Depression
Depression is commonly referred to as "the blues." It can also be defined as a constant sense of hopelessness and despair that is present all day, every day for about 2 weeks, or else a 2-week period of loss of interest in pretty much everything that used to bring somebody pleasure.
The symptoms of depression are (found on the mayo clinic website):
Depression can be caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain, neurotransmitters, hormones, inherited traits, life events, and/or early childhood trauma. The actual cause for depression has not been pinpointed yet. People who suffer from depression are often in their teens, 20s, or 30s. However, depression can affect a person of any age. Two times more women are diagnosed with depression then men. There are some risk factors that would contribute to depression:
A person living with depression has a hard time going about their day because they are down in the dumps and not themselves. They don't enjoy anything and would probably be tired. A person living with depression may suffer from sexual problems, weight gain or loss, oversleeping or insomnia, restlessness, and physical symptoms that don't respond to treatment such as digestive problems, headaches, and chronic pains. People with depression may abuse alcohol or other substances, have anxiety, experience problems at school/work, get into conflicts with their family, have difficultly with relationships, be socially isolated, commit or have thoughts of suicide, self-mutilate, or die prematurely from other medical conditions.
The person's family is affected because they watch the person change from being fun-loving and happy to gloomy and sad. A lot of times families don't recognize the depression and think that the person is just going through a stage or rough patch. The best thing they can do is be supportive and help the person through it. They need to not abandon the person because that would make the person's depression worse. The family needs to be supportive and invested in helping the person get better.
The good news is that there is treatment available for depression! Most people respond well to psychotherapy and medications. Depending on the severity of the depression a hospital stay or outpatient program may be necessary. The type of medication that would be prescribed to someone with depression would be anti-depressants. The types of anti-depressants are: SSRIs, SNRIs, NDRIs, atypical anti-depressants (trazodone, mirtazapine, vilazodone), tricyclic anti-depressants, and MAOIs. Other medications such as stimulants, mood stabilizers, anti-anxiety, or anti-psychotics may be given if needed. Psychotherapy is often used to help treat depression. It is commonly known as talk therapy and it helps the person to understand the causes and reasons for their depression. Psychotherapy teaches the person how to identify, cope, and change unhealthy behaviors or thoughts. There are a few types of psychotherapy that can be used. They are: cognitive behavioral therapy, interpersonal therapy, and psychodynamic therapy. Sometimes ECT therapy is used to help treat depression. It uses electrical currents passed through the brain to change the level of neurotransmitters in the brain. ECT is most often used for people who don't get better with medications and are at high risk for suicide. Depression can also be treated with vagus nerve stimulation (electrical impulses that are administered by a surgically implanted pulse generator to affect the mood centers of the brain , and transcranial magnetic stimulation (the use of a powerful magnetic field to alter brain activity).
Some quotes about depression are:
“I didn't want to wake up. I was having a much better time asleep. And that's really sad. It was almost like a reverse nightmare, like when you wake up from a nightmare you're so relieved. I woke up into a nightmare.” - It's Kind Of A Funny Story, Ned Vizzini
“That's the thing about depression: A human being can survive almost anything, as long as she sees the end in sight. But depression is so insidious, and it compounds daily, that it's impossible to ever see the end.” - Prozac Nation, Elizabeth Wurtzel
“The sun stopped shining for me is all. The whole story is: I am sad. I am sad all the time and the sadness is so heavy that I can't get away from it. Not ever.” - Hold Still, Nina LaCour
“Depression presents itself as a realism regarding the rottenness of the world in general and the rottenness of your life in particular. But the realism is merely a mask for depression's actual essence, which is an overwhelming estrangement from humanity. The more persuaded you are of your unique access to the rottenness, the more afraid you become of engaging with the world; and the less you engage with the world, the more perfidiously happy-faced the rest of humanity seems for continuing to engage with it.” - How To Be Alone, Jonathan Franzen
The symptoms of depression are (found on the mayo clinic website):
- Feelings of sadness or unhappiness
- Irritability or frustration, even over small matters
- Loss of interest or pleasure in normal activities
- Reduced sex drive
- Insomnia or excessive sleeping
- Changes in appetite — depression often causes decreased appetite and weight loss, but in some people it causes increased cravings for food and weight gain
- Agitation or restlessness — for example, pacing, hand-wringing or an inability to sit still
- Irritability or angry outbursts
- Slowed thinking, speaking or body movements
- Indecisiveness, distractibility and decreased concentration
- Fatigue, tiredness and loss of energy — even small tasks may seem to require a lot of effort
- Feelings of worthlessness or guilt, fixating on past failures or blaming yourself when things aren't going right
- Trouble thinking, concentrating, making decisions and remembering things
- Frequent thoughts of death, dying or suicide
- Crying spells for no apparent reason
- Unexplained physical problems, such as back pain or headaches
- In younger children, symptoms of depression may include sadness, irritability, hopelessness and worry.
