Practical exercises to combat depression. How to deal with depression - basic methods and advice from a psychologist

Self-help ways to combat depression can win on their own. soft shapes depressive states. In more serious cases, “amateur” is unacceptable, specialist supervision is necessary, and natural remedies can be a good help for the prescribed measures.

Change your lifestyle

Although therapy and medication are key methods of controlling depression, there is a lot you can do on your own without waiting until you need to pop pills. Changing behavior - physical, diet and lifestyle - can be effective naturally overcoming depression.

4. Strive for the goal. Nothing keeps your spirit up like achieving your goal. The difficulty lies in determining realistic goals. There is no need to set global goals for yourself or write a 20-page list of feats. Start with small but realistic tasks, the completion of which will give you a feeling of small but victory, and therefore satisfaction.

5. Responsibility. When a person’s heart is heavy, his natural instinct is to step back, abandon all his responsibilities at home and at work. We must fight this feeling. responsibility will not let you lose heart. Just don't force things: if you're not ready to go back to work or school, that's okay. Consider working part-time. If this seems too complicated, consider doing something simple. But you can’t give up - seeing the result of the work done, you will experience satisfaction.

6. Relaxation. Don't think that pleasure or relaxation are things that happen on their own. The only way make them happen - plan for them.

Change of consciousness

Automatic negative thoughts are private sources of anxiety. These thoughts arise randomly when you encounter a situation that hurts your feelings. They can be connected to each other and all together poison your life.

Example: Your boss asked you to rewrite the beginning of a project you are working on. Instead of simply rewriting, you begin to “think out” the reasons for such an order, “deepening” the problem: what if I’m not professional enough? What if I get fired? Further down the chain: “I’ll be left penniless, I’ll lose my home, my family will hate me, I’m a complete loser, why should someone like that live in the world”... That’s it. We arrived: within a few seconds you are plunged into complete despair.

How to deal with automatic negative thoughts?

7. Think. At first it will be very difficult to catch the beginning of this negative chain. After all, these thoughts arise involuntarily. It will be easier to remember the “bad day” and try to retrospectively understand what happened. How did you go from being in a good mood in the morning to being in a terrible mood in the afternoon? What events - and what thoughts - lead you to a depressive state of consciousness?

By reconstructing what happened, you will understand what automatic thoughts you are prone to and how they arise. Then, over time, you will learn to recognize automatic thoughts at the right moment and take control of yourself - stop them before they get out of control.

8. Take a break. When you find that automatic thinking has turned on, try to pause, switch, and unwind. They will help breathing exercises, or just a walk on fresh air. Take a break for a while from the activity in which these thoughts caught you.

9. Use logic. The next time a problem makes you feel terrible, try using it as a natural remedy against depression logic. Depression can make you think disgusting things about yourself, often grotesquely exaggerated. Try to imagine this: is it true that no one likes you? Eat real evidence? True, you can feel himself as the most stupid and hated creature on the planet, but what is the real likelihood of this?

Other Natural Ways to Fight Depression

In addition to creating habits and changing your mind, there are other natural ways to combat blues.

10. Reach out to friends and family. When your heart is heavy, people you trust will help. Talk to them about what is happening to you. Sometimes, realizing that a friend cannot only be your “vest” (this is very difficult emotionally), you will need to leave your feelings aside for a while. And it's good to take care of emotional health loved one, you will take a break from your own worries. You can simply enjoy the time you spend with this person.

11. Find support. In addition to relying on friends and family, you can try participating in a group psychological support. You may find people who truly understand what you've been through and can help you recover. mental strength.

12. Consult your doctor before taking supplements. Although great amount supplements are recommended as a remedy for depression, practice suggests that prescribing them to yourself is simply dangerous. Always consult your doctor before starting to take a supplement, especially if you are already prescribed any medications.

13. Beware of abuse. Many people trying to cope with depression try to drown it out with alcohol and other substances. It's no use - you'll feel even worse in a few hours. If you already have problems with abuse, for example, alcohol, don’t wait for your depression to end. Seek help, otherwise, together, these problems will “deal with” you even faster.

