Depression is a common health disorder. The WHO defines it as a feeling of sadness sadness, emptiness and irritability(1). The patient may also lose the ability to experience their ability to experience pleasure, joy and even interest in the things things around them.

Depression, on the other hand, is distinct from depression, which is an ordinary, temporary mood change(1). Depression usually passes of its own accord.

Depression lasts at least 14 days and present every day. It doesn't stop. There is no respite. It is nagging(1). Depression is a health problem and deserves to be treated.

The depression disrupts daily life

Depression weakens relationships relationships with family and friends. It can lead to failure at school or at work professional failures(1). It affects the psyche, limiting self-confidence self-confidence, increases feelings of guilt, and reduces joy and hope for the future. for the future. It can even trigger suicidal thoughts(1).

But it has also a direct effect on the body. Sleep is disturbed, appetite is gone, weight falls or rises and energy and energy levels plummet. Depression can be mild, moderate or severe severe, depending on the severity of symptoms and their possible accumulation(1).

It can also be done on a one-off or recurring basis. be recurrent. It may be associated with bipolar disorder. In this depressive episodes alternate with periods of euphoria or irritability. irritability(1).

Who suffers from depression?

Depression can affect anyone. But if you've experienced traumatic events in your past, or if you've been mistreated, the risk is higher.

Women are also more susceptible to depression depression than men. Worldwide, 6% of women and 4% of men suffer from depression. One woman in 10 who has given birth experiences depression.

Why depression"?

According to Vidal, the reference manual for depression is often triggered by external events(2). The depressed person is not someone who feels sorry for himself. but rather someone on whom that fate has fallen.

The causes of depression, again according to the Vidal, can be genetic, but while there are genes that could have an influence have an influence on the onset of depression, there is no one gene that determines decide, from the outset, whether or not you're going to be depressed(2).

Other causes have also been identified, such as loneliness and trauma(2). Life difficulties such as financial, professional or emotional problems.

A couple falling apart, parents separating a sudden or accelerating onset of illness are all reasons that can lead reasons that can lead to depression(2). In addition to these official reasons, there are two others that are not mentioned in the manual.

A few years ago, a Chinese therapist linked depression to the inability to make a choice. theimpossibility of making a choice. For him, until the choice was made and digested digested, the risk of depression persisted.

Another explanation was given to me by a psychologist psychologist, for whom depression could be a sign of the need to get out of a " time of pressure". It would have been like a necessary parenthesis to rebuild oneself after a difficult period. The challenge, then, was to to learn how to close the parenthesis and move on.

The 5 actions to support depression

• 1/ Action on the psyche

The most obvious action is to go and see a "shrink" and find the right one for you. that's right for you. This could be a psychologist, psychomotrician psychiatrist or a therapist trained in EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique). Freedom Technique)(3).

EFT is a special technique that is particularly useful particularly in cases of trauma. It has proved highly effective with returning soldiers returning from war(4). What they had seen, done or contributed to or what they had suffered had destroyed a part of themselves. of themselves. EFT enabled them to overcome the trauma and resume a normal life.

Psychomotricians have the advantage of working to recreate a link between the brain and the limbs. They re-educate the mind/body link(5).

More traditional psychologists work listening and speaking, and there are many ways of doing this. to do so.

There are almost as many methods as there are psychologists! The important thing is to find a therapist with whom with whom you feel you can make progress. progress. Competent therapists often know how to and perspective to the work you do together. They may not do this the first session, but soon enough they can give you objectives that goals they may want to achieve with you

• 2/ Action on appetite

The depressed people aren't necessarily hungry. They sometimes let themselves die themselves. To avoid this pitfall, you can try to eat a high-protein breakfast first thing in the morning. Eggs or other meat products will give you energy energy and structure for the day(6,7).

These foods will also help you produce neurotransmitters(7). Combine these foods with tasty vegetables, rich in minerals and vitamins. Regular consumption of fruit and vegetables is known to help prevent depression(6,8). And this is as true for nutritionists and psychologists alike.

Don't hesitate to insist on foods rich in vitamin C-rich foods such as lemons, kiwis and red fruit: they'll give you will give you a great deal of energy to help you in your moral or psychological psychological battles.

• 3/ Action on body and energy 

The depression has deleterious effects on the body. If your soul is in pain, take your body as much as possible. Get it moving. Take a walk in the woods, sports, gardening, walking - anything that gets your limbs moving and limbs in motion and put your thoughts aside(6).

Let your brain worry only about the physical physical actions. This can also be done through an artistic like pottery or ikebana, the Japanese art of bouquet making. in Japan.

Finally, it's time to abandon yourself to the expert hands the expert hands of others: have a massage or acupuncture session. acupuncture session. It's through your body and its sensations that you'll you'll regain your zest for life.

• 4/ Action on hormones

The St John's wort is known for its positive effects on mild mild depression(9). Scientists don't know exactly how the plant works, which is a major source of concern(9).

This has delayed authorization for the use of St. John's Wort, despite its good reputation for thousands of years(9)...

They believe, however, that the presence of a substance substance called hyperforin may influence brain biochemistry and inhibit inhibit the action of monogamy oxidase. Monogamy oxidase itself acts on serotonin release(9).

Put simply, St. John's wort may enable your brain to release more serotonin, the happiness hormone. happiness hormone.

• 5/ Action on the eyes and the perception of things

Go for the light! Expose yourself to the sun or daylight. In other words, get out! Light wakes you up and affects your nervous and endocrine communication systems(11).

We need light, and it's with light that we feel best, even if sometimes all we want to do is hide and hibernate(11).

Finally, even if depression may have been brought on by traumatic or difficult human relationships, it will surely go away thanks to new human relationships.

This is the paradox of our relationships with others: they are both necessary, positive and negative. They require regular repair and constant adjustment, but they remain absolutely necessary.

As the 17th-century English poet John Donne put it:

" No man is an island unto himself"(11)..

References

1. https://www.who.int/fr/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/depression
2. https://www.vidal.fr/maladies/psychisme/depression-adulte/causes.html
3. https://www.medoucine.com/pratiques/eft
4. https://eftuniverse.com/trauma-and-ptsd/introducing-eft-to-military-and-veteran-communities/
5. https://www.cidj.com/metiers/psychomotricien-psychomotricienne
6. Bénédicte Van Craynest, Make peace with your stomach, EAL 2021
7. https://www.mhconn.org/nutrition/protein-and-mental-health/
8. https://www.stephanemigneault.com/blog/fruits-legumes-protection-depression
9. https://www.vidal.fr/parapharmacie/phytotherapie-plantes/millepertuis-hypericum-perforatum.html
10. https://www.ramsayservices.fr/conseils-bien-etre/depression-hivernale-quand-le-manque-de-lumiere-fait-souffrir
11. https://www.theatre-odeon.eu/fr/nul-homme-nest-une-ile-entiere-en-elle-meme