Dealing with Depression

Coping with a chronic condition like hemophilia can be difficult. Unlike a headache, the flu, or a broken bone, your hemophilia won’t go away. It can cause pain, fatigue, stress, and disruptions in your daily life. It can also affect your self-esteem and lead you to withdraw from family, friends, and activities. Not surprisingly, these challenges can make you feel stressed or depressed.

“All people experience stress, but when you have a chronic illness like hemophilia the increased responsibilities, such as taking your medicine, seeing your doctors, and making sure you don’t get injured, can lead to even more stress,” explains Kristin Roberts, a therapist with Family Life Consultants in Collinsville, Illinois.

Stress can build and can cause you to feel frustrated, angry, and hopeless. If you are feeling stressed out, Roberts suggests exercising (take a brisk walk, for example), which releases natural “stress-busters” called endorphins. Learning some self-help stress-relieving techniques such as progressive muscle relaxation or meditation can also be helpful. (This breathing technique, for example, is often recommended as a way of easing anxiety: Breathe in through your nose, expanding your diaphragm, to the count of four; Breathe out slowly through your mouth to the count of seven; Hold for two seconds; Repeat the exercise.)

While two different feelings, stress and depression often go hand in hand. If you have any of the following symptoms, you may be experiencing depression:

• Sad, anxious or “empty” feelings that last longer than two weeks
• Feelings of hopelessness and/or pessimism
• Feelings of guilt, worthlessness and/or helplessness
• Irritability, restlessness
• Loss of interest in activities or hobbies you used to enjoy, including sex
• Fatigue and lack of energy
• Difficulty concentrating, remembering details and making decisions
• Insomnia, early–morning wakefulness, or excessive sleeping
• Overeating, or loss of appetite
• Thoughts of suicide, suicide attempts, or thoughts of death in general
• Persistent aches or pains, headaches, cramps or digestive problems that do not ease even with treatment

Wherever you live in the world, depression can carry with it a certain stigma: people often feel that being depressed is a sign of weakness. Nothing could be further from the truth. Depression can be triggered by a wide variety of factors, and is suffered by people of all ages in all walks of life. The first thing to realize if you are depressed is that you are not alone.

If you suspect you might be depressed, it’s important to get professional help as soon as possible, especially if you’re having thoughts of suicide. Getting diagnosed and treated for depression can not only help you regain your interest in life, but will also make it easier for you to manage your bleeding disorder by following your treatment plan.

A licensed, professional therapist—usually a psychologist or psychiatrist—can use a variety of techniques to treat depression, including “talk therapy” and medication. It’s important to remember that most people who are treated for depression do recover. A therapist can help you focus on the behaviors, emotions, and ideas that are contributing to your depression; help you understand and identify problems or events in your life that are causing or complicating your depression and help you understand which aspects of those problems you may be able to solve or improve; and help you regain a sense of control and pleasure in life.

As you move into your adult life, a therapist can also help you make the transition from living at home to living on your own, or from school to the workplace, and a physician or a genetic counselor can provide you with information on genetics if you are thinking of starting a family.

Whether or not you see a professional therapist, you can also help yourself with these coping strategies:

• Avoid people who are negative themselves or who make you feel bad about yourself.
• If you drink alcohol, be aware that it acts as a depressant in the brain and itself can lead to depressed feelings; you may want to reduce your consumption of alcoholic drinks or avoid them completely until your depression is resolved.
• Focus on what you do have in life, not what you don’t.
• Learn all you can about hemophilia so you are well-informed and can also educate others.
• Volunteer—helping someone else will make you feel better about yourself.
• Join a support group—the education and encouragement you’ll receive from your peers can be very helpful.
• Be engaged: Stay mentally and physically active.

Finally, remember that despite the challenges of coping with hemophilia, most people are able to manage their symptoms, prevent complications, and enjoy their everyday routines and activities. Yes, having hemophilia can mean you have some limitations in life, but it also can be an opportunity for growth by learning and becoming more self-aware.