Rise Above It

I found this story in one of my church’s older magazines. I hope you appreciate it as much as I did.

My Battle With Depression by Mollie H. Sorensen.

Insight 1: Strive Diligently to Retain the Influence of the Spirit

Insight 2: Take Time to Play

Insight 3: Check for Physical Problems

Insight 4: Avoid Comparing Yourself With Others

Insight 5: Live One Day at a Time

Insight 6: Live With a Purpose and Meaning Beyond Self

Looking for greater meaning or understanding? Go to mormon.org to learn how I have found it in my life.

What Blogging Does For Me

In 2008 I started a personal blog. Initially it was just something to use to keep my family updated of my activities since leaving home, but eventually it grew into an outlet for me and my journey in the “real world” and how my depression affects that.

I love that in my search for recovery people have asked me questions.. sought help, and credited me in some small way for being a tool in their recovery.  Because until you wake up every morning of your life day in day out and stare at the wall with a feeling of a bottemless pit inside your stomach, and you no longer feel happiness or sorrow, you simply exist… You won’t be able to say that depression isn’t real, it’s as real and as tangible and as cripling as a fall from a redwood, and you need to recover.  It’s the hardest thing i’ve ever done, and I’ll be doing it my whole life, and as long as I know that there are people/strangers out there who find comfort in my words than I’ll continue to speak about it until they no longer need me.  Every word every sentence every single tear that went into every post on the subject was worth it to hear one person say that it helped them, or to hear someone else say that it was what saved her life.  God gives us outlets and places to change the world in some small way, so hopefully I’ll continue to help change someones in small places here and there.

To others struggling with this disease, it is important to talk about what you are feeling. It may be going to a counselor or talking to a friend. Starting a blog has helped me in this way immensely. In my non-expert opinion, I advice that you go to blogger and start your own. It will help you in ways you didn’t know it could.

Look and Live

When it comes to overcoming depression in my life, something that I have found irreplaceable in both comfort and understanding is the role my religion plays in my life. I have read a lot of talks by church leaders, discussed my feelings with LDS counselors and have done a lot of prayer in an effort to understand this disease and it’s significance in my life. One talk I have found particularly helpful is by former church President Ezra Taft Benson titled “Do Not Despair“.

In the message, President Benson has 12 suggestions to help you overcome feelings of sorrow and despair. I have found the following useful: repentance, prayer, blessing, music and goals. I feel this talk holds a lot of comfort and sound advice from our Heavenly Father and would suggest it as a resource for anyone who is struggling with this kinds of feelings.

If you are not LDS (aka Mormon), please see www.mormon.org for even more messages of hope and love.

Scientific Research

I’ve talked about treatment options besides medication on this blog before. I found this article on the New York Times website very interesting. When it comes to medication in my treatment plan, I have tried various drugs and have not really felt that any helped me as much as other things have such as yoga, counseling, journaling and diet and exercise.

As always, it is best to consult with a doctor when creating your treatment plan. Medication may be what’s right for you, but don’t feel bad asking questions such as how am I supposed to feel, or what are expected side affects, or how do we figure out the right dosage. Just as a warning, drugs are a tricky thing, so it will take some time to figure out which one, what amount, etc is the right thing.

Using the 12 Steps

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The 12 step program is famous for being the alcohol abuse recovery program, however, more and more organizations are finding the value in these 12 steps and how they can help anyone in almost anyway.

In my consumer health class we discussed this concept and were asked to apply it to something other than alcoholism. Here I have applied it to overcoming depression:

• Step 1 - We admitted we were powerless over our depression – that our lives had become unmanageable
• Step 2 - Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to happiness
• Step 3 - Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood God
• Step 4 - Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves
• Step 5 - Admitted to God, to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our thoughts and feelings
• Step 6 - Were entirely ready to have God remove all of this pain and sorrow
• Step 7 - Humbly asked God to remove our shortcomings
• Step 8 - Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all
• Step 9 - Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others
• Step 10 - Continued to take personal inventory and when we were slipping back into depression, promptly recognized those feelings and where they stemmed from
• Step 11 - Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood God, praying only for knowledge of God’s will for us and the power to carry that out
• Step 12 - Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to other depresses persons, and to practice these principles in all our affairs

The Scientific Definition

The most established and recognized collection of symptoms and criteria of diagnosis is to be found in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) published by the American Psychiatric Association. You may read about depression symptoms here.

