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Tag: depression treatment

  • Can Omega-3s Help Treat Depression?

    Can Omega-3s Help Treat Depression?

    A panel of experts weighed in on whether the supplement provided any benefits for those with major depressive disorder. 

    Anyone with major depression or who is at high risk of developing the condition should take a daily dose of omega-3 fatty acids, commonly found in fish oil, according to new recommendations. 

    The International Society for Nutritional Psychiatry Research made the recommendations and released them on Sept. 3 in the journal Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics. 

    Panel Of Experts Weigh In

    “The expert consensus panel has agreed on using [omega-3s] in [major depressive disorder] treatment for pregnant women, children, and the elderly, and prevention in high-risk populations,” the review authors wrote. 

    The expert panel reviewed research on omega-3s in the treatment of major depression. It concluded that the benefits of omega-3s were well-established. 

    “Several lines of evidence have suggested the efficacy of [omega-3s] as a preventive and treatment strategy in [major depressive disorder], from epidemiological and case-controlled studies to randomized-controlled trials and meta-analyses,” the authors wrote. 

    Despite that, there were no clinical guidelines that dictated the best way to use omega-3s for patients with major depression. The committee set out to create guidelines for doctors. They laid out the dosage that patients should get. 

    “The recommended therapeutic dosages should aim for 1–2 g/day of total EPA from pure EPA or 1–2 g/day EPA from an EPA/DHA (>2:1) combination,” they wrote. 

    Finding The Right Dosage

    The amount of omega-3s can be increased biweekly. That same amount can also be used as a preventive measure for high-risk individuals, the study authors noted. 

    It’s important to emphasize that the authors said that omega-3s should be combined with other treatments, including antidepressant medications and therapy. They are not effective on their own, but could make a big difference when used in conjunction with other therapies. 

    Dr. Kuan-Pin Su has studied the effect of omega-3s on patients with depression and anxiety extensively. He told Medscape that their effectiveness is often “overlooked” and should be “on the radar” of more physicians who are treating people with depression and anxiety. 

    Earlier this year, a study showed that eating a Mediterranean diet can cut the risk of depression by up to one-third. That’s in part because this way of eating includes many healthy fats, like omega-3s. 

    Food is important to overall mental health, said Charles Conway, a researcher at Washington University in St. Louis.

    “Especially the omega three fatty acids,” he added. “Those are known to have pretty clear effects with depression.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Doctors Are Prescribing House Plants To Treat Depression, Anxiety

    Doctors Are Prescribing House Plants To Treat Depression, Anxiety

    A new mental health initiative is taking a nature-focused approach to treating depression and anxiety.

    Doctors in the United Kingdom are recommending prescription greens for people with depression, but not the type you might think.

    While some people with depression turn to marijuana and other cannabis products, doctors in the UK say that garden-variety house plants can help improve mood and mental health. In fact, one clinic, the Cornbrook Medical Practice, has begun giving out prescriptions for plants. 

    “The plants we [are] giving people are mainly herbs—things like lemon balm and catmint, which all have mindful qualities,” Augusta Ward, a medical secretary at the practice, told Metro UK.

    Gardening For Mental Health

    In addition to sending plants home with people, the practice has a program where patients can garden with others.

    “The plant is then a reason to come back to the surgery and get involved in all the other activities in our garden and make new friends,” Ward said. 

    The new initiative to integrate plants into medicine is being done in conjunction with Sow the City, a nonprofit that promotes the health benefits of plants and gardening on an individual and social level. 

    “There’s evidence that people who are socially isolated have worse health outcomes,” Jon Ross, the organization’s director, told Fast Company. “We provide a kind of community project within the [doctor’s office] so that people can get together and do the food growing and the gardening together with other patients.”

    Dr. Philippa James, who practices at Cornbrook, said that the idea of health benefits from plants isn’t new. 

