What is Depression?

You must have read many articles about depression before landing on this page. I welcome you for your visit here. How this page is different from another, I do not know. I just know one thing if you read the whole article you will definitely get something out of it. Other websites and bloggers are also trying their best to give good information and content. Read the blog in the Hindi language by clicking here. Let’s start.

What is depression?

Depression (Depressive episode or Major depressive disorder) is a mood disorder and there are several types of depression the common feature of all these disorders is the presence of a sad, empty, or irritable mood, accompanied by somatic and cognitive changes that significantly affect the individual’s capacity to function in day to day life, almost every day. What differs among them are issues of duration, timing, or presumed etiology.

You know from inside, that you want to change something, that’s why you are reading this article and I promise that you will not go empty-handed from here. It’s just that you have to understand How Depression works?

Part of you is determined to beat depression already, and I will help you to work with this part with the help of self-help lectures, but that doesn’t mean you do not need professional help. Professional help depends upon the degree of severity. It can help you to understand what needs to be done for mild to moderate depression. Once you understand how to handle depression, it becomes easy to deal with it and seek professional help.

What is the Lifetime Risk of depression?

The lifetime risk of depression in males is 8%-12%

The lifetime risk of depression in females is 20%-26%

However, the lifetime risk of major depression (or depressive episode) is about 8%.

What are the types of depression?

1. Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder
2. Major Depressive Disorder
3. Persistent Depressive Disorder (Dysthymia)
4. Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder
5. Substance/Medication-Induced Depressive Disorder
6. Depressive Disorder Due To Another Medical Condition
7. Other Specified Depressive Disorder
8. Unspecified Depressive Disorder

What are the symptoms of depression?

1. Emotional Symptoms: Such people mainly have sadness, despair, the feeling of shame, feeling of guilt, sense of worthlessness. Sadness is the most common thing in it. Some people are so much depressed that they cannot even talk to anyone without crying. Such individuals find their hobbies, entertainment, and family all meaningless, and such individuals do not enjoy anything, even the major biological activities like hunger and sex also remain meaningless.

2. Cognitive Symptoms: A depressed person thinks negatively. He keeps thinking negatively about his future, his career, and himself. He always thinks that he is frivolous and cheap and does not have self-respect. He considers himself a failure and considers himself the main reason for this failure. He considers himself worthless and inadequate in every way. He thinks I am of no use. Such people have a lot of sense of guilt and whenever they fail in life, they take responsibility for it, even if they are not responsible. He considers his life, and future, full of despair and sadness. If anything bad has happened to them, then they give up hope for good. They also started giving various excuses, like my intellectual ability is not good, and I get confused. I do not remember things I am not able to solve small problems properly.

3. Motivational Symptom: A person who is depressed loses interest in his daily work. Such persons lack initiative and willingness. Family members and friends have to put a lot of pressure on such people to go to work, interact with others, have food, and have sexual behavior. (Aaron Beck, 1567) has called such a situation “paralysis of will”. Such individuals face considerable difficulty in making decisions. Making decisions for them is a task fraught with fear. Such people even die by suicide to escape from the actions and pressures of this life.

4. Behavioral Symptom: Rapid deterioration is seen in the routine of depressed people because of losing interest in the workplace or even in their business, and their productivity is significantly reduced. They spend most of their time alone and lie in bed for a long time. Studies by (Parker et al, 1993) and (Buchwaled & Rudick-Davis, 1993) make it clear that depressed people move very slowly and their behavior seems to indicate that they do not have any will and power. Such individuals do not communicate by establishing direct eye contact; they have low and slow speech and are often seen turning their back on questions.

5. Somatic Symptom: In depressed individuals, hunger and sleep deprivation are more prominent than other somatic symptoms. The nature of their fatigue is such that it does not end even after prolonged rest and sleep. There are also about 9% of depressed people who sleep a lot. Somatic symptoms such as headache, indigestion, constipation, chest pain, and full-body pain are also seen in such individuals. Sometimes such situations are mistaken to be considered a medical problem.

Why you should not take depression for granted?

Depression should not be taken for granted as severe depression leads to suicidal ideas and that needs to be taken seriously. Although there is a risk of suicide in every depressed patient with suicidal ideation, the presence of certain factors increases the risk of suicide. Please check the points below:

Suicide risk is much more in the presence of the following factors:

• Presence of marked hopelessness
• Males; age>40; unmarried, divorced/widowed
• Written/verbal communication of suicidal intent and/or plan
• Early stages of depression
• Recovering from depression (At the peak of depression, the patient is usually either too depressed or too retarded to commit suicide)
• 3 months from recovery

Did you see any of the symptoms in your friends and family?

If your answer is yes then do not waste time, talk to the other family member and get him/her help from a professional. The professional will help you to understand the severity of depression and prepare a line of treatment for the patient. Early intervention is always the best and smart choice; by this, you can save a life.

Is there any treatment for depression?

Yes, the subject with depression can be treated under the proper supervision and line of treatment with a team of mental health professionals like psychiatrists, psychologists/counselors, and psychiatrist social workers. Even if you have these problems you will get solutions, trust me you have hope, the challenges are given below:

•         Do you have a persistent low mood?
•       Are not finding anything pleasurable once you enjoyed it?
•       Do you notice sudden weight changes (increased or reduced)?
•       Are you sleeping less or more than usual every day?
•    Do you become restless? Did someone tell you, you are being slowed down?
•       Do you feel a low level of energy?
•    Do you feel you are worthless or feel inappropriate guilt every day?
•     Are you unable to concentrate and complete your daily tasks?
•    Do you think of ending your life?

Let me tell you, my team, & I work closely with clients and do the proper follow-up to ensure our client’s progress every week. We give medication and psychotherapies. We deal with such people nearly every day. I am sure it is also practiced by other mental health professionals in different states and cities. We have testimonies of individuals who once were patients today leading a life like an individual. They have developed resilience, ways to cope with triggering factors, events, and cognitive distortions which helped them to track their thoughts every single day and monitor their well-being. Why I’m telling you all this? I just want you to know that even if you have 5 symptoms from the above list for the past 2 weeks then you must consider visiting a mental health professional and you will surely get help. I do not know from which country or region you are reading my blog. Now you know whom to contact for help, and I understand that you have clarity about the exact questions that need to be asked yourself or your loved one.

Help is always available, you just need to ask the right question at the right time to the right person. 

How to overcome Depression?

Get professional help, by professional I mean psychologists/Counselors and if they find it severe then they work with psychiatrists to help you overcome it.

Let me ask you a very simple question you may find it vague but it’s the best way to explain it. Do you remember when you were learning how to ride a bike or drive a car, how you used to feel in the beginning, and how about the thought of riding a bike or driving a car before learning it? You didn’t know a thing until you learned it and many of you, who ride a bike or drive a car smoothly today because you learned it, you mastered the art of riding and driving but we encounter accidents that happen even if we are experts. So, it can happen, you too accept it. Now, come to the point, the same thing happens with depression, you may be afraid, helpless, hopeless, feel worthless, restless, etc. Do you know why all these happen to you? Because you do not know how depression works? How to handle and deal with depression? How to overcome depression? You have to learn the art of handling depression with the help of lectures or with professional help, gradually you will become an expert in it and you will handle depression smoothly like the way you drive a car today but always remember accident happens.

I wish you a very happy and amazing, depression-free life.

Thanks for your time, Have a wonderful day ahead.

References: A Short Textbook of Psychiatry by Niraj Ahuja