The treatment is first of all medicinal treatment, application of antidepressant drugs. However, there other medical treatments in the inventory, as well. Read more about other psychiatric treatment of depression.

The psychiatry has a definite answer of what is depression question: Depression is an illness, diagnosed by the presence of depression symptoms and cured by antidepressant drugs.

While scientific understanding is important, science fails in understanding that depression is different for everyone.

A Medication Free Game Plan

There is a lot of criticism and speculation that we are an over-medicated society. Because of these opinions, personal beliefs, and many other reasons a lot of people opt not to treat their depression with prescription pills. Unfortunately, this means that a lot of people are then not treating their depression, however, there are other options besides medication to treat and overcome your depression.

1. Exercise and Diet: There has been research that shows that a diet high in lean proteins and citrus helps with serotonin, the neurotransmitter that helps to regulateemotion, production and absorption in the brain. Also, exercise has shown to not only improve mood but to also help to build self-esteem, create goals and develop a routine. These are all things that help to manage depressive moods and stages.

2. Meditation: Yoga and meditation can help with calming the mind and emotions, something that is very difficult to do for people who suffer from depression. It can also help to improve both the quality of sleep and sleep patterns of those who practice it.

3. Counseling: Talking through issues, thoughts, feelings, emotions, etc is something that is vital in the management of depression. A great outlet for this is to attend regular counseling whether it be in a group or individual setting.

I think that medication does have it’s place in the treatment of depression. I also feel though that these other options do offer great benefits and help to develop management techniques for long term treatment.

Recognizing is Important for Overcoming

I have talked to a lot of different people asking for suggestions of what has helped them to manage and overcome their depression. One that has been suggested by both trained medical professionals and people who suffer from depression is to keep a “feelings” journal. The purpose of this record is to be able to look back and trace one’s emotions and feelings through the course of depressive episodes and “normal” periods. By doing this you will have a tool to use when talking about your depression either with a counselor, a doctor, or even just for yourself. By being able to trace your depression and noticing trends, you will be able to identify triggers and work on avoiding those things.

For cute journals, because who doesn’t like something cute, I suggest shopping at Barnes and Noble. Or, you can always start a blogspot online and keep it private so that only you can read it.

That Sounds Like Me. What Do I Do Now?

Do you or someone you know have depression? Do you think you might and are not sure? The best way to find out is by scheduling an appointment with your physician or a licensed counselor, however, in the meantime there are some simple questionnaires you can take to see if maybe this may be an issue for you.

1. http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/bipolar-disorder-153804-40.html?ic=4004
2. http://psychcentral.com/depquiz.htm

Also, it is important to remember that these tests are not to be used to diagnose you. They are just to give you a general idea and help you to identify some feelings and thoughts you may have been having.

Not sure it’s depression? Try talking to your doctor and seeing what other things what you are feeling could be. But listen to how you feel and don’t ignore it. If you do, you are just prolonging the problem and distancing the time from when you feel at your best again. Also, try looking at http://www.healthyminds.org/default.aspx. It’s a great sight and it might help you to be able to come up with some questions to ask your doctor to help find out what is going on.

What is Depression? Does it Affect Me?

Depression is more common than I think most people realize or want to recognize. It is not as simple as feeling sad one day or as extreme as wanting to kill yourself all of the time. Depression has many causes, it affects each person in a different way, and there are many ways to treat it and many options to live THROUGH it.

How Common is Depression?: http://www.thehealthcenter.info/adult-depression/how-common-is-depression.htm, http://health.discovery.com/centers/articles/articles.html?chrome=c09&article=LC_05&center=p06

That is the purpose of this blog, to inform readers of what depression is, how it can be treated and how it changes and affects people and situations. Also, if you are affected by depression, either directly or inadvertently, hopefully this blog will give you some insight and knowledge into learning how you can live through depression and not simply live with it.

If someone you love is struggling with depression this website (click for link) can help you help them and give you some much needed support. We know it affects you too.