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It's easier for both health professionals and most
of their patients to use drugs as a substitute for change.
Self-medication with alcohol or nicotine, or prescription
anti-depressants and stimulants are easier than applying intelligence,
focus and analytical skills to complex relationship situations. Drugs
are also cheaper for the patient (in the short term) and more profitable
for the health professionals.
The long-term consequences and side-effects of
psychoactive drugs are unacceptable to an increasing number of health professionals and
to their patients.
Are you depressed?
Depression is a disability
affecting about 10% of the world population. Depression is part of adult
life. Common causes of depression are unsatisfying relationships and a life
that lacks sense. Depression is associated with
food allergies,
limiting beliefs,
stress,
codependence,
addiction and relationship bonds.
Feeling depressed reduces
quality of life. If depression concerns family and relationships, it
is a systemic problem. Systemic problems originate in relationships - often in codependent
or symbiotic relationships within a family, team or organization. Systemic
problems require systemic solutions.
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Depression is the inability to
construct a future
Rollo May |
Depression is often a reminder that something
is missing in your life - or that you are abusing, mistreating or ignoring
important people. Abuse often leads to depression.
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Does your life make
sense? A healthy sense of life usually includes a sense of purpose, strong
values, supportive beliefs and motivation achieve your sense of purpose.
A healthy sense of life may include:
- A healthy mind in a healthy body
- An intimate home shared with an
appropriate partner
- Nurturing children and projects
to independence
- Finding your place within a community
- A transpersonal sense of connectedness
You either deal with depression - or with its consequences.
Soulwork can help you have healthier relationships, life-plans, exercise,
good sleep and a balanced diet to prevent and resolve depression.
Depression & Drugs
Managing depression with psychoactive drugs has consequences
that may be worse than depression. Many anti-depressants are addictive and have
unpleasant side effects.
The more expensive anti-depressants are
SSRI - selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors such as Zoloft,
Prozac or Paxil. These drugs increase serotonin in the brain.
(Many older and cheaper anti-depressants are MAOI or MonoAmine
Oxidase inhibitors, with worse side effects. MAO inhibitors such as Nardil,
Parnate and Marplan may be prescribed when other medications don't work.)
Symptoms of Depression
A depressed person will
likely experience unpleasant moods, thinking and self-perception. A depressed
person often has difficulty making decisions - the day-to-day tasks of paying
bills, caring for children, meeting people and returning phone calls may
seem overwhelming.
If the following symptoms are present each day for a few
weeks; and interfere with your daily activities such as work, self-care,
child-care, sleep or social life; consider Soulwork systemic coaching:
- Sadness, anxiety, emptiness, restless and irritable
- Feeling hopeless, helpless or pessimistic
- Feeling guilt, worthlessness, helplessness
- Little interest or pleasure in romantic and sexual activity
- Little interest or pleasure in activities that you once enjoyed
- Loss of interest or pleasure in your work or profession
- Decreased energy, fatigue - you're always tired
- Difficulty concentrating, remembering, making decisions
- Insomnia and/or major sleep changes
- Appetite and/or major weight changes
- Preoccupied with death or suicide
Depression, Disease & Guilt
Many people who suffer from mental diseases become
depressed. People at higher risk of depression include those suffering from
schizophrenia,
bipolar disorder,
codependence or
mental illness.
Systemic Coaching perceives much depression as a
healthy response to an unhealthy environment and/or chaotic circumstances.
Often a major underlying issue of chronic depression is systemic guilt. Systemic
guilt can result if you:
- abuse, betray or abandon someone (violating trust, e.g.
abandoning a child)
- mistake one person for another, for example perceiving an
ex-partner as an abandoned child
Effective solutions for depression
help you manage your life and your family's happiness.
Managing Guilt
If you withhold strong emotions, sooner or later you will
express them. If expressed chaotically, your emotions may create problems. Withholding emotions increases your risk of depression.
Depression is rarely a result of
circumstances - being depressed more often results from relationship guilt.
This guilt may reflect your regret for abuse, abandonment, betrayal etc - or
is a systemic result of transferences, such as in Parental Alienation
Syndrome (PAS). Se also Sexual Abuse,
Emotional Incest, Stress.
Short Term Solutions
You may try to control guilt and depression with
distractions (TV, videos, gambling, etc), psychoactive medications
(including nicotine, alcohol and caffeine) and
dissociation (withdrawal, self-hypnosis and suggestion). Such emotional
control is short-term, and continued drugs or distractions may result in
obsessions and addictions.
Electroconvulsive Therapy (Electroshock - ECT)
ECT is the passing
an electric current through the brain to cause a convulsion. Electroshock is
used to treat patients with depression, mania
and some schizophrenic syndromes, and for people who do not respond
well to, or abreact to, medications.
Side Effects of ECT include electrocution, brain damage, memory loss, increased
distractibility, difficulty with multiple tasks, trouble with arithmetic and
language, nausea and headaches. See
Electroshock by Dr John Breeding.
NOTE: Consult your physician regarding the
applicability of any opinions or recommendations with respect to
depression, medical symptoms or medical conditions.
Emotional Intelligence & Maturity
Guilt is often expressed as depression, which may result
in nervous breakdown or suicide. Long-term systemic solutions require
that if you have hurt others, that you clarify and balance this, and/or that
you change any entanglements. See
emotional maturity.
Intelligence is not always healthy. Some intelligent people
become depressed if they perceive problems or
trends that less intelligent people miss - especially if they cannot find
effective solutions. (This helped us create Systemic Solutions)
Systemic Solutions diagnoses the health and
stability of you and your relationships:
- Relationship Diagnosis: assess relationships and consequences of past relationships
- Trauma Diagnosis: assess consequences of
past emotional events
- Goal Diagnosis: assess consequences of
expectations and goals
Systemic Solutions
Long-term resolution of guilt and depression requires
emotional maturity. Solutions can be found and tested during
relationship evaluation. Each symptom can be cross-referenced with history,
relationship diagnosis, non-verbal communications and goal
diagnosis. Then a changework plan can be made for the long-term resolution
or control of depression or other unpleasant symptoms.
Do you want relationship coaching or systemic coach training? We
coach and train professionals who coach individuals, couples and teams to
resolve physical, emotional, mental and relationship challenges. We welcome
friendly, motivated people. Enhance your career
with relationship coaching.
Copyright © 2001-2005 by Martyn
Carruthers. All rights reserved. |