    “There’s a lot of evidence now about how two hours a week in a green space can lift mood—and then that too has physical, mental and emotional benefits. That’s something we need to harness,” she said. She added that she has seen patients benefitting from the program already. 

    Green Spaces For Better Moods

    “I’ve seen how our patients relax in the garden—and how they then get involved in wider events like picking litter, which all adds to pride in our area,” she said. 

    Ross said that Sow the City aims to set people up for success in caring for their plants and keeping them alive. 

    He said, “We try and make it as easy as possible, and we set it up so that the plants are healthy to start with, and we train them on how to look after them.” 

    Dr. Ruth Bromley, chair of the Manchester Health & Care Commissioning, which oversees health initiatives in the city where Cornbrook is located, said that she is happy to see a practice taking an unconventional approach to care. 

    “So much of what keeps people happy and well isn’t medical,” she said. “That’s why ideas like this one are so wonderfully effective, building on what is best about our communities and supporting patients close to where they live.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Trump Says Ketamine Derivative Can Help Veterans With Depression

    Trump Says Ketamine Derivative Can Help Veterans With Depression

    Trump recently told reporters that he has instructed “top officials” at the VA to order esketamine.

    President Donald Trump ordered the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to purchase a large amount of a ketamine derivative as a means of combating rising suicide rates among military veterans.

    While en route to a veterans’ conference in Kentucky, Trump told reporters that he has instructed “top officials” at the VA to order esketamine, a medically viable variation of ketamine in nasal spray form that has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for treatment of depression.

    Trump’s Request

    Trump’s request countered a decision by the VA’s medical board to exclude esketamine from the list of drugs in its hospital system, save for extreme cases without results from any other medication.

    Trump told reporters that esketamine—which is marketed under the brand name Spravato by troubled pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson—has had a “tremendously positive” effect in tests involving patients with depression.

    However, as The Atlantic noted, test results produced a very different result, with just one of three clinical trials showing any benefit. And though approved for use by the FDA, the agency’s support hinged on using the drug with an oral antidepressant, and only in cases of severe depression that have not shown response from other treatments. The FDA even published a report in mid-August 2019—a week before the president’s statement—that viewed esketamine as less reliable than a placebo.

    The VA’s Stance

    The VA did not comment on its decision to exclude esketamine from its drug supply in 2019, but did note that it would be available for “occasional use” in extreme cases of depression. The president’s comments did not appear to change that stance: spokesperson Susan Carter told The Atlantic that it will “closely monitor” esketamine use in veterans and may consider revising its guidelines “if warranted.”

    Ketamine—an anesthesia medication used to assist sedatives and painkillers in cases of surgery or major injuries—is also known as a recreational drug for its hallucinogenic properties. More recently, the drug has been put forward as treatment for a host of mental disorders, including treatment-resistant depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. Though small clinical trials have yielded some positive results, others have shown that ketamine’s effectiveness as a depression treatment is limited.

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • In Italy, Doctors Recommend Sleep Deprivation For Depression Patients

    In Italy, Doctors Recommend Sleep Deprivation For Depression Patients

    The treatment, which requires patients to stay awake for 36 hours, three times per week, is covered by Italy’s national health service. 

    A good night’s sleep is considered critical for mental, physical and emotional well-being, but a group of doctors in Italy is turning that knowledge on its head, by recommending sleep deprivation as a therapy for bipolar patients who are severely depressed. 

    “It’s absolutely counterintuitive,” Dr. Francesco Benedetti, head of psychiatry at San Raffaele Hospital in Milan, told the BBC. 

    In Benedetti’s unit, patients who have treatment-resistant depression turn to sleep deprivation in hopes of improving their mental health. 

    “They very often come to us and say ‘I’m helpless, nothing can be done.’ And that’s the perfect patient to try this most effective, rapid, shocking treatment to push up their mood,” Benedetti said.

    The Treatment

    The treatment, which requires patients to stay awake for 36 hours three times per week, is covered by Italy’s national health service. 

