How to cure severe depression. Reduce stress and get enough sleep. Main causes of depression

This article provides several effective ways how to cope with depression on your own.

When depression sets in, a person is despondent; it begins to seem to him that everything around him is uninteresting and joyless. The diet changes - he begins to eat either less or more than usual. Feels tired and restless. Has difficulty concentrating and making decisions and feels worthless.

Life seems meaningless, and thoughts of suicide even begin to appear. If you have suicidal thoughts, then reading one article “how to get out of depression on your own” is not enough to solve the problem. It is necessary to urgently contact a specialist.

How to get out of depression on your own?

First of all, you need to mobilize. Since the main sign of depression is apathy and fatigue, you should start with composure and active planning of your life.

You need to understand that the less you do, the worse you feel; and the more depressed you feel, the less you do. It's a vicious circle. There is only one way out - to become active. To do this, you need to plan your daily activity in advance, this will awaken active energy and help cope with depression.

Increasing activity in itself reduces the level of depression, without the intervention of pharmacological drugs.

It is important to evaluate the degree of pleasure and usefulness of everyday activities, and then create a daily schedule that contains mainly useful and enjoyable activities.

Maintaining an activity schedule one of the most effective examples of how to deal with depression on your own. It is necessary to record every hour of every day, from 8 am to 12 midnight, recording all your activities. You write down literally everything you do: breakfast, driving to work, browsing social networks, doing work and household chores. If you were just lying on the couch or sleeping, then this period of time also needs to be recorded.

After you have filled out the chart for a week, you can analyze it and make the first rearrangements. If you notice that you spend a lot of time sleeping, watch social networks or TV, but it doesn’t bring you much pleasure, then you can safely replace this pastime with other pleasant and useful things.

A week is allotted for an initial analysis of the success of such classes. After that, you will need 4 to 8 weeks to gradually change your schedule and add more activities that bring you pleasure.

Examples of pleasant things:

  • Take a walk.
  • Go visit friends or family.
  • Go shopping.
  • Talk on the phone with friends or family.
  • Go to the cinema or theater.
  • Soak in a hot bath.
  • Watch an interesting movie or program.
  • Do gymnastics.
  • Read a book.
  • Work in the soil or in the garden.
  • Go for a run in the fresh air.
  • Write an article, a note.
  • Games.
  • Go to a cafe or restaurant.
  • Eat your favorite treat.
  • Go for a massage.
  • Listen to your favorite music.
  • To make love.
  • Go to the countryside.
  • Take a car ride.
  • Plan a vacation.
  • Go on a picnic.
  • Take up your favorite hobby.
  • Draw.
  • Make a toy or fake with your own hands.
  • Take a walk in your favorite beautiful place.
  • Clean up the apartment.
  • Cook a meal.
  • Go to the pool.
  • Go to the bathhouse or sauna.
  • Read an uplifting article or book.
  • Go to a bar or club.
  • Start collecting things.
  • Make plans for the current year, month and week.
  • View educational programs such as history, science, or human evolution.
  • Write to friends with whom you have not spoken for a long time.
  • Make a collage of pictures of your desires.
  • Take a walk and take interesting photos of what you notice.
  • Make new acquaintances - on the street, on the Internet, in the pool or in a store.
  • Dance.
Examples of useful things:
  • Go shopping.
  • Help children with homework.
  • Fix something.
  • Clean the apartment.
  • Wash the dishes.
  • Wash clothes.
  • Take on a difficult task at work.
  • Pay the bills.
  • Walk the dog.
  • Exercise.
  • Decorate the apartment.
  • Call your loved ones.
  • Keep a diary.
  • Change the oil in the car.
  • Get yourself in order.
  • Get a haircut.
  • Engage in spiritual or religious practice.
  • Play with the children.
  • Throw away unnecessary junk.
  • Sell ​​or give away unnecessary things.
  • See your parents.
  • To water flowers.
  • Get up at 6 am.
After working on an activity schedule for 3-4 weeks, and adding pleasant and useful things to it, most people notice that their lives have become more interesting and fulfilling, and depression has either ended or significantly decreased.

Treatment of depression with folk remedies

The use of certain plants and essential oils in the preparation of vitamin teas and aromatic baths helps improve mood and a surge of energy.

Ideal for brewing tea:

  • rosehip, known for its tonic effect;
  • St. John's wort, helps even in cases of severe depression, restores nervous system and removes toxins;
  • Chinese lemongrass, invigorates and tones well.
For aromatic baths For depression, you can use combinations of various essential oils. As a rule, 6-8 drops of oils are enough for a bath, and make the temperature comfortable, not too hot, preferably about 35-38 degrees.

