Depression, Anxiety, Self Harm, Suicide

Sadness and depression can be painful and exhausting. Most people are familiar with depression, either within themselves or in people around them. Depression may be caused by particular events, like breakups or family problems. Or there may be no specific reason for feeling sad. Remember there is no shame in your sadness.

Facing your depression, knowing you will live through it, coming up with some coping mechanisms, and reaching out for support are all ways of helping yourself or a friend through these low times. If you have noticed changes in your eating or sleeping patterns, or you find yourself turning to self destructive behavior, and or you have comtemplated suicide or self harm, get help. Tell a friend, teacher, parent, or trusted adult that you need some help. You are not alone, and you deserve to be happy. Pain is apart of the human condition but you do not have to carry this pain all on your own. You are incredibly loved, and the people around you want to help you feel better. One of the truly bravest things you will ever do is ask for HELP.

Breathe sweet flower, you will get through this.

You are not your sadness, you are not your depression.

Helpful exercise

Suicide

Suicide is confusing, painful and horrorible. It not only has a resounding effect on the person who has killed themselves but it also deeply hurts the people surrounding them. Sometimes things feel hopeless, scary, lonely and broken, but a permanent step like suicide is never the solution If you are ever feeling suicidal you MUST talk to somebody. Telling somebody what is going on can be incredibly helpful and lift a weight off your shoulders. If you have a friend or family member who talks to you about feeling suicidal take it seriously, it is a cry for help. if your friend refuses to get help tell an adult or trusted person and let them take control of the situation. Signs somebody is seriously comtemplating suicide include a preoccupation with death, giving away valued possessions, a plan for how they want to kill themselves, gathering pills or weapons, a history of self harm, and an inexplicable sense of calm after a long stretch of depression.

Teenagers experience strong feelings of stress, confusion, self-doubt, pressure to succeed, financial uncertainty, and other fears while growing up. For some teenagers, divorce, the formation of a new family with step-parents and step-siblings, or moving to a new community can be very unsettling and can intensify self-doubts. For some teens, suicide may appear to be a solution to their problems and stress. If a child or adolescent says, I want to kill myself, or I'm going to commit suicide, always take the statement seriously and immediately seek assistance from a qualified mental health professional. People often feel uncomfortable talking about death. However, asking the child or adolescent whether he or she is depressed or thinking about suicide can be helpful. Suicide rates differ between boys and girls. Girls think about and attempt suicide about twice as often as boys, and tend to attempt suicide by overdosing on drugs or cutting themselves. Yet boys die by suicide about four times as often girls, perhaps because they tend to use more lethal methods, such as firearms, hanging, or jumping from heights.

Which Teens Are at Risk for Suicide?

It can be hard to remember how it felt to be a teen, caught in that gray area between childhood and adulthood. Sure, it's a time of tremendous possibility, but it also can be a period of stress and worry. There's pressure to fit in socially, to perform academically, and to act responsibly.

Adolescence is also a time of sexual identity and relationships and a need for independence that often conflicts with the rules and expectations set by others.

Young people with mental health problems — such as anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, or insomnia — are at higher risk for suicidal thoughts. Teens going through major life changes (parents' divorce, moving, a parent leaving home due to military service or parental separation, financial changes) and those who are victims of bullying are at greater risk of suicidal thoughts.

Factors that increase the risk of suicide among teens include:

a psychological disorder, especially depression, bipolar disorder, and alcohol and drug use (in fact, about 95% of people who die by suicide have a psychological disorder at the time of death)
feelings of distress, irritability, or agitation
feelings of hopelessness and worthlessness that often accompany depression
a previous suicide attempt
a family history of depression or suicide
emotional, physical, or sexual abuse
lack of a support network, poor relationships with parents or peers, and feelings of social isolation
dealing with bisexuality or homosexuality in an unsupportive family or community or hostile school environment

