Health effects of depression. Ways to treat protracted depression

According to them, people over 50 who suffer from chronic depression (for more than two years) are at nearly double the risk of having a stroke. For your information: stroke (blockage by a blood clot or rupture of a cerebral vessel) is today one of the main causes of death in developed countries.

“Exactly how the link between depression and stroke works remains to be explored,” says study author Paola Gilsantz of the Harvard T.H. Chen. - But even now it seems obvious that the reason lies either in behavior (for example, that those suffering from depression are less active and smoke more), or in biological factors(for example, inflammatory processes in the body, high arterial pressure, diabetes, elevated level cholesterol).

For 12 years, scientists collected data on people who had no vascular problems before the start of the study. They were interviewed every two years to determine whether they had symptoms of depression and whether they had had a stroke. For 12 years, 1192 strokes happened to the participants in the experiment. It was noted that participants with symptoms of depression, which were found in two interviews in a row, experienced strokes almost twice as often. Notably, the association of stroke with depression was stronger in people younger than 65 years of age. Those who showed signs of depression in only one interview, and then the condition was cured or resolved on its own, still had a 66% increased risk of stroke compared to those who did not have depression at all.

This fact surprised scientists, who expected that after the treatment of depression, the risk of stroke decreases. However, it remained high for at least another two years. Especially in women.

P. Gilsanz et al. "Changes in Depressive Symptoms and Incidence of First Stroke Among Middle-Aged and Older US Adults", Journal of the American Heart Association, May 2015.

Effects of depression on health and life

Depression is a mental illness. Some people do not take it seriously and call it any mood disorder, without even knowing how dangerous it is and how important it is to make the right diagnosis in time. If you do not seek help in a timely manner and allow the disease to flow into a severe or chronic form, you may encounter negative consequences depression.

Social Consequences

The influence of any disease on the body is purely individual and is associated with such factors as its degree, form, methods of treatment, the patient's attitude to therapy, etc. It is impossible to predict in advance what depression will entail in a particular person. However, there are a number of symptoms and signs that are characteristic of a person who has overcome such a mental state. And they are primarily social in nature.

• Dominance of negative emotions.
• Lack of desire to learn something new, make acquaintances, etc.
• Problems with communication in personal and professional life.
• The appearance of previously unnoticed phobias and fears (often, for example, a closed space).
• Decreased mental ability.
• Irritable attitude towards noise or laughter.
• Decreased libido, other problems in sexual life.
• Predominance of feelings of hopelessness and helplessness in many situations.
• The most serious is the unwillingness to continue life.

Often, after therapy, a person cannot force himself to visit public places, especially those of an entertaining nature (bars, restaurants, clubs, etc.) for a long time. This cannot but affect social adaptation. Closedness and uncommunicativeness - frequent consequences depression.

Often, during therapy, people become so accustomed to taking medications that maintain the level of serotonin in the body (antidepressants) that they cannot completely get out of depression on their own. This carries the risk of addiction to drugs.

The patient's condition must also be monitored after his treatment, since at any moment he can lose faith in life and stop seeing any prospects, which often leads to thoughts of suicide. According to some studies, about 40% of people who are in a state of depression are thinking about how to die. Thus, what will happen if depression is not treated is much more dangerous than its very manifestation.

Physical Consequences

It is well known that the mental state of a person is directly related to a number of physical manifestations. Often these diseases cause serious blow according to the general condition of the patient. Similar health effects of depression typically affect the brain, heart, and nervous system. Among the most common are the following:

• The risk of developing thrombosis depression causes an increased release of adrenaline into the blood, which negatively affects the cardiovascular system and often leads to the formation of blood clots.
• Insomnia is a common symptom of depression and is often long time remains after treatment.
• Weakening of the immune system - due to lack of deep sleep, the body does not have time to recover and becomes susceptible to various diseases, an excess of the stress hormone also affects this.
• Lowering the pain threshold - the hormone serotonin makes a person less sensitive to pain, its deficiency (as in a period of depression) - on the contrary, lowers the pain threshold, which can even cause causeless pain in various limbs.
• Chronic fatigue is a reaction of our body to the unwillingness to do something, to learn something new and to live in general.
• Hair loss, brittle nails, whitish skin are a consequence of a decrease in immunity and lack of sleep.

Problems with appearance, especially in women, cause even greater reluctance to somehow change their own lives, which can either delay the moment of treatment, or lead to a relapse after such. They are observed, as a rule, already during the period of depression, but often remain for some time and after, until the body is fully restored from the stress experienced.

Depression is more dangerous for people suffering from any chronic diseases. They, by the way, can become an impetus for its development. In such cases, the patient, along with the symptoms of this mental disorder, has a more serious manifestation of the symptoms of the corresponding disease. And people in a depressed state tend to neglect caring for their health, which can negatively affect their physical condition.

A special role should be given to the problem of alcohol or drug addiction, which often develop against the background of depression and then remain with a person for a long time. false state Have a good mood that cause alcohol, drugs can be compared with the action of antidepressants. Medications treat the symptoms, not the cause of the disease, and therefore cannot be considered as the only direction in the treatment of depression.

Alcohol, cigarettes, drugs and other harmful substances, addictive, have almost the same effect, but with even greater harm to health. As soon as their action stops, the patient again shows the symptoms of the disorder. Similar state I immediately want to stop, which introduces a person into an endless circle of taking certain substances, drugs. Addiction is very difficult to treat, especially against the background of an advanced mental illness, so often in such cases when the patient still seeks help or someone from his environment does, hospitalization and a long stay in the hospital are required to fully control the progress treatment.

Prevention

The most obvious answer to avoiding the harmful health effects of depression is to follow your doctor's instructions. But this is where the first problem arises. Most people need a lot of strength to even acknowledge the existence of a mental problem. In our society, it is not customary to talk about such things and, moreover, to turn to a psychotherapist. However, it is these actions that will not allow the transition of the disease to a severe stage.

