Must know about depression

Our world is facing so many problems already. Many of us are not comfortable with what is happening around us. Some are lonely, ungrateful, miserable and losing hopes. That’s why we must be aware of our moods and actions. Some people are experiencing depression, and it is not an easy problem to handle. Read below what is depression? What are the symptoms related to this disease, risk factors, causes and what you can do about it.

What is depression?

It is defined as a mood disorder that causes a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest in life. Other names are major depression, major depressive disorder or clinical depression. It can affect how you feel, think and behave. Inability to perform daily tasks or activities, and thoughts about life aren’t worth living. Depression requires long-term treatment, and most people feel better with medication and psychological counseling.

According to our health source: The following are the symptoms, causes, risk factors and management of the disease.

General symptoms that may indicate depression:

• The feelings of emptiness, sadness, or unhappiness.
• Irritability or frustration, easily gets angry even over small matters.
• Sleeping problems, including insomnia or sleeping too much.
• Loss of emotional attachment.
• Lack of energy, tiredness.
• There are changes in appetite
• Possesses anxiety, agitation, or restlessness.
• Slowed thinking, speaking, or body movements
• Feelings of worthlessness or guilt.
• Trouble thinking, concentrating, making decisions and remembering things.
• Frequent thoughts of death, suicidal thoughts, suicide attempts or suicide.
• Unexplained physical problems, such as back pain or headaches.

Symptoms in children may include:

• Sadness
• Irritability
• Aches and pains
• Refusing to go to school, or being underweight.

Symptoms in teens may include:

• Irritability
• Sadness
• Feeling negative and worthless
• Anger
• Poor performance or poor attendance at school
• Feeling misunderstood and extremely sensitive
• using drugs or alcohol
• Eating or sleeping too much
• Self-harm
• Loss of interest in normal activities, and avoidance of social interaction.

Symptoms of depression in older adults may include:

• Personality changes or memory difficulties.
• Loss of emotional attachment to a partner.
• Loss of appetite, tiredness, sleep problems, aches.
• Often prefers to stay at home, rather than going out to socialize, mingle or doing new things.
• Suicidal thinking or feelings, especially in older men.

Note:

If you feel depressed or has countless possible symptoms that may indicate a depression, make an appointment to see your doctor as soon as you can because if it is not treated right away, it will get worse. Depression that are not treated immediately can lead to other mental and physical health problems.

Causes of depression may involved:

• Biological differences- There are physical changes in the brain of a depressed person.
• Brain chemistry- unbalanced neurotransmitters (these are naturally occurring brain chemicals that likely play a role in depression).
• Hormones- Hormonal changes can trigger depression, such as thyroid problems, menopausal etc.
• Inherited traits- more common in people whose biological relatives experienced depression.
• Life events- death or loss of a loved one, financial problems, stress, or trauma can trigger depression in some people.

RISK FACTORS:

Usually depression often begins in teenage years, around twenties or thirties, but it can happen at any age. Risk factors may include:

• Family history of depression.
• Depression that started when you were a teen or child.
• History of other mental disorders such as anxiety disorder, borderline personality disorder, or post-traumatic stress disorder etc.
• Alcohol or illegal drug abuse.
• Personality traits, such as low self-confidence, self-criticism or pessimistic.
• Illnesses such as cancer, diabetes, or heart disease.
• Certain medications, such as some high blood pressure medications or sleeping pills.
• Traumatic or stressful life events.

Complications associated with depression may include:

• Social isolation- prefers to stay at home rather than to mingle with other people.
• Weight gain or obesity, which can lead to heart diseases and diabetes.
• Alcohol or substance abuse
• Anxiety, panic disorder or social phobia.
• Family conflicts, relationship difficulties, and work or school problems.
• Suicidal feelings, suicide attempts or suicide, self mutilation.
• Premature death from other medical conditions.

Treatments include:

A lot of depression treatments are available, if you are diagnosed with it your doctor/psychiatrist will prescribe you certain medications that you will take. Psychological counseling (psychotherapy) are also very beneficial to most people. Many people with depression also benefit from seeing a psychologist or other mental health counselors. If your depression is severe, you may need to stay in a hospital, or in an outpatient treatment program, until your symptoms improve.

LIFESTYLE AND HOME REMEDIES

• Do ways to control your stress and boost your self-confidence.
• Talk to your family and friends, reach out to them, especially in times of crisis.
• Get treatment at the earliest sign of a problem to help prevent depression from worsening.
• Consider getting long-term maintenance treatment to prevent relapse of the symptoms.

Things you can do to help yourself:

• Be mindful of the negative beliefs and behaviors and replace them with positive ones.
• Learn to adjust to a life crisis.
• Develop positive interactions with other people.
• Find good ways to cope and solve your problems.
• Change behaviors that you know will contribute to depression.
• Help yourself ease depression symptoms, bring a sense of satisfaction and control over your life.
• Be realistic on your goals in life.
• Develop the ability to tolerate and accept failures using healthier behaviors.
• Simplify your life, cut back on obligations when possible. Give yourself permission to do less when you feel down.
• Try writing in a journal, it may improve your mood, and it will allow you to express pain, anger, fear, frustrations or other emotions.
• Read helpful books and helpful websites. 
• Join organization which offer education, support groups, counseling and other resources to help with depression.
• Do not isolate yourself. Participate in social activities, and get together with family or friends regularly.
• Love and take care of yourself. Eat a healthy diet, be physically active, and get plenty of rest and sleep.
• When you are stress, relax and manage it. Do meditation, progressive muscle relaxation, yoga etc.
• Plan for your day. Make a list of daily tasks, reminders, or a planner to stay organized on the things you will do.
• Avoid making important decisions when you’re feeling depressed.

Coping with depression:

It’s always a good idea to talk to your doctor or therapist on the things you should do to expand your coping skills. As much as others love to help you, you must also need to help yourself, there’s more to life.

---

Thank you for reading this post! If you have any comments or something to share regarding this topic, please don’t hesitate to leave it in the comment section…

---

You are welcome to visit:

Health and Life Matters_Momsotherside

Your online friendly corner where you can find topics, ideas, information, and inspiration which are essential in living.

You can subscribe here to receive our latest post directly to your Email!