Women making decisions about self-care and recovering from depression

The study reported here sought the beliefs of 22 women who had been depressed regarding what they identified as contributing to both becoming depressed and recovering from depression. Combined with this and using the phenomenological method outlined by Colaizzi (1978) [Colaizzi, Paul F. (1978). Psychological research as the phenomenologist views it. In: R. S. Valle, & M. King (Eds.), Existential-Phenomenological Alternatives for Psychology. NY: Oxford University Press], transcripts from in-depth interviews were also examined to understand the experience of being depressed. The identified themes relating to the experience of depression were each affected by interactions between the self and others and focused on levels of awareness of being depressed and negative judgements, and how this impacted on the level, quality, and availability of social support. Two further themes, self-sacrificing and self-agency, were also affected by interactions with others. It was clear for women in this study that relationships and social context were central to the experience of depression. Recovery from depression was associated with increased self-caring and self-agency, and included being actively involved in decisions about treatment.