Depression (signs, causes, treatment, medication, prevention)

Can depression kill you? No, it can't, but it can make you stronger. Sometimes, it might feel too overwhelming, too demanding, too hard while being depressed, but exercising can really help you in your battle with depression.

Try hiking, biking, running, swimming, as much as your body allows. Sometimes ten minutes a day will be enough. Sometimes thirty minutes.

Decide on the amount of time you need to complete those exercises.

Body movement is proven to help multiply brain cells, release hormones of happiness and joy, and improve overall health. So bring it on.

How can you tell if you have depression? That is something only a physician can tell. Although depression is in majority of cases associated with the decline in mood, it can also be caused by completely other things that have nothing to do with the external events. It can be a symptom or a result of a medical issue such as a virus, bacteria, or a parasite, or even cancer.

It can also mean some sort of vitamin defficiency in your body (like B12); the dysfunctional thyroid gland, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, stroke.

It might be good for you, therefore, to check with your doctor if everything is alright with you physically first. If it is a depression, the doctor may recommend you a natural treatment for depression, which may be of great help to you.

Depression includes symptoms such as:

• Trouble with sleeping (sleeping too little, too much, or interrupted sleep)
• Eating a lot or starving oneself
• Withdrawal from other people
• Feeling of being overwhelmed, hopeless, and helpless
• Angry and irritable, violent (mostly teens)
• Feeling that the person might be the burden (sick people and the elderly)
• Not enjoying what a person normally enjoyed
• Decrease in libido
• Loss of energy; fatigue
• Sudden unexplainable pains and aches
• Trouble with concentration
• Trouble doing daily activities
• Reckless behavior

If you have some of those, it means you might be feeling depressed. Ask your doctor, however, to have you do depression screening to be sure.

It is more or less known what can cause depression and how bad depression is, however, it is unknown how long can depression last. Unfortunately, people often tend to withdraw themselves when they feel depressed and that works against them. It might feel tiring and overwhelming to talk to others, to explain how you feel, or generally be around others, but withdrawing will not help, either.

What can help you overcome depression is socialization. Always try to stick to positive people for who you know are not going to be judgmental about your current condition. Surround yourself with people with positive attitude.

Strike up conversations with acquaintances; seek people with similar interests. Socialize in small amounts, every day.

"What can cause depression and how long can depression last?" is what many people wonder. Different circumstances in life may cause depression and how long it can last is only up to you. One way to fight against it is to write all down. Whenever you are feeling down, write it down on a piece of paper or in a book. Write down all negative thoughts and re-read your journal when you are feeling good. This will help you see the situation from another angle. Here are some of the negative thoughts:

• All-or-nothing kind of thinking--when you see all in black and white, with no gray in the middle. For instance, this happens in perfectionists. For instance, they have completed something, but did not one single thing; therefore, to them, everything, even the accomplished things are considered to be a complete failure. Try to look at it from a different perspective: look at the majority of good things and minority of the bad ones. Nothing can be truly and exclusively black or white. Life is not perfect and people make mistakes.
• You overgeneralize--if one bad thing happens, you automatically presume everything else is going to be like that.
• You ignore positive events in favor of bad ones--when you are fixated on a single bad thing and ignore all else that has happened and is positive.
• Jumping to conclusions without any actual evidence--for instance, thinking that somebody is probably thinking badly of you, with no evidence or reason for them to be like that.
• Emotional reasoning--you take the way you feel now as reality. For instance, if you feel like a 'loser', you are not necessarily one. It is just your feelings interfering with your judgments.
• You are not living up to the rules you have made for yourself--and punishing yourself for it.
• You label yourself--you label yourself based on mistakes you have made in the past.

Aways try to write those down and read them when you are feeling good, when it is not your judgment speaking without the benefit of your intellect. Never punish yourself for feeling bad.

Can depression kill you? No, it can't, if you lead a healthy life and have healthy habits. Healthy habits include some sort of a daily routine, such as going to bed and waking up at the same time every day.

Try adopting a healthy diet (plenty of fruit and vegetables; exclude things that contain fat and sugar), and never skip meals. Always make a daily schedule of what you would like to do that day.

