Depression: what is it? How to treat depression in adults? Typical symptoms of depression.

Depression is mental illness, which is accompanied by three main symptoms: a decrease in mood and the ability to experience joy, impaired thinking (negative judgments, pessimistic mood), accompanied by motor inhibition. With this disease, the patient has reduced self-esteem, he loses interest in life and in his professional activities.

Most often, depression affects women, most of them over 40 years old. Depression in women is associated with constantly changing hormonal background (puberty, menstruation, pregnancy, childbirth, postpartum period, climax). Symptoms of depression in men are often associated with low level hormone testosterone.

About 5% of children and adolescents aged 10-16 are prone to depression, some cases end in suicide.

The prevalence of depression among the population is very high, but not all patients go to doctors for help and can tell about the symptoms. Modern popular culture teaches people to restrain their emotions and keep feelings under control. Many patients visiting a doctor general practice do not admit to their depressive experiences. The sick are afraid of the appointment of the strong psychotropic drugs or that the employer will find out about the disease and they will be fired. Some people don't want to be referred to a psychiatrist and have a diagnosis of depression written in their outpatient card. In order to get rid of unpleasant symptoms, the patient with the aim of stimulating the psycho - emotional activity starts to use a large number of alcohol or psychotropic substances.

Manifestations

Symptoms of depression are divided into two types: typical and additional.

Typical manifestations of the disease

Apathy. The patient has a decrease in mood, depression. This condition has been observed for at least two weeks. No external circumstances can improve the mood of the patient;
Anhedonia. The person loses interest in life. Previously, he could enjoy simple things, go to work and communicate with friends. But at some point, he was completely uninterested. He sees no meaning in his life. It seems to him that he is a loser, did not take place in life as a professional, could not arrange his personal life;
Aginesia. The patient has severe fatigue and loss of strength. Within a month, the patient feels weakness, drowsiness. He gets tired of simple household chores. He is constantly sleepy during the day, but at night he cannot sleep. It is difficult for the patient to go to work, to perform ordinary professional duties.

Additional symptoms

Men and women show signs of depression differently. In men, it appears as increased self-esteem, the predominance of anger and the desire to control everything. anxiety, excitement, increased irritability are signs hidden depression in male patients.

Many patients experience insomnia. They cannot fall asleep for a long time, various thoughts climb into their heads, toss and turn from side to side. Sleep is superficial frequent waking up. As a rule, it is very difficult to wake up in the morning, they feel overwhelmed. Some patients during the period of depression do not sleep until 2 - 3 o'clock in the morning, and spend the weekend in bed, sleeping.

Patients turn to general practitioners with complaints of pain in the heart area, discomfort in the area of the solar plexus.

Some can hardly remember when they ate or slept well. In severe cases, depression manifests itself in the form of severe melancholy and anxiety. Patients are not sociable, they talk little, their speech is monotonous and monotonous.

Manifestations in women

A woman in a period of depression experiences feelings of guilt, anxiety or fear. She believes that her existence in the world is useless. Against the background of a reduced mood, a woman shows an inability to concentrate and make decisions. She does everything in her life “automatically”.

The patient is completely immersed in her sad thoughts. When communicating with others, a woman constantly expresses her pessimistic thoughts. She has low self-esteem. The patient is unable to make important decisions, the thoughts in his head are constantly confused, she cannot distinguish the main from the secondary. Against the backdrop of severe depressive thoughts, some women attempt suicide.

The patient during the period of this mental disorder has an unstable appetite: from anorexia to bulimia. Some patients during the period of depression greatly gain weight, the reflection in the mirror upsets them even more, which aggravates the course of the disease. Women with depressive thoughts begin to actively eat sweets and flour products(cakes, pastries, chocolate) and they themselves do not notice how much they put on weight. Patients become isolated, try to get away from communication with others. Remembering unpleasant events, many women begin to cry. They rarely smile, almost never laugh.

Very often, signs of depression in women occur after childbirth, and become protracted.

Manifestations in children

Children and teenagers during the period of depression behave aggressively. They move away from their peers and loved ones, become very touchy, do not talk. As a rule, their performance at school decreases, they begin to skip circles and sections.