How depression affects a person's health has already been described above. The consequences are really serious. It is possible to avoid their appearance only when the person himself is set up for a complete cure. Of course, it will be very difficult to do this without the help of a specialist, relatives, friends and, last but not least, medications.

People who still overcome this disease are more prone to relapses. On this basis, they need to be monitored after the end of treatment. These can be individual sessions of psychoanalysis with the attending physician or special groups support. The help of the environment also plays an important role. Left alone with his thoughts, a person prone to the development of depression becomes in a dangerous state of helplessness, uselessness, etc.

Depression

Every person from time to time feels lonely, sad or despairing in a difficult situation. This is a natural reaction to negative events happening to us. However, if longing, sadness or despondency turn into our constant companions, our way of life changes significantly. It is this constant state of intense sadness and depression that is what doctors today call depression.

This disease - the scourge of the 21st century - has actually been known since ancient times. Hippocrates was one of the first to describe depression, giving it the name "melancholia" (in translation - "black bile"). In fact, the state of melancholy today is understood to be somewhat different, namely, a prolonged low mood, which, unlike depression, is not characterized by a strong breakdown and despair. Some famous poets and musicians admitted that being in a state of melancholy gave them the opportunity to dive deeper into the creative process and feel inspired. In a state of depression, this, alas, is impossible.

Depression is a set of manifestations (symptoms) that are not limited to just depressed mood. Depression can be defined as changes in biochemistry, life experience and behavior, with the anatomical substrate being the brain. With depression, a lot of negative changes occur in the patient's body, affecting changes in the endocrine system (pituitary gland, thyroid gland, adrenal glands, sex hormones), changes in the body's neurochemical processes associated with a deficiency of various mediators, primarily norepinephrine, serotonin and dopamine), disorders on the part of biological rhythms, the so-called circadian rhythms. All this indicates that changes have occurred in the nervous system that have affected the brain. Patients with depression, as a rule, show a lack of activity, they are not energetic and unsociable. And this, in turn, makes others turn away from such patients.

In the time of Hippocrates, it was believed that in human body contains 4 types of liquids - black bile, yellow bile, blood and phlegm. From here came the first name of depression - melancholia, i.e. the predominance of black bile in the body, allegedly responsible for a depressed mood. Nineteenth-century physicians believed that depression was hereditary and caused by congenital weakness of character. At the beginning of the last century, Sigmund Freud, as part of his psychosexual theory, called internal conflict and guilt as the cause of depression.

In the middle of the 20th century, researchers identified two types of depression, depending on the causes that caused it. The first - endogenous type - implies the development of depression due to internal factors(diseases, severe heredity, etc.). The second type - neurotic, or exogenous depression - occurs under the influence of external negative events (death of a loved one, dismissal from work, moving to unfamiliar city etc.).

Depression is a complex disorder, and it is not clear what causes it. In modern psychiatry, it is generally accepted that the development of depression, as well as for most other mental disorders, requires the combined action of three factors - biological (heredity), psychological (personality and character traits of a person, striving for perfection with high standards of claims with a simultaneous tendency to underestimate self-assessment of one's successes and achievements, constant search for the meaning of life and the inability to find it, the need for the support of other people and the desire to realize their expectations, explaining one's problems external causes and the blows of fate that do not depend on the person himself, the inability to relax, stubbornness, pride and pride, which make it difficult to seek help) and social (acute and chronic stress and attempts to cope with it with the help of inadequate psychological defense mechanisms). Here are some of the most common reasons.

Negative events that happened to a person:

• Violence is one of the most severe factors that can provoke depression. The violence is not only sexual, but also physical (beatings) and emotional (repression, constant insults).
• Serious conflicts with friends or relatives, a negative situation in the family.
• Death of a loved one, divorce.
• Achievement retirement age(especially in women), job loss.
• Positive events that trigger a strong emotional reaction can also cause depression. A new job, marriage, graduation from a university are always associated with serious changes in life - in some cases a person cannot adapt to them, and reacts to the changes with depression, the so-called "adjustment disorders".
• Serious illnesses and certain medications can also cause depression.
• Alcoholism and drug addiction - over 30% of people who are addicted to alcohol or drugs are in a state of depression.
• Personal problems, social isolation (including due to other mental illnesses), social inadequacy can lead to an acute feeling of loneliness and depression.
• Hereditary factor - according to some data, the presence of depression among family members increases the risk of its development in children.

Unlike some mental disorders characterized by antisocial behavior, depression is dangerous primarily for the patient himself. In the absence of proper help and treatment, unbearable mental suffering often leads a person to attempt suicide. One in ten people with depression will eventually attempt suicide.

The negative impact of depression on the body extends not only to the nervous system. It increases the risk of developing asthma coronary disease heart, exacerbates current chronic diseases, resulting in frequent deaths of patients with serious illnesses. For this reason, in modern clinics, when treating patients who are forced to stay in bed for a long time, much attention is paid to their psychological state. It is known that in elderly bedridden patients, it is depression that most often causes death, “aheading” the underlying disease.

Depression has a very serious impact on all areas of a person's life. A decrease in activity entails problems at work, sexual disorders negatively affect family or love relationships, a lack of interest in past hobbies makes life gray and meaningless.

What is the danger of hidden depression?

There is strange diseases. They seem to be simple, ordinary, but not amenable to conventional treatment. One patient is periodically disturbed by pains in the heart and abdomen. Another has a headache, a third, for example, has a toothache, they are treated, filled, removed - but the pain does not go away. Careful and repeated examinations do not reveal the organic causes of these pains: there are no abnormalities in the brain, heart, stomach, and constant pain overcomes.

