Diagnosed With Depression – What Happens Afterwards?

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more and more people are being diagnosed with depression every day. Thus, it is not surprising that you know at least one person who has to deal with this condition. When a person begins to feel depressed, it is not only their depressive symptoms that are relevant, but also the worry they feel after learning that the sadness they feel has a name.

Furthermore, people with or without an official diagnosis who begin to experience symptoms of depression are often afraid of their behavior, their cognition and their reactions. In today’s article, we will give you some tips that will help you fight your depression.

Diagnosed with depression

Depression is neither a disease nor incurable

The most important thing to keep in mind when dealing with a depressive disorder is to know that you want to get over it. Thus, your discipline must be greater than just taking one pill after another and hoping that the depression goes away on its own.

In some cases, psychotropic drugs can be very helpful along with psychological therapy. However, therapy is key here. It will be the most powerful tool you have to start feeling better and get away from despair, sadness and apathy. Therapy works because it is a kind of message that brings hope to those affected by depression.

There are many suggested alternatives that have scientific validity after being tested and experimented with. Because of this, researchers postulate them as effective in treating depression:

• The behavioral activation suggested by acceptance and commitment therapy .

• Albert Ellis’ Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) of cognitive-behavioral tools.

Thus, even if you feel that you are not capable of it, it is important to know that you can get out of the vicious circle of depression. This is mainly because you do not have to deal with it all yourself, because your therapist knows what needs to be done  and wants to be on your team.

Light does not appear from nowhere

One of the most notable symptoms of depression is the abandonment of self-motivated activities. The ones you used to like before, but you put them aside without replacing them with anything else. It is precisely in this way that a person with depression gradually loses all their sources of positive emotions.

The lack of motivation and desire is important: they stun any initiative on your part and put your willpower to the test. A person with depression feels weak, and therefore tries to save as much energy and strength as possible. However, this is just the mindset most of us grew up with, and the truth is that we can all create our own desires. In fact, they do not appear from nowhere. Just because something has not been done does not mean that you can not or should not do it.

An example might be that a person no longer feels the pleasure of walking their dog every morning. Thus, it is important that they know that they should continue with their many activities even if they do not feel like it. This is exactly how they will get their “joy” back. There is no doubt that they will feel better after that walk, and this state of mind will extend into their next activity. It will be easier as they continue this way.

Do not believe everything you think

People with depression may notice how their thinking changes. Thoughts become stiffer, sadder or simply hopeless. There is no doubt that we humans can be mean and hurtful to ourselves.

Without treatment – such as cognitive restructuring – it is difficult to identify these thoughts. The most difficult thing, however, is to tear them down and cross them out. Thus, this would be something to achieve through therapy, which is highly recommended right from the start. As you can see, no one expects a person with depression to know how to get out of it on their own. In fact, they do not have to.

While getting there, it is important to keep bad thoughts at bay. You must not believe everything you think, even if you believe it to be true. Thoughts like “no one cares”, “I am worthless”, and “I am not able to continue” are quite irrational and will only undermine your self-worth.

It is understandable that it is difficult to avoid these thoughts at times. Precisely because of this, it is essential that you develop some strategies and use them when you need help ignoring these thoughts. In this sense, the best distracting strategies are those that involve an activity.

To help without knowing how to help

One of the most important factors when it comes to treating depression is that you have a wide and valuable social network that you can rely on for support. The only bad thing, however, is that depression is often what strains the bonds you have with other people. Therefore, it is unfortunate that the more depressed someone is, the fewer friends they have.

In general, people who think well want to help. They really try for a while, but then they give up as they do not see positive results. At this point, they no longer contact the depressed person. People withdraw mainly because they feel too helpless and incompetent to help someone.

This is why it is so important that you stay close if you are a part of a depressed person’s life. If you want to help them, keep in mind that your intervention, as well as your evaluation, must be directed to a therapist.

Diagnosed with depression: Psychological therapy as the first and most important option

Even if you have been diagnosed with depression, in some cases there will be a lack of desire or that you “do not believe in psychology”, and perhaps this is due to laziness or fear. Either way, know that depression is a general and persistent mood that anyone can get out of.

Although it retreats at times, many remain in a state of depression for many years. For some, it lasts forever. However, this does not mean that it is not possible to get out of a depression. Perhaps they have simply never confronted it through targeted, customized and specialized intervention.

You can not expect to cure cancer by not going to the doctor. You know you have to go to the dermatologist when the mysterious mole continues to grow. What you do, however, is waste valuable time, and this will come back to “bite you in the ass”. The same is true with psychological disorders.

Thus, even though you may think that you can do without therapy, it will not be worth it or help you to be completely healed. It is always better to prevent it at the right time than to cure it when it is too late.

If your personal resources allow it, therapy will be the first step in overcoming your depression. You can begin the healing process with the help of trained people who know how to deal with these issues. It’s simply about directing the strategies you are still going to take. Have you been diagnosed with depression? Do not worry! You can regain full control of yourself and your well-being.