How To Tell Sadness From Depression
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Title: HOW TO TELL SADNESS FROM DEPRESSION Author: Dave
Turo-Shields, ACSW, LCSW E-mail:
mailto:editor@overcoming-depression.com Copyright: by Dave
Turo-Shields, ACSW, LCSW Web Address:
http://www.Overcoming-Depression.com Word Count: 740 Category:
Mental Health
HOW TO TELL SADNESS FROM DEPRESSION
You have and will experience sadness. It might be the loss of a
job, pet or a loved one. Yes, even a loved one. The trouble is,
particularly here in the United States, we have a quick-fix for
everything... why not sadness too?
Our quick-fix for sadness is that it's simply not allowed.
Healthy purging of sad feelings is great for you physically and
wonderful for your mental health. When you stuff the expression
of healthy sadness it may lead to health problems, interpersonal
issues and depression.
So, the first lesson is FEEL your sadness over whatever issue is
at hand. It doesn't make you weak or less a man or woman to do
so. Yes, I have to say "woman" today too, because women have
also begun to place the same negative meaning on expressing
feelings of sadness; so they hold back too.
There are Five Basic Stages you will go through with a
significant change or loss in your life. They are:
1) Shock/Denial 2) Anger 3) Asking "What if..." questions or
making "If only" statements. 4) Sadness 5) Acceptance
Please keep in mind several points about the five statements
made above. First, each one is NORMAL! You may cycle through the
steps several times and may not do so in the order listed above.
The only time these steps become a problem is when you become
stuck at a particular step. Here's an example.
I met a woman about a year ago. She'd been married over 25
years. She and her husband were planning on traveling after he
retired. He died within a year of retirement from cancer. She
came to see me three years after his death.
She had become stuck at step 3 above. She questioned, over and
over again, whether she had done everything she could for him
and all their family during those last days before his death.
After about a year of ruminating minute-by- minute, she became
quite seriously depressed. Then later, she was referred to me by
her physician.
We worked through her questions from step 3. She then went
through a normal period of being angry over the loss of her
husband and how that had changed her life and retirement plans.
She felt appropriately sad about the loss of her best friend.
She's not terribly happy about working, but she's been working
full-time now for about six months. She is hoping to begin
dating. She's insecure about it. "It's been so long since I've
dated!" She quips. But, she is on her way to a new life and her
level of acceptance is growing each day.
Other times depression may set in from a traumatic event, or a
series of negative life events that overlap and overwhelm your
usual ability to cope. If this is you, you are often bewildered
as to why you can't simply shake out of it as you normally
would. Or if it was a trauma event, you will often find that
simple security issues (e.g., walking out into a dark parking
lot at night after shopping) will trigger panic and later deep
depression. Sudden trauma threatens your sense of general safety
in the world at large.
If you are wondering if you have Major Depression here are some
guidelines to help you to the correct answer. For the best
possible solution please seek professional evaluation. I offer
professional consultation for individuals through email, making
this step easy and convenient.
MAJOR DEPRESSION SYMPTOMS:
1) Depressed mood nearly every day. 2) Diminished interest in
regular activities. 3) Significant weight loss or weight gain.
4) Sleeping difficulties. 5) A feeling of being "slowed down."
6) Fatigue and energy loss nearly every day. 7) Feeling
worthless or excessive and inappropriate guilt. 8) Difficulty in
staying on task or making decisions. 9) Frequent thoughts of
death, including but not limited to suicidal thoughts.
Having a few of these symptoms does not necessarily qualify your
for the diagnosis of Major Depression. You need to have at least
five symptoms consistently over a two-week period of time or
longer.
If you decide you have Major Depression please confirm this with
a depression screen which you may find on my website at
http://www.overcoming-depression.com/depression-symptom. html
Additionally, please consult your family doctor and a trained
professional who specializes in depressive disorders. A family
doctor can assist in ruling out a possible medical condition and
a therapist knows how to assist you in digging yourself out of
that deep depression rut.
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ Dave Turo-Shields is an author,
university faculty member, success coach and veteran
psychotherapist whose passion is guiding others to their own
success in life. For weekly doses of the webs HOTTEST success
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