Depression is being colourblind and constantly told how colorful the world is (Atticus)
Depression influences the whole person
When a tree is suffering, you can perceive it in the bark, branches, leaves, roots of the tree.
The listed symptoms (as discussed in the Blog number two) can occur on different levels of your existence, namely the:
· physical (somatic or bodily);
· emotional (which is mostly related to feelings of sadness involving the whole person);
· spiritual (relating to aspects of the psyche, e.g. thoughts and conscious decisions; non-material matters regarding faith/belief – the way you are experiencing your relationship with God);
· cognitive (cognition relates to the processes by which knowledge about objects or issues is gained, or by which a person becomes aware of his/her environment, e.g. observation, recognition, imagination, reasoning, judgment, memory, learning and thinking);
· social (interpersonal contact).
The total person – not just certain areas of his or her life – is involved in depression. That is what makes it such a serious, incapacitating illness. It is therefore a wide-ranging problem that should be addressed from several angles, as I will attempt to do in this blog.
It is important to note, that the symptoms of depression should not be confused with symptoms occurring as a consequence of substance abuse or medication. In such cases the diagnosis will be that of substance dependence, or a different medical diagnosis.
Depression: a difficult illness
It is very important to understand how difficult it is to handle depression. It is not easy for anyone just to snap out of it… There is no easy answer or instant recipe to get up and continue living.
In my practice I have often found that the partner, of the person suffering from depression, becomes impatient or despondent. Men especially, tend to propose solutions for depression to their wives/partners from a logical and analytical perspective, which they believe to be solid, practical and workable. She then perceives this, directly or indirectly, as a message from him implying that: ‘He wants me to just pull myself together’. A fellow student of mine who suffered from depression periodically, complained of her husband’s (an engineer) handling of her depression. She felt like a motor car that he wanted to fix immediately, when she became depressed. With depression it is important to have a lot more understanding, patience, time, and unconditional acceptance, warmth, empathy and listening skills. Anything less, damages the relationship and only serves to break down the depressed person even more.
the willow tree weeps during the winter months just like my broken heart. let me paint my pain in charcoal markings so she sees my suffering. (a bentley 12/27/2015)
