When you try it on your skin it seems like a dead end road: yet they exist small signs of recovery from depression which show that healing is a difficult but possible path.
Although subtle, why silent and invisible to the eyes of othersdepression, or the “dark evil “ as it is commonly defined, it is indeed a real disease and as such it can be treated and addressed. First rule: recognize the symptoms.
“Feeling depressed is like wearing dark glasses all the time: everything starts to look grayer – specifies the Silvia Brioschi, psychiatrist of Humanitas Psico Medical Care – becomes more difficult even to face simple actions of daily life, such as getting out of bed, washing or shopping. Such simple actions become more and more tiring until they become impossible. As depression makes itself felt then other symptoms begin to appear ».
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It is above all to pay the price the mood but not only that, because depression is a disease he has important repercussions also on the plane physicist and on that of cognitive abilities.
«We can say that the main symptoms are attributable to three spheres – explains the psychiatrist – Let’s talk about somatic symptoms, how reduced energy, muscle aches but also changes in appetite and sleep to which they add up cognitive symptoms such as excessive worry, difficulty concentrating and even decision-making difficulties: when you suffer from depression it can also become difficult to decide how to dress, for example. The main nucleus of the symptoms then concerns the emotional sphere with repercussions on mood and all that they entail “.
The drop in mood is in fact considered the most characteristic symptom of depression, an important signal that should not be confused or confused, however, as often happens, with sadness. Being depressed is in fact very different from feeling sadness, albeit profound.
«Depression is a disease, it is a pathological alteration of mood – the psychiatrist explains – Sadness is a physiological emotion, a state of mind that we have all experienced. The main difference is that sadness often has an object and a reasonon the other hand, depression has no object: in most cases knocks on the door regardless of an external life event. Not only that, while sadness is usually occasional and intermittent, depression as a disease is permanent, persistent and pervasive: the mood is depressed all day, it is not a reactive condition “.
For this reason it often turns out It is also difficult to be close to those suffering from depression. A mistake that we tend to make is to try to encourage, to urge the depressed person to react, to face the disease, without achieving anything or even making things worse.
«Depression is a disease that affects the will – explains Dr. Brioschi – for this reason encouraging and inciting a depressed person, even with the best of intentions, is uselessif not to make her feel worse and even more guilty ».
So what is important to do to recover from depression? «As we said it is important recognize it, identify the signs and the alarm bells – suggests the psychiatrist – and then ask for help, first to the general practitioner and then to a psychiatrist specialist. In fact, in most cases one is used pharmacological therapy, which must be prescribed by a specialist, to whom you can support a psychotherapy course“.
Finally, once the pathology has been addressed and the treatment process has begun, what are the small signs of recovery from depression? Which encouraging elements can they make you think you are healing?
In the gallery below, with the help of Dr. Brioschi, we have identified 6.
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1/6Energy gradually returns
“There recovery from depression is not rapid – emphasizes the psychiatrist – a lot also depends on response times to therapy pharmacological which takes at least three weeks to take effect. The first signs can only be seen after the third week and mainly concern somatic manifestations. When you suffer from depression, you experience one reduced energy, a sense of fatigue but also pains muscular widespread. When you start to get better, gradually these symptoms begin to disappear“.
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2/6The sleep-wake rhythm and appetite are regularized
Depression also significantly affects vital functions, such as sleep. Difficulty falling asleep and repeated awakenings especially in the early morning, they can be frequent. Also the power supply is affected by: lack of appetiteweight loss or, conversely, excessive consumption of food are common symptoms. For this reason, the fact that the sleep-wake cycle and the appetite return to being regular can be an encouraging sign of recovery.
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3/6The mood fluctuates but begins to improve
“During the recovery from depression the mood begins to improve but we are witnessing a swing – specifies the psychiatrist – There is no on-off improvement. We can say that, day after day, the positive moments of the day begin to increase more and more. A sort of window of positivity is created within the day: generally the patient, arriving in the evening, from late afternoon onwards, begins to feel better. This window gets longer and longer until you get to feel good from the morning. What is important to point out, however, is that one should not expect days that are always linear because there can be fluctuations. It may happen that in the evening you start to feel better but the next morning you feel bad again. This does not mean having gone back: it is part of those physiological mood swings in the moment of recovery ».
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4/6Concerns diminish
There are also symptoms of depression cognitive manifestations like the difficulty of concentration but not only. Often in the acute phase it happens experience excessive concern over even minor issues, which would normally not be given weight. There is also a positive sign of recovery progressive decrease of these anxious symptoms.
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5/6We return to take pleasure in the little things
Among the most characteristic symptoms of depression are those related to emotional sphere. “The mood is deflated, there is anguish, a sense of guilt, regrets, a feeling of lack of hope – explains the psychiatrist – but also loss of pleasure in doing the little things that previously gave pleasure, how to practice a sport or a hobby. When you start to get better, yes gradually begins to feel pleasure in those activities again.
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6/6Sexual desire returns
“As for the sexual sphere, finally we know that depression affects libido, reducing it – explains Dr. Brioschi – Nella recovery phase, sexual desire returns even if you need to know that some antidepressantsnot for all and not in the same way, they can determine some dysfunctions of the sexual sphereSuch as anorgasmia“.
Source: Vanity Fair
