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Relationships can be difficult, especially when we experience depression. Mental Health America has some useful tips for having a relationship while experiencing depression:
- Share your feelings with others as much as possible.
- Let your partner know that you still find him or her attractive.
- Consider couples or family counseling.
- Keep working toward recovery.
There are also some tips for people in a relationship with someone experiencing depression. To see these, and for further explanation, Click here to read the article.
A new line of therapy, ‘hope therapy’ may be of significant use in treating depression. The aim of therapy is to teach hope. Hope is different to optimism; “If you feel you know how to get what you want out of life, and you have that desire to make that happen, then you have hope.” Hope can be divided into three components:
- Goals: They have long- and short-term meaningful goals.
- Ways to reach those goals: A plan or pathway to get there and the ability to seek alternative routes, if needed.
- Positive self-talk, similar to the little red engine from the children’s book, telling themselves things like “I think I can.”
According to researchers, these skills can be learned, which may help depression. The study found individuals who attended Hope Therapy had increases in self-esteem, life meaning, and anxiety.
If you’re in Christchurch, a good place for quality information and resources regarding mental health is the Mental Health and Education Resource Centre (MHERC). MHERC are involved in a variety of education and training activities, importantly they run a free mental health library:
Our free mental health library is open to the public and provides information on all aspects of mental health and mental illness. We have available for loan – books, DVD’s, CD’s, and videos on topics such as depression, bipolar (manic depression), post natal depression, post traumatic stress disorder, personality disorder, schizophrenia, anxiety, phobia, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), agoraphobia, ADHD, children’s health, abuse, violence, personal development, personal experience and much more! Pamphlets and articles are also available at no cost.
Their library database can be accessed from their website.
