The simplified essentials of Mental health indicators and overcoming the tough times.

1. Overcoming Tough Times-
A mental health Webinar-
NSS, 2020,Bhopal
Dr SB GITA NARAHARI
Psychologist

2. What is Mental Illness?
•Mental illness are mental health conditions
involving changes in Emotions, thinking or
behaviour or a combination of these.May be
associated with Distress, problems
functioning in social settings, work or family
activities.

3. How Depression Feels?
• May feel as though no one understands their feeelings or cares for
them enough to try and understand, which can be isolating and
overwhelming.
• Initially the person having difficult feeling may not accept their
condition or any help for fear of becoming a burden on their close
relationships.

4. How to Identify a Depressive Person
Atleast 5 of the following symptoms must exist for a continuous
duration of atleast 2 weeks.
1. A irritable or depressed mood most of the time
2. Loss or decrease of pleasure or interest in everything
3. Significant changes in weight or appetite
4. Disturbances in falling asleep or sleeping way too much.
5. Visible slowed down movements or excessive restlessness
6. Feeling tired most of the time, sluggish and having low energy
most days.

5. Signs
7. Feelings of worthless or excessive guilt most days.
8.Experiencing problems with thinking, focus, concentration, creativity
and the ability to make any kind of decisions.
9.Having thoughts of Dying, self harm or talking of suicide.
10. Low self-esteem
11. Withdrawal from social interaction completely.
12.Gulity and deserving punishment talk/
13.Great effort to do ordinary things
14. Unable to feel good even when situations/news are good

6. What is Anxiety/sadness/Depression then?
• Anxiety is a persistent worry of fear that interferes with things
they would normally do and lasts for a long time.
• Sadness is a normal human emotion. Its misguided by
difficult,hurtful, challenging or disappointing event, experience or
situation. When that something fades, when we have adjusted or
gotten over the loss or disappointment, sadness disappears.
• Depression is an abnormal emotional state. It does not require a
difficult event or situation,a loss or a change or a circumstance as
a trigger. Infact, it occurs absence of any such trigger.

7. How Depression Manifests?
• Depression makes everything less enjoyable, less interesting, less
important, less lovable and less worthwhile. It saps the energy,
motivation and ability to experience joy, pleasure, excitement,
anticipation, satisfaction, connection and meaning. All their
thresholds tend to be low, more impatient, quicker to anger, gets
frustrated, quicker to break down, and it takes you longer to
bounce back from anything.

8. What to talk ?
• Ask direct questions. Ask them if they are feeling low?
• Even if a friend/family member is withdrawn, try to stay in touch
• Tell them “I care for you”.
• Tell them you can trust me, confide in me. Lets understand what
is going on first.
• Keep asking how you can help.
• Tell them you won’t mind sharing their troubles and you want to
do it.Tell them, they would do the same for you.
• Would You like some help at home, workplace or grocery shopping.

9. Show real Interest for caring
• Would you like me to come over for sometime.
• Should I come over this Sunday and we make lunch at home or order to
eat together.
• Ask them to talk with a doctor.
• Offer them company to drive and be around with doctors.
• Allow the depressed to relieve the pressure of pent-up feelings.
• Help depressed people to take their medications and complete the
prescription.
• Listen without interrupting. They do not want well meaning advice.

10. What NOT to do/say
• Snap out of it .
• Its all in your head.
• Choose to be happy.
• Do not curse,threaten or make fun. It makes the depressed person
feel worse.
• You are becoming stubborn, pessimistic or negative.

11. What to do if you know someone is suffering?
• Encourage them to consult a professional help, psychological Counsellor
or see a Psychiatrist.
• Be supportive of them.
• Avoid judgement.
• Avoid preaching.
• Avoid blaming them for their own condition even if it it true.
• Offer Anything that makes them want to keep living, Give hope through
faith, social work, nature interaction, friends, pets, hobby, physical
workout, martial arts training, Music therapy, spiritual reading –anything
that makes them believe of a higher power .

12. Overcoming tough emotions
• Remind them they really matter and many people do care.
• Tell them, remind them of their value and worth,
• How they survived in difficult situations before.
• Remind them its okay to feel this way.
• Tell them the biochemical imbalances associated with, are driving
the feelings .
• Adopt the attitude of acceptance.
• Antidepressants can take some time to change chemicals in brain
sometimes upto 8 weeks or longer.

13. Natural ways to overcome
• Follow a routine
• Set some goals.
• Exercise
• Eat healthy
• Sleep enough
• Meet close friends and family
• Do your normal activity with a help from a friend
• Stay with someone.

14. Warning signs of suicidal ideation
• Pre occupation with death.
• Creating a will or giving away possessions,
• Talking openly about killing oneself.
• Saying goodbye as though its last time.
• Development of a suicide plan, acquiring the means to carry out
“rehearsal” behaviour, setting a time for attempt.
• Statements like “you are better off without me” or “I wish I could go to
sleep and never wake up”.
• Suddenly switching from being very depressed to being very happy or
calm for no apparent reason.

15. information for Self Testing
• https://depression.org.nz/is-it-depression-anxiety/self-test/
• https://www.gulfbend.org/poc/view_doc.php?type=doc&id=13016
&cn=5
• https://www.psycom.net/depression-test

16. Thank you
Take care of your life positively.
Dr Gita Narahari
Psychologist