In foreign practice, there was a case when the patient suffered from persistent pain in the abdomen. She had her gallbladder cut out first, then her appendix, then her uterus was removed. The pain didn't go away. Getting ready for the next surgical intervention, she went to consult a psychiatrist, and he gave her a completely non-surgical diagnosis: hidden depression. After a few weeks of treatment with antidepressants, the pain in the patient disappeared, all the surgeries were in vain. This, of course, is an extreme and isolated case. But there are a lot of cases when latent depression proceeds mildly and therefore remains unrecognized.

The person is in pain. Doctors of different specialties treat him, but there is no result. In such cases, the attending physician usually sends the patient for a consultation with a neurologist or psychiatrist. The patient goes to the neuropathologist willingly, arguing at the same time: the meaning nervous system in the activity of the body it is obvious to everyone, in addition, it will not hurt to heal the nerves. Quite different reasoning arises in some patients when the doctor recommends that they consult a psychiatrist:

“What am I, crazy, going to psychiatrists?”

The fallacy of such conclusions is undeniable, if only because the psychiatrist also deals with the nervous system and its supreme body- the brain.

Undoubtedly, the doctor offered the patient the only and reliable path for healing, but he closed this path for himself, dooming himself to an increase in the disease and further suffering.

Nowadays, most of the psychiatrist's patients are people suffering from depressed mood, sleep disturbance, often these people are overcome by anxiety, excessive shyness, indecision, suspiciousness, sometimes incontinence, irritability.

All these types of neuropsychiatric disorders are now being treated with new drugs. These drugs are from the group of large and small tranquilizers, as well as antidepressants. It is thanks to them that the vast majority of patients can successfully undergo outpatient treatment without going to the hospital. Many do not suspect that only 10 percent of psychiatrist patients are treated in a hospital, and 90 percent are treated on an outpatient basis in a neuropsychiatric dispensary. Even in specialized hospitals most of patients are in sanatorium departments.

In cases where neurotic disorders are not treated, deviations from the norm turn into a disease. That is why you should not delay visiting a psychiatrist for years.

People who suffer from latent depression, manifested by various somatic, that is, bodily, physical disorders, often do not pay attention to their neuropsychic problems. It happens that they do not notice low mood, depression at all, and if they notice, they explain them with physical ailments. Therefore, patients often tell the doctor only about their bodily symptoms, and keep silent about the neuropsychic ones.

Such people, as evidenced medical statistics has become more and more in recent decades. Characteristically, almost all patients of this kind observed easy current depression, mild forms of so-called affective disorders with a predominance of physical symptoms and disorders of the autonomic nervous system. It is these symptoms that often hide the depressive state, which is the foundation, nutritious soil, underlying internal content illness. That is why often both the patient and his doctor, instead of a true mental disorder, bring to the fore an imaginary disorder - somatic (bodily).

This is precisely what makes depression in a "mask" dangerous - a mental illness that dresses up in other people's clothes. Put correct diagnosis in these cases, only a psychiatrist can. But the trouble is, as we have already said, that external signs Diseases usually manifest themselves in mental sphere and therefore patients go to the therapist.

However, signs true disease exist. And the most characteristic of these is a combination of several simultaneous symptoms that do not have physical causes- insomnia, lack of appetite, headache, complaints about various pains, deep anxiety, fatigue. Either all of these symptoms at once, or two or three of them (of course, only if such symptoms do not have an accurately established organic basis) can indicate depression in the “mask”.

An important sign that may indicate latent depression is the periodicity, cyclicality of any bodily ailments, which also lack a purely somatic basis.

A sign of masked depression can also be a wave-like alternation of bodily symptoms with mental ones. It happens, for example, that skin eczema, itching, attacks of gout, headache, gastrointestinal and cardiovascular disorders alternate with a melancholic, depressed state. If such an alternation is cyclically repeated, it is necessary to be examined by a psychiatrist.

Women have, for example, periodic weight loss, and “on the contrary, in a few months they can significantly gain weight. As a rule, this unexpected fullness is accompanied by a disorder or cessation of regulation, shortness of breath, drowsiness, apathy, and memory impairment. When losing weight, all functions return to normal, and then they are upset again. In this case, as a rule, in the foreground are somatic, bodily signs, but which are always accompanied by depression of the mental sphere.

Often there are periodic repetitions of the same somatic disorders, which are sometimes accompanied by a depressed mood, sometimes arise on their own, or are accompanied by anxiety, irritability, agitation.

Often physical ailments within the framework of latent depression exactly repeat the symptoms of a disease. For example, cardiovascular clinical picture similar to angina pectoris or even myocardial infarction. Patients with such misdiagnosis are admitted to hospitals.

Latent depression may have a single symptom, such as recurring insomnia or headache (which again has no apparent organic cause). Such a headache or insomnia is either an indication of an approaching depression (in cases where it has already happened before), or may be the only external manifestation of this depression, its "mask".

Such cases can also include some attacks of periodic migraine and the so-called "hysterical" headaches, which also recur. Conventional drugs do not bring relief from them, but treatment with antidepressants helps well (as in all cases of latent depression).

Thus, in masked depression physical symptoms act not as concomitant, side, but as the main, as the main manifestation of mental illness. At the same time, somatic and mental symptoms can complement each other, exist together. But it also happens that physical symptoms may be the only manifestation of mental illness.

Hidden depression has another unsightly "mask" - alcohol addiction. here they mean those cases of alcoholism that can be considered as a manifestation of depression.

Before the onset of systematic alcohol consumption, this category of patients has periodically unreasonable agitation, tension, anxiety, depression, loss of activity, a sense of helplessness, difficulty in communicating with others, and sadness. Such violations before a person became an alcoholic never took pronounced forms and therefore did not require the intervention of a doctor. In the past, many patients of this group periodically experienced pain in the heart, stomach, joints, and head, for which they were forced to repeatedly consult a doctor and even be treated in hospitals.