The science of depression

Scientists have found that the hypocampus inside the brains of people prone to depression is significantly smaller than people who are not prone to depression. The hypocampus controlls memory and emotion. The longer a person has been depressed the smaller the hypocampus becomes. This is caused by the deteriation of the cells and networks within this part of the brain. Studies have known that depression can run in a persons genes. This is caused by a variation in the serotonin transporter gene which can leave individuals more vulunarable to depression. In every brain there are two copies of the gene, one from each parent. Some of these genes are short and some are long. Scientists have found that 33% of people with one long and one short gene developed depression after stressful life events, and people eith two short genes were 67% more likely to develope depression after stressful events. The true cause or causes of depression have yet to be pinned down yet, and there is a HUGE list of other variables that studies suggest may come into play here, it is important to understand that depression is a disease with a biological basis, along with social and psychological implications. It is not simply a weekness that somebody can "get over" or even something that we have a say in...

Things people with depression wish you knew

"I'm not feeling sorry for myself"

"Depression is not a choice"

"It is a complex medical disorder"

"It feels like there is a cloud following me everywhere I go."

" I take medication to balance the chemicals in my brain, not for fun."

" It is not just a phase."

" Just because I'm depressed it doesn't mean I'm depressing."

" I'm trying my hardest."

"I do not want to feel ashamed of my depression, it does not define me."

"I'm a real person with real value."

"I'm not broken because I'm depressed, I don't need you to fix me."

"Depression is not trendy, beautiful or interesting."

" I want to talk to you about my depression the same way you talk to me about your flu."

" Sometimes just knowing I have somebody to talk to makes all the difference."

6 big signs of depression

Hopelessness or constant pessimism
Restlessness or irritability
Losing intrest of pleasure in activities that you used to enjoy.
Over eating ot loss of appetite
Suicidal Ideation or suicide attempts
Psysical pain, sickness, headache, joint soreness

In order to deal with depression and cope with your condition effectively, you first have to understand what causes depression. It may seem as if your depression is created by their being something factually wrong with you or your life, but that’s actually not true. If it was, then you would be forced to be dealing with depression in every moment that the facts were the same.

But, that’s not the case. While your job, house, appearance, personality remain the same, you stop feeling depressed in any moment that you are distracted from your thoughts. That means that depression is created by thoughts not by facts. That means your feelings aren’t created by anything being wrong with you.

How to deal with depression, and cope with your condition? Recognize that who you are is not a depressed person. You are there, and feelings come and go. Sometimes sadness is here, sometimes joy, sometimes hopelessness. None of those feelings are who you are. They are a feeling in a moment.

How to deal with depression, and cope with your condition? Find what thoughts are creating your feelings of depression. In dealing with depression, any time you have the unwanted feelings of depression, it is because there are thoughts or stories that are being played in your mind. If you want to lose your depression, you first have to identify what specific stories or thoughts are going on that are creating the depression. Write these thoughts or stories down on paper.

Investigate the validity of the thoughts that are going on in your mind. If a thought says “I am worthless” or “I am a failure” question that assumption. Ask yourself “Can I think of any reasons, evidence, or examples as to why the opposite might be true?” Don’t try to convince yourself that you’re great. Try to ask questions that enable you to discover that your original negative assumptions about yourself and your life might not be true or valid.

Escape From Anxiety & Depression - Binaural Beats Session - By Thomas Hall

Risky Behavior

Risky behavior is not always self-destructive. Sometimes, doing things you might normally be afraid of can be a way to stretch your limits and explore your possibilities. You can get a natural high from pushing your boundaries. However, doing things that may have serious and dangerous consequences- drugs and alcohol use, reckless driving, risky or unprotected sex, skipping school, shoplifting- these can all be destructive to you now and in the future. Peer pressure, feeling invincibile, searching for an adrenaline rush, amoung other things, may make it difficult to think clearly about the consequences in the moment. Unfortunately, one risky act can totally change your life. If you notice yourself engaging in self-destructive behavior, try and understand why you are doing it and think hard about the real consequences these actions can have.

Self- mutilation

Self-mutilation is anything that involves the deliberate, repetitive, impulsive, nonlethal harming of yourself can be characterized as self-mutilation.