    Benedetti says that while sleep deprivation can contribute to depression for most people, it can alleviate symptoms for people with bipolar disorder. During the course of the treatment, patients are exposed to bright white light for about 30 minutes in the early-morning hours. That’s when most patients report a change in their mood, Benedetti said. After the treatment, patients are given Lithium, a common treatment for bipolar disorder, to keep their mood elevated. 

    Benedetti claims that the treatment works for 70% of patients. 

    “We see our patients being well after the treatment. They’re staying well. They return to their jobs,” he said. “They came in thinking of suicide, to be clear, and they go home ready to start their job again.”

    The BBC followed four patients, who reported a change after the treatment.

    “These nights, I was a little better. But this morning just awake, I felt that sensation of desperation,” said one patient, Georgio, a man in his sixties who has been battling depression for 20 years. 

    Georgio didn’t think the treatment had worked initially. In fact, he booked electroconvulsive therapy after the fact. But before he could try that, he found his depression was alleviated about a month after the treatment, and he believed that sleep deprivation may be why. 

    Another patient, Norma, said that she first went through sleep deprivation therapy four years ago and experienced an instant change to her bipolar symptoms. 

    “When I left here I felt fantastic,” she said. “I could tell straight away that I was better.”

    Since then, Norma has had two depression flareups, and both times sleep deprivation therapy has helped, she says. 

    However, other mental health experts including John Geddes, head of psychiatry at Oxford University, are skeptical of the treatment and say a controlled study must be done. 

    “When people are developing treatments and are enthusiastic about it all sorts of biases come in,” Geddes said. “We just see this all the time, particularly in the area of mental health. There’s so much to gain from a study of a new treatment.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Treating Chronic Depression: Which Form Of Therapy Wanes Over Time?

    Treating Chronic Depression: Which Form Of Therapy Wanes Over Time?

    A new study compared two types of therapy for early-onset chronic depression to see which stood the test of time.

    A new study highlights the complexities of treating persistent depression, by showing that the benefits of some types of therapy lessen with time. 

    The study, published in the journal Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, compared two types of therapy for early-onset chronic depression, which is characterized by depressive episodes that last two years or longer. Researchers compared the benefits of supportive psychotherapy (SP) with the benefits of the cognitive behavioral analysis system of psychotherapy (CBASP), a type of cognitive behavioral therapy that was specifically developed to treat chronic depression. 

    The researchers found that in the first year after a diagnosis and the beginning of treatment, CBASP was more effective than SP at relieving symptoms of depression. However, by two years after the diagnosis, patients treated with SP were doing better than those treated with CBASP. 

    “CBASP lost its superiority over SP at some point between the first and the second year,” study authors wrote. “This suggests the necessity of maintenance treatment for early-onset chronically depressed patients remitted with CBASP during the acute therapy phase, as well as the sequential integration of other treatment strategies, including medication for those who did not reach remission.”

    Treating Chronic Depression

    While all depression is difficult to treat, chronic depression can be especially hard. Many people who have chronic depression find that their condition is resistant to treatment. Because of that, it is especially important to know if a therapy like CBASP is not as effective as doctors initially believed it was. 

    Research indicate that 3-6% of people will deal with chronic depression. That includes Star Trek actor Wil Wheaton, who spoke about his experience with the condition last year. 

    “My life is, by every objective measurement, very very good,” Wheaton said at a conference for the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) last year. “And in spite of all of that, I struggle every day with my self-esteem, my self-worth, and my value not only as an actor and writer, but as a human being. That’s because I live with depression and anxiety, the tag team champions of the World Wrestling with Mental Illness Federation.”

    He said that the time he kept quiet about his chronic condition made things worse.  

    “I suffered because though we in America have done a lot to help mental illness, we have not done nearly enough to make it okay for our fellow travelers on the wonky brain express to reach out and accept that help,” Wheaton said. 

