How To Identify And Fight Depression

What is Depression?

Feeling down from time to time is a normal part of life, but when emotions such as hopelessness and despair take hold and just won’t go away, you may have depression. More than just sadness in response to life’s struggles and setbacks, depression changes how you think, feel, and function in daily activities. It can interfere with your ability to work, study, eat, sleep, and enjoy life. Men in particular can feel angry and restless. However, you experience depression, left untreated it can become a serious health condition.

Some of you might think why has this increased all of a sudden?

Because these days we want to live 100 years of our lives in just 10 years. We've stopped interacting with people. Our emotional interactions have been reduced and this disconnection leads to Stress. Stress leads to unnecessary aggression on the streets and people beat their children for no reason. Mental pain is less dramatic than physical pain, but it is more common and also harder to bear. The frequent attempt to hide mental pain increases the burden: It is easier to say "My tooth is aching" than to say "My heart is broken."

How to notice Depression:

Depressed people are not always sad-looking and self-loathing. They would seem happy from outside. Depression isn't always that girl that's crying in the bathroom or the boy that is always wearing long sleeves. It isn't always suicide notes and pill bottles. sometimes it's all smiles and good grades. Sometimes it's the boy that is always helpful and the girl that you always borrow things from. Depression isn't always that easy to notice.

When you are depressed you don't feel like doing anything, you sleep all day or have the same thought playing in your mind. It would be mentally exhausting and you don't feel like living anymore. This feeling is generally quite strong. But it’s important to remember that feelings of helplessness and hopelessness are symptoms of depression—not the reality of your situation.

According to research recently every one out of four patients that visited their family doctor was diagnosed with mental illness in which Anxiety and Depression was the biggest illnesses. 8-12% of people require psychiatric treatment. A large number of people suffer from stress. Mental illness is quite common. Mental illness, like typhoid, can be cured soon if diagnosed early.

10 common symptoms of depression:

Feelings of helplessness and hopelessness. A bleak outlook—nothing will ever get better and there’s nothing you can do to improve your situation.
Loss of interest in daily activities. You don’t care anymore about former hobbies, pastimes, social activities. You’ve lost your ability to feel joy and pleasure.
Appetite or weight changes. Significant weight loss or weight gain—a change of more than 5% of body weight in a month.
Sleep changes. Either insomnia, especially waking in the early hours of the morning or oversleeping.
Anger or irritability. Feeling agitated, restless, or even violent. Your tolerance level is low, your temper short, and everything and everyone gets on your nerves.
Loss of energy. Feeling fatigued, sluggish, and physically drained. Your whole body may feel heavy, and even small tasks are exhausting or take longer to complete.
Self-loathing. Strong feelings of worthlessness or guilt. You harshly criticize yourself for perceived faults and mistakes.
Reckless behaviour. You engage in escapist behaviour such as substance abuse, compulsive gambling, reckless driving, or dangerous sports.
Concentration problems. Trouble focusing, making decisions or remembering things.
Unexplained aches and pains. An increase in physical complaints such as headaches, back pain, aching muscles, and stomach pain.

Is it Depression or Bipolar Disorder?

Bipolar disorder, also known as manic depression, involves serious shifts in moods, energy, thinking, and behaviour. Because it looks so similar to depression when in the low phase, it is often overlooked and misdiagnosed. This can be a serious problem as taking antidepressants for bipolar depression can actually make the condition worse. If you’ve ever gone through phases where you experienced excessive feelings of euphoria, a decreased need for sleep, racing thoughts, and impulsive behaviour consider getting evaluated for bipolar disorder.

How depression symptoms vary with gender and age:

Depression often varies according to age and gender, with symptoms differing between men and women, or young people and older adults.

Depression in men

Depressed men are less likely to acknowledge feelings of self-loathing and hopelessness. Instead, they tend to complain about fatigue, irritability, sleep problems, and loss of interest in work and hobbies. They’re also more likely to experience symptoms such as anger, aggression, reckless behaviour, and substance abuse.

Depression in women

Women are more likely to experience depression symptoms such as pronounced feelings of guilt, excessive sleeping, overeating, and weight gain. Depression in women is also impacted by hormonal factors during menstruation, pregnancy, and menopause. In fact, postpartum depression affects up to 1 in 7 women experience depression following childbirth.

Depression in teens

Irritability, anger, and agitation are often the most noticeable symptoms in depressed teens—not sadness. They may also complain of headaches, stomachaches, or other physical pains.

