Treat Depression

If you are so depressed your sadness is clouding your life, get help. If you are being treated for the physical pain but not the psychological issues, it is not enough. If you are on an anti-depressant talk to the doctor who prescribed it. Sometimes anti-depressants or related medications are prescribed at lower levels for sleep or other issues. There are so many kinds of medications. You might respond better to a different one. You may need a higher dose or a combination.

Speak up and let the right people know. Depression is curable. Be open to do what you need to feel better. Sometimes a support group, counseling, or seeing a psychiatrist can help. Do not accept feeling depressed as a part of your pain. Treat depression. Don’t be a martyr.

So many people tell me they expect depression because of their situation. Let me share a story about Laura. Her children deserted her in a nursing home. They only lived a short distance away but never called. Her legs were so swollen with edema you could feel her pain by just looking at them. She was confined to bed most of the time. Various traditional and experimental treatments had failed. Laura was on anti-depressants but remained depressed.

I met with her once a week for a year. She processed through her grief and anger. She came to accept her situation without giving up hope. She became grateful for the staff who had “adopted her” by checking in on her constantly and even visiting on days off and holidays. She appreciated being able to do mending for other residents and fondly reminisced about when she was a seamstress. She felt productive again. She accepted love and friendship from staff and other residents. She remained hopeful that she would gradually improve and she relied on her faith. She lived the same life without depression.