What to Do If You Suffer From Depression

Depression is a serious mental illness that can cause people to lose pleasure in everyday life, feel hopeless about the future and even contemplate suicide. Depression has many different forms though, so what can you do if you suffer from it? Here are some tips:

I think that I might be depressed. How can I tell?

First of all, only professionals should diagnose depression. However, there are certain signs that you can look out for to determine whether or not you are suffering from depression. Symptoms include low mood, loss of interest in activities that are usually enjoyable to you, changes in your appetite or weight (weight loss or gain), sleeping difficulties (sleeping too much or too little), and feelings of worthlessness and unhappiness with yourself that may cause you to neglect your personal hygiene, for example. If you think that you might be depressed, the best thing to do is to speak with your doctor about it.

Your psychiatrist in Bhopal will ask you many questions about how you are feeling and what has changed since before you were unwell so that they can determine whether or not depression is causing your symptoms. Psychiatrists usually diagnose depression using questionnaires nowadays but they may also choose to run some medical tests on you if it isn't clear if depression is causing your symptoms.

If I think I'm depressed, where should I look for help?

There are several places that people can go to get help; however, the first port of call should be their GP (family doctor). The GP will be able to help the person by offering them counselling, medication and other forms of treatment such as cognitive behavioural therapy.

There are also several websites that offer support for people with depression. These websites all provide access to online information, counselling and social media communities that aim to give people a safe space within which they can discuss their problems and receive emotional support from others who have similar experiences.

I think I might need psychiatric help. Where can I go?

If someone thinks that they need psychiatric help but doesn't want to speak to their GP about it, they can call the psychiatric help hotline. They are available 24 hours a day and provide free counselling sessions for people who may be distressed due to mental illness. They will assess if the person needs an inpatient stay at one of their facilities or some outpatient therapy sessions.

How can I prevent depression?

Most importantly, exercise is important in that it releases endorphins which improve mood and self esteem. A healthy diet that includes lots of fruits and vegetables, whole grains and lean proteins is also beneficial as well as getting plenty of sleep each night (seven hours). Avoiding drugs, alcohol and caffeine will also help since these substances deplete neurotransmitters such as serotonin which makes us feel happy; eating foods rich in tryptophan such as bananas, milk and chicken will help build these neurotransmitters. Lastly, the people we spend time with can affect our mood and having people around who make us feel good about ourselves and want to be happy is important.

Summary:

The first port of call should be a doctor if one suspects they might suffer from depression; there are also many other websites and organisations that offer support for this condition; getting regular exercise, following a healthy diet and avoiding drugs, alcohol and caffeine are all effective ways to prevent depression.