Control Your Depression, Rev'd Ed

Peter Lewinsohn

• Publisher: Touchstone
• Year: 2010
• eBook ISBN: 9781451602821
• Topic: Psicologia
• Subtopic: Psicologia anormale

Depression is one of the most common of all psychological problems -- nearly all of us experience mild forms of it at sometime during our lifetime. But now, with this easier-to-understand edition of a bestseller that's helped thousands regain their zest for life, you too can learn to feel better without necessarily seeking professional help.

Control Your Depression first gives you a clear understanding of the nature of depression -- what it is, what it isn't, and how much is really known about this widespread problem. This valuable guide then helps you pinpoint specific areas related to your own depression: Do you have difficulty dealing with others? Do you often feel anxious or tense? Do you have troublesome thoughts? Are you unhappy at work or in personal relationships? Because not everybody experiences depression in quite the same way, you'll develop a personalized therapeutic program unique to your own situation. Through any number of proven techniques, including relaxation, social-skill enhancement, and modification of self-defeating thinking patterns, you will conquer your feelings of helplessness and alleviate the causes of your distress!

Filled with dozens of examples that clearly illustrate difficult yet essential points, Control Your Depression helps you gauge your progress, maintain the gains you make, and also determine whether you need further help. No one who has ever been immobilized by depression should be without this book.

part one

THE CONCEPTS

1

Depression

Everyone has times of feeling sad or blue. People often refer to these feelings by saying they are “depressed.” In this book we are discussing depression that differs in three ways from the “down” or “blue” periods that nearly everyone experiences:

1. The depression is more intense.

2. The depression lasts longer.

3. The depression significantly interferes with effective day-to-day functioning.

By “depression” we do not mean an ailment that a person has, like a disease or a broken leg. Rather, we see depression as something a person experiences or feels for a period of time. Sometimes the beginning of a period of depression is clear and dramatic and is related to a specific event, such as the death of a loved one. Grief and sorrow in these instances are natural reactions to personal loss. However, if the period of depression seems unduly prolonged, then it is time to do something about it. More often, though, there is no easily identifiable event that precedes depression. Rather, depression is experienced from time to time without any obvious explanation.

What Depression Is Not

First, being depressed is not abnormal or crazy. In fact, it is one of the most common problems people experience. According to recent studies, between 10 percent and 20 percent of adults in the United States will experience an episode of depression serious enough that professional help is advisable.

Second, depression is not just any bad or upsetting feeling. For example, depression is not feeling anxious or nervous, although it is true that depressed individuals frequently feel anxious as well as depressed. The point is that depression is not the only way of being distressed. This book is intended for persons who are depressed.

This chapter is devoted to a discussion of the specific set of behaviors and feelings that make up what we call the depressive syndrome. We have also included a questionnaire to help you decide if you are experiencing the kind of depression that can be helped by reading and using this book.

The Depressive Syndrome

A syndrome is a collection of events, behaviors, or feelings that often—but not always—go together. The depressive syndrome is a collection of rather specific feelings and behaviors that have been found to be characteristic of depressed persons as a group. It is important to recognize that there are large individual differences as to which of these feelings or behaviors are experienced and to what extent they are experienced. The following paragraphs discuss characteristics of the depressive syndrome.

DYSPHORIA

By dysphoria, we mean an unpleasant feeling state or—more simply—feeling bad. Dysphoria is the opposite of euphoria (feeling very happy) and is probably the most common symptom of depression. People who are depressed usually say they are feeling very sad, blue, hopeless, or “down” much of the time. They may see life as meaningless and are likely to be gloomy or pessimistic about the future. People vary in how they express these bad feelings. Some people look unhappy much of the time and cry very easily and more frequently than usual. Others manage to put up a good front much of the time, but inside they feel just as sad and dejected.

LOW LEVEL OF ACTIVITY

People are considerably less active when they are depressed than when they are not depressed. Sometimes a depressed person’s typical day consists largely of sitting around and doing nothing or engaging in mostly passive, solitary activities like watching television, eating, or napping. Going to work or taking care of daily household chores may seem to require an almost overwhelming amount of effort.

Often the depressed person feels unmotivated to engage in hobbies or other activities that formerly were enjoyable or satisfying. Such activities no longer appeal to the person and seem like just another chore that would require too much effort.

PROBLEMS INTERACTING WITH OTHER PEOPLE

Many depressed people express concern about their personal relationships. This concern may be expressed in a variety of ways. Some individuals are very unhappy and dissatisfied with their family relationships (with their spouses, parents, or children) or with other close, ongoing relationships. Some feel very uncomfortable, shy, and anxious when they are with other people, especially in a group. Others have difficulty coping with certain kinds of interactions, especially those in which they would like to be more assertive (for example, saying “no” to unreasonable demands or being more open and honest about their feelings). Finally, some depressed people feel lonely or unloved, but at the same time they are unwilling or unable to reach out to others even when they have opportunities for doing so.

FEELINGS OF WORTHLESSNESS AND INADEQUACY

Depressed people frequently describe themselves as failures, particularly in regard to areas that are of special personal importance to them (for example, family life, intellectual pursuits, or job performance). Sometimes these feelings of inadequacy appear unjustified to other people. For example, a woman may be considered very competent by her co-workers, but because her work falls short of her own standards of perfection, she puts herself down and feels like a total failure. Or a man who has recently lost his job may still be respected by his family and friends but nevertheless feels unworthy because he is no longer the breadwinner for his family.

GUILT

Some depressed persons express feelings of guilt and believe that they deserve to be punished for their “badness” or “sinfulness.” Others feel guilt because of their failure—real or imagined—to assume responsibilities in their family lives or jobs. Such persons often feel they are a burden to others and blame themselves for being depressed and thereby failing to meet the needs of their families or others.

FEELING BURDENED

Some individuals do not feel any responsibility for their own depression; instead, they blame their distress on external causes. Such persons typically complain that other people frequently put excessive demands upon them. For example, a woman may feel constantly burdened by the demands her husband and children place upon her; she may believe that she would stop feeling depressed if these demands suddenly vanished.

PROBLEMS CONCENTRATING

Depressed people commonly experience trouble concentrating while they work on a problem or read a book or article or even as they try to follow a plot of a TV movie. They report that their thinking seems slowed down or that they feel somehow not as efficient and as clear in their problem-solving ability as they used to be. Sometimes this kind of problem will be especially noticeable when they must make decisions. The depressed person will find that making decisions that used to be simple (for example, what to buy for dinner or how to plan the day’s activities) becomes difficult and troublesome.

PHYSICAL PROBLEMS

A common problem among depressed people is having a low level of energy with no obvious explanation. Depressed people frequently complain of feeling lethargic and fatigued, not just for a day or two but over an extended period.

Sleep disturbances of some kind are also common. Depressed people often have trouble falling asleep at night, or th...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Contents
• Preface
• Introduction
• Part One: The Concepts
• Part Two: The Strategies
• Part Three: Looking Toward the Future
• Suggestions for Further Reading
• Extra Forms
• Index
• About the Authors
• Footnotes