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If you've experienced blue moods, you know the toll they can take on your personal and professional life. But did you know that depression can have a negative impact on your health? It's true: Depression affects not only your thinking but also your sleep, your appetite, your immune system, and other natural processes that help keep your mind and body in good working order.
In fact, depression has been linked to hypertension, stroke, heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and asthma. But whether depressive symptoms are a marker for or a cause of these conditions remains to be determined. What we do know is that the combination of depression and chronic disease greatly increases the risk of poor health outcomes.
Degrees of Depression
Depression is common. The latest figures suggest that 1 in 13 adults will experience at least one episode of major depression. Women seem to have a higher incidence of depression than men do, but men's symptoms tend to manifest as irritability, anger, and frustration and therefore may not always be recognized as signs of depression.
There are many different types of depression, including:
- Dysphoria: Brief episodes of sadness or depression that last less than 2 weeks
- Mild depression: Low-level depression that lasts at least 2 years (also called dysthymia)
- Major depression: Intense, disabling depression that may occur in a single episode or recurring episodes
- Seasonal affective disorder (SAD): Depression that occurs seasonally, specifically during winter, when there is less sunlight
- Postpartum depression: Major depression that can develop in women after giving birth
- Bipolar disorder: Cycles of severe depression alternating with an extremely elevated or irritable mood known as mania (also called manic depression)
Any number of events can set off an unpleasant emotional reaction that leads to a blue mood. But for some people, the sadness spirals into something deeper and may last for weeks or longer. This level of depression typically requires treatment by a professional healthcare provider.
However, if you experience a milder form of depression, you can take steps to defuse your negative feelings before they become debilitating and put your health at risk.
Start by taking a close look at three important areas of your life: your thought processes, your relationships, and your stress levels.
As you consider these areas of your life, assess how and why they influence your psyche on a daily basis, and begin to develop a plan to resolve any troubling issues.
1. Brighten Up Your Thinking
Pay more attention to your perceptions and reactions, and track them in a journal. Identify troublesome exchanges, and consider whether your emotional reactions -- to your boss, partner, family, or coworker, or to others -- were appropriate, or whether you may have overreacted. Keep in mind that emotions can twist how you see reality. Running through these events and evaluating them objectively can help you come up with healthier, more productive responses.
Example: Your boss snaps at you for missing a minor deadline.
Overreaction: You feel like a total failure or think to yourself, "I can't work with him. He's out to get me."
A more constructive reaction: Consider whether your boss may be having a stressful day himself, or resolve to make meeting your deadlines a higher priority in the future.
With practice, you'll be able to come up with more rational responses not only after the fact but also in the moment.
2. Build Supportive Relationships
How healthy are your relationships? Are you connected to a solid support group, or are you caught in friendships with people who take more than they give? Rate your mood after spending time with your close friends. If you consistently score low following outings with certain people, it's time to make some changes in those relationships. Negative social exchanges can affect your health even more than stressful life events or daily hassles.
If a friend has a habit of always pointing out mistakes you've made in the past or, knowing you're dissatisfied with your job, insists on talking about work, try telling her that you'd prefer to talk about what's positive in your life. If things don't change, limit the time you spend with her, and spend more time with friends who make you feel good about yourself.
Seek out positive people at work or in your community whom you admire and who will encourage and motivate you to take positive action and enjoy your life. Make time to chat with them at least once a week -- it could lift moderate depression as effectively as antidepressant medication or counseling.
Also, don't make the mistake of cutting out larger social engagements to accommodate a demanding schedule. Spending too much time alone puts you at risk of becoming overly self-focused and critical. Join a book club, sports team, or gardening club -- these are great ways to connect with people.
3. Simmer Down Stress
Some stress is good for you. It keeps you alert and active. But when it gets out of control, it can cause serious damage to your psyche and make you vulnerable to bouts of depression. So how can you keep yourself from getting too stressed out? Set aside at least 20 minutes every day to rest your mind. Turn off your phone, computer, and TV. Sit quietly and reflect on your favorite moments of the day. Or try picturing positive moments you'd like to have tomorrow.
Other ways to unwind: Practice yoga, go for a walk, read, pray, meditate, listen to a relaxation tape or music, or engage in any activity that clears your mind and releases tension. Try different techniques, like learning to meditate. See what works best for you, and then do it regularly.
Help When You Need It
Depression affects millions of Americans in varying degrees at some point in their lives. No matter what level, depression is a condition that requires management to keep episodes to a minimum. Before you get pulled back into another dark hole and struggle to climb out, do some self-reflection and make the changes that are necessary to help you maintain a positive frame of mind. These changes may give you the mental strength to manage your emotions before they escalate.
But if you feel down or depressed for more than 2 weeks, or your mood is interfering with everyday activities, you may need professional help to get back on track. The following two questions can help you determine if you'd benefit from a little extra help:
During the past month, have you often felt down, depressed, or hopeless?
During the past month, have you had little interest or experienced little pleasure in doing things?
If you answered yes to both of these questions, make an appointment with your doctor to find out whether you are suffering from clinical depression and need treatment.
If you answered yes to one of these questions, or feel uncertain about your mood, you may need to seek the advice of a medical professional.