At night, children cannot sleep for a long time. During sleep, they are tormented by nightmares, some children begin to scream in their sleep. During this period, minors have a reduced mood, apathy. They often cry. It seems to many that life is unfair to them, they are not “lucky”, no one loves them and will never love them.

Signs of depression in teenagers are very dangerous because they often lead to suicide attempts.

Characteristic appearance of the patient

Patients lose interest in their appearance. Women stop dyeing and styling their hair, use cosmetics. Highly hallmark depressed patient is sad expression. Upper eyelid broken, folds are expressed on the forehead and in the region of the nasolabial triangle. The head is down, the back is hunched.

The corners of the lips are lowered in patients, longing and resentment are in the eyes. Depressed people, as a rule, wear dark-colored clothes (usually black), baggy. They become less neat, tidy. The patient looks tired and tormented. In a conversation, a person always returns to the same topic that worries him.

Neurotic disease level

This level of depression in a person is observed after severe stress, the patient's mood decreases moderately, and mainly in evening time. In such people, the processes of inhibition in the brain predominate over the processes of excitation. Patients with depression are very slowly included in new job or type of activity. They do everything detachedly, without complicity.

At depressive disorders At a neurotic level, the patient may experience sudden outbursts of business activity or interest in any field of activity, but they fade very quickly. As a rule, such people very rarely bring the work they have started to the end. Paroxysmal character social activity in a patient it looks as if the processes of inhibition and excitation in the brain are fighting among themselves, but in the end inhibition wins. During the period of depression, the patient has a reduced neuropsychic tone, he negatively perceives reality and himself. He gloomily evaluates the past and present, has a pessimistic attitude towards the future.

Some patients complain of a feeling of "inner emptiness". During the disease, all spheres of human activity suffer: volitional, emotional, intellectual, motivational. A person loses interest in everything that previously seemed attractive to him. He stops reading books, does not play sports, he is not interested in different kinds leisure and sex life.

During an illness, a person does not feel spiritual uplift and a state of inspiration. The patient loses motivation for his activity, it seems monotonous to him and causes apathy and irritation. A change in the patient's motivational behavior is inextricably linked with a change in the metabolism of brain monoamines - serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine.

Some patients with a neurotic form of depression frankly admit to their loved ones: “I am not in the mood. I am depressed". The patient decreases or disappears the highest human needs - the desire for knowledge, self-realization in society.

Cyclothymic level of the disease

This level of depression is very common in people who have lost loved one.

The mood in such patients decreases mainly in the morning and at night. During the day, the patient "paces" and pessimistic thoughts gradually disappear. Such patients are characterized by sudden tearfulness. The patient tries not to show his emotions, but he can hardly do it. Often such patients complain of a hard life, share thoughts about suicide. Their level of anxiety is very high, but, as a rule, they are pointless. Surrounding people are trying with all their might to cheer up a depressed person, but this causes him only an ironic smirk.

The circle of interests of the patient is narrowed down by the plot of the experience. A person behaves indifferently to everything that happens around. He is not interested in politics, fashion, music, personal life. depressed man loses the taste of food, the world seems to him "gray" and monotonous.

Many patients begin to compare themselves with "normal" people who have achieved something in life or are striving for something else. The patient feels unfit. He believes that he has changed a lot, has become completely different and will never again be able to live happily, like all "normal" people.

Very often, such people behave constrainedly. Their gait may change, all movements are uncertain. Mimicry is very poor and monotonous. A person cannot gather his thoughts, answer the question clearly and distinctly. People with this level of depression often complain: "I'm tired of living!", "I can't concentrate," "I don't understand."

Psychotic level of illness

At this level of depression, the decrease in mood is permanent. The feeling of depression in such patients is felt as physical pain. Severe anxiety develops into constant internal tension. The person feels as if he is being squeezed in a vise. He completely loses interest in life, quits work or school, does not communicate with friends and relatives. The patient is tormented by thoughts of suicide. A pessimistic attitude extends not only to the future and the present, the past of a person is criticized. He begins to evaluate his entire life and realizes that there was nothing good in it, he was never happy. All his past life interests seem to him stupid, meaningless and monstrous. Such patients may experience sudden attack anxiety, which manifests itself in the form of excitement and aimless activity.