Alcohol for these patients becomes a kind of antidepressant, which is why they develop an addiction to alcoholic beverages. Therefore, one of the causes of alcoholism may be the presence of latent depression. By the way, this should be taken into account in preventive, therapeutic and organizational measures to combat this evil.

Thus, latent depression has many "masks". Like the ancient Greek sea deity Proteus, she takes on many forms. With almost photographic accuracy, the disease can (imitate a picture of a mass of functional and organic disorders.

But how to distinguish true bodily ailments from "imaginary" ones - those that are a manifestation of depression? After all, if you do not have clear criteria here, you can push the boundaries of depression, enroll in its department many bodily disorders that are not a manifestation of mental illness.

We have already mentioned two very important signs, which may indicate masked depression: periodicity, cyclical ailments and a combination of several symptoms at once that do not fit into any bodily disease.

There is another leading sign. As already mentioned, many patients do not notice their depressed mood or think that it is the result of bodily ailments. But in response to directed questions, these patients complain of slight depression, a decline in energy, life force that they cannot now rejoice as much as before. Some become restless, irritable, some experience a vague fear, many find it difficult to make more or less serious decisions.

A frequent sign of depression can be pain, which patients describe as unusual sensations: squeezing, bursting, burning, etc. The pain can be very different, in different parts of the body, but it has a difference from ordinary bodily pain. Firstly, it intensifies at night and before dawn, secondly, it can seem to move, run from place to place, thirdly, patients usually distinguish it from pain caused by a physical cause, and fourthly, it painkillers don't work. It is very important, finally, that it has no objective physical causes. Patients usually find it difficult to describe the nature of this pain because of its unusualness and give it only approximate characteristics.

Patients with masked depression, as a rule, note diurnal fluctuations in their condition. So, the mood worsens in the morning, and, conversely, they experience a clear relief in the evening hours.

Of course, individual signs are not only a manifestation of latent depression, therefore, only a psychiatrist in alliance with a therapist can decide what exactly a person is suffering from. Masked depression is observed quite often. According to foreign statistics, it occurs at one time or another in ten people out of a hundred. Most often, it affects mature and elderly people. Women suffer more from it. Latent depression can also be in children, young men, but much less frequently than in adults, and with even more masked symptoms.

It happens that the only manifestation of depression in adolescents and young men is disobedience, periodic laziness and poor progress. Such teenagers run away from home, they are pugnacious, etc. The main reason for going to a psychiatrist may not be mood changes, but the fact that parents simply find it very difficult to cope with them.

Older people often mistake the symptoms of latent depression for supposedly natural manifestations of old age. There is a misconception that it is normal for older people to be indifferent, fast fatiguability, insomnia (including early awakening), lack of appetite. These notions are confusing for the elderly and their loved ones. As a result, they do not go to the doctor - that is, to healing, to the prolongation of youth and the removal of old age. They themselves shorten their active period of life, reconcile themselves with pseudo-old age. But in many cases, treatment with antidepressants would remove the imaginary burden of years from them, improve the body and push back true aging.

Those suffering from latent depression generally respond quickly to antidepressants and are cured even when their disorders have not responded to conventional therapy for a long time. Patients taking these medications experience increased mood, increased activity, a feeling of calmness, and they feel healthy.

Treatment with antidepressants by a psychiatrist has become an almost fail-safe lifeline in the fight against latent depression. Antidepressants play a dual role in this struggle: a medicinal one, the usual one, and a diagnostic one, a less common one. They not only heal, but also serve as a good indicator of hidden depressions. When they improve the health of the patient with dubious or ambiguous symptoms, this means that the symptoms are depressive and are mental, and not somatic.

Antidepressants - good helpers doctor and patient, with their appearance, the treatment of depressive conditions has become much easier and much more effective. They help especially well in combination with other types of treatment, for example, in combination with sedatives.

Of course, we are talking only about taking medication as prescribed by a psychiatrist. The disease in question is “masquerading” and because of this feature it is insidious, which is why the doctor and the patient are required to be more vigilant towards it, the ability to unravel its masks.

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Effects of depression

Many mental disorders are somehow connected with altered states of consciousness, which allow you to take a fresh look at yourself, the people around you and the whole world. However, disorders are called disorders because the individuals suffering from them initially programmed themselves to see the negative in everything. Sometimes it seems that if some people happen to be close to God or in Nirvana, they will still be able to endure only the most negative experiences, they will run to psychiatrists and readily pass all the tests, and then they will drink antipsychotic drugs all their lives.

These attitudes will never allow you to realize what is really happening. There is nothing good in depression, or despondency, as it is called in Orthodoxy. However, this may be the bad one that allows for a reassessment of values. It is quite possible that this kind of mental deviations are almost the only way remember that a person is not a body, at least- not only the body. True, this kind of attention to the spiritual aspect of being most often causes only panic.

How to treat?

Characteristically, certain manifestations of panic occur more and more frequently. For example, back in the last decade of the 20th century, the so-called panic attacks were some kind of exotic syndrome. In the Soviet and post-Soviet information space, mental problems even existed, but about psychopathological " Business Cards” of the beginning of the 21st century, in the form of depression and panic attacks, in general, only specialists heard. Then the diagnosis of "vegetovascular dystonia" was in vogue, which was easily made for any headaches. Now we have somehow learned to identify signs of depression and panic attacks in ourselves.

Moreover, we are seriously afraid that this is only the beginning, and then it will be even worse. We are afraid, we are trying to cure, without even thinking about what is really happening. We can agree that if depression is not treated, the consequences will only be negative. However, from the entire list medical events we will find efficiency mainly in:

• medical treatment;
• baths, electrotherapy, exposure to light;
• therapeutic gymnastics

and similar physical forms, and we consider psychotherapy directly as additional methods, although in practice this is the most important.

