Psychosomatics of depression
Depression is not weakness or laziness. It is an illness in which low mood, emptiness, loss of interest in life, tiredness and sleep problems last for a long time. It is very treatable: talking therapy, medicine or both help, and a doctor chooses the treatment. The Ladder method adds questions about where you have stopped listening to yourself for a long time, and it does not replace a doctor.
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When to see a doctor
A doctor makes the diagnosis: a GP, psychiatrist or psychotherapist. They will ask about your mood, sleep and health, and may order tests to rule out the thyroid, anaemia and other causes. The NHS advises seeing a doctor if a low mood lasts more than two weeks or gets in the way of work and life.
In the Ladder method
In the Ladder method depression is not explained as "you brought it on yourself" or "just pull yourself together". You are not to blame for becoming ill. Depression is treatable, and treatment with a doctor comes first. Questions to yourself belong alongside it, not instead of it.
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In the method depression fits the image of a long period when you are not valued, or do not value yourself, and everything rests on effort. It is an image, not the cause, and it does not replace a doctor.
On the ladder this shows up as the steps "I am not valued" and "I am tired of holding on". You can work through them at your own pace once strength starts to come back.
These are questions for reflection, not an explanation of what causes the condition and not a treatment.
More: signs, medicine, sources, questions
How it shows up
Book a doctor’s appointment if you notice:
- A low mood and emptiness nearly every day
- You lost interest in what used to bring you joy
- Tiredness, no energy even for simple things
- Insomnia or, the opposite, sleeping far too much
- Appetite and weight change
- Hard to concentrate and make decisions
- Guilt, a feeling that you are no good at anything
What medicine knows
Depression is not just sadness. The NHS says that with it a low mood or loss of interest and pleasure lasts most of the day, nearly every day, for at least two weeks. It can be mild, moderate or severe, and it has nothing to do with willpower.
Causes according to the NHS and MedlinePlus usually add up: hard life events and long stress, loss, loneliness, childbirth and hormonal change, long-term illness and pain, family history, how the brain works. Often there is no single cause, and there is no need to look for someone to blame.
Signs according to the NHS: a constant low mood or emptiness, losing interest in what you used to enjoy, tiredness, sleeping badly or too much, changes in appetite, trouble concentrating, guilt or feeling worthless, anxiety, irritability, aches in the body with no clear cause.
What helps according to the NHS and MedlinePlus: talking therapy (for example cognitive behavioural therapy), antidepressants prescribed by a doctor, movement, a sleep routine, support from people close to you. Often a combination works best. Improvement does not come at once, usually after a few weeks, so do not stop medicine on your own.
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Frequently asked questions
Can depression be just from nerves?
Depression is an illness, not "weak nerves". It builds up from strain, loss, hormones, family history and how the brain works (NHS, MedlinePlus). It is treated, and there is no need to be ashamed of seeing a doctor.
What does depression mean in psychosomatics?
There is no proven "meaning". In the Ladder method depression becomes a reason to ask yourself where you have not felt valued for a long time and what you are holding up by force. It is a question to yourself, not a diagnosis.
Can I get through depression on my own?
Mild depression sometimes passes with routine, movement and support, but if it lasts more than two weeks it is better to see a doctor (NHS). Moderate and severe depression is treated with a doctor: therapy, medicine or both.
Related topics
Psychosomatics does not replace tests and treatment. Only a doctor can make a diagnosis.