Like any disorder or sickness, a depression feels different to everyone.<\/p>\n

But the following symptoms can be signs of a depression \u2013 especially when they prevail for more than 2 weeks:<\/p>\n\n

\n \t
• \n
  \n \t
  • A gloomy mood, a permanent sadness, or even the feeling of not feeling anything \u2013 perhaps without a specific reason<\/li>\n \t
  • A lack of interest for things that are normally important to you or the person you are concerned about \u2013 hobbies, friends, favourite music<\/li>\n \t
  • A lack of energy or constant tiredness that make basic daily activities difficult to manage<\/li>\n \t
  • Problems to concentrate<\/li>\n \t
  • Being overwhelmed with things that are normally not much of a problem \u2013 be it tasks or social contacts; maybe going so far that one becomes anxious about these situations, or of the future in general<\/li>\n \t
  • The feeling of being without worth or use to anyone<\/li>\n \t
  • A lack of self confidence in general, but especially in areas where one would normally feel very secure, or even draw confidence from<\/li>\n \t
  • A lack of appetite<\/li>\n \t
  • Problems related to sleep \u2013 either not being able to fall asleep, or problems to sleep through<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    By the way, there are people who suffer from a depression who feel strong mood swings. This means there might be times where they seem \u201cas always\u201d and feel perfectly fine. Furthermore, it is quite common to, for example, feel better in the evenings. However, these mood swings do not make the bad phases any better or less intense.<\/p>\n

    Not everyone who experiences one or more of these symptoms is automatically depressed; and, as you can see, the symptoms vary drastically. \nBut: it is important to keep an eye on the mental wellbeing of you, your friends, and your family \u2013 observe and recognize unusual changes in mood and behaviour and take changes which seem to last seriously. Talking about your feelings and trying to help is always better than looking away. Being tired, sad, or without appetite is never pleasant \u2013 whether this is due to a mental disorder or not. But there are ways to deal with these feelings.<\/p>\n

    Pay attention to the following symptoms in yourself or someone close, take them seriously and act immediately:<\/p>\n\n

    \n \t
    • \n
      \n \t
      • Distance from daily life and emotions, maybe a lack of energy to leave bed at all, or to manage daily life<\/li>\n \t
      • Strong feelings of guilt or maybe even self-loathing<\/li>\n \t
      • Recurring thoughts and talks about death and suicide<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/p><\/div>\n <\/div>
        \n

        <\/i><\/span><\/i><\/span>Where does a depression come from?<\/span><\/i><\/div>

        A depression is a psychological \u2013 which means mental \u2013 illness. But it affects the body too, or, more specifically:\u00a0<\/em>the brain<\/p>\n

        Just what happens in the brain you'll get to read very soon!<\/span><\/p>\n

        Just as with bodily diseases, the affected person can\u2019t really influence whether she or he will \u201cget sick\u201d, and how she or he will cope with the new situation.\nOftentimes, either a traumatic event or just a very difficult phase of life is the initial cause to a depression.\nA lot of stress is also a very common cause for a depression \u2013 especially when it is constant, and one does not feel any relief or knows how to cope with it. Some people suffer from a depression without a specific cause \u2013 sometimes it seems to happen \u201cjust like that\u201d. In the end, all of us can do better to care about our own and other\u2019s mental health; and all of us can improve in talking about mental health.<\/p><\/p><\/div>\n <\/div>

        \n

        <\/i><\/span><\/i><\/span>What happens during a depression?<\/span><\/i><\/div>

        Our perception and interpretation of the world around us is highly influenced by the communication between cells within our brain. For this communication, nature has developed so called neurotransmitters: chemicals that bridge the signals coming from one cell and going to another. During a depression, neurobiological changes happen in the brain that make this communication work differently, or malfunction. This has the direct effect of turning the affected persons\u00b4 emotional world upside down, and they perceive the world differently. An affected person feels an immense inner chaos that overwhelms her or him. Of course, this affects their reactions to the outer world and the people close to them: they might be very distanced or rejecting, have no patience, or seem constantly sad and unhappy.<\/p>