Everything is relative

In this world, there are disorders that are called disorders only for reasons of political correctness. In fact, these are the real diseases. These include paranoid schizophrenia, schizotypal and bipolar disorder, a number of others. They are accompanied by hallucinations, delusions and are states that deny the ability to understand, reason, and draw conclusions. Many of these disorders are accompanied by depression, but this relationship is not reciprocal.

Every paranoid person has experienced a deep depression at least once, but this does not mean that every depression is a sign of paranoia. Besides - even schizophrenia is not a death sentence. What can we say about moderate or moderate depression, anxiety disorders or panic attacks? Sometimes it seems that people are too gentle with themselves.

Is there something positive in this?

We can find thousands of articles in which, for no reason, the negative aspects of the considered mental deviations are listed. Let's try to make a breakthrough and find something positive. If you do not agree with this approach and have strictly decided that depression is a universal evil, then ask yourself if you are using antidepressants in the way that the doctor prescribed? Are you following all of his recommendations? Have you ever been to a psychotherapist? No one is forcing you to… But still, let us remind you that you need to fight against evil and do it consistently. If this is evil for you, then why are you so passive?

For now, we will try to analyze this evil. Is there anything useful in it? Let's list the main symptoms and think about the benefits that they give us.

Loss of the ability to experience joy

This state will carry only a negative charge, but exactly as long as there were no attempts to analyze the sources of joy. This is called anhedonia, and is revealed by finding that joy does not bring what brought before.

What was it? A simple but honest listing will reveal two surprising things.

1. All the pleasures were somehow not real. For example, a lot of money and time was spent on repairs, although it could have been done without. There is such an interior style - minimalism. The most important thing in it is the person himself. And in general, all these suspended ceilings and interior doors, by definition, cannot give any happiness.
2. The ability to enjoy a number of things that are not done in a state of depression has not been lost. They would give joy ... Jogging in the morning, working in the garden, plein air in nature, cycling, skating and skiing ... Just tomorrow, do something from such a list as pleasure will be over the edge. But this still needs to be done.

Hence the conclusion - anhedonia cleanses of unnecessary. And the depression itself does not allow you to do the right thing. And hence another one: try to at least close your eyes, at least deceive yourself, at least persuade yourself, but go for a run in the morning, and ride a bicycle in the afternoon. Depression will go away, it will not go away ... It doesn't matter! But how much pleasure there will be ... More than in the usual state. Don't believe? Then try.

Thinking disorder

You don't have to be afraid. This is not nonsense, but simply negative judgments full of pessimism. Combined with low self-esteem, we again get realism, which is painted in dark colors, but still conveys the picture more truthfully.

If you really need to be surprised at something, then attempts to establish a positive attitude in your mind are artificial. For example, with the help of affirmations. It is typical that when people hear about such methods, they argue about whether it "works" or "does not work." It works, but does it always give a positive effect? In any case, a depressed person has a more advantageous position. He has the potential to say later “everything is not so bad as it seemed to me”, but those who like to induce a positive attitude in themselves - no. If something goes wrong, then they will only have to exclaim with horror that all this is a lie, but in fact, the world is terrible: friends betray, everyone pursues only their own interests, but there is no stability. Well, then they will fall into depression, which will not happen to those who are already in it.

Imaginary and real problems

Even the motor retardation experienced in some forms passes with time. Jumps and antics around low self-esteem, anhedonia and temporary disability are most often theatrical. If we consider something a problem, then the attempts of some patients to "treat" depression with the help of alcohol. It may actually help for a while. Moreover, if all people could be limited to taking a glass at dinner, then no problem of alcoholism would simply exist. In reality, having become a means of getting rid of despondency, alcohol will soon enough create a serious imbalance in the production of many hormones and other substances. More and more will be needed to create a feeling of satisfaction.

All this will end with alcoholism, and to get rid of it, due to the presence of acute psychological reasons would be extremely difficult, if not impossible. This is the real effect of depression. Everything else is very strong and artificially inflated. Of course there's nothing good about it mental disorder no. However, we also point to positive sides. So there is no reason to panic either. If you really need to be afraid, then you should be afraid of alcoholism.

New psychological "trick"

Since we are talking about panic, we will try to think about panic attacks as well. Until recently, until about the beginning of the 21st century, medicine noted panic disorder, but they were not called “attacks”. The very same condition was written off most often singled out as one of the symptoms of vegetovascular dystonia. However, in the late 90s, this disorder began to be considered an autonomous medical unit, and the etiology was correlated entirely with psychiatry.

What you read below may cause displeasure for those who experience panic attacks. However, this does not deny their truth. Truth is not always liked.

There are a lot of pleasant and useful things in panic attacks. Please note - it does not say that there is nothing wrong with them. This would not be true. There is something terrible in them, but this is exactly what is pleasant, useful and simply captivating. Let's try to look at a specific example.

A man experiences panic attacks exclusively at the post office. It does not matter what he is doing there: sending a registered letter or receiving a package. Always at the post office covers a seemingly understandable panic. Terrible condition ... Cold in the hands, copious excretion sweat, palpitations, a feeling that he is about to faint. Sometimes darkens the eyes. Each person in front of him in line is seen as an "enemy". The only thought: “Hurry, hurry!” The person seems to understand that all this will pass outside the walls of the post office. It does pass! Interestingly, panic attacks are not always associated with attacks of terror in and of themselves. Scary mainly because of what happens to the body. We all know that there are cardiovascular and similar diseases. Some of the symptoms that are observed in PA are no different from those of a heart attack or stroke. However, with real attacks, all this can last about five seconds, and then the patient will fall. In the case of PA, the duration of the "pre-stroke state" can last an hour, and no stroke will end. Doctors will see only slightly elevated blood pressure and a rapid heartbeat.

The man exits the post office. For a while, the legs still give way and it gets dark in the eyes, but after an hour there is not a single symptom left. At the next visit to the post office, everything can happen again.