What determines a person's mood? From hormones and neurotransmitters - substances similar to hormones. There was a surge of endorphins or dopamine, there is enough serotonin in the blood - and the person is cheerful. Joy, positive emotions increase the production of “happiness hormones”. And the misfortunes mental trauma and some diseases reduce or, worse, mess up the production of neurotransmitters. If they are not enough for a long time, a person falls into depression. And not only humans - depression occurs in rats, minks, monkeys and even elephants.

What causes depression? Diseases, injuries and conditions that disrupt the metabolism or blood circulation in the brain - from strokes and poisoning to severe flu. Hormonal changes- adolescent, postpartum, menopausal. Flaw sunlight(reduces the production of serotonin), fresh air (oxygen affects brain activity) and movement. Difficult experiences (death of loved ones, job loss, disaster, stress), constant fatigue, anxiety, sleep deprivation and malnutrition. Therefore, once again intending to lose weight, think about how this can be done without harm to health.

What does depression look like? A person loses the ability to enjoy - from food, from sex, from interesting activities and nice things. His appetite disappears or grows immeasurably, sleep is disturbed. He stops washing, combing his hair, dressing somehow, does not communicate with family and friends, snaps, gets angry at everyone, sits down or lies down at the first opportunity, he does not have enough strength for anything. Main difference true depression from depressive states: the patient is unable to become activated, even if we are talking about the life of himself or his loved ones.

How is depression treated? Antidepressants, stimulants like ginseng, St. John's wort or Eleutherococcus, phototherapy (a solarium is also suitable), hirudotherapy, acupuncture. In severe cases, electric shock is used. In cases of moderate severity, it is enough to work with a psychologist, especially in combination with animal therapy. Cats, dogs, horses and, especially, dolphins relieve depressive states well. Highly great help will provide art therapy and spiritual practices.

When you can manage on your own

Depressive states are when a person is sad and ill, but there is nothing serious yet. Something like a mental cold: it runs from the nose, itches in the throat, but the temperature is normal and it’s too early to go to the doctor.

There are many reasons for this. Often this internal conflict , psychological trauma or difficult memories that, like a splinter, stick out in the soul. And the spleen acts as an anesthetic, dulling all feelings - it does not heal, but allows you to dull suffering.

The second most common reason is overwork. A person takes on too many obligations at work, household chores and at the same time strives to do everything perfectly - and so on until he falls.

The third reason is subconscious escape from unpleasant affairs. Instead of finding a new job or doing general cleaning, a person will lie on the couch and whine how bad he is and how he doesn’t have enough strength for anything.

The fourth and perhaps the most unpleasant reason -it's manipulation. Suffering, complaining and melting before our eyes, the manipulator thus solves his problems at the expense of sympathizers - they will feed, warm and pity the "orphan".

And finally, a person can be a melancholic by temperament and a pessimist by nature - a low mood is just as normal for him as for hypotensive patients. temperature 35.6.

The mechanism of connecting a depressive state is the same as that of depression. Stress or life drama depresses the release of “happiness hormones”, a person becomes less strong and his mood deteriorates. He begins to nag himself because he has less time and “behaves badly”, sleeps worse, moves less, often tries to raise his tone with alcohol, and alcohol also affects the brain, and does not in the best way. It turns out vicious circle: the worse a person is and the less strength he has to cope with the problem, the more he is “covered” with hopelessness and longing. If you don't stop in time depression with extraordinary ease can develop into clinical depression.

Remember: depression is not a disease, but a harbinger of a disease. Just as one speck of caries can eventually lose a tooth, so a couple of hopeless weeks can lead a person to the most grave consequences. Therefore, it is very important to keep track similar states and fight them.

Die, sadness!

To cope with the eternally bad mood, despondency and loss of strength, you need to debug the production of “happiness hormones”.

