What are the symptoms of depression?
Depression, like almost everything else that has to do with chronic illness, is complicated. Depression can have a physical cause. Depression can be the result of pain and fatigue, but depression can cause pain and fatigue as well, setting an endless cycle in motion. Depression may come as a result of your situation. Loss of work, identity, health, and self-esteem can lead to depression. The journey to acceptance in chronic illness is similar to the journey of grieving for someone you love—but that someone is you and you're not dead yet. You grieve for who you were and for lost hopes and dreams. A lot of the time you feel hopeless and helpless. Depression is a stage in the grieving process.
You might not even realize that you are depressed. In a chronic illness workshop, the participants were asked to list symptoms of depression: loss of interest in daily activities, changes in appetite, sleeping too much, not being able to sleep, crying, inability to control negative thoughts, concentration problems, lack of motivation, being short with others, etc. One participant at the workshop, a take-charge kind of woman, sat in her seat and said through quiet tears. "Oh my God," she said, "I just realized that I am depressed and have been for a long time." That was a turning point for her.
According to the Mayo Clinic, symptoms of depression include:
• Loss of interest in normal daily activities
• Feeling sad or down
• Feeling hopeless
• Crying spells for no apparent reason
• Problems sleeping
• Trouble focusing or concentrating
• Difficulty making decisions
• Unintentional weight gain or loss
• Irritability
• Restlessness
• Being easily annoyed
• Feeling fatigued or weak
• Feeling worthless
• Loss of interest in sex
• Thoughts of suicide or suicidal behavior
• Unexplained physical problems, such as back pain or headaches
Not everyone has every symptom. If you suspect that you are depressed, there's a good chance that you are.
How can I manage depression?
The depression that goes along with chronic illness is normal but only for a while. People with chronic illness go through the same stages of grieving as people do when someone they love dies. These stages include denial and isolation, anger, bargaining, depression, and finally acceptance. Not everyone experiences these stages in the same order. Each stage is usually revisited a number of times.
If your depression is the result of having chronic illness and is not biochemical[1] in nature, there are some things you can try. Anything you do to stop thinking and start doing can be helpful. Whether it's cutting your toenails, watching a feel-good movie, or learning a new hobby, doing anything is better than sitting and obsessing about your illness and situation. Phone a friend, and resolve to really listen to the other person. Don't use the call as a chance to say out loud all the unpleasant things you have been thinking. Focus on the other person. Listen to your favorite music. Read a book. Take a walk. Plant a flower. Take a bath. Have a nice cup of tea. Think about things that bring you pleasure and pick one that you can do.
Change your thinking. What we think causes what we feel. First pay attention to what you are telling yourself. How much of it is negative, hopeless, and helpless? Write these thoughts down. Then write a positive statement that counters each thought. If you are thinking that you can't do "anything" anymore, the opposite might be "I can be a good listener to someone in need"; or "Now that I don't do_ anymore, I have the time
Think about things that bring you pleasure and pick one that you can do.
to learn_, which I always wanted to do but never had the time before." Rehearse your new positive statements. Each time the negative statement creeps in, repeat the positive statement you have prepared.
- [1] Relating to chemicals that are found in living organisms. Imbalances can cause disease and depression.
