Mental Health Awareness Week
Understand depression
Unless you have had mental health problem yourself, it's hard for people to understand depression. It's something they can't be see. Culturally there is still a stigma in society for those of us who have it.
It's hard to imagine a feeling and how that can have a detrimental effect on someones health. It's even harder when your the person that's just been diagnosed with the illness. I eventually found a way that I could understand it.
The brain
1. The brain is an organ
The brain is just another organ that makes up part of the body. The part of the brain dealing with emotions is called the hypothalamus. Depression is an illness that affects this part of the brain.
2. The brain is a computer
The Brain is the most powerful Computer on the planet. It regulates and controls our entire body. Even the most powerful computers in the world have operating problems.
- Controls the function of the body.
- Long term and short term memory
- Emotions and ability to read other people's emotions
- Taste, smell, hear and see
- Move and perform complex physical tasks
- Thought processes, and imagination.
Scientists are still working on artificial intelligence, we have supercomputer to calculate nearly impossible calculations and robots in factory's helping production. We have to remember though that it was a human that created the first computer. Humans are using there imagination to push ideas and concepts further.
Our genetic code, gives us pre-programmed information as soon as we are born. We can also inherit illnesses through our genetic code. Just as we can inherit eye and hair colour.
Anxiety is linked to our flight or fight response, that we have inherited from our ancestors. For me anxiety is like having my flight or fight permanently switched on. Anxiety management helps us control and if possible find a way to switch it off.
4.Chemical imbalance
The body is filled with chemicals like hormones, enzymes and neurotransmitters.The current theory is that mental health problems can also be caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain.
eg, New mothers due to hormonal problems can sometimes experience postnatal depression.
Anti-depressant medication can help adjust the chemical imbalance and make coping with your mental health problem easier.
5. Triggers
There are life events that can act as triggers, that have the potential to cause problems with depression and anxiety.
There are life events that can act as triggers, that have the potential to cause problems with depression and anxiety.
- Physical and mental traumatic events
- Coping with your own or a family member's illness
- Loss of employment
- Stress
- Breakup of a relationship
- Bereavement
- Loneliness
Visualise
For me visualising the brain as a computer and being aware of the above biological factors, helped me understand the reasons I have mental health problems. Knowing the complexity of the brain it's not hard to see how problems like depression can occur.
Therapy's like mindfulness and counselling help me reprogramme my brain. I have to work at managing my symptoms, it's not something I do by instinct. It takes a lot of mental energy to control my problems, which is why fatigue is another symptom of depression and anxiety.
Depression is an illness like any other. The best thing you can do for someone with depression is to both talk and listen to them. Simply be there for them, just knowing my mum is on the end of the phone if I need her helps me greatly.
1 in 4 people will experience problems in the lifetime. Mental health problems are the biggest killer of men under 45 in the UK.
lets break the stigma
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