14. Do something new. When a person is depressed, he finds himself in a vicious circle, in a rut. Every ordinary day will go according to the following scheme: bed, TV, computer. Psychologists believe that to get rid of depression naturally, you need to force yourself to do something different, completely new. Go to a museum. Take a book and go read it on a park bench. Sign up for courses foreign language. In general, break this pattern.

15. Don't ignore serious signs depression. Although self-use natural ways fighting depression can help, they have their limitations. People have enough resources to help themselves, but these resources are not infinite. And when a person is so immersed in depression that he cannot cope with the depressive state on his own, with his own will, when thoughts appear that the world would be better without him, he needs urgent professional help.

Depressive disorders are becoming more common, as a person is exposed to regular stress at home, at work, and in personal relationships. The sooner the disease is diagnosed, the greater the chances of getting rid of it completely. Depression is often combined with other mental disorders.

What is depression

An illness such as depression is mental disorder, manifested in a long-term decrease in mood and lack of muscle activity. The disease is accompanied by inhibited actions, lethargy, as well as negative thoughts that a person has every day and can interfere with a good night's sleep.

Depressive disorders affect 25% of people worldwide. This disease is one of the most common in psychiatric practice.

It is an affective disorder, that is, it is accompanied by a violation of the natural perception of events. People with this disease suffer more severely than others from normal somatic diseases. Even minor ones eating disorders are often perceived as alarm bells from the body. Patients with depression are susceptible to suicide, alcoholism and drug addiction. Especially if the disease is protracted.

People with this disorder feel slowed down in their thinking processes, which interferes with work that requires special concentration. A common person A person with a healthy psyche perceives problems as they are. People with depression tend to exaggerate small problems to the point that they themselves panic. In this case, autonomic disorders often occur: hand tremors, dizziness, changes in blood pressure.

There are two main types of depressive disorders: exogenous and endogenous. The first form of the disease is provoked external factors- death of a friend, loss of a loved one, etc. Endogenous depression appears in the background internal conflicts and other problems of a similar nature, for example: self-rejection, etc.

Additional classification of the disease:

1. Dysthymia - chronic form depression occurring long years and manifested by lack of appetite, lethargy and bad mood.
2. Postpartum disorder - occurs after the birth of a child, associated with hormonal changes body and new functions assigned to a person as a parent.
3. Neurotic - appears against the background of neuroses that are protracted.
4. Manic-depressive illness occurs in waves, with periods of exacerbations and remissions; a person feels bouts of anger, which are replaced by a bad mood.
5. Recurrent - periodically occurring depression that lasts several days.
6. Reactive - occurs suddenly against the background of severe stress.

Depression is accompanied by a lack of activity and mood

How and why the disease occurs

Affective disorder is triggered by prolonged stress or psychological trauma. These conditions are triggers - starting points for the development of depression. When a person’s psyche cannot cope with a problem, then a depressed mood arises. In the process of the onset of depression, neurochemical factors also play a role, which are expressed in disruption of the metabolism of biogenic amines. This can happen under different hormonal disorders. In simple words, a malfunction occurs in the brain in normal chemical processes.

Provoking factors:

• stroke;
• chronic disorders cerebral circulation;
• menopause;
• endocrine disorders;
• AIDS;
• malignant tumors;
• heart disease;
• taking psychotropic medications;
• difficult childhood: violence from peers and parents, abuse, etc.;
• a lot of stress;
• constant employment and lack of proper rest;
• brain and spinal injuries;
• failures in personal life or other significant areas of life.

Long-term use of glucocorticoids and medications for high blood pressure can provoke depression.

Mechanism depressive disorder is to violate chemical processes in the brain

Who is most susceptible to the disease?

