Depression can make your life seem painful and pointless. It can also make life in general seem empty and meaningless.
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Simply dismissing these feelings as ‘irrational’ or a symptom of ‘illness’ ignores the fact that questions about the meaning of life are profound issues facing humanity in general.
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Mental illness is a difficult thing to describe. No one word, sentence or even paragraph does it justice. That’s because mental illness fundamentally changes the way a person thinks, feels and even acts. It’s not an illness that changes one thing about you; living with a mental illness can change many moments of your everyday life.
What are symptoms of depression?
Symptoms of depression can vary with the type of depression a person has. While there are several types of depression, these are some of the more common symptoms:
• Persistently sad mood, "feeling blue"
• Feelings of hopelessness and a pessimistic outlook on life
• Guilty feelings, feelings of worthlessness
• Loss of libido
• Insomnia, early-morning awakening, or oversleeping
• Decreased appetite and/or weight loss or overeating and weight gain
• Loss of interest in hobbies and other social activities
• Fatigue, decreased energy
• Thoughts of suicide or suicide attempts
• Restlessness, irritability
• Difficulty concentrating, remembering, making decisions
• Persistent physical symptoms that do not respond to treatment, such as headaches, digestive disorders, and chronic pains.
Why is depression common in people with chronic illness?
People with a chronic illness have difficulty adjusting to the demands of the illness. At the same time, they need to focus on the treatments for their condition. But the chronic illness may affect a person's mobility and independence. And it can change the way a person sees her or himself as well as the way the person relates to the outside world. So it's not surprising that studies indicate that as many as one out of every three people with a serious medical condition reports experiencing depression.
Clinical depression is one of the most common complications associated with chronic illnesses. In some cases, a chronic illness may actually lead to depression.
Depression caused by chronic illness often complicates the illness. That's especially true if the chronic illness is already causing some degree of pain and disruption in the person's life. Depression causes fatigue and a decrease in energy that may grow worse over time. Depression also has a tendency to force people to withdraw into social isolation.
How To Deal With Depression
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to control the negative thoughts that lead to loss of interest and feelings of worthlessness;
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to combat the emotions of sadness and hopelessness, and;
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Loss of energy, even when not physically active.
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to counteract the behaviors related to poor concentration and thoughts of death
CBT will often be recommended when:
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The depression is mild, moderate, or severe.
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The person has had a prior positive response to CBT.
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A competent, trained clinician who has expertise in CBT is available, or the person is prepared to use Internet CBT.
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There is a medical contraindication to taking medications.
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The depressed person prefers CBT or iCBT.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a method of treatment for psychological disorders, that takes a practical, task-based approach to solving problems.
It is designed to help change negative thoughts and behaviors, by providing more positive and fulfilling solutions.
The focus of CBT is to address symptoms while they are present, and to learn skills and techniques that can be used in the ongoing improvement of mental health.
