The disease is depression. Independent ways to get rid of the disease. Vitamins and minerals for depression

Depression is translated from Latin as repressed human condition. This is a special mental disorder and therefore it is very important to know how to get out of depression on your own or with the help of specialists. After all, it is characterized by a decline in vitality and mood, pessimistic assessment of the world around us, including ourselves, inhibited the state of motor and intellectual development, somatoneurological disorders of the nervous system.

Depression is characterized by such as low self-esteem, various cognitive properties associated with one's own destruction and renunciation of oneself from the external environment.

The person who is in depressed state differs from other people in the prevalence and variety of underestimations of his personality.

So, from this article you will learn:

• What is depression, melancholy;
• Types and signs of depression (postpartum depression, etc.);
• Symptoms of depression in women and men;
• How to get out of depression - 10 tips on what to do and how to get rid of it yourself;
• etc.

What is depression, how to get rid of it and how to get out of this state, read further in the article. Types, symptoms and signs

Depression- this is fairly common mental illness to date. Doctors often equate it with a cold, since according to statistics, in percentage terms, these diseases are much more common than others.

You can often hear the phrase " I am depressed from an absolutely healthy person. Basically, people who feel failed in any life endeavors.

But despite their failures, a person continues to live in his usual environment, without making any changes in his life.

From another point of view, the person who actually suffers depressive disorders constantly experiencing depressed state and feeling of helplessness and alienation who never leave him for a second, does not notice his morbid condition, or rather, simply does not want admit to being sick .

This fact significantly violates the ability of people to adequately relate to the world around them, prevents them from communication with colleagues at work and with their family, as there is no or significantly reduced ability to logically and adequately evaluate one or another vital important situation.

Today, depression is one of the major public concerns. First of all, this is due to the increase in such a disease among people.

The relevance of this problem in Russia, according to psychologists associated with the economic crisis in the country. People do not have confidence in the future, they do not understand the current conditions, they are worried about their future and the future of their children, in this regard the amount of stress in the population increases.

Depression is hard to detect., which affects a more in-depth study of this disease and its causes.

Only results scientific research will help create the most relevant approach and diagnosis of depression and the implementation of related care for people who are concerned about stressful situations and other psychological disorders.

2. What is melancholy 😟?

Melancholia is a disorder of the human psyche, which is accompanied by a number of characteristic symptoms.

These include: inability to experience joyful events, a certain degree of reduced thinking, lack of good mood, decrease in active life position.

People who are in state of melancholy prone to negative reasoning about life and others, they have a pronounced pessimistic mood in relation to real events.

People with this disease lose some interest in your job, they have no appetite, self-esteem is low. (We already wrote about how to raise our self-esteem in the article -?)

Today, melancholy occurs in almost half of the population. According to statistics, after the age of thirty, approximately 70% women suffer from this disease.

The likelihood of psychiatric disorders and adolescent children, is also quite high.

To date, medicine is excellent at helping with the treatment of this condition. How exactly to recover from it is described in detail below.

Important point!

Before starting treatment, it is important to clarify the diagnosis correctly. That the disease is precisely depression, and not the usual blues, which happens in the spring or a typical mood swing and temporary life difficulties.

Serious intervention of specialists and properly selected medicines require biochemical, as well as psychosomatic consequences of the disease.

The idea that depression is disease of the 21st century, is erroneous from the point of view of experienced doctors. Since this disease was known and quite common in the distant past. Medieval healers defined depression as the last and worst stage of melancholy.

In ancient times, this disease was treated with tincture of opium, mineral healing waters, cleansing enemas, as well as full-fledged and long sleep.

The causes of depression are usually complex disorders of the nervous system, the factors of which are internal or external influences on the human psyche.

3. The main causes of depression 📝

• Alzheimer's disease.
• Increased load on the brain due to prolonged stress.
• The use of narcotic substances.
• Psychological trauma, for example, the death of a relative, the loss of a job.
• Climatic or seasonal factors, such as in spring or winter.
• Excessive physical or mental stress.
• Iatrogenic type of depression. Excessive use of drugs.
• Various head injuries.
• Separation from a loved one.
• Changing of the living place.
• (the habit of putting off important things for later).

It is not uncommon for a person to experience depression for no reason. According to experts in such situations, an important factor is disruption of normal neurochemical functions in the human brain.

4. Signs of depression in women and men 📚 - symptoms of "illness"

The states of human depression manifest themselves quite diversely, while, in most cases, they affect the body as a whole. It is precisely complex symptoms, and this, in turn, contributes to the appointment correct and efficient treatment.

The doctor can prescribe certain medications, as well as concomitant therapy, only making a general diagnosis of the patient's mental disorder.

As a rule, the physiological signs of a state of depression differ in the individual characteristics of the body.

For example, most people loss of appetite, and for some it is quite the opposite exacerbates during illness. The same feature applies to problems with full-fledged sleep person. One patient may suffer from insomnia and the other- constantly wants to sleep and suffers from a feeling of fatigue around the clock.

Symptoms of depression are divided into several groups according to concomitant symptoms.

Symptom #1. Emotional manifestations of depression in humans

• Decreased or lost interest in life and the world around.
• Increased irritability, even for no particular reason.
• Depressed mood, feeling of melancholy and despair.
• Feelings of helplessness and guilt in any situation.
• Low self-esteem.
• A state of anxiety and panic.
• Anxiety, for example, for their loved ones.
• Inability to be satisfied with previously favorite hobbies.
• Anticipation of disaster and other unforeseen events.
• Loss of emotional sensitivity.

Symptom #2. Physiological manifestations of depression in humans

• Pain of a psychosomatic nature. For example, arms, legs, stomach, heart, head, etc. hurt.
• Violation or lack of sleep.
• Low performance.
• Disorders of the human digestive system.
• Increased fatigue, even with minor physical exertion.
• Increased appetite, or its complete absence.
• Decreased sexual desire, up to the onset of impotence (in men).
• Weakness with any physical exertion.

Symptom #3. Significant changes in people's behavior

• Alcohol abuse.
• A tendency to loneliness and not wanting to communicate with other people.
• Lack of desire for entertainment and hobbies.
• The use of psychotropic and narcotic substances in order to improve mood.
• Passive life position.
• Replacing important, necessary and urgent matters with a waste of time.
• Preference for a sedentary or recumbent lifestyle.

Symptom #4. Cognitive disorders of the human nervous system.

• Difficulties in making any independent decisions.

• Loss of clarity of thought and inability to focus on anything in particular.
• Loss of the ability to concentrate one's thoughts.
• Lack of attention.
• Periodic thoughts about committing suicide.

As with any disease, whether it is a cold or a cough, if timely treatment of depression with properly selected drugs is not started, the patient's condition will worsen daily.

