Depression Fighter

Self help for depression fighters

Depression Fighters

Medical and mental illnesses where depression is a symptom

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Here’s a list of medical and mental illnesses (in alphabetical order) where depression occurs as a symptom. If you’re feeling depressed or suicidal you may have another issue you may not have considered. This is why it is always important to see a General Practitioner/Family Doctor. They will be able to rule out any other underlying medical concerns that could be related to your depressed mood.Medical and mental illnesses where depression is a symptom

This list has basic descriptions. If you are concerned you may have one of these illnesses you’ll want to do more of your own research, as well as, consult a trained medical professional.

Medical and mental illnesses where depression is a symptom:

Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar disorder is characterized by having extreme mood swings that fluctuate between depression and mania. When you feel depressed you have low energy, you feel hopeless and unhappy and have difficulty with daily activities. This depressed mood fluctuates with mania. During mania you may feel completely euphoric. You’re likely highly productive, and full of energy. Or, you may be completely impulsive and do things like gamble, party and have a lot of sex.  There are different types of bipolar and each has different characteristics.

Borderline personality disorder

Individuals with borderline personality disorder (BPD) suffer from a pervasive pattern of instability in interpersonal relationships, self-image and emotions. They are commonly considered unstable by friends and family members. Their moods fluctuate often and they have a tendency to say things that hurt people’s feelings. They often have a unhealthy self-image, which is related to unhealthy social interactions early in life. Some people with BPD exhibit impulsive and destructive self-injurious behaviors, like: Cutting themselves, attempting suicide and have lots of casual sex.

Brain tumor

Depending on where a brain tumor is situated it may affect an individual’s mood and personality. An individual with a brain tumor will often start to act completely different from their past behaviors.

Eating disorders

The types of eating disorders are:

  • Anorexia – starvation behaviors
  • Bullemia – cycles of eating and purging the body of food
  • Binge eating – starving and then consuming large amounts of food in a short amount of time

While each type of eating disorder has different behaviors associated, they are all connected to unhealthy perceptions and relationships with food, weight and body image.

Fibromyalgia

Doctors don’t have a clear understanding of what causes fibromyalgia. Though, many researchers believe it’s a problem with the way the brain deals with pain signals. Individuals who suffer from it deal with widespread pain that can occur in the neck, shins, elbows, lower back, hips and knees. Pain and stiffness can be worse in the morning. Individuals with fibromyalgia often experience fatigue, trouble sleeping or concentrating, or have frequent headaches.

Hypopituitarism

Hypopituitarism is a rare disorder where the pituitary glands (an gland found in the brain that secretes hormones into the blood) don’t make enough hormones that are necessary in bodily functions  of: Growth, metabolism, and sexual development. It’s often caused by brain tumors, head injuries, or infections.

Hypothyroidism

Hypothyroidism occurs when the thyroid gland can’t produce enough thyroid hormone. The thyrod gland affects how the body produces energy. The result of low thyroid is a slowing of body processes. Weight gain, fatigue and low mood.

Lupus

Lupus is a chronic autoimmune disease (that doctors do not completely understand). The body attacks healthy tissue in different ways. Symptoms are: Severe exhaustion, joint pain, and a “butterfly rash” on the cheeks and the bridge of the nose. Individuals with lupus may have mild symptoms, while some will develop life-threatening versions of the disease that attack the the kidneys and other organs. Symptoms come and go frequently. They can clear up entirely, disappear from months to years and return again.

Obesity

Individuals with excess weight often suffer from depression. What is less clear whether it’s depression or weight gain that happens first. Eitherway, depression and weight gain go hand-in-hand. Trouble managing food and urges, increased appetite coupled with reduced activity and weight gain can lead to depression and thoughts of suicide. One recent study found that overall, obese individuals have a 20 percent elevated risk of depression.

Pick’s disease

Pick’s disease is a rare type of dementia that affects areas of the brain.  It is similar in nature to Alzhiemers. Though, it has a more major affect on mood and behavior. It often runs in families. It starts between the ages of 40-60. Once symptoms start it takes usually 2-10 years for an individual with Pick’s to become fully disabled.

Porphyria

Porphyria is a rare genetic condition that affects the skin and nerves. It’s caused by low enzyme levels that prevent the body from making an essential protein in red blood cells.  Without it, destructive chemicals build up in the blood and cause damage.

