DEPRESSION IS A VERY REAL
PROBLEM FOR MILLIONS OF
AMERICANS.
IT CAN HAVE A MAJOR IMPACT
ON MANY AREAS OF PEPS LIVES
INCLUDING RELATIONSHIPS SO IN
TODAYS RELATIONSHIP REBOOT
WE'RE FINDING OUT HOW TO KEEP
YOUR RELATIONSHIP FROM
SUFFERING IF YOU ARE DEALING
WITH DEPRESSION.
DR. LYNN SEAL IS WITH US GREAT
TO HAVE YOU HERE.
THANKS FOR HAVING ME.
THIS IS A TOUGH TOPIC BUT SO
MANY OF US DEAL WITH THIS
WHETHER IT'S OUR OWN ISSUES OR
FRIENDS.
YOU SAY THERE ARE THREE MAIN
TYPES OF DEPRESSION?
YES THERE'S THREE MAIN TYPES
OF DEPRESSION ONE IS SORT OF
MAJOR WHAT WE THINK OF AS MAJOR
DEPRESSIVE DISORDER LIKE A
MAJOR DEPRESSIVE EPISODE.
THE SECOND IS SORT OF A CHRONIC
LOW LEVEL DEPRESSION THAT KIND
OF JUST CONTINUES ON AND THE
THIRD IS BIPOLAR DISORDER WHERE
YOU HAVE DEPRESSION AND THEN
YOU ALSO HAVE PERIODS OF MANIA.
I'LL FOCUS ON THE FIRST TWO
BECAUSE THOSE TEND TO BE MORE
COMMON.
SO MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDERS
WE THINK OF I'M DEPRESSED I'M
SAD SO THERE'S A LOT OF SADNESS
BUT THE THING ABOUT MAJOR
DEPRESSION IS IT REALLY AFFECTS
ALL YOUR FUNCTIONING.
YOU ARE FATIGUED, YOU EITHER
EAT TOO MUCH OR YOU DON'T EAT
AT ALL.
IT AFFECTS YOUR BODY?
EXACTLY.
IT REALLY AFFECTS YOUR
FUNCTIONING, MAKES YOU
IRRITABLE, IMPATIENT, HARD TO
CONCENTRATE SO AN ALL PERVASIVE
IF THIS GOES ON FOR WEEKS AND
WEEKS THAT'S WHERE WE SAY THIS
IS A MAJOR DEPRESSIVE EPISODE.
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE WAYS
THAT TYPE OF DEPRESSION CAN
IMPACT A RELATIONSHIP?
WELL YOU CAN JUST IMAGINE IF
YOU ARE EXHAUSTED YOU CAN HAVE
A MORE NEGATIVE IN FACT USUALLY
DO HAVE A MORE NEGATIVE OUTLOOK
ON LIFE AND THUS ON YOUR
RELATIONSHIP.
PEOPLE STRUGGLING WITH MAJOR
DEPRESSION ALSO JUST FEEL LIKE
LIFE ISN'T WORTH LIVING BECAUSE
THEY AREN'T FINDING ANY JOY IN
ANY OF THE THINGS THEY USED TO
FIND JOY IN AND THAT'S THE
PLACE WHERE THAT CAN REALLY
IMPACT RELATIONSHIPS.
I THINK PEOPLE WHO MAYBE
DON'T HAVE A FRIEND WHOSE
DEPRESSED OR HAVE NEVER DEALT
WITH IT THEMSELVES YOU HAVE
THIS STEREOTYPE OF SOMEONE
DEALING WITH THIS SORT OF
DEPRESSION WHERE THEY ARE A
LOANER AND ALONE.
BUT THAT'S NOT ALWAYS TRUE.
IT'S NOT ALWAYS TRUE.
YOU COULD BE MARRIED?
ABSOLUTELY.
YES BUT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT
HAPPENS IS THAT PEOPLE WITH
DEPRESSION TEND TO ISOLATE SO
THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS YOU
WANT TO TRY IF YOU'RE DEPRESSED
TRY REALLY HARD NOT TO ISOLATE.
YOU DO HAVE TIPS?