This increases the number of symptoms of the disease and their severity, which can even lead to suicide food patients, especially, if we consider depression of adolescence.

Not infrequently, the thinking of a sick person is so critical that they can easily be mistaken for dementia of a person, instead of a serious mental disorder associated with a neglected state of depression.

Often the disease is accompanied by an increased attraction of one's own attention to life problems. A patient, usually, completely sure that he has mental, or somatic disease.

In order for the doctor to correctly diagnose and prescribe the appropriate treatment, a stable ( at least 14 days) the presence of any of the above signs of depression in a person.

5. Main types of depression 📑

1. Endogenous depression

Endogenous depression is a severe form of the disease. It brings a lot of suffering like the sickest person, as well as his family and all those around him.

To detect an endogenous type of depression in a person, there are certain symptoms.

These primarily include: inability to sleep at night, as well as early awakenings at dawn, lack of interest in the outside world and society.

There are also external signs of this type of disease.. These include: heightened state of anxiety, the systematic presence of causeless sadness and melancholy, depressed state of a person.

Minor signs of endogenous depression in a patient are: slow motion, constant stoop, quiet and uncertain speech.

The external features of such people are lifeless dull hair, as well as an earthy and gloomy complexion.

Characteristic features the presence of an endogenous type of depression in a person is delayed thinking and reasoning, absence concentration and attention, memory problems, no absolutely no desires or interests.

Advanced forms of this serious mental illness lead to a deterioration in the general condition of the patient, there is apathy towards the outside world and society as a whole. Patients characterize their state of health, in the form of heaviness in the soul, a depressed state, similar to the extent of a serious illness, and other similar symptoms.

People with this disease usually , with indifference apply to all surrounding citizens, including closest relatives. They lock themselves in their inner world and think only about their difficult life fate.

From the social position in society, such patients try to distance themselves in every possible way.

2. Manic depression

Allocate such a group of people who, in the course of the disease, develop megalomania, inappropriate behavior in any given situation, unexplained mood swings, for example, sudden onset of joyful emotions, or vice versa, sadness. This type of mental disorder is called manic depression, in other words, bipolar mental disorder .

This disease makes people irritable, overly active and quite self-confident.

Manic depression can be expressed in various forms.

The initial stage of this mental disorder of a person is a mild form of the disease, called - cyclothymia . Citizens suffering from this type of depression experience constant mood swings. They may have no reason to cry or laugh. The initial stage of mania appears (mild form).

The most dangerous is bipolar in other words, a major depression. At the stages of exacerbation of this serious mental illness, a person has obsessive thoughts about committing suicide, and during the manic phase of depression, all bad thoughts instantly disappear, clarity of mind and sobriety of mind appear. In addition, these patients are not able to foresee the dangerous consequences of their own actions in advance.

Not infrequently found dysthymia diseases . This is depressive nervosa, the mildest stage of a person's depressive disorder. Otherwise, it is called minor depression or minor depressive disorder of the human nervous system. This includes postpartum depression , which is detailed below.

In various manifestations, depression is such a state of a person in which he disfigures the manners of behaving in society by himself. Not a single person is immune from diseases of a depressive disorder of the nervous system.

The state of depression can hit absolutely anyone century a, old and young, single people and divorced or never had a family, the poor and millionaires. By the way, we also wrote in the last article.

In the life of every citizen, such events can occur that will certainly lead him to overstrain and stressful situations, which are the initial stage of a depressive disorder of the human nervous system, especially if unpleasant events simultaneously overtake the psyche or their systematic sequence follows.

When women apply for psychological help, in most cases, it is detected and diagnosed major depressive disorder nervous system, compared with cases of male patients seeking help.

Experts are of the opinion that women more often recognize a serious illness in their condition and rush to see a doctor, and men They try to be treated on their own, so they rarely go to the hospital.

But, as a rule, such depressive experiences as loneliness, helplessness, sadness and other mental disorders, more common in female patients . In such states of depression in men, instead of the qualified help of a specialist, they prefer to drown out their sorrows and hardships with the help of alcoholic beverages or other substances that can temporarily improve mood and give imaginary self-confidence.

3. Masked depression

The stage of such depression, which proceeds imperceptibly to other people, is called masked, or hidden depression. Its experts consider it not as an independent disorder of the human nervous system, but as a result alcoholism or acceptance of other psychotropic substances uplifting. In such a situation, men are practically don't ask for help .

Depressive disorder can manifest itself in a wide variety of forms. In certain situations, states of depression in people differ in their degree of severity. For some, this state is clearly visible to others, while another category of people hides their psychological state from strangers.

Easy, depression is in that situation, if, against the background of certain symptoms, a person has a breakdown and mood, he finds the strength to do daily work and his usual activities.

Moderate, depression is when the combination of symptoms of a mental disorder does not allow you to properly perform daily work.

severe depression, this is when a person has all the signs of a disorder of the nervous system and they are noticeable to others, as well as all these symptoms, completely do not allow a person to engage in daily activities and work.

4. Clinical depression

Clinical depression is also called big, or monopolar depression. This form of disorder of the human nervous system is most common today.

Entitled " Clinical”, implies the presence of a single extreme position in the range of emotions. It is characterized with only one kind of patient mood, such as sad or depressed.

In most cases, this mood does not go away during the day, and also causes insomnia, loss of appetite, heartache and pain, lack of joyful emotions, inability to focus on anything.

In this condition, patients usually, consider themselves useless, and consider their position in society or at work as absolutely meaningless and useless. These people have very low self-esteem.

The points of view of specialists, according to the occurrence of a state of depression in people, were divided.

Some doctors think that the disease is directly related to abnormal processes in the human brain. In most patients, the tendency to this disease is hereditary.

Other reasons include the following factors: stressful situations, postpartum period in women, death of relatives, feelings of guilt and helplessness, various stressful situations.

Doctors distinguish 4 main groups of symptoms of depression:

• Mood disorders. People have causeless obsessive thoughts about their guilt in something, there is a feeling of loneliness and despair, they are constantly in a state of longing.
• Changeable behavior. A person completely withdraws from communication with others, it is difficult for him to concentrate his thoughts, his mind is vague.
• Manifestations of a physical nature. Change in body weight, violation or complete lack of sleep, systematic pain in the head.
• Complex mental disorders. The simultaneous presence of several of the above symptoms of depression.

The patient himself is not able to adequately assess his own well-being, since the symptoms of a person’s mental disorder can manifest themselves in different ways, and can be expressed to a greater or lesser extent.

The state of depression completely affects the mental attitude of citizens, clear thinking is significantly worsened.

6. The main signs of depression 📋

Experts identify two main signs of depression.

