Finding a brighter outlook

Many people suffer from depression every day. For students, college can be a stressful environment, which can bring down your mood. However, while most people go through the occasional bout of feeling down or depressed, depressive disorders are recurring and can be long lasting, emotionally draining or damaging.

Fortunately, there are ways to combat the symptoms of depression, as well as resources available to help treat depression and educate people about the condition.

Feeling sad and having a depressive disorder are different, the institute states. Most will occasionally feel down, but the feeling lasts only a day or two, and is not generally disruptive to everyday life. Depressive disorders are feelings of sadness or mental pain that often linger, interfering with normal day-to-day functions, according to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).

Tim Hagge, a counselor at the Center for Student Health and Counseling (SHAC), said that the first thing to do is get diagnosed. What a lot of people would call depression is simply going through “the quirks that cause our mood to go down,” rather than an actual depressive episode.

Depressive disorders affect 18.8 million people in America aged 18 and older, NIMH’s website states.

The majority of people with symptoms of depression never seek treatment, NIMH states.

“Depression can be a killer,” Hagge said. “It seriously hurts people. Suicide is the second-leading cause of death in college students, and depression is a big cause of that.”

Causes of depression

Causes of depressive disorders can vary based on the individual, but some common causes are genetics, family and social environment, life events and medical conditions.

Depressive disorders are commonly accompanied by other illnesses, such as anxiety disorders or post-traumatic stress disorder. Symptoms of a depressive disorder are opposing behaviors, such as overeating or loss of appetite, restlessness or fatigue, which can include insomnia and feelings of guilt, worthlessness and suicide.

Depressive disorders are seen more in women than in men, who may be susceptible to hormonal, biological, psychological and life cycle changes, according to NIMH.

Get help

Although depression affects a large portion of the population, it is generally treatable with prescription anti-depressants, such as Prozac, Celexa and Zoloft, or through therapy sessions and treatment. Of course medicine is helpful, said Hagge, but it is not the only form of treatment.

The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine also lists St. John’s Wort, a natural herb used in some tea, as useful for helping curb mild to moderate depression.

“I certainly know people that live and die by some supplemental medicines that are very helpful,” Hagge said. “And if they believe it and they believe it, then it’s true. If you’re drinking chamomile every night to help you sleep, it’s going to help you sleep.”

However, St. John’s Wort should not be mixed with anti-depressant prescription drugs-unwanted side effects such as headaches, nausea, confusion and anxiety can result.

Omega-3 fatty acids, which are found in fish oil and certain plants, can also stabilize mood. Over-the-counter fish oil capsules can be purchased at pharmacies, and health food and grocery stores. Eating fish is another way to consume omega-3 fatty acids. The acids can also be found in walnuts, canola and flaxseed oils and soybeans.

However, something to note about alternative forms of treatment, to any illness, is that they are not regulated. The Federal Food and Drug Administration, for the most part, does not test dietary and herbal supplements for purity and safety.

Staying active

Exercise can be really good for someone who is depressed, Hagge said.

“Studies have shown exercise is as effective as medicine,” Hagge said. “Exercise gets your brain to release all kinds of chemicals that are good for your mood.”

Eating healthy foods and maintaining good sleep hygiene on a day-to-day basis should help with depression as well, Hagge said.

Other daily activities, such as reading and writing, are also natural and easy mood-enhancers.

Another way to curb depression is to have regular appointments with a therapist. According to www.kidshealth.org, “talk therapy with a mental health professional is very effective in treating depression. Therapy sessions can help people understand more about why they feel depressed, and ways to combat it.”

“A major depressive episode is bad, bad, bad,” Hagge said. “You can stop depression without medication and without talking, but the two things together are the best bet.”

For more information on depression and how to combat it, visit www.shac.psu.edu or www.nimh.nih.gov.