Coping with depression at Christmas – how cannabis medicines can help

It might be the ‘most wonderful time of the year’, but unfortunately, Christmas is not a happy time for everyone – especially those living with depression.

At this festive time of year, there is huge pressure in society to be seen to be living our best life and enjoying ourselves with our family and friends. Of course, for many people this could not be further from the truth. People are lonely, sick, in pain, fearful or face massive challenges in their day-to-day life and with their mental health. 

Depression is a mental health condition that can affect anyone at, any point in their life. There can be an obvious specific cause or trigger, such as bereavement, or illness, or it can simply manifest out of the blue.

It can be hard to initially recognise the signs of depression, but if you are feeling tearful and have lost interest in the things you used to enjoy or find you have feelings of lasting sadness and hopelessness, you may well be depressed. Constant tiredness, poor sleep and reduced appetite can also be symptoms. Depression is very different, to simply feeling a bit down or fed up, rather it is a feeling that will simply not go away and can make you feel overwhelmed.

Depression is characterised by feeling sad and hopeless and losing interest in things you used to enjoy. People with depression find their symptoms can persist for weeks or months and can interfere with work, social and family life. Symptoms include:

• Continuous low mood or sadness
• Feeling hopeless and helpless
• Having low self-esteem
• Feeling tearful
• Feeling irritable and intolerant of others
• Having no motivation or interest in things
• Finding it hard to make decisions
• Not getting any enjoyment out of life
• Having suicidal thoughts or thoughts of harming yourself
• Disturbed sleep (struggling to get to sleep or stay asleep, or sleeping too much)
• Changes in weight and/or appetite
• Feeling nervous and anxious 

Your symptoms may cause you to withdraw from other people including your family and friends. You may also find going to work difficult and stressful and may take time off sick. As a result, you may feel worse about yourself and lower in mood.

Traditional treatment for depression can include talking therapies such as cognitive behavioural therapy/psychotherapy or traditional medical intervention with anti-depressants.  All of which can be successful but, there can also be difficulties in coming off anti-depressants, if not monitored closely by your doctor and the dose reduced very slowly. 

Dr Mayur Bodani is a neuropsychiatrist at Integro Clinics and qualified in both general medicine (to hospital medicine standard) and neuropsychiatry. He has over 25 years of experience in the field and prescribes cannabis medicines at Integro Clinics for mental health related conditions. He has seen considerable success in treating some of the symptoms of depression in his patients with cannabis-based medicines (CBM’s), which can allow the patient to start feeling better and getting on with their life. 

For example, the CBM’s can help the patient establish a deeper and a more regular sleeping pattern, reduce feelings of anxiety and encourage the patient’s appetite. In combination these factors provided by the CBM’s can have a meaningful positive impact on the patient’s life and give them more emotional stability. In turn this allows them to cope better. 

Sophie Hayes, specialist nurse at Integro Clinics said: “Sometimes when an individual feels overwhelmed, it can be very difficult to process their feelings and objectively understand them. One of the key benefits that I have seen for mental health patients prescribed at Integro Clinics is that cannabis medicines can help them to regain a sense of control over their symptoms, allowing them to feel more confident in engaging with longer term therapies that help them to better understand the root causes of their symptoms.” 

Terri, a stage four cancer patient at Integro Clinics, talks about how cannabis medicine helps her deal with difficult and depressing feelings. 

She commented: “You can’t help but worry about what the future holds at this time of year; will it be the last Christmas I get to spend with my daughter and family? Will I have the strength emotionally and physically to keep fighting? Will I be able to earn enough money to provide for my family still?

“With the help and relief I get from my cannabis medicines and the support offered to me by my oncologist, Dr Andrew Gaya, and pain consultant Dr Anthony Ordman at Integro, I can at least keep my anxiety levels low enough to keep my equilibrium. I know my pain is managed, the sickness from my chemotherapy is tolerable and I have enough energy to work and provide for my daughter.”

Integro Medical Clinics Ltd always recommends remaining under the care and treatment of your GP and specialist for your condition, while using cannabis-based medicines, and the Integro clinical team would always prefer to work in collaboration with them.

If you are struggling with depression, would like further information or to speak with one of our specialist doctors such as Dr Anthony Ordman or our neuropsychiatrist, Dr Mayur Bodani, please contact Integro Clinics:  

Website: www.integroclinics.com

Email: Contact@integroclinics.com

Twitter: @clinicsintegro