For good night suitable oils: lavender, ylang-ylang, myrrh, petitgrain, chamomile, sage, neroli, marjoram.

For wellness, a surge of energy and strength: essential oil eucalyptus, tangerine, cloves, myrrh.

A good remedy for depression and despondency: grapefruit and bergamot essential oils, 4 drops per bath.

How to treat depression? Should I consult a doctor or act on my own? What will help? We answer all questions, reveal all secrets!

Now you need to do a little work on your own: determine the cause of your severe depression.

Your answer: Yes, I remember this event. Doctors for you:

  • psychologist(will have conversations with you, through which he will try to eliminate all your worries);
  • psychotherapist(he will also talk to you about life, but then he will begin to “break” your brain through hypnosis, drugs, NLP, etc.);
  • psychiatrist(he will immediately communicate with you as if you were a mentally ill person, because he believes that a person who is complete in every sense cannot become depressed; he will begin to work with your psyche and analyze the functioning of your brain);
  • neurologist(It is in his interests to study your nervous system; in his opinion, there is nothing better than medications).

No I dont know. If you have masked blues, you should go to a therapist. He will prescribe tests for you, after which he will refer you to doctors more narrow specialization: endocrinologist, gynecologist, cardiologist, etc. Or maybe he will prescribe treatment for you himself.

Do not be offended if he recommends you inexpensive primitive drugs or vitamins, because often it is the lack of some chemical or organic compound causes sadness, stress and apathy. For example, this may be a consequence of a deficiency of iron, iodine, magnesium, etc.

How to treat depression

Among women

Postpartum

All energy and time are now spent on the child, general physical state– not so hot, the body is experiencing hidden stress, misunderstandings have appeared with my husband.

What to do:

  • do not refuse the help of your parents;
  • talk openly and tenderly (!) with your husband (he is also under some kind of stress right now);
  • do not be jealous of your husband (it is better to arrange surprises for him (including erotic ones), even if you have little strength left for this);
  • don’t feel sorry for yourself (everyone has gone through this, and some more than once);
  • develop yourself (even while watching TV, prefer a travel program instead of a talk show);
  • keep yourself well physical fitness(download video lessons of aerobics or exercises and do them every morning while listening to energetic music).

During menopause

Now your body is under extreme stress, so depression is possible.

To ensure everything goes as smoothly as possible, pay attention to the tips below:

  • set yourself up to the fact that you just have to get over it;
  • establish proper nutrition;
  • spend more time outdoors;
  • do not forget about sports and walks (you now urgently need some physical activity);
  • but do not ignore rest (give preference to active);
  • find support from your spouse, children, relatives (try not to cry into your vest);
  • go to the sea (a great way to improve your health).

In men

For men in such situations the following are relevant:

  1. Sport. The release of endorphins, a boost of energy and a more toned figure will undoubtedly impact your mood.
  2. Striving for a goal. Set yourself a task and go towards it. If you are a resident of a developed city, sign up for coaching training (work with a specialist who will help you achieve stunning results). In the fight for your happiness, you will have less time to think about your own depression - your brain is now busy.
  3. Marriage. If you are single, seriously think about starting a family. A successful choice will give you a lot: the love and affection of your wife, constancy, home comfort and food, procreation and many other positive aspects.

In teenagers and older people

The following is relevant for teenagers:

  • the realization that the world is cruel, but giving up is not for you;
  • hobby hobby;
  • constant communication;
  • changing your circle of friends is an option;
  • good relationship with parents;
  • desire for activity (both physical and social);
  • ban on sad music, melodramas and horror films.
  • let your kids go and start new life- for myself;
  • go on a small or large trip;
  • exercise, don’t forget about walks;
  • make a list of your achievements in life (even the smallest ones) and hang them in a prominent place;
  • Don’t forget about entertainment: retro parties, corporate events, citywide holidays.

How to cope with melancholy yourself at home

Avoiding stress and saving energy

How to avoid stress:

  • try excluding the main one stressful situation(in some cases this is impossible, but still try to find a way out);
  • find a way to “kill” the cause nervous tension(for some it’s washing dishes, for others it’s eating sweets and seeds, for others it’s fingering rosaries; watching a light comedy, going for a walk, etc. are also suitable);
  • take up meditation (in fact, it’s not difficult at all and has nothing to do with religion or sectarianism);
  • Spend more time with people who lift your spirits (any communication will do - real or virtual).