The first point in the fight against depression: day bed rest. We don't do anything - we don't work, we don't talk on the phone, we don't cook, we don't surf the Internet, we don't watch TV (maximum a light movie or a comedy show). You can knit, sew, read magazines, draw in a notebook and stroke a cat. This will confuse the body and give strength for a new start.
Second point: get out of bed, take a notebook and start thinking why we have depression and why we need it. What are we avoiding because we have no strength? Where do these forces go? And can we cope with the problem ourselves or do we need the help of a psychologist? it important point. If you do not remove the root of the problem, then, no matter how you debug the production of hormones, the depressive state will return again and again.
Third: remember how we can please ourselves, what activities and entertainment add strength to us? Dancing, swimming, cream cake, shopping, hand-feeding squirrels, horseback riding? Every day in our schedule should be at least one joyful activity.
Fourth: we lift ourselves by the scruff of the neck and begin to move. As much as possible. Be sure to walk fresh air- not less than an hour or two a day. We do housework and cleaning. If there is no strength at all, then wash a plate, lie down to rest, then wash the next one. It's vital to keep it simple physical work overcoming yourself.
Fifth: gym. Fitness center, swimming pool, dancing, jogging, exercise equipment, at worst morning work-out- exercise and training stimulate the production of endorphins. By the way, sex is also a wonderful exercise.
sixth: shock therapy. The principle is the same as that of the stun gun: whip up the brain, cause a powerful release of “happiness hormones”. We jump with a parachute, dive into the Red Sea, go down into caves, ride a gallop on a camel, tell the CEO everything we think about him - and rejoice at the same time.
seventh: we eat well. Natural antidepressants are chocolate, sweets, fatty meat and fish, red pepper and honey. In autumn and winter, we include in the diet as many bright foods as possible - red tomatoes and apples, orange oranges, purple plums.
eighth: take care of yourself. Doctors in the 19th century advised patients to take daily baths for a reason - we follow their example. Add to water sea salt, aroma oils, infusions of herbs - chamomile, lemon balm, mint, valerian. Be sure to rub with a scrub or a hard washcloth. However, the duration of such a bath should be no more than 15 minutes. Ideally, it is very good if a loved one gives you a massage.
ninth: stop beating yourself up and blaming yourself. The fight against depression is a long process, relapses happen, from a lack of strength we can be late and make mistakes, break dishes and yell at children. We take into service the phrase of Carlson: "It's nothing, it's a matter of life" - and we promise ourselves next time to do everything better.
tenth: smile and laugh. Comedies, romance novels, joke books, circus, vaudeville and musicals work better than pills.

Depression is not as terrible as it is painted: getting yourself out of bed in the morning, forcing you to do useful things and daily exercises, you can cope with despondency in a matter of weeks. If it doesn't get better, yes, you need to see a doctor. But, most likely, you will solve the problem yourself.

And yet - you should not lie to yourself and rush after fashion. Watch yourself. If thoughts of work or household, but at the same time you are happy to run around sales and chat for hours with your girlfriends on the phone, then your diagnoses are: chronic idleness and acute laziness. It heals, and pretty quickly.

depression test

You have your favorite treat on your plate. Do you feel like eating it?
(Yes, and a double portion - 0 points; yes, but without pleasure - 1 point; no appetite - 0 points).
A friend complains of insomnia. You:(do not understand what the problem is - 0; complain in response - 1; share an arsenal of sleeping pills - 2).
Disabled hot water . You:
(twice a day you run to your mother to wash - 0; with disgust you pour water from the ladle in the morning - 1; stop washing at all - 2).
You read on the news that a bankrupt banker shot himself. I. You think:
(“What a fool” - 0; “They brought the poor fellow” - 1; “Good exit” - 2).
Do you happen to cry over a movie or a novel?
(Never - 0; rarely - 1; there is always something to cry about - 2).
Do you find it hard to get out of bed in the morning?
(No - 0; yes - 1; I don't get up until the evening - 2).
You are surrounded by bad, envious and unpleasant people?
(No way - 0; meet - 1; yes, of course - 2)
Colleague says you are dressed like a scarecrow. You:
(advise him to look at himself - 0; upset or angry - 1; sincerely agree - 2).
As a remedy for depression, you were given a ticket to a concert of your favorite band. You will go?
(Yes, of course - 0; depends on the mood - 1; why? - 2).
Per last week did something good happen to you?
(Yes, and more than once - 0; yes, but I don’t remember what - 1; no, of course - 2).
You have an unscheduled day off. What do you prefer to do?
(I'll go to have fun - 0; I'll sit at the computer or watch TV - 1; I'll go to bed - 2).
Who says you are depressed?
(You yourself - 0; your friends and relatives - 1; let them talk - 2).

