Archive for the ‘Depression’ Category

Depression tends to recur and millions of people have discovered. And the greater number of episodes you have had, the greater your risk for another episode.

Until relatively recently, the only preventative measure was the use of medication as a prophylactic (in other words staying on medication in order to attempt to prevent further episodes).

An approach has now been developed which appears to be giving good results in preventing depression by developing and using various skills. It is known as Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT). It was developed by Segal, Williams and Teasdale. Training is normally done in groups. Participants are taught various skills using mindfulness meditation. Participants learn to be more fully aware and present in life and facing what is there, even when it is unpleasant. Being aware of unpleasant feelings, thoughts and experiences as they arise, helps you to counter them before they become more intense or progress to more persistent depressions.

The training demands considerable commitment. You will have to be prepared to attend eight weekly meetings of two hours. You also have to commit to an hour’s practice six out of seven days. This sounds reasonable, but it is really difficult to fit into a busy schedule.

This effect of this programme has been researched and it is giving good results. In a randomised clinical trial it was found that people who had had three or more episodes of depression had a relapse rate of 66% over a period of 60 weeks when given treatment as usual. Participants who were referred for MBCT had a relapse rate of 37%. In other words, relapse rates were almost halved.

If you are interested in MBCT groups, please contact us and we will send you the preliminary information.

Major depression is a serious illness which affects your entire life. It is characterised by a number of invasive symptoms:

When depressed, your mood may be depressed or irritable. You may find that you have lost interest in important activities. Your sleep may be disturbed and you may find changes in your appetite. Your ability to concentrate may be impaired and you may find it hard to make decisions. You could find that your sense of self-worth has been eroded and you may find it hard to settle down to do something. You may have little energy and find that you are taking longer to do things, even think. When very severe, you may find getting up hard to do and even taking care of your own hygiene may feel too much for you. You may think of death a lot and contemplate suicide. You may have plans for committing suicide.

Depression often runs in families. You may be predisposed to it and when experiencing a lot of environmental demands find that you start to present with symptoms.

Treatment
Depression is largely treatable and it is worth your while to seek help. Untreated, it can continue for a very long time. When you tell your doctor that you feel like this, he or she will check that you do not have any other illness. There are a number of other conditions which can present with very similar symptoms. He or she may prescribe an anti-depressant. It is a good idea to also see a psychologist as there are treatment approaches, mainly cognitive-behavioural therapy and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy which give good results in treating depression and preventing future episodes.