According to statistics, women suffer from depression 1.5 times more often than the stronger sex. The peak incidence occurs between the ages of 15 and 25 years and occurs in 40% of people. This is due to hormonal changes in adolescence and with the reproductive period. It is at this age that a person most often faces complex psychological problems: studying at school, entering a university, getting a job, getting married, etc. People over 40 years old get sick only in 10% of cases. And patients with depression at 65 years old account for 30%.

Representatives of the fair sex get sick more often due to hormonal changes in the body during the menstrual cycle. In some women this is more pronounced, while in others it is less pronounced. In this case, depression often occurs in the second phase closer to menstruation and passes without a trace in the first half of the cycle.

Symptoms of the disease

Symptoms of depressive disorder:

• feeling of hopelessness;
• blaming others for your problems;
• reluctance to communicate;
• constant fatigue;
• low self-esteem;
• increased anxiety;
• feeling of despair.

People with affective disorders have a reduced ability to learn, memory suffers, and memorization worsens. The speech of patients is often slow. In order to concentrate attention, you have to make a lot of effort. People with depression often sit in one position with a sad expression on their face. Launched forms diseases lead to the fact that patients do not get out of bed at all.

Sleep becomes disturbed as the pathology progresses. Then they join somatic disorders. A person suffers from constipation, the pupils are constantly dilated, and the heart rate increases. Gradually the skin is involved in the process. She becomes pale and dry. Nails begin to break and peel. Hair falls out.

Other body systems also suffer. Patients often complain of discomfort in the stomach, stool disorders, and nausea. Although an examination of the organs does not show any pathology associated with these systems.

Sick people always feel sleepy during the daytime. Some people experience sharp weight loss, while others, on the contrary, experience an increase in appetite, which leads to obesity. It may suddenly occur headache. Apathy gives way to nervousness. The person almost completely loses social adaptation and does not feel satisfaction from performing daily tasks.

As the disease progresses, the feeling of tension increases. The person practically does not relax, which worsens the course of the disease. Teenagers with depression have virtually no friends, they are withdrawn and unsociable, they lag behind in learning and eat poorly. In women, libido decreases and the menstrual cycle is disrupted. Men often experience impotence.

Lethargy and lack of interest in everyday activities always accompany depression.

How dangerous is the disease?

Prolonged depression can lead to serious consequences for a person. Against the background of affective disorders, anorexia develops, which in advanced cases is irreversible and ends fatal. A person may become completely incapacitated due to lack of ability to concentrate. The risk of committing suicide increases.

Many people who experience depression talk about the intensity of their emotional distress. Anxiety becomes so strong that it does not allow you to perform even basic actions. A person is captive of his thoughts.

Anorexia often occurs due to prolonged depression

How to get rid of the disease

Treatment for depression is always comprehensive. They use methods of art therapy, self-hypnosis, as well as individual and group psychotherapy. Good effect They give physiotherapy. Medicines are used for prolonged depression when other treatments become ineffective.

To get rid of depression, the patient’s desire to get rid of the disease is important. In other cases, any methods therapeutic effects will be useless.

You can get rid of the problem forever; to do this, you must follow all the doctor’s instructions. Depression is a reversible disease.

How to cope with depression - video

Independent ways to get rid of the disease

At home, you can use methods of self-hypnosis, visualization and art therapy. The first method is the basis of auto-training. A person repeats affirmations (a set of positive phrases) every day, while being in a relaxed state. Meditation allows you to touch the depths of the subconscious. It is important that the phrases contain information directly opposite to negative ideas about yourself. For example, a person feels like a failure. Every day he must repeat: “I am a lucky person. Luck comes into my hands on its own. Everything works out for me.” Each person has an individual set of affirmations.

Before you begin this method, you need to relax your body muscles as much as possible. To do this, you can turn on meditation music. You can repeat phrases silently or out loud. The course of treatment is at least 2–3 months. The procedure must be repeated daily. Best time for this - 10 minutes before bedtime.

