The demon of depression

When I discovered this article from the Semanal in which Andrew Solomon is interviewed and talks about his book The demon of depression I found it very interesting. And it is that Depression is a threat that scares us all, a stigma for many and a mystery for others about the recesses of our minds.

Below I present a summary of it so that you can discover Solomon and for all those of you who have a family member in these circumstances that may be of help to you.

Who is Andrew Solomon?

Andrew Solomon is a writer and professor of psychology and one of the world’s leading experts on the topic of depression. In his last book The demon of depressionoffers us his vision about this disease.

For 5 years, he has interviewed different people who suffered from depression to write his book, in addition to his own personal experience, since he himself has suffered from this disease. He is a recipient of the National Book Award and is a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.

Solomon defines Depression as “the crack of love”a crack that closes, heals and is triggered by some reason: a breakup, the loss of a loved one, difficulties at work…

That crack in love, when it occurs, degrades the person in their most intimate part, eclipsing their ability to give and receive affection. When you have depression, inner loneliness manifestsdestroying not only the bond with others, but also with oneself, he says.

The truth is Like almost everything in life, it depends on the person.. While there are people who go into depression due to very strong triggers, such as the loss of a child; Other people can fall into them due to triggers that at first glance seem unimportant.

Regardless of the origin of its cause, In depression we find a need to love and be reciprocated much more evident than for other people., faced with the breakdown of the capacity to love. This is how Solomon puts it:When one is depressed, one requires the love of others, but depression encourages acts that destroy that love.“.

Some symptoms of depression

For Dr. Andrew If there is something that characterizes depression, it is inability to love and total laxity, that is, not being able to act, the lack of appetite, affection and will.

There are other symptoms, that can go unnoticed and that in some cases, they may be warning us of the presence of this disease. Andrew Solomon, quotes us up to ten:

1. Drink more than usual. Alcohol consumption is usually one of the most common tactics to combat pain, as an attempt to solve the problems that occur.

2. Become obsessed with flirting. You try to seduce everyone to combat your depression and not feel alone.

3. Fight. You are constantly on the defensive. This is nothing more than a way to combat the feeling of helplessness.

4. Not feeling anything. In order not to feel sad, you try to avoid all feelings as if you were a zombie. In the end you end up distancing yourself from everyone.

5. Not performing at work. No matter how hard you try, you can’t maintain a good work pace.

6. Lack of concentration. You are constantly thinking about something else, you get distracted, you forget…

7. Everything “slides” on you. It’s not that you mean it, but while others try to cheer you up, you go through everything. Things lose their importance.

8. Go out a lot. You try to escape your depression by going to all kinds of events, even if you don’t even have a good time.

9. You laugh and cry to a minimum. You react excessively to everyday things, both good and bad. You move in constant emotional instability.

10. You are full. You try to do everything, because you want to feel invincible, when in reality it is quite the opposite.

What can help us combat depression?

Surround yourself with people who love you. Sleep well. Healthy eating and exercise. Medication prescribed by a doctor. Psychotherapy. Other alternatives such as homeopathy, hypnosis, literature or music…

Although Andrew Solomon states that there is advice that can be given to everyone, it must be kept in mind that Each of us is different, so how we deal with depression will also be different.

We can even try to see the other side of depression. Going deeper into it, observing and valuing what it teaches us, Solomon tells us that it helped him to be more human and understand how the state of mind influences everything we experience.

How can we help a loved one with depression?

Depression is the disease of lonelinesswhich turns interactions with others into stressful situations.

If we can do anything, it is do not leave the person alone. He has to feel our presence in one way or another. We can talk to him or if he doesn’t want to talk, being next to him and if he doesn’t want us to be next to him, we can tell him that we are in the other room.

Praise each of their advances, no matter how small, help you lead a healthy life now detect your sources of stressas well as seeking information about depression, its treatment and what you can do to help your recovery, are some of the things you can do to serve as support.

Remember that, Although depression cannot be cured with love, feeling loved by others is a great help to continue with the motivation to get out of that situation.

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