You know the saying, "You are what you eat". Similar to this saying is, "You become what you think".
Understanding how the brain works, you may come to realize that depression is all in how you think and feel. Let me briefly explain how some depression works. As humans take in information, neurons begin to communicate throughout the brain and create a mesh of neurons.
Why are Your Thoughts So Important to Depression?
So how you think about something now affects how you will remember it later. The mind is similar to a computer- the information put out depends on the information put in.
More Info on Depression
Depression decreases one’s quality of life. A person with depression can no longer enjoy life. Millions of people around the world have some type of depression. Many of those people never successfully overcome depression. Still some people continue experiencing symptoms while taking medication as an attempt to overcome it.
Depression can affect just about anyone at least once in their life. However, women are more vulnerable to it than men are.Women especially are hit by depression. There are numerous expectations and demands that our society places on women. Women are expected to be perfect; to look perfect, to act perfect, to be the best mother, wife, friend, and to have a great career. It's no wonder that more women than men have depression. Children and elderly are vulnerable too.
There is a lot of controversy over the cause of depression. Depending on your health and situation, your cause of depression may be different from somebody else's. The general theories for the cause of depression are categorized into biological, genetic, environmental, and physiological. Biological theories rest on the studies that involve a dysfunction of neurotransmitters in the brain such as serotonin and norepinephrine. The genetic belief holds that there are certain genes that make people more vulnerable to depression than other people.
The environmental theory suggests that people's environment influences depression. For instance, stress is associated with depression because of its multifaceted negative effects it has on the mind and body. Big stressors play a big role for depression. Losing your job or house can make us feel depressed. Yet, little things can mount up causing as much stress such as losing your job or develop a new illness.
Psychological theories hold that neurological factors are associated to depression. Studies have tested people who have depression on numerous neurological factors such as intelligence, memory ability, memory recall and more in order to identify or rule out basis for depression. Some studies have shown there to be an association with depression. For instance, people with depression can have poorer memory recall ability than people who do not have depression. The ability to problem solve has also been shown to be poorer among those who have depression (Nezu, 1987).
Another psychological theory rests on cognitive theories from Albert Ellis and Aaron Beck. Beck (1967), for instance, proposed that thinking errors occur when negative thoughts become automatic dysfunctional thoughts about three particular elements, including “one’s self, his experiences, and his future” (p. 21). Beck called these three elements the Triad theory.
Beck (1964) believed that people experience automatic dysfunctional thinking when thoughts are processed into a meaningful cognitive structures referred to as a schema. Schemas can contain a person’s attitudes, beliefs, and assumptions about their experiences.
Furthermore, Beck (1976) proposed that people who have depression can identify reality, but that inferences are distorted. An inference is the information used to make a conclusion about something. For instance, say it is Spring and you look outside to determine whether you need to wear a jacket or not on your way to work.. You notice that the sky is clear and the sun is out. With that information, you make the conclusion that you will not need a jacket.
Beck and Rush (1978) proposed five cognitive errors that attribute to distorted inferences:
(a) Arbitrary inference, not enough supporting information was identified before drawing a conclusion (e.g., not finding out what the temperature was outside before leaving the house lead to making a wrong decision.)
(b) Selective abstraction, which is taking detail out of context and failing to recognize important features.
(c) Overgeneralization, which takes place when one event influences a decision (e.g., yesterday may have been warm and sunny, so you believe today will be the same.)
(d) Magnification and minimization information. How a person makes a conclusion will be influenced by whether or not information was over emphasized or minimized.
(e) Personalization. This is when an individual relates external events to him or her self when there is no origin that suggests a connection.
Types of Depression
Depression comes in different forms. There is Major depression, dysthymia (chronic or long-lasting), and bipolar disorder. Symptoms vary to some degree depending on the form. People can experience with depression Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, drug abuse such as alcoholism or anxiety.
Treatment for Depression
Depending on your type of depression, severity of symptoms, and your personality and background your doctor will recommend a treatment for you. Some types of therapy include short-term psychotherapies, talk therapy, family therapy, feminist therapy, and cognitive therapy. Learning how to cope with stress is usually a focus for therapy.
Another treatment choice includes a combination of therapies such as humanistic, (searching for identity or purpose in life and reaching your full potential), combined with Adlerian and cognitive therapy. Be sure to ask your therapist what treatment he or she recommends for you and explain the therapy process and goals. Without asking these questions, therapy may be counterproductive.
"When Your Mind Is Clear, the Sun Shines All the Time" reteaches how the brain thinks about events by first teaching various cognitive skills. A variety of cognitive skills is important to learn so that a person with depression can learn to effectively challenge thoughts, master positive thinking, and learn how cope with stress. Order When Your Mind Is Clear, the Sun Shines All the Time and start learning how to fight depression.
Questions to Ask Your Doctor or Psychologists About Depression
If you decide that seeing a doctor is the best option for you, it is important to understand that not all therapy is the same. There is cognitive therapy, behavioral therapy, feminist therapy, and positive therapy - just to name a few. Experiencing depression is confusing enough. It's easy to start believing that there's no control over it. Being informed and educated about depression puts more power in your hands of overcoming it.
If you do decide to see a therapists or doctor, here are five basic questions to ask:
1) How will I be tested for depression?
2) What does the doctor believe is the major cause of MY depression? There are several: biological, genetic, environmental, and neuropsychological. This will impact what your therapist/doctor will recommend to you for treatment. My cause of depression was from a lack of critical thinking skills, which therapists/doctors do not use to diagnose or treat. If you think depression is something other than biological or genetic, you may benefit from learning the skills in "When Your Mind Is Clear, the Sun Shines All the Time".
3) What are ALL of my options for therapy/treatment?
4) How will the doctor's therapy or treatment help me overcome depression better than other methods?
5) What to expect for long-term success with the therapy/treatment your doctor recommends for you?
Consider taking along this workbook. You and your doctor can work through the workbook together.