Postpartum

Many new mothers experience the “baby blues” within the first two weeks-four weeks after giving birth. Doctors suggest that all mothers are susceptible to it anytime within the first year of the baby’s life. New mothers deal with major life changes, sometimes loneliness, dealing with new fears, and changes in hormone and lack of sleep. But, postpartum depression is more severe and long-lasting. It occurs when the depression last longer than two weeks. Symptoms are: Sadness, hopelessness, anxiety, loss of energy, loss of interest in things, guilt, changes in appetite, and insomnia. Sometimes a woman may experience negative feelings about her baby or thoughts of harming her child. In rare cases, postpartum psychosis can occur and the woman will experience delusions of hallucinations.  Symptoms that last for more than two weeks or even up to a week should be addressed immediately to prevent unnecessary harm to the mother or baby from occurring.

PTSD

Post traumatic stress disorder is delayed anxiety disorder that occurs 6 months to one year after an event. It can happens commonly to individuals who suffer from a dangerous or traumatic experiences, such as a war, natural disaster, abuse, assault, or accident. Many individuals  who have PTSD experience flashbacks, bad dreams about the event or have difficulty sleeping. They may also feel agitated, guilty, depressed, or emotionally numb. Individuals with PTSD may avoid people or things that remind them of the event.

Premenstral Dysphoric Disorder

Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) is a severe form of premenstrual syndrome where a woman experience major mood fluctuations that interfere with her ability to do regular activities. It occurs immediately before menstruation and often goes away during her period. It can cause a women to be severely depressed, or irritable. The causes are not fully known, but hormonal changes and fluctuation of the brain chemical serotonin may play a part.

Premenstral syndrome (PMS)

PMS is a common condition that affects many women during the two weeks prior to their period. Symptoms vary from woman to woman. Generally, they include such things as bloating, irritability, fatigue, breast swelling and tenderness, and depressed mood.  The mood may be slightly distressing but will not interfere with a woman’s ability to carry out regular activities.

Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a serious, chronic mental illness. People who have schizophrenia often hear voices, see things that aren’t there, or believe that the world is plotting against them. It can occur between the teen years and age 40. Doctors don’t understand exactly what causes schizophrenia, but it can run in families. It can also be brought on through regular substance abuse that over time causes changes in brain chemistry. There is no cure for schizophrenia. Therapy and medications can help treat symptoms and many people can live happy lives with this illness.

Substance Abuse

Mood is highly affected mental drinking alcohol or taking drugs, (including some prescription drugs). While a substance will bring a mood up and make an individual feel better immediately after taking in, it also brings their mood down further as the substance wheres off. The symptoms are the same as depression or mania: depressed mood, lack of interest in activities, fatigue, feelings of worthlessness, sleep problems, talkativeness, distractedness, or suicidal thoughts.

SAD

Seasonal depression, or SAD, is depression that occurs every year during a change of season. SAD can cause problems ranging from sadness and sleep problems to anxiety and moodiness. SAD is most common in fall and winter when the weather turns cold, people spend more time indoors and they weather can be grey and rainy. In this case, symptoms will improve during spring and summer months. In rare cases, people have SAD in spring and summer and their symptoms improve in the fall. Doctors are unclear what causes said.  It could be related to light, hormones, lack of vitamin D from the sun or changes in body temperature. SAD is treated with light therapy, antidepressants, and psychotherapy.

If you feel depressed your first step is to get a diagnosis and rule out all other issues that could be affecting your mood. And, most importantly, make sure you take small daily actions to live a great life that you love to wake up.

 

Understanding the difference between depression and sadness

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The word “depression” is one of the most commonly misused words in the english language.  People use it incorrectly when they are trying to explain feeling sad.  But sadness and depression are two very different things. Below, each is defined and key differences are highlighted to help illustrate how sadness and depression differ.Understanding the difference between depression and sadness

Understanding the difference between depression and sadness

Sadness defined: 

SADNESS is a normal human emotion that is characterized by a state (or states) of feeling unhappy.  It is not constant, meaning it comes and goes. One moment you can feel sad, an hour later after being with a friend you may feel happy.

Being sad is a healthy response to unpleasant life events. It’s valuable because it can help you decipher what you want or don’t want.  It also helps you feel and understand the reverse emotional state, which is happiness.

Sadness occurs in frequency on a scale that ranges from brief and fleeting moments of sad feelings to severe lengthy periods related to major life traumas. For example, the death of a loved one can make you feel sad for months.

