One in every two or three people I've talked to lately (actually all of them, but let's not exaggerate) complain about unhappiness, say they feel bad, are depressed. And then he adds, "Living conditions are known, what can we do so we don't go crazy in this period?" Don't get me wrong, these people are not the ones who applied to me as patients. Spouses, friends, people I meet on the street, grocery stores, taxi drivers, etc.
It is an undeniable fact that the conditions we find ourselves in negatively affect all of us, to a greater or lesser extent, and cause distress. However, depression, which is a mental illness, can be combined with daily troubles. They should not be confused with each other.
Depression is one of the most common mental disorders. One in four people may experience depression at some point in their life. Although it is more common in women, it is debatable whether this condition is due to women seeking psychological help more often. As men become more accepting of their mental distress and seek professional help, this rate will become closer to each other.
Although depression is frequently seen between the ages of 18-45, today we frequently encounter childhood and even infancy depression.
So what is this depression?
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If you don't feel like doing anything,
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If you cannot enjoy anything you do,
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If you always feel unhappy and joyless,
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If you can't enjoy the things you used to enjoy,
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If you want to stay away from people
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If you don't feel like talking or spending time with anyone,
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If you always look at the future pessimistically and hopelessly,
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If you are constantly fixated on the negative events that happened in the past,
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If you always think negatively and only see the negative side of everything,
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If you have difficulty making even the simplest decisions,
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If you cannot concentrate,
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If you do not want to move at all,
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If you always feel tired, exhausted, weak,
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If you are constantly restless,
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He sleeps a lot If you have difficulty falling asleep and/or staying asleep,
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If you eat too much or have lost your appetite,
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You constantly think about death and feel If you hope to see someone dead or make death plans,
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If you are more angry, hurtful or overly sensitive than before
You may think you are DEPRESSED. In order to say that depression exists as a disease, at least five of the above must be present continuously or for most of the day for at least 15 days. Also, to call it a disease; The troubles experienced must seriously negatively affect many areas of your life. The family, work, social and private life of a depressed person is seriously disrupted. They become unable to have healthy relationships with either their family members or their friends. Their relationships are damaged because they are very angry, reactive and even hurtful, and also because they get upset and bored easily. They don't want to see anyone during this period anyway. Since their attention is easily distracted, they always think negatively, and they do not have the energy to work, their work performance decreases and they may even lose their job from time to time.
Depression is a painful disease that deeply affects life. In addition, pains whose cause is unknown and which do not improve despite examinations and treatments - especially head, neck and waist pains -, stomach disorders, itching; The failure of those with chronic diseases to improve despite treatment - fluctuations in blood sugar or blood pressure may be due to depression.
As depression progresses, patients' hope gradually decreases, they realize that they will never get better, that nothing will ever be the same again, or even worse. They think they will go. Life begins to lose its meaning and living begins to become a burden. During this period, thoughts of death also intensify. Thoughts such as 'I wish I could die or be saved' or 'If I don't wake up in the morning' sometimes progress further and turn into plans to kill oneself. Depression is one of the diseases in which suicide is most common.
Depression symptoms are things we all experience in daily life. When you read the article, those who say 'Yes, I have these too, then I am depressed too' I hear you. First of all, leave this decision to an expert. What you read in the article should not go beyond guiding you to an expert. It would be a very wrong approach to diagnose yourself with depression and try to use the medications used by people close to you. The saying "There are as many diseases as there are patients" is very valid for mental illnesses. In addition, after going through the stages of making a diagnosis and deciding whether medication should be used or not, with the help of an expert, medication selection should be made very carefully. Although the diseases appear similar to each other, many factors such as people's constitutional characteristics, other diseases and/or medications they constantly use should be taken into consideration when choosing the drug. Most importantly, medication can never be the only treatment method. Treatment steps are taken at every stage, starting from the interview with the person.
Depression, which has such serious consequences, is a treatable disease. If left untreated, it may resolve spontaneously within 6 months. However, the patient suffers many losses during this 6-month period. Therefore, the person should seek professional help as soon as he notices these symptoms and feels that he cannot cope.
Why not seek help?
