How to Fight Depression Symptoms Treatment Sign Test

How to fight depression by knowing what is depression. Depression is rampant in today’s society, almost everyone is on, or knows someone who is on antidepressants, but these medications only treat the symptoms of depression – not necessarily the causes. There are many phase to go through first is the depression test to fond in what level are you depressed. That can by determined by checking the depression symptoms or you can say sign of depression that is the most crucial part. The main thing that you should keep in your mind is how to deal with depression. The answer is not always medicine.

Depression Symptoms

• Difficulty concentrating, remembering details, and making decisions
• Fatigue and decreased energy
• Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, and/or helplessness
• Feelings of hopelessness and/or pessimism
• Insomnia, early-morning wakefulness, or excessive sleeping
• Irritability, restlessness
• Loss of interest in activities or hobbies once pleasurable, including sex
• Overeating or appetite loss
• Persistent aches or pains, headaches, cramps, or digestive problems that do not ease even with treatment
• Persistent sad, anxious, or “empty” feelings
• Thoughts of suicide, suicide attempts

Are There Warning Signs of Suicide With Depression?

• A sudden switch from being very sad to being very calm or appearing to be happy
• Always talking or thinking about death
• Clinical depression (deep sadness, loss of interest, trouble sleeping and eating) that gets worse
• Having a “death wish,” tempting fate by taking risks that could lead to death, such as driving through red lights
• Losing interest in things one used to care about
• Making comments about being hopeless, helpless, or worthless
• Putting affairs in order, tying up loose ends, changing a will
• Saying things like “It would be better if I wasn’t here” or “I want out”
• Talking about suicide (killing one’s self)
• Visiting or calling people one cares about

Depression Treatments

1. Be happy

Studies have shown that when choose to redirect your attention to the positive, your serotonin levels increase. It’s been known for years that your thoughts can alter blood flow to the brain, but only recently have scientists discovered that how you think can also alter neurotransmitter levels. Meditation has been shown to increase dopamine levels, and feelings of happiness also alter serotonin levels in your brain.
Low serotonin receptor function is associated with poor mood, and high serotonin levels are associated with better mood. Basically, while low serotonin may cause you to feel sad, feeling happy may also increase your serotonin levels. It’s not clear which is more powerful, but one way to increase serotonin may be through psychotherapy methods like cognitive behavioral therapy, meditation, and my personal favorite, HeartMath training.

2. Get outside more

Mark Sisson has written some excellent articles on the importance of sunshine and light exposure. He’s made a great point about how working outside can increase your productivity, happiness, and health. The problem is that it’s hard to move your office outside (although there are some tricks you can use to make it work). Nevertheless, working outdoors is not something most people are going to do. However, other research is showing that bright light exposure may be a way to help increase serotonin levels and alleviate depressive symptoms.
Bright light therapy is especially effective in pregnant women. On a slightly macabre note, autopsies have shown that people who died in the summer have higher serotonin levels than those who died in the winter. In studies where they purposely restrict tryptophan to lower serotonin levels, bright light prevents the normal drop in serotonin levels. If you’ve been suffering from depression or unexplained sadness, try to get outside more often. If you can’t, think about getting a wakeup light or installing some halogen bulbs in your work area.
In fact, since I live in Canada where it gets dark in the winter, I have 1000 watts of halogen light mounted above my desk, which serves nicely to stave off the winter blues.

3. Exercise

If you’ve been reading the blog or listening to the podcast for any length of time, you’ve probably figured out that excess exercise is not Bulletproof. However, the right kinds of exercise can be beneficial for a number of reasons. A massive review of most of the available evidence found that exercise is extremely good at improving depressive symptoms and increasing mood. Some forward thinking agencies are even prescribing exercise instead of antidepressants, because “the risk–benefit ratio is poor for antidepressant use in patients with mild depression.” In other words, exercise is more effective and safer, at least for people with mild depression. In animals, exercise increases serotonin levels and the firing rates of serotonin neurons. Does this mean you should start training for the Boston Marathon? No, but it is evidence you might benefit from a strength plan like the one we’ve laid out here. To learn more about the benefits of Bulletproof exercise, listen to our interview with Dr. Doug McGuff, M.D.

4. Diet

The last, and possibly most effective way to increase serotonin levels in your brain and improve your mood is to eat the Bulletproof Diet. In animals and humans, tryptophan increases serotonin levels. In cases of light to moderate to depression, tryptophan can also improve mood. Even in healthy people who are ranked as slightly more irritable than most, small amounts of tryptophan can make them more agreeable and less irritable. However, there is a difference between dietary and supplementary tryptophan.
Tryptophan supplements raise serotonin levels, but dietary tryptophan does not. If you do take tryptophan as a supplement, don’t take it when you have recently eaten protein, the other amino acids in protein compete with the absorption of tryptophan in the brain.

How to Bulletproof Your Brain Against Depression without Drugs

1. Practice pleasure. Use meditation or Heart Math training to learn to “turn on” a state of happiness that can replace sadness. At a minimum, take some time out of your day to focus on everything you love in life. Get therapy if these things don’t help.
2. Be in nature, or at least pretend to be. Humans evolved over millions of years living outside. Only in the last several thousand have we migrated into the sheet rock caves that we now call offices. Bright light therapy has been shown in several trials to helps alleviate depressive symptoms. If you can, install some bright lights inside your workspace. Being outside is even better, because you’ll also increase your vitamin D levels naturally. At least add a few plants to your work space.
3. Exercise. The right kind of exercise can do wonders for your body and mind. Not only will it get you leaner, stronger, and help you live longer, it also improves your mood. Use a plan like the Bulletproof Body or Body by Science to strengthen your mental and physical abilities.
4. Eat the Bulletproof Diet. Avoiding toxins and getting enough – but not too much – tryptophan will help your mood. The Bulletproof Diet also optimizes your omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acid ratios, which improves your brain performance and overall health.
Using a combination of high doses of fun, bright lights or nature exposure, the right kind of exercise, and the Bulletproof Diet, you can help fight mild depression and optimize your mental performance.