Important!
Alcohol is your worst enemy right now. You understand that after drinking alcohol, all your topics of conversation will come down to the cause of your depression.

Exercise and daily routine

Let's take a closer look at them:

  1. Exercise can include a set of exercises performed in the morning, jogging, aerobics, shaping, etc.
  2. Daily routine is reusable good nutrition, healthy sleep, availability of rest.

How will this help? You overcome your laziness, that is, you work on yourself, both physically and mentally. This way you can become increasingly more in control of yourself.

Doctors have long identified a direct connection between exercise and improved mood. This occurs due to the release of happiness hormones into the body. It’s not for nothing that they say – “In healthy body- healthy spirit!

A proper diet will normalize all processes in the body, and this will give you the opportunity to feel good, reducing all failures to “no”.
A proper daily routine and exercise will help you forget about problems such as insomnia, stress, anxiety, apathy, bad mood, irritability, etc.

Important!
In addition to all this, strive to proper nutrition. It will also give you strength - first physically, and then morally.

Tight control over thoughts

Yes, be hard on yourself, because as long as you feel sorry for yourself, nothing will work out for you. Pull yourself together and start acting, while simultaneously controlling your thoughts:

  • put aside self-pity;
  • start to perceive your life as it is;
  • mentally return to the cause of depression as little as possible;
  • stop contacting for a while with those people who remind you of stress;
  • make positive and motivating thoughts prevail over all others.


Patience and cooperation with a specialist

Sometimes it is difficult to cope with depression on your own, so you have to seek the help of specialists. To do this you need to understand the following:

  • don’t expect results “right away” (it takes months to treat depression);
  • be prepared to “open up” to another person (trust your specialist);
  • analyze your condition every week (you can ask relatives and friends about changes that they can look at from the outside).

And one more thing: do not be ashamed that you have contacted a specialist. In more developed countries They are generally considered almost friends of every family.

Self help

But you can pull yourself through by trusting yourself. For this:

  • buy special books (they contain great motivation);
  • buy CDs (the simplified version is more suitable for the lazy and those who save time, because you can listen to them while doing chores around the house, while driving, and even while jogging in the morning);
  • sign up for a special group (people related to common problem– depression; impressions, openness and conversations will help you not only become more cheerful, help others, but also find new friends).

How long will self-medication last? It all depends only on you and your desire to get out of this state.

How to heal

Antidepressants

If on our own It is not possible to get out of depression; you cannot do without antidepressants.

You can use antidepressants without harm, and even with health benefits. natural origin(this is especially true for pregnant women).

These include:

  • St. John's wort
  • mint;
  • lemon balm;
  • motherwort;
  • valerian;
  • licorice;
  • hawthorn;
  • rose hip;
  • nettle;
  • hop cones.

They can be consumed through infusions and/or decoctions.
Chocolate, honey, many types of teas, fruits, etc. are also known as antidepressants.

Medications

The action of these drugs is aimed at retaining substances in the brain for as long as possible - neurotransmitters, which are needed for normal operation brain

Whatever medications you use, remember that they are all chemical compositions, which do not have the best effect on general condition health in the future. In addition, today a fairly large percentage of all medicines are counterfeits, for which you shell out a tidy sum, but get nothing in return. Good, of course.

The duration of taking these drugs is on average six months. Think about it, can you afford it?

Important! All medications are powerful enhancers of others medicines. Also because of this reason, you will have to go to the doctor so that he can assess the degree of risk and give the go-ahead.

Note! Don't you accept currently no other medications? After all, depression is side effect lots of medicines!

Artificial light

In winter and autumn, a person often falls into prolonged depression or goes deeper into it. Among other things, this is due to a decrease in daylight hours. Therefore, doctors recommend using artificial light to treat autumn and winter melancholy. They even created a whole scheme - light therapy treatment.

A device was made that simulates sunrise, which begins to work some time before a person wakes up. Thus, the body produces much more serotonin, a hormone responsible for a good mood.

Thousands of people participated in the study. And all of them confirmed positive influence of this device.

However, such an invention is still not widespread, so create a bright environment in the house with lamps, lamps, and night lights. By the way, additional research showed that blue and White color worsen the mood, and red, yellow, orange - on the contrary, help to get out of depressive state.

Depression is considered quite serious psychological disorder, arising from various reasons. However, many people who are faced with this try to find a way to get out of depression on their own. Often the apathy that arises, indifference to everything that happens, goes away with small investments and efforts of the person himself.

