From George Parker’s e-book,

The Meaning of Depression

(click here to download the free PDF booklet)

It’s Not Imaginary

Please, do not tell me to snap out of it.

I cannot make my depression go away any more than you could un-burn your scalded arm or turn back the sands of time. Telling me to snap out of it only emphasises my sense of inadequacy, making me feel like a failure, tightening the knot of my feelings of hopelessness. Depression is an involuntary process that is beyond my control.

Depression is physical, affecting not only the mind but also the body. Willing physical pain to stop is a set-up for failure, and attempts to work through the pain can lead to exacerbation of the injury.

Would you tell someone to snap out of these symptoms of depression?

• Headaches and migraines are quite common among people who are suffering from depression, and pre-existing ones can make existing ones worse. Scientists have found that a depressed person is three times more likely to suffer from migraines, and that a person with migraine headaches is five times more likely to become depressed. For more information on headaches, see my Naturopathy & the Headache of Modern Life.
• Depression frequently worsens existing back pain. It is also four times more likely to develop after the onset of depression, according to researchers.
• Reports suggest that a relationship exists between depression and joint and muscle pain. Depression makes these aches worse too. Conversely, researchers have observed instances where arthritic-type conditions improved following treatment with anti-depression medication.
• Pain in the chest can indicate serious heart problems and should be investigated right away. It can also be a symptom of depression—in fact, researchers have found that chest pain not related to cardiac issues is most likely to be a consequence of depression.
• Depression can lead to digestive problems that include chronic constipation, diarrhoea, nausea and queasiness. Sixty percent of people with irritable bowl syndrome also have a psychological disorder, and this complaint is most likely to be depression. For more information on this, see my e-book, More Than Just a ‘Gut Feeling’: What Gastrointestinal Health Means for Your Brain.
• No matter how long they sleep, depressed people often still feel tired and even sometimes exhausted. Fatigue and depression form a vicious cycle in which one sets off the other. Scientists have established that fatigued people are three times more likely to be depressed, and that depressed people are four times as likely to feel tired.
• Depressed people may also have difficulty falling asleep, or may regularly awaken in the early hours of the morning and remain awake. While a lack of sleep does not lead directly to depression, it can be a contributory factor in the presence of other causes.
• A change in appetite and weight can signal the onset of depression. Whereas this link was previously associated with women, these days both sexes are believed to be equally distressed. A loss of appetite and weight loss are very common, as is compulsive eating and weight gain.

Other symptoms of depression include anxiety, fasting followed by binging, unnatural sweating and even heart palpitations. The root cause of these abnormal psycho/physical conditions is a chemical imbalance in the central nervous system. This can no more be corrected by the will of mind than can a table be moved by the force of telekinesis. To better understand stress and how to manage it, see my e-book, 30 Ways to Reduce Stress.

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