Depression And Grief And Bereavement
Posted by admin in Depression, Info on January 2, 2011
By Rose White Young
Bereavement is an inevitable part of life. Usually bereavement is associated with a loss of a loved one, may it be an immediate family member, a friend or even a colleague. The death of someone close to our heart brings sadness as well as pain. The severity of emotional pain, loneliness, or trauma of losing this person can lead to intense grief. Grief and bereavement are interrelated in such a way that both emotions can lead to depression.
The death of a loved one brings different emotions such as disbelief, anger, guilt, sadness, painful yearning with the deceased and unable to function physically and socially. These are the same emotions experienced by a person in grief. The degree of sadness and pain brought upon by this loss to an individual may vary depending on how close the relationship is with the deceased.
The period of grief often referred to as mourning usually lasts for at least six months to two years with varying degrees. However, it can often take longer.
As time goes by, the emotional trauma brought upon by this death of a loved one should lessen. It is true that time heals all wounds. There may be scars, but the pain is lesser.
There are cases wherein grief brought upon bereavement so intense may lead to depression. A person may grieve over a death of a loved one but not necessarily mean suffering depression. They can feel the sadness and anguish over the loss but can cope. Those persons at risk of depression often experience pensive sadness, no appetite resulting to weight loss, constant crying, sleep problems, lack of motivation and inability to function normally which includes going to work and refusal to make any social interaction. When the bereaved person remembers the happiness shared with the deceased, the sadness and longing may become more excruciatingly painful. A feeling of worthlessness sets in because of this loss, thus suicidal tendencies may come with the depression. Read the rest of this entry »
Helping a Friend With Depression
Posted by admin in Depression on January 1, 2011
By Karina Knight
If you’re reading this then you think you’ve got a friend with depression or a friend who is getting depressed, and you want to help.
Depression help is something deeply individual and even professionals don’t always get it right straight away, but you’ve got the advantage of knowing the person you want to help, their character, disposition and history. You also have their trust.
So, all I can do is to give you some tips, as to how help your friend gently but you decide for yourself what applies to you.
- First of all, do your research. Find out about different types of depression, the differences between depression and anxiety, PTSD and bipolar disorder, etc. Depending on what mental problem you friend has you’ll plan your approach and advice.
- Let them know that you think they are depressed and tell them why you think so (hence, the research on symptoms of depression and possible causes).
- Tell them that you are there for them if they need someone to talk to or any kind of help. Sometimes people just want you to listen, they don’t need your advice or judgement. Other times they need someone to take them out for a walk or a nice meal or help them do some chores they find trouble concentrating on.
- Don’t judge and don’t diminish the depth of their problems.
- Talk about help they can get – certain types of therapy, antidepressants and how they work, natural remedies, techniques for stress-relief, or even online tests to determine if they are depressed.
- Make sure they know that you keep to yourself all they share with you in confidentiality. Unfortunately, there is still social stigma for people suffering from depression, and you don’t want your friend to suffer even more than they already have, because you’ve told someone about them.
- Let them know why taking recreational drugs or drinking alcohol excessively is no good in depression.
- Find a way to distract them from their problems from time to time, laugh together, watch comedies, exercise, spent time outdoors, share hobbies. Read the rest of this entry »