Depression is a common and serious illness characterized by persistently depressed mood or loss of interest in activities causing significant impairment in daily life. It affects how you feel, think and handle daily activities such as sleeping, working or even eating.
TYPES OF DEPRESSION
- PSYCHOTIC DEPRESSION. People with depression can lose touch with reality and experience psychosis. This involves hallucinations [seeing things that are not there] or dilutions [false belief that are not shared by others]. For example believing they are evil people or they are being watched by others which actually not the case. Psychotic depressed people can be paranoid, feeling as though everyone is against them or they are the reason of why bad events are occurring around them.
- MAJOR DEPRESSION. Also called major depressive disorder or clinical depression. This involves low mood and or loss of interest in normal activities of life.
- This is a term used to describe a severe form of depression where many of the physical symptoms are present. One of the major changes is that the person starts to walk slowly, more likely to have a depressed mood that is characterized by complete loss of pleasure in almost everything.
- ANTENATAL OR POSTNATAL DEPRESSION. Women are at high and increased risk of depression during pregnancy. You may also come across the term ‘perinatal’ which describes the period covered by pregnancy and the first year after the baby’s birth. The causes of depression at this time can be complex and are often the result of a combination of factors. In the days immediately following birth, many women experience ‘’baby blues’’ which is a common condition related to hormonal changes. The baby blues or general stress adjusting to pregnancy or a new baby are common experiences but are different from depression. Depression is long lasting and can affect not only the mother, but her relationship with her baby, the child’s development, the mother’s relationship with her partner and with other members of friends and family.
- MANIC DEPRESSION. Here a person experiences periods of depression and periods of mania combined with periods of normal mood in between. Symptoms of this include feeling great, having lots of energy and little need for sleep, talking quickly, difficulty focusing on tasks and feeling frustrated and irritable all the time. Sometimes the person loses touch with reality and has episode of psychosis.
CAUSES OF DEPRESSION
- Personal factors cause depression. For example family history. Depression can run in families and some people can be at an increased genetic risk. Also, your personality may be a cause particularly if you have a tendency to worry a lot, have a low self-esteem, are perfectionist etc. Serious medical illnesses can trigger depression the stress and worry of coping with a serious illness can lead to depression especially if it’s a long term management illness. Drug and alcohol use can both lead to and result from depression. Many people with depression have drug and alcohol problems.
- Life events can seriously cause depression, long run unemployment rates, living in an abusive marriage or relationship, long term isolation or loneliness are the leading causes of depression in the world today.
- Brain chemistry. Neurotransmitters are naturally occurring brain chemicals that are likely to play a role in depression. Changes in the function and effect of these neurotransmitters and how they interact with neurocircuits involved in maintaining mood stability may play a significant role in depression and its treatment.
SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION
- CHANGE IN BEHAVIOR. For example you don’t go out anymore, you are not getting things done at work or school, withdrawing from close family and friends, relying on alcohol or sedatives and not being able to concentrate well.
- FEELINGS CHANGES. You feel overwhelmed, irritable, guilty, easily frustrated, unhappy, disappointed miserable and sad.
- YOU START HAVING WEIRD THOUGHTS for example you see yourself as a failure, you blame yourself on almost everything, feeling worthless, and life is not worth living etc.
- YOU FEEL TIRED ALL THE TIME. You sometimes feel sickly, you experience headaches and muscle pains, you have sleep problems, loss or change of appetite and weight loss or gain, and one also experiences thoughts of suicide and deaths.
FOODS THAT HELP FIGHT DEPRESSION
- It is a good source of vitamin D. if you have very low levels if this nutrient in your body it can sometimes cause depression
- TURKEY. This has the protein building block tryptophan which your body uses to make serotonin which is a brain chemical that plays a key role in depression, actually some depressants drugs work by targeting the way your body uses serotonin.
- They are full of beta-carotene, which you can also get from pumpkin, spinach, sweet potatoes, scientists have linked this nutrient to lower levels of depression.
- LEAFY GREENS. They are packed with folate, which your brain cells need to work well and which may help protect against depression.
- This is high in polyunsaturated fats. One type of these fats called omega-3 fatty acids may help brain cells use chemicals that can affect your mood
PREVENTION
- Take steps to control stress.
- Reach out to family and friends especially in times of crisis.
- Get treatment when you realize you might be depressed to avoid bad consequences in future.
- Try and be active by exercising.
- Spending time with people.
- Avoid self-medication with alcohol or with drugs not prescribed for you.
TREATMENT.
The first step is to visit a health care provider or mental health professional such as a psychiatrist or a psychologist, he/she can do an exam, interview, and lab tests to rule out other health conditions that may have some symptoms as depression.
Once depression is diagnosed it can be treated with medications, psychotherapy or a combination of the two. If these 2 don’t reduce the symptoms brain stimulation therapy may be another treatment option.
- Medications called antidepressants can work well to treat depression. They can take 2 to 4 weeks to work.
- Psychotherapy helps by teaching new ways of thinking and behaving and changing habits that may be contributing to depression. Therapy helps you understand and work through difficult relationships or situations that may be causing your depression or making it worse.
- Brain stimulation therapies. Electroconvulsive therapy and other brain stimulation therapies may be an option for people with severe depression cases that do not respond to drugs. This therapy has the longest history of use.
HOW TO HELP A DEPRESSED PERSON
- Offer support, understanding, patience and encouragement.
- Never ignore comments about suicide from them.
- Invite them for walks, outings and other activities.
- Help them adhere to treatment for example taking it as your responsibility by setting reminders to help them take prescribed medications.
- Helping them get transportation to therapies.
- Encourage them that with time depression will go away.
- Make them feel loved and wanted all the time.