From the author: In a psychological sense, depression reflects a person’s acute emotional reaction to a life situation. There are many factors, but the most common are the death of a loved one, separation and loneliness. That is, we can say that depression is a very human way of experiencing difficulties. But there are a number of issues that are worth learning about. Depression is literally a depressed and depressed state. According to the World Health Organization, depression is the second most common problem among the world's population. And you shouldn’t be afraid of this, because in a psychological sense, depression reflects a person’s acute emotional reaction to a life situation. There are many factors, but the most common are the death of a loved one, separation and loneliness. That is, we can say that depression is a very human way of experiencing difficulties. It is important to notice these symptoms because they become more severe and last longer than two weeks, indicating that it is time to seek professional help.1. Good evening, what is the difference between depression, blues, and melancholy? Very often they are put on a par when describing a person’s well-being. But there is a difference between them. Blues is a situational, shallow decline in mood; it is often referred to as tedious boredom. Usually it appears during pauses in life, when the old is completed and the new has not appeared, the time comes to think about it, to realize it. This is a very good state, it is transitory and allows us to experience and experience one of the deepest human feelings - sadness. Depression is primarily a reaction to difficult life circumstances; it is accompanied by a pronounced decrease in mood, loss of meaning in life, sleep and appetite disturbances, feelings of guilt and persistent fatigue. They often say about it “as if there is no soul,” people often note the impossibility of experiencing experiences, everything becomes the same, colors disappear, despair and suicidal thoughts appear. Depression does not change a person, but in this state he really strives to get away from everyone, to hide. This condition can be long-lasting, ranging from 2 weeks to several months. Melancholy, on the contrary, can last not only for months, but also for years, this is not exactly a reaction, usually these are character traits of a person who reacts to all life situations - with a decrease in mood, a loss of initiative; melancholic people are often said to be defeatist, prone to everyone sees only the negative, something that in ordinary people will not cause at least any lasting emotion - in a melancholic person it can cause horror, powerlessness and catastrophic despondency. By the way, catastrophization is one of the characteristics of melancholic people. But don't worry, this is changeable and many people become more adaptive in their ability to respond to stress over time. But in general, it seems to me that blues do not need to be treated, we need it.2. What symptoms indicate depression? It is important to pay attention to a significant decrease in mood, especially in the evening or in the morning. With depression, physiological symptoms also arise - difficulty falling asleep, a person cannot fall asleep due to an abundance of disturbing thoughts, or, on the contrary, wakes up at 2-3 am and cannot fall asleep for a long time. There is a decrease in appetite and weight loss. Increased emotionality may appear - we can often and violently cry in response to any situations that would not previously have caused such a reaction. There is also pronounced fatigue, a feeling of loneliness, guilt, a burden for others, and suicidal thoughts may periodically arise at the height of the experience. It is also important to note the duration of the condition - if it lasts more than 2 weeks, then you should definitely visit a specialist, since depression tends to deepen. 3. Tell me, do rich and successful people get depressed? Since depression is in most cases a person’s reaction to a difficult life situation, the likelihood of its occurrence in such people will be the same as in others.I will say more - every adult has experienced more than one depression, since we all face situations of separation, loss, so we can assume that depression is an integral part of our growing up. 4. Please tell us how often depression leads to suicide? Indeed, with severe depression, at the height of emotional experiences, suicidal thoughts often appear; they frighten many people, which sometimes forces them to seek help from specialists. This is a very alarming symptom and feeling, reflecting increased danger and requiring special attention from relatives, loved ones and specialists. But in most cases of depression, suicidal thoughts remain thoughts that reflect a person’s difficult emotional situation, mixed with despair and mental pain. Only in the most severe cases do thoughts materialize into a suicidal plan or attempt. But I would emphasize that any thought about suicide can be dangerous, since the soil on which it appears is always difficult, hopeless, it is important to pay attention to this. 5. Is it correct to say that depression is a disease? As for me, in most cases this is more like a whim of people who have an excess of free time or simply want to attract attention to their person... Yes, this is especially true for bipolar disorders, when the state of depression is associated with biochemical reasons and the person During the change of seasons, he suddenly falls ill, his mood drops, sleep is disturbed, and a whole range of severe symptoms appears. This condition is treated with medication and tends to be chronic with periodic exacerbations in autumn and spring. If we are talking about reactive or neurotic depression, as a reaction to difficult life circumstances, then this condition is quite painful for a person. It is painful, but often a person bullies himself and accuses himself of weaknesses, laziness, whims, in this state he is his own worst judge and the more he insists on what he just needs to get up and do, the harder it is for him to get up. Not