Depression
Depression is an increasingly common mental disorder that causes people to experience depressed mood, low energy levels, and poor concentration. Depression is more than simply feeling unhappy, miserable or fed up for a few days.
Depression is often trivialised, and there still a certain stigma attached to the condition, but depression is a real illness, with real symptoms, and is not a sign of weakness.
Unhappiness is something which everyone feels at one time or another, but depression is different and can have serious effects on a person’s well-being. A person who suffers with depression will experience intense emotions of anxiety, hopelessness, negativity and helplessness, and once the feelings are there they won’t simply go away.
Of all the people who have depression, around half will only experience it once, but the rest will have further episodes at some point in their lives. How long it takes to recover can range from around six months to a year or more.
Living with depression can be difficult, not only for those who suffer from it, but for their family, friends, and colleagues as well. However, the good news is that with the right treatment and support, most people can make a full recovery.
What Causes Depression?
Depression is probably more common than you think and affects about one in ten people at some point during their lives. Depression is an indiscriminate illness and can affect men and women, young and old. Even many successful and famous people who are perceived to “have everything going for them” battle with this problem. Sometimes depression is brought on as a result of physical illness, but can also occur because of experiences dating back to childhood, unemployment, bereavement, family problems or other life-changing events.
There may be not always be a clear reason for a person’s depression but, whatever the original cause, identifying what may have affected how they feel and the things that are likely to re-trigger episodes of depression is an important step in aiding recovery.
Types Of Depression
There are several types of depression, which include:
Mild depression – depression is classed as mild when it has a limited negative effect on your daily life.
Major depression – this is where depression interferes with most aspects of an individual’s daily life, including eating, sleeping and everyday routine activities. It can lead to hospital admission, if the person is thought to be at risk of harm to themselves.
Bi-polar disorder – the mood swings associated with bi-polar disorder can be extreme and people can have very severe symptoms where they cannot make sense of their lives and may do things that seem odd or illogical.
Post-natal depression – many new mothers experience what are sometimes called ‘baby blues’, but post-natal depression is more intense and lasts longer. It can leave new mothers feeling completely overwhelmed, inadequate and unable to cope. They may also experience negative feelings towards their child.
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) – SAD can make people feel anxious and depressed and is often associated with the start of winter. When it is mild, it is sometimes called ‘winter blues’. SAD can also affect a person’s sleeping and eating patterns.
Symptoms Of Depression
- Tiredness and/or loss of energy
- Sadness that doesn’t go away
- Loss of self-confidence and self-esteem
- Problems concentrating
- Not being able to enjoy things
- Feeling anxious all the time
- Avoiding other people and social situations
- Feelings of helplessness and hopelessness
- Disrupted sleep
- Very strong feelings of guilt or worthlessness
- Finding it hard to function at work
- Loss of appetite
- Physical aches and pains
- Thinking about suicide and/or death
- Self-harm
Treatment For Depression
Treatment for depression can involve taking medication or undertaking a form of counselling; or often a combination of the two. The type and level of treatment that your doctor recommends will be based on the type of depression you have.
Many people who suffer with depression find benefits in making simple lifestyle changes such as getting more exercise, cutting down on alcohol, stopping smoking and eating a healthier diet.
Self-help measures such as reading a self-help books or joining a support group are often found to help. You can read more via our links section below.
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