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Depression yet again!

8/15/2016

4 Comments

 
Recently,I did a little more research on depression and found a couple of articles that help to explain the difference between anxiety, apathy and depression.  Here is what I found:

Excerpted from "Depression Trumps Recovery," appearing in Stroke Connection Magazine September/October 2003. and The Stroke Foundation website.

Here is some information on Anxiety, Apathy and Depression

Symptoms of anxiety:

Feeling very worried or anxious most of the time.
Finding it difficult to calm down.
Feeling overwhelmed or frightened by sudden feelings of intense panic/anxiety.
Experiencing recurring thoughts that cause anxiety, but may seem silly to others.
Avoiding situations or things which cause anxiety (e.g. social events or crowded places).

Symptoms of Depression:

Persistent sad, anxious or “empty” mood
Feelings of hopelessness, pessimism
Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, helplessness
Loss of interest or pleasure in hobbies and activities that were once enjoyed, including sex
Decreased energy, fatigue, being “slowed down”
Difficulty concentrating, remembering, making decisions
Insomnia, early-morning awakening, or oversleeping
Appetite and/or weight changes
Thoughts of death or suicide, or suicide attempts
Restlessness, irritability

Distinguishing Between Apathy and Depression

Apathy presents itself as indifference — the person seems to not have emotions. People with apathy do not seem motivated or interested in things. Often, the person is generally satisfied and content with doing nothing — and doesn’t seem bothered by it.  In many cases, it's of more concern to the family or caregiver.  This is more often seen in right brain strokes.

Depression, on the other hand, is an emotion in which the person feels sad and often discouraged, hopeless about the future, and perhaps suicidal.

I found the above very interesting.  And then I looked at myself to see which category I fit into.  As I looked into the definitions of the above, I found myself in none of the categories although I did have some of the symptoms of all of the categories.  You might say, wow, what a lucky guy.  He's not anxious, he's not apathetic and he's not depressed.  What more could anyone want.  But (there's always a but), I do find myself having a big problem with negativity.  Every time I think of something good.  Almost immediately, I counteract it by thinking of something negative. I've been trying to get rid of this negativity for some time now.  I take four minutes a few times a day and just repeat I am positive over and over again while I am doing a hand exercise. So far it has helped a little but I can't seem to get rid of it altogether. I will keep trying, however.

Does anyone else out there have these same negative thoughts?  I would be interested to see how many of you out there do have this problem.  And if you had this problem were you able to counteract it.  And become more positive?  And if you did become more positive.  How did you do it?!

These are my thoughts for this week.  I hope I have given you a little something to think about.  Maybe if you could go through the exercise I did about finding out whether your anxious, apathetic or depressed and figure out what you are going to do about it!

​Bye for now.  And thanks for listening.

Also, here is a site for some good information:  DepressionToolkit.com

4 Comments
Nancy Guy
1/6/2017 02:20:39 pm

It sounds like you are doing a wonderful job with rehab. My sister had a stroke that destroyed her cerebellum. With the loss of balance, she had given up on trying to walk with a walker even. It is a very sad case. If you know of anyone in a similar situation, who has been able to walk again with a walker or cane, will you please let me know. Thank you, and keep up the good work; God bless you and your family.

Reply
John
1/9/2017 12:23:28 pm

Nancy, Thank you for contacting me and congratulations to your sister for making it through the stroke and being a stroke survivor!. As you might know, a lot of people don't make it through a hemmorhagic stroke or an ischemic stroke either! Balance is one of the main side effects of strokes from my experience in being in a few rehab facilities over the years. Yes I said years! But not to scare your sister too much because she is still in a good place if she just had the stroke. But if not, progress can still be made because of a great thing called plasticity! Plasticity is a process where the brain re-routes functionality to other pathways in the brain that aren't being used as much.The trick is repetition (this is true even if she just had the stroke). This is not easy. I know because I had a big problem with balance early on, so much so that they categorized me as a falling risk and I could only go from place to place by wheel chair. But I did my exercises faithfully and was walking within a month! This is specific to each individual, though. So it might take a longer or shorter time for someone else depending on the severity of the stroke. If you have more questions please respond to this comment so that we might get a dialogue going with other stroke survivors who might have more information for you or stroke survivors that could benefit from information presented here! Thank you for your contact and tell your sister not to give up hope!

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Coleman link
3/9/2017 12:02:55 pm

Hello John, i had a hemorrhagic stroke in 2009 February, I've been on the depressed mood ever since I try not to get down on myself I try to show a strong front around friends and family I'm tired of being depressed I know I'm not the same person in terms of being able to play with my kids and now grandkids I just need help in trying to stay positive which is very hard to do if can lead me in the direction for help are have some ideas that I can work on I would appreciate it thanks and god bless it takes a village

John VanDeun
3/10/2017 03:20:48 pm

Coleman, It's good to hear from you because reaching out is the first step in getting better!

I, too, was very depressed from the beginning. I lost the use of my left hand. And as I had come to find out most things we do are done with two hands. Then I started having seizures and this only sent me spiraling deeper into the hell-hole of depression.

Finally though, my doctor suggested I go see a psychiatrist (duh). And that made all the difference in the world. i don't know how old you are (I am 70), but I don't pay for this service, Medicare does! But if you're disabled and on Medicare you should be covered also.

It took a little while but the doctor finally got me on the right meds and i am now in a much better place. Not perfect but definitely better.

I suggest you go see a psychiatrist to get the help you need. It's very hard to do it on your own. And covering it up is not the solution!

If you find the time let me know what you decide. I'd love to hear what success you might have. I think my readers might also!

Keep fighting. It does get better with help. I know because I've been through it.

John

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    John Van Deun

    Age 72
    Stroke
    11/08/08 @ 62
    carotid
    dissection

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  • A Stroke Survivor Story
  • Intro Page - 1
  • Intro Page - 2
  • Intro Page - 3
  • Blog
  • A Stroke Rehab Journey
  • Hand of Hope
  • Chat Room
  • Contact
  • Related Links
  • Tools for Stroke Rehabilitation
  • Products to Make Life Easier
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • Related Links for Seniors