How to Recognize Depression and Offer Support

Key takeaways

• Discuss Depression and Offer Support

• Don’t Call It What It Is – Men and Depression

• Help a Friend with Depression

• Recognizing Signs of Teen Depression & How to Cope as a Parent

• Are you SAD?

• Chasing Happiness

How to Discuss Depression and Offer Support

October 10 is World Mental Health Day , a time to call attention to mental health education and advocate for transparency. In honor of this day, MHCS wants to share helpful information on what it means to live with depression and how it can affect a close friend or loved one. Our hope is that doing so will help others better understand how to discuss depression and offer support to family or friends. With encouragement and support, those living with depression can begin their journey toward recovery.

Depression is a common mental health condition that affects approximately 280 million people worldwide. Someone living with depression may feel helpless, irritable, angry, hopeless, self-loathing, chronically tired, or fatigued. And they may feel all of that at once. It’s also common for a person living with depression to develop an anxiety disorder or vice versa.

Don’t Call It What It Is – Men and Depression

I received my first tutorial about men and depression when I was living in the Pittsburgh area and working as a therapist. This was early 1990’s. I had a male client who had presented for “stress” and problems with colleagues and family members. He was mid 40’s and working in the banking industry. I don’t remember which session it was but I can still hear the bellowed response when I suggested to him that he might be depressed.

I didn’t challenge him but suggested to him that he consult his primary care doctor for something to help “relieve” his stress. A week later he proudly comes back and tells me that he has been given something for stress. What was it? An antidepressant. I started to observe the ways men talked about their moods, feelings and mental health.

How to Help a Friend with Depression

In honor of World Mental Health Day, we wanted to share some helpful information on what living with depression means and what it might feel like for a close friend or loved one. Our hope is that this post will help others understand more about this serious condition and how they can find encouraging ways to support their friend’s journey to recovery.

What Is Depression? Depression is a common mental health condition that affects millions of people each year. An individual living with depression may feel helpless, irritable, angry, hopeless, self-loathing, chronically tired, or fatigued. It’s also common for a person living with depression to develop an anxiety disorder or vise versa ( Anxiety and Depression Association of America ).

Recognizing Signs of Teen Depression & How to Cope as a Parent

With most high school students already settling into their new back-to-school routines, it’s not unusual for your child to still feel anxious about the year ahead: different classes, new teachers, and more complex subject matter to master.

Unfortunately, most teens are dealing with an added layer of stress this semester: hybrid and/or at-home learning. And though your kids may have had a small taste of this experience last spring, it’s fair to say that in the back of their minds, they thought: this can’t last forever…can it?

Are you SAD?

Been thinking about warmer climates lately? Planning a trip to the beach for spring break? You’re not alone. Minnesota is known for its harsh winters and this one has been especially hard. One of the reasons for your desire to head south may have to do with the body’s natural yearning for daylight to brighten your mood.

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), sometimes referred to as the “winter blues,” is a type of depression that occurs at the same time every year and usually resolves with the next change of season. SAD is seen more often in northern latitudes and occurs more frequently in women than in men. The exact cause of SAD is not known, but it has been linked to genetics, age, and your body’s natural chemical makeup.

Chasing Happiness

I originally planned on writing a lofty blog piece using quotes by Aristotle, Thomas Jefferson, and Abraham Lincoln (though I still might use some.) After all, isn’t happiness a serious topic? I could cite the World Happiness Report included in the November 2017 issue of National Geographic. I have included it in the references in case you want to wade through it. Oprah has probably written on happiness, and it would be easier to read than the World Happiness Report.

I stumbled on some books that take the seriousness out of the pursuit of happiness, (borrowing from The Declaration of Independence.) The Subtle Art OF Not Giving A Fu*ck , by Mark Manson was shown to me by one of my clients. I like this client (not because of some mutually salty language), and I liked the premise of the book. We are encouraged to embrace our limitations, accept our imperfections, and grow from solving problems. This book is sprinkled liberally with the F-bomb, but there is a point. Doesn’t a good swear word now and then make us happy?

When to reach out

If symptoms are affecting relationships, work, school, sleep, or daily routines, professional support can help you sort through what is happening and choose a realistic next step.

MHCS provides therapy and mental health support for individuals, couples, families, teens, and adults.