Overcoming Depression

Depression, for a long time, has been a disease that anyone at any age can get. Only a trauma or a pressure, or a bad thing can create depression and lead to many serious consequences. No one can define what depression means because there are a lot of definitions. No one can tell what depression looks like because it has so many faces. People can laugh or try to be happy from the outside but deep inside, they are suffering.

It is a very concerning and awakening topic to talk about. But it doesn’t mean there is no way to fix it. Overcoming the depression is a long journey that requires treatments and of course, commitment.

Talking to other people about your situation

Anamarie Ta, 20, is currently living in Fountain Valley. She used to face depression before and even did the suicidal attempt. Now, she had begun a new life after coming to the U.S. The pain in the past has died but it does not mean the depression cannot come back. Even if it comes back to Ta, she said always knows how to prepare and face it. Depression, in her eyes, is like a virus that can eat one person alive until they find the dead end. She suffered from the pressure of her family which was about studying and her family’s prejudice. “I think the first thing that a person with depression should do is talk to others,” Ta said. In her experience, she realizes that the more she kept to herself, the more she had to suffer from it. Speaking to someone that they trust the most about what’s happening and ask them for help. Then, come and see a psychiatrist because they are the only ones who can know how to cure. Since she used to listen to many harsh words from her family and it pulled her down, Ta has learned that if she died, those people who said bad things about her would never change their minds about her and they would never cry for her. She understood that she had to continue living her life no matter what happened, and she had to prove to them that they were wrong about her. Ta knows how to turn her weakness into a strength.

Understanding what caused depression and finding a way to treatment

For patients with depression, there are many ways to treat it. One of the common ways is using medicine. But it is not always a good way. It depends on the severity and chronicity of the depression. Counselors typically make an initial assessment as to whether medicine may be helpful but do not decide whether it is. In mild-to-moderate depression, counselors tend to try psychotherapy alone to see if that will help with the depression. If it doesn’t, they may refer the person to a psychiatrist. In cases of severe depression, for example, if the client is thinking about suicide – then the counselor typically refers the person to a psychiatrist. Some people do and some do not. There are different forms of depression. For someone who has a depression that is biologically based, then medication can significantly help with the depression. But if the person stops taking the medication, the depression may return. For a depression that is not biologically-based, but is caused by a specific stressful event then the depression might be a one-time event.

Be careful with what others talk to people with depression

In a conversation with a psychiatrist, Jessica Leone, from Titan Wellness, had shown her worries about mental health. Ms. Leone has been dealing with so many cases of students who are in the worst situation. “One major thing that a person can be depressed about is isolation and loneliness. They impact people, especially teenagers.” Ms. Leone said. When a person with depression asks for help from someone they trust but they are professional in that field, they can show support by asking what that person wants from them, and advising them to see a therapist. Ms. Leone advised not to give anyone with depression advice which is not right. But the most important is to make them less lonely and feel like others care for them.