Get rid of your depression

What is the difference between normal low mood and depression? In depression, symptoms are so severe that they cause difficulties in functioning normally in everyday life. Sadness and a loss of the ability to feel joy are common symptoms.

Feeling empty and indifferent

Having depression can make life feel empty and meaningless. Nothing seems interesting anymore and you often feel depressed and indifferent. Disturbed sleep, changes in appetite and lack of energy are other common symptoms. Depressed people often fall into negative thoughts and ruminations. When self-confidence is low and you no longer function normally, it is easy to start withdrawing socially and isolating yourself. You may no longer be able to care about others or yourself. It is also common to feel that thinking and speaking are much slower. It can be difficult to focus and it is easy to lose the thread.

Depression can cause negative thoughts

People with depression may have negative thoughts about themselves, their surroundings and the future. These thoughts often cause the person to stop being active and thus not get in touch with their positive reinforcements. The positive things in life, which studies show make people happy, such as relationships, work/studies, exercise, hobbies and so on, leave the person with a deficit of activity and an excess of negative thoughts and feelings. Sometimes depression can start with the loss of an important piece of life, such as a separation from an important relationship. Then that loss can spill over into other areas of life, causing the person to lose piece after piece. Studies have shown that behavioral activation is effective in depression. The person learns that there is a strong link between what you do with your days and how you feel.

Activities can reduce feelings of depression

A person who has many pleasurable activities, where he or she can feel competent in his or her weekly schedule, also tends to have fewer symptoms of depression. Depression can occur for reasons other than losing an important piece of cake in life. For example, there are seasonal depressions. Basically, it's a combination of heredity and environment, with some people having an increased vulnerability to depression.

Psychological help for depression

Sveapsychologists' psychologists and psychotherapists are experts in working with people experiencing depression. Book a free consultation and we'll find out more about your challenges and guide you to the right help.

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Depression and antidepressants

In some cases, the person may need antidepressant medication in combination with psychological treatment/psychotherapy. This is usually recommended when the person does not have mild and moderate depression, but rather moderate or severe depression. As a rule, a clinical assessment is made after a thorough examination and using self-report questionnaires. Sometimes depression can be secondary and caused by, for example, alcohol problems or social anxiety. In these cases, the problems are sometimes worked on in parallel, depending on which problem is causing the most harm at the time. This is assessed based on a so-called problem hierarchy.

Existential therapy for depression

Some people benefit from an existential or psychodynamic form of therapy, which focuses more on goals and the meaning of life. Many people live on autopilot and have not asked themselves where they want to go and who they want to be. Without asking these questions, it is difficult to get the life you want. Maybe the person is working at something they don't enjoy, or is in a relationship that doesn't feel right. Habitual behaviors have emerged. Maybe the person deep down wants to make a change, but does not dare to go outside their comfort zone. It can be good to work with these issues and see what obstacles there are to achieving certain changes. Perhaps they live a demanding life with no breathing space, where too little focus is on what the person wants to do.

Getting rid of depression

For a person who is well, the behaviors come from the inside out. There is a desire to do things. Someone who is depressed may think that the behaviors come from the outside in. Then it is beneficial to do things that usually make the person feel good, until he or she has gotten out of the depression. Behaviors act as a natural form of antidepressant medicine, as they lead to changes in the brain - just like antidepressant medicine.

For a depressed person who wants to get rid of their depression, it is good to think that you should try to chase your 'pluses' in life on a daily basis. Despite the fact that sometimes negative thoughts and feelings arise, which want to make you continue with your destructive, habitual patterns of behavior. For example, by isolating yourself, not exercising, not doing hobbies, eating unhealthily, etc.

Measures to get rid of depression

• Spending time with family and friends

• Work out, exercise and move around

• Eat healthy and in moderation

• Sleep properly

• Engage in hobbies you love