These include: lack of interest in the joyful events of the world, a persistent feeling of melancholy and depression, and extreme stage of the disease, this is complete indifference to all the surrounding people and everything that happens in the world and the public. Constant feeling of sadness and depression, hopelessness and misunderstanding of the meaning of one's own life lead not just to sadness and tears, but to acute mental torment diseases.

When depressed, most people close in on themselves and unwilling to communicate with others. In the process of such a psychological disease of a person, attraction to the opposite sex disappears, difficulties appear in achieving orgasm and erection.

During depression, the physical condition of a person changes. He differs from those around him with a slow gait, quiet speech, stoop, in medicine this condition is called psychomotor retardation patient.

But there are situations when people have an absolutely similar physical condition. They are distinguished by accelerated and restless movements, speech is loud and fast. This state is called - psychomotor agitation .

State of depression much affects people's feelings and their thinking. Usually, all thoughts of patients are directed to negative things in life. It is pronounced, it is difficult to concentrate on a certain issue, thinking is difficult, a person has problems with memory, absent-mindedness, confusion of thoughts.

In such a state, a person's feelings and thoughts do not reflect reality. The patient experiences anxiety, has low self-esteem, is surrounded by his own fear, guilt, and feels that no one needs him.

psychological feeling dissatisfaction with oneself and own life often intensified by all sorts of manifestations: the patient periodically has not only thoughts about suicide , but also his attempts, or developed plans to commit suicide.

Major depression comes in several forms.

Psychopathic depression, during which hallucinations and delusions appear in the patient, the number of suicides increases significantly and treatment is required under the supervision of specialists.

atypical depression when a mixed picture of the above symptoms is expressed.

postpartum depression observed in women after childbirth.

Dysthymia

Minor depression is called dysthymia. This is a protracted mental disorder of a person, which is accompanied by a lack of joyful events in life and emotions.

Dysthymia can last for several years. The accompanying gloomy mood of people in the process of such a disease often leads to the loss of work and family.

Previously, the treatment of dysthymia was carried out with the help of psychotherapy, and mainly psychoanalysis. There are other ways to get rid of this disease. These include: interpersonal, cognitive, behavioral therapy. Most experts say that the best treatment is a combination of drugs and psychotherapy.

Spring depression - seasonal affective disorder

A specific form of depression that occurs only at certain times of the year, such as autumn or spring.

Many citizens who suffer from this mental disorder may feel great throughout the year, but in one season or another they experience lethargy and depressed mood.

According to statistics, such a disorder often occurs in the fall and ends by the beginning of spring. But there are other categories of citizens suffering from depression in other periods of the year. As a rule, spring depression occurs in women, less common in men.

The symptoms of this disease are: fatigue, drowsiness, loss of appetite, decrease in working capacity, inability to focus your thoughts on a particular issue, increased irritability, sense of anxiety, unwillingness to communicate with other people.

Seasonal mental disorder passes, without any special therapy, with the onset of another season. People have a surge of strength and vitality.

Today's specialists can't answer definitively what exactly is causing this depression. Basically, they indicate a decrease in the level of the hormone of joy in people during a certain period of the year. Typically, this mental disorder is hereditary.

Bipolar depression (mania)

During bipolar depression, people experience changeable mood . It can suddenly change from joyful emotions to sad feeling, or vice versa. On average, this category of patients has an absolutely normal mood, despite systematic changes in it during the depression phase.

During exacerbations, a person shows symptoms similar to those of major depression: excessive activity, emotional arousal, and increased self-confidence. Usually, such changes in people's mood are absolutely not related to current life problems.

The course of this disease disrupts the usual activities of a person, and causes difficulties in performing daily work.

Development and onset of attacks of bipolar depression may be completely unexpected. People may experience all sorts of anxiety during the phase of an attack of mental disorder. It is difficult for them to focus on anything, there is a feeling of guilt and alienation from the world around them.

There is also an opposite phase of a mental disorder, as a result of which a person is different excellent well-being, elevated thinking abilities, feels energized and inexplicably elated.

As the mania increases, the patient's arousal increases, and his actions may become completely unforeseen. The feeling of immense joy can change into indignation and anxiety in an instant.

For people with such depression, various failures and life falls are unacceptable. They have excessive bouts of anger and excessive demands on the people around them.

The lack of a critical attitude towards one's own condition is the hallmark of mania.

In what situations is an overly joyful mood regarded as a sign of mania?

• The need for rest and sleep disappears.
• Instant change of mind.
• Feeling of greatness and inflated self-esteem.
• Obsession in communicating with others and increased talkativeness in general.
• The tendency to be distracted by extraneous elements that are not relevant.
• Hobbies for something that will lead to further complications.
• Increased activity and acceleration of movements in all spheres of life.

Only in the situation when the above symptoms are expressed quite clearly, and also interfere with the normal existence of a person and his presence in public places, experts confidently put mania diagnosis and prescribe appropriate treatment.

In severe cases, the inexplicable self-confidence of a patient diagnosed with mania may gradually turn into delusions of grandeur. With such a psychological disorder, a person decides for himself that he has the opportunity to communicate with supernatural invisible objects and recognize their voices. Such behavior of patients is very dangerous for the surrounding people.

With mania, the speed of thinking of the brain increases significantly, the patient's motor activity increases, and sexual desire increases.

Rarely, other forms of bipolar disorder occur. These include: accelerated circular disorder and sullen mania.

Symptoms of the course of such diseases are similar to the above causes of psychological disorder in people.

7. What causes depression in women 🙍‍♀️?

There are several types of depression that can develop in women.

These include:

1. Agitated depression. The disease is associated with self-preoccupation, loss of social status and self-criticism.
2. Pathological form of depression. It usually causes the death of relatives and close friends.
3. Alcoholic or drug. Occurs with excessive use of alcoholic beverages or psychotropic substances.
4. iatrogenic depression. It develops from the uncontrolled use of drugs, usually with a sedative or hypnotic effect, without a doctor's prescription.
5. Somatic. It is caused by diseases such as a brain tumor, hydrocephalus, sclerosis, epilepsy, thyroid disease and others.
6. Postpartum depression and depression in pregnant women.

All types of these mental disorders are accompanied by hormonal changes and other physiological processes in the body of women.

postpartum depression

Mental disorders in women are significantly affected overabundance active substances in the body that are responsible for the normal production of beneficial hormones that help maintain a person’s mood in the normal range.

Usually, depression in pregnant women or those who have given birth to a baby in the last six months, arise and end on their own, without any reason or medication.

But in the event that the signs of a mental disorder are sufficiently pronounced, immediate medical intervention and the appointment of concomitant treatment are required. According to statistics, postpartum depression affects approximately 40% of women different age categories.

postpartum depression is a disorder of the nervous system that develops in women from 0 before 6 months after the birth of a child.

