不服药的抗忧伤法
Fighting sadness without medication

在英国及世界各地，有很多人都感到忧伤和抑郁。为改善这一心理状态，不少人会选择服用有潜在副作用的抗抑郁药物。其实，还有其它在不服药的情况下可以让你心情变好的替代方法。这些方法包括游泳、与人行善和人工智能技术等。跟随本集《随身英语》了解服药以外的抗抑郁疗法。

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 BBC 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 BBC 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 BBC. 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 BBC. 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. 

词汇表

depression 抑郁症
down in the dumps 情绪低落
depressed 感到抑郁的
anti-depressant 抗抑郁药
lift your mood 改善你的情绪
dejected 失意的
feel blue 闷闷不乐
melancholy 忧伤、忧郁
medication 药物
companionship 同伴情谊
stress 压力、紧张
low spirits 气馁，精神不振
brighten your mood 让你的心情好起来
altruism 无私的精神
feeling down 心情沮丧
uplift 鼓舞
support 给予（精神）帮助、支持
coping strategy 应对策略
therapeutic approach 治疗性手段
despondent 消沉的
as right as rain 一切良好，没事的

测验与练习

1. 阅读课文并回答问题。

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. 请在不参考课文的情况下完成下列练习。选择一个意思合适的单词填入句子的空格处。

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. 阅读课文并回答问题。

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 BBC that they felt they were in a "chemical fog".)

2. 请在不参考课文的情况下完成下列练习。选择一个意思合适的单词填入句子的空格处。

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.