{"id":19896,"date":"2018-06-21T03:22:19","date_gmt":"2018-06-21T03:22:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gncdubai.com\/?p=19896"},"modified":"2018-06-21T03:36:15","modified_gmt":"2018-06-21T03:36:15","slug":"understanding-celebrity-suicides-tackling-depression-loneliness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gncdubai.com\/ar\/understanding-celebrity-suicides-tackling-depression-loneliness\/","title":{"rendered":"Understanding celebrity suicides – Gulf News Talks With Psychiatrist Dr. Daniela Graf"},"content":{"rendered":"

June saw two high-profile suicides happen within three days of each other \u2013 fashion designer and entrepreneur Kate Spade, and chef and TV host Anthony Bourdain. While it has once again brought the focus of the public eye on mental health issues including depression, this is no new ball game. Just earlier this year, Avicii \u2013 world-renowned DJ and music producer \u2013 took his own life, shocking fans worldwide.<\/em><\/p>\n

Suicide is not a new issue, especially not in celebrity circles. These tragic deaths are also not limited by lines of work, ranging from boxers, designers, politicians and writers to actors, musicians and entrepreneurs. [\u2026]\n

Living with depression: Here\u2019s how you can make a difference<\/h2>\n

The sky has not been drained of colour, nor have the flowers lost their charm.\u00a0 It\u2019s just that it doesn\u2019t matter anymore. Heavy limbs and a weighed down body. A mind that will not stop with negative self-talk. Guilt, hollowness, a persistent need\/want\/desire to STOP.<\/p>\n

If this describes you, take time to evaluate what\u2019s going on. You may be depressed. Talk to someone you trust and think of going to a professional \u2013 there\u2019s no substitute for an objective listener with no agenda and no judgement when dealing with depression.<\/p>\n

While the road to normalcy may seem like a never-ending roller coaster, there are a few things you can do, to minimise the hiccups, to maximize the recovery.<\/p>\n

But first, what are the symptoms of sadness?<\/h2>\n

In terms of mood, explains Dr Jihene, \u201cThe person will feel helplessness, persistently sad and [anxious]. Sometimes, you will meet someone who will say they are feeling empty. Those people can also experience some irritability. And guilt\u2026always thinking that he [or she] is the problem.<\/p>\n

\u201dIn terms of cognitive behaviour, one may notice poor concentration and memory. \u201cA lot of children with a depression are misdiagnosed with an ADHD,\u201d says Dr Daniela Graf, from German Neuroscience Centre.<\/a><\/p>\n

What is ADHD? It refers to a brain disorder, attention-deficit\/hyperactivity, which is marked by twitchiness. An ongoing pattern of inattention and\/or hyperactivity-impulsiveness that interferes with functioning or development, explains the US\u2019s National Institute of Mental Health.<\/p>\n

Other symptoms of depression include loss of interest in things that once gave you joy. \u201cWithdrawal from friends and family. We will also feel energy loss, the changing of [eating patterns, sleeping patterns]. Headaches, digestive problems, or cramps,\u201d. It\u2019s also at this point that one may dabble with substance abuse. When consumption patterns change, especially if they veer towards the unhealthy, the recoil is physical, sometimes painful.<\/p>\n

Did you know?<\/h2>\n

\u201cTummy ache is one of the most common symptoms in depressive children [who are] often misdiagnosed as food intolerance or irritable bowel syndrome,\u201d says Dr Graf.<\/a><\/p>\n

Feeling low?<\/h2>\n

Dr Jihene and Dr Graf<\/a> prescribe what you can do to cope with the darkness.<\/p>\n

Exercise<\/h2>\n

\u201cYou can go for walks-it\u2019s not [just about] having a hard exercise. For example, 30 minutes of walk every day. It will bring us [in contact with] fresh oxygen\u2026When our mind is well [oxygenated] we can think better,\u201d says Dr Jihene.<\/p>\n

Diet<\/h2>\n

\u201cBalance your food intake. Eat many antioxidants [they combat free radicals in the body]. Like chickpeas, split peas, lentils, mixed nuts, fish, eggs, etc. which will bring balance to your body and help to increase serotonin. Soya milk [and soya products] that are rich in Vitamin B12,\u201d says Dr Jihene<\/p>\n

Take care of someone else<\/h2>\n

Dr Graf<\/a> says caring for a pet in [the case of] animal-loving children can have positive effects.<\/p>\n

A dose of Vitamin D<\/h2>\n

Short spots of sun bathing every day to increase the vitamin D production comes recommended by Dr Graf<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Meditation<\/h2>\n

Even 15 minutes of it. \u201cMeditation will help us to reduce anxiety and then it will help us to maybe focus on the most important things that we should do- being calm and being with ourselves and thinking what I have to do to make things better for me,\u201d says Dr Jihene.<\/p>\n

Reduce screen-time<\/h2>\n

\u201cScreens are very harmful, for our eyes and also for our minds, because they are full of information and we cannot handle all of it, so maybe just put down the screen for a little and keep on listening to music that will relax you. Or maybe try some reading,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n

Never isolate yourself from your friends<\/h2>\n

Both doctors underscore the importance of company. \u201cEven if there is no real desire to go out, you have to force yourself out, because it\u2019s the only way to keep socialising,\u201d<\/p>\n

The full original article was published in Gulf News<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

June saw two high-profile suicides happen within three days of each other \u2013 fashion designer and entrepreneur Kate Spade, and chef and TV host Anthony Bourdain. While it has once again brought the focus of the public eye on mental health issues including depression, this is no new ball game. Just earlier this year, Avicii<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":19900,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19896","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-media","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gncdubai.com\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19896","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gncdubai.com\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gncdubai.com\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gncdubai.com\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gncdubai.com\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19896"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.gncdubai.com\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19896\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gncdubai.com\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19900"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gncdubai.com\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19896"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gncdubai.com\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19896"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gncdubai.com\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19896"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}