Auto-training allows you to get out of depression

The visualization method used in modern psychotherapeutic practice allows us to eliminate the source of depression. It is necessary to imagine what worries you most - a negative thought. You need to mentally place this picture in front of you. Then imagine how the colors floated across it, as if they were being washed away by rain. Eventually the image should be completely erased. And after that you need to imagine a picture of what you would like to replace the negative image with. A positive image must be visualized in all colors. It is advisable to do this every day before bed for 3-4 months.

Visualization helps replace negative thoughts with positive ones.

To enhance the effect of visualization, the author of these lines regularly views the desired images on the computer. If it’s difficult to fantasize, you can print out the pictures and make a target slide out of them. Many photographs can be pasted onto whatman paper and placed in the most visible place. Most people find it easier to perceive information this way. The photo can be attached to the refrigerator using magnets, then the desired result will always be before your eyes. A little trick - it’s better to place positive slides just above the eye line. Thus, according to experts in the field of neurolinguistic programming, what is desired reaches the subconscious faster.

An excellent way to get rid of affective disorder is art therapy. It consists of reflecting your negative thoughts on paper with paints. You can draw anything you want. The main thing is to throw out negative emotions as much as possible.

Art therapy is about throwing out all negative emotions on paper.

Additional ways to get rid of depression at home:

• modeling from plasticine;
• playing sports;
• free dances.

Group and individual psychotherapy

Psychotherapy methods provide good result and are the most effective. You can work with the patient individually or in a group. The second method is not always suitable for patients with severe depression who avoid contact with other people. Hypnosis has a good effect, allowing you to immerse a person in a special trance state. At the same time, the psychotherapist recognizes hidden psychological problems that could become a prerequisite for the development of depression.

To get rid of affective disorder, Gestalt therapy methods are often used. It is based on the fact that the psychotherapist is an active participant in the process. At the same time, the patient expresses hidden emotions, is working on difficult situation, sorting it out piece by piece in real time.

Conventive behavioral therapy is the most commonly used therapy today. It allows you to look at yourself from the outside. The doctor asks the patient unexpected questions, answering which the person understands the absurdity of his condition and begins to look at the disease with completely different eyes, without exaggeration. In other words, the psychotherapist convinces the patient that all responsibility for what is happening lies entirely with him. And when the patient wants, he can start a completely different life without depression.

Conventive behavioral therapy is based on interrupting the pathological thought cycle

A psychotherapist is trying to break the cycle that makes up chronic depression. It is important to convince the patient to give up negative thoughts and replace them with positive ones.

Drug treatment for depression

Medicines used to treat depression:

1. Antidepressants. Improves mood, stimulates mental activity. Have a number side effects, therefore they are prescribed in a minimal dosage. The course of treatment is 4 weeks.
2. Tranquilizers. Used for depression, which is accompanied by anxiety disorders. Tranquilizers are taken in a short course for no more than 2 weeks.
3. Nootropic drugs. Improves cerebral circulation and concentration. Such drugs are used as an auxiliary method of treatment for a course of 4 weeks.

It is dangerous to use antidepressants and tranquilizers without a doctor’s prescription, as they have a lot of side effects and can cause cardiac arrest if the dose is exceeded.

Physiotherapy

Physiotherapy procedures that will be effective:

1. Acupuncture. Accelerates blood circulation, strengthens the immune system, and has an effect on the entire body. Used as an auxiliary method for eliminating depression. The course of treatment is 10 procedures or more. Contraindications: acute psychosis, epilepsy and infections.

   Aromatherapy is an auxiliary way to get rid of depression

Physiotherapy is not independent method treatment, and are used only in combination with psychotherapy.

Fighting depression - video

Depression is by far the most common illness in people. It is precisely the disease that is easier to prevent than to treat. Depression creeps up unnoticed, worsening a person’s quality of life, negatively affecting relationships with loved ones and colleagues, and reducing performance. Added to this are frequent headaches, general weakness, pain in the heart, as well as an increasingly emerging desire to end this “existence.” It is possible to get out of a severe form of depression only with the help of specialists.

There are many reasons for depression: the busy pace of life, information pressure, lack of personal space... Most often, residents become victims of depression big cities, especially women. How does depression occur? First, a conflict occurs - stress, if not overcome in time, it will turn into more severe form, which is what depression is.

