chronic diseases are getting worse. The body fights “with itself,” but it fails.

Prolonged insomnia sets in. A person ceases to think adequately and logically; he does not control his behavior and emotions. It’s as if he finds himself in another world, where everything is indifferent to him. To outsiders he seems strange, and as if out of touch with real world. In particular severe cases his condition is accompanied by auditory and visual hallucinations. It is at this stage, conventionally designated the second, that more than 80% of attempts to commit suicide occur. In the best cases, such people simply “close themselves” in themselves, locking themselves away where no one will touch them, and immerse themselves in philosophizing.

Losing the meaning of life

This last stage depression. A person not only has no mood - he lacks the desire to live. His body still retains vitality important functions, but already works in offline mode. But in mental sphere pathological processes begin to occur.

IN best case scenario the person will remain indifferent and detached from the world. And in the worst case, animal aggression will awaken in him. Such people are capable of harming themselves and others. Because they stop perceiving this world as something valuable, and stop identifying themselves with a Man, with a Personality. Consequences also include memory loss, schizophrenia, and depressive psychosis. This is what a long-term depressed mood transforms into. That’s why it’s so important to catch yourself at the first stage, and either seek help or get on your feet on your own.

Why does the blues occur?

Depression, depression and despondency always have prerequisites. Sometimes they are even combined into a complex. The cause may be a lack of vitamin D and sun exposure.

Even according to statistics, depression develops most often in the fall, when daylight hours are reduced. There is less sun, which is what stimulates the body’s production of vital vitamin D.

Health problems also often affect a person’s psychosomatic state. Depressed mood is observed during pregnancy, menopause, problems with thyroid gland etc.

Often the prerequisite is overwork or exhaustion of the body. Constant work, a busy schedule, eternal preoccupation with problems - it is logical that the body begins to mope. But such cases are treated extremely simply. You just need to take a vacation and let yourself relax.

And the last popular reason is the lack physical activity. If it is not there, then endorphin stops being produced. But it is precisely this hormone that is the hormone of joy. By adding a run or a couple of hours in the gym to your regimen for a week, you can notice how much your condition improves. Both physical and psychosomatic.

What to do?

First of all, don’t give up and don’t give up. If this is the first stage, then everything can really be fixed. The main thing is to act immediately.

If a person begins to notice a bad mood in the morning, which only gets worse during the day, it is necessary to bring more movement into your life. Physical labor brings satisfaction. Even cleaning the house will help organize your feelings and thoughts. But lying on the sofa only worsens the condition.

You also need to start constantly pleasing yourself with your favorite things. It can be anything - shopping, get-togethers with friends, ordering a whole mountain tasty food home, going on vacation, dancing, drawing, swinging. You just need to forget about all your worries, your age and responsibilities, and do what you want.

Relaxation is also important. Foam hot bath, aromatherapy, soothing music, and then delicious coffee, and reading an interesting book, sitting in a soft chair under a blanket - sounds like an introvert's paradise. If a person is overtaken by the blues, then silence and such utopian comfort will help him rest and relax a little.

Finding a way out

Of course, there are people who will not leave the blues, depression and despondency only after signing up for the gym and a couple of days off. In more severe cases, you need to act more radically.

A change of environment can help. When a person is depressed, the same ceiling and walls that appear before his eyes in the morning every day are incredibly depressing. You need to get away, and preferably closer to nature. She heals. The sounds of falling water, a babbling stream, the singing of birds, the rustling of leaves, the rustling of grass - this has therapeutic effect and helps reduce the level of stress hormones, as well as normalize blood pressure. This atmosphere is healing. A person who is under arrest in a noisy concrete jungle simply needs it.

In addition, one cannot fail to mention the qualitative difference between fresh natural air and the stale air that reigns indoors. Whatever one may say, in most cities it is spoiled by gases and harmful emissions. And even airing won't help. It's either forest or sea air.

