Demystifying the DSM: Depressive Disorders (Depressed Mood)

Dr. B here with Demystifying the DSM and this video is specifically on that cluster of other depressive disorders which I'm going to include, for all of us who experience depression. What can we do about that? The next several pages in the DSM talks about substance or medication induced depression. Again, anything that crosses the blood brain barrier: illegal drugs as well as even cannabis can cause depressive symptoms because it decreases neurotransmission and then there are depressive disorders due to medical conditions. I talk about this in the bipolar series, just making sure that we're looking at the whole picture here when someone is coming in with depressive symptoms. But we all experience, or many of us experience depressed mood.  So, what do I do? I personally believe strongly in cognitive behavioral therapy, so if you're in therapy with somebody, please talk to your therapist about using cognitive behavioral therapy. Learn the Mentally STRONG Method. This is a cognitive behavioral approach that you can learn to do on yourself, and it is four elements. The first one is mapping out that depressed mood. What's making me depressed right now and we can all list those, right? But what's made me depressed in the past? What has made me depressed in my childhood and how does this impact my spiritual relationship? These are the four questions we always ask because we can often talk about what's going on in our life. We know what's making us depressed, but if you ask those previous life questions you will actually bring up a pattern of what's going on in your life. And what makes you depressed or contributes to your depression. And oftentimes, it's that internal dialogue and so in the Mentally STRONG Method, we have 10 categories, one of which is your negative self-talk. And that really, really contributes to depression. If you heard someone, if you took your negative thoughts, right? And then you heard your child saying that to themselves or would you say that to your child? That's what I always ask. Why would you talk to yourself in a way that you would never say those things to somebody else? And you are with yourself all of the time. So, you are constantly, or hopefully not constantly, but you are feeding this internal dialogue of negative self-talk, and so I challenge you if you're struggling with depression, I guarantee you there's some negative self-talk in there. There are ten other categories, and you may need to actually learn the whole method to figure out where those things go. That negative self-talk is a good place to start. You've got to reframe that you've got to talk to yourself in a positive way. You've got to learn to love yourself. One of the things that I've been doing recently is just telling me I love myself. I love myself and I'm even getting a little teared up saying it because It's hard. Because sometimes I know there's so many things I don't like. There are so many things that I can say are wrong with me. But that doesn't matter. I'm not talking about your strengths and your weakness. Just like your child, you love your child for their strengths and weaknesses. We need to love ourselves as well and so I challenge you to change that internal dialogue and begin to love yourself and tell yourself that you love yourself. Because you deserve to be happy.
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Dr. Cristi Bundukamara, Ed.D, PMHNP-BC --- A Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner and a Doctor of Healthcare Education has experienced unimaginable trials that have caused many feelings such as depression, anxiety, anger, & overwhelming stress. 
However, she has developed a new pathway to becoming Mentally Strong & Choosing to be Happy.  With purpose, Dr. B has developed the phases that were refined within the Mentally STRONG Method that she created and wants to share with you.

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