Possible causes of depression:

• a stressful situation in the family or at work that is not resolved for a long time (conflict with the boss or with the team);
• middle age crisis";
• a person’s ambitions that do not correspond to his real capabilities;
• routine, routine in life.

Autonomic disorders in the form of manifestations of vegetative-vascular dystonia are part of depression. If the cardiologist and therapist exclude relevant diseases, additional signs depression of a vegetative nature may include headaches, dizziness, frequent urination, false urges, changes in blood pressure and temperature in one direction or another. Depression also affects gastrointestinal tract: a person’s appetite disappears, long-term constipation appears (4-5 days), it is less common increased appetite or diarrhea. Depression also affects sex life men and women, dulling sensitivity and sexual sensations. Often, due to depression, men have problems with potency, and in women, menstruation may be delayed by 10-14 days, which is regular for 6 months or more.

The asthenic component of depression manifests itself in the form of fatigue, weather sensitivity, and irritability. Irritation may be too loud sounds, bright light, touch strangers(when, for example, a person was accidentally pushed on the street or in a store), and this often happens internal irritation may be accompanied by tears.

Depression also affects sleep function, causing sleep disorders: the process of falling asleep becomes more difficult, sleep is shallow and restless with frequent awakenings, early awakening and inability to sleep.

Depression has several levels of development. There are signs that indicate the severity of the disease. Consideration of suicide is a sign of significantly worsening depression. A feeling of unwillingness to live, constant thoughts about the meaninglessness of life, clear thoughts of suicide, and intentions consistently appear in severe forms of depression. Such symptoms are a signal for an urgent visit to a psychotherapist, who will prescribe drug treatment depression in the required dosage.

Drug treatment for depression is prescribed if the depression level on the Zung scale is greater than or equal to 48 points. The effectiveness of drug treatment is due to their effect on the serotonin system (the hormone of happiness). Being in good mood much easier to solve conflict situations or psychological problems. You should not be afraid of addiction to antidepressants, since it can only be caused by the use of strong sedatives and sleeping pills from the group of tranquilizers.

Antidepressants prescribed by a doctor depend on the level of depressed mood. Correctly selected dosage medicinal product contributes to the fact that after three to four weeks, thoughts of suicide and anxiety disappear, and mood stabilizes. However, you should not stop the course of treatment at the first signs of improvement; it is better to complete it completely to avoid it reoccurrence. The duration of treatment with antidepressants for each patient is determined individually by the psychotherapist. However, the course of treatment with antidepressants ranges from 4 months to a year, sometimes longer. It happens that to consolidate therapeutic effect After completing the main course of treatment, the specialist prescribes a maintenance course of treatment for depression. Depression lasting less than six months is most easily treated. If treatment for depression is delayed, the treatment course can reach one and a half years with one and a half years of maintenance treatment.

If depression has not developed to a severe form, you should contact a psychologist who will help you cope with sad thoughts, control your actions, and cope with feelings of hopelessness and low self-esteem. He will tell you how to overcome certain life difficulties, solve your problems, and endure loss. However, regardless of whether you have the blues or deep depression You can try to get out of this state yourself.

Here are a few rules that can be applied to combat depression if it does occur.
Ideally, if possible, change the situation, environment, food. For example, take a vacation and go somewhere. At the same time, you will not have any worries, you will not need to decide anything or run somewhere. But a prerequisite is to choose a new place, one where you have never been before. If there is no opportunity, then relaxing in the countryside, in nature, is also suitable.

Since sleep is the cure for all diseases, you should get enough sleep. After all, depression is often accompanied by insomnia. Therefore, before going to bed, you need to thoroughly ventilate the room; you can even leave the window open at night.

Setting a specific goal and developing a plan to achieve it is good remedy from depression, since a person busy turning plans into reality does not have the opportunity to waste time on depression and various experiences.