Some common behaviors are

Obsessive face picking

obsessively pulling out head and body hairs- a condition known as trichotillomania

carving words or pictures into your body

using razors, knives, paper clips, bobby pins, pens, scissors, combs, pieces of glass or fingernails,

compulsive cutting

The key to understanding self-mutilation is to understand its cause. What is behind the anxiety, anger, depression? Why do you want to harm your body? Is self inflicted pain the only way you feel you can cope with these emotions? Some self-abuse is linked to alcohol or drug abuse, psysica or sexual abuse, or an eating disorder. Many people who self-harm suffer from something called dissociation- an altered state of consciousness, a feeling of being outside of your body, of being unreal. It can be a way of "leaving" an unbearable situation, at least psychologically. This is a numbing defense common within victims of trauma, including sexual abuse. Sadly, what may seem to work to cope with pain or stress during a trumatic event can become a hibitual response to stress. Some people end up cutting themselves in order to feel something, just to know they're still alive. Other cutters may be using self-harm for different purposes- injuring themselves to vent or release angry feelings, or wanting to make a psysical manifestation of their pain for others to see. There is evidence that when faced with intense emotions or trumatic situations, self-injuries are overwhelmed and unable to cope. Instead of acting out, they act in. They choose to harm themselves because it brings them a release from tension and anxiety and quickly calms their body. The self-harmer may feel guilty afterward. Sometimes self-harm is a way of punishing oneself for being "bad." It may also be an attempt to escape from emptiness or depression or an effort to regain control of one's life- although in reality the self- harm can make an indivdual lose control of their self-abuse, which can become a habit that the person can not stop.

Myths and facts about cutting and self-harm

Because cutting and other means of self-harm tend to be taboo subjects, the people around you—and possibly even you—may harbor serious misunderstandings about your motivations and state of mind. Don’t let these myths get in the way of getting help or helping someone you care about.

Myth: People who cut and self-injure are trying to get attention.
Fact: The painful truth is that people who self-harm generally harm themselves in secret. They aren’t trying to manipulate others or draw attention to themselves. In fact, shame and fear can make it very difficult to come forward and ask for help.

Myth: People who self-injure are crazy and/or dangerous.
Fact: It is true that many people who self-harm suffer from anxiety, depression, or a previous trauma—just like millions of others in the general population, but that doesn’t make them crazy or dangerous. Self-injury is how they cope. Sticking a label like “crazy” or “dangerous” on a person isn’t accurate or helpful.

Myth: People who self-injure want to die.
Fact: People who self-injure usually do not want to die. When they self-harm, they are not trying to kill themselves—they are trying to cope with their problems and pain. In fact, self-injury may be a way of helping themselves go on living. However, in the long-term, people who self-injure have a much higher risk of suicide, which is why it’s so important to seek help.

Myth: If the wounds aren’t bad, it’s not that serious.
Fact: The severity of a person’s wounds has very little to do with how much he or she may be suffering. Don’t assume that because the wounds or injuries are minor, there’s nothing to worry about.

Anxiety

Natural anxiety remedies

Depression

Three types of depression

Major depression, persistent depressive disorder, and bipolar disorder

Major depression

If you experience at least five or more of these symptoms over a two-week period you may be experiencing a major depressive episode.

A major depressive episode may include these symptoms:

Persistent sad, anxious or "empty" mood
Feelings of hopelessness, pessimism
Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, helplessness
Loss of interest or pleasure in hobbies and activities, including sex
Decreased energy, fatigue, feeling "slowed down"
Difficulty concentrating, remembering, making decisions
Insomnia, early-morning awakening, or oversleeping
Low appetite and weight loss or overeating and weight gain
Thoughts of death or suicide, suicide attempts
Restlessness, irritability
Persistent physical symptoms that do not respond to treatment, such as headaches, digestive disorders and pain for which no other cause can be diagnosed.

These episodes can be disabling, and interfere with your life. Major depressive episodes may occur once or twice in a lifetime, or they may recur frequently. Some people with major depression may feel that life is not worth living and some will attempt suicide.

