Is there anyway to fight depression?!
Question: My mom had been depressed for a long time. Medications seemed to not work at all. What do you insisted to help her fight this depression problem?
Answers: My mom had been depressed for a long time. Medications seemed to not work at all. What do you insisted to help her fight this depression problem?
Lifestyle changes can be very effective for depression, and there may be medical causes.
Sleep. Go to bed at a regular time, and wake up at a regular time. No naps. Sleep a sufficient amount of time, like around 8 or 9 hours, but not excessively, like 11 or 12.
Nutrition. Eat healthy meals at regular intervals. Include fruits and vegetables. Avoid sugar. Avoid heavy meals that make you sleepy. Avoid alcohol (a depressant), caffeine, diet pills and recreational drugs. Take a multi-vitamin.
Light. Regulate your light exposure. Get lots of light mid-morning. Turn down lights in evening, and try turning lights OFF an hour before bedtime. Watch TV in the dark, for example. Get 20 minutes of sun exposure every day. You need it for vitamin D production, and it helps avoid seasonal affective disorder, a type of depression.
Exercise. A 20 minute walk outdoors each day will help with both exercise and sunlight requirements. Exercise elevates mood and relieves stress.
Medical. Get a general physical. There may be something more going on like a thyroid problem. Get a test of hormone levels. Hormonal therapy may help.
Don't let her condition stress you out. You need to stay healthy physically and emotionally, in order to be supportive for her.
Good luck. I hope she starts feeling better.
get her a dog. seriously. there has been proven studies that show having an animal like a dog or a cat can help battle depression. petting the animal actually lowers bloodpressure for some people.
getting her an animal will help to get her out of the house more, because the dog needs walked. and it will give her someone that depends on her again. like when she had small children.
Sunlight, exercise, and the above-mentioned animals have all been shown to have positive effects on depression. If she can get outside and do things, eat healthy, and get some exercise, that may do some good.
Depression is a mental illness, however, and that can't be trivialized. Just because medications haven't worked yet doesn't mean they won't. Is there any way for her to get talk therapy along with medication? The combination has been shown to be much more effective than either one alone.
In the meantime, try to keep yourself happy and healthy. As sad as it can be to have a close relative who's hurting, you need to live your own life, not your mother's. Do what you can for her, but remember that you can't live her life for her and it's important for you to be happy. Try to keep in mind that it's not your fault that she's depressed, and it's not her fault either; it's just chemicals in her brain.
Besides medication, there are "self helP' things your mother could do. You should advise her to not set difficult goals for or take on additional responsibility. Break large tasks into small ones, set some priorities, and do what she can... don't rush things. Don't expect too much from herself too soon... that will only increase her feelings of failure. She should also try to be with other people; it is usually better than being alone.
Try engaging in mild exercise, going to a movie, a ball-game, or participating in religious or social activities.
And most of all, you mother needs your support! I hope this helps.
Don't overdo it or get upset if your mood is not greatly improved right away. Feeling better takes time.
One of the best cures for depression is physical exercise, and if your mom pairs exercise, like a walk, with another person, that helps.
Being and doing things with other people have a profoundly positive effect on depressed people.
Healthy eating is important, such as excluding sugar, soda pop, alcohol, etc. and eating lots of fruits and vegetables.So is sleeping regular hours, and at least 8 hours a night.
Massages, hot baths, exercise help - but a depressed person loses all motivation. You two have to talk and somehow assemble a 'plan' that maps out 'Things To Do' each day. Staying home alone is not a healthy option.
Talk therapy helps. The cause of the depression is VERY important too. You can't ignore that.
Depression causes withdrawal from others. If your mother can volunteer to help other people in any way - she may begin to value herself again.
If certain medications haven't worked, that means she is or has been under medical care. You and your mom, her doctor, and everyone who loves her, needs to do an 'intervention' to explore all possible choices.
Being loved is the best cure. I actually think just the action of being physically with other people, and doing things, causes changes in the body's chemicals and helps depression.
Good luck......... it's a very hard path..... and you have to convince your mother you don't want to have to resort to electric shock treatment or insulin treatment, or hospitalization. She has to accept that the cure must come from her first - despite all the failures so far.
As I said to someone else tonight, spiritual reading if she has any belief in God, even just reading about world religions, may help stimulate certain brain centers that may offer her another way of seeing life or her problems/past. I got heavily into the spiritual occult, Alice A. Bailey and Urantia... but I start to think, even just reading about other religions might be helpful - such as Islam, Hinduism, etc. (Not to convert, or anything like that - just to distract the mind from the depression and let the mind set its sight on a 'higher' level of reality..... I don't suggest the Book of Job. Tried that once - and thought Job was the first recorded super-masochist.... no saint in my books! I stopped reading about him cause it made me too depressed.
Sorry you have to watch this experience of your mother's..... been there, done that....
Zola
motivation and determination
Usually when the medications don't work....it's time to get some professional help. She should see a therapist.
Or if she refuses there's always "self help" like exercising, going somewhere warm for the winter, vacations, spend more family time with her, let her know how much you care about her and want to help her to feel better....