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Doctors Continue To Prescribe Benzos For Depression, Despite Guidelines

    Doctors Continue To Prescribe Benzos For Depression, Despite Guidelines

    A new study explored the prevalence of doctors prescribing benzos as the sole treatment for depression.

    Nearly 1 in 10 patients treated for depression are only given benzodiazepines, like Valium and Xanax, despite clinical guidelines that say benzodiazepines should not be used alone for the treatment of depression. 

    The findings, published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, show a disconnect between established best practices and what is actually happening in the treatment of depression patients. 

    “Depression guidelines discourage benzodiazepine monotherapy and limit use to short-term adjunctive therapy with antidepressants; however, patients with depression continue to receive benzodiazepine monotherapy,” study authors wrote. 

    They continued, “Whereas practice guidelines consider antidepressants and psychotherapy as primary treatment options, they either do not mention or fail to endorse benzodiazepine monotherapy for the treatment of [major depression].”

    Who’s More Likely To Get A Benzo Script?

    The study also identified patterns in which depression patients were solely being treated with benzodiazepines. Older patients (ages 45-64) and those with Medicare were more likely to be prescribed just benzodiazepines than younger patients and those with private insurance, according to Psychiatry Advisor. 

    In addition, having other medical conditions including epilepsy, pulmonary disease and opioid use also increased the likelihood of being given just benzodiazepines, despite the known risks of benzos for people with these conditions. 

    “A number of these variables contradict known concerns about benzodiazepines and their risk of dependence and delirium, especially with concomitant opioids,” Emily Pond wrote for Psychiatry Advisor. 

    The “X” Factor

    The study found that the most common benzos that were prescribed alone to people with major depression were alprazolam (brand name: Xanax) which made up more than 42% of prescriptions; lorazepam (brand name: Ativan), which made up nearly 28% of prescriptions; clonazepam (brand name: Klonopin), which made up 20% of prescriptions; and diazepam (brand name: Valium), which constituted nearly 14% of prescriptions.

    Although benzodiazepines are effective for treating anxiety, they are also potentially dangerous. According to a presentation by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), “most people” will become dependent on benzos in less than 6 weeks, and only 30% of people who have become dependent on benzos will ever fully get off the pills. In part, that’s because withdrawing from benzos can be dangerous. 

    Researchers pointed out that doctors need to be better educated about the risk of treating depression solely with benzodiazepines.

    “Educational or technological interventions to minimize benzodiazepine monotherapy utilization should be implemented to raise the awareness of the impact of this treatment modality on patients with [major depressive disorder],” the study authors wrote. 

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Lamar Odom Discusses How Ketamine Saved His Mental Health

    Lamar Odom Discusses How Ketamine Saved His Mental Health

    The basketball star spoke in an interview about how the notorious club drug helped him.

    Former NBA star Lamar Odom owes his mental health to ketamine, according to his interview on People’s Party with Talib Kweli.

    Odom hit headlines after his close brush with death the night he visited a Nevada brothel and suffered 12 strokes and six heart attacks. Following the incident, the NBA player claimed that the brothel owner, Dennis Hof, was trying to kill him.

    “I think Dennis Hof… I don’t know what he had against me, but I didn’t do drugs that night, to be honest with you,” Odom, 39, said on The View in May. “So I don’t know if he tried to poison me, or… I don’t know what he had against me. He tried to kill me.”

    However Odom did own up to suffering from addiction and mental health issues, which he discussed on Talib Kweli’s show. He spoke on how these issues affected black men as well as how he himself has found help through the power of ketamine.

    “It can help with addiction, any falsehoods you have that’s holding you back in life,” said Odom.

    Many may know ketamine as the party drug called Special K, but the stuff has proven to be a mighty clinical tool in combating depression. Researchers have been able to detect changes in the brain circuitry of depressed mice in just three hours.