0 points. - Congratulations! You do not have depression and cannot be.
Less than 10 points . - Most likely, you fell apart and allowed your soul to be lazy. Your Medications: Occupational Therapy and Gym.
10–16 points. - Perhaps you are a pessimist, have experienced a divorce, dismissal, or are too tired. We recommend rest, walks in the fresh air, vitamins and entertainment.
Over 16 points . - It's serious. If at the same time you have no appetite, strength and mood, all Christmas toys seem fake, and your loved ones are annoying - it’s better to go to the doctor.

Nowadays, depression is considered one of the most common and severe psychological illness. Depression has no competitors in terms of the degree of damage it causes to a person, taking years away from him. full life. But depression, not only is not considered by many to be a disease, but is often perceived, both by the patient himself and by the people around him, as a manifestation of bad character, laziness and selfishness, licentiousness or natural pessimism.

What is depression

Depression is not just Bad mood but a disease that requires serious action. After all, the sooner you admit to yourself that you are suffering from depression, the more likely you are to fast recovery, that depression will not recur again and will not take a severe form, accompanied by a desire to commit suicide.

In order to help yourself in time, you need to know the “enemy” in person. Depression is a disease of the whole organism, and it manifests itself with a variety of symptoms, depending on the severity of the disease.

What does depression look like

Here is the most typical picture of depression: the mood is lousy, everything seems gloomy, people on the streets are enraged and seem nasty, nothing pleases, neither the weather, nor nature, nor what is happening around - there is always some kind of rubbish that will ruin everything. There is no desire or strength to do anything, even if it is some kind of urgent matter. No attitude, self-hypnosis, and explaining to yourself the reasons that this needs to be done right now do not help, you still lie on the couch and cannot get up. Day and night are mixed up, during the day you sleep all the time, and at night you suffer from insomnia. Constant feeling fatigue does not allow to concentrate on anything. You think that now I’ll sleep for a couple of hours, get up cheerful and cheerful and do everything, but it wasn’t there, you wake up even more tired in the evening. The ability to make decisions has disappeared somewhere, even while doing the usual things, doubts begin to overcome you. The craving for pleasure has completely disappeared: sex, food, entertainment - all this is not necessary, laziness, there is no strength and mood for all this. The picture can be drawn further, but this is not necessary, the one who really suffers from depression has already recognized himself.

Causes of depression

The cause of any depression is rooted in childhood and the past. The predisposition to it depends very much on how your parents raised you, whether they loved you enough, whether they praised you or not, whether they gave you the feeling that you are loved by them gratuitously and unconditionally, that you are desirable, that you are unique. An average Russian family can only dream of such an attitude towards children. Few parents think about how their upbringing will affect their children in the future. New parents raise their children the same way they raised them themselves, completely unaware of what they are doing. We are all victims of victims. You can read more about the fatal consequences of the past in this article, we will not waste time on this here.

How to get out of depression

So, depression is not a bad character, although it largely depends on the character and personality, and even, we would say, is conditioned by them. Character and personality is one of the causes of depression. All manifestations depression is a sign that you are full of resentment, complexes, psychological trauma, unresolved conflicts and similar problems. But the difficulty is that all these grievances and conflicts are suppressed by you every day and every hour, because remembering them is painful, shameful and lousy. It is to suppress this entire collection that your energy is spent, so there is no more strength for anything else. Therefore, one should not advise a person suffering from depression to “pull himself together” - this is useless. He is already holding himself to the last of his strength. Even the strongest dam cannot hold out for a long time, sooner or later it will leak and everything that was hidden behind it will explode with a stream, sweeping away everything in its path.

Moreover, depression contributes somatic diseases(you can read about the causes of diseases, but about psychological reasons diseases). The emergence of psychosomatics only worsens the condition of a person suffering from depression, and closes it in a vicious circle.

