Depression
Being diagnosed with Lupuswas a pretty traumatic time for me as well as for many others. You do realize that your life will change however you have NO idea how much. Your energy levels, moods, medications, lifestyle, and many other things change with the ebb and flow of Lupus. Depression can happen with all the changes that we go thru.
My life did changed tremendously after being diagnosed with Lupus. There were many changes I recognized and understood and so many more changes that slipped under the radar for many years. For starters I had terrible mood swings and horrible anger issues. I didn't know where they came from or why I was having them just that they made my family and co workers miserable. I learned years later that the mood swings and anger were a part of depression. The depression was brought by the fact that I had not dealt some of the changes in the life I had planned before being diagnosed with Lupus.
I accepted the disease but not the changes it made in my life. I didn't want to deal with it not being safe for me to have more children, not being able to play in the sun, not being spontantenous. When I was diagnosed with the big bad D word (depression) I didn't understand how I could be depressed. I am a very positive person and I don't let anything get me down for too long. That didn't equal the picture of depression I had in my head. In the past when I thought that being depressed meant you acted like a morose bored teenager; I had never been so wrong.
Psychological and Physical Symptoms of Clinical Depression *
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Facts About Clinical Depression and Lupus *
- Between 15 and 60 percent of people with a chronic illness will experience clinical depression.
- Clinical depression may be a result of the ways in which lupus physically affects your body.
- Some of the medicines to treat lupus—especially corticosteroids such as prednisone (and at higher doses of 20 mg or more)—play a role in causing clinical depression.
- Clinical depression may be a result of the continuous series of emotional and psychological stressors associated with living with a chronic illness.
- Clinical depression may be a result of neurologic problems or experiences unrelated to lupus.
- Clinical depression also produces anxiety, which may aggravate physical symptoms (headache, stomach pain, etc.).
- Two common feelings associated with clinical depression are hopelessness and helplessness. People who feel hopeless believe that their distressing symptoms may never improve. People who feel helpless believe they are beyond help—that no one cares enough to help them or could succeed in helping, even if they tried.
My PCP prescribed an anti-depressant for me and that helped but it didn't "cure" me. The hard part for me was to begin dealing with some of the issues I refused to think about or talk about. Once I was honest with myself it made things a bit easier to deal with. Talking about my issues and getting them out in the open helps me more than medication does. It is one the reasons I choose to write. Writing is a positive way for me to get my feelings out; like a cleanse only a lot less messy.
Depression will always be something I'll have to deal with. I've learned some tools to help me deal with it more effectively and in a positive manner. No more screaming fits for me. There are many different ways to help cope us with depression. The coping mechanisms I use may not work for everyone but there so many more ways to cope with Lupus and depression.
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
- Therapy
- Anti depressants
- Exercise
- Finding a support system
- Controlling the pain
- Improving sleep habits
- Maintaining friendships
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