Betty Ann DerryBerry is a master's level Licensed Professional Counselor, Licensed Chemical Dependency Counslelor and a Master'sLevel LPC. She has practiced for 16 years in Carrollton, TX and is a healthcare provider for many insurance companies. If you'd like an appointment with her, please contact: 972.394.6162.
While putting together this web site, I knew she would be an excellent person to interview about depression, its causes, and how one can pull themselves out of it. She was gracious enough to meet with me for the following interview.
Q: Can you describe what depression is and what some of the symptoms are?
A: There are 2 ways to describe depression: there is situational depression and chemical depression. Chemical depression is considered a medical illness. Situational depression is based on a situation, and medication is not usually required. It can be behaviorally managed and you can pull yourself out of it. Chemical depression develops when the neurotransmitters, for numerous reasons, become imbalanced.
Q: Can you give an example of Situational Depression?
A: Say you have a death in the family or a loss and it's just a temporary situation. Your body chemistry is not ill although you may have a lot of downs and negative thoughts. Chemical depression is where your neurotransmitters are out of balance and it has to be treated with medications and behavioral management.
Q: Is there a way to behaviorally manage chemical depression? Do you have to use medications?
A: It takes much longer to treat depression without medication. Most doctors reconize symptoms of major depression, or chemical depression, and prescribe medication along with lifestyle changes for its treatment. Chemical depression is really difficult to cure unless you heal the body chemistry.
Q: So do you have to take the medication forever?
A: Usually, if you have moderate or severe depression, if you start taking medication and then get off of the medication after six months, you risk relapse. It is recommended to take the medication for at least 9 months or a year to have your own body chemistry heal to healthy levels so it can acclimate with your changed healthier lifestyle.
Q: What kinds of test are there to find out something like this? Is it a blood test?
A: Usually it is a symptoms checklist. Symptoms are: crying, sadness, overwhelmed, future looks bleak or hopeless. It can be extremes in things like: you can't sleep, or too much sleep. People react one way or another. It can be compulsive eating or loss of appetite, changes in weight or changes in appetite. It can be increased activity, or lethargy.
Q: So, at what point do you know it is symptoms of depression and not a change. At what point do you say you need help?
A: I think a person has to realize their life isn't going well or they just can't handle it anymore. And either they're crying at inappropriate times or exploding at inapproporiate times, or they are sleep deprived, they can't sleep, nothing looks good. Maybe they can't think straight, they can't get their work done. Children with depression often start getting poor grades.
Q: So it really has to interrupt their life to be considered something they need to do something about it?
A: All people have symptoms related to mental health issues, but if it is interfering with your life, you need treatment for it.
Q: Are there certain foods or medications that excerbate depression?
A: Caffein and sugar, too much white flour are all supposed to alter the neurtransmitters. Alcohol is a depressant because it alters your neurotransmitters. You really need to identify with your body what foods don't work for you. Sometimes high fat foods just make you dull and it's like you have a teflon coating on your brain cells. Eating healthy, limiting caffein and alcohol is a recommended lifestyle for all health issues.
Q: Are there other illnesses for which depression is a side effect?
A: Anytime you are ill or have surgery or major life changes or hormone changes, there is a high probabilty you might experience depression. It sets up a kind of trauma in your body chemistry which may create some depression. So it is important you take care of yourself after surgery or physical illness. Major illness is one of the major reasons of depression.
Q: It seems that women experience depression more often than men. Is that because men are less likely to go to the doctor to be treated for depression? Or are women more physically prone to it?
A: My theory is that women have more hormonal fluctuations. Hormones are part of the complex part of the neurotransmitter system, and I think this contributes to a higher percentage of women suffering from depression.
Q: For me, depression was a gradual thing. It was a slow long spiral. Is that common for most other people? Or is it more of a situational thing for most people?
A: I think you don't really notice chemical changes in your body, it happens gradually. And you don't notice it until you are often at the chemical level of depression, until you are out of control, you can't get anything done, you can't sleep, you are irritible, and probably have relationship problems. So it's a gradual change in your body chemistry which increases because your lifestyle becomes controlled by your depressive symptoms.
Q: How does depression physically affect the body over the long term? Or does it?
A: It increases the stress on your body which in turn affects all the major organs. The stress can end up causing Temporomandibular joint disorders, Irritible Bowel Syndrome, migraines, stress on the heart, Fibromalgia, joint problems, obesity and many other complications.
A: So depression is something you would recommend people treat if they think they might have it?
Q: It is a necessity, or they will end up with other more serious physical illnesses. But often people don't get treatment because they don't know what is going on until their life is in crisis or they have difficulty making it through each day.
Q: I've heard that some people will 'self medicate' with alcohol to deal with depression? Why would they do that?
A: It numbs you out. It gives you an initial high. But the next day you feel more depressed. Since you are more depressed, you 'need' another drink, so you take more alcohol to numb you out. It is a vicious cycle which further advances the neurotransmitter chemical disturbance.
Q: If you believe you have depression, who do you recommend you should go to if you think you might have depression.
A: If you have feelings of suicide or you feel you want to harm others, always call 911 to get immediate help. If you are not that severe, many times you can contact your insurance company and they can connect you to a therapist or psychiatrist that is covered by your insurance. Often your job might have an employee assistance program which can also help you find someone to talk to and get your needs evaluated.
Or, go see your primary care physician. In the past, primary care physicians just gave you medications and that was it, but they have gotten much better about helping you find a therapist to talk to and teach you how to modify your lifestyle to alleviate depression.
Q: If you are on medication and you want to stop taking it, at what point can you decide to stop taking it?
A: You need to be medically supervised. A doctor will gradually decrease the dosage. As you decrease the dosage, you'll find you must work harder on lifestyle changes, it will be very important. By the time the doctor weans you off, you should have been doing the behaviorial changes long enough that they are second nature. So, contrary to popular belief, you don't have to be on medications forever.
Q: What do you mean by behaviorial management of depression?
A: There's two things I recommend the most: some form of exercise to stimulate the natural antidepressants, the endorphins which are anti-anxiety and anti-depressant, and change negative thinking patterns to positive ones. For example, just becoming aware of the negative thinking you are doing, either self-critism or critism of others, and of negative expectations. A therapist can help you learn tools for mental management.
I also tell people to recognize what depression makes them not want to do: if depression makes them not want to go anywhere, I tell them to make themselves go somewhere. If it makes them want to go back to bed, then they can't just go back to bed, they have to do something. If it makes them not want to do a project, they have to do a project. If it makes them not want to eat, then they have to have a healthy diet. Restricting oneself from "anti-depressing behaviors" is feeling free of depression. It's very relieving.
Q: How can someone find out what these bad patterns are? Would keeping a journal help?
A: Yes. Keeping a log of what makes them feel good and what makes them not feel good helps a lot. Also, just keeping a regular schedule and documenting what works and what doesn't work and how they spend their time helps identify bad patterns. Also, they need to keep documenting what they are feeling on a daily basis. Also, there are tools to begin to change their thinking patterns to be more positive.
Q: Such as?
A: Well, instead of erasing a negative thought, you need to replace it with a more positive one. It can be as simple as a list of putting down ten things you are grateful for, or looking at a negative situation you are dealing with and trying to think of the good that can come from it. Reading spiritual things that are positive. Talking to someone else about it to get understanding. Or go out and have fun.
Popularity: 10% [?]
