Understanding Depression
“I’m depressed”, “I can’t take it anymore”, “I don’t feel like it” “Something is telling me to put an end to everything” These are some of the few phrases you hear from people at some point in their lives. People may experience a mood swing from time to time, but these feelings can become chronic and severe, seriously and negatively impacting people’s mental well-being.
Recently, more and more people, including celebrities, are speaking out about their mental health, something that was frowned upon in the past. More and more people are talking about their mental state and the number of people affected is increasing day by day.
What is depression?
According to (World Health Organisation 2021) depression is a mood disorder that causes a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest in daily life. It affects how people feel, think and behave and can lead to a variety of emotional and physical problems. Individuals with the condition lose interest in normal daily activities and sometimes feel that life is not worth living,” according to the Mayo Clinic. Depression is a serious illness that affects daily life and can devastate people. It is a disorder that controls the mind and its functions, leading to loss of appetite, insomnia, mood swings, deep sense of desperation and hopelessness or even suicide.
Symptoms of depression vary in severity and change over time. Usually, these symptoms are triggered by life-threatening illness or stress. Other causes include certain chronic illnesses, medications, drugs, alcohol, or mental illness. Women are more often affected by depression than men due to hormonal fluctuations, changes in the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, miscarriage, premenopausal and postmenopausal phases.
In depression, the neurotransmitters in the brain are out of balance. Neurotransmitters are chemical messengers that help the brain communicate with other parts of the body. These chemicals help regulate many physiological functions. The most common neurotransmitters in the brain include serotonin, dopamine, glutamate, epinephrine, norepinephrine, and endorphins. When levels of these neurotransmitters decrease, it may play a role in the development of depression.
How can you tell if someone has Depression?
For many people with depression, symptoms are usually severe enough to cause tangible problems with everyday activities such as work, school, social activities, or relationships with others. Some people feel generally unhappy or miserable without really knowing the reason why.
- Feelings of sadness, weariness, emptiness, or hopelessness
- Outbursts of anger, irritability, or frustration, even over small things
- Loss of interest or pleasure in most or all normal activities, such as sex, hobbies, or sports
- Sleep disturbances, including insomnia or sleeping too much
- Fatigue and lack of energy, so that even small tasks require extra effort
- Decreased appetite and weight loss or increased cravings for food and weight gain
- Anxiousness, restlessness, or restlessness
- Sluggish thinking, speech, or body movements
- Feelings of worthlessness or guilt, fixation on past failures, or self-blame
- Difficulty thinking, concentrating, making decisions, and remembering things
- Frequent or recurrent thoughts of death, suicidal thoughts, suicide attempts, or suicide
- Unexplained physical problems, such as back pain or headaches
Why do People Get Depression
The likelihood of people getting depression is multidimensional, involving biological factors such as genetic, social and environmental, as well as psychological factors (Chand und Hasan 2022).
Biological risk factors for depression
Genetic susceptibility – Depression can be inherited. According to the American Psychiatric Association, if someone has an immediate family member with depression, they are also likely to be at risk for developing depression. If one identical twin suffers from depression, there is a 70 percent chance the other will also develop it at some point in their life (Torres 2020).
Other biological factors include.
Sleep disorders
Chronic insomnia symptoms have been found to be associated with depression. According to this study, symptomatic subjective and apparent sleep disturbances are common in depression and are often untreatable. They indicate the presence of significant alterations in brain neurotransmitter function and lead to substantial impairment in quality of life (Nutt, Sue und Louise 2008).
Chronic diseases
When someone is diagnosed with a Chronic illness, the unending thoughts and feelings of uncertainty about their condition have a negative impact on their mental state. Chronic diseases such as chronic pain, arthritis, heart disease, diabetes, thyroid disease, stroke, cancer, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, Parkinson’s disease, etc. are associated with higher rates of depression.
Medications
The main purpose of taking medications is to make us feel better, but one of the side effects of most of these medications can cause depression. Some studies have found that more than 200 frequently prescribed medications have depression or suicide as possible side effects. These medications include hormonal contraceptives, blood pressure and heart medications, antacids, pain medications prescribed for purposes completely unconnected to mental health. Taking these medications has been associated with a greater incidence of concurrent depression(Mazen Qato, Ozenberger und Mark 2018).
Social factors
A dysfunctional or unbalanced financial and economic situation, constant violence and domestic abuse, rape, neglect or social isolation, racism, abuse, and poverty are all triggers of depression.
Psychological factors
People who have experienced adverse life events such as countries in war situation, unemployment, bereavement and other traumatic event are more likely to develop depression(World Health Organisation). These events can lead to extreme stress, anxiety, and frustration. This buildup of extreme stress, anxiety, and frustration can lead to depression if left untreated for an extended period of time in our daily lives.
Coping
Coping with various life situations can also be the cause of depression and stress. Maladaptive coping or the inability to cope with circumstances can be due to your own creation. Each of us has our own performance limits. Sometimes the result you achieve is not proportionate to the effort you put in. There is no sure or easy solution to such situations. You have to develop the right kind of work philosophy in life. This can only be achieved through experience and the gradual development of expertise.
In Summary
If we say that the positive tendencies trigger a person’s happiness, we might as well say that the negative tendencies are the cause of unhappiness. Depression is not a weakness, as some people claim. It is not a mood that you can just get into and out of as you please. Try to adopt more positive things than negative ones. I suggest you periodically review your habits and things in daily life and try to identify the things that trigger your stress and change of mood. People might try to dismiss your problems and telling you to endure it. Rather than trying to be your own super-man try to work on the triggers shortcomings bit by bit!