Since the cause of depression is in the person himself and in those episodes of the past that formed him, then in order to get rid of depression, it is necessary to resolve all issues related to the past so that you simply have the strength to live. Many psychologists and people of spiritual practices believe, and we have seen this on personal experience that in the episodes of the past that cause us any emotions, a piece of our energy is left, and in order to return this energy to ourselves, it is necessary to remove any emotions about it (after all, an emotional response to something is a way of transferring energy, and negative reactions pump energy out of us at a tremendous rate).

But just letting go of your past is not enough to treat depression, but it will give you strength and temporary relief, but depression will return sooner or later, because its causes are not only in the past or in the personality, they can be on the energy and physical level.

A person is a kind of construct and, as a rule, rigid and rigid (each person has an established way of thinking, a body that adapts to it, sustainable energy). All this together creates a certain form. And until you change this form - depression will occur again and again. After all, it would be foolish to believe that by pouring water into an “asterisk” ice mold, when it hardens, you will get a “heart with an angel”. It is the same here, no matter what you do, no matter how hard you try, until you change the “form” itself, you will not get anything but this rather boring “asterisk”.

Techniques for getting out of depression

On the this moment there are many techniques that can not only revisit your past and bring back the charge left there, but also help you gain complete freedom. The most successful and complete, in our opinion, is the Baibak technique. In spite of strange name, this is one of the most powerful and fastest techniques today, which produces a complex energy correction, gives strength, energy and works deeply with the personality. You can learn more about it by reading the book, which is easy to download at the bottom of the page. Keep the book on your computer as it contains instructions for free system testing.

It happens that a bad mood and pessimism overcome periods and unpleasant states are not as all-devouring as depression. You are not in these states for a long time, but, nevertheless, you want to get rid of them, while there is neither the desire nor the opportunity to devote yourself to those serious transformations that Baibak gives. In this case, the ideal option for you is individual work with a psychologist.

Ksenia Golitsyna,
Practicing psychologist
2012

What does a person who is depressed or suicidal look like? Many will imagine the unfortunate lonely sufferer crying on the bathroom floor. To dispel this misconception, a flash mob “The Face of Depression” was launched on social networks a few weeks ago: hundreds of people share their photos in hard periods where they seem happy and prosperous. The protesters want to show that those who fight against mental disorders, in everyday life they often hide their problems and look no worse than an ordinary passer-by. The flash mob is dedicated to world day suicide prevention, which is celebrated on September 10th.

On September 7, Talinda Bennington, widow of Linkin Park lead singer Chester Bennington, posted this photo with the caption, “This was a few days before my husband killed himself. He had suicidal thoughts, but you never know that."

When this girl was 14 years old, the doctor told her: "You don't look like a person who is thinking about suicide." The flash mob participant says that these words almost cost her her life: “What was I supposed to look like: with a pack of pills in one hand and a farewell note in the other?” She emphasizes that both the right photo and the left photo show a person who is ready for suicide.

“You would never think that I have depression? By my look or even the sound of a voice. You will say: “You are smiling!” Yes, I smile, but for you - so that you don't feel bad. I don't want you to feel the same as me. I also don't want you to think that you can do anything to make me feel better. Nobody can do anything. I need to work on this myself."

“The night before my daughter went to the hospital, she and her father went to the dance together and had a wonderful time. Fortunately, she is alive and learning to deal with her illness. She was eight then."

“This photo was taken seven hours before I tried to kill myself for the third time. It was morning, Eli and I went out for a walk and eat. All this time we laughed and rejoiced. And in the evening I had an overdose, and I ended up in the hospital for a week. In the morning, I had no idea that I would want to kill myself - I smiled and admired the way the hair lay on the selfie. I have borderline disorder personality (which has not been diagnosed for a long time, because doctors would not listen), that is, the desire for suicide can arise instantly due to the slightest reason.

A suicidal state is not only the tears of people with problems, it is also the adoption of sudden decisions when a son sleeps in the house, and a loving partner kissed you at night.

“This is my son right before he sat down at his computer and googled how to properly hang himself. He did it two days later."

“This is my boyfriend two weeks before he hanged himself. I will never understand it."