Periodic disorder of the nervous system that occurs in about 15% women of childbearing age is called premenstrual syndrome.

In the process of such a disease, women experience nervousness, disturbed sleep and appetite, broken and depressed mood. This period lasts no more than two weeks and ends with the onset of menstruation.

Depression. symptoms in women. How to get out - advice from doctors and psychologists

8. Signs of depression in women 🙅‍♀️

Very often the occurrence of a state of depression directly associated with hormonal disorders in the body . They affect the fertility of women of the appropriate age. In a woman's body, this period is divided into several stages.

These include: menstrual cycle , pregnancy and childbirth , menopause. Peculiar changes in the hormonal background in the body occur in each of these periods. These features of the female body disrupt certain functions of the nervous system and, therefore, affect mental state generally.

Patients with these disorders of the nervous system experience mood swings depending on one or another phase of the menstrual cycle. within 1-2 weeks.

Rarely leads to depression pregnancy, regardless of whether it is long-awaited or not.

But, oddly enough, abortion, only in exceptional cases can cause depression. The greatest likelihood of depressive disorders in women is the time of the birth of the baby, this is not affected by the number of children born.

Postpartum depression can be a mild form of nervous breakdown, or a severe form of depression, which can occur even a few weeks or months before delivery.

The experts claim that suddenly such a depression cannot come, and this is related to the fact that woman and previously had mental problems but did not seek medical help.

The psyche of women in labor is also affected by a sharp decrease in hormone levels. This condition is explained by the stressful situation associated with childbirth, as well as the occurrence new difficulties and responsibilities in your life, which are added with the birth of the baby.

In particular, postpartum depression is directly related to unsuccessful childbirth, problems in the family, material trouble and other factors.

Not so dangerous for the onset of depression is menopause in women. Experts say that mental disorders during menopause are no different from depression, which can occur in any other life period.

The most susceptible to mental disorders are such categories of women who have previously experienced disorders of the nervous system.

Today, the occurrence of depression in young girls is quite common. (ages 14 to 29). The risk of all kinds of mental illness in the younger generation prone to depression 4 times higher.

Girls at a young age during a period of nervous overstrain have digestive disorders, they are prone to overeating, or, conversely, completely refuse to eat food. Such mental disorders often lead to various other diseases, and also significantly affect the physical development and health of the body.

Refusal to eat can lead to a serious illness called anorexia, which leads to a decrease in the resistance of a young organism and contributes to the emergence of no less dangerous diseases, such as tuberculosis or pneumonia, as well as other infectious diseases.

How to help a girl cope with depression?

The general condition of the patient needs to be given sufficient attention. Since problems associated with the digestive system require long-term treatment by a psychiatrist.

First of all, symptomatic therapy is carried out, which contributes to the overall strengthening of the body. Nutritionists select special food for the patient, and doctors monitor her general well-being.

Treatment will be most successful if started in a timely manner.

Stressful situations in women

The impact on the woman's body of various stressful situations causes a high percentage of depression.

Stressful situations include:

• caring for a small child,
• trouble and disappointment in personal life,
• lack of a life partner,
• loneliness.

Great amount divorced women suffer from depression.

Many women leave their loved ones, which can lead to reactive depression, which is major and requires long-term treatment.

Women with a distinctive character are most often subject to mental disorders due to their imbalance or excessive self-confidence.

Symptoms of Reactive Depression

• Self-criticism increased without any reason.
• Lack of interest in everyday life and surrounding society.
• Poor memory and difficulty in making independent decisions.
• Sleep disturbance and increased unreasonable irritability.
• Having recurring suicidal thoughts.
• Constant feeling of tiredness.
• Headaches and general physical exhaustion.
• Increased heart rate, pain in the heart area and pressure problems.

Depression in citizens male less common than in women. As it is considered to be men do not cry”, and it is this expression that they try to match in everyday life.

But such a statement does not save men from the occurrence of various mental illnesses, including various forms of depression.

The main symptoms of depression in men are: inability to control one's emotions, weakness, inability to independently overcome all sorts of life obstacles, problems in personal life.

According to experts, it is quite difficult for men to express their own emotions and feelings due to the usual shyness.

Usually, men do not discuss personal problems or difficulties in the workplace. They believe that they can independently overcome the possible obstacles that, one way or another, are present in their daily lives.

Among men, few people think about visiting a psychiatrist for the purpose of drug treatment of mental health problems. Men also practically do not turn to psychologists for the required consultation.

Male depression - signs and symptoms

9. Signs of depression in men 🤦‍♂️

Among the main signs of detecting depression in men are the following:

• The systematic use of alcoholic beverages or various drugs.
• Addiction to gambling.
• Aggressive and unstable behavior.

These signs are only capable of drowning out a serious illness for a while, which requires immediate treatment.

Get out of depression with alcohol for example no man can. In addition, the above signs of depression contribute to the deterioration of the psychological state and the difficult situation in society and the family. Do not be afraid of depression and related symptoms.

The best thing for a man would be a timely appeal to a specialist for help. Only a psychotherapist will help improve the quality of life and embark on the path to recovery.

The same stressful situation in different men can cause the development of a complex form of depression, or get by with a minor mental disorder.

The following life troubles can become the reasons for stress:

• Dismissal from a permanent place of work.
• Bad relationships with women.
• Difficulties in personal life and family.
• All kinds of psychological tragedies.
• An assignment to carry out a responsible and complex task.
• material difficulties.
• Lack of purpose in life.
• Changing of the living place.
• Retirement age.

In addition, many cases of the occurrence of a psychological disorder in men without any significant problems of apparent causes of depression can be cited.

It is important to note that in a situation where a person previously had difficulties with the emotional and mental state , then in consequence a minor stressful situation will be enough for the occurrence of a serious mental disorder and prolonged depression.

The factor of heredity is also important in the possibility of depression with little stress.

The experts claim that the tendency to such a state is passed down from generation to generation, and in such a family it is very difficult, and almost impossible, to avoid problems with mental disorders.

Children from such families require a special individual approach. Recommended limit them in possible ways from stressful situations, and if there is the slightest suspicion of possible deviations in mental development, you should immediately seek psychological and medical help from specialists in order to avoid serious complications and disastrous consequences.

10. Depression in men and women: what are the differences 📖?

From the above, it follows that men suffer from depression almost 2 times less, compared to women. This feature, first of all, is explained by the high dependence of the body of women on the hormonal background.

Lability of the nervous system of women is another reason for these statistics. Since the fair sex, emotional reactions are more pronounced. Often it is enough for a woman to say a rash word for the development of a severe form of depression in her.