Before looking for options on how to overcome depression, despondency and melancholy, you should remember important rule- if independent attempts do not lead to results, the condition worsens or despair appears over wasted energy, you should seek help from an experienced psychologist. On professional level the specialist will tell you how to behave and complement the treatment medications and will teach you how to get rid of depression at home.

Methods

How to relieve depression? This condition is similar to prolonged indifference - the patient seems to be in a dream; during the recovery process, both ups and downs of mood can be observed. Perhaps the chosen technique will not help the first time - but there is no need to fall into despair. A person is able to help himself with depression, he just needs to understand that depression will try to absorb him again, so he will have to show some effort.

Exist various methods struggle, but whichever one is chosen, one should start with small steps, gradually approaching the goal. Choose by any means possible - every saving method helps you remain yourself and overcome difficulties, but this takes time.

Getting out of depression by looking for reasons is the most correct and important step on the path to healing. Before looking for a way to quickly get rid of suppressed emotions, ask yourself why such disorders happened to you, which led to a state where you don’t even want to lift your head from the pillow. Unfortunately, apathy and despondency arising from external factors are often confused with banal laziness. If depression has developed because of it, you should not be cured, but look for strength in yourself, coping with troubles and responsibilities.

Many people are too great importance They attach more importance to their own labor investments, they believe that they work more than a colleague, and they invest more effort in their home and family than other family members. Gradually, resentment and laziness develop, the person stops wanting evening walks or simple conversations at the end of the day, and he imagines to himself that he has become depressed. In this case, psychologists recommend looking at things more simply. No matter how simple and easy it may sound this advice, but often we oppress ourselves by envying our neighbor, paying attention to other people’s successes, or starting a whole scandal over a mere trifle. And then we suffer in search of a way to get out of depression.

What to do when you're depressed? When conducting self-analysis, it is important to honestly answer the question - what bad happened in your life? Why don't you want anything? After all, if you look around, there are people who have much more problems However, they do not despair and try to change their lives. Do you think this is useless? This is what every depressed patient says, exaggerating their own difficulties. If you don’t know people who have faced real troubles, they can easily be found on forums on the Internet. Just become familiar with their fates, and the feeling that everything is bad will quickly leave you.

The second part of introspection should be devoted to the reasons found - here we need to ask the question, who is to blame for this? There are circumstances that do not depend on the patient, but there are situations in which he is the main character. For example, if a mistake occurred at work due to your fault, then you need to undergo additional training, improve your qualifications, and not make any more mistakes. Coping with depression means taking a step forward by increasing the level of knowledge, both professional and psychological. Sitting around and suffering will not lead to good results.

How to overcome depression and learn to enjoy life without the intervention of specialists? Having analyzed the reasons and their culprits, a person himself will come to the answer. But in most cases, patients do without the help of psychologists.

Looking for a new image

How to get rid of depression forever? Having found new image- Almost everyone has experienced depression famous people, media persons or just ordinary citizens of our and other countries. Go to the library, read stories on the Internet and recharge yourself with the spirit of those who managed to set new, achievable goals and began to work towards them, forgetting about the disorder. Getting rid of depression is like losing weight - having found like-minded people who have faced the same problems, but have successfully overcome them, it is easy to repeat the path to success.

At this stage, it is wrong to copy other people's goals - the new meaning should correspond to your desires. Overcome yourself, try to suppress despondency in yourself, replacing it with activity. At the same time, always remember that another simple person managed it on his own, and you can do the same! Repeat to yourself like a prayer: “You are not defeated, new successes are beginning.” Having clearly drawn a new image for yourself, your future self, you need to work every day to quickly begin to live up to it.

Love yourself

How to get out of depression on your own? Just learning to love yourself - you need to understand that we are not perfect. There is not a single person on Earth who has never experienced failure, been disgraced, or made mistakes. It is important to stop self-flagellation, berating yourself for your inability to achieve any sky-high successes. This does not mean that you have to be lazy - everyone achieves certain goals, you need to rejoice and praise yourself at all stages overcome. Having learned to love yourself, it is easier to move forward and, perhaps, one day achieve the desired goal, which drove you into depression.

Diary

What to do if you are depressed? Many people find it helpful to personal diary, in which it is necessary to record all negative as well as positive thoughts. These entries will correspond to attempts to lift yourself out of depression. Every time you are in a bad mood, return to reading what you have achieved, remember how good it was at that moment when you filled out the pages of the diary. Analyzing own thoughts It’s easy to understand which path has already been completed and how much remains to be done.

