Depression is often regarded as 'the common cold' of psychiatric illness as it is a very common mental health condition which is increasingly prevalent in today's society.
Within the umbrella of depression there exists a wide variety of different specific issues including the following: post-natal depression, major depressive disorder, dysthymia, premenstrual depression, childhood depression, seasonal-affective disorder in addition to reactive depression.
Factors relating to reactive depression will be discussed including:
- What is reactive depression?
- How severe is reactive depression?
- Treatment for reactive depression
What is Reactive Depression?
This form of depression is a direct result or responses to a painful or difficult circumstance or event in a person's life. In reactive depression there is a specific and recognised reason found to be the source of the condition.
Examples of situations which may result in a person suffering from reactive depression include: redundancy, work stress, marital problems, bereavement, loss, problems with one's children, retirement, moving house, divorce or changing job.
How Severe is Reactive Depression?
As with all forms of depression each individual may be affected to a lesser or greater degree in terms of the impact upon one's daily life. Initially the reaction to a loss of a partner or friend may result in a person feeling extremely seriously depressed even becoming suicidal. It is likely though that the severity and intensity of such feelings will subside and decrease over the course of a few days or the week following the event.
The severity of a person's reactive depression will also depend upon factors such as whether the person has a good support system around them, if they are generally in good health and in terms of the amount of coping strategies and skills one has developed.
Treatment for Reactive Depression
In terms of treatment, reactive depression may differ somewhat to other forms of depression as in this case a person is likely to have considerably fewer symptoms. However certain common symptoms such as sleep deprivation and loss of appetite may be treated through relaxation skills, food supplements or medication.
Therapy, such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is also a useful means of enabling the patient to manage their depression more effectively and along with counselling provides the necessary time an space for the patient to talk through the event(s) underlying their depression.
Self-help is another means of getting through times of depression and there are plenty of practical self-help guides specifically aimed at those suffering from the condition and are a useful means of acquiring new tools and skills to move forward.
As with all forms of mental health conditions it is important to consult one's family doctor for advice about any distressing symptoms and for referrals to treatments such as counselling or therapy.
Sources:
Lurie, M. (2007) Depression: Your Questions Answered London: Dorling Kindersley
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Kate Le Page - Kate Henning-Le Page writes about eating disorders, body image and recovery issues. She specializes in anorexia recovery.
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