Depression is counted among the major psychological illnesses which can affect the behavior, feelings, and overall health of an individual. Learn more about this illness as Dr. Chandra Shekhar puts some light on its types, symptoms, and effects.
The first thing you need to know about depression is – ‘it’s treatable’. It is more than just feeling sad all the time. This emotional illness causes one to lose interest in the things he finds pleasure. A depressed individual goes through an intense experience of despair, demotivation, and weakness. That’s why it is important to De-stress a Stressed Life.
What is depression?
Depression is the state of low mood and reduced activity.
What are the causes of depression?
- Abuse ranks number one in the list of major causes of depression
- A few medications such as antiviral drugs and corticosteroids could increase the risk of depression over a period of time
- Conflicts and in life
- Death incident of a closed one
- Genetics which suggest that the disease runs in a family since generations
- Serious illnesses or chronic diseases like chronic diabetes, renal failure, hypertension, and heart failure or previous heart attacks make an individual emotionally more liable to have depression
What are the signs of depression?
- Change in behavior
- Dependency on alcohol and sedatives
- Extreme happiness/sadness, getting over-joyous, easily frustrated, and highly/frequently irritable, etc.
- Change in thought process – the individual starts getting weird thoughts
What is physical medi frustration?
A person shows common signs of feeling sick and tired persistently besides developing muscle pain and headache when he goes through different phases of depression. Conversely, change in appetite behavior and facing sleep disturbances are other distinctive signs of depression which induce the person to consume more or less food than before, thus leading to excessive weight gain or weight loss.
What are the types of depression?
- Major depression/major depressive disorder
- Dysthymic disorder
- Bipolar disorder a.k.a manic depressive psychosis
What are the effects of untreated depression?
- Missed work days
- Refraining from work
- Decreased productivity
- Emotional and psychological disturbances
- Fatigue
- Loss of concentration
- Constant feeling of being low leading to chronic health problems
What are the treatments for long standing depression?
- Psychological therapy (further classified to cognitive behavioral therapy or CBT)
- Interpersonal therapy
- Medication therapy
- E-therapy (which is as effective as face-to-face psychological therapy)
- Good diet
- Support from family members and friends
- Relaxation techniques such as yoga
On the whole, depression is not an illness that cannot be taken care of or treated completely. Recognizing the cause of depression is the key to receive healing and get out of it.