Depression is one of the greatest health problems of our time. A person who is depressed is experiencing a low mood and aversion to activity in which they have no mental strength to do anything and feel that life has no purpose and that their loved ones would be better off without them. Medically classified as a mental and behavioral disorder, the experience of depression affects a person’s thoughts, behavior, motivation, feelings and sense of well-being.
José Ramón Alonso is the author of the blog Neuroscience (jralonso.es). Articles on depression are the most frequently read topic in his blog. Every year, more than one and a half million people read the post on Depression: first symptoms. Some of them leave desperate, sorrowful comments, asking for help. The main message is always the same: seek professional help, look for a doctor or a psychologist to guide you through the healing process. However, Alonso explained, ” we look at how to reach out, how to help, how to provide the patients and their families with the tools they need to cope with and hopefully overcome depression”.
How to manage depression?
That is why we have launched courses on Depression Management in collaboration with the General Foundation of the University, the BISITE Group, BioScience and the CDEU. This is in addition to other related activities such as the book recently published by Alonso in the Shackleton publishing house, entitled The Invisible Illness. Overcoming Depression.
The courses are open and free (MOOC format) and are available on the e4you platform, which enables each person to progress at his or her own pace. They try to encourage to seek specialized support and help the affected people and their close environment.
You can register here. If you are interested in obtaining a certificate of completion, the General Foundation of the University of Salamanca has enabled a system of diplomas in different formats (digital, on paper, with and without apostille, etc.), but the course can also be done without any other interest than knowing more.
Depression concerns our families, our workplace and our classrooms. Apparently, the pandemic has worsened our mental health and all we do must revolve around moving forward and facing the future with hope and enthusiasm.