YEAH THEY FOCUS ON IF YOU
ARE THE ONE WHO IS SUFFERING
FROM DEPRESSION.
EXACTLY.
SO THE FIRST THING YOU WANT TO
DO IS YOU WANT TO TRY TO FOCUS
ON SELF CARE AND COMPASSION SO
TO UNDERSTAND THAT THERE'S
NOTHING WRONG WITH YOU, LIKE
YOU ARE NOT YOU ARE NOT A
BROKEN PERSON.
YOU ARE STRUGGLING WITH
SOMETHING MAKING YOU FEEL THE
WAY THAT YOU DO.
THIS SOUNDS GOOD BUT THIS IS
HARD.
THIS IS REALLY HARD TO DO,
RIGHT?
SO THESE ARE, THE NEXT WEEK
WE'LL TALK ABOUT IF YOU'RE THE
PARTNER IN THE RELATIONSHIP HOW
YOU CAN HELP.
AND SUPPORT THEM.
EXACTLY SO HERE IS A REALLY
BIG TIP THAT SOUNDS SO PIMPLE
BUT TRY TO GET SOME EXERCISE OR
GO OUTSIDE EVERY DAY.
EXERCISE OR NATURE.
YES AND EXERCISE AND NATURE
COMBINED CAN REALLY HELP.
THERE'S A LOT OF NEW RESEARCH
AROUND THE BENEFITS OF BEING
OUTDOORS AND ESPECIALLY NEAR
WATER, SO THAT LITERALLY--
A LOT OF THAT HERE IN
MINNESOTA.
LITERALLY GO DOWN TO THE
LAKE AND SIT BY THE WATER WILL
MAKE YOU FEEL BETTER NO MATTER
HOW BAD YOU FEEL.
I THINK WHENEVER YOU CAN
RELATE THIS EVEN IF YOU DON'T
HAVE DEPRESSION BUT A BAD DAY
AND TAKE THAT IRRITABILITY OUT
ON YOUR PARTNER BECAUSE THEY
ARE THERE AND THE CLOSEST
PERSON TO YOU.
AND THEY ARE SAFE AND YOU
THINK HOPEFULLY THEY WON'T GO
ANYWHERE.
SOME OF THESE TIPS ARE
FOLKSED ON TRYING TO IMPROVE
YOUR OWN OUTLOOK ABOUT
YOURSELF.
TALKING ABOUT GRATITUDE.
A NICE EXERCISE WHICH AGAIN
HARD TO DO BUT IF YOU TAKE UP
FIRST THING IN THE MORNING AND
TRY TO WRITEDOWN THREE THINGS
YOU'RE GRATEFUL FOR THAT CAN
REALLY CHANGE YOUR PERSPECTIVE
ON YOUR DAY.
WHAT ABOUT IF IT NEEDS TO GO
A STEP FURTHER AND TAKE ACTION?
SO HERE IS THE THING IF
YOU'RE HAVING THOUGHTS ABOUT
LIFE ISN'T WORTH LIVING
THOUGHTS ABOUT SUICIDE,
CONSTANTLY THINKING ABOUT DEATH
WHICH IS SOMETHING PEOPLE WHO
ARE DEPRESSED DO, THEN YOU NEED
TO DO THE BEST YOU CAN TO GET
YOURSELF TO A THERAPIST, YOU
CAN GO TO AN EMERGENCY ROOM IF
YOU ARE FEELING REALLY BAD AND
ALSO THERE'S A GREAT RESOURCE
HERE CALLED CRISIS CONNECTION
WHICH IS A PHONE LINE, IT'S A
CRISIS HOT LINE IT'S OPEN 24/7,
365 DAYS A YEAR, IT'S FREE,
CONFIDENTIAL.
THEY HAVE TRAINED COUNSELORS
ANSWERING, SO AND YOU CAN CALL
AS MANY TIMES AS YOU'D LIKE.
WE'LL GIVE PEOPLE THAT
NUMBER IT'S RIGHT ON THE SCREEN
BECAUSE IT'S NOT JUST FOR
PEOPLE WHO ARE FEELING
IMMEDIATELY SUICIDAL.
EXACTLY.