Persistent depressive disorder, or PDD,

PDD is a form of depression that can continue for 2 years, it is less severe than major depression but can still be extremely painful and hard to deal with. It involves the same symptoms as major depression, mainly low energy, poor appetite or overeating, and insomnia or oversleeping. It can manifest as stress, irritability, and mild anhedonia, which is the inability to derive pleasure from most activities.

Persistent sad, anxious or "empty" mood
Feelings of hopelessness, pessimism
Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, helplessness
Loss of interest or pleasure in hobbies and activities, including sex
Decreased energy, fatigue, feeling "slowed down"
Difficulty concentrating, remembering, making decisions
Insomnia, early-morning awakening, or oversleeping
Low appetite and weight loss or overeating and weight gain
Thoughts of death or suicide, suicide attempts
Restlessness, irritability
Persistent physical symptoms that do not respond to treatment, such as headaches, digestive disorders and pain for which no other cause can be diagnosed.

Bipolar disorder

Once called manic-depression, is characterized by a mood cycle that shifts from severe highs (mania) or mild highs (hypomania) to severe lows (depression)

When an individual is experiencing a manic phase, they may experience abnormal or excessive elation, irritability, a decreased need for sleep, grandiose notions, increased talking, racing thoughts, increased sexual desire, markedly increased energy, poor judgment, and inappropriate social behavior.

When this individual is experiencing a manic depressive phase a person experiences the same symptoms as would a sufferer of major depression. Mood swings from manic to depressive are often gradual, although occasionally they can occur abruptly.

Persistent sad, anxious or "empty" mood
Feelings of hopelessness, pessimism
Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, helplessness
Loss of interest or pleasure in hobbies and activities, including sex
Decreased energy, fatigue, feeling "slowed down"
Difficulty concentrating, remembering, making decisions
Insomnia, early-morning awakening, or oversleeping
Low appetite and weight loss or overeating and weight gain
Thoughts of death or suicide, suicide attempts
Restlessness, irritability
Persistent physical symptoms that do not respond to treatment, such as headaches, digestive disorders and pain for which no other cause can be diagnosed.

As human beings it is normal to feel anxious or depressed sometimes. Life happens and it can be painful sometimes, that is totally okay these feelings are normal and healthy reactions to life stressors. Unfortunately some people experience these feelings on a daily basis for no apparent reason, this can make life feel unbearable and really overwhelming, it can make it hard to carry on with normal, everyday functioning. People who experience these everyday emotions may be suffering from an anxiety disorder, depression, or both. It is not uncommon for someone with an anxiety disorder to also suffer from depression or vice versa. Nearly one-half of those diagnosed with depression are also diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. There is no shame in seeking treatment or support for asking for some help. Both of these disorders are treatable!

Depression is a REAL and treatable brain illness. Depression can be brought on by any number of life events, stress, or changes in your body’s chemicals that affect your thoughts and moods. Depression can run in families. Maybe you haven’t realized that you have depression and have been blaming yourself for being negative. Remember that depression is not your fault, seek the help you need. You do not have to stay stuck within this sadness.

Anxiety and Depression

There are ways you can feel better

Effective treatments for depression include talk therapy or a combination of talk therapy and medicine.

How to cope with suicidal thoughts

Promise yourself not to do anything RIGHT now

I know you are in a lot of pain right now, you feel like there is no way out. Try and give yourself some space between your thoughts and your actions. Make a promise to yourself: "I will wait 24 hours and won't do anything drastic during that time." Or, wait a week. Make the distinguished choice to understand that your thoughts and actions are completely different things. Your suicidal thoughts do NOT have to become reality.

Try and avoid drugs and alcohol

It can feel like drugs and alcohol can help you escape from this pain, that it can numb you out. In reality, suicidal thoughts can become even stronger if you have taken drugs or alcohol.

Try and create a safe and harmless space for yourself

If it is possible try and remove items in your home or bedroom you can use to hurt yourself such as pills, knives, razors, or firearms. If you are unable to do so, go to a place where you can feel safe.