Physical and emotional changes

It is difficult to notice when depression begins, but it always acts on three interconnected levels - body, mind, spirit. Therefore, a combination of practices aimed at everything at once will be more effective. Introspection, journaling, self-searching, and the other methods described above to combat depression work on the mind. All that remains is to use the body and spirit - yoga, dancing, fitness and other sports activities help with this.

By moving in a dance, riding a bicycle, doing asanas or repeating a simple sequence on the steppe in an aerobic gym, a person receives positive emotions. The same interaction between body and spirit occurs, all the negativity spills out, suffering goes away, and a smile appears on the face by itself. After regular classes, the question “how to overcome depression and return to life” will disappear by itself. The main thing is to maintain regularity. You shouldn't rush into active life, otherwise your strength will quickly run out. It is enough to visit fitness or dance halls 2-3 times a week, where there is always a positive atmosphere.

Health

It is impossible to cope with depression on your own without changing your quality of life. Pay attention to how much you sleep - if the duration of sleep is less than the recommended norm, then no matter how hard you try, you still won’t get enough sleep, and accordingly you will perceive what is happening poorly. It is necessary to reduce the load, alternate work and rest, and use weekends to relax. Perhaps you have long wanted to take a trip - put all your things away for later and go on a trip, even for a few days, but you will feel how your soul rejoices.

Recommended use herbal tea, reducing anxiety and improving sleep. Also, we must not forget about appearance - a good-looking person who has made an effort to come in clean, ironed clothes, with makeup and hairstyle (if we're talking about about a woman), simply will not allow himself to become limp over every occasion.

Between us girls

It is no secret that it is the female half of the population that suffers from despondency. How can a girl get rid of depression quickly? To begin with, it is recommended to cry, just not in the presence of spectators, but to get out of depression yourself; after that it will be much easier to pull yourself out of despondency. Having thrown out emotions, you should move on to active actions:

  • Assess the situation, reasons and set new goals.
  • Going to the store to update your wardrobe - shopping is the best antidepressant, and shopping removes all the negativity.
  • Visit a beauty salon and change your hairstyle or manicure.
  • Talk to a loved one - who, if not a friend or mother, can listen, feel sorry for you and, if necessary, give advice? There is no need to put off the conversation until later, thinking that your loved ones won’t have time to listen to whining. By pouring out your soul in time, it will be easier to fight depression, because it will not have time to consume you. A friend can distract you by inviting you to a cafe or a movie - such outings can cure you just as well as medicine.

Can women overcome depression at home, with depression at home? Of course yes, using all of the above methods. Remember Bridget Jones - you wouldn’t wish a worse fate on your enemy, but she told herself “you can do it” and received a bonus in return.

Creation

How to get out of depression on your own? Paying attention to any type of creative activity, it is easy to become a fan of one of the directions. Drawing, knitting, sewing are good distractions - now handmade in any form is in fashion, so it won’t be difficult to find yourself. Everyone can pull themselves out and help themselves. To make a unique thing, to be proud of yourself - won’t this help to save yourself and change your dull attitude to a positive one?

Group classes

Getting out of depression with the participation of a support group and seminars held within their framework will happen faster and more effectively, because at the meetings it is easy to meet people, after learning whose stories you will think: “you’re not so bad.” If you can’t get rid of depression on your own, but you don’t want to go to a psychologist, like-minded people will help you get out of a depressive state - they can handle it, you can do it.

What should you not do?

How to overcome depression and learn to enjoy life without harming yourself? There are several steps that definitely should not be used when depression takes away all the positivity and core of life:

  • Trying to drink away or eat away your worries - having fallen into the clutches of yet another addiction, it is easy to become a hostage, and then self-help for depression will definitely not help.
  • Trying to take out anger by being rude or injuring someone - there are different ways to get out of depression, among them there is screaming and force, but we are talking about screaming somewhere in nature, and beating a punching bag or pillow.
  • Mindlessly consume antidepressants - we must remember that they help remove symptoms, but they do not fight the causes and essence of the problem.

Conclusion

What is depression and how to deal with it? How to cure depression on your own? How to help? Such questions will not bother you until you diversify your life, solve the problems that have arisen and rid yourself of thoughts on the topic “Nobody loves me”, “Nobody needs you” and others - this is an illusion created by you. No one will correct your mistakes for you, nor will they set priorities or reconsider their goals. By changing yourself, you won’t have to wonder “how to deal with depression on your own.”

