What to do when you are DEPRESSED?

In some episodes or times of our lives it is normal that we can feel depressed and that sadness takes over our mood, because it is in these moments that We usually feel that we do not have the strength to continue with our daily life and perform any type of action or activity, presenting a great number of difficulties to carry them out. It is common for people at this time to have preferences for doing nothing and shutting ourselves up. If you find yourself in this situation and you don't know what to do to improve, we recommend that you continue reading this Psychology-Online article: what to do when you are depressed.

Index

1. Difference between depressive disorder and sad mood
2. Am I depressed?: Beck's Depression Test
3. What to do when you are depressed? 11 tips
4. Go to an epsecialist
5. Recognize your own merits
6. List of positive things of the day
7. Take care of yourself on a day-to-day basis
8. Limit time to think about causes and consequences
9. List of positive qualities of oneself
10. Cognitive restructuring
11. Get active
12. Set goals and objectives
13. Future plans
14. Delay important decisions

Major depressive disorder and sadness are two totally different conceptss but easily confused. For this reason, it is necessary to show their difference.

On the one hand, the major depressive disorder refers to a Psychological trastorn which is the result of a combination of genetic causes, neurobiological causes, and environmental causes. To develop this disorder, it is not necessary that a traumatic event has happened that can justify it, but it is also necessary to may develop a depressive disorder in a person whose life has not taken any traumatic or drastic turn that could explain the disorder.

In addition, in major depressive disorder, they should be taken into account a series of symptoms: sadness (pathological and lasting sadness), loss of interest and / or pleasure, feelings of guilt, lack of self-esteem, sleep and / or appetite disorders, feeling tiredness, lack of concentration, depressed mood, low energy or fatigue, suicidal ideation, difficulty in making decisions and feelings of hopelessness.

It should be noted that the major depressive disorder It occurs when a minimum of five of these mentioned symptoms persist for two weeks and represent a change in the person's previous functioning. Being at least one of the symptoms depressed mood or loss of interest or pleasure. However, depression can be considered chronic when at least two of the mentioned symptoms and these persist for a minimum of two years in adults and one year in children and teenagers.

On the other hand, the sadness refers to a basic emotion that appears due to the experience of living situations understood as negative, painful, traumatic, unfavorable, frustrating, stressful and / or unfortunate events, such as parental divorce, failure to meet one's expectations (fail a subject), among others. The fact of experiencing any of these situations implies that the person experiences a sadness that is usually temporary and appropriate to the situation experienced.

The Beck depression test is a very useful instrument to be able to diagnose a depression disorder greater or, on the contrary, affirm that you do not suffer from this disorder. It is a questionnaire that includes 21 groups of affirmative sentences, which must be read carefully to be able to answer them correctly. The patient must choose, by marking with a circle, one of the statements in each group, specifically the statement with which he or she most identifies based on the last two weeks.

In order to access this test, it is advisable to go to a specialist so that he can carry out an appropriate evaluation of the results. However, in Psychology-Online you will find an adaptation of the Beck's depression test that you can answer for free and online, and it will give you as results "high score", "average score" or "low score". In this case, if a high or medium score obtained, it is recommended go to a specialist to be able to carry out a good treatment and a good evaluation of the situation.

Here are 11 tips for people who are depressed to better manage their situation.

Depression is not a disease that is overcome with the passage of time, but it is a disease that must be treated both pharmacologically and psychologically. Well the fact being treated means a greater chance of overcoming it successfully. For this reason, it is recommended to go to a specialist and inform him of the situation.

People with depression tend to lose interest and / or pleasure in activities of daily living. Therefore, it is recommended and considered important to recognize your own merits, such as getting out of bed or taking a shower. Carrying out this type of activity involves A big effort for these people and therefore they must learn to assess its performance as a very positive thing.

In order to better manage depression, it can be very useful to make a list at the end of the day where all those are noted good or positive things that have happened to you to the person during the day. Within this list you can find the merits discussed in the previous advice, that is, among the positive things we can highlight the fact of having achieved a merit. Other examples could be: going for a little walk, talking with a friend, among others. In this way, the fact of making a list allows people to value events that are normally not taken into account.

Another recommendation for people who suffer from depression is to try to take care of yourself during the day to day. While it is true, people with depression have symptoms such as changes in appetite and sleepTherefore, it is important to take care of these two aspects that are part of daily life, trying to eat three times a day and regulate the sleep schedule, without getting up excessively late.

People who suffer from depression are not in a good time to make adequate reflections on the causes and consequences of their situation. That is why it is recommended to limit the time to think about it and, in order to keep the thoughts in another place, it is advisable to do activities that distract your mind and keep her away from those thoughts. When the person has improved in terms of her illness, he can take the time he wants to reflect, since he will already be in an optimal state of mind and more prepared to be able to reflect in an appropriate way and Useful.

This is the second list that is recommended to carry out when a person is in a situation of depression. Making a list of positive qualities of yourself can help you to assess your own aspects that allow you to strengthen your attitude to the situation in which you find yourself. For this, friends and family can help, especially if the person is unable to value anything about himself.

Cognitive restructuring is a technique of cognitive behavioral therapy which refers to a change in thinking, that is, it is about power transform negative thoughts into positive ones. Therefore, it is very important to learn to identify these negative thoughts and, once identified, you must learn to replace them with thoughts that are more positive and realistic.

Thus, it may help to write down identified negative thoughts, make them conscious and, when they are written, their transformations to thoughts should be noted next to them. positive.

Another tip for managing depression is to apply behavioral activation, a behavioral technique for treating depression. Behavioral activation consists of look for activities that improve mood and interest. In addition, doing activities allows you to increase your physical and mental energy level, divert and distract your mind from negative thoughts. That is why it is recommended to carry out activities that were previously generating great interest and pleasure.

In addition, the fact of doing activities can be related to the recognition of one's own merits and with the list of good and positive things that have happened during the day, therefore, it can influence an increase in the motivation of the person.

It is advisable to set realistic and short-range goals and objectives, as this allows you to cope with one of the symptoms of depression: loss of interest. Having objectives and goals allows the person increase your motivation to get them, although they must be adjusted to the reality of the situation.

In the same way that it is important to establish goals and objectives, it is also very important and advisable to inquire into future plans. Having plans for the future implies a greater probability of not presenting suicidal ideations, since something is expected from the future, demonstrating Have hope.

When a person suffers from a major depressive disorder and taking into account the symptoms of it, it is not you are at your best to make important decisions that directly affect your life daily. Therefore it is advisable wait for the situation to improve in order to start making decisions of this caliber, taking into account the possible consequences of each decision from a more realistic perspective.

This article is merely informative, in Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.

If you want to read more articles similar to What to do when you are depressed, we recommend that you enter our category of Clinical psychology.

• American Psychiatric Association (APA). (2014). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. DSM 5. 5th Edition. USA: Pan American.
• Retamal, P. (1999). Depression. Guidelines for patients and families. Santiago de Chile: Editorial Universitaria.