    “It’s a remarkable engineering feat, where they were able to visualize changes in neural circuits over time, corresponding with behavioral effects of ketamine,” said Carlos Zarate of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).

    These antidepressant effects are observed at lower doses than in recreational use as well as the doses used for anesthetic purposes, ketamine’s original use. It also seems to be more effective than traditional depression medications.

    “About 70 to 85 percent of patients with severe depression who try ketamine treatment say it’s effective, compared with 58 to 70 percent of ECT (electroconvulsive therapy) patients,” said health journalist Alice Levitt.

    The only downside researchers noted about ketamine is that its antidepressant effects are temporary, lasting just a few weeks or months. However, they noted that with more examination into the actual physical changes that ketamine induced in the brain, we may yet have a more permanent treatment for depression.

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Cost Hampers Depression Treatment, Even For Insured

    Cost Hampers Depression Treatment, Even For Insured

    Of the 9 million commercially insured people with depression, 2 million—or about 22%—are not getting treatment.

    The cost of getting healthcare keeps many people with depression from seeking treatment, even if they are commercially insured, according to a new survey published by the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association. 

    The survey found that 9 million commercially insured Americans have been diagnosed with major depressive disorder (for comparison, the Anxiety and Depression Association of America estimates that more than 16 million Americans have major depression). Of the 9 million commercially insured people, 2 million, or about 22%, are not getting treatment. 

    Cost is likely a barrier to treatment, the survey said. 

    Fifty-six percent of Americans believe that there are not enough options for treating depression, the survey found. 

    “It’s important for patients to be able to find the right balance of treatments that work best for them, whether that’s therapy, prescription antidepressants or a combination,” said Dr. Vincent G. Nelson, vice president of medical affairs at the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association.

    Depression diagnoses have increased among younger people, rising 66% among teens and 47% among millennials. Young people were more likely to think that there are not enough options for treating depression. 

    “As more Americans, especially millennials and adolescents, are diagnosed with major depression each year, it’s increasingly important that there’s continued research and resources allocated towards new ways to treat depression,” Nelson said. “The more options there are, the greater the likelihood is that we can find the right course of treatment for each person suffering from major depression.”

    Another survey released last week found similar increases in depression among millennials. Young people are especially at risk for depression because they are undergoing so many changes, said Ran Zilca, the chief data scientist at Happify Health, which administered that survey.

    “Young adulthood is a transitional time when we’re often just entering the workforce, figuring out who we are and what we want to do with our lives, which can be very challenging and, for some, can cause very negative psychological reactions while not having yet developed the skills to combat those feelings,” Zilca said. “While this analysis doesn’t tell us if the causes are internal or external to their employment, we know from prior Happify research that younger adults tend to be more stressed and worried about job-related matters than older workers.” 

    Acacia Parks, chief scientist at Happify Health, said that having too many options can also put pressure on millennials. 

    “They have access to so much information via the Internet—a universe where the possibilities are endless—which can be both exciting and overwhelming,” Parks said. 

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Ohio May Be First To Approve Medical Marijuana For Depression, Insomnia

    Ohio May Be First To Approve Medical Marijuana For Depression, Insomnia

    The state is set to vote on whether to add depression and insomnia to the medical marijuana program’s qualifying list of conditions.

    A diagnosis of depression or insomnia may qualify Ohioans for the state’s medical marijuana program.

    In June, state officials will vote on whether to add five more ailments to its list of qualifying conditions for medical marijuana—anxiety, autism spectrum disorder, opioid use disorder, depression and insomnia. If they vote to add depression and insomnia to the list, Ohio would be the first state to do so.

    Currently 33 states have established medical marijuana programs, with a different set of qualifying conditions for each state.

    Ohio’s list includes rare conditions, the Cincinnati Enquirer notes, such as sickle cell disease, fibromyalgia and Tourette’s syndrome. Ohio is also currently the only state that allows marijuana for the treatment of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a neurodegenerative disease seen often in football players, boxers and military veterans caused by repeated head trauma.