 

Depression defined:

DEPRESSION is a medical condition that affects mood.  It’s unclear what specifically causes it, though experts agree it is a physical issue where a variety of factors related to both internal and external processes lead to a neurological chemical imbalance. The most current research suggests that individuals with depression have a 25% smaller brain region for regulating emotion (called the hippocampus).

It is often difficult for individuals who have not experienced depression to understand it, because it’s not something that can be seen or measured. It’s not like other physical ailments, like a broken leg.

Characterizing someone with depression as “sad”, suggests they have the ability to control their mood. That is not the case. They are physically unable to be happy.

 

Key differences:

  • Depression is debilitating. The low mood is so pervasive that it interferes with an individual’s ability to do normal things like: Go to work, concentrate on basic activities like watching a movie, take care of themselves or their family, or want to get out of bed.  When you’re sad you can still do basic tasks even if you don’t feel happy.
  • Sadness fluctuates. Depression is constant.
  • People with depression feel sad.  People who are sad do not necessary get depression.
  • Individuals with depression have no ability to change their mood. No matter what actions they take, they often still feeling an underlying feeling of emptiness and their mental processes feel slowed.
  • Depression makes you feel like you don’t want to live. Sadness makes you feel low but still hopeful. You can recognize that you have a life to live for.
  • Sadness doesn’t produce significant weight changes or prolonged periods of sleep changes.
  • Sadness does not involve psychotic events like delusions or hallucinations.
  • Depression requires multiple forms of treatment that involve nutrition, exercise, self care and many times, medication.

 

How can you get depression?

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There is no formula that leads to depression. Based on the most advanced research it can involve either physiological processes, or external circumstances, or both. This is what makes it difficult for doctors — especially if they are only seeing you once — to understand the factors that are playing a role in your situation.How can you get depression?

Think of depression (and mental illness) like a case of “which comes first — chicken or the egg?”. Except in this case, it’s more like which came first,  “the mood or the behavior?”.  That is to say, did some malfunction occur in the way your body works?  Or, did something happen to you that caused a change, overtime, in your brain chemistry?

And, are you truly depressed from a chemical imbalance. Or, are you simply stressed and have learned to deal with it through avoidance behaviors?

This next section will help you decipher the difference. You won’t read this explanation anywhere else. A doctor may tell you different but based on what I know about depression this is how I see it and explain it.

How can you get depression? There are two ways it develops and they are often connected

Neurological contributors that cause depression

Shifts in your biology during different development periods and/or as a result of your own actions can lead to brain chemical imbalances. Here are the two ways your brain chemistry can be affected:

  1. a) Developmental: Changes happen naturally as your body hits developmental milestones, such as hormonal shifts.

For example, there are studies that suggest that women during perimenopause (the period leading up to menopause) may be more susceptible to depression due to decline in the hormone estrogen.

  1. b) Intentional: There are actions you can take that lead to depression. If you aren’t eating healthy foods (we’ll get to this later) it can negatively affect your mood.

This is easy to understand if you think about the effects you may experience from exercise. Immediately after you exercise your brain receives a surge of chemicals called endorphins. They cause you to feel relaxed and joyful.

So, if you aren’t taking care of yourself. Or, you encounter a developmental milestone, it’s important to be aware that these physiological factors can greatly affect the way you feel.

Circumstantial contributors that cause depression

Throughout your life, small or large traumas can happen to you (with or without your control). When they happen to you the way you learn from them can lead to negative thought and unhealthy behavioral patterns.

Your brain is hardwired to ensure your survival. It’s simply a information processing system. So based on outside events, it learns how to act. Your brain actually makes a decision on what to do before you take action.

Your thoughts also lead to changes in your brain’s anatomy. Those structural changes can lead to brain chemical issues.

Here’s how:

Thought patterns over time cement new pathways. And pathways can result in chronic negative thoughts. Your brain anatomy naturally adapts and prunes communication pathways that aren’t being used properly. This process is known in scientific circles as: Neuroplasticity. So if you are sad for a long time it can actually lead to neurological changes in your brain’s anatomy and function.

Are suicidal thoughts normal?

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Thinking about suicide or your own death from time to time is normal behavior. These ideas are rarely discussed openly because it is a topic most people are embarrassed to admit they think about. That said if you are in mid-life and engaging in end-of-life planning, that is a responsible part of being an adult. Death after all is inevitable at the end of a natural life. However, considering a premature death or suicide is not healthy.

suicidal thoughts

That makes it difficult for experts to accurately quantify how many suicidal thoughts is “normal”.