IN modern world Almost all depression can be successfully treated. Of course, there are differences in the characteristics of the course, severity of the disease, susceptibility to drugs, duration of their use, the need for additional psychological correction etc. Accordingly, questions about the cost of treatment, the conditions for its implementation, diagnostic tools, and the time to find a specialist will be resolved. But all these questions, if you think about it, relate to the organization of treatment, and not to its possibility or impossibility. It is necessary to clearly distinguish the real problems of modern Russian psychiatry from mythological constructs and gossip. This will help a huge number of people in need get what they need. medical care And social support.

Question: " I have been married for many years, eight of which my wife has been treated for depression (this is exactly what the doctor diagnosed her with). My wife gets better, then gets worse again. Either she is cheerful and healthy, then she is shaking so much that she stops eating and sleeping. I see her struggling, trying to break this circle, but... The situation repeats itself over and over again. My wife is prescribed amitriptyline, then taken off again. I don’t know how to behave: a person dear to me is looking for support from me, and I myself have little faith in the success of treatment. I don’t know what to do... Maybe I should just change doctors? After all, after so many years the problem has not been solved... Maybe I'm doing something wrong? How should you generally behave in such a situation? None of our friends know about our grief, we hide from everyone, fearing misunderstanding and condemnation. After all, you are well aware of people’s reactions to treatment by psychotherapists. Please give me advice on how to behave, because I see how difficult it is for my wife».

Answer I.Yu.:

Unfortunately, I cannot meet your expectations by publishing my answer in the newspaper. Words are indispensable. Words will also not help if I just talk to your wife directly at the reception.

You see, Words do not help with heart attack and angina pectoris - the most correct of them will not restore blood supply to the heart muscle that has undergone necrosis - nitroglycerin is needed; words do not help with appendicitis and peritonitis - you need to operate urgently; don't help with diabetic coma- need insulin; do not help with pneumonia and salmonellosis - antibiotics are needed; do not help with hypertension - we need drugs that can reduce arterial pressure; don't help with epileptic seizure- we need anticonvulsants that will prevent the attack from reoccurring. A doctor who tries to help in these cases with words will be a criminal. We need a doctor who will adequately assess the situation and begin to act. And if he sees that his actions are not producing results, he will call another doctor or drag the patient on his back to where he can be helped. This is what a doctor should do.

Your wife needs similar treatment. The treatment is competent and attentive, carried out taking into account and analyzing all the means that were used previously. Most likely, it is not psychotherapy at all, but rather psychopharmacotherapy. You see, you are describing a state of quite severe - clinically significant depression. This is not the blues, not a change in mood, and not a loss of strength. There is every reason to believe that we are talking about depression, which is NOT a reaction to stress, but a real disease, i.e. This is not neurotic, but the so-called. endogenous depression. This is supported by the presumably phase-like nature of mood changes - “ sometimes she is cheerful and healthy, sometimes she shakes so much that she stops eating and sleeping.” Such depressions cannot always be perfectly cured the first time, but this does not mean that they cannot be treated.

Try to understand me correctly (we live in such a country, in such a time): roads can be made smooth everywhere, but they are not made that way everywhere; in courts one can always judge fairly, but they do not always judge this way; It is also possible to treat depression (and not only depression) properly everywhere, but not everywhere and it does not always work out.

I don’t want to look for the guilty now, I don’t think you need it either. I just want to say that your wife can and should be helped. And what does she “then they prescribe amitriptyline, then they cancel it again,” does not mean that there are no other drugs and treatment regimens. I won't go into now details of the pharmacology of antidepressants, it’s better to use the comparison again: in therapy it also happens that “an antibiotic is prescribed, then it’s canceled...” - this can be either a completely justified action or a completely inadequate one - depending on each specific case. Only one thing can be said for sure - if you are dissatisfied with the result of treatment, you should immediately contact other specialists. Understand, this is life. In resolving any issues, there are appeals, appeals to higher authorities, alternative commissions, independent experts, at worst - written complaints. We even grocery store choose where it is lighter and cleaner; Once we come across stale bread, we won’t come to this store again. And then what happens - “ A person dear to me is looking for support», « the situation repeats itself over and over again», « after so many years the problem has not been solved"and... here the question only arises - " maybe just change doctors"? And it's true - it's so simple. And after the treatment didn’t work the first time, and the depression came back, didn’t such a thought occur to you?