“This is depression in our house. I tried to hang myself in the attic, but the board broke and I fell in with the ceiling, alarming the family. I fight every day. My husband is doing his best, but he can't get through. I don't understand why I can't get rid of it. I have a wonderful family. I feel lost, sickly selfish, angry with myself.”

“My face of depression. Yes, it is possible to be depressed when you have a child. When they say to me: “You have no reason to mope when she is around,” I feel remorse. When I hear: “All you need is a charge and proper nutrition”, I want to embed, even if they say it out of good intentions. Depression keeps you from doing what you want because it's a chemical imbalance in the brain."

“Don't judge. You will never know what is hiding behind someone's smile or laughter. Be gentle. You have no idea how much it can mean to someone good word. Depression has no face, stop the stigma.”

“This is what depression looked like shortly before we lost our beloved Luke. This is a serious illness."

“This is the face of depression and suicidal thoughts. Three years ago, antidepressants saved my life, and a year and a half ago they almost took it away from me. I thought I was happy and suddenly stopped taking them. Suicide is an irreversible solution to a temporary problem. Discussion mental problems should become the norm."

"It bipolar disorder with a strong predominance depressive phases. I wake up, put on full makeup, put on a funny dress, all while fighting depression, anxiety disorder and sometimes with thoughts of suicide.

Caption on the left: "Deserves help." Right: "Still deserves help." The girl writes: “I remember how I turned to various specialists, and they still told me: “But you look normal, you did your hair, makeup, dressed, everything is not so bad.”

“Now I went to the doctor for help. Most people around me have no idea what I'm going through: I cry in the shower and in the car on the way from work, I can't sleep at night due to panic attacks.

“Sometimes I do my makeup, I smile, I go out, I drink coffee, I take cute Instagram photos with Eli. And sometimes I lie on the bathroom floor and scream “please”, desperately hoping that the pain will stop. I can chat with friends for hours, help them, discuss nonsense, and at other times I avoid messengers like the plague, leave messages unread for weeks, months or forever, and I think to disconnect from everything altogether.

“Depression is not just sadness, it is hopelessness, loss of motivation, outbursts of anger and sadness, a sense of purposelessness. It destroys relationships, causes struggle and awkwardness, it hurts not only you, but also those around you.

"major depressive episode, postpartum depression. I felt like I was sinking, but the last couple of days have been easier. Sometimes it can get better just by talking about it. Please, if you need help, ask for it. This is not a failure. Sometimes you just need a little more time to pull yourself together, and that's okay: being a parent is a hell of a lot of hard work."

“I don’t like flash mobs, but I will support this #faceofdepression. This photo was taken around that period of therapy, when I realized that I could not cope on my own. It seems that depression is just a bad mood. “Drink wine, go to a club, don't be a rag, change jobs, get a hobby, have sex,” they tell you ... Nonsense.

Do you know what happens with insomnia? You want to sleep, you just collapse from fatigue, but you can’t fall asleep. So it is with depression - you seem to understand that you need to live, because everything seems to be conducive to this, but ... you can’t. And nothing separates from the step into the abyss, nothing delays - neither relatives, nor love, nothing. It's like you don't belong to yourself anymore. And there is no strength for anything, even to take the last, decisive step. Then everything is explained to you medical terms- that serotonin and norepinephrine cease to flow to the brain. And that you are just sick, and if there is a disease, then there is both treatment and recovery. And all will be well! Like in this photo, but only for real.

“I saw a flash mob on Twitter yesterday and decided that I needed to say something. This photo was taken at the end of October 2015. Since that night, there were a lot of cool photos, videos, we cheerfully tore the dance floor and then laughed until ten in the morning in a cafe. I danced and thought: at least in the morning, when I leave the club, I was hit by a car, because I myself can’t stop all this, I don’t have enough courage. I was riding the subway looking so funny with that haircut, those cute horns, and I imagined a suicide bomber bursting into the train and exploding right next to me. I weighed 49 kilograms with a height of 173. One half of the people shouted that I needed to stop spreading snot and pull myself together. Another looked at these photos and wrote nasty things to me, they say, don’t pretend to be sick, you’re smiling, but you have to suffer and wear black.