You can try yourself in any sport or regularly go to gymnastics, fitness classes, etc. It is best to choose a set of exercises that engage all muscle groups: jogging, swimming, cycling, hiking. And if you have always maintained yourself in excellent physical fitness, worth increasing physical exercise to the limit.

Don't constantly remember the past and accumulate grievances, live for today.

Change your diet. Include chocolate and bananas in your menu, as they have a positive effect on the body's production of endorphins, which are responsible for our mood. Eat more seeds, nuts, flour bread coarse, buckwheat, oatmeal, legumes, because these foods are rich in vitamin B1, the deficiency of which causes disturbances in the functioning of the nervous system.

You can also change the interior of your apartment, change the decor, change the wallpaper - all this will also have a positive effect on your well-being.

The most important thing during depression is to refrain from taking important decisions, it is better to consider these issues after leaving depressive state.

Everything is so terrible that you can no longer endure this feeling; it seems to you that you are alone in the whole world, and no one is able to understand you. But you are not alone! Depression is a fairly common disease, which, according to experts, affects about 10% of our country's population! . Depression – serious illness. If you do not get treatment in time, all areas of your life may suffer! Don't let despair get the better of you. So, are you ready to fight depression? Then start right now!.

If you are having suicidal thoughts, seek help immediately! Call emergency services or by hotline services psychological assistance: 8-800-100-01-91.

Steps

Recognizing depression

Visit doctor

Make an appointment with your doctor. Depression can lead to mental and even physical problems! It is important to understand exactly what you are feeling. Your doctor will help you with this. The doctor will help rule out physical reasons your condition.

• Your doctor can recommend a psychiatrist who can prescribe you treatment and help you overcome depression.

1. Prepare for your doctor's visit. The examination usually proceeds quickly. Here are some tips to help you stay on track short terms With maximum benefit:

   Ask someone to go to the doctor with you. Ask good friend or one of your relatives to accompany you. They will not only support you morally, but will also help you communicate the necessary information to the doctor in case you forget something.

2. Lifestyle changes

   Take the medications your doctor prescribed. Observe the dosage and frequency of use. Do not stop taking the medicine without talking to your doctor.

   • If you are pregnant or trying to become pregnant, it is important to tell your doctor. Some antidepressants may pose significant risks to your health and the health of your baby. Discuss your situation with your doctor so that he can prescribe the most appropriate treatment for you.

   1. Take psychotherapy courses. Psychotherapy courses consist of counseling and identification psychological problems, as well as finding solutions to them. This is one of key methods fight depression. . Psychotherapy can help you gain a sense of harmony and control over your life, and reduce symptoms of depression. You can also gain experience so that you can easily cope with stress in the future.

      • Discussing your depression can help more than just you! Too many people have suffered with this disease alone, and you can help end the suffering of hundreds of others by sharing as much as you can about your depression.

   2. Think about something positive every day. Clinically this is called cognitive behavioral therapy. She is one of best methods treatment of depression. . You need to make an effort to identify negative thoughts and beliefs and then try to replace them with positive ones. After all, you can't always change a situation, but you can always change your attitude towards it.

      • To succeed in this endeavor, seek the help of a counselor or therapist who can help you identify negative impressions in your life and replace them with positive ones.

   3. Do the exercises. Physical activity significantly reduces symptoms of depression. , so move as much as possible. Find something you enjoy and do it regularly:

      • Walk
      • Team sports (volleyball, football, basketball, etc.)
      • Gardening
      • Swimming
      • Fitness

   4. Control your emotions. Try meditation, yoga, tai chi. . Try to find harmony. If you don't have enough time, give up any tasks that can wait. Take time for yourself.

      Get enough sleep. Healthy sleep has a profound impact on your physical and mental health.

Bad mood, chronic fatigue and simple laziness completely coincide with the symptoms of this mental disorder.

Having no idea how to deal with depression, many are sure that they should not indulge their whims and whims, that everything will disappear on its own.

Meanwhile, the damage caused by depression in the world is equal to the consequences caused by cardiovascular diseases.

