How can you prevent depression?
introduction
Depression is the most commonly diagnosed mental illness. It is a disorder that is accompanied by a depressed mood, a lack of drive and a downright joyless or numbness.
It is estimated that 10 to 25% of the population will experience such a depressive phase once in their life. At best, this should be recognized by the patient himself, otherwise by relatives, friends or a treating doctor.
The cause of depression has not yet been fully clarified, but various theories exist in this regard. Basically, there is a lack of neuronal messenger substances in the brain with the disease, which depresses the mood of the affected person and presents himself as unstable.
Most depression has a trigger. It does not have to be a tragic event, sometimes small irritations are enough to change the mood. Stress is often the cause - whether at work, in a relationship or through unfulfilled expectations. If this emotional stress state persists for a long time, depression can gradually develop.
It is important that depression is in the majority of cases an ongoing process that should be interrupted as soon as possible. A strongly pronounced form is not only difficult to cure, but also returns in many patients after a while, which puts additional stress on them and limits their lives.
Ideally, the development should be prevented. There are many different ways of relieving your own psyche and reducing emotional stress. Everyone can thus prevent depression.
behavior
Probably the biggest role in preventing depression plays your own behavior. It determines the structure of the daily structure, the handling of work and leisure, stress and relaxation. The wrong handling of various stressful situations creates a multitude of events, as a result of which depression can develop.
Situations that cause emotional stress cannot always be prevented or circumvented. The creation of possibilities with which such situations can be overcome is a priority in dealing with them. Personal hobbies or activities that give pleasure should be pursued regularly, on the one hand to experience something positive in everyday life and on the other hand to reward yourself for the work done. After successes (even if they are small, they should be recognized as such), this can also be done through other individual paths.
Recognizing personal strengths is also an important point in balancing negative aspects of life. People suffering from depression often lose the ability to recognize positive performance as such and only see their own weaknesses and deficits. Healthy people should also keep these in mind so that they can work on them.
Regenerative relaxation phases should be planned into the daily routine. Relaxation and regeneration are important for the psyche and have a direct effect on dealing with stressful life events and on the current mood. Of course, getting enough and restful sleep is a simple means of preventing depression.
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Diet and exercise
The connection between the psyche and nutrition is proven by more and more scientific studies. The effect of substances in food is considered by many scientists to be too small to achieve effective healing through dietary changes, but healthy food can prevent the development of depression and generally increase well-being.
The diet should be balanced, contain plenty of fruit and vegetables and, as a protein donor, rely more on fish than meat. The increased consumption of fish increases the supply of the amino acid tryptophan, which can be converted in the body into the messenger substance serotonin. This messenger substance works in the brain - it helps to cope with stress and conveys feelings of happiness.
In addition to the chemical effects of the food, it is also doing something good for the body. Eating healthy improves the immune system and fitness, you feel better and have more strength and drive to do something.
This newly gained strength can be used, for example, to do sports. A lot of exercise in the fresh air, such as jogging or cycling, lifts the mood and promotes well-being. However, care must be taken to avoid unnecessary disappointments - goals must not be set too high, but should be realistic and achievable so that further increases are possible. Sports successes also make you happy and lead to the release of happiness hormones.
Read more on this topic:
- The role of serotonin / neurotransmitters in depression
- Iron Deficiency and Depression - What Is the Connection?
social network
A stable social environment strengthens one's own Self-esteem and convey that Feeling both needed and supported. Regular contact with friends and family prevents the emergence of a lonely situation and prevents depression.
In the ranks of close confidants there is usually a person with whom you can talk about problems, which often makes dealing with them easier - a solution can be found together and you are not alone in dealing with the problem.
Psychologists and doctors
For a variety of reasons, discussions about personal problems may not be possible with people close to you. The fear that one's own stressful situation will be carried outwards (this can also happen with good or helping intentions) prevents many people from active conversations that could relieve the psyche. In these cases there is the option of consulting a psychologist or doctor.
The reluctance of many people to take this step for fear of being labeled "crazy" is often a hurdle in preventing depression. Dealing openly with impending or existing psychological problems has to be learned first and it costs many people a great deal of effort when talking to a specialist for the first time.
But they are not alone in this. In this context, the frequency of depression in the population should be considered again: on average, at least one in 10 people has psychological problems that require treatment. It is better to see a specialist prophylactically than to have to go to them.
light
Some people tend to feel increasingly bad mood in the winter months and suffer from the generally darker days and the mostly modest weather. This can lead to the development of depression, so-called seasonal or winter depression.
In the case of affected people, it is important to get enough daylight despite the restrictive weather and to go into the fresh air. In addition, there should be enough light in the living spaces to create a brighter environment overall. Artificial light lamps that simulate daylight or sunlight can replace the missing natural sun over the winter months with several hours of irradiation and prevent the development of seasonal depressions.
Read more about this under Light therapy for depression
Prevent winter depression
Preventing depression is possible in some, but far from all, cases. The causes for the development of depression are multifactorial, and genetic predisposition also plays a not insignificant role. Therefore, with most forms of depression, there is no easy-to-use strategy to prevent the development of depression. However, especially with winter depression, also known as seasonal depression, there are ways of preventing it. This is related to the fact that, according to current studies, the winter depression comes about in particular due to a lack of daylight. A lack of vitamin D is also described as contributing to the development of winter depression. The most important measure to prevent seasonal depression is to regularly expose yourself to adequate amounts of daylight.