Feel free to check this article by Helpguide, discussing about how to have a better sleep in general and a healthier life.

How can you tell if you have depression? An indicator may be a constant bad mood, sometimes for no reason (for more reasons for depression, you may read this article by Beyondlife).
Aside from a natural treatment for depression, you may try making a checklist of positive choices you made for each day. That list may help you feel better and show you that you are worthy and deserve the best and you may always read it, once you are in a bad mood.

Can depression make you feel sick? Possibly, it can. To make yourself feel better, you may need to visit a physician. If not even one of the methods of coping and fighting depression is helping you, you might want to consider seeing a therapist. There is nothing to be ashamed of. People usually associate any kind of a visit to a therapist with lunacy, but that is not the case here.

Therapists are there to hear you out, point out their own opinions on the subject, and help you in your fight with your depression. They may also provide you with treatment for different types of depression, including major depressive disorder treatment. bipolar depression treatment, or, they may provide you with a treatment plan for depression, which should be of great help to you.

You might also want to visit a therapist even if your methods of coping are effective, just to make sure and put your mind at ease. Sometimes people who are not subjectively involved with you and your problems can offer innovative and good advice.

For at least fifteen minutes every day, expose yourself to sunlight. Lack of sunlight can acually worsen your depression symptoms.

Can lack of sleep cause depression? Maybe, but, it certainly can make you feel bad, during the day. Can you be depressed for no reason? That is hard to tell, but usually there is always a reason behind it. Even though depression is making it difficult for you to move or do anything, push yourself to do the things that made you feel good. Make yourself do them. Do only the things that relax and energize you.

Try doing things that used to and still make you happy. Try expressing yourself creatively, through painting, music, drawing, singing, writing...whichever you prefer. Pick up some former hobby you might have had. Just keep yourself busy with the activities, that cause you no stress.

Try these relaxation techniques. With them, you should be able to at least get a bit of a relief from symptoms of depression and stress.

Although nothing can be comapred to real human contact, try adopting a pet and caring for them. They can offer companionship and joy. On more about pets and their healing abilities, visit this page.

It is said that doing yoga (as much as your body allows you to, of course), can help you get rid of anxiety, stress, hostility, and other symptoms of depression. So, give it a try! Here are some yoga positions that might help you.

If you are grieving, please visit our page with solutions for grief.

Sometimes, sharing experience with other people on the issue you share can help you out in figuring out how to solve your own problem. People in support groups have been though similar things like you, can understand you better, and offer their view on the matter, or even some good advice.

Besides, it feels good to be able to vent to somebody who can understand you the best. So ask your doctor, and ask around, for such groups in your vicinity.

Highly carbonated meals, which can be found in the Western cuisine is reported to be associated with higher risk of being depressed, whereas those who eat more of fish-based meals don't have as much risk of getting depression.

The ideal solution for enriching your diet in that way is by consuming fish oil. It is rich with omega-3 fatty acids.

Check if your medications might be the cause of your feelings of depression. You can find it in the instructions that come with the medicine, or you can consult with your doctor.

Usually, the medications that cause symptoms of depression are:

• Medications for hepatitis C, like Interferon
• Medications for anxiety and sleep, such as: alprazolam, diazepam, lorazepam, clonazepam.
• Medications for high blood pressure, like beta-blockers, methyldopa, reserpine.
• Hormonal medications, such as: contraceptives and corticosteroids.

Also, refer to this page for more information.

Those practices involve self-guided meditation and other exercises that can help you in fighting with your depression. The benefits are many, and not only for mental, but also for physical health. Here are some of the techniques that you can use. And on this page, you can discover more about mindfulness techniques in general.

Seasonal depression is mostly associated with winter, where people are least exposed to sunlight, and where the sky is mosly overcast anyway. People stay indoors. Their movements are limited and the frequency of their going out is being reduced. This can immensely affect their moods.

The sun has always been dictating the biorhythm of all living things and humans are not an exception. With the reduced access to sunlight, our activity, in general, decreases, we are getting slower and it is harder for us to function. To some people it is a nightmare, and they suffer from the so called, seasonal depression, that leaves them as soon as spring comes again.

