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Depression

1. What is depression?

Depression is a disease that can affect anyone regardless of their age, gender, education or social position. Depression, like any other disease plaguing us, requires the help of a specialist psychiatrist or psychotherapist, and the implementation of appropriate therapy.

2. How does depression manifest itself?

Depression is a condition that has many faces, it affects the soul and the body. Depression is characterized by symptoms such as depression, apathy, anxiety, pessimism lasing a long period of time. Worse days happen to everyone and, a one-off drop in mood is not yet depression. Loss of interest in what has been perceived as fun so far is one significant symptom. Person affected by depression feels a decrease in mental and physical strength. Depression is often accompanied by headache, backache or gastrointestinal pain.

3. What are the types of depression?

Depression can adopt various images. There are several types of depression, with its four primary types listed below.

  • Major depression, characterized by symptoms that prevent you from functioning properly. Even routine activities such as getting out of bed, washing and getting dressed become difficult or even impossible. It is a condition where work, meeting friends, sex, eating, and even watching TV loose their meaning. An affected person experiences overwhelming depression, marked sadness, helplessness, feelings of hopelessness, emptiness, lasting more than two weeks. This type of depression is persistent and will deprive the person of its current life. It’s a mental distress.

 

  • Dysthymia is a milder, but longer-lasting form of depression, the symptoms of which make everyday life less impaired. People suffering from dysthymia do not function and feel as well as a healthy person does. In this case, symptoms persist most days of the week and last for at least two years. Symptoms include depressed mood, decreased or increased appetite, insomnia or excessive sleep, low self-esteem, difficulty making decisions, and impaired concentration. Nevertheless, an affected person can remain functioning in its adopted social roles.

 

  • The bipolar mood disorder (manic depressive disorder) – is characterized by a cyclical change of mood. From over-excitement and even euphoria (mania) to markedly depressed mood or despair (depression), frequently with periods of normal mood pressed inbetween. This type of the disease may be chronic or recurrent.

 

  • Temporary depression, also known as reactive or situational depression. It is associated with specific life events that were excessive stressors for the affected person. Most often it is the loss of a loved one, breakdown of a relationship, significant deterioration of living conditions or job loss. This type of depression has little effect on activity or ability to perform duties. Still, when it lasts more than six months, we may be dealing with a different type of depression.

4. Is it difficult to diagnose depression yourself?

Depression is an insidious disease that distorts the perception of ourselves and the world around us. If Your functioning is based on cutting yourself off from your emotions, denying unpleasant emotional conditions or events, rationalizing, ignoring or downplaying body signals, you may not notice that you already sank into depression.
Give considering yourself and your emotions the right to become a priority. Don’t underestimate your moods and body signals. Becoming aware of the issue is one of the first steps towards recovery

5. Is this my fault that I am depressed?

No fault can be attributed to depression. It is a reaction to what has happened to You or the result of changes in your brain’s biochemistry. Feeling guilty and ashamed is one of the symptoms of depression. People suffering from depression often feel guilty, stripped of dignity, and hopeless.

6. When do you need help?

Immediate treatment is required in the event of suicidal thoughts. These include not only the direct planning of the suicide, but also fantasizing about what would be if I died, how would my family react to it, etc.

Help is also required when we observe most of the following symptoms:

  • guilt or depressed mood
  • nervousness and tension
  • fatigue and low level of vital energy
  • loss of interest and loss of sense of pleasure
  • reduced sexual needs
  • changes in sleep patterns – difficulty sleeping or sleeping longer than usual
  • increase or decrease in body mass, for no apparent reason.

Specialist help for people with depression increases the chance of an accurate diagnosis and the return to psychophysical well-being.

7. How does the VR TierOne help in fighting depression?

The idea is to completely separate the patient from his/her surroundings, transferring him/her to a beautiful scene of Garden of Rebirth. Then subjecting him/her to different therapeutic suggesting and carefully selected visual and auditory stimuli. Application of the aforesaid tools significantly reduces the depression levels of therapy participants.

8. Why does the VR TierOne solution work and is there any evidence of it?

The solution works because it is based on the proven therapeutic method by M. Ericsson. Elements sourced from this trend allow the patient to restore self-confidence and significantly accelerate the healing process.
This is evidenced by the results of research carried out on patients of neurology, cardiology and pulmonary wards.

9. Does VR TierOne replace a psychologist/psychotherapist?

Obviously not. However, it largely improves the specialist’s work with the patient. The psychologists claim, that patients are significantly faster to communicate with their own emotions, which renders their work easier.

10. How can I help myself before I require the care of a specialist?

If you notice any disturbing symptoms like sleep pattern disturbances, weight loss, feeling anxious or meaningless, then you are clearly dealing with a depressive disorder.
Of course you can attempt to make a change in your life first. Introduce more exercise into your life, switch your menu to healthy unprocessed products, give up stimulants, try something new. Reaching for the VR TierOne therapeutic solution will also be a good idea at this stage.

11. How does your lifestyle affect your well-being?

The style and quality of our lives have a overwhelming impact on our well-being. Lack of rest, improper nutrition, shortness of sleep and insufficient intake of hydration fluids all affect our body. If you don’t take care of your body, your well-being will deteriorate.
The well-known saying says: “a sound mind in a sound body” – the condition of the body and the state of mind are interrelated. People who are constantly sleepy, exhausted, eating junk food, experience, in longer time perspective, decline in their strength and vital energy, reduced concentration and chronic fatigue. By living haphazardly and in a hurry, we disturb the correct functions of both the body and the psyche.

12. What are the depression treatment methods?

Each treatment should begin with a correct diagnosis. Based on that diagnosis the treatment may include antidepressants, psychotherapy, participation in support groups, use of sleep deprivation, and sometimes electroconvulsive therapy. Of course, there are also the innovative methods of treating depression based on modern technologies.
An example of such a method is the comprehensive VR TierOne therapeutic solution based on Virtual Reality.