Coping with Stress and Depression
TAKING CARE OF OUR MENTAL HEALTH IS VERY IMPORTANT! "Depression is more than just feeling down or having a bad day. When a sad mood lasts for a long time and interferes with normal functioning, you may be depressed." Depression and anxiety disorders are among the most common psychiatric illnesses; they are highly comorbid with each other, and together they are considered to belong to the broader category of internalizing disorders. Stress is most often thought of as something harmful. Stress causes adverse effects only when it is too strong or lasts too long and thus exceeds the adaptive capacity of the individual. Moderate stress facilitates adaptation to environmental demands, thereby stimulating intellectual growth. In contrast with healthy people, patients with depression in stressful situations more often use strategies based on avoidance and denial and have more difficulties in finding positive aspects of stressful events. CAUSES OF STRESS AND DEPRESSION