    Treating opioid use disorder with medical marijuana is already allowed in 4 states—Illinois, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. Anxiety is a qualifying condition in New Jersey and West Virginia. Autism spectrum disorder is a qualifying condition in Colorado, Delaware, Iowa, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, South Carolina and Utah.

    Ohio approved medical marijuana in 2016 with 21 initial qualifying conditions that allow residents to obtain a medical marijuana card with a doctor’s recommendation. This is the first time since then that the State Medical Board has used its power to add to the list of qualifying conditions. The board will hold a final vote on adding the five conditions on June 12.

    The Enquirer found that at least 3.5 million Ohioans suffer from at least one of the 21 qualifying conditions on its current list. If all five conditions are approved by the State Medical Board in June, the number of eligible Ohioans will nearly double.

    The Enquirer’s report emphasized that there is little clinical research on marijuana “since the federal government considers marijuana as dangerous as heroin”—i.e., as long as marijuana remains in Schedule I, a category of drugs defined as having no medical value and a high potential for abuse, it will remain difficult to conduct research on it.

    It seems inevitable that this will change, however. Ten states have decided to legalize marijuana for not only medical use, but recreational use as well. The state of Illinois may join them next. Governor J.B. Pritzker announced plans to legalize marijuana on Saturday (May 4).

    And last week it was reported that Harvard and MIT alumnus Charles R. Broderick donated $9 million to both schools to study cannabis.

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • How to Manage Depression: 6 Simple Reminders

    How to Manage Depression: 6 Simple Reminders

    Treat yourself with gentleness and forgiveness. With every negative thought about yourself, throw in a dose of self-love. Self-compassion can reduce the severity of depression and anxiety.

    Depression is not easy.

    If depression is new to you, or coming back after a long absence, you need to give yourself time and patience to adjust to new ways of being. I’ve had depression most of my life, but I am learning to live differently than I once expected myself to. Even though it may feel strange and uncomfortable, try to be kind to yourself and give yourself space to take things slowly.

    1. Dealing with Fatigue

    I can see it begin to creep up on me. Depression, self-consciousness, low self-esteem, loneliness, tiptoeing towards me. I’m cornered and I don’t see an exit plan. At the moment, I’m still using fancy footwork to confuse and tire out those demons. Behind me, on the other side of the wall, is joy. I want to turn to that entirely, but a wall separates us. It’s exhausting.

    A feeling of deep tiring sorrow is just one possible symptom you may experience with depression. For me, fatigue is a debilitating part of my daily life. It’s constant and powerful. Even when everything else is good on a particular day and my symptoms are minimal and I feel joyful, I will still be tired. My heavy fatigue makes everything more difficult to do.

    Part of practicing self-care is that I don’t fight the fatigue; I accept it and adapt. Instead of trying to force myself to do what my body cannot, I adjust my tasks and expectations of myself to better suit my abilities.

    2. Occupy Your Time

    And now I’m stuck here, me and depression. I can’t look directly at it. But it senses my weakness and fear. My defenses are down. I want to go on the attack and Charlie’s Angels my way out of here. But fear keeps that thought bubbling just below the surface, it remains ideation and not action. I turn every which way, eyes darting here and there. Nothing stays in focus longer than a few seconds.

    To deal with the short attention span, I find it helpful to occupy myself with a variety of distractions. Find things to do that can take up your time, whether that’s sleeping a bit more or watching television or playing a game on your phone. Maybe pick up a book, or work on something with your hands. Music can be very soothing. There are times when I’m experiencing sensory overload and have to stop completely, but usually even then if it has the right tempo and volume and no words, music can help.

    3. Breathe

    Depression is growing bigger, having eaten Alice’s fantasies. It’s the demon in Spirited Away, gluttonous for pain. Now my head hurts and I can’t remember what I did in the past to get out of this corner. I sink to the floor, close my eyes and take several deliberate breaths. In and out, focusing only on that breath. When I open my eyes, I can see a sinister troll cackling behind Depression.

