Identifying Serious Depression
If you've experienced trauma of some kind, you may have heard the following sentiment, or something similar to it, from someone who cares about you: “You can't control what happened. You can only control how you respond to it.” Is this true? Not always. Sometimes, your body has its own ideas about how you'll respond, and trying to will yourself to feel differently doesn't work.
Everybody has a different stress (tolerance) level, and everybody has different trigger points. How you respond may be quite different from how someone else does. This doesn't mean you are weak or flawed. It simply means you are an individual.
If you've been the victim of a crime, if you've survived an automobile accident, or even if you've caused an automobile accident, the emotional effects can linger long after the physical injuries have healed. If the situation has resulted in a death, the devastation you feel may be beyond description.
No one can tell you what you are feeling or how you are feeling. Even trained psychologists, counselors, social workers, and psychiatrists have to listen to you in order to know how to help.
What is trauma?
Trauma is a Greek word that means wound. In psychology, trauma refers both to the hurtful experience as well as to the body's response to that hurt. When some outside force causes you injury or severe stress, you've experienced trauma. You may be able to see the physical effects immediately, but the emotional effects may not show up for some time.
When an event has occurred that affects a group of people, crisis counselors are sometimes called in to help victims process their feelings. These counselors will visit schools or workplaces and lead discussions, listen, and offer help. Sometimes, however, the impact of whatever has happened doesn't hit one immediately. And later, out of the blue, one will experience shock. The symptoms one encounters then may be diagnosed as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). So when does it get serious?
When you think that behind every silver lining, there's a dark cloud, it's serious.
When your depressed mood begins to affect the quality of your life, it's serious.
When minor annoyances create major reactions, it's serious.
When you resort to alcohol, tobacco, or other drugs — such as cocaine — to help you get through the day, it's serious.
When you begin to think that life isn't worth the effort anymore, it's serious.
When you can't express your feelings, or if you aren't even sure what those feelings are, and if this experience lingers for more than two weeks, it's serious.
When it's serious, it's time to get help. There are all kinds of resources available to you, and many of them are as close as your telephone or your computer. This book has a list of various agencies. Don't overlook those helping hands closer to home, however. A call to your family physician or family nurse practitioner can send you down the right path for finding support.
