Depression

Depression

Depression is a complex condition that has different effects on each person and is associated with a wide range of symptoms. Depression is a common mental disorder that causes loss of pleasure, disturbed sleep, lack of appetite, depressed mood, poor concentration, and low energy. These problems can be chronic or and recurrent if left untreated and also affect the daily life of an individual. At worse, depression can lead to suicide. According to statistics, about 850,000 people die per year due to depression. Depression is also the leading cause of disability and the fourth leading contributor to most global burden disease. According to the world health organization (WHO), one out of every five women and twelve men have depression. Besides, five percent of teenagers and two percent of school children suffer from depression, and most go unidentified.

Types

Just like any other disease, depression disorder comes in different forms. The various forms of depression and severity, the persistence of symptoms, and the timing of depression differentiate them. The first form of depression is major depression. Major depression is characterized by symptoms that last for two weeks in a row. An individual is likely to experience an irritable and sad mood that negatively affects the ability to work, sleep, enjoy pleasurable activities, and eat. Eating and sleeping disorders may be excessive or insufficient. An individual will have disabling episodes of depression once, twice, or several times in a lifetime. Atypical depression is a subtype of major depression. Individuals with atypical depression experience mood lift in response to positive events such when hanging out with friends and when they receive good news. An individual with atypical depression has symptoms such as increased appetite, weight gain, sleeping excessively, sensitivity from rejection, and substantial feelings in the legs and arms.

The second form is dysthymia, which is mild and recurrent. Dysthymia depression is more common and last longer than major depression. Dysthymia has chronic symptoms that do not disable. The symptoms affect an individual from fully functioning and feeling good. Besides, at ties, an individual with dysthymia experiences major depression, which causes double depression. The third form of depression is bipolar disorder or manic depression. Bipolar disorder is chronic and recurrent and often inherited. Mood switches in bipolar disorder are dramatic and rapid but often gradual. Bipolar disorder involves a cycle of mood where one experiences mania and depression cycle. Bipolar disorder affects thinking, judgment, and social behavior that cause embarrassment and severe reaction.

Symptoms of Depression

Depending on one’s age, individuals might experience different symptoms of depression. Common symptoms of children and teenagers are sadness, irritability, worry, and hopelessness. Also, teens and adolescents may experience anger, anxiety, and may avoid social interactions both at home and in schools. Besides, they may be changes in sleep and thinking. Lastly, there may have poor grades and concentration in school. Older adults also suffer from depression, and it may go unnoticed if not carefully observed, and other illnesses may cause some of the symptoms. Some of the symptoms include suicidal and death thoughts and feelings. Also, high dissatisfaction with life and feel less worthy; thus, most prefer to stay at home and avoid socialization. Older adults may also experience loss of appetite, reduced interest in sex, fatigue, and sleep problems.

Causes of Depression

The main reasons for experiencing depression are genetic and environmental factors. Different forms of depression exist in households, meaning that it is likely to inherit a genetic susceptibility to depression. That appears to be the case, for bipolar disorder in particular. The syndrome may not grow for everyone with the genetic makeup that induces susceptibility to bipolar disorder. There are additional factors involved in its early stages, such as stressful surroundings, and protective factors are involved in its prevention. Major depression is likely to occur from one generation to another in some families. However, not as common as bipolar disorder. Major depression is also expected to happen to individuals with no genetic history of depression.

External events may trigger depression in an individual. External events such as loss of a job, death, financial difficulties, chronic illness, and complicated relationships can trigger depression. The onset of a depressive disorder involves a mixture of biological, emotional, and environmental factors. Stressors that cause depressive episodes have a more significant impact on some groups than others.  For instance, this overwhelmingly reflects minority groups who are most regularly impacted by racism.  Socioeconomically disadvantaged communities report higher depression rates relative to their favored peers. Also, immigrants may be vulnerable to depression due to isolation caused by language barriers in various countries.

Other than ethnicity, men and women are vulnerable to depression due to the environment and risk factors they experience. Men, for instance, experience depressive episodes when they experience divorce, unemployment, low socioeconomic status, and have few ways to cope with depression since they rarely talk out when stressed. On the other hand, women who had experienced and are victims of emotional, sexual, and physical abuse either when they were children or abused by their partners are likely to have depression. Also, the LGBTQ community is vulnerable to depression, especially if they have experienced multiple episodes of anti-lesbian or gays violence or have a fear of identifying themselves as gay or lesbians.

Treatment of Depression

It is necessary when an individual realizes they are experiencing depression, and they should seek treatment from professional psychiatrists. Depression can be diagnosed and treated in primary health care. A person experiencing mild depression can effectively seek treatment through psychotherapy or medication. While individual suffering from severe depression requires an approach that accommodates both psychotherapy and medication. Statistics show that 60-80% of individuals with depression have had effective treatment of anti-depressants medication and a brief structured form of therapy in primary health care. However, it is unfortunate that only less than 25% of those affected by depression receive effective treatments. Lack of adequate care and treatment is due to barriers such as lack of trained professionals, lack of resources, and fear of social stigmatization.

Conclusion

Depression is a mental disorder that negatively affects the emotional, physical, and mental health of an individual. Also, depression can mostly affect daily activities and their success. External factors and genetic composition influence depression. People need to recognize and understand the symptoms of depression to avoid mistaking them from illness symptoms. Being aware of symptoms is vital since it is easy for older adults to be left undiagnosed from depression, which can recur. Depression is the second contributor to a shortened lifespan for individuals between the age of fifteen and early forties. Thus, it is essential that medical and professional resource that treat depression to be readily available. Since it is hard to control most of the external and genetic factors that cause depression.