Last Updated on April 28, 2023

Allen Doederlein was diagnosed with major depressive disorder when he was 21. After four years of depression symptoms, the diagnosis helped clarify his persistent feelings of hopelessness, agitation, and anxiety, as well as his slumber issues.

Doederlein, who works as the executive director for external affairs at the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance in Chicago, was in denial that he was depressed for several years.

“I believe I might have been diagnosed earlier, but I found it challenging to be completely reliable with psychiatrists and even with myself in the initial several years I was in need of assistance,” he says. “I believed I could ‘shake it away’ or ‘snap out of it.'”

He was lucky to really have a family that is supportive and understanding when Doederlein was eventually diagnosed. Other family members have been diagnosed with major depressive disorder, so Doederlein’s family had some experience with coping with a depression analysis.

Living With Depression

Doederlein is coping with depression by way of a mix of medication, talk therapy, and lifestyle changes, but living with this particular ailment is not without its challenges.

Through the years, Doederlein has learned to rely on the following strategies to help manage his depression:

• Medication. Doederlein takes antidepressant medications, which are among the most common depression treatments. “I see my psychiatrist one or more times a year to cope with drug management,” he says.
• Talk treatment. When Doederlein is experiencing trouble with depression, he participates in talk therapy, which can help individuals realize what trips their depression and learn new ways to deal with it. “I may see a doctor or therapist for chat therapy as [regularly] as once per week,” he says.
• Support. “My family members and friends happen to be especially significant in helping me avoid isolation, which is certainly one of my inclinations when I am experiencing a depressive episode,” says Doederlein. He says that when he shows signs of feeling isolated, his support network will encourage him to escape your house get coffee, merely to take a walk, or go to the grocery store. “Those little matters, believe it or not, are the first steps to taking action and feeling better,” says Doederlein.
• Construction. Doederlein says that having organized plans to escape and be with people helps him manage his depression by avoiding isolation and inactivity. He schedules regular coffee dates, attends weight-loss assemblies, takes courses, and signals up to offer to ensure that he has an obligation to deal with others.
• Exercise. Body movement is one of the most effective medications for depression, according to Doederlein. “It doesn’t have to be a trip to the gym or even a brisk walk,” he says. “Only a walk around the block can start the positive changes.” At one low span when he was fighting with depression, a friend at work as well as Doederlein began shooting their assemblies outside. “[That] really helped me — my mood improved after only a little activity and also a little sun.”
• Communication. One new-technology trick Doederlein has developed to keep him from becoming isolated is “forced” text messaging. “When I find that I ‘m down and wanting to avoid the planet, I drive myself to send a couple of texts,” he says. Just simple texts like “Hey, how are you?” or “I miss you” generate responses to remind Doederlein that others care for him. “The texts of ‘hello’ often morph into making plans to get together,” he says, “and then the a lot more favorable impetus of togetherness and action begin.”
• Wellness plan. “A wellness plan offers a sort of ‘roadmap’ for routine sleep, an adequate diet, tracking dispositions, and dealing with external variables that may trigger depressive episodes,” says Doederlein.

On Living With Depression

Doederlein wants individuals to realize that depression is an illness, also it doesn’t explain who a man is.

“I, like a lot of people who live having a mood disorder for example depression, am among the very joyous, joyful folks you may find,” he says. “I have an illness that could blur or distort my feelings, but ultimately, when I’m well, I am full of happiness.”

Doederlein’s advice for others with depression would be to learn to tolerate that you have an illness, and make an effort to take steps that will help you manage it.

“You must see certain things, like getting enough sleep and avoiding situations that you know will create undue anxiety,” he says. “But together with the correct balance of medication, talk therapy, peer support, as well as a wellness strategy, most people who have depression can feel very well and lead normal, productive, joyful lives.”