The duration of depression in men is much shorter in time, compared with the course of female psychological disorder. Depression in women usually lasts from a few months and can last for years. Only with the right treatment can they get rid of this serious disease.

Despite the fact that depression in men is not so long, the disease can develop intensively and become more severe.

Statistically, suicide attempts men commit more often than women. Since, the weak half of the population needs quite serious reasons for attempting suicide, rather than the loss of one or another interest in life.

Women, even during depression, can go to work and do everyday household chores, while men are practically not capable of this during a period of mental illness.

How to get rid of depression on your own - advice from psychologists. Treatment for depression

11. How to get out of depression on your own - 10 tips from a psychologist to get rid of depression 💊

Proven advice from psychologists will help and suggest how to get out of depression on your own when there is no strength to do anything.

Tip number 1. Take responsibility.

Tip number 2. Watch interesting and inspiring series and movies.

Council number 3. Avoid solitude and loneliness. Communicate more often with people around you. Go to interesting events. Find a fun activity or hobby.

Council number 4. Allow yourself to accept help from other people.

Council number 5. Reach out to the spirit world.

Council number 6. Avoid alcohol and other drugs completely. They negatively affect the state of the psyche of people and worsen it with each use.

Council number 7. Adjust sleep. Only a long and healthy rest can restore the human nervous system.

Tip #8. Get some exercise.

Tip #9. Do something useful for the people around you selflessly - show love to them, and they will reciprocate.

Tip number 10. Use affirmations.

12. How to deal with depression 💉?

In modern medicine, any, even the most complex forms of human mental disorders can be cured. It should be noted that treatment will be most effective if it is started at the first signs of the disease.

Today it is difficult to avoid permanent stress at work or in personal life, but properly selected medication will help to cope with life's difficulties.

Only highly qualified specialists can help to avoid depression, this psychologists and psychiatrists.

One of the most common treatments for depression is psychotherapy. The doctor will help you learn how to communicate correctly, communicate with people around you, change the negative style of thinking and behavior to a positive attitude towards life.

The specialist will help to normalize the emotional comfort of a person and advise how to avoid the recurrence of a mental disorder. In cases of severe disease, apply electroshock therapy for patients. It is prescribed in situations where the patient for some reason does not take or cannot take the necessary medicines, or in cases where the patient's condition poses a threat to his life or the life and health of the people around him.

The main medical treatment is application antidepressants . Select, advise and appoint who may only professional doctor.

self-medicate Not recommended and even strictly prohibited. Only a specialist can choose the right drug therapy that is safe for the patient's health and most effective in a particular case of a person's mental disorder.

During postpartum depression, as a rule, a woman breastfeeds her baby. In this situation selection of drugs should be especially careful so that in the process of treating the mother not to harm her small child.

Improvement in the condition of patients is manifested in the first weeks of taking the drugs prescribed by the doctor.

But, it must be borne in mind that in order to achieve a good result of treatment, and its stability, as well as to avoid recurrent mental disorders, use drugs required for at least six months, and in some cases even several years.

13. How to get rid of depression on your own 📌?

In addition to drug treatment of depression, today it is widely used and is quite effective. aromatic therapy. This is a great way to get rid of some types of mental disorders without the use of drugs.

This type of treatment of the disease will be an ideal option for women suffering postpartum depression because not all medicines can be used by them.

Aroma oils penetrate through the pores into the human body and contribute to general improvement in well-being. With the help of such means, you can cheer up your mood, since the aroma of oils has a positive effect on the human brain.

There are several ways to use aromatic oil. You can simply breathe them indoors, add a few drops while taking a bath, use essential oil during a massage.

To get rid of mental disorders, there is a huge variety of aromatic oils. The most effective are: Melissa oil, rosemary, lavender, orange and many others.

14. Treatment of depression: 2 main ways 💡

Depression is a serious medical condition and patients need comprehensive treatment.

If stressful situations gradually disappear on their own, then the diseases caused by them will never go unnoticed if effective, properly selected complex treatment is not started in time.

To date, distinguish two main treatments for depression, this is self-treatment, or with the help of doctors.

You can cure yourself only the initial forms of the disease, which have minor symptoms and last a short period of time.

Treatment by specialists is the most preferred and effective option. Since it is almost impossible (or very difficult) to get out of depression on your own, when there is no strength to do anything.

doctors, usually, are not supporters of self-treatment of diseases, especially when it comes to complex mental disorders in humans.

Let's take a closer look at the most modern, safe and effective methods of treatment of various mental disorders.

It should be noted that, first of all, successful therapy depends on the established emotional contact between the patient and the psychotherapist. Only with a trusting and benevolent relationship, the result of the applied therapy will not be long in coming, and it will also be stable and more pronounced.

The main directions of treatment:

• Hypnotherapy.
• Social therapy.
• classical psychotherapy.
• Treatment with medicines.
• Electroconvulsive therapy.

Today, experts are trying to use aggressive treatments for depression, namely, electroconvulsive, or drug therapy, exclusively in serious health problems, when the mental disorder is complex and lasts for a long time.

The main drugs for the treatment of psychological disorders are sedatives and various antidepressants. For each patient, medical treatment is selected individually by doctors.

To achieve the best result of treatment and its long-term effect, the desire of the patient to get rid of depression forever is of great importance.

In the process of rehabilitation, patients must strictly follow all the recommendations of doctors, as well as monitor their own behavior and try to establish friendly and trusting relationships with people around them.

What can be done to prevent depression?

In order to prevent all sorts of psychological disorders in yourself, it is recommended to monitor the occurrence of initial signs of depression and try to get rid of them in a timely and effective manner.

If you think you've become irritable and hot-tempered, notice changes in mood, lose emotional attraction to daily activities, have problems with sleep, then you need to urgently think about a good rest, or a change of job and other changes in your life.

Healthy and prolonged sleep is one of the most important conditions for getting rid of stress and improving your psychological and emotional well-being.

Correctly composed daily routine, also plays an important role in getting rid of the initial signs of depression.

15. Conclusion

In conclusion, the following should be noted:

depression is heavy human mental illness. Its treatment must be taken with great responsibility. It is impossible to drown out all kinds of symptoms of the disease with the help of alcoholic beverages and various drugs.

If you find any signs of a psychological disorder, you must urgently take action. The best solution in this situation is seeking qualified help from specialists.

Do not confuse this serious illness with the usual mood swings or seasonal blues (for example, spring depression). Depression is distinguished by physiological signs that occur in the human body. It never passes without a trace, but only gets worse every day, and gradually passes from a mild form into a severe stage.

Now you know how to get out of depression, what it is, how best to get rid of it, what are the symptoms and signs of depression in a person, etc.

Never do not start the course of such a disease, and do not wait for it to pass on its own. Seek advice from a psychotherapist, and he will definitely help you!

