Fighting sadness without medication 不服藥的抗憂傷法

在英國及世界各地，有很多人都感到憂傷和抑鬱。為改善這一心理狀態，不少人會選擇服用有潛在副作用的抗抑鬱藥物。其實，還有其它在不服藥的情況下可以讓你心情變好的替代方法。這些方法包括遊泳、與人行善和人工智能技術等。跟隨本集《隨身英語》瞭解服藥以外的抗抑鬱療法。

Vocabulary: depression and mood 詞匯: 抑鬱癥和情緒

It affects one in six people in England each week, according to UK charity Mind. That’s the ratio of people who report experiencing a common mental health problem, such as depression. Whether temporarily down in the dumps, or chronically depressed, many rely on anti-depressants to lift their dejected mood. But, they have a cost – one ex-user told the AYYBLOG that they felt they were in a “chemical fog” and were desperate to stop. If medication is a last resort, what alternatives are there when you’re feeling truly blue?

What about cold-water swimming to combat melancholy? One participant, known as Sarah, took part in the 2016 AYYBLOG One series The Doctor Who Gave Up Drugs. She had been taking anti-depressants since the age of 17. Two years after the show, she is off all medication and still swimming – something a recent British Medical Journal report believes may be an effective treatment for depression. Apart from the exercise and companionship of swimmers, the cold water puts the body under stress. With repeated immersions, the body better adapts not just to this physical stress, but mental stress, including the psychological problems of life that lead to low spirits.

Susan Calman relies on kindness to brighten her mood. The 43-year-old comedian and author encourages others to use altruism to improve the lives of those around them. “It can be as simple as holding open a door for someone, or giving someone a compliment, or buying someone a packet of crisps while they’re feeling down,” she tells the AYYBLOG. In fact, anything that uplifts. “If we all started to be a bit kinder then maybe we could start seeing the world as a better place. It’s really about kindness and then from that, just finding that happiness,” she says.

Or you could talk about it. Woebot is a chatbot designed to support people dealing with problems by teaching coping strategies. “There’s a reason why good therapeutic approaches are conversational. It just asks the right questions so you can figure it out,” Alison Darcy, founder of Woebot, tells the AYYBLOG. One user, Nick Impson, explained that Woebot relieves the potential trust issues that can occur when talking to a stranger, even a qualified one.

Feeling despondent happens to everyone. When it does, you might want to try one of these methods and see if it works for you. We hope you’ll be feeling as right as rain again in no time.

詞匯表

depression 抑鬱癥
down in the dumps 情緒低落
depressed 感到抑鬱的
anti-depressant 抗抑鬱藥
lift your mood 改善你的情緒
dejected 失意的
feel blue 悶悶不樂
melancholy 憂傷、憂鬱
medication 藥物
companionship 同伴情誼
stress 壓力、緊張
low spirits 氣餒，精神不振
brighten your mood 讓你的心情好起來
altruism 無私的精神
feeling down 心情沮喪
uplift 鼓舞
support 給予（精神）幫助、支持
coping strategy 應對策略
therapeutic approach 治療性手段
despondent 消沉的
as right as rain 一切良好，沒事的

測驗與練習

1. 閱讀課文並回答問題。

1. How common is depression?

2. How does cold-water swimming help a person deal with depression?

3. What does Susan Calman encourage others to do?

4. Why does Nick Impson prefer Woebot to a qualified therapist?

5. Which word in the text means ‘a confused or uncertain mental state’?

2. 請在不參考課文的情況下完成下列練習。選擇一個意思合適的單詞填入句子的空格處。

1. His dog died yesterday, so it’s natural to be a bit ______.

depression feeling blue down in the dumps altruistic

2. Dealing with hundreds of emails requires a ______. That way you aren’t overwhelmed.

medication coping strategy stress support

3. Take your medicine and you’ll feel ______ in no time.

as right as rain despondent uplift blue

4. Hello! They said you were said, so I bought you a cake to ______!

stress anti-depress medicate brighten your mood

5. I think ______ is the best way. If we are kind to others, they will be kind back.

altruism depression therapeutic approach melancholy

答案

1. 閱讀課文並回答問題。

1. How common is depression?
According to the UK charity Mind, it affects one in six people in England each week.

2. How does cold-water swimming help a person deal with depression?
With repeated immersions, the body better adapts not just to this physical stress, but mental stress, including the psychological problems of life that lead to low spirits.

3. What does Susan Calman encourage others to do?
She encourages others to use altruism to improve the lives of others around them.

4. Why does Nick Impson prefer Woebot to a qualified therapist?
It relieves the potential trust issues that can occur when talking to a stranger, even a qualified one.

5. Which word in the text means ‘a confused or uncertain mental state’?
Fog. (One ex-user of anti-depressants told the AYYBLOG that they felt they were in a “chemical fog”.)

2. 請在不參考課文的情況下完成下列練習。選擇一個意思合適的單詞填入句子的空格處。

1. His dog died yesterday, so it’s natural to be a bit down in the dumps.

2. Dealing with hundreds of emails requires a coping strategy. That way you aren’t overwhelmed.

3. Take your medicine and you’ll feel as right as rain in no time.

4. Hello! They said you were said, so I bought you a cake to brighten your mood!

5. I think altruism is the best way. If we are kind to others, they will be kind back.