And, of course, bioenergy. The city “presses” on all people and devastates them. What is it like to be in the center of the bustle for a depressed person who is overcome by depression? You can feel pure bioenergy only by coming into contact with nature. Watch the sunset, lie on the grass, walk barefoot on the sand, swim in a crystal clear pond... they say you can get rid of static electricity. Be that as it may, in the bosom of nature a person quite quickly emerges from a state of despondency and begins to feel the taste of life again.

Specialist help

Sometimes it is necessary. A constantly bad mood due to all of the above is one thing. But in reality, much more serious cases are known. Those in which you really can’t do without antidepressants, therapy and conversations with a doctor.

This refers to a psychological disorder provoked by something that destroyed a person’s life in an instant. It could be anything. Death of a loved one. Loss of all accumulated wealth. Betrayal or betrayal. The destruction of all plans, hopes and dreams without exception. Sudden changes. At such moments, you can really understand a person who loses the desire to exist in this world. Because the very purpose of his life, the reason for which he woke up in the morning, leaves his life. A man loses himself. And this is something that even an enemy would not want to wish upon.

Treatment

It starts with psychotherapy. To which a person suffering from depression and a chronically depressed state comes with difficulty. People are against various reasons. Most often, because they consider going to a psychotherapist to be “on the edge,” or they don’t want to be considered crazy, or they “dig” into their head. In such cases, the support of loved ones and motivation on their part is very important. It is extremely rare for people to go to a psychotherapist themselves. Most often, their relatives convince them, and in especially difficult cases, they even organize sessions by force.

Psychotherapy involves therapeutic effect through the psyche to human body. The doctor helps the patient get rid of social, individual and emotional problems, first establishing deep personal contact with him through conversation. Often accompanied by cognitive, behavioral and other techniques.

Medication assistance

Medicines are also prescribed. Depressed mood, the causes of which are also determined by a doctor, is treated with antidepressants.

These are psychotropic medicines, which normalize the level of neurotransmitters (such as dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin). After taking them, a person’s mood and appetite improve, melancholy, anxiety, insomnia and apathy disappear, and mental activity increases. And he is on the mend.

Release of emotions

A person who is constantly in a bad mood rarely wants to communicate with anyone. More often he is overcome by the desire to close himself off from the outside world and worry. The main thing is that no one gets into your soul. Many people feel that they cannot be understood. Someone is afraid of selfishness - to open their soul, and in return receive spit.

Well, this often actually happens. But the release of emotions is necessary. The methods by which this can be accomplished are extremely simple. Someone is trying to find sympathy on the Internet, under the guise of an anonymous person. Others take a notebook and begin to pour out their experiences on the sheets. And this makes it easier. This is better than texting with someone. There is no need to formulate words - it is enough to express what reigns in your head and soul. Often, in the process of keeping such a unique diary, good, correct thoughts come. Sometimes you manage to find out the exact reason for your problem or an idea is born on its own about how to deal with it.

Set goals and go towards them

Here's how you can “drive away” a depressed mood. What should a person do if depression has completely consumed him? You need to push off from the bottom. No matter how difficult it may be. All psychologists advise this method. You need to set some goal for yourself. It may be insignificant. A person locked at home, for example, needs to force himself to go outside for at least 15 minutes every day. It's real. When choosing a goal, you need to focus on your own resources. After its implementation, you definitely need to reward yourself, at least with praise for a new achievement.

It is also recommended to find fellow sufferers - those who also suffer from depression. If relatives and friends do not understand a person, then such people will definitely be able to find support. After all, they know what he is experiencing. Meeting “kindred spirits” will help reduce the feeling of isolation, find understanding and even advice.

Finding Joy

Finally, I would like to point out one more thing effective recommendation. Many experts advise people suffering from depression to find new meaning in life. Something you want to wake up for. The best option- get a pet.

Even medicine confirms the importance of animals in recovery wellness And emotional state person. There are official statistics confirming that people who have a pet are 30% less likely to apply for medical care. Animals are excellent companions, bringing joy.

In addition, by starting to take care of a pretty living creature, a person will increase the energy of compassion and feel spiritual warmth. After all, there is so much unconditional love in animals that it simply cannot help but be transmitted.