Unfortunately, consulting a psychiatrist is not a very approved attitude in our society. Since people perceive their inability to cope with such problems not as a disease but as weakness, weakness, or lack of will, they try to solve it themselves. When they cannot do it, they do not want to go to a specialist because they feel ashamed and perceive it as a shame. Thus, not only is the problem not resolved, but the person's problems become even deeper. Both physical and mental health deteriorates. The joy of life disappears, and relationships are damaged, perhaps irreparably. In short, the quality of life decreases. Another important reason for not consulting a specialist is to be afraid of the reaction they will receive from the environment and to be uncomfortable. Going to a psychiatrist is still perceived as very different from going to any doctor in our society. 'Only crazy people go to the doctor' 'You can handle it yourself' 'What's the problem with these?' 'You're exaggerating, it's nothing to you' 'Private life should not be shared with anyone' due to comments such as Juniors may become even more withdrawn and avoid getting help, believing that they cannot be understood. In addition, according to these people who have lost hope to a great extent, no one - even a doctor - can understand them or help them.
In addition, thoughts about medication are quite negative. Thoughts such as drugs make you gain weight, make you sleepy, anesthetize and cause addiction are quite common in society. The opinions of neighbors and relatives often override the thoughts of the doctor. Sometimes they start using a neighbor's medicine when they feel distressed. Sometimes, they attach more importance to the words of those around them than the doctor's and avoid taking medications - even if the doctor recommends them - and think that they can cope with this problem with their own will.
The role of medications in the treatment of depression is very important. Medicines are effective in normalizing patients' sleep and appetite patterns, increasing their energy, gaining vitality, and increasing their ability to cope with difficulties. Since they are chemicals, of course they may have some side effects. However, these effects appear before the effect begins, usually within the first week, and disappear in a short time. The effects of the drugs begin to be felt from the second week. First of all, sleep becomes regular, people become calmer, dwell less on their experiences and become less pessimistic. Their endurance and energy increases. Motivation and energy are indispensable elements for a person to cope with himself, his thoughts and emotions, and to produce healthy solutions. This state of well-being achieved with medications paves the way for taking permanent steps in the treatment and prevention of depression. The person who feels calmer and more alive, with the support of an expert, realizes the ways of thinking that make him prone to depression and finds the power to change them as much as he wants. Replacement of thoughts with healthier ones both improves depression and prevents recurrences to a large extent.
One or two weeks after starting the medication, patients gradually feel better. This state of well-being has its ups and downs and settles down after a while. However, since depression is a disease that recurs especially in the first year, medication treatment should be continued for at least a year. Even if it is done, it is necessary to continue and visit the doctor regularly once a month. Thus, recurrence of depression attacks is prevented to some extent. The drug should be used under the supervision of a doctor and should be stopped slowly, following the advice of the specialist. Stopping the drug suddenly may cause serious side effects. At each stage of treatment, possible side effects and the effectiveness of the drug should be evaluated by the specialist. The dose of the drug can be reduced or increased if necessary. Or medication may be added or changed. Thus, the treatment is carried out more accurately. In all cases, it is important to inform the doctor and not to make decisions alone.
A method that can be as effective as medication in the treatment of depression is psychotherapy. Psychotherapy helps the person to find self-destructive approaches in their view of life through interviews with the patient, and the more we can develop skills in coping with the problems in life, the less the problems will affect us. It is not possible to reduce or eliminate stress. However, learning to cope with stress in a healthy way is extremely possible and very beneficial for mental health. Treatments aimed at finding the causes of depression and, if necessary, detecting and changing the thought styles and belief systems that trigger depression will have positive effects on both the improvement of the current course of depression and the perspective on life in the future.
Depression is not a weakness, weakness or fate, it is a mental disorder. When treated correctly, people can regain their previous performance in all areas. In fact, they hold on to life with tighter and healthier ties, with the justified pride of having experienced and overcoming depression, the self-confidence of achieving something - even a very difficult thing - and seeing how they cannot enjoy life during depression.
It is not that difficult to get rid of this disease, which is so painful and makes life unbearable, and to prevent its recurrence. How about spending the limited life offered to you the way you want and dream?
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