Overcoming Depression and Finding Happiness

Depression involves sadness, pessimism, a preoccupation with personal problems, and perhaps feeling sorry for one's self, anguish, crying, and hopelessness.  Depressed people often lose interest in many activities and social contacts because of loss of pleasure in and enthusiasm for their usual activities.  They may become apathetic or socially withdrawn.  Low energy, chronic tiredness, excessive sleeping, and insomnia are common.  Other possible symptoms include poor appetite, heavy eating, weight loss or gain, feelings of inadequacy or worthlessness, anxiety, regrets, decreased productivity, poor concentration, or recurrent thoughts of death or suicide. Four out of five cases of severe depression clear up without treatment within six to nine months, but half of the people with severe depression experience it again later.

People often become depressed about marital, romantic, or family problems.  For example, one study found an unhappy marriage increased the risk of clinical depression 25 times over untroubled marriages. A personal loss often triggers depression: divorce, separation, loss of a job, the end of a love relationship, physical or mental problems from old age, the death of a loved one, etc.  Many stressful events or major changes may also help bring on depression.  Going away to college or moving far away from family and friends after getting married may lead to depression.  No matter how much you wanted to have a child, the resulting loss of freedom may cause depression.  When children grow up and leave home, you may become depressed.  Retirement can lead to depression because of loss of work activities to fill the day and loss of friendships with coworkers.

Depression may occur without any loss or great stress to trigger it, however.  Personal problems often lead to depression.  The chronic use of alcohol or other drugs often leads to mood swings, personal problems, and depression.  Using alcohol or other drugs to improve your mood is especially risky because addictive substances often intensify pre-existing mood or personality problems.  Even prescribed medications may lead to severe depression. 

There are many effective ways to overcome depression.  Fortunately, we can control our thoughts and feelings much more than most people realize.  With enough work and effort, you can change habitual thoughts and feelings.  First, however, if you are on any medicines, check with your doctor to see if a medicine may be causing your depression.  A surprising number of medicines can do this, including many tranquilizers or sleeping pills, many high blood pressure medicines, hormones such as oral contraceptives, some anti-inflammatory or anti-infection drugs, some ulcer medicines, etc.  Changing your prescribed medications may be all you need to eliminate depression.