Read more on the topic: Light therapy for depression
Unfortunately, this is not always easy with working people or people who cannot leave the house. Therefore there are special daylight lamps that are used for light therapy in the treatment of depression. These lamps can now be purchased online at a relatively affordable price for personal use at home. It is important that there is a sufficient lux number (light intensity) and that the devices have a UV filter. The more often the daylight lamp is used, the better. With a light intensity of 10,000 lux, the application should take place for 20-30 minutes at a distance of about 60 cm. It is important that the application takes place in the morning hours, shortly after getting up, in order to stimulate the body's own day-night rhythm and not to lose it. The application can take place daily or several times a week.
A daylight lamp is usually only necessary in the dark winter months, otherwise daylight is sufficient.For people who are prone to winter depression, checking the vitamin D level in the blood can also be helpful. There are studies which indicate that patients with winter depression are more likely than average to have low vitamin D levels. If the level is too low, vitamin D preparations from pharmacies or drugstores (over the counter) can be taken regularly as a preventive measure. Light therapy is a useful measure to prevent depression in patients who are prone to winter depression. Taking vitamin D when the blood level is low can also be effective as a preventive measure. However, neither of these measures is absolutely certain to prevent depression from occurring.
You might also be interested in this topic: Vitamin D deficiency
Prevent postpartum depression
Preventing depression is difficult with most forms of depression because the person concerned cannot influence all the factors that lead to the development of the depression. It is also difficult to predict which woman will develop postpartum depression. There is no such thing as THE preventative measure against postpartum depression. There are only things that can, under certain circumstances, reduce the likelihood of their occurrence to some extent. This includes, among other things, and above all, secure family and social support during and after the birth. It is also important to be able to express yourself regularly and to be able to discuss negative feelings with someone without feeling ashamed. Measures such as adequate sleep (social support so that the child is taken care of during the time!), Regular physical exercise in the fresh air and a balanced, healthy diet can also be helpful. Ultimately, however, none of these measures can reliably prevent the development of postpartum depression. It is therefore important to consult the treating gynecologist or psychiatrist at the first signs in order to discuss further possible treatment strategies.
Read more on the topic: Postpartum depression
Are there any medications to prevent depression?
There is no specific drug that can prevent depression from developing. Many people like to fall back on St. John's wort when their mood is slightly low. This herbal preparation is said to have a slightly mood-enhancing effect. However, it cannot completely prevent the onset of depression. Recent studies have also indicated that the vitamin D level in the blood plays a not insignificant role in the development and treatment of depression. According to the studies, many depressed patients show a vitamin D level that is too low. In addition, patients whose vitamin D level has been adequately increased should respond better to antidepressant drug therapy.
Substituting vitamin D with appropriate supplements could therefore be used as a kind of preventive measure to prevent depression in some people. However, it has not yet been clarified which people benefit most from this. There are also no adequate recommendations for the intake of vitamin D as part of an effective depression prophylaxis because there is a lack of meaningful studies. After consulting your family doctor, nothing stands in the way of determining the vitamin D level and, if necessary, attempting substitution. Substitution therapy can be a sensible attempt, especially in patients who have suffered from depression in the family or who have already had depressive episodes in their history. Unfortunately, there is no simple drug prophylaxis for depression so far.
You might also be interested in this topic: What role do vitamins play in depression?
Prevent relapse
A quarter of all patients suffering from depression experience another phase of depression in the course of their lives. This can also happen after successful therapy and long breaks. Preventing such relapses is an important part of treatment and the content of many behaviors that are learned during therapy.
The therapy should be carried out to its full extent, both medicinally and behaviorally. A premature termination because the first progress is noticed can worsen the overall situation.
Learned behaviors should be maintained even after treatment has ended. These are problem-solving strategies or ways of coping with stress in order not to fall back into the same pattern as when the depression developed.
The mental equilibrium in people who have already gone through depression is by far not as stable as in healthy, balanced people. You should therefore take your own mind into consideration by trying to avoid overwhelming situations at work or in everyday life and, in the worst case, to pull the emergency brake.
If there is a need to go back to a job, the number of hours should be gradually increased. Attention must also be paid to the responsibility that weighs on various tasks in the job.
As already described, a healthy lifestyle with a lot of sport promotes well-being and a solid social network gives sick or healthy people support. However, if too much contact with people is perceived as stressful, this should not be forced, because a certain stressful situation can also arise in this way.
The content of many therapeutic strategies for developing protective behavior is the draft of an emergency plan. Individual signs are noted on a piece of paper that indicate a developing depression or an acute psychological state. In addition, the document contains information on the subsequent recommended actions and means that have led to the relief of symptoms in the past.
Telephone numbers of people who can be contacted and with whom the problem can be discussed should also be available - be it from the psychotherapist, doctor or another person of trust. Alternatively, there is telephone counseling in Germany.
To learn about the different types of depression, click here.