Remember people DO get through this

You are not alone, and you are not the only person who has felt this pain. There is a very good chance that you are going to live through these feelings, no matter how much self-loathing, hopelessness, or isolation you are currently experiencing. Just give yourself the time needed and don’t try to go it alone. It is really important to reach out and tell somebody how you are feeling. People can help, you will survive.

Making the choice to tell somebody how you are feeling is a HUGE first step. You are so brave. Admitting to yourself that you may need some support is really the hardest step.

Even when you’ve decided who you can trust to talk to, admitting your suicidal thoughts to another person can be difficult. Below are some ways you can tell somebody about what's really been going on:

Tell the person exactly what you are telling yourself. If you have a suicide plan, explain it to them.

Phrases such as, ‘I can't take it anymore’ or ‘I’m done’ are vague and do not illustrate how serious things really are. Tell the person you trust that you are thinking about suicide.
If it is too difficult for you to talk about, try writing it down and handing a note to the person you trust. Or send them an email or text and sit with them while they read it.

How can I talk to somebody about my suicidal thoughts?

Instructions For A Bad Day by Shane Koyczan

You are loved unconditionally

Anxiety is our bodies natural response to danger. In our primal stage we would go into a response called “fight or flight” it was how we survived. When we are feeling anxious an automatic alarm goes off due to feeling threatened, being under pressure, or are facing a stressful situation. Like everything anxiety in moderation is actually not a bad thing. It can help us stay alert, focused, and motivated to solve problems. However, anxiety crosses the line from being normal to being in the territory of anxiety disorder when it interferes with your relationships and activities, and hurts you in your everyday life.

Check some symptoms of an anxiety disorder below:

If you identify with several of the following signs and symptoms, and they just won’t go away, you may be suffering from an anxiety disorder:

Are you constantly tense, worried, or on edge?
Does your anxiety interfere with your work, school, or family responsibilities?
Are you plagued by fears that you know are irrational, but can’t shake?
Do you believe that something bad will happen if certain things aren’t done a certain way?
Do you avoid everyday situations or activities because they cause you anxiety?
Do you experience sudden, unexpected attacks of heart-pounding panic?
Do you feel like danger and catastrophe are around every corner?

Emotional symptoms of anxiety

In addition to the primary symptoms of irrational and excessive fear and worry, other common emotional symptoms of anxiety include:

Feelings of apprehension or dread
Trouble concentrating
Feeling tense and jumpy
Anticipating the worst
Irritability
Restlessness
Watching for signs of danger
Feeling like your mind’s gone blank

Physical symptoms of anxiety

Anxiety is more than just a feeling. As a product of the body’s fight-or-flight response, anxiety involves a wide range of physical symptoms. Because of the numerous physical symptoms, anxiety sufferers often mistake their disorder for a medical illness. They may visit many doctors and make numerous trips to the hospital before their anxiety disorder is discovered.

Common physical symptoms of anxiety include:

Pounding heart
Sweating
Stomach upset or dizziness
Frequent urination or diarrhea
Shortness of breath
Tremors and twitches
Muscle tension
Headaches
Fatigue
Insomnia

Try and drink atleast 2-3 cups of chamomile tea per day when you're feeling anxious.

Chamomile contains two chemicals that promote relaxation, apigenin and luteolin

Try to get between 1 and 3 grams of omega-3s a day.

There is some evidence that omega-3 fatty acids may ease anxiety symptoms and lift your mood by lowering levels of stress chemicals such as adrenaline and cortisol in the body.

Breathe in lavender

study found that people who received a massage with lavender oil were more upbeat and had less anxiety than people who had a lavender-free massage. Another found lavender massage can even lower systolic pressure the top blood pressure number that’s associated with stress

Add L-lysine to your diet.

Try to get outside in natural sunlight for 15 minutes a day.

Studies show 21 minutes is all it takes for exercise to reliably reduce symptoms of anxiety.

Take a hot bath with Epsom salts

Cut out (or down) caffeine.

Examine your diet:

Caffeine, alcohol, and added sugars, which have all been shown to increase anxiety.