There is one more feature. After panic attacks, the consequences are a strange state, the effect of depersonalization and (or) derealization. In this case, a non-standard feeling of oneself and the world around is possible. Everything that happens may seem to be seen for the first time, one's own actions are observed as if from the outside, there is an illusion of the impossibility of controlling them. In total, this state is accompanied by about 20 dozen experiences - from the "erasing" of certain traits of one's personality to difficulties with imaginative thinking.

The benefits of panic attacks

The positive side of panic attacks is that they can be a great way to self-actualize. As Richard Bach said, there is nothing more pleasant than the disappearance of fear. But it's not just that... A panic attack is due to the fact that the situation is almost impossible to control. All physical symptoms appear as if by themselves. The fear from this can be so strong that even a neurotic spasm will occur - a lump in the throat that makes it impossible to breathe. At this point, people begin to greedily swallow air, which leads to a supersaturation of the blood with oxygen and a violation of the concentration of carbon dioxide.

The trick is just to learn to control what is beyond control. Life itself poses a task that in some ways surpasses a controlled dream. At least for the reason that everything does not happen in a dream. The most important thing is not just to understand with the mind that the inability to control a panic attack is illusory, but to verify this in practice. Just to understand - it does not give anything. It is necessary to control, but without control - to contemplate the manifestations of the attack. Difficult, but what an honor. The heart beats terribly, and you simply note that it beats terribly. A lump at the throat ... And you are not trying to breathe. Even a dying body will still make it, as long as a person is alive. You focus on the exhalation, not the inhalation. It is very simple, quite solvable task. It seems that the burdens are bent, the hands are trembling. Just mark it in your mind...

The man from our example did this… He came exactly to the post office to feel all the delights of “rolling over” and culmination. He himself came up with reasons - he bought something in electronic stores and paid for cash on delivery, for example. It turned out that the very fact that he was waiting for the “attack” did not cancel its appearance. She came and was even stronger. It was impossible to defeat her with any actions. Only partially helped breathing exercises. They made it possible only to leave the post office, walk around the city and wait for the activity to decrease, but the problem did not eliminate ... At some point, she “left” the boundaries of the post offices and began to meet in banks and shops. Moreover, the person also guessed that attacks occur when he starts thinking about money. Such were the particular features of his case. But that didn't solve anything...

Then he accepted the "challenge of fate" completely. Here are the basic principles of action ...

1. Deterioration and the resulting panic are observed in certain places. They need to be visited regularly, to do it precisely in terms of working with a panic attack, and not just like that.
2. Bring the attack to the ability to control fear. You can leave the place only when the panic turns into uncontrollable.
3. None additional ways do not use. The work is only psychological.
4. Nothing should be taken to the point of absurdity. As soon as it becomes very bad, you need to leave the place, but return there in no more than 2-3 hours. Definitely the same day. According to the formula "have a rest - we dive".

Already at 5-6 attempts, the attitude towards panic changed. In the first attempt, the heart was actually pounding so that there were suspicions that it was about to jump out of the chest. However, already the third attempt within one day was accompanied by only slight dizziness. After about 10 days of hard work, a slight disappointment arose. At first, approaching the "point of attack" was interesting, like getting out into outer space, but then the feeling of brightness of experiences began to wane. It turned out to be convinced that there is nothing very serious in these attacks.

Now a little about depersonalization... If someone decides to investigate this issue deeply and comprehensively, he will certainly receive information about what is approximately such a state in Buddhism and enough in large numbers religious or occult schools is considered necessary and useful. Firstly, because yogis strive to erase the boundaries of the individual in order to go beyond the perception of the world from the position of "I". Secondly, the same view from the side of oneself (body and thoughts) makes it possible just to control one's actions. Third, stopping the internal dialogue releases the power of intention, which can move mountains.

Note that both panic attacks and depersonalization cannot be conquered by doing something. This is achieved only by non-action. The person in our example did nothing. Just approached critical point and watched what was happening. Sooner or later, but the mind, the psyche did everything on their own.

Depersonalization, as a consequence of the consequences of panic attacks, is similar to an accidentally flown gift that got to that person. People experience discomfort because they are not ready to accept and use the opportunities that such a state gives.

Working with depression, panic attacks, depersonalization teaches you to control the presence of "subtle" emotions and their direction, allows you to understand the peculiarities of your psyche, or at least just remember that it is.

The most important lesson that a person receives is a practical experience that allows him to realize that we are not physical bodies, not biological mechanisms, but our device is not limited to internal organs and the nervous system.

The consequences of a neurosis of this level depend on us. You can find in this a real way to develop the ability to be aware of thinking and emotions, or you can become the hero of an American thriller, with a tinfoil hat on his head, who is afraid of open space, crowds and spends his whole life in a dimly lit room. The choice is up to the individual...

Bad news for the persistent tin soldiers: If a depressive disorder is heroically ignored, untreated, and unresponsive to symptoms, it is highly likely that psychological problems smoothly flow into the physiological sphere, where they transform into well-defined diseases!

What health problems follow depression?

• Vascular disorders, increased risk of heart attack and stroke, disorders heart rate, low or high blood pressure - these are the most common cardiovascular diseases that overtake people who suffer from depression.

• and reproductive function. The sexual sphere is one of the most sensitive to the state of the nervous system and psyche, mood. Therefore, it is not surprising that depression has an extremely detrimental effect on sex life person. Most often this is expressed in a sharp decrease in libido, erectile dysfunction. Reproductive dysfunction is usually associated with hormonal disorders which are also not uncommon in depression.

• Sleep disorder. A person suffering from depression and at the same time sleeping soundly and getting enough sleep is an anomaly. Insomnia, hypersomnia, disturbing dream- this is the main triad of sleep disorders in depression. A sleep disorder can exist in a latent form: in this case, a person, for example, often wakes up at night, he has heartbreaking nightmares, he can start walking in his sleep, talking.

