Depression and Grief

1. Depression and Grief

2. Michigan Merit Curriculum • Strand 4: Social and Emotional Health • 4.2 Describe the warning signs, risk factors, and protective factors for depression and suicide. • 4.3 Identify and locate valid resources in one’s community and on the internet for information and services regarding depression and suicide prevention. • 4.4 Demonstrate how to seek help for self or others when suicide may be a risk.

3. Depression & Suicide • Three dimensions of depression and suicide: • Frequency: how often do you feel down or depressed? Every day? 3x a week? Once a month? All the time? • Severity: How bad is it? Do you feel suicidal? Totally hopeless and stuck in a dark hole? Or just kind of lousy and negative? • Duration: How long does it last? Until you see your partner? Until you go home for the weekend? Just a couple hours? Does it drag on for days, weeks, or even months? Have you felt somewhat depressed your whole life?

4. The American Psychiatric Association uses these symptoms to diagnose Depression: • Deep sadness • Apathy • Fatigue • Agitation • Sleep disturbances • Weight or appetite changes • Lack of concentration • Feelings of worthlessness • Morbid thoughts

5. Different Types of Depression • Minor Depression: a mood disorder accompanied by feelings of hopelessness, sadness, or helplessness. • Diagnosed when 2 to 4 of the symptoms listed are present and last for at least 2 weeks • Minor depression might go away or it may become chronic • Chronic would mean a teen continues to have mild depression

6. Different Types of Depression: • Major Depression (Clinical): This is a serious health problem that affects the total person and prompt, appropriate treatment is necessary. • Remember: it is normal to have some signs of depression some of the time. • But….5 or more of these symptoms that last for more than 2 weeks may indicate clinical depression:

7. Types of Depression: • Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD): usually experienced in the Fall and Winter months, and brought on by insufficient sunlight

8. Types of Depression: Manic-depressive or Bipolar Disorder: • Another type of depression usually experienced by periods of mania, such as intensely high energy followed by periods or depression. • Symptoms include: heightened mood, overconfidence, less need for sleep, unrealistic plans and ideas, irritability and aggressive behavior, racing thoughts and speech, poor judgment, concentration problems, reckless behavior like spending sprees and driving really fast.

9. Clinical Depression - Check the signs you may have: • Can’t communicate your feeling to anyone • Lack of enthusiasm, energy or motivation • Anger & rage • Overreaction to criticism • Feelings of being unable to satisfy ideals • Indecision, lack of concentration or forgetfulness • Restlessness, irritability & agitation • Problems w/ authority • Thoughts of death or suicide • Grades dropping or failing classes • Lack of interest in friends/activities • A persistent sad, anxious or empty mood • Sleeping too little/too much • Feeling guilty, hopeless, or worthless • Reduced appetite & weight loss, or increases appetite & weight gain • Drug & alcohol abuse

10. What causes clinical depression? • All the causes are unknown but there does seem to be biological and emotional factors that may increase the likelihood that an individual may develop a depressive disorder: • Chemical imbalance: some studies show too little or too much or certain brain chemicals in some people • Family history of depression may increase the risk of developing depression. GENETIC PREDISPOSITION • Other factors that can contribute to depression are difficult life events (death, divorce), drug abuse, stress & side effects from some medications.

11. How common is it? • Clinical depression is more than most people think. It will affect more than 19 million Americans this year. • One fourth of all women and one eighth of all men will suffer at least one episode or occurrence of depression during their lifetimes

12. Is it serious? • Depression can be very serious • It has been linked to poor school performance, truancy, alcohol & substance abuse, running away, & feelings of worthlessness & hopelessness • In the last, 25 years the rate of suicide among teens & young adults has increased dramatically • Suicide is often linked to depression

13. Can it be treated? • Yes, depression is treatable. Between 80-90% of people with depression-even the most serious forms can be helped • There are a variety of antidepressant meds and psychotherapy can be used to treat depressive disorders. • The best treatment is a combination of meds to gain relatively quick symptom relief and psychotherapy to learn more effective ways to deal with life’s problems, including depression

14. What is the most important/difficult step toward overcoming depression? • The most important step and sometimes the most difficult step toward overcoming depression is asking for help.

15. The Stages of Grief/Loss • Stage 1: Denial: “oh no, not me” • Denial is a person‘s initial reaction to any loss. • At this stage, a person who has suffered significant loss can’t believe the loss has occurred. • Stage 2: Anger: “Why me?” • A person next moves from denial to anger. During this stage, the person may be critical, demanding, or uncooperative.

16. The Stages of Grief/Loss • Stage 3: Bargaining: As the reality of the loss sets in, the anger begins to subside and is replaced by bargaining. • Person may pray or promise to change if only the lost person/object can be returned, even for awhile. • Stage 4: Depression: • Often marked by silence and withdrawal • Earlier feelings of disbelief, isolation, anger, and rage are replaced with a deep sense of quiet sadness

17. The Stages of Grief/Loss • Stage 5: Acceptance: this is the last stage in dealing with a deep loss • While the depression stage may leave a person feeling helpless, this last stage can involve a sense of power, allowing the person to face reality in constructive ways and make significant and meaningful gestures surrounding the idea of loss