As the modern world takes mental health issues more seriously, the medical profession is making great strides when it comes to treating depression. There are more options to people who go through it today than ever before in history. The stigma surrounding it is – albeit slowly – dissipating. People are becoming more and more accepting of those who have to deal with it.

But conditions remain far from perfect when dealing with depression.

A lot of people don’t understand what it really means. There is still a long way to go when it comes to treating it effectively and consistently. There remain many people who are unsympathetic to sufferers of depression.

It doesn’t help that everyone experiences it differently, that there is no specific way of defining it every single time it occurs.

Because of this, management of it has to vary – often in vastly different ways – from person to person.

But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t a few things that can be applied in the majority of cases in order to minimise the damage it can do as much as possible.

DON’T TRY TO IGNORE IT

Pretending it’s not there won’t make it go away. It’ll make it worse. You’ll end letting it fester, like a gangrenous cancer in your emotions. It’ll slowly gnaw away at all the things you can still find pleasure in until there’s nothing left of your life that you enjoy. Accepting it is the first stage of dealing with it, trying to understand it and finally moving on.

SEEK HELP

Talk to someone. Talk to anyone. Talk to your friends, talk to your family, talk to strangers on the bus or on the internet. Talk to anyone who will listen. Venting and vocalising will give you a sense of clarity even if your negative emotions take a little longer to disperse. If you do get the opportunity to talk to a professional, take it. They will be able to help you far more than anyone without experience in the mental health field and definitely far more than you will be able to help yourself.

EVEN IF YOU’RE NOT SURE THAT WHAT YOU’RE FEELING ‘COUNTS’

Part of depression is the feeling that you don’t deserve help, that you’d be wasting someone else’s time if you went to them with your problem, that your problems aren’t important enough to count. Some of that comes from the stigma surrounding depression. Some of that is part of the affliction itself. If you feel like hell exists in your own head and there’s nothing you can do about it, don’t let that creeping inner voice tell you that getting help would be a waste of time. If you’re worried, that is cause enough to talk to a professional. Let someone with an objective, educative perspective decide how much help you need, because your mind is going to trick you.

Kirstie Summers,

Daily Zen.

Author Bio – Kirstie Summers is journalist whose day job takes her to all the most interesting places and events in South London. She also freelances for a number of sites and publications, from gaming and literature reviews to creative fiction. She lives in London and spends as much of her free time as possible making the most of being in such a diverse city. She keeps one day a week to herself to swim, relax and keep the stress of the world at bay.

Share this: Twitter

Facebook



Like this: Like Loading...