Until now, experts have no consensus in explaining the nature of depression. Sigmund Freud believed that depression was caused by a number of interacting causes.

Majority modern research, dedicated to depression, tend to believe that its causes are psychosomatic in nature.

Summarizing modern views, we can identify the main causes of depression:

• biological reasons;
• psychological reasons;
• social reasons.

Biological reasons

Neurophysiological reasons are associated with a failure in the transmission and processing of information in the limbic region, the pleasure center and the hypothalamus of the brain. Responsibility for this lies with the neurotransmitters contained in the pathways - serotonin, norepinephrine, acetylcholine, dopamine.

With their help, the brain controls the expression of emotions, sleep, appetite, memory, anxiety, sexual desire, activity, reaction to stress, fear, panic. Most antidepressants used in treatment are aimed at creating an imbalance of these substances.

TO biological reasons include genetically burdened heredity. If immediate relatives had a tendency towards depressive symptoms, alcoholism, drug addiction, suicide, then the person is more likely to be exposed to this disease.

Diseases that provoke depression include:

• endocrine and nervous system;
• insufficiency and disorders of cerebral circulation, traumatic brain injury;
• cardiovascular diseases;
• anemia;
• oncology;
• tuberculosis, asthma;
• chronic diseases of the gastrointestinal tract;
• disorders in the genitourinary area;
• severe infectious diseases;
• chemical addiction (alcoholism, drug addiction) and behavioral (gaming addiction);
• pharmacological dependence;
• physical inactivity;
• vitamin deficiency and hypovitaminosis.

Psychological causes of depression

These reasons are due to the specifics of thinking and life circumstances:

• critical perception of life, pessimism, self-flagellation, introversion;
• violations in the field of self-esteem, self-perception;
• tendency to conflict type of behavior;
• increased psychological sensitivity;
• loss or serious illnesses loved ones, orphanhood, divorce;
• lack of affection, attention in childhood and adolescence, domestic violence;
• retirement;
• hypochondriacal disorder (fear of getting sick, becoming infected, getting hurt);
• lack of productive communication, psychological support from others, childlessness;
• destruction of formed values, confidence in one’s own inadequacy to the ideal and its unattainability, loss of the meaning of life.

Social reasons

The social component of our life provokes most depressive illnesses.

A large amount of information that requires constant processing, an unstable political and economic situation, the unpredictability of tomorrow, the need to constantly compete and meet requirements in professional field, difficulties with employment, race for material assets, the need to hide your weaknesses and shortcomings from others - these are constantly acting stress triggers.

More than 20% of humanity experiences depressed, depressed states leading to loss of ability to work, destruction of social and personal connections, and decreased interest in what is happening.

In case of severe protracted illness 15% of people with depression attempt suicide.

How to get rid of depression

Let's look at how to deal with depression and apathy. It should be understood that protracted chronic manifestations depression requires specialist intervention.

Only by seeking help from a psychotherapist or consulting psychologist can you determine the causes and methods of treating a depressive state.

Medical assistance for the treatment of depression is usually a combination of psychotherapy, medication and non-drug methods.

The medication method involves taking antidepressants under constant medical supervision. Non-drug methods represented by physiotherapy, magnetotherapy, aromatherapy, light therapy, acupuncture, physical therapy, various types of massage.

Modern psychotherapy has a whole arsenal of methods and techniques to combat depression. Most often they practice cognitive, psychodynamic, behavioral, family, group, individual, suggestive, rational psychotherapy. As auxiliary methods use different kinds art therapy (drawing, modeling, music) and animal-assisted therapy with the involvement of animals (dolphin therapy, hippotherapy).

To get rid of depression, you need to remember that the causes of depression are diverse, often complementary and depend on many factors.

How to get rid of depression in women

The female psyche is more mobile, they easily fall into a depressive state, but they tolerate it more easily than men.

Only in two out of ten cases do women attempt suicide.

The most a clear symptom Depression in women is a loss of interest in their appearance, a reluctance to communicate with friends and colleagues.

