How To Deal With Depression: A Practical Step by Step Non-Clinical Approach To Managing And Overcoming Depression

By Alan D Weber

Depression can be a killer.
Anybody can get depressed from time to time. For many of us, the phrase, “I’m depressed,” means we are at a low point in our mood. Unfortunately for some people, being depressed can be a severe disorder, one that can be extremely debilitating for them. It can also be extremely painful for family members close to someone suffering from severe depression, and who don’t know what to do to help.
There are two primary types of depression from which people suffer, clinical and non-clinical. And often, those who experience severe depression are embarrassed, because it comes attached to a stigma. This reaction is why a book such as this can be helpful.
Alan D. Weber’s book, How to Deal with Depression: A Practical Step by Step Non-clinical Approach to Managing and Overcoming Depression provides information essential for understanding depression, as well as practical, nonclinical methods for coping with depression. In this terrific book, the readers will find a real resource covering the following topics:
A Brief Definition of Depression and its Types
Depression Due to Chronic Stress
Depression Due to Negative Thinking Patterns and Emotional Attitude
Depression Due to Hormonal Fluctuations
Depression Due to Grief and Other Difficult Life Events
General Tips for Coping with Depression
The reader, armed with the information contained in this book, will have a greater understanding of this debilitating disease, and become much better prepared to deal effectively with their depression, or the depression of someone they love. Get your copy now!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Publishdrive
• Release date: May 12, 2021

Book preview

How to Deal with Depression

A practical Step by Step

Non-Clinical Approach to Managing and Overcoming Depression

Copyright 2018 Alan D. Weber PhD

Copyright @ 2018 by Alan D. Weber

All Right Reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, or by any information storage and retrieval system without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of very brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and other noncommercial uses as permitted by the copyright law.

Dedication

This book is dedicated to the memory of my Father.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1 A Brief Look at Depression

Chapter 2 Depression Due to Chronic Stress

Chapter 3 Depression Due to Negative Thinking Patterns or Emotional Attitudes

Chapter 4 Depression Due to Hormonal Fluctuations

Chapter 5 Depression Due to Grief and Other Difficult Life Events

Chapter 6 General Tips for Coping with Depression

Conclusion

Introduction

I want to thank you and congratulate you for downloading the book, How to Deal with Depression.

This book contains proven steps and strategies on coping with depression using non-clinical approaches. This book also aims to give you all the information you need to truly understand what depression is, what causes it, what its different types are, and what treatments are available for you.

People suffering from depression tend to feel misunderstood regarding their condition, and for good reasons. Depression is an illness that is usually thought to be something to be embarrassed about, when in fact a large number of individuals suffer from this common problem. And what’s sadder is the fact that people who suffer from depression have not done anything to become depressed, nor do they have the power to turn things around even if they wanted to.

But there is a way or two out of depression, and they are within the pages of this book.

Thanks again for downloading this book, I hope you enjoy it!

Chapter 1

A Brief Look at Depression

OVERVIEW

It is common nowadays to utter the words "I’m depressed" when one is in a particularly low mood. The truth is that being depressed is not simply feeling discontented at one time or another, not when depression is in fact a serious disorder affecting the mood, leaving the sufferer wallowing in sadness and numbness for long periods of time (some take weeks or months, some take even longer).

Individuals who suffer from depression show different symptoms that can be triggered by various causes. Some people may experience a one-off depression episode after something obvious triggers it. Others either suffer from depression that gradually builds from one small life challenge after another or one that just happens out of nowhere.

People suffering from depression describe their condition as something so debilitating that it is impossible to even think about snapping out of their blue mood. The depressed individual can experience symptoms that range from mild to severe, depending on the type of depression he has.

TYPES OF DEPRESSION

Depression can be categorized into two major types: clinical and non-clinical.

Clinical depression refers to depression which results from a disease (neurobiological) of the brain. Different types of depression that fall under the clinical category are not the blues that gets a person down every now and then; any of these types of depression stems from a biological disorder of the brain that leaves a person crippled physically, mentally, and emotionally. Most individuals affected by clinical depression require medical intervention to have their brain function restored, as delay in proper treatment can potentially lead to the destruction of brain cells.

The different types of clinical depression are:

• Major depressive disorder: This type of depression is the most often diagnosed. Its primary symptom is a devastatingly depressed mood lasting over two weeks, affecting the home and family life, work, friendships, relationships, and all other aspects of the sufferer’s life. The individual affected by a major depressive disorder usually finds himself unable or unmotivated to do anything, to the point that he finds the idea of seeking medical help for his condition too challenging.

• Dysthymia: This type of clinical depression exhibits symptoms that are similar to those of major depressive disorder, but which occur over longer periods (some going more than two years). It can be classified as a chronic type of depression, for which finding treatment can prove to be such a challenge, especially when the sufferer has already given all kinds of treatment a shot. A person with dysthymia may also find himself suffering from occasional major depressive disorder episodes.

• Adjustment disorder (with depressed mood): This form of depression is diagnosed to an individual who is under a lot of stress from a life-changing situation, which could either be good or bad. The sufferer undergoes simple treatments for a short period of time, as what he really needs most is support from others to help him ride out a particularly stressful time in his life.

• Seasonal affective disorder: A person with this form of depression suffers from major depressive disorder symptoms, but only during winter. It is believed that seasonal affective disorder is triggered by the winter season’s shorter days, as well as the absence of sunlight in certain places.

Non-clinical depression refers to the condition of a person normally reacting to stress (physical, mental, emotional) and/ or painful life circumstances. Certain medications and some medical conditions can also trigger non-clinical depression. A person suffering from a depressed mood should have a complete medical checkup.

In the case of non-clinical depression, there is nothing abnormal going on with the brain’s functioning. The problem is that the individual affected still suffers the same symptoms as those found in clinical depression patients. And while this type of depression does not involve any brain disorder, failure to address the cause of the depression can eventually lead to the development of chemical imbalances. The good news is that these minor imbalances can be treated with non-clinical approaches.

Under the non-clinical depression category are the following types of depression, all of which are explored in detail in the next chapters:

• Depression due to chronic stress

• Depression due to negative thinking patterns or emotional attitudes

• Depression due to hormonal fluctuations

• Depression due to grief and other difficult life events

TREATMENTS FOR DEPRESSION

Clinical depression requires medical treatment from health professionals, who conduct complete evaluations before making the diagnosis.

• Diagnosis: A physical exam and an interview with the sufferer are included in the diagnostic evaluation, as well as, in some cases, a blood test in order to rule out thyroid problems or other medical conditions as the cause of depression. After the evaluation, in which the specific symptoms of depression are identified, family and medical histories are checked, and environmental and cultural factors are weighed in, a diagnosis is made and an action plan established.

• Medication: Given its possible role in the sufferer’s depression, brain chemistry is considered in planning for the treatment. Non-habit-forming antidepressant medications, none of which are tranquilizers, sedatives, or uppers, may be prescribed to aid in changing the patient’s brain chemistry.

After one to two weeks on antidepressant medical treatment, the sufferer may show improvement in his symptoms, after which the full benefits of the medication may be seen after 2 to 3 months have passed. In case the patient sees no improvement in his condition during this time, his psychiatrist may decide on a dose alteration, an additional antidepressant, or a substitute medication.

This is why the patient undergoing medical treatment