THERAPIST THURSDAY: Are You Feeling Depressed During Coronavirus?

Sheltering in place puts us all in a position to be at risk for depression. It can increase our sense of isolation, reduce activity, and take away a schedule. For many of us, predictability has gone out the window. Each day brings new information and new challenges. Our self-care may be off: sleeping too much or not enough, or having difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep; we may not be eating often or we may be eating too much or not very nutritious food. Each of these items are risk factors of depression.

How can we know if we’re becoming depressed? Here are some of the symptoms:

• Fatigue- Feeling tired all of the time
• Restlessness
• Irritability
• Feelings of worthlessness, helplessness, or guilt
• Insomnia or sleeping too much
• Loss of interest in things that have previously been pleasurable
• Difficulty concentrating or making decisions
• Feelings of hopelessness or negative thinking
• Physical pains that won’t go away, such as headaches or cramps
• Overeating or loss of appetite
• Consistent feelings of sadness, anxiety, or numbness
• Suicidal thoughts or attempts

If you find yourself feeling these items more often than not, it’s time to take action! If you are having suicidal thoughts, you need to get professional help right away. You can reach out to your doctor or to a mental health professional. Many are providing telehealth services so you can get help without ever leaving your home. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline can be reached 24 hours a day at 1-800-273-8255. If you are having suicidal thoughts, I urge you to reach out right away. These thoughts can quickly spiral and getting professional help can make all the difference!

Depression is a cycle. It starts out small, and then grows, similarly to a snow ball rolling down a hill, gaining mass and speed as it travels. The reason we are all more at risk of depression while sheltering in place, is because many of the things on the depression cycle are things that are being created by the current circumstances. For example, isolating more is on the depression cycle, as is reduced activity. Obviously, these are two things that are built in to our current living circumstances. Reduced activity can lead to reduced energy levels and increased fatigue. When we isolate, we can begin to feel lonely and hopeless. This can make us feel down and often leads to more isolation. Changes in eating and sleeping are also on the depression cycle. Many of us have changed these habits as a result of sheltering in place. We may be eating less or eating more, not following a regular eating schedule. Disturbances in eating can lead to increased fatigue, lack of energy or motivation, and an increase in negative thoughts. Changes in sleeping, such as not sleeping enough or sleeping too much are also on the depression cycle, and are happening for many of us with this new lifestyle as well. We may be staying up way too late binge-watching shows or playing video games. We may be sleeping in till noon. We may have difficulty staying asleep, waking up with worries about the current state of things. Sleep disturbances can lead to increased fatigue (even sleeping too much can lead to fatigue, believe it or not), lack of energy, and feelings of sadness or numbness.

While the need to shelter in place is not being debated here, hopefully one can understand how doing so puts us all at a greater risk of developing depression. If any of these symptoms sound familiar to you, if you find yourself beginning to feel less energy, more feelings of hopelessness, or any of the other symptoms listed above, I urge you to take action. Depression is not inevitable, but we must be more mindful of it and take charge. Where as normal life creates routine, natural sources of interaction, and certain expectations of us that wards off feelings of depression, our current circumstances require us to CREATE patterns in our life to ward off these feelings. We must be mindful of the risk and create the things we need to keep our mood steady during this time. An article I recently wrote addresses this and can be found here. Each of the items listed in this article is mentioned to combat items on the depression cycle.

If we are all mindful of how we manage our time during this challenging moment in history, we can be OK during this time. If you find that you are doing the things suggested and are still struggling, or if you lack the energy or motivation to implement these strategies, reach out for help. It is not a sign of weakness to be struggling now, many people are. Do what you need to do to do to take care of yourself, even if that involves getting help. Depression is a very treatable issue. In this day and age, with all we know about depression, there is no reason for anyone to suffer in silence. While we may be more at risk of developing depression currently, if we increase our awareness of this risk, we can develop strategies to be OK!

Rochelle Whitson is a licensed psychotherapist in private practice in Temecula, CA. She can be reached by email at meetme4therapy@gmail.com. Ms. Whitson is offering telehealth sessions during this difficult time.