How To Deal With Depression

It goes without saying that most people around the world feel a little sad every now and then. However, the mental disorder depression is much more than feeling down on a gloomy or stressful day. 

Depression, also known as clinical depression or major depressive disorder (MDD), is characterised by persistent low mood and apathy. It can affect a person’s thoughts, feelings, behaviour, and overall sense of well-being. Just like with any other medical illness, depression requires careful attention or counselling from professionals like doctors.[1]

Now that you know the answer to ‘What is depression?’, it would help to understand how this disorder works and its common causes. 

As mentioned, those who suffer from depression would tend to have low or negative emotions. These feelings would constantly weigh you down, so much so that you would have a difficult time functioning. If you don’t learn how to deal with depression symptoms, its effects can hinder you from fulfilling important responsibilities and even day-to-day tasks, such as eating breakfast or getting out of bed.[2] 

On top of this, studies have shown that what causes depression is more than just an imbalance of chemicals in your body.[3] It can be brought about by a variety of complex social or psychological factors and can be further developed through events like childhood trauma or even adult unemployment.[4] 

Seeing that you’re concerned about your mental health and how to deal with depression, you’ve most probably asked yourself, ‘What are the symptoms of depression?’, so that you can better understand how you can combat or work around them. Here are some of the behavioural, physical, psychological, and social symptoms of depression:[5] 

This would typically include tendencies like oversleeping, mild to severe insomnia, and even waking up in the early hours of the day. In extreme cases, there would be multiple hidden or overt attempts to take their life and commit suicide.

Due to a lack or increase of appetite, a change in weight may occur. In line with this, people with depression could have aches, pains, body cramps, stomach problems, or any other kinds of physical discomfort that persist even after medication.

Clear signs include pessimistic thoughts of insignificance, despair, and hopelessness. There could also be feelings of anger and irritation towards a situation or circumstance. 

These types of symptoms include a sudden or gradual lack of interest in activities that were once exciting and pleasurable (hobbies, get-togethers, parties). This could be a result of the energy drain and mental fatigue associated with depression. 

After understanding the symptoms of depression, you can proceed and learn how to deal with depression through the various types of treatment options available. 

Similar to anxiety, bipolar, PTSD, and stress management, you’d be pleased to know that there are a number of treatments that are available for depression. These can include scientifically-backed medication, psychological therapy, and various forms of self-care.[6]

Medication can be prescribed by a doctor to help stabilise your mood or the imbalances that may be causing your depression symptoms. On the other hand, therapy can help you identify and work through the issues that may be potentiating the effects of depression. 

Last but not least, self-care can involve positive actions and habits such as participating in physical activities, eating a healthy diet, and using relaxation techniques.

Here at Mosh, we know that diving straight into treatment can be quite daunting. As such, we’ll give you comprehensive information and tips for dealing with depression symptoms. Afterwards, if we see that medical treatment is necessary for your situation, we’ll be sure to bring it up as a suggestion. 

Having a deeper grasp of how to deal with depression symptoms, it goes without saying that you’re keen on finding mental health support in Australia. 

One of the best parts about our online telehealth service at Mosh is that every Australian can come to us if they need any assistance answering questions like ‘How to handle depression?’ or ‘How to get through depression?’

With us, you can have a remote consultation with one of our compassionate doctors. On your end, all you need to do is navigate our platform, answer our medical history questionnaire, and then have our team get back to you. 

There’ll be no more answering depression test forms and receiving catch-all advice. Our doctors can give you techniques to help with depression symptoms through private video conferencing, phone calls, or even text messages. We can also prescribe medical treatment to help with the symptoms, but this will only be recommended if absolutely necessary. 

At Mosh, we genuinely care about your well-being and want to teach you how to deal with depression symptoms. We recognise that you may not always have the strength to get up, and that’s why we’ve made it so you won’t have to go out of your way to visit a physical clinic. Simply go through with everything at your own pace, as we’ll be here to guide you through. 

Once you’ve tackled topics like ‘How to know if you have depression?’, you can use some of these methods when it comes to ‘How to deal with depression symptoms?’ 

1. Identify and change negative thinking patterns. With the proper guidance from our Mosh doctors, you can challenge thoughts and beliefs that contribute to depressive feelings. The goal here is to be more mindful of what goes on in your head.[7]
2. Develop healthy coping skills. After your Mosh consultations, you can write down what to do when you’re depressed. By incorporating and applying the advice our doctors give, you can better face the symptoms of depression through the techniques you’ve learned.
3. Participate in activities. As you now know, depression can lead to decreased interest in hobbies you once enjoyed. It’s essential to make an effort to get back on track or re-engage yourself with these activities, even if it may seem difficult at first.[8]

Feel free to use these ways to manage depression symptoms and speak to us whenever you need personalised advice or someone that can listen to you. If prescribed a medical treatment by our team of doctors, you can also be on top of dosages with our convenient subscription service. 

Join the Mosh community whenever you’re ready and receive mental health support regardless of where you are in Australia.