• What is Depression
• Causes of depresseion
• Common signs & symptoms of depression
• Treatment for depresseion

What is Depression?

Very simply, depression is the feelings of sadness which is of moderate or intense in nature and which lasts longer than usual

We all get sad sometimes. Don't we? Sadness is an integral part of our lives. We get sad and stressed when our closed & beloved ones are dead, we get sad when we suffer from a serious illness, we get sad when we don't get something which we want from the bottom of our heart and so on..

The feelings of sadness may last longer or shorter than the others and they eventually fade away or become less intensified in our mind over time

But in case of depression, the sadness don't go away. It sometimes even becomes stronger. It stays in mind and gives pain & causes stress for a long time. As a result the person who is depressed loses interest in many things of life and starts to act & think differently than the others who are not depressed

Causes of depression

There is no single reason for depression, rather there are many things which may cause depression to any of us. Whether you will be depressed for any reason or event in many cases depends on the followin factors:

• Level of patience
• Link or relation to the event
• Age
• Sex
• Family background

Some event may cause depression to you but others may not get depressed by that event.As for example, if your son dies in a car accident you may be affected with depression. But your neighbors may become sad for you but they will most likely not be depressed

So what causes depression? The followings are the most common causes of depression found for most of us:

• Loneliness
• Bad relationships with family members
• Death of spouse or dear ones
• Long time physical problems
• Economical hardships for long time
• Not getting support from the family members for any particular thing
• Recieving threats of any kind for long time
• Marital problems like separation or divorce
• History of depressive disorders of ancestors

Common signs and symptoms of depression

Signs and symptoms of depression vary from person to person as it vary in case of causes of depression. But there are some common signs and symptoms which are clearly visible in almost every depressed person.

The following are some common signs and symptoms of depression:

• Sense of negativity about the problem or event which has caused depression: In depressed people a sense of negativity is seen about the event or cause of the depression. Whatever is the real situation, a depressed person thinks that; "The situation will never change" or "The situation won't be better for me"


• Less energetic: Depressd people become less energetic than a person who is affected by depression


• Lack of interest: Depressed people show little or not interest at all in various kind of activities like social or personal


• Lack of confidence: Depressed people suffer from lack of confidence. As a result they try to escape from taking challenges


• Change in diet: Depressed people in most cases feel less appetite. But in case of many people it has been observed that they eat excessively for depression


• Trouble in sleeping Depressed people find it hard to be asleep. Everytime they need 20 minutes or more to fall asleep. Even if they are in sleep they get awake at least once during the sleep


• Change in temperment: In depressed people changes in temperment are observed. Many shows short temperment and they get excited and angry within momements.


• Loss of concentration: Depressed people cannot concentrate properly like normal people


• Loss of self esteem: Many depressed people suffer from the loss of self esteem. They think that they are worthless. They think that they don't deserve to be happy. They blame themselves for many things without a good reason


• Thoughts of committing suicide In severe cases of depression, depressed people thinks to commit suicide

Treatment for depression

Depression is a curable mental health related problem. Depressed people can be fully recovered from depression if proper treatment is given to them. Sometimes it may take time ro get relief from depression. So patience is necessary for both the patient and persons around patient.

Treatment for depression requires the following things for the best results:

• Identifying the causes of depression
• Giving medical treatment to the patient if necessary
• Giving psychotherapies if necessary
• Giving mental support to the patient

1. Identifying the causes of depression: Identifying the causes of depression is the first and basic step to treat depression. If the causes are not identified properly then depression can not be cured properly.

   Sometimes the causes are clearly visible and understandable for depression. In these cases, the person around the persons will be able to identify the causes and the treatment can be started more quickly.

   But sometimes it may be harder to find the causes. In these cases help from professionals should be taken immediately. Then help professionals may perform different tests, or listen the family history or other necessary things to identify the causes.

2. Giving medical treatment to the patient: For many patients doctors and healthcare professionals suggest to take medications. Typically medicines of antidepressant type are used.

   Scientists have found that during the period of depression, amount of a neurotransmitter named serotonin becomes lower than other times. In this sense serotonin is related to mood. Antidepressant medicines work in brain to normalize neurotransmitters levels mostly serotonin to improve the mood.

3. Giving psychotherapies: Sometimes doctors suggest to take psychotherapies for relieving depression.The length of the therapy depends on the severity of depression. Sometimes for moderately intense depression level it may take several weeks (10-20) for complete the therapy treatment.

   During psychotherapies the therapists do an interactive conversation with the patients. They are let to express their feelings in an interactive way. The therapists asks the patients to change their viwpoint about persons, events or things which are causing the depression.

   During the therapy sessions it is tried to improve the negative thinking and behavioral pattern of the patients which are causing the depression to a more positive pattern.

4. Giving mental support to the patients: Giving mental support to the patients has nothing to do with the medicines or doctors rather it goes to the friends & family of the patients.

   Friends and family know the depressed person more than anyone else. A friendly, sharing and caring attitude of the friends & family towards the depressed person accelerate the process of recovery.

   In case of mild depression it is very much possible to cure the depression in home by sharing thoughts, concerns, frustrations and feelings which are causing the depression.

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