Depression: Symptoms, Causes, And Treatment

Depression is a mood disorder often described by feelings of sadness, down, or anger that interfere with the daily activities of a person. It is different from what you experience as usual mood fluctuations and short-lived emotional responses to challenges in day-to-day life. With moderate or severe intensity depression can become a serious health condition causing the affected person to suffer greatly and function poorly, be it in personal or professional lives. It negatively affects how you feel or act, the way you think. If not taken help immediately or seek professional advice, at worst it can have major consequences.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), depression is the main cause of disability worldwide. It can affect adults, adolescents, and even children.

Symptoms of depression can vary from mild to severe and can include:

● Feeling down or sad

● Increased fatigue or low energy

● Feeling hopeless about the future

● Feeling worthless or guilty

● Having a depressed mood; feeling empty, irritable

● Loss of pleasure or interest in activities you once enjoyed or had an interest in

● Changes in appetite or weight

● Difficulty in falling asleep or sleeping too much

● Unable to focus, feeling of restlessness or lost

● Finding it difficult to think or make decisions

● Having negative thoughts such as suicide or death.

Symptoms must persist for at least two weeks or more. To diagnose depression it is important to consult a psychologist or therapist.

Causes of depression may vary they can range from biological to circumstantial.

Common causes of depression include:

● Trauma: If experienced with a traumatic event or faced some violent situation, those events may affect the way the body reacts to fear and stressful situations.

● Genetic: If a person has a family history of depression they are at high risk of suffering from going through depression.

● Medical conditions: Chronic illness, chronic pain, insomnia, or ADHD such medical conditions may put a person at higher risk for depression.

● Substance abuse: Alcohol or drug misuse can increase the risk of depression.

● Loss of loved ones: This can lead to grief and being sad is not the same as having depression but if it persists for too long it can lead to depression. And also grief and depression may co-exist.

● Personal problems: Economic problems, relationship problems, or marriage problems can lead to depression.

● Other causes include low self-esteem, or being self-critical.

Some effective treatments of depression are:

● Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)

● Interpersonal psychotherapy

● Anti-depressant medication

If you are experiencing symptoms of depression you should consult a psychologist or therapist.

Recommending Psychologists and Therapists:

1. Life Coach Steffi Prasad - Psychologist & Therapists - Utopia Life Coach in Siliguri, West Bengal, India.

www.steffiprasad.com

2. Khusboo Tomar - Psychologist: Centre for Forensic & Clinical Psychology