2 ways to help someone with depression
Depression is one of the leading causes of disability in the world with around 5 percent of the population suffering from it. Yet, it's also one of the most widely misunderstood and least diagnosed.
If you know someone that you think is suffering from depression, here are two ways to help out:
1. Diagnosis it correctly
For a health professional, it's not particularly difficult to diagnosis depression. But for non-professionals, including victims, it can be challenging. In general, people commonly feel sad, angry, irritable and restless. But for people suffering from depression, these feelings are amplified. They are extreme. And they will affect sufferers until they eventually shut down and lose interest in their job, family and favorite activities. Around 80 percent of people who have symptoms of clinical depression do not receive proper treatment.
2. Don't judge or criticize
There are many reasons depression goes undiagnosed. One reason is because sufferers are afraid to be judged or criticized by family or friends. They may feel others will view their condition as a weakness even though around 300 million people worldwide suffer from the disability.
To help someone with depression, avoid saying things that might imply the victim has a choice in how they feel. Often, he or she doesn't. Many victims suffer from depression because of improperly balanced brain chemistry, hormones and genetics. Other risk factors include low self-esteem because of how they are being treated in school or at work, borderline personality disorder or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
If your loved one is suffering from depression, don't hesitate to call Fairwinds Treatment Center. Founded 25 years ago by Dr. M.K. (Khal) El-Yousef, our staff of full-time psychiatrist, nursing professionals and licensed therapists uses the Dual Diagnosis method to treat patients with depression.
Dual Diagnosis combines clinical treatment and therapeutic counseling to identify the underlying reasons for depression and resolve the psychological triggers to prevent relapse.
