Learning the Language of Depression (eBook)

Overcoming Communication Barriers so People with Depression Are Safe and Understood

The Depression Project (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2025 | 1. Auflage
208 Seiten
Wiley (Verlag)
978-1-394-31729-5 (ISBN)

Infos

In order for people with depression to feel safe and understood, it's essential to overcome depression's 'language barrier'

As The Depression Project hears every single day from members of their 3,000,000+ person social media community, a 'language barrier' often exists between people with depression and those around them - in the sense that many words, everyday expressions and non-verbal forms of communication can take on a vastly different meaning than they otherwise would when they are coming from someone who has depression. And, as The Depression Project also continuously hears, this 'language barrier' can result in people with depression being judged and criticized; having conflict with their loved ones; feeling alone, misunderstood and unsupported; and being more at risk of attempting suicide.

Consequently, in order to overcome this 'language barrier' and therefore help people with depression feel safe, understood, supported and much better as a result. This book will: 

• Explain what people with depression are actually going through when they say 'I have depression' (it is much more than sadness); when they say 'I'm fine' (very often they are not); when they say 'I'm tired' ('depression tiredness' is very different from 'normal tiredness'); when they say 'I can't' (which is often misinterpreted as 'I won't', and as that person with depression just being 'lazy'); and when they say other commonly spoken phrases that are often misunderstood by people who have never experienced depression themselves before.
• Share a wide variety of suggestions to help make it easier for people with depression to put what they are going through into words.
• Highlight the language people with depression often use that can indicate they are feeling suicidal (which tragically, is often ignored, dismissed or not picked up on by the people around them).
• Look at depression's 'facial language barrier', and explain what people with depression are often actually going through when they smile, avoid eye contact, have muted facial expressions, or look tired or frustrated (when a person has depression, these facial expressions and interactions can often mean something very, very different than they otherwise would).
• Address depression's 'touch language barrier' by clarifying the reasons why depression can cause someone to be much less tactile and physically intimate than they would otherwise be, and by explaining the steps that can be taken to help prevent this lack of physical intimacy from spiraling into long-term relationship problems.

Learning The Language Of Depression is an ideal book for people with depression who would like some help communicating what they are going through so that they can be better understood, as well as friends and family of someone with depression who would like to better understand their loved one and effectively support them.

Through their social media posts, books and journals, The Depression Project helps people with depression feel better understood, receive the support they deserve, and take the necessary steps to overcome this illness.

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In order for people with depression to feel safe and understood, it's essential to overcome depression's "e;language barrier"e; As The Depression Project hears every single day from members of their 3,000,000+ person social media community, a language barrier often exists between people with depression and those around them in the sense that many words, everyday expressions and non-verbal forms of communication can take on a vastly different meaning than they otherwise would when they are coming from someone who has depression. And, as The Depression Project also continuously hears, this language barrier can result in people with depression being judged and criticized; having conflict with their loved ones; feeling alone, misunderstood and unsupported; and being more at risk of attempting suicide. Consequently, in order to overcome this language barrier and therefore help people with depression feel safe, understood, supported and much better as a result. This book will: Explain what people with depression are actually going through when they say I have depression (it is much more than sadness); when they say I'm fine (very often they are not); when they say I'm tired ( depression tiredness is very different from normal tiredness ); when they say I can't (which is often misinterpreted as I won't , and as that person with depression just being lazy ); and when they say other commonly spoken phrases that are often misunderstood by people who have never experienced depression themselves before. Share a wide variety of suggestions to help make it easier for people with depression to put what they are going through into words. Highlight the language people with depression often use that can indicate they are feeling suicidal (which tragically, is often ignored, dismissed or not picked up on by the people around them). Look at depression's facial language barrier , and explain what people with depression are often actually going through when they smile, avoid eye contact, have muted facial expressions, or look tired or frustrated (when a person has depression, these facial expressions and interactions can often mean something very, very different than they otherwise would). Address depression's touch language barrier by clarifying the reasons why depression can cause someone to be much less tactile and physically intimate than they would otherwise be, and by explaining the steps that can be taken to help prevent this lack of physical intimacy from spiraling into long-term relationship problems. Learning The Language Of Depression is an ideal book for people with depression who would like some help communicating what they are going through so that they can be better understood, as well as friends and family of someone with depression who would like to better understand their loved one and effectively support them.

Textauszug

Introduction

As we at  The Depression Project hear every single day from members of our three million person plus social media community, a “language barrier” often exists between people with depression and those around them – in the sense that many words, everyday expressions and nonverbal forms of communication can take on a vastly different meaning than they otherwise would when they are coming from someone who has depression. And, as we also hear every single day from members of our community, this language barrier can result in people with depression experiencing the following:

• Feeling all alone due to no one understanding what they are actually going through
• Being continuously judged, put down, and criticized
• Having conflict with the people they care about most, which can cause irreparable damage to those relationships
• Not receiving the support they need, and therefore being forced to fight their depression all by themselves
• Feeling significantly more depressed as a result
• Being more at risk of attempting suicide

Whether you have depression yourself or are supporting someone who does, we are sure you will agree that this is the last thing that people living with this debilitating illness need. So, to overcome depression's “language barrier,” we put together this book. What follows is a chapter‐by‐chapter breakdown of exactly what it will cover, as well as what you can expect to learn by reading it.

