Viewpoint 1: I always thought he was just in a bad mood and he would be fine after this period of time
Fact: Depression is like a cold-like illness, not just the mood episode
for depression, the depressed, unhappy, just a symptom of the disease under it. Just like a cold, we often have symptoms of cough and runny nose, and these are just symptoms that we show after we are infected by bacteria or viruses.
Depression is a kind of episodic mental disorder. During the onset stage, the concentration of brain serotonin (5-HT) and norepinephrine decreases. And the state changes brought about by such hormonal changes may not only be emotions. They will also show more different symptoms, such as insomnia or drowsiness, irritability, anxiety, headaches, and even thoughts of suicide. The most frightening thing is that some people ignore these physical reminders.
Viewpoint 2: Through the online depression test, you can determine whether you are a depression patient
Truth: Depression Scale alone can not diagnose depression
assessed so far are all (formal) self-rated depression scale, are "the severity of the depressive state", in other words, nearly a week, or nearly two weeks of your emotions, physiological To what extent does the feeling correspond to the "depressive state".
When experiencing major life events such as failure in postgraduate entrance examinations, falling in love and breaking up, many people will have thoughts like "I am not good, the world is bad, and there is no hope for the future." Once through a stage of adjustment, this important event has passed, the stress has disappeared, and the depression will disappear.
If the result of the scale shows that you are in a state of depression, it does not mean that you are already suffering from depression. Don't rush to the conclusion. The Depression Scale is only used as a reference in the diagnosis. Go to the psychiatrist and listen to what the doctor says.
Viewpoint 3: People who smile all day long don’t get depression
Truth: Optimistic people can also suffer from depression.
"Laughing" and "optimistic" do not protect a person from depression. No research has found that people who laugh or are optimistic are less depressed.
In essence, depression has a certain genetic and physiological basis, and everyone has the possibility of depression. In addition, depression tends to show its various symptoms only when it is in the onset period. In other words, a person who is optimistic by nature may also suffer from depression. During a depressive episode, he will temporarily become less optimistic.
Viewpoint 4: Depression is the same as terminal illness, it can’t get better
Truth: Depression may be accompanied by a lifetime, but can also live in peace
with depression really easy to relapse. According to a 15-year study, the lifetime recurrence rate of depression is as high as 80%, and the cured patients who have not relapsed in the first five years will also have a 50% probability of recurrence in the following ten years.
However, patients with depression are not always in a depressed state, but will have depressive episodes. It's like a broken tooth, which hurts from time to time. During the attack period, I experience extreme pain in my heart; suddenly crying and repeatedly talking about what I did not do well are all possible situations. In the remission period, the pain and suffering will be greatly reduced, and the impact on life will be lessened.
Depression episodes range from a few days to a few weeks, even to 6 months or more. Treatment should be continued and effective, and more importantly, to help patients with depression improve their quality of life and reduce the possibility of recurrence.
Viewpoint 5: The depression medication prescribed by the doctor has side effects, can you miss or refuse to take it?
Fact: Depression can not take medicine, but can not treat
after diagnosis of depression, the doctor will evaluate the patient's condition and the economic situation, it is recommended psychological treatment, medication or psychological treatment on the basis of medication. If you really don't want to take medicine, you can bravely express this concern. Perhaps the doctor can tell you some treatment options other than medicine, such as transcranial magnetic stimulation, cognitive behavioral therapy, and so on.
In short, there are many ways to change, the only thing that is not recommended is to do nothing, or secretly change the treatment plan by yourself, and wait for it to get better.
Viewpoint 6: Depressed patients will suddenly commit suicide
Truth: Depression is indeed possible suicide
risk of suffering from depression, suicide becomes indeed high, but not always want to commit suicide. According to data published on the official website of the US Department of Health and Human Services, outpatient depression patients account for about 2% of suicide deaths. Other data show that at least 60% of people who have attempted suicide are patients with mood disorders (mainly including depression and bipolar disorder).
This is also the reason why both hospitals and psychological counseling institutions regard suicidal tendency as an important assessment point.
Viewpoint 7: You will always be unhappy if you have depression. Once you are happy, it is fine.
Truth: Depression is not always unhappy
depression does not change the basic properties of a variety of people, we are the same, the day also have mood swings. He will still laugh during depression episodes, but the happiness may be fleeting. Some patients, even during the onset, will try to be happy. Being unhappy has never been a typical manifestation of depression, and don't judge whether depression is all right.
Viewpoint 8: Knowing that a friend is suffering from depression, deliberately making him happy should be better than doing nothing
Truth: do not deliberately funny happy depressed patients
during depressive episodes, the patient's emotional experience becomes "empty", the power becomes low, their understanding will be somewhat negative, expressing desire and appetite are likely to decline, we do Those things may not touch him temporarily.
However, this special treatment will be received by the patient, but the effect is uncertain. It may be interpreted as "the way you care about me", or it may be misinterpreted as "this means that I am abnormal" or "I can't do what you said, and it's a lot of pressure."
A better approach may be to follow the trend and fuel the flames. If he wants to sit and bask in the sun, accompany him in the sun instead of letting him go for a walk. Listen to what he wants, rather than give more "guidance" advice.
Viewpoint 9: Can people with depression sleep more and be lazy, can't they work harder?
Truth: He is not lazy is not hard, but it is difficult to control the negative emotions
of depression exhibited withdrawal, fear of hardship, is not a sign of weakness. When a patient with depression has a strong negative experience far beyond his own control range, he may feel self-blame and helpless for it.
"Want to start" and "all you have experienced are trivial things" is of no avail at this time. A regulator in the patient's body is temporarily broken, as if we can't stop a person with a cold from coughing immediately. Antidepressants can effectively reduce symptoms. Psychotherapy can help patients break the vicious circle of "the more uncomfortable they are, the more unwilling to move, and the more unmoved the more uncomfortable", so that the self-regulation mechanism can come into play again.
Viewpoint 10: My friend has depression, and I often feel tired and negative. Is it because my depression is contagious?
Truth: Depression is not contagious, but please take care of yourself
We always say with depression need to give more love and tolerance, but do not ignore the companion. Accompanying people are often stressed out due to fatigue and lack of support and understanding, and they may also be in a state of depression. This is not contagion, but a result of fatigue, stress, and limited self-care.
If you feel that you need help, you can try to find someone to accompany the depression patient together to make it easier to get a sense of belonging. Fighting depression is a protracted battle. Take care of yourself so that he can go farther and firmer with your support.
