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"Depression can feel like a constant state of unhappiness and sadness, or an extreme feeling of pessimism and despondency, where things you used to enjoy no longer bring you joy. It can interfere with daily life activities, relationships with loved ones or coworkers, and with oneself.

 

It brings various physical changes, including a lack of appetite where weight loss is noticeable, body aches, being unable to sleep or sleeping too much because you feel tired a lot of the time.  It convinces you to withdraw from social activities and isolate yourself. It tempts you with drastic beliefs including thoughts of suicide "(APA, 2026). 

Anxiety is an emotion apprehension and physical symptoms of tension. It is a state of anticipation of an "impending danger, catastrophe, or misfortune", either to a known or unknown source. Although many may confuse Fear and Anxiety as the same due to the terms being often used interchangbly, they are different from one another. 

 

Anxiety can be seen as a response to a "future-oriented, long-acting response, genrally focused to some form of a diffused threat".

 

"Fear is a short-lived, appropriate response to a present, immediate, and clearly identifiable specific threat".

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Anxiety can at times have an effect on the body as it prepares to mobilizes to meet the perceived threat: "Muscles become tense, breathing is faster, and the heart beats more rapidly". (APA, 2026)

Trauma is defined as experiencing or witnessing a deeply distressing, shocking, or life-threatening event that overwhelms you and can result in significant fear, helplessness, dissociation, confusion, or other disruptive feelings that have a long-lasting negative effect on a person’s attitudes, behavior, and functioning". Trauma does not discriminate and can impact both adults and children. Trauma exposure can take  many forms:​

• Acute trauma: This is the results a single stressful or dangerous event. Natural disasters, sexual assualt, accidents, or suddent illness threatening death. 

• Chronic trauma: This results from repeated and prolonged exposure to highly stressful events. such as child abuse, bullying, domestic violence or even painful medical procedures.

• Complex trauma: This results from exposure to multiple traumatic events for a prolonged period of time (a home where domestic violence and child abuse both occur coupled with financial insecurity resulting in consequences such as homelessnes).

• Secondary trauma: Is a type of trauma that may occur. where a caregiver or helping profession (police officers, firemen, EMT, Nurses, Phsycians and Social Workers) is repeatedly exposed to traumatic events without themselves being under threat and due to prolong exposure develop trauma symptoms (APA, 2026;Lawrence, 2025; SAMHSA, 2025).

A program, organization, or system that is trauma-informed realizes the widespread impact of trauma and understands potential paths for recovery; recognizes the signs and symptoms of trauma in clients, families, staff, and others involved with the system; and responds by fully integrating knowledge about trauma into policies, procedures, and practices, while seeking to actively resist retraumatization.
Trauma-informed approaches recognize and intentionally respond to the lasting adverse effects of experiencing traumatic events, through several principles:

• Safety: participants and staff feel physically and psychologically safe.

• Peer support: peer support and mutual self-help are key as vehicles for establishing safety and hope, building trust, enhancing collaboration, and utilizing their lived experience to promote recovery and healing.

• Trustworthiness and Transparency: Organizational decisions are conducted with the goal of building and maintaining trust with participants and staff.

• Collaboration and Mutuality: importance is placed on partnering and leveling power differences between staff and service participants.

• Empowerment, Voice and Choice: organizations foster a belief in the primacy of the people who are served to heal and promote recovery from trauma (SAMHSA, 2026).

Suicidal ideation, or suicidal thoughts, is when you think about, consider or feel preoccupied with the idea of death and suicide. These thoughts may come and go or be extremely distracting. You might dwell on thoughts of suicide to the point where you make a plan to take your own life (Cleveland Clinic, 2024).
 

• Passive suicidal ideation: Suicidal thoughts occur without any desire to make a plan of action to harm yourself.

• Active suicidal ideation: Suicidal thoughts motivate you to create a plan of self-harm. When a plan is in place, you may feel at ease or withdrawn. 

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If you are experiencing any of these, it is important to seek help from a professional or visit a nearby crisis center, emergency room for help or in case of an immediate emergency, diall 911.

