Wow..I have not been on in ages. I was hesitant to even start reading this thread because I deal with this stuff all day long, and I come in here to see something different, but I started scrolling down and…there I was… I sadly, got confused because oiy veiy, too many of you are depressed or so you are calling it.
Unfortunately, depression and anxiety is not unusual in our day and age. You are all wonderful, and as I scanned all the comments, I truly think you should all be proud that you have so many wonderful ideas to reach out and give support. There are some points that I would like to say and please forgive me if it is the same or perhaps a repeat. People use the word depression very freely in our society. A teen can come in and sit herself down in my office and say she is depressed but after some talk she actually can express that she is really upset or hurt about something that has happened. Clinically depressed? Not necessarily.
Much of the time young adults are battling feelings of low self esteem, friendship issues, relationship concerns with parents or siblings, how they are conditioned to view the world around them and how they feel about the way people view them. Real depression concerns are specificly diagnosed by a psychiatrist whereby the patient IS HONEST about how she feels and thinks. If someone really has serious concerns or feels unsafe or is not functioning,an appointment with a psychatrist is in order. It wouldnt be a bad ides to see a pcp as well. A physical exam and thyroid check in the bloodwork please. Please understand that psychiatrists are not mindreaders. Presentation is very important. Please please be OPEN. What you say and dont say may make the difference in the kind of diagnosis you receive. Along with a psychiatrist, once your symptoms are addressed, it would be wise to get into some therapy treatment so you have a safe space where you can feel validation and support to work through some tough things in your life which are what we call in therapy, triggers. Anxiety disorders, are a bit different than depression, and if meds are needed, can be helpful in lowering symptoms and thereafter one may go into a good CBT therapist to learn tools to lower your anxiety. In teens, sometimes we look at hormonal imbalances, similar to postpartum women. Imbalanced hormones can wreck havoc in the system, so it is something to consider. Diet an excercise can play a hugh role in the improvement of overall physical and mental health. The mind and body work very closely hand in hand. As Dr Sarno so clearly points to in his book about diseases, back pain and how it is very closely linked with emotional health. Taking Omega 3 fish oil and a good multi vitamin including additional B12 is vital. Go swimming or yoga or work out. Endorphins in your body are good hormones which are naturally produced as a result of exercise. Seratonin levels increase from exercise too. seratonin levels decrease as a result of depression and anxiety. In postpartum women, we encourage people to take some steps in nurturing and understanding that they need to be kinder to themselves. This is an important part of the healing process. In our society everyone is extremely hard on themselves.
There is an inner voice that we listen to all day about all the things we SHOULD or MUST do. You SHOULDNY or you’re really SUPPOSED TO… Becoming aware of an inner critic at volume 10, is detrimental to ones self esteem! Learning how to tap into the part of self that needs to be aware that it is time to give yourself permission to listen to your inner pain and own your issues so you can than move on to make necessary changes, and than free yourself and heal.Remember,when you crash with your head on the ground, there is only one place to go from there, upwards. Most of all, believe you can get better. A simple exercise that is very revealing is to ask yourself that if you were to go to the bridge and have an opportunity to throw away all your hardships and challanges and be rid of them, who would you then be and what would you fee like? What things would you then have the courage to take on and do? If you CAN tell me all you would do or how different life would be for you, than I have news for you, if you diligently follow your protocol, and do your work in counseling, you will get there sooner than you think because you are still able to separate yourself from the issues. If you tell me you can’t imagine yourself without these negative feelings and you cant clearly seperate your self from it, you may have to work a bit harder still, but believe you will get there. Hope there is some info here that can be helpful for someone. I certainly salute all of you and I am definitely here for anyone that wants to reach out.