The driver comes to a car service center to tighten a nut, and it is tightened so that in a day it will unscrew again - will he go to this car service center again?! Of course, the situations are incomparable, of course, man is not a machine, and responsibility for incorrect treatment cannot be compared with the responsibility for repairs. But the comparison is even more revealing. All the more caution should be exercised when it comes to human health. What to do if life is like this? We must proceed from what is. And the question, in essence, is not medical error, but as a treatment, which, however, in any country in the world can be better or worse. It's one thing if you searched and didn't find it. And something completely different, even if you weren’t looking for it.

I emphasize once again that in the modern world almost all depression can be successfully treated. Of course, there are differences in the characteristics of the course, severity of the disease, susceptibility to drugs, duration of their use, the need for additional psychological correction, etc. Accordingly, questions about the costs of treatment, conditions for its implementation (outpatient or inpatient), diagnostic tools, time to find a specialist. But all these questions, if you think about it, relate to the organization of treatment, and not to its possibility or impossibility.

Alas, in our country, a significant part of the organization of anything, as a rule, falls on the shoulders of the needy, and it simply infuriates when Once again one hears: “the rescue of drowning people is the work of the drowning people themselves.” Yes - scary, painful, absurd. We all know about this, but we can’t change anything. Questions - “who is to blame?” and “what should I do?” - not in my competence. They are increasingly taking on a general social and even political character. I can only say one thing - in such a situation, especially, one cannot be passive.

Even if the result is not achieved immediately, but you know the doctor, you see that he competently explains the reasons for the temporary failure, substantiates the further prognosis - then it’s a different matter, you can trust and wait, although... and in this case it doesn’t hurt to get one or two additional consultations. After all, we do not live in an abandoned village, where there is only one doctor for thousands of kilometers. When a routine blood test gives an ambiguous result, we immediately go to another laboratory to repeat it, not to mention treating a condition that can make a person disabled. How can you rely on one opinion for years (!), and even in the absence of results?!

AND " people's reactions to treatment by psychotherapists“I am very familiar with it, moreover, it concerns me directly. I often remember how a fellow student once sympathized with one of my colleagues: “I became a cardiologist, and when former patients When they meet me on the street, they happily run up to greet and thank me, and your patients, as soon as they see you from afar, cross to the other side of the street so that someone does not accidentally find out about their acquaintance with a psychiatrist.”

One way or another, the professional fate of my colleagues in modern Russia It’s not very simple, but now it’s not about them or me, but about the patients. Why is the situation so dramatic? Because we are still living with the consequences of those incomprehensible social upheavals that took place at the beginning of the 20th century. I mean the so-called myth about punitive psychiatry, which is based on a situation that actually took place during Soviet power and covering almost all aspects of social life. The existence of this myth is not surprising: many people of the “old school” even now will not dare to tell a political joke, remembering the times when even “the walls could hear”, and “black funnels” drove into the yard at night and took someone away forever. then from the residents in an unknown direction. The fight against dissidents and “dissidents” was carried out everywhere, using any means of influence, not without the psychiatric direction in medicine. The modern democratic “Law on psychiatric care”, which protects, first of all, the rights of the mentally ill, did not exist at that time. Now the whole past is nothing more than a myth. In my opinion, there is nothing wrong with the fact that people with unpredictable behavior have restrictions on employment in a number of professions, driving a car and carrying weapons. It is much more dangerous when these restrictions can be circumvented.

Actually available on this moment the shortcomings of modern psychiatry are predominantly one of many social problems Russia is also bad living conditions state psychiatric hospitals, and the lack of specially trained personnel, and the frequent absence necessary medications, and unimaginably low salaries for doctors, which do not allow them to develop professionally, participate in international exchange of experience and follow modern trends in medicine. Especially taking into account the specific “contingent” of patients in psychiatric hospitals, these problems sometimes really become dramatic.

It is necessary to clearly distinguish the real problems of modern Russian psychiatry from mythological constructs and gossip. This will help huge numbers of people in need receive the health care and social support they need, e.g. free treatment, a not-so-small disability benefit, contacts in psychological mutual support groups, etc.

No matter how cheerful a person is, anyone can be overwhelmed by depression. Moreover, this sometimes happens completely unexpectedly and often does not depend on age crises. Depression is a dangerous thing. It drags on, absorbs, deprives all joy of life and, what is most terrible, in some especially difficult cases leads to suicide. The world is beautiful and should only be seen in rich colors. But we will tell you how to achieve this and overcome protracted despondency.

