Depression - What You Need to Know About the Illness: What You Need to Know About the Illness

By B. S. Ruoss

In this book, “Depression – What You Need to Know About The Illness,” the author provides a brief, easy-to-absorb self-help informational guide to learning about and living with depression.

The author discusses treatment options for depression, techniques to combat depression, suggestions for foods and vitamins to boost health to keep depression at bay, mindfulness meditation exercises to help with depression, myths and facts about depression, how prayer helps and much more.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jul 12, 2022
• ISBN: 9781669837114

B. S. Ruoss

The author suffered with schizophrenia most of her adult life. Since her recovery she has devoted a great deal of her time to mental illness. She is an author and an advocate for mental health awareness. In this book, “The Subject of Schizophrenia,” Everything You Want to Know About the Illness, is written in plain, easy to understand language, to give one a better understanding of schizophrenia. The book cover topics such as: . Treatments for Schizophrenia . Schizophrenia and Substance Abuse . Managing the Illness . Healthy Living and much more.

Book preview

Copyright © 2022 by B. S. Ruoss.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Scripture quotations marked KJV are from the Holy Bible, King James Version (Authorized Version). First published in 1611. Quoted from the KJV Classic Reference Bible, Copyright © 1983 by The Zondervan Corporation.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Rev. date: 07/11/2022

Xlibris

844-714-8691

www.Xlibris.com

844224

CONTENTS

Preface

Part IMy Story

Part IIDepression

What Is Depression

Depression Types, Symptoms And Treatments

Sleep And Depression

Causes Of Depression

Part IIIThe 2020 Pandemic And Depression

How The Pandemic Brings On Depression

The New Normal

Part IVTreatments For Depression

Medications

Psychotherapy

Support Groups

Psychoeducation

Electroconvulsive (Ect)

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (Tms)

Vagus Nerve Stimulation (Vns)

Alternative Medicine

Part VEating Healthy Can Help

Part VIHealth Care Providers

Part VIIYour Doctor/Therapist And You

Part VIIIManaging The Illness

Helping Yourself

Helping A Relative Or Friend Who Is Depressed

Part IXDepression And Suicide

Part XPrayer Power

Part XIMindfulness Meditation

Part XIIDepression Myths And Facts

Part XIIIFamous People And Celebrities With Depression

Part XIVVideo Games And Free Apps Specifically Geared Toward Mental Health

Part XVUseful Websites, Support And Resources For Learning About And Living With Depression

Dedicated To

And in loving memory of my dearly beloved Michael (1953-2020). You are responsible for this book. Your support, friendship, prayers and your insistence encouraged me to write this book. I hope that it is everything you would have expected and more. You are forever in my heart and always my inspiration.

PREFACE

This book was written with one thought in mind …. you. Thinking of and doing for others should be foremost in our lives. I am a person who has struggled with depression; therefore, I am writing this book to help you, and to let you know that you can be helped with the illness regardless of what you think.

I realize what you are going through. I was diagnosed with schizophrenia many years, before doctors recognized and diagnosed me with chronic depression. Before being diagnosed, I thought how I felt was normal, so I didn’t know how to talk to my doctor about my depression. It wasn’t recognized until much later in my illness. I have been in and out of several different psychiatric hospitals treated for schizophrenia but never for depression. In 2010 I was diagnosed with chronic depression. During this last hospitalization, and after being prescribed a combination of medications and therapy, which helped me tremendously, I can now say that I am not depressed and have been free of depression for years.

This book is meant to be for informational and educational purposes only. It is not meant to be a substitute for professional advice. You should never disregard medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something that you may have read in this book. This book seeks to provide helpful information for those who are struggling with depression, and those who are interested in learning about depression.

All information in this book is based on what I have learned about the illness through studies, research, therapy and what I have experienced as a person with depression. I have used many of the techniques discussed in this book which have helped me greatly. My prayer is that God may make this book a blessing to you and many others who struggles with depression.

PART I

MY STORY

I am a person who suffer with schizophrenia and chronic depression. Presently, my condition is in remission, and has been since 2010.

I first experienced symptoms of schizophrenia and depression in 1976 when I was 28. I was employed with a Fortune 500 Company. I had just been promoted from my administrative assistant job to a marketing job in a different state. I had to move my entire household from New York to Michigan in one month’s time frame. This was difficult and stressful for me to do. After all, I was starting a new job and settling in a new state. I had brought my two Samoyed dogs with me to Michigan. In New York a dog living in an apartment was common, but not in Michigan. I had difficulty finding us a place to stay.

I was always training and traveling for this new job, in addition to having to oversee a territory spread out around the city and nearby towns. I had to learn the area. Everything seemed like it was falling apart. I started to show stress in my face. My manager had me take a few days off from work. He noticed a difference in me also. When I returned to work the pressure of the job wasn’t any less. All I did was work and train. I had no social life and didn’t know people I could call friends or be close to. After a work day, I walked my dogs, prepared dinner for myself; went to bed waking up the next morning with the same routine of walking the dogs and being to work by 8:00 a.m. I had no other outlets.

I begin hearing voices and became very paranoid. I was experiencing symptoms of hallucinations and I was delusional. I didn’t realize the extent of my problem. Therefore, I didn’t see a psychiatrist until nearly two years later. I was surprised when he diagnosed me paranoid schizophrenia. I had never heard of the word schizophrenia before. I was also depressed at the time, but it wasn’t recognized and diagnosed until much later in my life

My psychiatrist prescribed Valium, and I was admitted to the hospital for two weeks. He tried other antipsychotic medications during the seven years I saw him but they didn’t work. I stopped taking the medications because of the side-effects and because they didn’t work. I was still hearing voices, paranoid and delusional.

Since that time, I have been hospitalized a number of times and prescribed many different kinds of psychotropic medications by different doctors for schizophrenia with the same results……side effects and none worked. I stopped taking the meds. It got to the point where I wasn’t able to hold my job. I lost land and property, had three evictions, was homeless three times, was incarcerated once and lost my left eye in a severe psychotic episode involving a police officer and a gun.

I had always isolated myself from others. I didn’t want to be bothered with anyone, so, I didn’t answer the phone when it rang and I didn’t open my door to visitors. I just wanted to be alone.

It wasn’t until a 2010 hospitalization doctors were finally able to help me. I really didn’t know how to express my feelings about being depressed until now, because I thought they were normal. During this particular hospitalization, I was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and chronic depression. My depression evolved mainly from stress. The stress of having to move to a different state, losing my job, financial problems, the loss