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Free online Course on Coping With Depression 

We have seen that sadness, hopelessness, loss, low self-regard, loneliness, guilt, and shame are complex conditions or processes. The causes are complex and so are the solutions. It is hard to pull yourself out of a sinkhole of misery, sometimes impossible. When you feel most like doing nothing, you need to DO SOMETHING! When the future looks most bleak, you need to face it with some hope. When hating yourself, you need to accept what you have been and work on being better. So you may need help--therapy, medicine, family counseling, and/or religious faith. But, eventually, no matter which "cure" you take, you will have to help yourself; there is no effortless, magical cure.

 

No one should be ashamed of being depressed. But we are. People who openly discuss going to Betty Ford's Clinic for alcohol abuse will carefully conceal their depression. About 1 in every 10 of us will be seriously depressed sometime in our lives. Baby boomers are having even more episodes of depression, perhaps because the high hopes of the 1960's were crushed by the economic troubles of the 1970's and beyond. Remember, there is serious depression which is beyond ordinary sadness; in this condition you may have no appetite, no pleasure, no energy, no hope. And, there is being "down" or in a bad mood for a few days; it may involve crying, social withdrawal, being irritable, having no ambition, being pessimistic, etc. These two conditions are probably two different things. Both should be treated but the really severe major depression must be taken very seriously; 15% kill themselves, many more attempt it. Depression is not your fault; you are not a terrible or hopeless person. Unfortunately, 70% of people suffering depression never seek treatment. Please be among the 30% who go for help and stay with it. Depression is one of the most treatable emotional problems--psychotherapy can help you, drugs can, and you can.

 

Note If your depression is serious (disabling or suicidal), seek professional help immediately. If you are in therapy or a group, be sure to tell the therapist how much you are hurting. If not in therapy, call a therapist or your mental health center. Do not delay by trying to treat yourself or by hoping you'll get better. Serious depression and manic-depression seem to have genetic, hormonal, and/or chemical aspects that are activated by stress and upsetting life events and thoughts. Thus, when the depression is serious, you always need to be evaluated by an MD, who will decide if you need medication. You also need to get psychotherapy.

 

If your depression is primarily chemical, psychological coping techniques are useful but not sufficient. Likewise, if your depression has psychological causes, drugs may be useful but not sufficient. There is usually no way to tell if your depression is chemical or psychological, so consider both.

 

If you've read parts of the course relevant to you, you probably already have some ideas about how and why you have responded with sadness. Therefore, certain self-help methods in this section will seem more appropriate for you to use. Fine, try two or three and see if they work. If not, try something else. In general, gaining some optimism about getting better, having an easy going disposition, and utilizing family support, along with selected self-help methods, will lead to a better recovery from depression.

 

The methods for depression are arranged by levels in this section. Quickly read or skim the entire list of methods before you select a few to use. This is a preview:

 

Behavior

 

Increase pleasant activities, avoid upsetting situations, get more rest and exercise, use thought stopping and reduce your worries, atone for wrong-doings, seek support, and use other behavioral changes,

 

Emotions

 

Desensitize your sadness to specific situations and memories, vent your anger and sadness, try elation or relaxation training, etc.,

 

Skills

 

Learn social skills, decision-making, and self-control to reduce helplessness,

 

Cognition

 

Acquire more optimistic perceptions and attributions, challenge your depressing irrational ideas, seek a positive self-concept, become more accepting and tolerant, select good values and live them, and

 

Unconscious factors

 

Read about depression, learn to recognize repressed feelings and urges that may cause guilt, explore your sources of shame (perhaps even going back to childhood).

 

 

   
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