Depression: the way it is

Depression is a modern disease, everyone knows about it, and many have experienced it in practice. Sometimes (and this happens quite often) a temporary loss of strength is mistaken for an illness, or even a false state is invented, because it is now fashionable. But the whole problem is that the true illness is very insidious. Starting in the depths human psyche, it grows with roots into it, destroying not only state of mind, but also physical. Quietly, gradually, depression conquers all possible territories and takes away bright colors, painting the world only in gray tones.

This condition is very dangerous. It deprives a person of the joy of life, drains energy and leads to physical illnesses, which complete the circle. If you don’t pay attention in time, don’t try to help the patient and don’t pull him out of the pool of hopelessness, everything can end badly. If depression strengthens and grows, you may not be able to get out on your own. Then the only hope is in friends, doctors, specialists.

But in general, the salvation of drowning people is subject only to the drowning people themselves. And much more effective person can cope with the problem himself, but only if he notices it in time and does not allow the whirlpool of despondency to drag him along with him. To do this, you need to know the first symptoms of the onset of the disease.

Symptoms of depression

  1. Depression develops gradually. It all can start with periodic panic attacks, anxiety, increased irritability and even tearfulness. At first, such attacks will appear rarely, but over time they will become more frequent and last longer.
  2. Lack of self-confidence and envy of others are also one of the signs. A person begins to reproach himself that he is worthless, does not know how and cannot do anything, while those around him achieve everything they dream of.
  3. Closedness, lack of interest in what fascinated me before. Alarming symptom. If you notice that you increasingly want to be left alone and indulge in sad thoughts, and past hobbies seem meaningless and dull, this is a clear manifestation of approaching depression.
  4. Physical disorders: insomnia, fatigue, lethargy, headaches and muscle pain. Together with bad mood and increasingly frequent states of melancholy, anxiety, and self-flagellation are clear signs of a developing illness.

Most suicides, unfortunately, occur precisely because the person has entered into a state of deep depression and couldn't get out. He was swallowed up by a gray world without joy, light, pleasant moments and love. So, to prevent this from happening, you need to clearly understand what measures exist to combat the disease.

Complete victory, or how to make depression go away

The fight against depression is a complex event, and it is not limited to just one thing. In particularly advanced cases, you have to contact specialists who can prescribe drug treatment(and sometimes stationary). But in most cases you can cope on your own.

  1. Diagnostics. If you notice constant despondency in yourself, bordering on despair, think: why is this? Carefully analyze your life. Maybe separation is to blame? Or do you just chronic stress, or someone seriously offended? As soon as the reason is revealed, the enemy will appear face to face and it will be easier to fight him.
  2. A change of scenery. One of effective ways- completely change the environment, the situation, drop everything and go somewhere else. Perhaps to the village to visit grandfather, in new country, to another city. Changes always have a positive effect on human energy reserves, which is why they are recommended primarily for depression.
  3. Positive emotions. You can't go anywhere without them either. But how to achieve positivity? First, allow yourself some kind of adventure, non-binding, but at the same time new and unusual. There are many options: parachute jumping, flying hot-air balloon or in a wind tunnel, visiting the now fashionable petting zoos. Secondly, new relationships will also stir you up and add vitality. We just warn you right away: this should be a frivolous novel, without any plans or prospects. For example, a resort.
  4. "Sweets." Some foods will help straighten your mood, improve immunity, and, consequently, resistance to disease. First of all, chocolate. It actually contains the so-called “hormone of joy”, so many people get real positivity from consuming cocoa and all its derivatives. Secondly, any citrus fruits, as well as strawberries. It seems that by creating them, nature itself protected us from diseases. Huge content of vitamin C, refreshing taste with sourness, bright color– all this will scare away depression.
  5. Physical activity. If a person moves a lot, he not only gets tired, but also lives fully. It is not for nothing that they say that life lies in movement. Look at little children: they are constantly doing something and very rarely get really upset. They simply have no time to be sad. A physically tired body feels alive and quickly falls asleep, leaving no time for sad thoughts, so one of the best ways fight depression – sport. Dancing, swimming, aerobics, bodybuilding - now the choice is truly great and accessible to everyone.
  6. Hobbies and entertainment. A person must have favorite hobby, otherwise he will start to mope. The modern entertainment industry offers an endless number of hobbies you can try and events you can attend. Don't deny yourself this!

Only positive, positive attitude and own wish being happy will help completely drive away depression. We wish you to deal with this disease once and for all!

Video: Meditation to Relieve Depression and Anxiety