Signs of depression

  • Sleep difficulties
  • Changes in appetite or weight
  • Poor concentration
  • Fatigue or low energy
  • Feeling guilty or worthless
  • Feeling restless/agitated or thinking or moving slowly
  • Depressed mood or feeling sad
  • Low interest or little pleasure in doing things
  • Thoughts of suicide or death or self harm

Causes of depression

The cause of depression is complex and in most people multifactorial and may include some or all of the following:

  • Genetic factors: genes control every part of your body, including the brain
  • Neurotransmitters: chemicals that relay messages from one neuron to the next are diminished or dysregulated, for example serotonin, norepinephrine, dopamine etc.
  • Faulty mood regulation: areas in the brain that regulate mood such as the hippocampus, amygdala and thalamus, may be smaller due to their development being suppressed by stress
  • Stressful life events: happens to all of us, death of a loved one, loss of job, abuse, violence, bullying. These can have long-lasting physiological consequences
  • Life Stress: real or perceived threats to your body triggers a hormonal response that produces physical changes like tense muscles, heart rate and breath quickens, sweat, and eventually if prolonged it causes depression, lower immune response, hypertension etc.
  • Early loss or trauma: can have lasting effects manifesting as depression later in life, even if you think you have forgotten them
  • Seasonal Affective disorder/SAD: less daylight hours
  • Medical conditions: hormonal like low thyroid or cortisol, neurodegenerative disorders, immunological, heart and stroke, nutritional deficiencies like Vitamin B12, viral illness, cancer
  • Medication

Source: Harvard


Treatment options for depression

Due to the many causes of depression, the possible treatment options are also very wide.

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Below I started with lifestyle changes and recommendations that can really be of huge help to improve mood. For a lot of people, so much so,  that they do not need to explore medicine as an option early on.

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This will take some time and effort, but for the most part are free, and can have positive impacts relatively soon that will last for the rest of your life!

  • Regular exercise (most days of the week, 30min per day)
  • Sleep well (See sleep page)
  • Healthy diet (See diet page)
  • Get some Sunlight!
  • Stay involved with friends and family (schedule time)
  • Regular short (15min) “Time outs” during your day
  • Do things you enjoy (schedule time)
  • Mindfulness activities like meditation and yoga
  • Relaxation time (not vegging in front of screen, rather listen to music, walk, hot bath, massage, aroma’s)
  • Schedule down time (holiday’s, breaks, evenings)
  • Ask for help with regular tasks/chores  (kids, spouse, friends, family)
  • Gratitude exercises, Combat negative thoughts, replace with positive ones
  • Deep breathing exercises (Slow inhale through nose, hold a few seconds, slow exhale through mouth/nose, repeat…..focus on the breathing, 20 min)
  • Volunteer work/Service for others
  • Avoid alcohol and drugs
  • Pets (Provide support, routine, combat isolation, requires nurturing)
  • Professional counselling (Private, employer benefits, provincially covered, see page on mental health resources, really helpful in dealing with past trauma and severe symptoms)
  • Medication

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Crisis resources

Crisis line.  (24/7)

705 728 5044

1 888 893 8333

www.cmhastarttalking.ca


RVH Mental Health Crisis service

705 728 9090 * 47274