Many experts agree that 100% of people will entertain at least one or more thoughts of suicide over the course of their life. This is not necessarily a bad thing. Having thoughts of suicide can be therapeutic.

Sometimes entertaining suicidal thoughts are like watching a sad movie when you feel unhappy. Allowing yourself to let go and feel your emotions can help you release pent-up emotional pain. It’s a way of comforting yourself.

Thinking about suicide doesn’t mean it’s an option. It’s an internal barometer you might use to measure how bad you are feeling. It can also signal to you what’s not working in your life. In this case, it’s a helpful survival mechanism.

If you’re not depressed, when you think about suicide here is what it may mean:

Suicide points to a personal crisis that’s often related to a lack of self-expression. Ask yourself these questions:

  • Are you feeling stuck in a situation you “feel” you can’t get out of?
  • Does your life have a purpose?
  • Do you get out of bed in the morning because you have important things to accomplish that matter to you?

If you answered no to these questions, it’s common to think “what’s the point?”. This is when thoughts of depression and suicide commonly arise.

Are suicidal thoughts normal? Find out what is considered “normal” behavior

What’s important to understand is the point at which mild thoughts turn into serious considerations. When you start to notice suicidal thoughts are becoming more frequent they need to be addressed immediately.

The following list compare what’s normal vs. suicidal warning signs. It will help you understand if you are at serious risk of taking an action that could result in suicide. You might being having thoughts of suicide but you could be denying the reality that you are really in a state that requires professional help.

WHAT’S NORMAL?

  • A brief passing thought about suicide from time to time. It could be related to something bad that’s happened or is happening in your life.  Often if you are in a rough time and feel like life is hard it’s not abnormal to have a thought or two about not wanting to get up to your day. You may think thoughts like “life is hard, sometimes I wish I were dead”. If the thoughts do not increase in frequency and persist for more than two days or till the situation is dealt with you could be at risk.
  • Thoughts about wondering if you’ll be missed if you were to die from time to time
  • Feeling depressed about an aspect of your life. It could be related to your: Career, relationships, physical health, or finances.
  • 1-2 days of low mood – feeling inexplicably sad for no apparent reason – it could be caused by life circumstances or hormone shifts. If you make it to the three day mark go talk to a doctor
  • Binge eating or drinking spats or avoiding people from time to time during times of stress

SUICIDE WARNING SIGNS

  • When thoughts about killing yourself increase in frequency. If you think about it at a minimum three times a day for a minimum of two days.  If the thoughts are not going away or they are getting worse, get help right away.  Talk to someone you can trust or call 911
  • Telling someone you’ve been thinking about wanting to die or to killing yourself.
  • Searching for ways to kill yourself. If you’ve researched how to kill yourself online or you’ve taken an action like purchasing a gun or storing medication “just in case”
  • Thinking and talking about feeling hopeless or having no reason to live. Your thoughts and feelings are getting worse or have been constant for at least two days
  • Talking about feeling trapped or in unbearable pain
  • If you’re living with physical pain and it’s starts to feel like you can’t deal with anymore. If you try to shut off the pain with sleep or substances this is a major warning sign
  • Believing that you are a burden to others. If you’re taking actions in line with these thoughts you might be isolating yourself socially, spending more time alone.
  • Using substances like alcohol and/or drugs to get through your day or to sleep at night
  • If you aren’t sleeping properly this can affect your mood.  It’s normal to have sleepless nights once and a while due to stress. If you haven’t been sleeping well for a minimum of more than two nights in a row and you are not awake for a specific reason that you can pinpoint
  • If you’re acting recklessly it shows a carelessness for living. It also is a sign of other illnesses related to mood disorders that involve depression and can lead to suicide. You could be at a high risk of suicide, even if you don’t know it yet.
  • Visiting, calling, or sending messages to friends to say goodbye. Or, giving away prized possessions. If you’ve been preparing for death you are at a high risk.

If you feel embarrassed or ridiculous for thinking about death or suicide, that’s normal.  It’s not easy to confront these thoughts or deal with them. But, if you see yourself in this list of warning signs don’t wait to get help. Without immediate help, you could get worse fast.  Call 911 now or click here to visit a list of crisis support lines.

Lastly, what’s important to remember right now is that your thoughts are not “real” and by taking more healthy actions, they will pass. That’s the first step is telling someone you trust, how you feel.