Depression

Managing Depression

The Managing Depression series of info sheets will help you cope with a diagnosis of depression, help you be an active partner in your health care and build good working relationships with health care providers, and help prevent relapse of depression.

Preventing Relapse of Depression

When you feel well, the last thing you want to think about is a relapse of depression. But you can do a lot to lower the risk of relapse if you plan ahead. Try thinking of it this way: if you injure yourself, you would likely do things to prevent the injury from happening again.

Coping with Depression in Pregnancy and Following the Birth

Mood Disorders

Moods are our emotions. They affect us every day. Sometimes we're sad, other times we're happy. We might even be sad and happy in the same day. But sometimes people's mood can get 'stuck' on sad. Or the moods might change a lot or become extreme.

Depression

Sadness is a natural part of being human and feeling this way for a few days is normal. In fact, many people hear people say "I'm depressed" in their day-to-day life when they are talking about that low feeling that we can all have from time to time. But if these sad feelings last for more than a couple of weeks and you start noticing that it’s affecting your life in a big way, you may be suffering from an illness called depression.

Let’s Get Messy!

What is art therapy and how can it help?

Caroline Embling, BFA BCATR

Reprinted from the "Responding to Feelings" issue of Visions Journal, 2021, 16 (4), pp. 18-19

Caroline Embling

Going Mental in a Small Town

Michael found depression and anxiety harder to manage, and tried to book an appointment with a mental health clinic in town—the closest large town to his small community. The next appointment was a month away, an eternity for someone who needed help right away. Living in a small community has wonderful benefits, but it also means that help is not always easy to access when you need it. After a suicide attempt and short hospitalization, Michael was sent out on his own again with an address for a counselling clinic, and now must navigate a setback from COVID-19.

The Happiest Person You Know

When Seren had to share a culture as part of her class’ International Day, she picked Ukraine because she was too embarrassed of her own Indigenous culture. Even though she wanted a relationship with her heritage, she and her family also experienced racism. Find out how Seren put the pieces together between her mental well-being and her relationship with Indigenous culture to start a journey of healing.

My Recovery Discovery

Jillian’s story of depression, anxiety, PTSD and substance use is a story of pain—and self-discovery. She recognizes her early warning signs and that ignoring or minimizing them means slipping down a rabbit hole of self-loathing and despair. She also accepts that she needs a community around her. With growing insights, Jillian shares with readers seven of her most valuable steps for self-care and recovery.

Understanding Mental Illness in Your Family

If you have someone in your family with a mental illness, you may be wondering what is going on. When a person has a mental illness, it means their brain is not working right. Our brain controls how we think, feel and behave, so mental illness changes how a person thinks, feels and behaves.

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