The 4 coping strategies for depression

Depression is a condition that frequently appears in psychological consultations; a global health problem that affects children, youth, adults and the elderly; as well as men and women.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 350 million people in the world live with depression; thus being the leading cause of health and disability problems worldwide. In Mexico alone, 34.5 million people have become depressed, of which 14.48 million are men, and 20.37 million are women; being the fourth cause of disability in the country.

Let's see what are the coping strategies for depression.

• Related article: "The 6 differences between sadness and depression"

The basic characteristics of depression

Depression is characterized by maintain a state of deep sadness for more than two weeks, often without knowing the reason; Unlike sadness as an emotion, which is transitory and generally caused by something that is perceived as negative for the person.

To this is added an absence of pleasure and lack of motivation for any activity

. An alteration in appetite and weight is experienced, since sometimes there is a loss of them, while in some cases the person shows an excessive appetite.

In the same way, sleep is also affected by way of insomnia or excessive non-restorative sleep. The person presents fatigue or loss of energy, showing dejection in his face and lack of care in his person; in addition to walking, moving and speaking slowly.

However, the characteristics of depression are not limited to physical alterations such as those just shown, since the person also you experience feelings of worthlessness and guilt over unimportant things, as if it were a hindrance to those around you. Limitations in mental capacity are inevitably manifested, that is, thinking slows down and attention and concentration decrease.

Finally, thoughts of hopelessness appear, showing an apathy towards life; so the person thinks of death as a remedy. In fact, according to the WHO, about 800,000 people commit suicide each year, which is the second leading cause of death among young people between 15 and 29 years old.

• Related article: "Major depression: symptoms, causes and treatment"

Coping strategies for depression

What to do when a friend or family member suffers from depression? Let's see.

1. Acknowledge your suffering

First, you need to listen and acknowledge their suffering. Suddenly, you usually try to encourage the person using phrases such as: “Courage! Don't be sad ”,“ Don't cry anymore ”; causing guilt and frustration, since it is not something that depends on the person how to feel.

Instead, when their feelings are validated and empathy is shown, we become companions.

2. Don't feed your sadness

It is not about reinforcing her suffering by fostering self-pity or incapacitating the person, but rather treating her as someone who is going through a difficult time. Likewise, it helps the family member to keep busy with walks, entertainment, small jobs, etc.

3. Taking any innuendo or threat of suicide seriously

A serious mistake is made when signals of this type are ignored, as the person may be giving a warning. The best thing to do is to keep an eye on the person with depression, not leaving her alone for long.

4. Seek professional help

At this point, it is very common to only resort to medication. However, despite being useful, it only reduces the symptoms but does not solve the problem of depression. So it is common to find people under drug treatment dealing with depression for a long time: months or more than a year.

In addition, the person on antidepressant medication does not begin to notice the effects of the medication until two to three weeks after starting treatment. So that the most advisable thing is to start a psychotherapeutic process to work in the required areas.

Tips to prevent this mental disorder

These are some recommendations to apply on a day-to-day basis.

1. Do aerobic physical exercise

The chemical and hormonal balance produced by drugs can also be achieved or supplemented with sports and physical activity.

Fatigue is a source of health and good humor, since this kind of exercise produces serotonin, which is a neurotransmitter that is related to feelings of pleasure and well-being; In addition to the fact that exercise promotes a state of mental peace, reduces levels of daily stress and improves self-esteem.

These kinds of benefits make exercise the most effective antidepressant and, sadly, the least used.

2. Avoid isolation

A study (Nolen-Hoaksema and Morrow, 1991) carried out in the city of San Francisco (USA), showed that isolation encourages depressive thoughts and emotions. It is advisable to have a support network, such as friends or family.

3. Stay busy or busy

Whether outdoors or at home, look for an occupation; that way the activities will help keep your mind off the thoughts that accentuate the depression.

4. Seek professional help

If these tips are not enough, the help of the psychologist will always be the best option to get out of depression. Proper psychotherapy can achieve the desired results.

Depression is a complex problem, so the recovery process is often slow; so patience is required from both the affected person and those around him. Although depression often requires psychological intervention, self-help strategies are beneficial as support for psychological treatment and even prevention.

Bibliographic references:

• Jornada, L. (October 1, 2018). Depression continues to increase in Mexico; women, the most affected. Vanguard.
• Melgosa, J. (2008). How to have a healthy mind. Madrid: Safeliz.
• Nolen-Hoaksema, S. and Morrow, J.A prospective study of depression and distress following a natural disaster: the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 61: 105-121 (1991).
• Rodríguez, D. (October 10, 2018). In Mexico there are more than 2 million young people with depression. Meter.
• Sánchez, A. (October 5, 2018). Everything you should not do when someone suffers from depression. The vanguard.