Our emotions go up and down in life at times we are happy cheerful and hopeful for a bright tomorrow other times we get sad disheartened and even a little hopeless, there are many reasons why we may feel low whether it's due to hardships of
life breaks in relationships loss of a loved one, or failures we may come across while it is perfectly normal to feel sad how do we know when sad feelings turn into a medical condition of depression.
Depression is a common problem affecting people of all ages almost one in three people experience an episode of depression in their life but oftentimes it is not recognized or treated!
· So
what exactly is depression?
· How do
we identify its signs in ourselves and others?
· What should
we do if someone has it?
· What
is normal grief and what is depression all of us experience grief at some point
in our lives.
Feelings of sadness and
emptiness are normal human responses to any loss that can be in the form of a
family member a break in the relationship an unexpected failure a calamity or for
other reasons
normal grief is usually
short-lived and after a while, we're able to bounce back these events may leave
us with sad memories and such experiences help us grow in life on the other
hand depression is a medical problem.
It may start as normal
grief after a major event in life or it may start without any apparent reason the
feeling of low mood and sadness becomes too intense and overwhelming it goes on
for long and affects regular life there's also a deep sense of hopelessness,
helplessness and low self-worth the person gets stuck in negative thoughts in a low mood the chemicals in the brain are also disturbed some chemicals and
neurotransmitters are
reduced and others may be too much these changes prolong depressive mood and negative thoughts and without treatment, it's not easy to come out of this condition.
Symptoms:
There are effective ways to manage and treat depression.
Unfortunately many times
symptoms of depression are not recognized and appropriate treatment is not
provided.
Making the person suffer for a long time. What are signs of depression and what can we do if we are concerned that someone is suffering from it, depression can present with a variety of different features each person may be different from another.
Symptoms of depression
include a low mood that persists most days of the week and goes on for more
than two weeks along with the slow mood the person may be having feelings of
hopelessness
helplessness and at times a
sense of guilt.
Low Energy and Motivation:
They may also experience low energy and motivation and struggle with concentrating on everyday activities like reading or watching tv they lose interest in things that they used to enjoy before. They may also have difficulty with sleep and appetite sometimes eating and sleeping too much and other times being unable to sleep and having a poor appetite.
Which People Affect by Depression?
Depression can affect women men young and old sometimes it's hard to recognize and people may not be comfortable in sharing their feelings this is why it's important for doctors and family members to look out for symptoms of depression by asking two simple questions we can identify people who may be at risk of having depression.
1st: over the last two weeks how often have you
felt depressed feeling down or hopeless.
2nd: in the last two weeks how often have you had very little interest or pleasure in doing things that you used to enjoy.
A score is given based on how frequent these feelings were not at all several days more than half the days or nearly every day if the total score is three or more then doctors should investigate further to see if the patient is suffering from depression and see if they need further workup and treatment as family and friends if we are concerned about someone who may be suffering from depression then checking in with them can be an important part of getting the help they need talking to them in a non-judgmental way with care and empathy can help reduce the stigma that many people feel when struggling with the mental health condition.
Depression, Not Weakness its Medical Condition:
Keep in mind that having depression is not a sign of weakness rather it's a medical condition and it's not the person's fault encouraging someone to seek professional help can make a difference sometimes people who suffer from depression begin to feel that things are so hopeless and will never change that they start having thoughts of wanting to die in some cases they may even begin to have thoughts of harming themselves.
It's important to ask about these thoughts if you are concerned that a friend or family member may be depressed if someone is struggling with such thoughts then providing emotional support and encouraging them to seek professional help quickly can be life-saving.
how is depression treated does it go away on its own sometimes an episode of depression can get better by itself but most of the times it needs treatment especially when it interferes with day-to-day life.
Treatment:
Treatment usually includes a combination of medicines counseling and talk therapy and building life habits that promote good mental health like daily exercise social connection and good sleep. we now have effective medicines to treat depression these medicines regulate the chemicals in the brain to help them bring back to normal balance they enhance the effects of chemicals that promote good mood there are many different medicines available which medicine is right for you will
depend on what other
symptoms or medical problems you may have. It is important to know that these medicines
take time to have their effect typically it takes six weeks to have their full
effect your doctor may adjust the dose add another medicine or change to a
different medicine if symptoms are still not controlled
do not stop the medicines
all of a sudden as it can cause problems with severe mood change rather discuss
it with your doctor if you want to stop any medicines remember depression is a
common illness and can be very serious at times we all need to play our part in
helping those who suffer by it by recognizing the
signs providing emotional
support and facilitating and seeking the right therapies share this video with
others to increase awareness about depression.
Regular exercise can be an
important part of treatment for depression and may help prevent future episodes of exercise
has many benefits for
health and mood so make some time to do exercise for 30 minutes four or five
times in a week go for a run or a fast walk ride a bicycle hike on a trail swim
or play sports that
you enjoy staying healthy and
help others stay healthy.