- Symptoms in adolescents and teens may include anxiety, anger and avoidance of social interaction.
- Changes in thinking and sleep are common signs of depression in adolescents and adults but are not as common in younger children.
- In children and teens, depression often occurs along with behavior problems and other mental health conditions, such as anxiety or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
- Schoolwork may suffer in children who are depressed.
- In older adults, depression may go undiagnosed because symptoms — for example, fatigue, loss of appetite, sleep problems or loss of interest in sex — may seem to be caused by other illnesses.
- Older adults with depression may have less obvious symptoms. They may feel dissatisfied with life in general, bored, helpless or worthless. They may always want to stay at home, rather than going out to socialize or doing new things.
- Suicidal thinking or feelings in older adults is a sign of serious depression that should never be taken lightly, especially in men. Of all people with depression, older adult men are at the highest risk of suicide.
Depression can be caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain, neurotransmitters, hormones, inherited traits, life events, and/or early childhood trauma. The actual cause for depression has not been pinpointed yet. People who suffer from depression are often in their teens, 20s, or 30s. However, depression can affect a person of any age. Two times more women are diagnosed with depression then men. There are some risk factors that would contribute to depression:
- having relatives (biological) with depression
- being female
- suffering from any type of trauma as a child
- going through difficult life events (ex. death, divorce, etc.)
- having only a few close friends/personal relationships
- recently giving birth
- having a history of depression
- suffering from a serious illness (ex. cancer, diabetes, heart disease, Alzheimer's, or HIV/AIDS)
- having low self-esteem, being overly dependent, self-critical, or pessimistic
- Alcohol, nicotine, or illicit drug abuse
- Taking certain high blood pressure medications, sleeping pills, or other medications
A person living with depression has a hard time going about their day because they are down in the dumps and not themselves. They don't enjoy anything and would probably be tired. A person living with depression may suffer from sexual problems, weight gain or loss, oversleeping or insomnia, restlessness, and physical symptoms that don't respond to treatment such as digestive problems, headaches, and chronic pains. People with depression may abuse alcohol or other substances, have anxiety, experience problems at school/work, get into conflicts with their family, have difficultly with relationships, be socially isolated, commit or have thoughts of suicide, self-mutilate, or die prematurely from other medical conditions.
The person's family is affected because they watch the person change from being fun-loving and happy to gloomy and sad. A lot of times families don't recognize the depression and think that the person is just going through a stage or rough patch. The best thing they can do is be supportive and help the person through it. They need to not abandon the person because that would make the person's depression worse. The family needs to be supportive and invested in helping the person get better.
The good news is that there is treatment available for depression! Most people respond well to psychotherapy and medications. Depending on the severity of the depression a hospital stay or outpatient program may be necessary. The type of medication that would be prescribed to someone with depression would be anti-depressants. The types of anti-depressants are: SSRIs, SNRIs, NDRIs, atypical anti-depressants (trazodone, mirtazapine, vilazodone), tricyclic anti-depressants, and MAOIs. Other medications such as stimulants, mood stabilizers, anti-anxiety, or anti-psychotics may be given if needed. Psychotherapy is often used to help treat depression. It is commonly known as talk therapy and it helps the person to understand the causes and reasons for their depression. Psychotherapy teaches the person how to identify, cope, and change unhealthy behaviors or thoughts. There are a few types of psychotherapy that can be used. They are: cognitive behavioral therapy, interpersonal therapy, and psychodynamic therapy. Sometimes ECT therapy is used to help treat depression. It uses electrical currents passed through the brain to change the level of neurotransmitters in the brain. ECT is most often used for people who don't get better with medications and are at high risk for suicide. Depression can also be treated with vagus nerve stimulation (electrical impulses that are administered by a surgically implanted pulse generator to affect the mood centers of the brain , and transcranial magnetic stimulation (the use of a powerful magnetic field to alter brain activity).
Some quotes about depression are:
“I didn't want to wake up. I was having a much better time asleep. And that's really sad. It was almost like a reverse nightmare, like when you wake up from a nightmare you're so relieved. I woke up into a nightmare.” - It's Kind Of A Funny Story, Ned Vizzini
“That's the thing about depression: A human being can survive almost anything, as long as she sees the end in sight. But depression is so insidious, and it compounds daily, that it's impossible to ever see the end.” - Prozac Nation, Elizabeth Wurtzel
“The sun stopped shining for me is all. The whole story is: I am sad. I am sad all the time and the sadness is so heavy that I can't get away from it. Not ever.” - Hold Still, Nina LaCour
“Depression presents itself as a realism regarding the rottenness of the world in general and the rottenness of your life in particular. But the realism is merely a mask for depression's actual essence, which is an overwhelming estrangement from humanity. The more persuaded you are of your unique access to the rottenness, the more afraid you become of engaging with the world; and the less you engage with the world, the more perfidiously happy-faced the rest of humanity seems for continuing to engage with it.” - How To Be Alone, Jonathan Franzen