PREVENTING DEPRESSION

Everyone experiences some forms of depression in one way or another. We simply cannot escape from the ups and downs of life, as life can never be a bed of roses. There would, inevitably, be times when things just go wrong. Infants (as young as 3 months old), children, adults and the elderly are equally vulnerable to episodes of depression.

For some, depression could continue indefinitely. With medication they would fare better in terms of mood stability.

Death of loved ones, break-up of intimate relationships and failures in life can result in the more intense and prolonged type of depression. If such depressed feelings are appropriately dealt with, they would cease over time. Otherwise, it could deteriorate into a pathological state (to term a depression as pathological means the mental condition has come to the point when one is unable to function normally at work, at home and socially). In pathological depression, the brain chemistry has been upset.

Stress is also instrumental to the development of depression. Stress usually comes when deadlines are not met. In Singapore, both children and adults face stress, the former with studies and the latter with work and family responsibilities. IA recent Straits Times report highlighted a steep increase in the number of children seeking psychiatric help.

Though a reasonable level of stress is needed to do a good job but a stress level that goes beyond one’s threshold could cause a person to psychologically cave in. If depression is left untreated with medication and psychotherapy, the condition usually worsens. It would be rare to find a person simply snapping out of it though it is possible.

General Symptoms of Depression

1. Feeling of depression most of the day and almost everyday
2. Loss of interest or pleasure in almost every activity
3. Loss of weight, inability to sleep, feeling lethargic and cannot concentrate
4. Feeling of worthlessness and inappropriate guilt
5. Inability to stay on a job for long or to carry out daily activities at home
6. Suicidal thought with or without planning to commit it

Treatment

For serious cases of depression, professional help is needed. There are two major approaches in treatment. The first approach is the biological approach, which is normally taken by psychiatrists. They strongly believe that depression is of biological or organic origin and is, therefore, necessary to prescribe medication.

The other approach is the psychological approach where the depressed person is put through a psychotherapy programme. This approach is usually taken by clinical psychologists or counsellors who have received training in the field of clinical psychology.

Prevention

Whether one has a genetic predisposition or not is difficult to tell. The best guess is to look at one’s family tree. There is a probability of genetic predisposition if one or more relatives, either on the father’s, or mother’s side, already have depression. If one’s parents have depression, it is more likely that one would have a higher chance of getting it.

The best way of preventing depression is to reduce the precipitating factors or to respond appropriately to them. The principle is to live in moderation and to avoid situations or emotions that are in the extreme. Have a positive and realistic view of life and accept that bad things do happen in life.

Dealing with grief
One has to come to terms with it the fact that death or relationship break-ups or failures are bound to happen. One has to learn to accept such harsh realities of life and move on.

Dealing with anger
One has to make effort to resolve conflicts with others and find constructive ways to handle conflicts or anger. Otherwise, it would turn inward against self, which would inevitably result in depression.

Dealing with guilt
Be willing to forgive oneself as some of the things in life are beyond one’s control. One cannot keep blaming oneself but to put to the past behind one.

Dealing with discouragement
To tell oneself there is always a silver lining at the end of a dark cloud. One or even a few discouragements are not the end of the world.

Dealing with anxiety
One has to learn to live one day at a time and to have realistic expectations. Getting anxious cannot solve anything but could, instead, make things worse.

Form support network
One needs to build up a support network before depression strikes so that when it does come, there are friends to encourage one in times of crisis.

Have a health lifestyle
Living a healthy and active life will certainly reduce the chance of getting depresion. The saying – “A healthy body gives you a healthy mind” has been proven true thus far.

With regards to stress, it needs a more lengthy address.

Stress is inevitable

Stress is the one thing every Singaporean faces daily. In order to stay ahead of our competitors, we have to push ourselves to the limits, but unfortunately, not everyone can keep pace with it. Such a competitive environment simply puts us on the edge, which makes life extremely stressful.

As Singapore’s only resource is its people, the country can only survive in this era of intense competition and rapid changes by ensuring that its people are ‘economically relevant’ through continuous upgrading of skills. Also, the seemingly unending competition for jobs / to keep one’s job often creates stress as one feels that one needs to work harder and work longer hours. Our country is so full of competition that many see it as the survival of the fittest. Such an environment certainly exacts its toll on its people. This can have adverse effects on family life and personal psychological well-being.

An individual has the choice of living in stress or not.

Some people have already felt that the stress level has gone beyond their threshold. They respond by opting out. They are the people who have migrated as they have the means to do so. But many lack such means and are trapped here in a pressure-cooker. They would reach the saturation point and they react frantically to the stress.

All of us have the choice to either join in the rat race and face the consequences of stress, like broken families and psychological disorders, or pull out of the race. Yes, one may lose out on material things and status, perhaps in the form of a smaller house, a smaller car, or a smaller pay packet. It is a “back to the basics” decision – it is either your health or your wealth.

Conclusion

Mental health and the lack of it can be as debilitating as physical illness. Depression can cause one to be dysfunctional and become unable to carry out the daily routine of work and social life. Hence, it is very important to take care to reduce the precipitating factors or to respond appropriately to them to prevent depression.

Spencer Lee
President, ACCS