What is depression? Depression in psychology is defined as a type of emotional disorder, accompanied by anxiety and suspicious manifestations and loss of interest in life. Symptoms of psychotic depression occur to some degree at some point in everyone's life. Of course, only a psychotherapist can make a diagnosis of depression. Depression necessarily implies the need for treatment. It can last for years and literally exhaust a person. To get rid of depression forever, you need to understand which doctor to contact, find out its cause. Diagnosis of depression is usually not difficult for a knowledgeable specialist.

People are sometimes unwilling to admit to themselves that they are experiencing colossal signs of depression. It seems to them that if they tell someone about their feelings, they will certainly look weak in the eyes of others. Many people are afraid to make a bad impression, to seem weak and weak-willed, to appear before colleagues, friends and even relatives in an unfavorable light. For this reason, manifestations of a depressive disorder are often driven inward into the subconscious. As a result, a person ceases to understand what exactly is happening to him. He may suffer for years from uncontrollable fear, resentment, anxiety and despair, but he does not even correlate all these characteristics with his mental disorder. The biggest danger of depression lies in the fact that the personality fades away gradually, day by day, not seeing, not noticing the changes that occur.

Signs of depression

Depression is a disease, a real disease. It has nothing to do with bad mood or whims. It cannot be overcome by a simple effort of the will. The first signs of depression can appear even in someone who is generally satisfied with life, but for some reason is currently experiencing dissatisfaction. It is on them that you should pay attention in time. An oppressed state of mind can eventually lead to uncontrollable consequences. To defeat the enemy, you need to know him. What are the visible symptoms of depression? How to understand that you have depression?

The psychology of depression is such that a person who is in it cannot control his internal state. He suffers greatly, but does not find the strength to cope with the feeling of despair and hopelessness. From the outside it may seem that he has completely lost all taste for life. How long does depression last? There is no clear answer here.

There are different types of depression. Depending on the severity of the course of a mental disorder, it may not go away for years, and sometimes it is cured in a relatively short period of time. Mood changes happen all the time. Personality abruptly shifts from apathy to fun and vice versa. Most often, thoughts about the meaninglessness of their existence do not let go for hours, making it difficult to perform their usual activities, enjoy life in general. There is a feeling of emptiness that cannot be filled with anything. This is what depression leads to.

Apathy and despondency become central human emotions. In this regard, he simply cannot notice the beauty that is happening around him. Psychiatry diagnoses depression as an extreme degree of fixation on the problem and the inability to find a way out of the situation. The definition of depression helps to understand its essence. The more a person plunges into himself, the more he begins to feel inner emptiness and despair. When wondering why depression occurs, you need to be able to turn to your state of mind.

As already mentioned, there are different types of depression. In some cases, a person is limited to anxiety and suspiciousness. At worst, strong fears lie in wait for him everywhere. No wonder despair always goes hand in hand with depression. A person loses his life orientation, everything begins to seem unimportant to him, devoid of any meaning. Depression obscures all other experiences and prevents release from depression. Treatment should be prompt, regardless of the type of depression. If a person is left alone for a long time with his universal longing and sadness, then he ceases to believe in the very possibility of healing. Of course, you need to know how to cure depression. Actions should be coordinated, purposeful and last for a relatively long time.

Low self-esteem

A person who is in disorder ceases to see value in himself. Increasingly, she is visited by a feeling of her own uselessness. This is a very dangerous condition that needs to be corrected. Diagnosing a disease means already taking a step in the right direction, understanding what is happening. After all, the longer a person wanders through the labyrinths of his own soul, the worse, the longer the treatment will be.

In most cases, a person additionally experiences a feeling of guilt for causing some kind of anxiety to loved ones. There are such hypochondriacs who endlessly fear for their health. And this state does not allow them to fully enjoy life, make plans for the future. Low self-esteem does not allow you to develop, try something new. Any undertakings are suppressed under the onslaught of uncontrollable fear. When thinking about what depression is, you should be aware of the signs of an emerging disorder. Types of depression and their symptoms show how much a person is lost in life.

Panic attacks

Depression is sometimes accompanied by a number of comorbid disorders. These include panic attacks, uncontrollable fears that a person cannot cope with on his own. If a state of this kind is noted, then the person generally begins to feel himself in a certain trap. Fears begin to inexplicably guide his real thoughts and feelings. Panic attacks are a serious disorder that needs attention. The sooner real support is provided to a person, the faster he will be able to restore his undermined peace of mind.

Panic attacks always indicate the presence of a clear trouble. A healthy and mentally balanced person just like that, for no apparent reason, will never succumb to the influence of fears so much as to forget himself. However, a depressed person does not just forget about his true nature, he unknowingly harms his own state.

Lack of self-esteem

Depression, for a very objective reason, gives rise to extreme self-doubt. A person sees that his possibilities are rapidly drying up. In fact, he simply loses touch with himself, ceases to feel his individual needs. All aspirations disappear from him, he does not want to do anything. Why is this happening to him? Often he cannot understand where the beginning of the formation of strong disharmony in the inner, mental state came from.

Self-doubt is a necessary companion of depression. A person who is not aware of his aspirations and desires does not know how to move in the chosen direction. In truth, such a person does not choose anything at all. She becomes a hostage to her own fears. Self-doubt greatly interferes with life, prevents the formation of a happy attitude. To get rid of the problem, it will take a long and hard work on yourself. If every person was not afraid to act and acted decisively, there would be much less unhappy people in the world. The burden of fear does not contribute to the development of personality.

Feeling worse

The physical symptoms of depression are not so conspicuous, but are tangibly experienced by the patient himself. How do they manifest themselves, how to identify the symptoms of an unfavorable condition? The disease does not develop instantly. Physical ailments also appear gradually. They come when a person despairs, ceases to believe in his own strengths and capabilities.

What exactly is going on? Often there is dizziness, characteristic muscle weakness, pain in certain parts of the body of varying severity. All these manifestations are a serious reason to consult a doctor for advice.

Causes of depression

Experts in the field of psychology associate the causes of depression with a violation of internal balance. It's just that a person at some point in time ceases to feel his own integrity. In fact, this is a serious problem that definitely needs treatment. The causes of depression are so simple and understandable that no one doubts their truth. This disease is unlikely to be hidden from others. A person who needs help becomes lethargic, apathetic, unpredictable, suspicious. Let's take a closer look at the causes of depression.

Loneliness and rejection

Experiencing a feeling of some isolation from the world, a person in most cases closes in on himself. Such a sense of self, of course, is not in vain. Over time, contacts with people are lost, melancholy and despondency begin to capture more and more. Loneliness is perhaps the worst thing that can happen to a person. Realizing his restlessness, a person can decide on the most absurd actions that would never have been committed in a calm state. Depression accumulates, anxiety grows if a person does not know where to go, who to turn to. Depression occurs as a result of a complicated emotional disorder and becomes a real disease.