        Mithilfe einer professionellen Therapie kann ein richtiger Umgang mit den Symptomen erlernt oder mithilfe von Medikamenten die Funktionen im K\u00f6rper und Gehirn unterst\u00fctzt werden. Trotzdem gibt es unterschiedliche Formen der Depression, die sich besonders in ihrem Verlauf<\/p>

        unterscheiden:<\/p>

        1. 1. The depression appears just once, and the affected person will be free of it after therapy
              <\/li>
           2. After the depression was treated in therapy, it is weaker but never truly gone
              <\/li>
           3. The depression comes back just as strongly as the first time after therapy
              <\/li>
           4. The person is always slightly depressed but does not suffer from a full-blown depression
              <\/li>
           5. The person is always slightly depressed and experiences a depression \u2013 therapy will bring back the earlier permanent state of slight depression
              <\/li>
           6. A chronic depression that never goes away
              <\/li><\/ol><\/li><\/ol>

              Understanding the different routes a depression can take might help to understand one\u2019s own situation and needs in order to find the most suitable therapy. In any case, it is important to see a depression as similar to any other illness. This means it needs time, patience, and support \u2013 and fall backs are just as much part of it as any little achievement.<\/p><\/p><\/div>\n <\/div>

              \n

              <\/i><\/span><\/i><\/span>Depressions and help<\/span><\/i><\/div>

              It can very well happen that a person suffering from a depression starts to draw away from the people close to her or him. The affected person might want to be left alone \u2013 or she or he fears to not be accepted any longer due to their issues and their seemingly chaotic feelings. That\u2019s why it is important to not put any extra pressure on someone with a depression; nor to try to make their fears seem small. What actually helps are people who listen \u2013 be it friends, family or any other close ones \u2013 who are there for them and who encourage and assist them to maybe get the help they need from a professional therapist.<\/p>\n

              Do you need help with the first step? Whether you are affected yourself and need to entrust your feelings to someone, or if you want to help a friend or a family member: here<\/a><\/span><\/span> you will find tips on how to start a conversation about these difficult topics.<\/p>\n

              And then: Therapy? \nHow a therapy looks like, how much time it needs, and what it does to help you or the person you are concerned about you will find \n here<\/span><\/a><\/p><\/p><\/div>\n <\/div>

              \n

              <\/i><\/span><\/i><\/span>Who can I talk to?<\/span><\/i><\/div>

              You have decided to seek help for yourself or someone close, and you ask yourself where to find support? Firstly: You should know that there are many different points of possible contact and various professionals to work with. It is important to first find out which path individually suits best.<\/p>

              \u00a0<\/p>

              This is why a good first step is to talk to your general practitioner. As with a therapist, because of the pledge of secrecy, everything you tell them remains confidential and will not leave the room you are in. Of course, you may also bring a friend of a family member.<\/p>

              \u00a0<\/p>

              It is also possible to turn directly to a psychotherapist. Here<\/a> you get tips on how to get an appointment.<\/span><\/p><\/div>

              You want an impression of which contact points are the right ones for you or the person close to you? Here<\/a> we explain, which professionals are best suited for which specific problem.<\/span><\/p><\/div>

              If you need further support on your way toward therapy, or if you want to keep anonymous while first talking to someone, here<\/a> you will find links for points of contact in your area and trustworthy people to talk to.<\/span><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/p><\/div>\n <\/div><\/div>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

              Es gibt diese Tage, an denen man nicht aus dem Bett m\u00f6chte, zu nichts motiviert ist und sich traurig oder \u00fcberfordert f\u00fchlt \u2013 dieses Gef\u00fchl kennst du wahrscheinlich auch. Wenn dieser Zustand aber zum Dauerzustand wird und den Alltag pr\u00e4gt, ist es wichtig, nach der Ursache und einer L\u00f6sung zu suchen…<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3293,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/normaleralsdudenkst.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/386"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/normaleralsdudenkst.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/normaleralsdudenkst.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/normaleralsdudenkst.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/normaleralsdudenkst.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=386"}],"version-history":[{"count":349,"href":"https:\/\/normaleralsdudenkst.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/386\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7262,"href":"https:\/\/normaleralsdudenkst.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/386\/revisions\/7262"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/normaleralsdudenkst.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3293"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/normaleralsdudenkst.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=386"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/normaleralsdudenkst.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=386"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/normaleralsdudenkst.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=386"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}