Research on depression
Symptoms of depression include long term feelings of sadness, loss of interest in things that one used to enjoy and sometimes anxiety. Physical symptoms include tiredness, lack of sleep, lack of appetite, lack of sex drive and sometimes feeling aches and pains. Depression can sometimes comes along with addictions to things such as gambling, drink and drugs. When one is in depression, one often feels like their life is not worth living, and often those in depression recognize that they are not the person that they used to be, or that they have become someone that they aren't truly like. Sort of like there aren't themselves, they are a different person. Those suffering from depression can find themselves feeling guilt-ridden easier, being irritable and finding it difficult to make decisions. Sometimes someone in depression will move or speak slower and have sudden changes in weight and appetite, and will often avoid contact with friends. Depression doesn't always come from a specific moment in one's life. One with depression can enjoy happy moments, however sometimes it's not a true, deep feeling of happiness and will be/feel overshadowed by the more constant feeling of depression. Depression isn't always a tortured sadness, it's more often described as a numbness. It's more constant and endless than grief, which is why it often feels more inescapable.
Antidepressants are often prescribed by GP's to treat - not cure, treat - depression. This can be very effective to some people, however they are sometimes seen as a "Quick and easy" treatment, used to numb the sadness a little and reduce likeliness of suicidal thoughts, however they will never ultimately cure the source of a patients depression, they simply increase chemicals called serotonin in the brain, which is what raises one's mood. Possible side effects of antidepressants are nausea, drowsiness, insomnia, anxiety, headaches and sometimes in those under the age of 25 suicidal thoughts.
The way that I am playing Xanthe is that she is numb and sad. She suffers from anxiety, particularly during moments of social tension, for example when her friends start arguing, which leads to her drinking. whilst she knows how to sail and enjoys music, she has no real interests or passions and no plans for her life or ambitions. When Paige and Vera start arguing over Xanthe's lost poker cards, Xanthe feels guilty - as if it's her fault they're arguing because they were her cards. I chose to have her walking pace slightly slower than usual and all of her movements are heavy, as if she's exhausted.
I have also decided that she will suffer from self harm. This won't be a huge story line and not immediately obvious, she will wear either a long sleeved cardigan or something to cover her wrists - which will be an active decision from Xanthe to do so as not to arouse suspicion - however after Rick's death, which Xanthe will undoubtedly blame herself for due to her drinking and lack of attention to securing the boom, Xanthe will start scratching at her wrists as she succumbs to a shock induced minor panic attack. This will be another part of her anxiety, scratching at her wrists when she gets stressed, however she will distract herself by drinking.
http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/antidepressant-drugs/Pages/Introduction.aspx
Xanthe's alcoholism
Xanthe will feel ashamed of her alcohol problem and try to hide it from her friends, however laugh and brush it off as a bit of fun when they spot her drinking. She will get trembles and tremors immediately before drinking, to show her dependence. Another sign of an alcohol problem is when drinking cycles are interrupted, so if Xanthe gets her drinking interrupted then I will show annoyance which will then be quickly hidden.
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