Part 1: Depression's “Verbal Language Barrier”

• Chapter 1: What People with Depression Actually Mean When They Say “I Have Depression.” When they tell someone that they have depression, it has been many people's experience for this to be misinterpreted as “I'm sad,” which results in them not receiving the amount of support that their illness warrants, and in many cases, being dismissively told to “just snap out of it,” “just cheer up,” or “just think positively,” for example. Consequently, in this chapter, we will explain the key differences between depression and sadness, as well as share a wide variety of quotes from members of The Depression Project's community that describe what people with depression are actually going through – in order to help them feel like they are not alone, and to help their loved ones understand depression better. Additionally, we will also explain how friends and family members can respond when someone tells them “I have depression” – in such a way that rather than making that person feel misunderstood, frustrated, and even more depressed (like the way people sometimes respond unfortunately does), they instead feel understood, validated, and supported.
• Chapter 2: What People with Depression Actually Mean When They Say “I'm Fine” or “I'm OK.” When people with depression say they are “fine” or “OK,” then it is indeed possible that they actually are. However, unfortunately this is often not the case at all, which is why in this chapter, we will share a variety of quotes from members of The Depression Project's community that describe what people with depression are often really going through when they say “I'm fine” or “I'm OK.” Additionally, this chapter also includes several suggestions to help people with depression feel more comfortable being open about how they truly feel so that they do not have to suffer in silence, as well as several suggestions to help supporters create a “safe space” in which their loved one with depression can feel more at ease talking about what they are going through.
• Chapter 3: What People with Depression Actually Mean When They Say “Leave Me Alone.” When someone with depression asks to be left alone, there are numerous reasons why they might genuinely want to be by themselves. However, as we often hear from members of our community, sometimes people with depression might tell someone to leave them alone even when they actually want that person to stay with them. So, in this chapter, we will explain why this is, as well as what their friends and family members can do in this situation to help their loved one with depression get the support that, deep down, they might really want.
• Chapter 4: What People with Depression Actually Mean When They Say “I'm Tired.” Tiredness is a very common symptom of depression, however, there are major, major differences between “normal tiredness” and what we at The Depression Project call “depression tiredness.” So, in this chapter, we will share a variety of quotes from members of our community that describe what people with depression are actually experiencing when they say “I'm tired” in order to help those with depression feel like they are not alone, and to help their friends and family members understand “depression tiredness” better. Additionally, this chapter also includes several suggestions for how friends and family members of someone with depression can effectively support them when they are feeling “depression tired,” and what – according to our community members – they should avoid saying so as not to upset them, make them feel bad about themselves, and/or cause them to feel even more depressed.
• Chapter 5: What People with Depression Actually Mean When They Say “I Can't … .” When someone is in the depths of a depressive episode, it is common for there to be many instances in which they say “I can't …,” for example, “I can't do my chores today,” “I can't have a shower,” and/or “I can't get out of bed this morning.” However, in many circumstances like these, “I can't …” is often interpreted by friends and family members of someone with depression as “I won't …,” and when this happens, it can result in that person with depression being put down, criticized, and being labeled as “lazy.” Consequently, to try to prevent this from happening and instead help people with depression receive the compassion and support that they deserve, in this chapter, we will explain the reasons why depression can significantly affect a person's ability to function; share a variety of quotes from members of our community about what people with depression are actually going through when they say “I can't …”; and highlight why “I can't …” certainly does not mean “I won't …”.
• Chapter 6: What People with Depression Actually Mean When They Say “I'm Busy.” As we often hear from members of The Depression Project's community, telling their friends and family members “I'm busy” is a common excuse people with depression might turn to in order to socially withdraw and be by themselves. However, when people with depression say “I'm busy” and decline to meet with someone – particularly if they do so repeatedly – then it can cause that person to conclude that they are, for example, “avoiding them,” “a bad friend,” and/or that they “don't care about them anymore.” So, to resolve this misunderstanding and help prevent this relationship conflict moving forward, in this chapter, we will share a variety of quotes from our community members that describe what people with depression might actually be going through when they say “I'm busy,” as well as some helpful, supportive ways for the people around them to respond when they say this.
• Chapter 7: What People with Depression Actually Mean When They Say “I Want to Go Home.” When they are out with others, it is common for those with depression to want to return home earlier than the people they are with would expect them to – which can then cause those people to conclude that they are “rude,” “selfish,” “annoying,” and/or “boring,” for example. So, in this chapter, we will share a variety of quotes from members of The Depression Project's community about the actual reasons why people with depression might want to return home early, as well as several different steps that can be taken to eliminate this source of conflict moving forward, and instead help people with depression get the support they need in these circumstances.
• Chapter 8: What People with Depression Actually Mean When They Say “I Don't Care.” When people with depression say “I don't care” in response to, for example, being asked for their input on something, being asked to make a decision, having someone share something with them, or when they are in the middle of an argument or a difficult conversation, it is common for the person they are speaking with to feel upset, offended, hurt, and/or to interpret this as that person with depression not caring about them. And, because this can be extremely damaging to any relationship, in this chapter, we will share a variety of quotes from members...

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 21.4.2025
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Geisteswissenschaften ► Psychologie ► Angst / Depression / Zwang
• ISBN-10: 1-394-31729-8 / 1394317298
• ISBN-13: 978-1-394-31729-5 / 9781394317295