    Depression’s troll tells me that I don’t know who the girl smiling in my photos is. That the joyful image I sometimes portray isn’t me. Depression tells me, “You don’t know where that joy is, what a facade. What a phony getup.”

    When the anxiety that often accompanies depression rushes in, what helps me (even when it helps only a little) is to take a few seconds to just remember how to breathe. In and out, deep and slow. If I can close my eyes for those few seconds, even better; thinking just about the breath. Sometimes it helps a lot, sometimes it provides only those few seconds of relief; either way, it presses pause on everything else and lets my body relax for a moment.

    4. Accept Yourself

    When I get closer, not to examine but because I am no longer running away from it, I can see my depression for what it really is. It looks ridiculous, rubbing its hands together like a cartoon villain. I push myself up off the ground and walk up to Depression. I want to make it cower in terror, but when I stand up it shrinks down and the costume falls to the floor in a heap. I can see the air pump in the back that was blowing it up to such a size. Then I notice the heart of the facade is not a demon or a monster. It’s a sad little girl who looks just like me, maybe she is me. Her armor has been taken away and she is vulnerable. She looks at me with fear.

    I swear one of the most common inspirational phrases in a Pinterest black hole is “Let it go.” When it comes to depression, I don’t know if letting go is as useful of a strategy as acceptance. They’re distinct routes to finding contentment. Moving on from a painful feeling or experience requires the ability to process memories and have healthy emotional control. Letting go implies that you can “get over it” and move forward. Someone who has depression cannot just “let it go.” Depression is a diagnosable medical condition. It affects many more aspects of life than just emotional. Some symptoms can severely impact quality of life.

    Acceptance, on the other hand, is a powerful tool that people with depression can actually use. My negative feelings are recognized and the sad thoughts that come in are not to be trusted as the whole truth, they’re just there because I have this condition. Acceptance takes away some of depression’s power. Resisting depression is exhausting and doesn’t make it disappear. But practicing acceptance changes the lens through which we see our depression, making it more manageable.

    5. Practice Self-Compassion

    Should I destroy her, now that I’ve emerged the victor? No, I won’t do that. She needs love. I don’t embrace her in a hug, not yet, but I do walk up to her and bend down to her height. I want to tell her something, but no words come, so I just give her a small kind smile. We will get to know each other. She will see that everything will be okay, and I will see pain at its correct size, not in its monstrous manifestations.

    Be compassionate with yourself. Without self-compassion we can spiral so quickly and we only prolong our own suffering. Self-compassion is a continual process that can be started over at any moment. It simply means being nice to yourself. Treat yourself with gentleness and forgiveness. With every negative thought about yourself, throw in a dose of self-love (even when you don’t believe it). Dis-identify from your thoughts.

    Self-compassion can reduce the severity of anxiety disorders, depression, and improve success rates of sobriety. Researchers have found that self-compassion lowers how harshly we judge and criticize ourselves. Mindfulness inspired the notion that self-compassion may be an effective therapeutic tool and self-compassion is like a stepping stone for practicing mindfulness. This is critical for people who blame themselves for their own suffering, since a lack of self-compassion perpetuates an unhealthy cycle of self-hate and aversion to treatment (i.e.; why get treatment when you don’t think you deserve it?).

    6. Love Yourself and Your Depression

    This isn’t some emo quote on MySpace, it’s a simple piece of advice that can bring around positive results. Loving your depression doesn’t mean you love feeling this way, but it means you accept your current reality and are willing to feel it. Feel what you feel. Accept what you feel. Love yourself and your feelings. I know firsthand the changes that can come when you stop fighting yourself and start loving yourself, in all your manifestations.

    Please share your tips for dealing with depression in the comments.

    View the original article at thefix.com