Character features

Sometimes a person himself turns out to be predisposed to the development of psychological distress. In this case, over the years, he increasingly forms in himself the ability to perceive reality from the point of view of failure. Such a person is upset in advance, even when nothing serious has happened. He does not know how to rejoice and is looking for a catch everywhere. Such an attitude does not lead to anything good. There is nothing sadder than watching your own fall, especially when there is no power to really change something. The more a person fusses, experiences fears and anxieties, the more he withdraws into himself. And this means that it becomes really incredibly difficult to help him. Character traits strongly influence the development and strengthening of depression.

Treatment for depression

Can depression be cured? Which doctor treats depression? What are the treatments for depression? These and other questions are asked by a person who has the intention to get rid of an incomprehensible mental confusion, which he turns out to be unable to explain to himself. How to treat depression? What needs to be remembered?

Working with fears

The first thing to get rid of is all-consuming fears. It is they who create the very invisible barriers in the head, over which the person then fights for months and years in the hope of finding a way out of a difficult situation. Depression treatment methods are based on a comprehensive approach. Working with fears includes a thorough cleaning of the mind from negative thoughts and attitudes. It is necessary not only to learn not to think about the bad, but to cultivate positive thinking in yourself. It is the bright thoughts that lead to personal growth and self-improvement that can really change a person’s life.

No one knows how to treat this disease until he himself encounters it. To recognize the existence of a problem means to solve it to some extent. You can talk to the attending physician about everything that excites and worries the soul, what you really feel. Hiding anxieties and fearful thoughts will only prolong the visitation process indefinitely. It is for this purpose that there is one who heals the thoughts and feelings of a person.

Working with a psychotherapist

Which doctor treats depression? You need to see a psychotherapist. This specialist will help build a perspective vision of life, determine your leading values. If you do not take this step, then gradually the disorder that has already arisen will literally swallow the person. He will cease not only to enjoy life, but in general to make any plans, to leave the house. Everything begins gradually, imperceptibly for the personality itself, and this is the greatest danger. Any little trouble will become a real disaster for him, and minor health problems will turn into a severe hypochondriacal disorder. Depression is treated the easier, the sooner the person realized the need to seek help. When the situation is very neglected, sometimes they resort to the help of psychiatric influence. That is why the doctor must be obeyed strictly and conscientiously fulfill all his prescriptions.

Filling with emotions

You should understand in advance and take on faith the idea that simply swallowing pills will not get rid of the problem. A person can actually be cured if he pays a lot of attention to a disturbing issue. After the cleansing of negative attitudes has been successfully carried out, one should begin to absorb useful and positive information. Such filling must necessarily bring joy, inspiration and happiness. This is the only way to feel the difference, to understand how much you were mistaken before, plunging into endless despondency and melancholy.

Emotional content should be based on the interests of the person. Someone will need to turn to the products of the creative heritage. Another person will need to go to a beauty salon and get an excellent haircut. Everyone has their own values ​​that no one has the right to take away. The more a person at this stage will turn to their own true needs, the sooner they will be able to really begin to feel satisfaction from every day they live.

Thus, such a mental disorder as depression necessarily needs timely diagnosis. The success of all subsequent actions related to overcoming this depressing state depends on this step. If you do not understand in time what it is, do not recognize depression, a person will eventually completely lose the ability to rejoice. Asking for help helps to work out the situation and cure this disease. You can determine depression on your own, the main thing to remember is that although it is long in time, it is still curable.

Have you lost interest in things you used to care about? Do you avoid people, constantly feel tension and sadness, leading to despair? Do you know what depression is? After all, it might be her!

What is depression

Everyone experiences sadness, irritability, or low energy from time to time, but depression is different from these random feelings. If you have a state of depression, then serious problems may arise in everyday life, and great difficulties in communicating with people around you are also possible. Depression affects not only your mood, but also your body, actions, thoughts. This condition can affect everyone - young and old, women and men, representatives of different ethnic groups and strata of society. What is depression? It is a disease, and fortunately, like most others, it is treatable.

Symptoms

According to the Institute of Mental Health, people with this disease do not experience all the symptoms at once, but if you notice at least three signs in yourself or your loved ones that have been observed for more than two weeks, then you can safely say that this is depression. It is not even necessary to be a qualified physician and know what depression is and what it is “eaten with”. What are the symptoms?

• It is difficult for a person to concentrate when making decisions or when he recalls the details of the past day.
• The patient experiences great fatigue and decreased energy.
• He is overcome by a sense of guilt, absolute helplessness and worthlessness.
• A person is haunted by a sense of hopelessness, pessimism.
• He has insomnia or, conversely, a constant desire to sleep.
• The patient feels irritability and excessive constant anxiety.
• He may notice a decrease in interest in the usual activities or favorite hobby, as well as in sex.
• The person does not enjoy life.
• He is pursued by loss of appetite or significant overeating.
• The patient suffers from "aching" headaches that do not go away even with treatment.
• He feels constant sadness, anxiety, a feeling of emptiness.
• The person has suicidal thoughts or even attempts to commit suicide.

Varieties

To date, doctors conditionally divide depression into several types:

1. clinical depression.
2. Minor disorder.
3. atypical depression.
4. Postpartum (depression that occurs only after childbirth).
5. neurotic depression.

Treatment

We found out that depression is a disease, so it needs to be treated. Therapy may include counseling, medication, or a combination of these options. Counseling will help you see new ways of thinking. It will also encourage the practice of positive behavior. In addition, a team of trained professionals will encourage you to take active steps to manage your symptoms. And antidepressants will have a positive effect on brain chemicals that are directly related to this disease. In addition, in order to get better soon, you need to adjust your lifestyle.

• You need to walk more, run, exercise, all this will help improve your mood.
• Eat only healthy food - "a healthy mind in a healthy body!".
• Try to improve your sleep pattern. Good sleep will greatly improve your well-being.
• Practice different ways to relax: soothing showers, deep breathing, outdoor recreation.

Signs of the onset of depression

• emotional signs;
• mental disorder;
• physiological signs;
• behavioral disorder.

Emotional Signs
Emotional signs of the onset of depression indicate a deterioration in the patient's emotional status and are most often accompanied by a decrease in general mood.

Emotional signs of depression include:

• changeable mood with a sharp change of fun to melancholy;
• apathy;
• extreme despondency;
• depressed, oppressive state;
• a feeling of anxiety, restlessness, or even unreasonable fear;
• despair;
• lowering self-esteem;
• constant dissatisfaction with yourself and your life;
• loss of interest and pleasure in work and the world around you;
• feeling of guilt;
• feeling of worthlessness.

