MENTAL ILLNESS AND PERSONALITY DISORDER: DEPRESSION HSP3C

DEPRESSION  Type of mental illness called a “mood disorder”  Mood disorders affect the way you feel, think and act  Individuals with depression always feel “down” and hopeless  Changes in life: feelings, physical health, thinking and behaviour

CHANGES.  1) Feelings:  Signs of being unhappy, worried, guilty, loneliness, hopeless

CHANGES.  2) Physical Health  Headaches or other general aches that they cannot explain  May feel tired all the time  Have problems eating

CHANGES.  3) Thinking  Low self-esteem  Self-blame  Negative thoughts about themselves  Hard time concentrating  They believe the world can be a better place without them

CHANGES.  4) Behaviour  Withdraw from others  Shows less interest in activities that they normally enjoy

SYMPTOMS  Persistent (for a long time) sad, anxious, “empty” feelings  Feelings of hopelessness (do not believe anything will work out)  Loss of interest in enjoyable activities  Fatigue (tired) and less energy  Difficult concentrating  Suicide thoughts  Loss of appetite OR over-eating!

TYPES OF DEPRESSION TypeDefinition (What it is) 1) Major Depressive Disorder - Person’s ability for work, sleep, study, eat and pleasure-able activities go away - Have a hard time living life - Recurs throughout a person’s life 2) Chronic Depression - Long-term - Similar symptoms to major depressive but not as severe - Does not disable the person from living life

CAUSES.  NOT ONE CAUSE – a combination Genetics + Biological (DNA) Environmental (things that are happening around you) Psychological (mental imbalance triggered by events)

DIAGNOSIS  Can be difficult to diagnose someone with Depression  Evaluate symptoms – how long you’ve had them, when they started and how they were.  Your doctor will ask questions about the way you feel (to see if they match any of the symptoms of depression)

TREATMENT  Earlier treatment, the better  Each treatment is for each individual  Most common = medication + psychotherapy 

TREATMENT  1) Medication  Anti-depressants Works on brain chemicals Regulate mood  Must be taken 4-6 weeks before medicine to begin working  Keep taking medicine until the doctor says “stop”  If one medicine doesn’t work – another might!

TREATMENT  2) Psychotherapy  Talk to a therapist, which helps them learn how to deal with illness  Two types of Psychotherapy: 1) Cognitive Behavioural Therapy 2) Interpersonal Therapy

PSYCHOTHERAPY (1) Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) - Negative thoughts are restructured - Look at environment (surroundings) and relationships in a positive way -Find out what YOU are doing to add to the depression

PSYCHOTHERAPY (2) Interpersonal Therapy (IPT)- Helps people understand and work through troubled relationships - These may have caused the depression or make it worse.

LIVING WITH DEPRESSION

BAD MOOD VS. DEPRESSION Bad MoodDepression - Feeling sadness, loneliness or grief when going through a difficult life experience - Continue to function (live life) - You know that you will bounce back and everything will get better - Feelings of sadness, loneliness or grief do not go away - Sadness interferes (disrupts) your work, sleep and recreation (hobbies) - Cannot “pull yourself together” to get better

DID YOU KNOW?!?!  The total number of year olds in Canada at risk for developing depression is 3.2 million.