According to the Australian Department of Health, depression is a group of illnesses characterised by excessive or long-term depressed mood and loss of interest in activities that used to be enjoyable.
For those of you who are wondering whether you are suffering from depression, John H. Greist, James W. Jefferson had a clear definition about depression in their book called “Depression and Its Treatment.”
Depression that requires treatment affects mood or “spirits”, thinking (cognition), bodily functions and behaviours.
Mood: Almost always experienced as sad, blue, worried , depressed or one may lose interest or pleasure in most activities
Thinking: Often takes the form of negative thoughts about oneself and poor concentration, poor memory and difficulty making decisions
Bodily functions: Patients commonly experience appetite disturbance, sleep disturbance, fatigue, decreased energy, lessening interest in usual activities, gastrointestinal symptoms(dry mouth, nausea, constipation, diarrhoea) and pain
Behaviours: Sad expression, stooped posture, slowed-down of agitated movements, inability to perform daily activities(dressing, eating, washing or working)
So you think you may be suffering from Depression?
You need to know that you are not alone.
Almost half of Australian population (45%) aged 16-85 experience a mental illness in their lifetime and one in seven Australians would experience depression during their lives. Also more than 300 million people of all ages around the world live with depression.
Even celebrities like Lady Gaga, Jim Carrey and J.K. Rowling and historical Figures like Abraham Lincoln, Ernest Hemingway, Winston Churchill and psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud suffered from depression in their lives.
So what can be done about it?
Even though recovering from depression is not easy , it is a treatable illness, and the earlier the treatment takes place, the more effective it is according to the National Institute of Mental Health.
The National Mental Health Association says that more than 80% of people who get treatment say it helps. If you think you may be suffering from depression, you need to seek help from health care provider to receive proper support. There are various ways of treating depression that can assist with your condition.
You deserve to feel good again.
It is essential that you and your health care provider work together.
If your current treatment doesn’t let you feel good again, you need to make sure that everything is being done to improve your condition overall, not just controlling the depressed mood. Talk to you doctor about alternative therapies and more natural ways to get better. You deserve to feel good because what matters the most is you.
Chinese Medicine and Depression
A 2013 study published in the journal Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine has shown that acupuncture has clinical efficacy on various autonomic nerve-related disorders including mental illness.
Chinese Medicine(CM) believes that the body, mind and spirit cannot be separated and the emotional and physical body should be treated at the same time for the best results in mental health treatment. At Healing Tree Clinic, we listen to all concerns and aim to balance your emotional and physical condition to go back to good quality of life using combined method of acupuncture, herbal medicine, diet advice, exercise, Qigong, breathing exercise and EFT therapy.
If you want to experience the difference
Book with us at Healing Tree to discuss what we could help best with your condition.