Effective treatments for depression include Psychotherapy (talk therapy). In some persistent and chronic cases, medications (such as antidepressants), along with talk therapy, are needed. There are many strategies you may practice on your own:

• Seek support from family members or a support group.

• Even if you feel better, don’t stop going to therapy or taking your medication. 

• Focus on self-care. Eat healthy, meditate, exercise, and healthy sleep hygiene, ( 7-9 hours of sleep per night) are helpful.

• Avoid alcohol and drugs, as these can worsen symptoms.

• Journal your day-to-day activities and feelings (SAMHSA, 2026).

Psychotherapy, (Talk therapy), is uses treatment modalities designed to aid your recovery by "identifying and changing unhealthy emotions, thoughts and behaviors".  Medications can be included in treatment for symptoms of anxiety but will be most effective when combined with psychotherapy. ​

Approaches include:

• Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT): This  teaches you to identify unhealthy thought patterns, beliefs, emotions, and then work on changing these for more positive responses.

• Exposure therapy:  A therapist will create "a safe environment to gradually expose you to your fears and  help you learn new, more realistic beliefs to the things you’re afraid of.

• Suppport groups and family support is always recommended in helping overcome fears and anxiety  (Cleveland Clinic, 2024).

Therapy is usually the first choice for treating this condition. There are different types to help you process negative experiences and build coping skills:

• Trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT): This helps you notice unhelpful thoughts linked to the experience and replace them with healthier ones. This includes approaches like cognitive processing therapy (CPT). It also teaches coping and stress-management skills.

• Exposure therapy: This helps you slowly and safely face reminders. One common type is prolonged exposure therapy. Over time, it may reduce fear and stress.

• Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR): This uses guided eye movements while you think about bad memories. It may make memories feel less intense.

• Supportive therapy: This focuses on emotional support and coping. It may help early on or when symptoms feel overwhelming.

• Group therapy: This lets people who’ve had similar experiences share their thoughts and feelings in a supportive, nonjudgmental setting. Family therapy may also help, as PTSD can affect your loved ones. (Cleveland Clinic, 2026)

Difficult life experiences in our daily life can sometimes create serious adversity and insurmountable pressure on an individual. This may be a result of internal stressors from our struggles or through stressful external factors such as health issues, financial struggle, job loss, grief, and trauma. All can contribute to the stress we experience and  each of these will test our resolve and sometimes push us over what we can reasonably cope with. 

 

A difficult life experiences does not mean a person will develop a mental health problem but it does create the need to talk to a loved one, family, friend or professional to cope and alleviate the pressures of life. 

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It is within these challenging times that creating a and practicing coping skills will help to develop what is called resilience.  "Resilience is the process of developing the adaptability and skills through emotional, and behavioral flexibility by practicing coping skills that will help you deal with a difficult life experience." (APA, 2026).

Treatment for suicidal ideation varies based on the severity and likely cause. One goal of treatment is to keep you safe. Your healthcare provider might recommend one or a combination of the following as treatment for suicidal ideation:

• A safety plan that includes coping skills and people to reach out to if suicidal ideation occurs

• Cognitive behavioral therapy or other therapies to strengthen coping skills

• Medication treatment plan

• Inpatient or outpatient mental health programs in a hospital or clinic

• Reach out for help by calling (or texting) emergency services or a crisis line like 988 if you’re in danger of acting on your suicidal thoughts.

• Reach out to someone you trust. Meet with them or have a conversation. You don’t have to talk about suicide — it helps to be around others who care and listen.

• Participate in an activity you enjoy (or used to enjoy). You may not feel up to participating fully, but activities, even taking a short walk or petting a dog, can offer a positive distraction.

• Focus on the moment and getting through the day rather than the future. Thinking too far ahead can be overwhelming and stressful.

• Avoid using substances like alcohol or unprescribed drugs.

If you’re a caretaker for someone who has active suicidal ideation, make sure to remove any items or objects from their living space that could cause harm, including weapons or unprescribed medications. If you’re on the receiving end of treatment, know that your caretakers aren’t taking away your property — they’re relocating items until you’re safe enough to have them in your possession (Cleveland Clinic, 2024).