What is depression and how to get out of it

What is depression

Depression is a mood disorder that causes a persistent feeling of sadness, hopelessness, meaninglessness of life. It has an impact not only on thoughts, but also on different areas of human life. Fortunately, it is curable.

Depression is a serious and common illness. According to WHO estimates, it suffer 5% of adults worldwide (about 280 million people), and 700,000 annually commit suicide.

Why depression occurs and what factors increase the risk

depression can arise after a traumatic event: the death of a loved one, divorce, violence. But this is not always the case. It can appear suddenly, for no apparent reason.

Some people have a chance higher:

• Because of genetics. Depression is inherited, it is associated with mutations in certain genes.
• Features of the biochemistry of the brain. Chemical imbalance may not be an inherited trait, but an individual trait.
• Character trait. Pessimistic people with low self-esteem are more prone to depression.
• abuse, poverty and other features of life.

What are the symptoms of depression

Depression affects not only the mental, but also the physical condition and affects social life.

In adults

For psychological symptoms relate:

• constant sadness and bad mood;
• feeling of hopelessness and helplessness;
• low self-esteem;
• feeling guilt;
• irritability and intolerance towards other people;
• lack of motivation or interest in usual activities;
• difficulty making decisions;
• lack of pleasure from life;
• anxiety and restlessness;
• suicidal thoughts and actions.

Physically depressed appears:

• slowness;
• change in appetite - usually it decreases, but may increase with atypical depression;
• constipation;
• loss of libido;
• an inexplicable sensation of pain in the body;
• menstrual irregularities;
• insomnia or severe drowsiness.

Also during depression is changing social life:

• a person tends to isolation - avoids other people, refuses to communicate and events;
• neglects his hobbies and habitual activities;
• his personal and professional life deteriorates significantly.

In children and adolescents

The general signs are similar to those in adults, but There is and age differences. Young children may become obsessive and refuse to go to school, and adolescents may have poorer grades, skip schooling, begin to use alcohol and drugs, try to hurt yourself.

In the elderly

They often ignore changes and refuse to seek help, and their loved ones attribute symptoms to aging and other diseases. Can be:

• memory impairment;
• personality changes;
• incomprehensible pain in the body;
• desire for isolation;
• fatigue, loss of appetite, trouble sleeping, or loss of interest in sex that is not caused by illness or medication;
• suicidal thoughts and feelings, especially in older men.

What can be depression

Everyone experiences depression differently, but you can highlight several types.

big depression

This is the state that is also called clinical depression. Because of it, a person feels so unhappy and depressed for a long time that it affects his personal and professional life. It is divided into light, medium and heavy.

Major depression includes melancholic, psychotic, antenatal, and postpartum depression.

melancholic depression

Melancholia is a form of severe depression where a person slows down both mentally and physically. He is unable to do or feel anything.

Psychotic depression

With this kind of depression loses connection with reality. This is manifested by delusions, hallucinations and paranoia. Such depression is also always severe.

Antenatal and postpartum depression

Due to hormonal changes during pregnancy and up to a year after childbirth, the risk of depression rises. During pregnancy, about 10% of women experience it, and in the first three months after the birth of a child - up to 16%.

Dysthymic disorder

Dysthymia is a long-term depression. She similar to major depression, but with less severe symptoms.

Depression in Bipolar Disorder

The major depression is considered unipolar. This means that a person's mood is only with a minus sign. This is the main difference from bipolar disorder, in which there are alternating phases - mania (or hypomania) and depression.

Depression in cyclothymic disorder

Cyclothymic disorder is similar to bipolar disorder, but leaks not so hard. This is a long-term condition that lasts at least two years.

seasonal affective disorder

Seasonal affective disorder is a mood disorder in which the warmer months transferred much better than cold. It is believed that this change is associated with a decrease in the amount of sunlight.

Due to the seasonal disorder, there can be a bad mood for many years in winter. You may also want to sleep a lot and overeat (especially sweet).

premenstrual dysphoric disorder

This is a lowered mood during the second phase of the menstrual cycle. Hormone content is changing, and the woman may become sad and irritable.

Other depressive disorders

depression can arise due to the use of psychoactive substances, against the background of chronic diseases and as a side effect of certain drugs.

How to distinguish depression from grief

The death of a loved one, the loss of a job or the termination of a relationship is usually hard for a person, accompanied by sadness and grief. But here it can be difficult to understand where the normal reaction ends and the disease begins.

orient yourself to these differences:

• grief is always a reaction to some traumatic event, and depression can occur for no apparent reason (but not always);
• in grief, a feeling of sadness rolls in and lets go, the ability to look into the future remains, and in depression it is bad most of the time and it seems that there is no future;
• self-esteem does not usually suffer from loss, unlike depression;
• suicidal thoughts during grief can be caused by the desire to "join" the deceased, and in depression - to end suffering.

What to do if you suspect depression

Ask for help costsif you are experiencing the symptoms described above:

• every day;
• most of the day;
• at least two weeks.

If you are still not sure, try one of the questionnaires, for example scale Beck's depression. Based on the results, you can not make a diagnosis, but you can understand that help is needed.

With symptoms of depression, you can go to a psychologist, so that if he suspects a disease, he will refer you to a psychiatrist. Well or address at once to the psychotherapist or the psychiatrist. No other specialists are authorized to treat depression.

How depression is treated

Most people are helped by medication and psychotherapy. In more severe cases, brain stimulation may be required.

Medications

Usually with depression appoint some group of antidepressants, but sometimes auxiliary drugs are added to them. The psychiatrist may recommend:

• selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) such as sertraline, fluoxetine and others;
• serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), such as venflaxin;
• tricyclic antidepressants, which include amitriptyline and imipramine;
• atypical antidepressants that do not fit into any group, such as bupropion;
• monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) - tranylcypromine and others, but now they are practically not used due to side effects;
• anticonvulsants such as gabapentin, lamotrigine and others;
• tranquilizers (benziodiazepines), usually for a short time;
• mood stabilizers, such as lithium preparations.

Psychotherapy

This is a discussion of your condition and related changes with a specialist. For depression apply:

• cognitive behavioral therapy, which helps you understand your thoughts and how they affect life;
• interpersonal therapy to improve relationships with others;
• psychodynamic therapy, during which the patient says everything that comes to mind, and thus comes to his hidden problems;
• counseling, with the help of which you need to find your problems and think about ways to solve them.

brain stimulation

Her appoint in cases where conventional treatment has failed or cannot be used. To relieve symptoms, certain areas of the brain are stimulated with an electric current or a magnetic field.