Title
Depression
Title
Depression Overview
Depression is a mental illness characterized by feelings of profound sadness and lack of interest in enjoyable activities. It may cause a wide range of symptoms, both physical and emotional. Depression is not the same as a blue mood. It can last for weeks, months, or years. People with depression rarely recover without treatment
Types
- Clinical depression (or major depressive disorder, MDD): is the most serious type of depression, in terms of the number and severity of symptoms, but there are significant individual differences in the symptoms and severity.
- Dysthymia (or minor depression) refers to a low-to-moderate level of depression that persists for at least 2 years, and often longer.
- Bipolar depression (or manic depression) includes both high and low mood swings, and a variety of other significant symptoms not present in other types of depression.
- Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a subtype of depression that regularly occurs at the same time of year.
Postpartum depression begins a few weeks after giving birth and is a subtype of depression.
Symptoms
Symptoms of depression are variable from person to person. Some people have only a few symptoms, while others have many. Symptoms also vary over time. Symptoms can change over time and may include:
- Persistent feelings of sadness, anxiety, or emptiness
- Hopelessness
- Feeling guilty, worthless, or helpless
- Loss of interest in hobbies and activities
- Loss of interest in sex
- Feeling tired
- Trouble concentrating, remembering, or making decisions
- Trouble sleeping, waking up too early, or oversleeping
- Eating more or less than usual
- Weight gain or weight loss
- Thoughts of death or suicide with or without suicide attempts
- Restlessness or irritability
Physical symptoms that defy standard diagnosis and do not respond well to medical treatments
Causes
The precise cause of depression is not known. It is sometimes difficult to determine if something causes depression, or if it instead is a result of being depressed. Examples of possible
Diagnosis
causes may be mental, physical, or environmental in nature and include:
- Stressful life events (usually in combination with one or more of the following causes)
- Chronic stress
- Low self-esteem
- Imbalances in brain chemicals and hormones
- Lack of control over circumstances (helplessness and hopelessness)
- Negative thought patterns and beliefs
- Chronic pain
- Heart disease and heart surgery
- Genetic predisposition
- Altered brain structure and function, including after a stroke
- Parkinson’s disease
- Postpartum depression occurs after childbirth
- Hypothyroidism
- Anemia
- Cancer Substance abuse
Treatment
There is no blood test or diagnostic test for depression. The diagnosis is based on symptoms and medical history, giving special attention to:
- Alcohol and drug use
- Thoughts of death or suicide
- Family members who have or have had depression
- Sleep patterns
Previous episodes of depression
Prevention
Treatment usually includes medication, psychotherapy, or a combination of the two. Medicine helps relieve symptoms. Psychotherapy helps you learn more effective ways to deal with problems or to identify and resolve the conflicts contributing to your depression. Severe cases of depression may require hospitalization.
Depression with psychotic features usually requires hospitalization and use of antipsychotic drugs.
Complications
Strategies to reduce your chance of becoming depressed include:
- Being aware of your personal risk
- Having a psychiatric evaluation and psychotherapy if needed
- Developing social supports
- Learning stress management techniques
- Exercising regularly
- Do not abuse or overuse alcohol or drugs
Getting adequate sleep, rest, and recreation
Risks
Risk factors include:
- Sex: Female
- Age: Elderly
- Chronic physical or mental illness, including thyroid disease, headaches, chronic pain, and stroke
- Previous episode of depression
- Major life changes or stressful life events (ie, bereavement, trauma)
- Postpartum depression
- Little or no social support
- Low self-esteem
- Lack of personal control over circumstances
- Family history of depression (parent or sibling)
- Feelings of helplessness
- Certain medications, including medications used to treat asthma, high blood pressure, arthritis, high cholesterol, and heart problems
- Smoking
- Anxiety
- Insomnia
- Personality disorders
Hypothyroidism
Recovery
Each person's recovery is different. Some recover in a few weeks or months. But for others, depression is a long-term illness. In about 20% to 30% of people who have an episode of depression, the symptoms don't entirely go away. Some may also have trouble figuring out how they feel. If they were depressed for a long time before they got treatment, they may not remember what feeling normal is like
Living with
Sharing a problem with someone else or with a group can give support and an insight into your own depression. Research shows that talking can help people recover from depression and cope better with stress. If not comfortable about discussing mental health status and sharing the distress with others, writing about it or expressing its emotions through poetry or art are other ways to help. It may be tempting to smoke or drink to make you feel better. Cigarettes and booze may seem to help at first, but they make things worse in the long run. The evidence shows that cannabis make depression symptoms worse, make feel more tired and uninterested in things.
Self-help
Experiencing depression can make it hard to find the energy to look after yourself. But taking an active role in your treatment, and taking steps to help yourself cope with your experiences, can make a big difference to how you feel.