What is depression?
Depression, simply put, is a mood disorder. Depression can be described as feelings of sadness, anger, or loss that is interfering with someone’s daily activities. Depression leads to a person falling away from events that once bought them feelings of joy. This can lead to a lot of emotional and physical issues and decrease the ability of a person to function effectively. Depression can also affect a person’s work life or home life, including relationships.
What are the signs of depression?
Symptoms of depression vary from mild to severe and mostly include:
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having a depressed mood or feeling sad;
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reduced interest in activities you once enjoyed or loss of interest in hobbies;
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disturbance in appetite, leading to weight loss or weight gain;
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disturbance in sleep, leading to increased or decreased sleep;
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increased fatigue or loss of energy
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a general feeling of worthless or unnecessary guilt;
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difficulty concentrating and disturbed thought process;
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depression may also be accompanied by thoughts of self-harm, death or suicide;
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a lack of libido;
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psychomotor retardation.
How depression can affect your life
According to the DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders), a person is diagnosed with major depressive disorder if they have 5 out of 9 set symptoms for at least two weeks or more.
With more research coming in every day, there is a lot of evidence available that depression not only takes a toll on mental health but also on physical health. According to some recent studies which explored the correlation of depression to heart disease, people who were recovering from heart attacks and strokes, took longer to recover if they had underlying mental health issues like depression. Also, these patients find it harder to make proper health choices and follow the instructions of their doctors.
Depression also leads to disturbance of sleep. People might feel like they cannot sleep at all, or they may feel like their rest is never enough. This leads to daytime tiredness and a decrease in work performance. In the long run, these things affect friendships, interpersonal relationships, and productivity. People suffering from depression are also more likely to utilize alcohol or other illicit substances, which further deteriorates their conditions.
What is the recommended treatment for depression?
There are varieties of options to treat depression. These may include simple things like lifestyle modifications and psychotherapy, to medications.
Lifestyle changes to treat depression are powerful. Sometimes all you need to be free of depression is to bring some changes into your routine. This also helps in the prevention of relapse of depression symptoms. Lifestyle changes include:
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regular exercise (exercise increases release of serotonin, endorphins, and other chemicals in your brain, which boost the mood and reduce symptoms of depression. Some say exercise works as well as medications in treating depression for some individuals.);
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focusing on your nutrition.
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improvements in sleep hygiene;
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adopting methods to reduce stress;
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surrounding yourself with supportive people.
How can psychotherapy and counselling help?
Psychotherapy and counselling help In treating symptoms of depression. Therapy could be individual or in group. It focuses on recognizing the individualized causes of your depression and offer you solutions to solve them. It also helps in setting boundaries and building meaningful relationships. In the long run, this can help in overcoming depression without the use of any medications or in combination with medication.