• Depressive disorders contribute to death nerve cells and a slow but marked impairment of mental function. This does not mean that a person will suddenly become stupid; but it will be difficult for him to concentrate on a mental task, he may begin to forget important things, confuse days, it is worse to navigate dates and logical connections. To all other, a sharp decline energy levels can cause a person to lose interest in any mental and physical activity- and over time it will result in emotional, mental and physical degradation.

• A person suffering from a depressive disorder is always more susceptible to viral diseases, fungi, infections and other negative external influences, since his immunity is reduced, the body does not react as sharply as it should, it reacts to a bacterial invasion, it lacks resources to fight seasonal infections and vitamin deficiencies.

• Skin and allergic reactions. Neurodermatitis, exacerbation of chronic psoriasis and eczema, as well as allergic reactions of all varieties are common in depression. A depressive disorder becomes something of a trigger for a dormant skin disease in the body or a tendency to allergies.

• Weakness, high fatigue. The energy level of a person with depression is reduced by 2-4 times compared to the normal state. And this fact affects not only the well-being and subjective feeling that “I feel like sleeping all the time” and “I can’t do anything”, but also on the actual physical condition. A person experiencing a lack of energy, weakness, stops doing fitness, moves little, his muscle mass is depleted, body composition changes, which leads to disturbances in all organ systems (muscles, fat mass, spine, etc.).

The effects of depression are detrimental to health. Nervousness and irritability lead to the release of hormones into the bloodstream, which increase blood pressure and blood sugar levels, inhibit immunity, inhibit digestion, and worsen well-being.

Anyone who has experienced depression, either alone or in front of loved ones, knows how hard it is. The world seems dark and full of danger. Any action, from getting dressed in the morning to driving a car, requires exhausting efforts. Everything is difficult and bad.

Considered in the past to be just a weakness, if not a whim, depression is now recognized as a real health disorder that affects millions of people around the world. It is diagnosed in both adults and children.

Although biological causes While depression is not well understood, scientists believe it is partly due to an imbalance in the brain of certain neurotransmitters, including dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine. Factors such as excess weight, bad dream, unhealthy food.

It is important to distinguish between severe (clinical) and light form depression. It is customary to call the lung simply the blues (spleen). Bouts of bad mood are normal and even necessary, especially when a person is faced with setbacks or losses. Sometimes people feel sad for a while and even feel unhappy for no apparent reason. This is also normal. However, if melancholy haunts you for at least two weeks or begins to interfere with daily activities, it may already be about.

In the latter case, a person is characterized by longing, a feeling of hopelessness and helplessness, or constant anxiety. He is no longer interested in the things he used to love. To others characteristic symptoms include anxiety, irritability, lack of energy, insomnia, weight gain or loss, digestive disorders, and physical pain.

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Effects of depression

And deep depression, and a short bout of blues is a heavy physical and mental burden for the body, especially for the immune system.

Studies show that it noticeably weakens during periods of bad mood. Because a person has incredibly strong psychosomatic connections or interdependence of physical and mental states. These two sides of the individual are inseparable. In other words, what mood, such and health.

This is confirmed by a study in which the content of interleukin-6 (IL-6), one of the markers of inflammation, was determined in the blood of elderly people. It turned out to be higher than that of their peers with a normal mood. Long-term excess IL-6 is known to increase the risk of many chronic diseases including cardiac ischemia, osteoporosis, diabetes, and some types of cancer.

With depression, the level of natural killers and T-lymphocytes, immune cells that attack and destroy foreign microorganisms, decreases. Experts say depression is more likely to develop shingles, a painful rash that occurs when a weakened immune system reactivates the chickenpox virus that has been dormant in the body. ganglions posterior roots of the spinal cord.

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When a child mopes

It is completely unnatural when children lose interest in their favorite games and activities, they are constantly in an irritated, sad and tearful state. And this is the first thing a parent should pay attention to in order to prevent the development of severe depression and subsequent illnesses, and then not resort to long-term treatment.

Sometimes in children against the background of the blues, hyperactivity develops, syndromes - anxiety and attention deficit. All this gives them many difficulties.

Adults should be aware that a depressed child is more likely to use alcohol, drugs, or smoke than their healthy peers. This makes the process of treating depression more difficult, longer and can lead to suicidal behavior.

Early diagnosis and frank, confidential communication with the child will help to avoid such complications.

The consequences of depression are irreparable harm to the body and are practically incurable. But there is good news“Depression itself is treatable. For this, antidepressants are prescribed, which help the patient cope with daily duties and at the same time strengthen his immunity.

Antidepressants don't work for everyone. This is well known to psychotherapists who diagnose and carry out adequate treatment aimed at eliminating all factors that activate the mechanism of depression.

"Why do I live? Who needs me? Why am I taking someone's place? Day after day, everything is the same, all the same dullness, routine and aching feeling of longing somewhere in the chest area. It is difficult to explain what is missing. It is impossible to put into words those feelings when you breathe incompletely, when you do not live, but exist. Depressing is your own worthlessness and insolvency. Even in the circle of friends, thoughts of loneliness do not leave. Why live?

Such questions are anxiety symptoms depression is a type of disorder characterized by depressive triad:

• Such questions are warning signs of depression, a type of disorder characterized by the depressive triad:
• thought retardation
• motor retardation.

