protect yourself
There are things you can do to help prevent depression returning;
- Continue with medication for as long as your doctor suggests – which is often six to 12 months. Remember, treating depression is more like managing diabetes or high blood pressure than treating a cold.
- Watch for your early warning signs - they might suggest a recurrence is around the corner.
- Learn your ‘triggers’, so you can reduce the risk of a relapse.
- Take a good look at your day–to-day life and try to minimise any of the lifestyle risk factors.
- Get physically healthy (and stay that way!) by eating well and exercising every day.
- Try the Structured Problem Solving (SPS) techniques on this site.
- Sort out any relationships or situations that are worrying you, by getting help or using SPS.
prepare a plan
When you’re depressed, it’s hard to find the strength to look at the problems that contribute to your depression. It’s often easier to do this once you’ve recovered.
It can help to talk with the people around you who were affected. If you feel comfortable with it, try explaining your situation with them and discuss ways to work together to help you deal with depression if it happens again. Once people understand that depression can pass with the right treatment, they’re often more supportive of temporary measures to help you cope. Let them know what your warning signs are, so they can help you identify when to put the plan into action.
It can help to talk with the people around you who were affected. If you feel comfortable with it, try explaining your situation with them and discuss ways to work together to help you deal with depression if it happens again. Once people understand that depression can pass with the right treatment, they’re often more supportive of temporary measures to help you cope. Let them know what your warning signs are, so they can help you identify when to put the plan into action.
share your story
One way to help deal with depression is to talk about it openly with people you trust, if that feels right. It can help you and the people around you understand what is happening and how to deal with it. While there is still some stigma and misunderstanding about mental illness, this is changing - partly due to people like John Kirwan being willing to share their experiences. There’s more awareness now about how common depression is.
If you don’t feel you can trust your friends, whanau or family – there are support groups throughout the country that offer a safe environment for you to talk openly about depression.
If you don’t feel you can trust your friends, whanau or family – there are support groups throughout the country that offer a safe environment for you to talk openly about depression.
