Depression is not a mental disorder in itself, but a collective name for all mental disorders in which the patient is extremely depressed and lethargic. The dividing line between normal dejection and depression is not always clear. In principle, you can say that depression exists when depression negatively affects your functioning for a long time. You often feel very lonely when you are depressed, but you are really not alone. Twenty-four percent of women and thirteen percent of men experience a period of depression at least once in their lives. It is suspected that many men in addiction care or in the criminal circuit suffer from some form of depression. Nearly one million Dutch people take antidepressants. Yet in many cases antidepressants do not provide a solution.
When are people most vulnerable to depression?
These are often situations in which the patient feels more psychologically burdened, such as:
- during puberty
- during major changes in personal circumstances such as a divorce, move or change of employment
- after a major personal loss such as a death in the immediate area
- after childbirth
- during the transition.
Which people are most likely to develop depression?
Introverts who don’t talk much about their feelings and have difficulty expressing themselves are more likely to develop depression. By not talking about what is bothering them, they cannot express their feelings and they bottle them up.People who are afraid of confrontation and therefore often swallow their anger also have a greater risk of depression. The anger turns inward, the patient increasingly struggles with himself and becomes depressed.Depression has a large hereditary factor, so if depression runs in the family, there is a greater chance that you will also encounter it at some point in your life.In general, depression is more common in women than in men. The most striking characteristics of depression:
- sleep problems
- difficulty concentrating
- difficulty starting the day
- fatigue
- listlessness
- indecision
- flattened emotions
- negative self image
- sometimes physical complaints such as headache, stomach pain, back pain, palpitations.
When these characteristics last longer than fourteen days, they are referred to as depression.
How do you prevent depression?
People often notice that they are feeling increasingly depressed and that depression is near. How do you deal with this?
- Have a daily routine. No matter how difficult it is, get up at the same time every day, eat at regular times, go out every day and go to bed around the same time every night.
- Stay active and make sure you meet people every day, even if only while shopping at the local supermarket. Overcome your reluctance and go.
- Try to ensure there are enough people around you. If you have too few people around you, you can see how you can improve this by making a sociogram.
- Ensure a healthy lifestyle with enough fresh fruit and vegetables, little alcohol and sufficient exercise. Exercise certainly seems to reduce depressive symptoms.
- Don’t take life too seriously and try to worry as little as possible. When you notice yourself starting to worry, do something. Go cycling or walking, visit someone or clean your house if necessary. Everything to prevent you from getting into that negative thought spiral.
- Take a Mindfulness or Yoga course. This makes you aware of yourself again and this also has a positive effect on depressive complaints. For some people, yoga or painting also helps to get out of the negative spiral.
to solve your problems alone, but go to the doctor. This may possibly prescribe antidepressants and refer you if necessary.