because of laziness, although purely socially it is very similar, but because there is simply no energy for it, the person is exhausted, he cannot eat, sleep, he cannot decide which bus to take, he cannot decide to have a conversation, he is overcome by doubts , sense of anxiety. I think that rarely do any people consciously decide on such a simulation or demonstration; in depression, a person, on the contrary, becomes almost invisible, withdraws from contacts, and isolates himself.6. What consequences can depression have if you do not seek help from specialists? The most dangerous consequences include suicide, which can occur against the background of a serious condition. Our speech is clogged with the term “demonstrative suicide,” which is often used to describe seemingly harmless types of suicidal behavior, but as practice shows, many completed attempts arose precisely from this type of reaction. After all, the term demonstrative comes from the word demonstration - I feel bad, pay attention, save me, I can’t do it anymore. Other consequences include a protracted course; sometimes, with a serious condition, people may not seek help and endure, coping on their own, sometimes for years. And the most common consequence, it seems to me, is loneliness, sometimes a person finds himself alone with his condition, those around him do not understand or, on the contrary, condemn him, considering it a whim, cunning, laziness, weakness, thereby depriving the person of their support, leaving him without support. 7. Tell me, is it possible to prescribe antidepressants for yourself and how effective are they? I do not recommend prescribing or taking antidepressants on your own, since the symptoms can be different, as well as the medications and their effect on the mental state. Therefore, antidepressants are taken only under the supervision and recommendations of a psychiatrist. They are very effective, especially in severe cases of depression, when the symptoms are so severe that the person is in danger and has no otheropportunities to get help and treatment. Often these drugs are prescribed for a period of 2 to 6 months for the full treatment of depression, which sometimes scares people, making them think about dependence on them. In fact, antidepressants do not form an addiction, and most of them lately have a very small number of side effects. They are prescribed to form a kind of chemical plateau, through which depression will not burst into a person again, but it is important to follow the doctor’s recommendations and not give up treatment if it is prescribed, because this condition is not to be joked about; if a person is not treated well and stops taking medications, the so-called syndrome may occur withdrawal or recurrent depression, which often leads to disappointment in treatment.8. Tell me, what features of depression exist in older people? In older people, in addition to the symptoms I described, some specific features of the course of this condition are often added. The social life of such people often deteriorates; they avoid communication, abandon previous connections and relationships, stop answering calls, become grumpy, distrustful, and sometimes capricious. The picture of the condition is also complemented by an abundance of somatic symptoms and sensations, all chronic diseases are aggravated, new sensations appear that bother people, forcing them to turn to doctors over and over again and look for their causes. That’s why older people so often visit a doctor, in addition to age-related illnesses, they simply need emotional support, warmth, and sometimes a referral to a related specialist, since exacerbation of somatic symptoms of depression must be treated with medication. 9. Tell me, is it worth immediately resorting to drug treatment for depression? What non-drug methods of getting out of depression exist and which are the most effective? It is not necessary to treat all depression with medications; there are certain indications for this and this can be decided by a psychiatrist. It is important to make your life bright, and in the literal sense - be in the sun more often, use bright light everywhere, this is very important, especially during autumn depression, since the length of daylight hours is reduced and the amount of melatonin (sleep hormone) increases, which worsens the condition. Playing sports is also important, just not violent sports, but really feasible gradual exercise, and in the fresh air, any active games, cycling or brisk walking will do. It is also important to add stress protectors to your diet - citrus fruits, dried apricots, rose hips, lemon, prunes, nuts, green tea, raspberries, raisins. Taking multivitamin complexes will have a positive effect. Psychological recommendations are very important - know that in this state you are very sensitive and vulnerable, try to protect yourself from people and relationships in which it is bad, this is definitely necessary. Be kind to yourself, try to reduce the load, especially work and study, try to understand that today you are different, you are tired, you can’t do more, let yourself stop and breathe out. Don’t judge yourself, but study, it’s you who is depressed too, but you’re just very vulnerable and emotional, you haven’t changed, this is a passing state, allow yourself to be sad, lie down and complain. In my practice, I discover an amazing thing - people have forgotten how to complain and feel sorry, gentlemen, it’s worth learning this again. When you find out a little more about how depressed you are, be sure to tell people how you want them to behave with you when you feel bad. Nobody teaches us this, but it is very important, it is about the ecology of relationships, about how my loved ones and I should treat me like this. Of course, it will be very useful to visit a psychologist, psychotherapist and talk about this, find out the reasons and learn to cope with it. It is very useful and effective to attend various psychotherapeutic groups, where in an atmosphere of safety and support you can deal with this condition, learn to accept it, rely on others and=919