Stress and depression

[threetoedkoala]

Is it true that depression can be caused by stress and in turn it is possible to treat the depression by treating the stress. I was told that it is better sometimes to seek out natural treatmennts for stress instead of medication for depression. Does anyone know if this is true or not?

[shalom]

Its true...

Depression and stress are connected and can be the cause of the other in some cases. I battled with both for a long time and went through many different treatments until finally getting the right advice from a doctor who saw the connection between the two.

Its important as well to remember that with mood disorders in gerenal whether it be stress, depression or anxiety- symptoms are very similar and also shared. Initially when I first received treatment for my depression, stress was viewed as a symptom. It probably had a lot to do with me considering I first sought treatment for the depresion not knowing that it was actually stress causing the problem.

Stress can cause depression, at the very least stress and depression can be connected many times. It is important to investigate all possible treatments and solutions to all symptoms / causes.

[David]

More often than not, we come across situations where people hardly even recognize that they are under stress. They do not realize that it can get serious enough to prevent one from functioning normally - I mean - someone under stress or someone who is anxious cannot eat or sleep well; Work gets affected, relationships suffer and worst of all, the person seems to start perceiving him/herself negatively, as in gradual lowering of self confidence.

So the real issue seems to be - how does one actually realize that he or she is under stress and get treated? I know that there are drugs that are prescribed to relieve stress, but when you hear about all the side effects that you buy with it, it is a really scary situation. Is there a safe alternative? Something that you can use and not worry about developing other serious health-related problems? Shalom, would you share with us, if you can, how you were treated?

Cheers

David

[Kim Wilde]

There are different types of stress. Some stress is good, while some cause major health issues. But understanding your particular type of stress can help find the right method to deal with it.

Major types of stress are Eustress, Hyperstress, Hypostress and Distress
Eustress is the helpful type, encouraging you to face whatever is going to happen. It prepares you to react appropriately to a situation that you know is about to occur. Distress is negative stress where the mind and body suffers from either acute or chronic stress, and becomes uncomfortable with its status – because of constant change in routine. Hyperstress is also negative stress and occurs when you are forced to do more than you can handle. A stressful work situation that might lead to serious emotional and physical problems. Hypostress is the opposite of hyperstress – a result of total boredom with routine and no challenge in life. This leads to restlessness and stress. Stress is normal in life, and it is up to us to keep it under control.

[Leo]

Yes, it’s important to keep stress under control. If it is not relieved, your life just goes down the drain, affecting everyone around you and all your relationships – at home and at work. And stress can affect anyone – be it kids, teenagers or adults. Even animals get stressed out! Women tend to get stressed out more than men. In fact, almost 75 percent of doctors visits are thanks to stress. Stress also contributes to the cause of a majority of illnesses. Our body usually tries to make its own adjustments to handle stress, but if it is unable to control it, stress symptoms develop into physical, physiological and emotional problems, resulting in a not-so-normal life. But how do we find out if we are stressed? Are there any specific symptoms to watch out for?

[Marie]

Oh yes. You could look for signs and symptoms of physical, mental, and emotional stress just like you’ve mentioned in your post. Depending on how stressed you are, many changes occur – your skin could go all clammy and cold, you could develop ulcers, loss of appetite, muscular pains, dry throat – finding it tough to talk, palpitations, chest pain, sudden warmth all over, headaches, cardiac symptoms, breathlessness, shooting up of blood glucose levels, unexplained weight loss, etc. – its an endless list of symptoms – as if your system has lost its balance. Your immune system takes a hit and if you already suffer from asthma, skin irritations, arthritis, lupus, etc, stress will aggravate it further. The commonest are mood swings, anxiety, depression, and loss of concentration on all that you do –in short – something you want to recognize and deal with right away! Hope that helps.

[Jeff]

Managing stress is very important. It helps in balancing all the aspects of your life, including your work, your family relationships, your friends, and also your own physical, intellectual and emotional areas. This will make you appreciate life and consider it a challenge that you can easily handle instead of thinking that it is just a string of irritations that you cant control. Seeing a doctor at the appropriate point of time is important, too, especially if you notice physical symptoms of stress since it can mess up your normal routine.
Even if stress is a part of our lives, prolonged stress just develops into illnesses – so rather than put up with it and let it get worse, get to a doctor and get treated.

[Kim Wilde]

Thats right Jeff. Stress can even lead to high blood pressure and heart disease, sleeplessness and depression. Actually there is no specific diagnostic test for stress, probably because each one of us might react in a different manner. Your doctor will be able to recognize the physical symptoms and will be able to figure out what exactly could be the problem that is causing stress. Suppose you do show physical symptoms, then the doctor can advise medical tests so that various possibilities can be eliminated. You could also try to analyze what is causing stress in your life. Often, lifestyle changes alone can solve a lot of problems. If work is causing you stress try to delegate work, talk to your boss. Exercise regularly and eat a healthy, balanced diet, rich in fruit and vegetables. Most of all, laugh a lot. That really helps.