Unsuccessful marriage, divorce, excessive household responsibilities, the need to combine work with caring for a child, parents, lack of material resources and uncertainty about the future, cases of sexual violence, cheating on a husband, unrequited love often cause depression in women.

Women are susceptible to systematic changes in the amount of estrogen in the blood associated with menstrual cycle, menopause and menopause.

Everything related to reproductive function: pregnancy, prenatal and postpartum periods, infertility or the decision to resort to termination of pregnancy.

Close and significant people can help get rid of female depression by showing attention and participation.

Good ways to get rid of depression can be: walks, travel, gifts, attentions, compliments, vacations in warm places, self-realization in your favorite activity, shopping.

Depression in pregnant women - how to deal with it

The best ways to combat depression are:

• direct warm communication with loved ones, significant people(not on the Internet);
• yoga, light exercise, communication with nature, going to exhibitions, attending concerts, theater performances;
• fitness courses and groups for pregnant women;
• balanced diet.

How to get rid of depression in men

Male depression, as a rule, is latent in nature, but leads to more serious consequences: alcoholism, drug addiction, suicide.

Men are typically worried about making the wrong choice of profession and conforming to their own ideas about success. The cause may be problems in the sexual sphere or family relationships.

When treating male depression, several effective techniques are used:

• verbalization, articulation of problems, their detailed discussion in the family circle;
• engaging in an emotionally comfortable hobby (sports, fishing, creativity);
• systematic analysis of the situation, revision of priorities;
• refusal to make hasty decisions.

Often traumatic experiences and depression are caused by military service or participation in combat.

Do you know what neurotic depression is? Follow the link to see what characterizes this type disorder and what methods can be used to combat it.

How to get rid of depression in the elderly

Depression in the elderly - how to deal with it? Elderly people most often develop senile depression due to genetic predisposition, coupled with age-related diseases, loss of loved ones, decreased vital activity, and deteriorating financial situation.

Senile depression is accompanied by outbursts of anger, irritability, dissatisfaction with reality, others, selfishness, tearfulness, and a desire to die.

Having retired, many people cannot get used to the changed pace of life or adapt to new conditions.

The cure for older people is pleasure. The pleasure of communicating with family and nature, from making new acquaintances, easy travel and new responsibilities, from feeling important to loved ones, participating in charitable and public affairs, reading, working at garden plot, needlework and crafts.

How to deal with depression yourself at home

The main conditions for getting rid of depression at home are: a comfortable emotional environment, patience, benevolence, interest in success, unobtrusive attention from relatives, their desire to support, listen, understand the cause of worries, and involve them in meaningful activities.

Patients with depression should adhere to a diet. Avoid products that contain caffeine, tannin, or stimulants. Reduce meat consumption. Eat at certain hours, do not eat 3-4 hours before bedtime. Avoid overeating and undereating.

The diet should be supplemented with natural antidepressants: bananas, dates, nuts, seeds, fermented milk products, soy, mushrooms.

Required good sleep. A contrast shower helps a lot.

Support in depression breathing exercises. Meditation and aromatherapy will do. Baths with sea salt are effective.

IN folk medicine decoctions are used to treat depression medicinal herbs: valerian, pharmaceutical chamomile, hops, oats, St. John's wort, mint and lemon balm.

To successfully overcome a depressive state, psychologists advise:

• put small and real goals, reach them;
• accept the help of others, do not hesitate to discuss problems that have arisen, find the causes of these problems;
• walk more;
• engage in activities that bring positive emotions;
• pay attention to your appearance and physical health;
• in case of prolonged depressed state (3-4 weeks), seek help from a specialist;
• If suicidal thoughts occur, immediately seek help from loved ones and a doctor.

No person is immune from depression. It can arise suddenly and also pass unexpectedly, or it can oppress a person for many years. The main thing is to recognize the symptoms in time, analyze the causes and take measures to eliminate the causes. It is best to do this not alone, but together with specialists and loved ones.

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