Depression
Many people struggle with depression. It is reported that between 6.7 percent and 10 percent of the US population reports depression. Globally more than 350 million people of all ages suffer from depression. It's impact may result in increased work absenteeism, decreased productivity, increased medical issues and even disability. Depression appears to be more prevalent in women than men.
Depression is frequently associated with anxiety as well as a host of other issues or diagnoses. Depression has many faces, with Major Depression being the most frequent form. There are also other forms of depression such as dysthymic disorder, postpartum depression, and depressive disorder not otherwise specified.
Since depression makes it more difficult to concentrate, to get the energy to do basic things, sleep may be poor or even excessive. Appetite changes may occur, isolative behaviors are frequently seen such as avoiding people, or not wanting to leave the house to run errands. For some people, depression gets to the point of wanting to die, either by wishing to not wake up, or by actually planning their deaths.
If you are experiencing symptoms of depression, seek help from your doctor. Your medical doctor may feel comfortable assisting you with finding a medication that can help. If he or she is not comfortable, you may be referred to a psychiatrist who specializes in mental health issues. Psychiatrists are MD's and prescribe medication, not to be confused with psychologists who provide counseling but do not prescribe medications.
References found from WHO and the CDC.
Depression is frequently associated with anxiety as well as a host of other issues or diagnoses. Depression has many faces, with Major Depression being the most frequent form. There are also other forms of depression such as dysthymic disorder, postpartum depression, and depressive disorder not otherwise specified.
Since depression makes it more difficult to concentrate, to get the energy to do basic things, sleep may be poor or even excessive. Appetite changes may occur, isolative behaviors are frequently seen such as avoiding people, or not wanting to leave the house to run errands. For some people, depression gets to the point of wanting to die, either by wishing to not wake up, or by actually planning their deaths.
If you are experiencing symptoms of depression, seek help from your doctor. Your medical doctor may feel comfortable assisting you with finding a medication that can help. If he or she is not comfortable, you may be referred to a psychiatrist who specializes in mental health issues. Psychiatrists are MD's and prescribe medication, not to be confused with psychologists who provide counseling but do not prescribe medications.
References found from WHO and the CDC.
Personal Prevention Safety Plan
It's important to protect ourselves when we are facing depression and struggles to stay okay. Here is a Personal Safety Prevention Plan brochure for your use with your therapist or physician.
| Safety Prevention Plan |
Monitoring Our Moods
Our moods can impact so much in our lives. They can help us see things optimistically, or they can skew how we see things. Therapists can help us learn a lot about our moods, particularly if they have regular information about how our mood is going over a longer amount of time. To make this happen, many therapists or physicians may ask a client to complete a Monthly Mood Chart.
If you track your moods each day, over the course of several months you and your therapist can see if there are any patterns in your moods. My therapist was able to use my charts to determine that the fall is my difficult time of the year, while things look up for me around March. Before using the mood chart, we had only assumptions that there were different changes in me at certain times.
The other benefit of keeping a mood chart is when your physician is making medication changes. You can note when you began the medication change in the note section, and any effects your med has on your mood or physical self. This would include the notice of side effects from the medication that you can share with your physician as well.
Our mood chart looks at where our mood is from a severely manic level to a severely depressed level. It tracks irritability and anxiety. There is a place to mark whether you've taken your meds. It tracks if you've experienced Dissociation, PTSD symptoms, hallucinations, and suicidal thoughts on a daily basis. This mood chart is designed specifically for the trauma survivor.
The Mood Chart Addendum file below is for those who need to track more on a weekly or monthly basis. For example, if you are severely depressed, and you need help doing even basic things like ADLs, you might make a list in the addendum such as Wash Face, Brush Teeth, Brush Hair, Take Morning Medications, Feed the Dog, etc. Or it may be something that you need to be more accountable, such as recording that you completed your physical therapy exercises, that you did your therapy homework each day, or worked on a certain thing each day.
If you track your moods each day, over the course of several months you and your therapist can see if there are any patterns in your moods. My therapist was able to use my charts to determine that the fall is my difficult time of the year, while things look up for me around March. Before using the mood chart, we had only assumptions that there were different changes in me at certain times.
The other benefit of keeping a mood chart is when your physician is making medication changes. You can note when you began the medication change in the note section, and any effects your med has on your mood or physical self. This would include the notice of side effects from the medication that you can share with your physician as well.
Our mood chart looks at where our mood is from a severely manic level to a severely depressed level. It tracks irritability and anxiety. There is a place to mark whether you've taken your meds. It tracks if you've experienced Dissociation, PTSD symptoms, hallucinations, and suicidal thoughts on a daily basis. This mood chart is designed specifically for the trauma survivor.
The Mood Chart Addendum file below is for those who need to track more on a weekly or monthly basis. For example, if you are severely depressed, and you need help doing even basic things like ADLs, you might make a list in the addendum such as Wash Face, Brush Teeth, Brush Hair, Take Morning Medications, Feed the Dog, etc. Or it may be something that you need to be more accountable, such as recording that you completed your physical therapy exercises, that you did your therapy homework each day, or worked on a certain thing each day.
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