Some of us may have gone through periods of sadness in our lives or experienced grief over the death of a loved one, loss of a job, the ending of a close relationship or more. These are some experiences and feelings that we go through on a day to day basis. While these experiences and emotions are valid for each person, today we’re going to talk about how these emotions are different from Depressive Disorder.
Depression is a disorder that negatively affects how you feel, the way you think and how you act. It is a treatable condition. Depression causes feelings of sadness and/or a loss of interest in activities that you once enjoyed. It can lead to a variety of emotional and physical problems and can decrease a person’s ability to function at work and at home.
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 (anhedonia)
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 (reference APA)
Different factors that may contribute to Depression:
Biochemistry | Brain chemistry (Biological factors)
Disturbances in certain chemicals in the brain may contribute to the symptoms of depression. There are changes in the function and effects of neurotransmitters, which affect our mood.
Genetics
Depression can run in families. There is high probability among immediate family members and first degree relatives.
Environmental Factors
An individual’s surroundings can make an individual susceptible to depression; abuse, neglect, poverty, exposure to violence, or a traumatic event.
As per research, more often than not, depression is mostly a combination of genetic, biological, environmental, and psychological factors
Depression can occur in different forms, the most common ones being:
Major Depressive Disorder
Wherein the symptoms of depression persist for most part of the day for a minimum of 2 weeks and interfere with daily activities such as work, sleep, appetite, and the ability to enjoy activities. A major depressive episode can occur once or more than once in an individual’s lifetime.
Persistent Depressive Disorder (Dysthymia)
The symptoms persist for a minimum of 2 years. The criteria for a major depressive disorder may be continuously present for 2 years and the individual may have periods in between with less severe symptoms.
Postpartum Depression
Postpartum depression is a serious condition but the lack of awareness about it affects on many mothers and children. Women with postpartum depression experience a depressive episode(s) before, during or right after pregnancy. Feelings of stress, exhaustion and anxiety along with postpartum depression make it much more difficult for new mothers to provide care for their new born as well as themselves.
There are several other categories and forms of depression in the context of diagnosis such as psychotic depression (severe depression along with psychosis), depressive symptoms in premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), substance-induced depression , Depressive episodes also occur in Bipolar Disorder.
This stresses on the fact that it is important to keep in mind the complexity of the illness and understand it as a multifaceted one. Even though it is a common and complex illness, it is treatable.
APA states, “Brain chemistry may contribute to an individual’s depression and may factor into their treatment. For this reason, antidepressants might be prescribed to help modify one’s brain chemistry. These medications are not sedatives, “uppers” or tranquilizers. They are not habit-forming. Generally, antidepressant medications have no stimulating effect on people not experiencing depression.”
A key point to remember is the importance of going for therapy, along with medication, as medicines treat and help manage your symptoms, while therapy works on the root cause. There are various modalities of therapy that offer treatment for Depression; the most evidence based being the Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT).
Therapy is an individualistic process, so it might take some time to find the treatment that works best for you. This may be especially difficult for someone who is going through a depressive episode.
If you know someone displaying the symptoms of depression, you can help them by:
suggesting mental health care professionals,
providing emotional support within your capacity, and
most of all by understanding the complexity of what they are going through.
Wish to know more about this topic?
Here’s to taking the first step towards becoming aware of our mental health!
DISCLAIMER: This blog is created ONLY for information purpose and NOT for self diagnosis. There is a lot more to the concerns we talk about here. In case you identify with these experiences in your or your loved ones life, please reach out to a mental health professional or our team at HerMoveMeant, for further assistance.
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