Struggling With Situational Depression? Facts To Help You Cope

Do you wake up in the morning feeling sad and hopeless? Are you wondering if you are depressed? And if you are depressed, do you wonder what kind of depression you might have, chemical or situational? Let me share some situational depression facts that might help you figure it out and get proper treatment.

#1 – What are the differences between chemical and situational depression?

Diagnostically, are two basic kinds of depression: situational depression and chemical depression. They have similar symptoms but different causes.

Situational depression is caused by something that happens in your life. When something big happens that makes you sad, like the death of a parent or a divorce or the loss of a job, you can become situationally depressed. This kind of depression usually has a beginning, caused by a specific event, and an end, and is often treated differently from chemical depression.

Chemical depression is the result your brain chemistry being off in such a way that leads to depression. You are most often born with chemical depression but it can also by caused by a traumatic life event.

Chemical depression can happen to youeven if your life is going great.

So, ask yourself some questions about what your life looks like these days to help you figure out what kind of depression you might have.

If you think you have situational depression, read on. If you think you have chemical depression here is an article for you to read to learn more.

#2 – What do I need to know about situational depression?

As I stated above, situational depression happens when something occurs in your life that causes you extreme stress and because you haven ‘ t yet adapted to the changes brought about as a result of that event.

Issues that can bring about situational depression include:

• Problems at work or school
• Illness
• Death of a loved one
• Moving
• Relationship issues

Furthermore, many people who struggle with situational depression often have preexisting experiences with some sort of trauma that might contribute to their mood changes. Some possible experiences may be:

• Existing mental health problems
• Several difficult life experiences happening at once
• Having gone through considerable stress as a child

So, take a good look at your life right now. Are you struggling with something? Is your child having issues at school? Is your marriage a mess? Are your parents ill? Anything that is out of the ordinary and which is making it more difficult to function.

If you are sad, and you are struggling with life events, you might be situationally depressed.

#2 – What are the symptoms of situational depression?

Most people with situational depression develop symptoms within roughly 90 days following the event that triggers the condition. Symptoms can include:

• Listlessness
• Hopelessness
• Lack of enjoyment of regular activities
• Difficulty sleeping
• Sadness
• Recurring bouts of crying
• Loss of interest in food
• Anxiety
• Worry
• Loss of Concentration
• Withdrawal from work or friends
• Suicidal thoughts

Symptoms of situational depression vary from person to person and usually include more than one of the symptoms above.

Review the list above carefully. If any of these things seem familiar to you then you might be struggling with situational depression and it ‘ s time to deal with it. Situational depression can cause severe disruption of your life if left untreated.

#4 – What is the best way to treat situational depression?

In many cases, situational depression will ease on its own. There are things that you can do in the meantime to help relieve the symptoms. Getting exercise, eating well, getting enough sleep, sharing your feelings and doing things that make you happy can all help ease your sense of sadness.

However, if your symptoms are seriously disrupting your life or not going away, it would be a good idea to talk to your Primary Care doctor about what is going on. It might be time to talk to a psychologist and/or get treated with some medication.

Either way, it is important that you pay attention to your moods so that you know if they are getting worse or better. It ‘ s often easy to lose sight of the fact that it ‘ s the depression that is making your life so bleak. We start to blame ourselves for not being strong enough or outgoing enough or smart enough when in fact our self-image is clouded by the depression.

Checking in with your moods regularly so that you can deal with them properly is an important part of dealing with your situational depression.

#5 – How long will my situational depression last?

Many people with situational depression have symptoms for longer than 6 months. This is especially common when something else happens during the recovery period, which often happens because, well, this is life.

For others, situational depression can abate quickly, especially if you make a special effort to take care of yourself, sleep and eat well, get exercise and hang out with those you love.

If your depression is seriously impacting your life, whether just for a few weeks or a few months, reach out to your doctor to get some support. Your life just might depend on it.

Situational depression sucks. Really it does.

But understanding why your depression is happening and accepting that it is something that you will have to deal with is the first step to feeling better.

Remember, there are many people in the world who are struggling with depression. You are not alone. And you are not weak or anti-social or less-than in any way. You are suffering from depression and you can get better!

So, read the article above carefully. Take the first steps to dealing with your depression. You will be happy you did.

Are you struggling with situational depression?
I know it can be really, really hard. Let me help!
Email me at [email protected] and let’s get started!

Mitzi Bockmann

I am a NYC based Certified Life Coach and mental health advocate. My writing has been published on The Huffington Post, Prevention,  Psych Central, Pop Sugar, MSN and The Good Man Project, among others. I work with all kinds of people to help them go from depressed and overwhelmed to confident and happy in their relationships and in their world.