Relatives | Depression

Relatives

A supportive family structure can be helpful in the case of depression or possibly counteract the occurrence of depression. Since depression often occurs in connection with life events or problematic living conditions, the relationship with people in the immediate family or close friends is important. In the event of a loss, for example, family structures can accompany and support the person concerned in his or her grieving reaction and thus prevent the development of depression.

Overstrain in coping with problems and drastic life events, which can possibly end in depression, can also be avoided with the help of friends and relatives. At the same time, relatives are often the first point of contact when the illness occurs. Their willingness to understand and sympathize is crucial for the course of a depression.

Since depressive people tend to withdraw and avoid being close to other people, it is particularly important to counteract this in order to slow down the course of the illness or, in the best possible case, to change it for the better. Not only can professional help possibly be added earlier, but people suffering from depression are not left alone with their self-destructive thoughts and suicidal intentions can be better and earlier recognized. You can also find suitable information under: Relatives of a person suffering from depression should know this!

Depression is a real illness that cannot be overcome by the willpower or self-discipline of the patient alone. This is often difficult for relatives to understand. If the affected person lives in a partnership or marriage, the partner experiences the suffering of the other person very closely and often becomes the target of the bad mood himself.

Since only professional treatment is really effective, the partner’s attempts to help usually fail, which frustrates both sides. Often, consciously or subconsciously, the accusation is made that the person affected simply does not make enough effort and sinks into self-pity. This subliminal to open criticism leads to further deterioration of the patient.

In addition, listlessness and physical symptoms often bring joint activities to a standstill and the relationship is additionally strained. Nevertheless, the partner is essential for overcoming a depression and should be actively involved in the treatment in order to learn to deal with the patient’s symptoms and to support him/her effectively. If this is not successful, the parties involved risk the failure of the relationship.

Test

The preliminary physical examination is an integral part of every psychological examination. Thus, possible underlying physical causes (such as the presence of a thyroid gland disease) should be excluded from the outset. This often requires a blood test.

Various specially designed questionnaires are used to determine the presence of depression and confirm the symptoms. These tests are based on standard medical diagnostic works such as the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) of the American Psychiatric Association APA or the ICD (International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems) of the World Health Organization WHO. As a result, they can be used worldwide and achieve a high level of comparability.

Self-tests for depression are widely available on the Internet, but caution should be exercised and the results should not be taken for granted. When in doubt, it is always advisable to consult a doctor. The DASS (Depression-Anxiety-Stress-Scale) test is a questionnaire designed to record the symptoms of depression, anxiety and/or stress that are not caused by a physical illness and must therefore be psychological.

For this purpose, the patient is asked 21 (in the short version) or 42 questions (in the long version), which are to be answered with values from 0 to 3 (“Does not apply to me at all” to “Applies very strongly to me”). This test is often used because of its good informative value.