They may appear to us in moments of spiritual crisis or difficult times. life situations, loss of loved ones, dramatic breakups. In these cases, depression (depressive reaction) is an acceptable, temporary reaction to life events. It can go away on its own when the problems that brought us into this state are resolved, or when the pain of spiritual wounds subsides. In these cases, a person can get rid of his blues without the intervention of medicine, thanks to his internal reserve. However, contacting a psychiatrist it is useful for analyzing the complexity and severity of the "depressive reaction", for assessing its dynamics - reduction or transition to depression requiring assistance. It is a completely different matter when disturbing thoughts do not go away for weeks, months, when a person cannot cope with his feelings, when his life activity is disturbed, and the suicidal motive becomes obsessive. In this case, neither medications randomly used without the advice of a doctor, nor dope (alcohol or drugs), which only aggravate the disease, will help. Passive suicidal thoughts should not be allowed to be replaced by suicidal intentions. According to the World Health Organization, depression is recognized as a leading disease in both adults and adolescents and is one of the main causes of disability. But the biggest danger is that in adolescence and old age, it most often leads to suicide. We, adults, are responsible for the life of a sick person and have no right to stay away from his problems, not to notice changes in their condition. If you have not lost self-criticism and are able to admit to yourself that you are sick, do not waste precious time - contact a psychiatrist . Often, answering the question, “What is keeping me from this?” helps to get out of depression and give up the firm intention to commit suicide. But very often sick person is unable to take right decisions (there are severe depressions, with depressive ideas of guilt and sinfulness, when the understanding of the severity and complexity of the condition is disturbed ; happens depression- just one of symptoms of another mental illness ), then take a responsibility for his fate should others - next of kin, friends, colleagues . It is they who should lend a helping hand to a desperate person, lead toPSYCHIATR. Indeed, not only the health and well-being of a person, but also his life can depend on the indifferent attitude of all of us. "Life has exactly the value we want it to have." Ingmar Bergman Take care of yourself and your loved ones!

WHO predicts that by 2020 depression will become the second leading cause of disability and death. More and more people suffer from anxiety-depressive disorders and need help. But most don't get it. What is the danger of sadness and anxiety, told President of the Professional Medical Psychotherapeutic Association Vladimir Kurpatov.

Age of neuroses

Ksenia Yakubovskaya, website: - Vladimir Ivanovich, why is our mental health deteriorating every year?

Even healthy people need it from time to time psychological help. There is a large army of psychologists, centers and trainings for them. For mentally ill people, inpatient and outpatient clinics are well organized. psychiatric care. Competent specialists work with patients. But there are patients who belong to "minor psychiatry": depression, anxiety, panic attacks, neuroses, psychosomatic diseases. And just this category of patients lacks the available forces and means. Naturally, without high-quality and timely assistance, diseases pass into the chronic stage.

Over the past 10 years, the number of depressed patients has increased by 20%. And the number of specialists and offices for free reception- decreased. There are only 1.5 thousand psychotherapists in the whole of Russia. We are significantly behind the developed countries in this regard, where they are actively engaged in the prevention and treatment of depressive and psychosomatic disorders. It feels like we are waiting for an epidemic of mental illness to begin.

Depression destroys marriage

- It seems that today everyone is depressed, and it is even fashionable. Maybe we are already accustomed to living in such a state?

This is a dangerous delusion in which the population lives. We believe that depression is a sad mood, depression or melancholy, which go away due to willpower, proper behavior, and upbringing. But this is a serious mental disorder, which, in case of poor-quality therapy, leads to disability. There are already more than a million people with disabilities in the country mental illness. If we turn a blind eye to these problems, the consequences will be devastating, both socially and economically. Depression is a decrease in efficiency, activity, attention, desire to make efforts, set goals, often aggression. Moreover, during scientific research we found out that if one of the spouses suffers from depression, then the marriage often breaks up. It is difficult to live next to a constantly depressed person.

- Why?

They simply do not know that their condition is associated with mental illness. And not every specialist will tell them this. Patients say they have to visit up to 16 different medical offices before they finally get to a psychotherapist. Patients are afraid to turn to specialists, they believe that they will be “registered”, forbidden to drive a car, deprived of other rights, or relatives will turn away because of the “mentally ill” cliché. A person remains with his disorders, they progress.

Being sane is too expensive

How do you know when it's time to see a specialist?

One of the most obvious signs disorders - sleep disturbance. As well as a change in appetite in any direction, excessive excitement, sweating, a frantic heartbeat, unstable mood, decreased performance. Here another problem pops up. Many people confuse a psychologist with a psychotherapist. Pre-morbid and painful conditions should be dealt with by trained physicians. A psychologist is a non-medical specialist. Today, crusts can be obtained quickly, there is no need to confirm qualifications. An unhealthy person can go to a psychologist for years, but there will be no result.

It has been proven that depression is associated with a change in the activity of neurotransmitters in the brain. Only without drugs such disorders are not treated. Exists great amount drugs, and it is possible to choose one that will not affect the quality of life or the individuality of a person. Depression is successfully treated, it does not belong to the category incurable diseases. The main thing is to start the therapeutic effect on time.

- How? People complain that in polyclinics they are offered a consultation with a psychotherapist for a lot of money.

By law, citizens are entitled to free assistance. But, unfortunately, they don't always get it. There are not enough specialists in polyclinics. Often they only have time to prescribe some medications. At the same time, any polyclinic is interested in the psychotherapist additionally providing paid services. In private clinics, such assistance can be 3-5 thousand rubles. And if a depressive state has developed, then on average a person needs 20-30 visits to a specialist. Not everyone can afford such expensive help. I am sure that all psychotherapy should be easily accessible in ordinary clinics, as in the whole world.

A healthy lifestyle, attention to your diet, rest, physical activity and other well-known rules must be observed. But I doubt that people will give up smartphones, the Internet, cars, metro and other blessings of life and leave for the bosom of nature. Namely, the features of modern life have a negative effect on our psyche.

While there is no one hundred percent prevention and protection against depression, only timely assistance for early stages. Outpatient therapy gives a tremendous effect and it is necessary to develop it. Including by raising the culture of mental health so that people are not afraid to be treated. We all need to realize the importance of mental health.