I am prone to depression childhood. True, even the parents did not see this. Over time, a lump of problems grew, the environment did not heed requests for help and advised to “pull yourself together”. At 18, I almost had a suicide attempt (stopped in time). Then there were several years of a dubious lifestyle, until a person appeared who became a ray of light for me in all this hell. When the person was gone, everything returned and flooded with tripled force. Psychosomatics struck and panic attacks, immunity fell, I became very ill.

And you know who saved me? “These are your psychologists who are charlatans and do not help at all.” I just came by myself, opened myself and asked for help, ready to change and work on myself. You know, just having someone who is willing to listen to you without judgment is a huge relief. Together we talked everything, sorted it out and made a plan of action for survival. There was also a visit to the PND, where I came across a very nice woman who reassured me, explained that it’s not a shame to get sick and to be treated by a psychiatrist too (previously there was a bad experience: a vile soviet old man shone in my eyes and yelled that I was a drug addict). Thus I passed complete treatment and finally coped with the disease.

This post was not written to evoke pity. No need to feel sorry for me, I'm fine, I did it. Collapses happen, but who doesn't? It's okay to be sad, shit happens. I just want, firstly, that people be more attentive to their loved ones and not neglect their condition and, moreover, requests for help. Second, I want to destigmatize similar diseases so that people take them seriously and do not ignore them, and do not shy away with shouts: “Fuuu, she is being treated in a durka”. Please treat this with understanding, otherwise I have already seen a bunch of stupid, inappropriate jokes on the hashtag.

And the last thing: if someone still decides to write here: “Oh, you just have to smile” or “It’s all a whim, f*** start working” - he will immediately receive a ban with the subsequent termination of any contacts. And remember: depression is not a mood, it is an intracranial gastritis that needs to be treated.

AT in social networks Flash mob #faceofdepression is underway. Under this tag, people talk about dealing with depression and share photos taken by themselves or their loved ones some time before suicide - or attempted suicide. The initiator of the action was the widow of Linkin Park leader Talinda Benington; her goal is to change attitudes about depression so that people don't have to hide it and it would be easier for them to ask for help.

September 10 is considered World Suicide Prevention Day: psychological organizations, crisis centers and ordinary people around the world are uniting to remind you how hard it is to fight depression and prevent the death of a loved one. According to World Organization about 800,000 people around the world commit suicide each year. Often, their death comes as a surprise to relatives and friends: many prefer to hide depression from others, which leads to suicide, as they are ashamed of their condition, afraid of condemnation or ridicule.

On September 16, Talinda Benington, widow of Linkin Park lead singer Chester Benington, who committed suicide, tweeted video, taken 36 hours before her husband's death. “This is my most personal tweet in my entire life,” wrote Benington. "I'm showing this so you know depression doesn't have a typical facial expression or behavior." In the video, Chester Benington and his son eat marmalade dragees on a dare with disgusting taste, spit and laugh. "He loved us so much and we loved him," the musician's widow added.

Following this, users of various social networks - both Twitter and Facebook and Instagram - began to post personal stories with the hashtag #faceofdepression. Most of them show smiling people, from the expression on their faces it is impossible to guess that a person is suffering from depression and will soon attempt suicide. The authors of the posts urge not to judge people by their appearance, and also not to devalue their suffering. "Just because you don't look sick doesn't mean you're not sick" wrote one of the participants in the flash mob.

Participants of the action tell how they had to hide their feelings and smile so that no one would guess about their illness, and they also urge to take depression seriously and not consider it a whim. “Depression makes you think you don't deserve to live. The saddest thing is that many people think the same way. This is a disease that has taken the lives of so many. A disease in which many still refuse to believe. A disease that people prefer not to notice, explained psychology student at the University of Wisconsin Mainu Wu. Englishwoman Millie Smith, blogger about body positivity and mental health, shared in her photo seven hours before the suicide attempt and said that with her diagnosis of borderline personality disorder, thoughts of suicide can arise at any time, even if she was content with life an hour before.

Participants also share photos of their loved ones who committed suicide.

Pictured is drummer Jay Titus. “You can never tell, but at the time this picture was taken, I thought about suicide every hour. I just wanted to rest and disappear. I adore my children, but for the disease all this is not important.