Depression is a type of mood disorder. It is a type of complex disorder where a person gets feelings of sadness, anger, loss, and guilt. Due to this disorder, these feelings start interfering with a person’s daily life and everyday activities. Some of the symptoms of depression are similar to grief. A person feels grief after losing a loved one. But a person feels grief for a few weeks or months. But depression is a long-term disorder. A person gets a feeling of sadness for a long time. People with serious depression feel difficulty in living there peacefully.
Common causes behind depression
Brain Chemistry
Several brain chemicals maintain the mood in a person. A person can face depression due to an imbalance in brain chemistry. When these chemicals are imbalanced, a person can feel problems in managing moods, appetite, sleep, behavior, etc.
Abuse
Any kind of abuse like physical, sexual, emotional, etc can lead to depression. Abuse can lead to various other mental disorders along with depression-like anxiety or PTSD.
Hormone level
Many females get depression due to changes in estrogen and progesterone hormone levels. These hormones level keep changing due to the menstrual cycle, postpartum period, and menopause. This change in level often leads to depression.
Family history
If anyone in a family has depression; other members may have the same condition.
Childhood trauma
Any negative experience in childhood can cause depression. A child can face depression due to family conflicts like divorce.
Medical conditions
There are lots of medical conditions that can cause depression-like a stroke, heart attack, cancer, insomnia, etc.
Substance abuse
Drinking lots of alcohol or smoking for a long time can also cause depression.
Pain
When a person is facing any type of chronic pain for a long time, he may become emotionally weak and face depression.
Common risk factors for depression
Gender
Females face more depression than men. Due to the regular changes in hormonal levels, females face more depression conditions.
Financial condition
People with financial problems or low social status can get depressed. When they can’t fulfill the daily needs of the family; they face depression or other mental conditions.
Certain medications
Misuse of several medications like hormonal birth control, beta-blockers, corticosteroids, etc increases the risk of getting depression.
Symptoms of depression
Symptoms of depression depend on gender and person to person. But there are also some common symptoms that are faced by mostly every person with depression.
Common symptoms of depression
- Feeling sad
- Lots of crying
- Feeling bothered
- Get annoyed easily
- Loss of interest in hobbies
- Fatigue
- Decreased energy
- Loss appetite
- Suicidal thoughts
- Oversleeping
- Avoid social meetings
- Unable to concentrate
Depression symptoms in male
- Changes in mood like anger, irritability, restlessness
- Lost on interest like not finding pleasure in hobbies
- Less sexual desire
- Poor cognitive abilities
- Short term or long term insomnia
- Physical conditions like pains, headache, digestion issues, etc
Depression symptoms in female
- Changes in the mood like being sad and angry
- Feeling empty and hopeless
- Loss of interest in social engagement
- Thoughts of suicide
- Irregular periods
- The problem in sleeping like insomnia or walking in sleep
- Decreased energy
- Fatigue
- Loss appetite
Depression symptoms in children
- More crying
- Irritable and angry behavior
- Avoid going to school
- Self-harm
- Trouble in school activities
- Poor performance
- Low cognitive ability
- Irregular sleep pattern
- Digestion problems
- Loss appetite
- Too much weight loss/gain
Treatment options for depression
Medications
Several medications are available to treat depression. These medications help to reduce depression symptoms. But a person should take any medication after consulting with a doctor. Selective Serotonin is the most prescribed drug for depression. This medicine increases the availability of the neurotransmitter serotonin in the brain. Pregnant women should consult a doctor before taking this medication.
Serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) increase norepinephrine and serotonin levels in the brain. People with kidney or liver problems should not take SNRIs. Tricyclic and tetracyclic antidepressants are also prescribed to reduce depression symptoms. Some other medications prescribed to treat depression are NDRIs, MAOIs, NMDA antagonists, etc.
Dynamic medication
Many people suggest dynamic medication for treating depression. With depression treatment New York, you can reduce the symptoms and can start living peacefully. Adopting natural medication is beneficial as it won’t cause any negative effects on the body. A person can take these remedies without facing any harmful side effects. Most of these remedies work by treating the causes of depression.
Psychotherapy
Talking to a therapist can help to cope with negative feelings and treat depression. Lots of people get better after receiving therapy. Different therapies can help to treat depression. Your psychotherapist talks to you to identify the causes and then helps you to find ways to treat the mental condition. If you are getting depression due to any mental causes, psychotherapy can help you a lot.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
In this therapy, your therapist will identify the patterns of your thoughts. He will find out the causes that are leading to negative reactions, behaviors, and beliefs. After about your thinking pattern, your therapist will work on replacing the negative thoughts with positive ones.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
In DBT, the therapist helps to accept the thoughts or feelings. When a person is facing depression due to the loss of a loved one or breakup, etc; he can’t accept the situation. Your therapist will help you accept the uncomfortable situations instead of avoiding them. It will help your thoughts to accept the change and deal with everyday situations.
Natural remedies and lifestyle
Changes in lifestyle can help in dealing with depression. Start exercising daily for about 30 minutes. It will help your body to maintain hormones and improve your mood. Do meditation to create more peace in your mind. Meditation can help in reducing negative thoughts in your mind. Limiting your alcohol and avoiding smoking are also helpful to treat depression. You should start eating a healthy diet. Depression symptoms get worse when the body is ill. Maintaining your physical body can also improve your mental health. Eat Vitamin-rich food that can help in boosting your physical and mental health.