How to Keep a Journal of Depressive Feelings
Depression is one of the most subjective psychological disorders in the field of mental health. Because few physical tools exist for clear diagnosis, mental health professionals often have to rely on the anecdotal accounts of patients themselves. That's why experts recommend that patients keep journals of depressive feelings--often, by collecting snapshots of your mental state in real time, your doctor can put together a more comprehensive history of your moods.
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Instructions
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Express Your Feelings in Words
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Create a time and place to write in your journal every day. If you can maintain a regular routine such as this, it will be easier to keep your journal up to date.
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Record your internal experience of the day, and not just the events that took place. Many people who keep journals of depressive feelings start with the external events and move inward to the thoughts, feelings and ruminations that filled their conscious minds.
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Reread prior entries often to see where you stand. One of the best ways to gain an accurate representation of your depressive feelings is to compare and contrast their severity over time.
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Develop a system for describing your depression. Many people simply use a scale of 1 to 10, though you may over time come up with a more nuanced way to describe what you're feeling.
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Be candid. It's more important that your journal is accurate than that it paints you in a rosy light.
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Continue to keep your journal after treatment begins. Whether you have started on a course of SSRIs or simply began doing talk therapy, it is important to monitor yourself closely for signs of change that may be subtle. Often longitudinal data such as this will reveal trends you may not notice day to day.
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Tips & Warnings
It is easy to make your journal a projection of the way you would like to feel and remember things. Resist this urge to manipulate your journal and simply tell the truth!
Buy a journal that is relatively neutral emotionally. Although you might enjoy a brightly colored version with amusing cartoons on the front, over time such an effusive book may prove to be a turn off.
If you find your depression deepening over time, seek more immediate intervention.
Be sure to make back up copies if you are creating a digital journal! You don't want to lose weeks of work because of a virus or hardware glitch.
