Depression
‘Depression is like a war — you either win or die trying’.
Depression is a mood disorder that causes a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest also called major depressive disorder or clinical depression. It affects how you feel, think and behave and can lead to a variety of emotional and physical problems. Mostly, people get confused with the terms anxiety and depression. But depression and anxiety disorders are different. People with depression often experience symptoms similar to those of an anxiety disorder, such as nervousness, irritability, and problems sleeping and concentrating. But each disorder has its own causes and its own emotional and behavioral symptoms.
Depression Symptoms :
Depression symptoms can vary from mild to severe and can include:
- Feeling sad or having a depressed mood
- Loss of interest or pleasure in activities once enjoyed
- Changes in appetite, weight loss or gain unrelated to dieting
- Trouble sleeping or sleeping too much
- Loss of energy or increased fatigue
- Increase in purposeless physical activity (e.g., hand-wringing or pacing) or slowed movements and speech (actions observable by others)
- Feeling worthless or guilty
- Difficulty thinking, concentrating or making decisions
- Thoughts of death or suicide
Depression Causes :
There are several possible causes of depression. They can range from biological to circumstantial.
o Brain structure: There’s a greater risk for depression if the frontal lobe of your brain is less active. However, scientists don’t know if this happens before or after the onset of depressive symptoms.
o Drug use: A history of drug or alcohol misuse can affect your risk.
o Early childhood trauma: Some events affect the way your body reacts to fear and stressful situations.
o Family history: You’re at a higher risk for developing depression if you have a family history of depression or another mood disorder.
o Medical conditions: Certain conditions may put you at higher risk, such as chronic illness, insomnia, chronic pain, or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Risk factors of depression :
Depression can affect anyone even a person who appears to live in relatively ideal circumstances. Several factors can play a role in depression:
- Biochemistry: Differences in certain chemicals in the brain may contribute to symptoms of depression.
- Genetics: Depression can run in families. For example, if one identical twin has depression, the other has a 70 percent chance of having the illness sometime in life.
- Personality: People with low self-esteem, who are easily overwhelmed by stress, or who are generally pessimistic appear to be more likely to experience depression.
- Environmental factors: Continuous exposure to violence, neglect, abuse or poverty may make some people more vulnerable to depression.
Treatment for depression :
Three of the more common methods used in depression treatment include cognitive behavioral therapy, interpersonal therapy, and psycho_dynamic therapy. Besides, medication alone and psychotherapy (cognitive-behavioral therapy, interpersonal therapy) alone can relieve depressive symptoms. A combination of medication and psychotherapy has been associated with significantly higher rates of improvement in more severe, chronic, and complex presentations of depression.
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