On the evening of the 5th, singer Li Min's family announced through social media that Li Min died at home on July 2, and has been in a coma after being sent to the hospital, and finally died on July 5.
The news of Li Min's death made many netizens sad, and some people were shocked. In the public impression, Li Min always presents a sunny and optimistic image, and some netizens wonder: Why do people who look sunny and cheerful also get depression? This is actually a misunderstanding of depression by many people.
The 25-year-old Internet celebrity was diagnosed with depression
Friend: Usually she is a cheerful person
According to reports, yesterday, the emergency department of the Sandun campus of Zhejiang Hospital received a woman who developed coma symptoms due to taking a large number of sleeping pills. It is reported that the woman's name is Xiaoying (pseudonym), 25 years old this year, a video anchor, and a well-known "Internet celebrity" in the "circle". However, since childhood, his parents divorced, and he was not welcomed by teachers and classmates because of poor academic performance, resulting in a gradual inferiority in his personality. 5 years ago, Xiaoying tried suicide for the first time, was discovered by her family in time and sent to the hospital, and was diagnosed with major depression.
According to her family, Xiaoying has committed suicide many times since she was diagnosed with depression. Xiaoying's friend Xiao Li (pseudonym) said: "I saw the news of Li Min's suicide last night, I didn't expect it to happen to my friend today, Xiaoying usually gives us the impression of a very cheerful girl, and I really can't understand how struggling she is inside." The doctor said that according to the description of friends, it can be preliminarily judged that Xiaoying, like Li Min, belongs to "smiling depression". The so-called "smile depression" is a popular term, which refers to people with depressed emotions to cover up their depressed side and wear a smile mask, making people think that their lives are happy, resulting in depressive symptoms that are difficult to detect. Such patients are difficult to get outside help in time, and are more likely to fall into a situation of isolation.
People with "smile depression" have better social skills and greater uncertainty than ordinary depressed patients
The World Health Organization predicts that depression will rise to the top of the world's disease burden by 2030. But many people do not take the initiative to seek psychological counseling, especially smile depression.
Dr. Tina Silverman, a psychologist at Cooper University Hospital in the United States, pointed out that ordinary patients with severe depression may not be able to get out of bed when their condition is severe due to severe physical strength and mental decline; In contrast, patients with depressed smiling smile tend to have more energy, and once they have desperate suicidal thoughts, they are more likely to act and achieve "success".
Clinical psychologist Rita Labeaune believes that unlike typical depression, patients with smiling depression do not shrink into bed every day and lose the ability to communicate with others, but have better social functions, and even mistakenly think that social skills are better than ordinary people.
However, this "habitual smile" can not eliminate the stress, troubles, and sorrows brought by work, life and other aspects, but only let them accumulate more and more depression and pain. Eventually, when they eventually behaved or committed suicide, their families were shocked or disbelievable.
This view is supported by the study of psychotherapist Jack Anderson, who believes that people with smiling depression have greater uncertainty than the average depressed person, "and when they smile and thank you for your help and say that they are getting better, they may have decided in their minds to kill themselves." ”
How to recognize depression?
The most critical cause of depression is lack of motivation and lack of pleasure, just like a train losing fuel and power unit, resulting in patients unable to maintain their original life status. In severe cases, the patient's life is stagnant, not only can not maintain advanced social work ability, basic physiological states such as diet and sleep also problems, and even produce psychiatric symptoms, want to commit suicide.
The symptoms of depression are diverse, ever-changing, and vary greatly from individual to individual, but can be broadly grouped into the following categories.
Depressed mood: This is the most core symptom, mainly manifested as significant and persistent low mood and pessimism, varying in severity. Mild patients will be sullen, lack of pleasure, and lack of interest, and severe patients will feel pessimistic and desperate, living like years, and painful.
Thinking disorders: Patients often feel that their thinking is slow, their brains are empty, they are slow to react, and they can't remember things. The thinking content is more pessimistic and negative, and in severe cases, patients even have delusions and other psychiatric symptoms, such as suspecting that they are seriously ill due to physical discomfort, and may also appear relationship delusions, poverty delusions, delusions of victimhood, etc., and some patients may also have hallucinations, often auditory hallucinations.
Decreased volitional activity: manifested as a lack of will and motivation to do things. For example, life is lazy, unwilling to socialize, alone for a long time, and in serious cases, personal hygiene is ignored, and even silent, not moving, and not eating.
Cognitive impairment: mainly manifested as memory loss, decreased concentration or hard study, always recalling unhappy things in the past, or always thinking about pessimistic things.
Physical symptoms: Common symptoms include sleep disturbance, fatigue, loss of appetite, weight loss, constipation, pain (anywhere in the body), decreased libido, impotence, amenorrhea, and autonomic dysfunction.
Can depression be treated?
Experts point out that as a disease, depression is not an "incurable disease". Most patients can be cured by seeking professional help.
As with most diseases, the sooner depression is treated, the better the outcome. It is best to seek psychological intervention in time when depression has just appeared, so as to avoid depression.
At present, the general rule of depression medication is to start from a low dose, gradually increase the dose, and finally reach the target dose maintenance, and the continuous medication treatment time should reach two years or even longer. Although the process is very long, patients who have truly achieved cure can return to normal work and life, and when they encounter setbacks, they who have experienced lows are sometimes stronger than ordinary people.
How to get along with someone with depression?
Many times, relatives and friends around depressed patients misunderstand the various behaviors of depressed patients because they do not understand the condition. When dealing with people with depression, the people around you are often overwhelmed for fear of hurting each other if they are not careful.
How to help and comfort depressed patients through their words and deeds, and get along harmoniously and friendly with them?
- Understand more
It is important for people with depression to feel respected and trying to be understood. Much of their pain is unknown and difficult to express at once, so keep trying to understand them.
- Listen more
Listening is most important for people with depression. After listening, we better not evaluate, analyze, or accuse.
- Care more
People with depression are often vulnerable and need to be cared for and loved.
- Be more cooperative
Some patients want to be alone for a while, and we need to give some space and freedom after agreeing on safety. Some patients are prone to crying and venting, so we must accompany him and allow him to vent within the limits of not harming himself.
- Do not blindly suggest, encourage and supervise
Depressed people are in a state of illness, tolerance and sensitivity to the outside world are different from daily states, and all kinds of small things will bring them stress and a sense of collapse.
Without professional patient condition assessment and physician guidance, patients should not be forcibly taken to exercise, party, travel, read books and try various treatment methods and adjustment methods found online.
- No accusations
People with depression are most afraid of being labeled as not working hard, not responsible, not serious, not persistent, etc. Don't say "what is this" or "people are in a harder situation than you, and they are not depressed".
- Do not ask why
Don't just ask "why are you depressed" and "why is everyone stressed, just because you're sick?" Depression is a disease with complex etiologies, and we can't choose whether we want it or not.
- Treat without trembling
Do your best and take care of depressed patients with love is the best way to cope, do not carry too much psychological burden, do not blame yourself too much for not taking care of them.
- Find a professional doctor to rely on
According to the patient's disease status, professional psychiatrists will judge whether the patient needs drug intervention, the most important and least things to do at present, etc., and give relevant treatment plans.
Source丨City Express, Qilu Evening News editor丨Qian Jiayue