But in the meantime, light boxes can be used to at least alleviate the symptoms of said depression, because it mimics the light. At least ten minutes a day of exposure to this light can have significant positive effects.

Here is some more about the lightboxes.

You can buy one here, if you wish to.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy can help you change your way of thinking and get rid of unuseful way of thinking. It is a form of talk therapy that makes you become aware of the negative way of thinking you have been doing, and offers ways to change that train of thought. Here is more information about it.

This is the hybrid of the mindfulness techniques and cognitive-behavioral therapy. More about them, you can find in this section of our site, and this link provides you with the general idea what it is about and how it can benefit you.

This is especially good for people who suffer from major depression, and/or are experiencing depression relapses.

Essential oils can help you fight against your seasonal depression, by means of affecting the parts of the brain in charge of contolling your mood and the body's internal clock.

This article on Draxe shares some essential oils which may be useful in your aromatherapy session.

SAM-e is said to have positive effects on a person in many ways. It is used to treat various diseases, like heart and liver diseases, Parkinson's disease; it slows down the aging process; it also helps with managing the symptoms of PMS. Likewise, it is reported to have been effective in depression treatments.

SAM-e is a substance produced by our body, but it can be entered artificially as a food supplement. It is good for depression because it releases dopamine and other neurotransmitters.

It is reported that it is best used in combination with the vitamin B12.

It can also be used with antidepressants, and it has shown some success, BUT mixing them together on your own is not advisable, and you need to consult with your doctor first!

If you want to know more about SAM-e, please refer to this page.

A small study that has been conducted about the effects of saffron has shown that, while it has the similar effect as Prozac, it, in most cases, does not include unwanted side effects like sweating or erectile dysfunction.

What saffron does is increase the production of serotonin and other chemicals responsible for good mood, in our brain. You can find more information about it here. And here is a recipe for a nice cup of saffron tea.

Can depression make you feel sick? It can definitely contribute to it, especially, if you are short of vitamin D. Defficiency of vitamin D is associated with seasonal depressive disorder.

Vitamin D can be absorbed via sunlight, or you can use supplements. Always consult your doctor, before taking any actions on your own, as they will come up with a treatment plan for depression, which may be of great help to you.

A nice treatment for depression and anxiety are dawn simulators. Dawn simulators are basically alarm clocks, but instead of waking you up with noise, they slowly release beams of light, akin to those of the sun.

This guide by CET may help you choose the appropriate dawn simulator for you.

Sometimes things can be just too overwhelming and you might be thinking about suicide. Never even try going through that alone! Always have someone beside you!

For more tips, please refer to our "what to do if you have suicidal thoughts" guide.

If you are a child/teenager: Talk to your friends and family about the problems that you might be having. Rely on your family more for support! Do not keep quiet no matter what.

It might be hard at first, and you might not want to, but it gets easier when you confess to someone what is it that bothers you. Do not exclude the possibility of going to a therapist. Do not worry, though, there is nothing to be ashamed of.

Therapists are there to talk to you about your problems and, give you their objective opinion and advice. And remember, you are not alone in this.

If you are a parent: Depression is not a choice, but a condition. Always bear that in mind. If you notice that something is wrong with your child, try talking to them. You might not be able to breach the barrier and they might not want to talk to you at first, but be persistent about it.

Be gentle to your child and accept everything that they have to tell you. Do not berate them because of their problems and do not discard them as being petty. Offer your unconditional support. Listen without any lecturing and criticizing. Never be judgmental. Take your child seriously.

If your child needs therapy, do not rely on medication alone. It has to be a part of the process, together with some counseling, for instance.

Do not fear to mention suicidal thoughts. You will not put that in their head if you say it. They have either thought about that, which is good since you can now talk about it, or it never occurred their mind, but they will know they can address you if it happens.

Teach your child some of the applicable coping mechanisms and strategies you have been using on yourself.

Can you be depressed for no reason? Mainly no, as there might be other factors that may contribute to you being depressed, such as substances that may cause depression.

Such substances include:

• alcohol
• sedatives
• painkillers
• heroin
• stimulants (cocaine, amphetamines)
• hallucinogens
• inhalants

Contact your doctor as soon as possible!