With the present lifestyle and our increasing expectations, we are dragging ourselves towards new problems each day. Depression can not occur in one day, but continuing life with everyday stress and anxiety will definitely make it one day. If you know someone is suffering from depression, then managing it can be challenging, but with the proper help and treatment, it can be easy to cure. In this blog, we will learn some of the major points about depression and the ways to cure it.
What is depression?
Depression is a mood disorder caused by ongoing feelings of sadness and a lack of interest. Referred to as major depressive disorder or clinical depression, it impacts your emotions, thoughts, and actions and can result in a range of emotional and physical challenges. It may inhibit your ability to engage in typical daily tasks, and at times, you may question the value of life.
Sometimes, depression does not look like sitting in a dark room and overthinking or thinking about your life and self as a question mark. In some cases, it has been seen that depressed people are easily moving out and doing their life chores efficiently. They always seem to be happy, but this is not the truth. However, you can not just snap out of your depression. It needs proper treatment and medications to make your life back to earlier.
Depression symptoms
It is said that depression occurs only once during your lifetime, but people have multiple episodes of it. During these phases, people show some symptoms almost every day. These symptoms include:
- Feeling emotions of sadness, tearfulness, or emptiness, as well as feelings of hopelessness.
- Frequent angry outbursts, irritability, or frustration, even over minor issues.
- Lack of enjoyment or interest in most or all usual activities, including sex, hobbies, or sports.
- They take a lot of time and effort to make a small task because of a lack of energy.
- Suffer from sleep-related issues and insomnia most of the time.
- Either reduce appetite and show sudden weight loss or increase their craving for food and gain so much weight.
- Having an extreme feeling of anxious, agitated, or restless.
- Experiencing slowed down thinking, speaking, or body movements.
- Having feelings of worthlessness or guilt and fixating on past failures or self-blame
- They always find difficulty in making decisions, concentrating, and remembering things.
- One of the major symptoms is frequent or recurrent thoughts of suicide, death, and suicidal attempts.
- Suffer from some unexpected physical problems like back pain or headaches.
It is seen that some people dealing with depression suffer from symptoms that are usually extreme enough to cause noticeable problems in their day-to-day lives. They typically find it harder to work, perform social activities, attend school, and have relationships. Also, it is seen that some people usually seem to be unhappy, and they don’t even know the reason.
Difference between major depressive disorder and Severe depression
MDD is a clinical diagnosis that involves persistent depressive symptoms. Severe Gloom is the intensity of symptoms within MDD. It generally impacts the functioning of daily life activities and requires intensive treatment.
Seasonal depression
Seasonal depression, also termed Seasonal Affective Disorder, is a kind of depression. This type of depression usually starts when fall starts. Also, according to some reports, it gets worse in the late fall or starts in the winter before the end of the sunny days of spring.
People can also get a mild version of SAD termed “winter blues.” It is completely normal to feel a bit more down during the months when the wind is cold. SAD is more than just the winter blues. It is a type of depression that impacts your daily life, including your emotions and thoughts. Thankfully, treatments are available to help you cope with this challenging period.
Some of the common symptoms of SAD may include lack of energy, feeling sad, loss of interest in activities that you enjoy, oversleeping, and sudden weight gain.
Causes of depression
We can not exactly identify or know the exact cause of depression. Like other mental health disorders, multiple factors are involved in the cause of dismay too:
Biological differences: It was noticed in some cases that people suffering from unhappiness have undergone some physical changes in their brains. However, the cause of these changes is still uncertain but may suddenly trigger and result in depression.
Brain chemistry: There are some natural chemicals present in the brain that naturally result in the cause of Gloom. According to some new studies suggest that change in the role and impact of these neurotransmitters, as well as their interaction with neurocircuits responsible for regulating mood, could have a significant effect on depression and its management.
Hormones: Hormones play a vital role in managing our body. Change in the body’s balance of hormones sometimes triggers the mind, leading to depression. This is generally noticed in women during pregnancy, at the time of postpartum, and with thyroid problems, menopause, and several other factors.
Inherited traits/genetics: Despair is most common in people having a family background or blood relation with someone who has already suffered from this condition. Also, our researchers are trying harder to find the genes involved in the cause of Gloom.
I feel depressed
Sorrow feels like an overwhelming cloud that dims the light of my life. I was suffering from depression without knowing about it. The continuous feeling of sadness and lack of joy made me question myself. My daily tasks have become exhausting, and even getting out of bed seems so complicated for me. This heavy, suffocating weight creates a sense of isolation, making it difficult to connect with others or seek help. This is a small explanation of what I feel. Hoping you will learn something from this.
Chronic depression
When most people think of sadness, they likely imagine the most severe type, known as clinical Gloom or major depressive disorder, which is also the most prevalent. Dysthymia shares similar symptoms but is less intense and persists for a longer duration (2 years or more).
Persistent depressive disorder is a long-term form of depression. You might experience feelings of sadness and emptiness, lack of interest in your usual activities, and difficulties in accomplishing tasks. Additionally, you may have a diminished sense of self-worth, perceive yourself as unsuccessful, and experience a sense of hopelessness.
As this is a long-term depression, the symptoms are challenging. However, along with continuous therapy and medications, you can get relief.
ADHD and Depression
It is well known that ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder that impacts your behavior, emotions, and the way you learn. It is seen that a large number of children and adults experience depression when they have ADHD. As per the researchers from the University of Chicago have given the statement that adolescents with ADHD are 10 times closer to despair.
This is a very common nature of ADHD that causes depression if untreated. “Secondary sadness” can develop directly from the ongoing frustration and letdowns that people with ADHD often face.
Treatment
It is noticed that some people with depression are not aware or admit that they have sadness. They are generally not aware of the symptoms of despair and think that their feeling is normal.
Also, some people with Gloom feel ashamed about it and believe that they will overcome it with their willpower alone without any treatment. But this is actually not true. Gloom , if left untreated, will become worse with time. However, here are some ways to get relief from depression.
Most people don’t know that Gloom is the most treatable mental health disorder. Around 80%-90% of the sufferers are well treated if they get the treatment on time.
Psychotherapy: It is also popular as talk therapy, which involves talking with a mental health expert. In this, your therapist will work to identify and change the unhealthy thoughts and emotions. The most common and trusted one is CBT.
Medications: Some prescription medicines, like antidepressants, will help to change the brain chemistry and provide relief from depression. There are several other types of antidepressants that can help you, but your physician will find the best-suited one for you. Do not take it on your own; always consult with some experts before taking medicine.
Complementary medicine: It involves the treatment of traditional Western medicine. People suffering from mild or ongoing sorrow signs can find relief and improve their health with therapies like massage, hypnosis, acupuncture, and biofeedback.
Brain stimulation therapy: This is one of the wonderful therapies that help people dealing with severe depression or depression along with psychosis. Some common types of brain stimulation therapy are ECT, VNS, and TMS.
Other ways:
These are some common home ways to find relief from depression:
Eating a healthy and balanced diet.
- Doing regular exercise.
- Having a quality sleep, neither too much nor too little.
- Avoid alcohol.
- Spending time with loved ones.
Conclusion
We have learned so much about depression and its related terms in this blog. If you have ever suffered from any unfavorable conditions, then you must go to the physician and get proper treatment. Also, changing your way of living plays a vital role.
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