Depression is a mood disorder characterized by
persistently low mood and a feeling of sadness and loss of interest. It is a
persistent problem, not a passing one, lasting on average of six to nine
months. It affects how you feel, think and behave and can lead to a variety of
emotional and physical problems. You may have trouble doing normal day-to-day
activities, and sometimes you may feel as if life isn't worth living. It
is important to seek the help of a health professional to rule out different
causes of depression, ensure an accurate differential diagnosis, and secure
safe and effective treatment.
Depression is different from the fluctuations
in mood that people experience as a part of normal life. Temporary emotional
responses to the challenges of everyday life do not constitute depression.
Likewise, even the feeling of grief resulting
from the death of someone close is not itself depression if it does not
persist. Depression can, however, be related to bereavement - when depression
follows a loss, psychologists call it a "complicated bereavement."
SYMPTOMS
Symptoms of depression can include:
- Depressed
mood
- Reduced
interest or pleasure in activities previously enjoyed, loss of sexual
desire
- Unintentional
weight loss (without dieting) or low appetite
- Insomnia (difficulty
sleeping) or hypersomnia (excessive sleeping)
- Psychomotor agitation, for
example, restlessness, pacing up and down
- Delayed psychomotor skills,
for example, slowed movement and speech
- Fatigue or
loss of energy
- Feelings
of worthlessness or guilt
- Impaired
ability to think, concentrate, or make decisions
- Recurrent
thoughts of death or suicide, or attempt at suicide
CAUSES
The causes of depression are not fully
understood and may not be down to a single source. Depression is likely to be
due to a complex combination of factors that include:
- Genetics:
Depression is more common in people whose blood relatives also have this
condition.
- Biological:
People with depression appear to have physical changes in their brains.
The significance of these changes is still uncertain, but may eventually
help pinpoint causes.
- Environmental:
This could be as a result of not liking ones environment, people around,
faces etc.
- Psychological
and social (psychosocial)
- Hormones: Changes in the
body's balance of hormones may be involved in causing or triggering
depression. Hormone changes can result with pregnancy and during the weeks
or months after delivery (postpartum) and from thyroid problems, menopause
or a number of other conditions.
Some people are at higher risk of depression
than others; risk factors include:
- Life events:
These include bereavement, divorce, work issues, relationships with
friends and family, financial problems, medical concerns, or acute stress.
- Personality:
Those with less successful coping strategies or previous life trauma are
more susceptible.
- Genetic
factors: Having a first-degree relative with depression increases the
risk.
- Childhood
trauma.
- Some
prescription drugs.
- Abuse
of recreational drugs: Abuse of alcohol, amphetamines, and other drugs are
strongly linked to depression.
- A
past head injury.
- Having
had one episode of major depression: This increases the risk of a
subsequent one.
- Chronic
pain syndromes: These and other chronic conditions, such as diabetes, HIV/AIDS,
chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and cardiovascular disease make
depression more likely.
TREATMENT
Depression is a treatable mental illness.
There are three components to the management of depression:
- Support:
Ranging from discussing practical solutions and contributing stresses, to
educating family members.
- Psychotherapy:
Psychotherapy is the use of psychological methods, particularly when based
on regular personal interaction, to help a person change behavior and
overcome problems in desired ways.
- Drug
treatment: Antidepressants are drugs
used for the treatment of major depressive disorder and other conditions,
including dysthymia, anxiety disorders, obsessive–compulsive disorder,
eating disorders
There's no sure way to prevent depression.
However, these strategies may help.
- Take
steps to control stress, to
increase your resilience and boost your self-esteem.
- Reach
out to family and friends, especially
in times of crisis, to help you weather rough spells.
- Get
treatment at the earliest sign of a problem to
help prevent depression from worsening.
- Consider getting long-term maintenance treatment to help prevent a relapse of symptoms.
(For counseling, email: richmondmez@gmail.com)