The main signs of a mental state disorder are:

• difficulty concentrating;
• inability to focus on a particular job or activity;
• completing simple tasks over a longer period of time – work that used to be done in a few hours can take a whole day;
• "fixation" on one's worthlessness - a person constantly thinks about the meaninglessness of his life, only negative judgments about himself prevail in him.

The main physiological signs of depression

Often the first symptoms of depression are expressed in a violation of the behavior of the patient.

The main signs of impaired behavioral status in depression are:

• unwillingness to contact family and friends;
• less often - attempts to attract the attention of others to themselves and their problems;
• loss of interest in life and entertainment;
• sloppiness and unwillingness to take care of themselves;
• constant dissatisfaction with oneself and others, which results in excessive demands and high criticality;
• passivity;
• unprofessional and poor-quality performance of their work or any activity.

Diagnostic signs of depression

Allocate the main and additional diagnostic signs of depression.

The main signs of depression are:

• hypothymia - reduced mood compared to the patient's inherent norm, which lasts more than two weeks;
• a decrease in interest in any activity that usually brought positive emotions;
• increased fatigue due to a decrease in energy processes.

• decreased attention and concentration;
• self-doubt and low self-esteem;
• ideas of self-blame;
• disturbed sleep;
• disturbed appetite;
• suicidal thoughts and actions.

Anxiety and depression

Symptoms of anxiety in depression are:

• feeling of internal tension - patients are in a state of constant tension, describing their condition as "a threat hung in the air";
• a feeling of anxiety at the physical level - in the form of trembling, frequent heartbeat, increased muscle tone, excessive sweating;
• constant doubts about the correctness of the decisions made;
• anxiety spreads to future events - at the same time, the patient is constantly afraid of unforeseen events;
• a feeling of anxiety extends to the events of the past - a person constantly torments himself and reproaches himself.

Vegetative symptoms in anxious depression are:

• tachycardia (rapid heartbeat);
• labile (unstable) blood pressure;
• increased sweating.

Sleep disorders in depression

Symptoms of sleep disturbance in depression include:

• difficulty falling asleep;
• interrupted sleep and frequent awakenings;
• early morning awakenings;
• reduced sleep duration;
• superficial sleep;
• nightmares;
• complaints of restless sleep;
• lack of a feeling of rest after waking up (with normal sleep duration).

Sleep disorders in depression include both insomnia (85 percent) and hypersomnia (15 percent). The former include - a disorder of night sleep, and the latter - daytime sleepiness.

In the dream itself, several phases are distinguished, each of which has its own functions.

Sleep phases include:
1. Non-REM sleep

• drowsiness or theta wave stage;
• sleep spindle stage;
• delta sleep;
• deep dream.

In depression, there is a decrease in delta sleep, a shortening of the short sleep phase, and an increase in the superficial (first and second) stages of non-REM sleep. In patients with depression, the phenomenon of "alpha - delta - sleep" is noted. This phenomenon takes up more than one-fifth of sleep in duration and is a combination of delta waves with alpha rhythm. At the same time, the amplitude of the alpha rhythm is several oscillations less than during wakefulness. It is assumed that this activity in delta sleep is the result of an activating system that prevents the inhibitory somnogenic systems from fully functioning. Confirmation of the relationship between REM sleep disturbances in depression is the fact that delta sleep is the first to recover when coming out of depression.

depression and suicide

The main risk factor is endogenous depression, i.e. depression in the frame of schizophrenia or bipolar psychosis. In second place are reactive depressions, that is, depressions that have developed as a response to trauma or stress.

The main problem of suicide is that many who committed suicide did not receive qualified assistance. This means that the majority of depressive states remain undiagnosed. This group of depressions mainly includes masked depressions and depressions in alcoholism. These patients receive psychiatric care later than others. However, patients receiving medication are also at risk. This is due to frequent and premature interruptions of treatment, lack of support from relatives. In adolescents, certain medications are a risk factor for suicide. It has been proven that second-generation antidepressants have the ability to provoke suicidal behavior in adolescents.

It is very important to suspect a suicidal mood in a patient in time.

Signs of suicidal ideation in patients with depression are:

• slipping of suicidal thoughts in a conversation in the form of phrases “when I am gone”, “when death takes me”, and so on;
• constant ideas of self-accusation and self-abasement, talk about the worthlessness of one's existence;
• severe disease progression up to complete isolation;
• before planning suicide, patients can say goodbye to their relatives - call them or write a letter;
• also, before committing suicide, patients often begin to put their affairs in order - make a will, and so on.

Diagnosis of depression

Questioning a patient with depression

• mental inhibition;
• yearning;
• anxiety and agitation (arousal) or motor retardation (depending on the type of depression).

• apathy;
• anhedonia - loss of the ability to enjoy;
• painful insensibility.

The depressive content complex is:

• ideas of self-accusation - most often in sin, in failures or death of close relatives;
• hypochondriacal ideas - consist in the patient's conviction that he suffers from incurable diseases;
• suicidal thoughts.

Additional diagnostic signs of depression are:

• family history - if among the patient's relatives there were people suffering from a depressive disorder (especially bipolar), or if there were suicides among the next of kin;
• the patient's personality type - anxiety personality disorder is a risk factor for depression;
• the presence of depressive or manic conditions before;
• concomitant somatic chronic pathologies;
• alcoholism - if the patient is not indifferent to alcohol, then this is also a risk factor for depression.

The Beck Depression Scale and other psychometric scales

Psychometric scales for assessing depression are:

• Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS);
• Hamilton scale (HDRS);
• Tsung scale;
• Montgomery-Asberg scale (MADRS);
• Beck scale.

Hamilton Scale (HDRS)
It is the most popular and frequently used scale in general medical practice. Contains 23 items, the maximum score for which is 52 points.

The interpretation of the Hamilton scale is:

• 0 - 7 points talk about the absence of depression;
• 7 - 16 points- Minor depressive episode
• 16 - 24 points
• over 25 points

The interpretation of the Zung scale is:

• 25 – 50 - variant of the norm;
• 50 – 60 - mild depressive disorder;
• 60 – 70 - moderate depressive disorder;
• over 70- severe depressive disorder.

The interpretation of the Montgomery-Asberg scale is:

• 0 – 15 - lack of depression;
• 16 – 25 - Minor depressive episode
• 26 – 30 - moderate depressive episode;
• over 31- Major depressive episode.

The interpretation of the Beck scale is:

• up to 10 points- lack of depression;
• 10 – 15 - subdepression;
• 16 – 19 - moderate depression;
• 20 – 30 - severe depression;
• 30 – 62 - severe depression.