What is depression?
At some point in our life, everyone experiences some sort of unhappiness, often triggered by a traumatic event such as the breakup of a relationship or bereavement. Most people also feel 'down' from time to time. Sometimes the sad feelings do not go away – we stop enjoying things that used to be fun. We might have difficulty keeping up with study, or find it hard to even get out of bed in the morning. This unhappiness can develop into what we call – 'depression', a real illness that often goes unrecognised.
What are some signs of depression?
People suffering from depression experience physical and emotional symptoms.
The following are some signs of depression:
- Feelings of sadness or "emptiness"
- Feelings of hopelessness or worthlessness
- Difficulty in or not being able to make decisions
- Your concentration and memory may decrease
- Loss of interest in ordinary activities like sports or talking on the phone
- You may be feeling more irritable and/or restless than usual
- You may withdraw from friends and family and would like to be more alone
- You may be drinking heavily or taking drugs
- Loss of energy such that things seemed 'slowed down'
- Trouble falling asleep, staying asleep or getting up
- There may be weight loss or weight gain
- Headaches, stomach aches or backaches
- Chronic aches and pains in joints and hips
- Thinking or talking about death and/or suicide
These symptoms may occur to a greater or to a lesser extent if a person is depressed, and a person may not need to experience all the symptoms to feel depressed.
What causes depression?
Many different factors may contribute to depression. In general, they are related to genetic, physical, psychological and environment factors. Chemical imbalance in the brain plays a significant role in depression for some individuals. In such cases, medication may be necessary.
A number of other factors may contribute to long term or short-term situational depression. These may include the death of a loved one, any loss of a relationship, change in financial status, health problems, academic difficulties, family conflicts, existential or future concerns (E.g., 'What do I want from life?', 'What am I going to do when I graduate?' ). Since different people react to life events differently, their susceptibility to depression varies. No matter what the causes are, in most cases, people do recover from depression eventually.
What should I do if I feel depressed?
Take time to assess why you are feeling the way you are feeling. In many cases, feeling down is an expected and appropriate reaction to a problem or situation; however, when these feelings last for a period of time, or significantly interfere with your ability to function, it might be wise to make efforts to change your situation. Some ideas to try are:
Practise what has helped from the past
Think of things that have helped in the past, if you have experienced depression before. Write these things down and remind yourself to keep using them. Allow yourself the time for them to have an effect.
Avoid making important decisions
Do not make important decisions until you are feeling better. If you must make a big decision, ask someone you trust to help you.
Build structure into your day
Set small daily tasks and stick to them. The next step after this would be to slowly make a weekly schedule of your daily activities and try to stick to them.
Put pleasure and fun into each day
Treat yourself to something that you will enjoy and that will require you to expend some energy each day.
Keep active
Walk, jog, take an evening walk with a friend or family member, do some household chores, go window shopping, etc.
Eat balanced, nutritious meals
Have regular, nutritious meals and cut down on junk foods.
Avoid or cut down your consumption of alcoholic drinks
Alcohol is a central nervous system depressant and it may make your depression worse.
Pay attention to sleep pattern
Try to have regular sleeping patterns. Cut down on caffeine. As you become depressed, the urge to escape everything by just staying in bed can become stronger. Try to resist this as it can make things harder to deal with.
Try to explore the way you are feeling
If you can recognise your emotions, talk about them with friends, and/or with a counsellor. Write them down, and see how they may relate to your thinking about yourself or to things that happen in your life. Through this, you may understand your situation better and take steps towards managing your feelings and situations.
Challenge negative self talk
Challenge negative self talk or messages that you may be giving yourself. Try to avoid falling into the trap of "automatic negative thinking". Identify your negative thoughts, learn to monitor them and learn to challenge them. (i.e., look for evidence to support your negative thoughts or assumptions about yourself). Then begin to substitute more positive and therefore more useful patterns of thought. Write these things down in a notebook. A counsellor can help you to develop this approach so that you can be more realistic about those things in your life that are positive. You can also practise ways to distract yourself from focusing or dwelling on negative patterns of thought. Activity is good in this respect.
Learn and practice a relaxation technique
Negative thoughts can also generate feelings of anxiety and tension. Practising a relaxation technique daily can help a great deal to reduce anxiety. The Student Counsellor at the NTU Student Counselling Centre can help you to choose and learn a relaxation technique that is suitable and convenient for you to practice regularly. You can also refer to our section on Brief Relaxation Techniques.
Have a social support network
Develop a support network comprising of people who are supportive, encouraging, and uplifting for you. Consider the advice and help that others might try to give you as a positive thing in your life. Have at least one person that you can confide in rather than keeping your worries or concerns all to yourself. Spend time also with other people rather than being alone most of the time; it may be difficult to do so but it usually makes you feel better.
Seek Help
It is sometimes difficult to take the steps to help yourself when you are feeling depressed. At such times, consider seeking help and support from a trained counsellor. You can seek help from the NTU Student Counselling Centre. The Student Counselling Centre offers free, professional and confidential counselling services to all students of NTU.
If you feel that you may have a serious problem with depression, then you may need medication from a doctor as well. The Student Counsellor can discuss this with you and, if necessary, the counsellor can arrange for you to see one of the doctors at the NTU Medical Centre. You can, of course, go to see your own family doctor, if you prefer. Sometimes, medication can give the help that is needed to deal with the immediate problems that can come with major depression and ongoing counselling can provide short and long term benefits, in terms of helping you to devise, learn and practise strategies to manage depression.
How can I help someone else who may be depressed?
The most important thing to remember as you help someone with depression is to remain supportive. Being supportive involves being understanding, patient, encouraging and hopeful.
Blaming the depression on the person, trying to "make them snap out of it" or disparaging the person's feelings can backfire and make the situation worse.
It is important first to let the person know that you are concerned about her or him, want to help and are willing to be a source of support.
The following are some ways you may also help the person:
- providing a listening ear,
- just being with the person and providing a reassuring presence,
- reading up and understanding about the nature of depression and allowing the depressed person to share his or her individual experience of depression with you,
- encouraging the person to do an activity no matter how simple and short it is, and recommending that the person contact a counsellor or doctor for professional help.