Depression in older adults

Older adults tend to complain more about the physical rather than the emotional signs and symptoms of depression: things like fatigue, unexplained aches and pains, and memory problems. They may also neglect their personal appearance and stop taking critical medications for their health.

Risk factors that can make you more vulnerable to depression:

Loneliness and isolation.
Recent stressful life experiences.
Chronic illness or pain.
Family history of depression.
Early childhood trauma or abuse.
Alcohol or drug abuse.

Now, How to Fight Depression?

Depression is treatable, and people can recover from it. Both lifestyle changes and medical treatments can help individuals feel better. Typically, managing depression is an ongoing and difficult process. There are medicines, counselling, psychoanalysis, and psychotherapies for mental illnesses. All these treatments are rational.

Why is dealing with depression is so difficult?

Depression drains your energy, hope, and drive, making it difficult to take the steps that will help you to feel better. Sometimes, just thinking about the things you should do to feel better, like exercising or spending time with friends, can seem exhausting or impossible to put into action.
Taking the first step is always the hardest. But going for a walk or getting up and dancing to your favourite music, for example, is something you can do right now. And it can substantially boost your mood and energy for several hours long enough to put a second recovery step into action, such as preparing a mood-boosting meal or arranging to meet an old friend. By taking the following small but positive steps day by day, you’ll soon lift the heavy fog of depression and find yourself feeling happier, healthier, and more hopeful again.

When you’re depressed, you can’t just will yourself to “snap out of it.” But these tips can help put you on the road to recovery:

Learn about depression. The more a person knows about depression, the more empowered they will be to find a treatment that works for them. It can be helpful to learn about depression in general, including its causes and symptoms. It is also important for people to get to know their own symptoms and warning signs so that if they are feeling worse, they can identify this.
Get in Routine. Depression can strip away the structure from your life. one day melts into the next. Setting a gentle daily schedule can help you get back on track.
Set goals. When you're depressed, you may feel like you can't accomplish anything. That makes you feel worse about yourself. To push back, set daily goals for yourself.
Exercise. It temporarily boosts feel-good chemicals called endorphins. It may also have long-term benefits for people with depression. Regular exercise seems to encourage the brain to rewire itself in positive ways.
Eat Healthily. There is no magic diet that fixes depression. It's a good idea to watch what you eat, though. Although nothing is definitive, there's evidence that foods with omega-3 fatty acids (such as spinach and avocado) and iron could help ease depression says Ian Cook, MD. He's a psychiatrist and director of the Depression Research and Clinic Program at UCLA.
Avoid alcohol and recreational drugs. Alcohol and recreational drugs make symptoms of depression much worse. They can also make the condition harder to treat. Alcohol is a depressant, and alcohol use can trigger episodes of depression or make existing episodes worse.
Don't punish yourself for feeling bad. Feeling embarrassed or self-hating over your depression will only increase your symptoms and discourage you from seeking help. It's important to take your side and have compassion for yourself during those difficult times.
Spend time with loved ones. Depression can tempt you to isolate yourself and withdraw from your friends and family, but face-to-face time can help wash away those tendencies. if you're unable to spend time together in person, phone calls or video chats can also be helpful. Try to remind yourself these people care about you.
See a doctor or Therapist. Seeing a doctor for diagnosis and treatment is an important part of treating depression. A doctor can provide support, guidance, and medical treatment options. They can assess your symptoms and help develop a clinical treatment plan tailored to your needs. This may include traditional options, such as medication and therapy, or alternative measures, such as acupuncture.
Asking for help from Family and Friends. People experiencing depression should consider telling family and friends how they are feeling, and asking for support where they need it.

Summary:

Depression is a treatable mood disorder. People can recover from depressive episodes with lifestyle changes, coping strategies, talk therapy, or medications. For most people, a combination of these methods is necessary. It is vital to see a doctor if symptoms of depression persist for 2 weeks or more. A doctor can provide a diagnosis and recommend a treatment plan. To maintain recovery from depression, it is essential to treat mental health in the same way as physical health — by working on it on an ongoing basis.

And lastly, if you know someone who is depressed please resolve never to ask them why. Depression isn't a straightforward response to a bad situation. Try to understand the blackness, hopelessness, and loneliness they're going through. Be there for them when they come through the other side. It's hard to be a friend to someone who's depressed, but it is one of the kindest, the noblest and the best things you will ever do.

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