Depression Fighter

Self help for depression fighters

Depression Fighters

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.

Factors that relate to wellness

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What is: Wellness?

The term “wellness” means having a mostly positive state of mind and a physically fit body, which results in a feeling of satisfaction for your life.

I say “mostly positive” because your state of mind changes on a moment to moment basis.  Wellness doesn’t mean you are always happy. It means you have a baseline of happiness that comes from being satisfied with your life, this does not go away when difficult life challenges arise.

How do you know if you’re “well”? Defining wellness:

Wellness is difficult to measure because it’s not something tangible we can see.  It can’t be graded in distance, time, or form.  It can only be measured by the way you feel.  And while feelings are valid, because they dictate what we do in life, they can’t be seen or mapped.  Feelings are individual. It’s a personal evaluation that relates to the overall level of satisfaction that you have for your life.

But what satisfies one person doesn’t necessary satisfy another person.  In general wellness can be characterized in the following way:

If your desires match the actions you’re taking – in other words, you are working towards what you’d like to accomplish -, and you’re body is functioning properly, you are well.

Factors that relate to wellness

Evaluating Wellness:

Many experts and organizations try to evaluate wellness by suggesting that humans have basic needs that must be met for us to feel well.  What those needs are vary from expert to expert. Most wellness experts suggest that up to six of these areas of overall wellness make up what a person considers a satisfactory life:

Occupational health: satisfaction with your career

Physical health: satisfaction with your body and level of physical health

Spiritual health: connectedness with yourself and your values, which is often connected to a vehicle for you to connect with yourself, this could be Religion or Meditative practices.

Emotional health: understanding your feelings, why you feel them and how to deal with them

Intellectual health: challenging what you think and increasing your learning continuously

Social health: connecting intimately with people, this could be friends or family members

Global health or environmental health: being aware of your environment and how you relate to it

Financial health: how much money you have and what you believe you can achieve financially

The 6 spoke wheel metaphor:

Rather than look at wellness in such broad terms, I like to think of wellness wheel with six spokes. In the center of your wheel is the nut that holds all spokes together.  This is represented by your relationship to yourself.  It is at the centre because it relates to what you think, believe and the actions you take that make up the representation that is your current life.

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If you have an unhealthy relationship with yourself – that is, you hate the way you look, your job, etc – it will affect all the other spokes on your wheel. If you don’t believe you’re good enough, you’re career is probably a reflection of this. You probably aren’t working in a field you enjoy. And if you are,  you are likely always feeling like your disappointing or not quite getting to where you want to be.

Remember this: All spokes are bound by your relationship to yourself. If you don’t like yourself, working on your relationship to yourself will have you produce better results in your life.

Here are the components that I believe you need in your life to be “well”:

  1. Self love
  2. Physical health
  3. Financial health
  4. A career you love
  5. An healthy environment
  6. A community you can rely on
  7. Fun!

I explain the model in the book Read This Before You Kill Yourself. Get your copy here.

 

Who can diagnose depression?

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There are five types of doctors that can formally diagnose major depression. Below is a comprehensive list with descriptions.

Who can diagnose depression?Who can diagnose depression

Here is a list of the only doctors that can formally diagnose depression:

  1. General Practitioner (GP) – commonly referred to as an MD, medical doctor, or “family doctor”. A physician trained in all illnesses and injuries that can affect human biology. They treat both acute and chronic illnesses. They can prescribe medications.
  2. Psychiatrist: A doctor who has chosen to specialize in mental health (illness that affects human biology).  They are trained in general medicine first, then specialize.  So, understand all medical issues, though they have a deeper understanding than a doctor would of mental health issues.
  3. Psychologist: A Ph.D specialist trained in mental health. They can diagnose you but they are not true M.D.’s. That means, they can only provide you with therapeutic solutions, but cannot prescribe medications.
  4. Nurse Practitioner (NP): A nurse practitioner (NP) is a registered nurse with advanced understanding in medical science and clinical application. They often take a more holistic approach to treatment that involves assessing patients by considering total wellness.
  5. Naturopathic doctor (ND):  Physicians trained in natural treatment methods. An ND’s approach involves a combination of traditional medicine and natural healing methods such as using herbal supplements holistic or learning prevention tactics. Most ND’s work in private practices, hospitals, and clinics across North America.

Health professionals that cannot formally diagnose depression -, but can help you understand if you might be depressed – are: Crisis workers, Therapists (with a Masters degree), Social Workers, Mediators, Dietitians, Nutritionists, Suicide Preventionist Experts, Life Coaches, Nurses, Pastoral Therapists, Addictions Counsellors

Who should you see first?:

If you’re experiencing symptoms of depression, they have lasted at least two weeks, and they are affecting your ability to function, your first step is to go see a medical doctor. That is, you need to go see a general practitioner – your family doctor or a doctor at a local clinic . They are trained in all disorders of the body, and this includes the brain. They are easier, and in most cases, less expensive than a psychiatrist, and they will be able to refer you to one if you need to see one.

Depression is a symptom that appears with many other illnesses. Sometimes it takes a deep investigation that involves other physical tests (like blood tests) to rule out all other conditions.

When your GP thinks you might have a mental illness he will refer you to a psychiatrist so, save yourself the hassle of sourcing one yourself.  And if he diagnoses you with a mental health issue without having you see a psychiatrist, ask for a referral.

You should always get  a second opinion, and it is best to get it from a physician that is trained in the type of illness its been suspect you’re dealing with.  A psychiatrist will also consider counseling-type therapies. These are as important (if not more) than simply taking a prescribed mediation.

Remember: Your body is your foundation:

Depression is complicated. Some people get better without medications. Some people need medication to live and feel happy. Some people will feel better when they make major life changes. Some people need to do all of the above.

What’s important to understand is that while assessing lifestyle choices is often a crucial part of feeling better, ensuring your body is functioning properly is as important. If you have a hormonal imbalance or brain chemical issue, you can take all the actions in the world and it won’t help lift your mood.

 

Mental health laws in Canada

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There are four forms under the Mental Health Act that you need to know about if you or a loved one is dealing with a mental health issue in Canada. The following article outlines the regulations for Form 1 and Form 2. They are the ones you’ll likely encounter and will need to understand.

Mental health laws in Canada – Form 1 and Form 2 overview:

Mental health laws in CanadaForm 1:  A Form 1 is also known as an APA (Application for Psychiatric Assessment). It’s called into effect when a doctor or a law enforcement agent legally suspends the rights of an individual. They are placed under a psychiatric hold for 7 days.

Under a Form 1, a person must enter into hospital for a formal psychological assessment for 72 hours anytime within the 7 day suspension period. The individual is only allowed to leave when they are deemed mentally stable by a qualified physician (a Psychiatrist or Doctor).  The ruling doctor must make the decision within 72 hours.

The Form 1 does not give law enforcement officials the legal right to detain an individual in jail or a facility that is not a hospital specializing in psychiatric treatment.

When the Form 1 is up the patient will either: 1) Be admitted to treatment facility, or 2) Be deemed fit and will become a voluntary patient.

 

Form 2: The Form 2 is the most valuable for family members and friends.  Anyone can sign a Form 2 if they are concerned that an individual they’ve been in contact with should be sanctioned under a Form 1.  The Form 2 demands a psychiatric assessment for a person who is in imminent danger (mental health crisis) or there is potential for self-harm.

When a Form 2 is filled out it can be taken to a law enforcement agency. At that time, a police officer is able to make the judgment call to put the individual under a Form 1.

Here is a link to the Form 2:  http://ocfp.on.ca/docs/collaborative-mental-health-care-network/a-blank-copy-of-a-form-2.pdf