‘Depression is a mental condition characterized by feelings of severe despondency and dejection, typically also with feelings of inadequacy and guilt, often accompanied by lack of energy and disturbance of appetite and sleep ‘(Oxford Dictionary). Depression is also known as clinical depression, major depressive illness, major affective disorder and unipolar mood disorder. It involves a mixture of the following symptoms: depressed mood or sadness, poor concentration, insomnia, fatigue, appetite disturbances, excessive guilt and thoughts of suicide.
Scientists believe that more than one-half of people who die by suicide are experiencing depression at a certain moment in their lives. Depression is a major cause of disability worldwide and represents a global public health challenge. According to the World Health Organization, it is the fourth-leading contributor to Global Burden of Disease, and by 2020, depression is projected to be the second-leading cause. Devastating as this disease may be, this disease is treatable in most people. The availability of affective treatments and a better understanding of the biological basis for depression may minimize the barriers that can prevent early detection, accurate diagnosis and the decision to seek medical treatment (National Alliance on Mental Illness n.d).
It’s known that people use the word ”depression” in different ways because we all feel down or sad from time to time, in our lives. It’s also important to draw the correct line between depression and sadness. Feeling depressed could be a normal reaction to the struggles in one’s life or loss and becomes an illness or a problem when the feelings of sadness last for a lot longer than normal and interfere with the daily course of life.
‘If someone has a family history of depression, are they at very high risk. Scientists look at patterns of illness in families to estimate their ‘heritability’ or approximate what percentage of their cause is due to genes. To do this we find people with the disease who have a twin, and then find out whether the twin is also ill. Identical, monozygotic, twins share 100% of their genes, while non-identical, ‘fraternal’ or dizygotic, twins share 50% of their genes. If genes are part of the cause, we expect a patient’s identical twin to have a much higher risk of disease than a patient’s non-identical twin. That is the case for major depression. Heritability is probably 40-50%, and might be higher for severe depression. This could mean that in most cases of depression, around 50% of the cause is genetic, and around 50% is unrelated to genes (psychological or physical factors). Or it means that in some cases, the probability to become depressed is almost completely genetic, and in other cases it is not really genetic at all.'( Douglas F. Levinson, M.D Walter E. Nichols, M.D)
There seems to be a complex relationship among stressful situations, our mind and body's reaction to stress, and the beginning of clinical depression. It is a fact that some people develop depression after a stressful happening in their lives. Events such as the death of a loved one, the loss of a job, or the end of a relationship are often negative and traumatic and cause great stress for many people. Stress can also occur as the result of a more positive event such as getting married, moving to a new city, or starting a new job. It is not uncommon for either positive or negative events to become a crisis that precedes the development of clinical depression.
Hurting experiences such as the death of a loved one, divorce, a medical illness, or losing everything in a natural disaster may be so difficult to deal with as to trigger clinical depression. Events like these take away a sense of control and cause great emotional disruption. Some traumatic events may cause more distress for one person than for another. For instance, a child who loses his parent to death may be more prone to becoming clinically depressed than a parent who loses his child. This may be because the loss of a parent can lead to additional losses for a child. He might remain without material and moral support. He may also become more emotionally distressed and isolated if he has difficulty reaching out to others.( Williams,M.)
Family and friends must remember that a person who suffers of depression did not ask for this illness, it is not a character flaw and the patient often doesn't have a very much control over what he does. They cannot afford to take the symptoms of depression in someone else, personally. Most primary relationships, however strong, go through trying times during the course of normal life even when everyone is in the best possible state of mind.Therefore, one can only imagine the difficulties and setbacks experienced by people suffering from depression. It is also equally difficult and challenging for the other person or people in such relationships, because, as part of the negative effects of depression, depressed people often fail to see reason, do not want to believe there is hope, and ultimately give up any and all effort towards making relationships work.
School depression is the type of depression that occurs in school going children and research shows this is a more common illness than was previously thought. Numbers of students are affected by depression every year and due to the age group that can be affected by depression it is important at the first signs to have the child diagnosed. School depression is not a strange kind of depression; it is just the same as some of the other types of depression.( Douglas F. Levinson, M.D Walter E. Nichols, M.D)
School depression ia a treatable illness and can be treated if the proper treatment technique is followed. Parents need to identify the symptoms in their school age children, as most of the children do not even know that they are suffering from depression. Parents need to take their children to a specialist and look for proper treatment plan.
Talk therapy, cognitive behavioral theraphy, family therapy or interpersonal therapies are good methods in these cases. The parents can also help the child getting over school depression.
Antidepressants are medication used for people who have depression. Most antidepressants are believed to work by slowing down the removal of certain chemicals from the brain. According to the chemical imbalance theory, low levels of the brain chemical serotonin lead to depression and depression medication works by bringing serotonin levels back to normal. Researchers agree that when depression is severe, medication can be helpful ‘ even lifesaving. The most widely prescribed antidepressants come from a class of medications known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) (Institute of Heartmath)
Another type of solution for depression is psychotherapy. Psychotherapy is a type of therapy used to treat emotional problems and mental health conditions. Psychotherapy can help you to discuss feelings you have about yourself and other people, particularly family and those close to you. In some cases, couples or families are offered joint therapy sessions together. Psychotherapists are mental health professionals who are trained to listen to a person's problems to try to find out what's causing them and help find a solution.
As well as listening and discussing important issues with you, a psychotherapist can suggest strategies for resolving problems and, if necessary, help you change your attitudes and behaviour.Sometimes it helps more having a neutral person listening to your problems and emotional fight inside of your mind. And it is even better when you know that person is fully qualified to care for your mental health.
Some therapists teach specific skills to help you deal with painful emotions, manage relationships more effectively or improve behaviour. You may also be encouraged to develop your own solutions. In group therapy, the members support each other with advice and encouragement. (NHS n.d)
Treatment for depression involves either medication or talking treatments, or usually a combination of the two. The kind of treatment that the doctor recommends will be based on the type of depression you have. Many people with depression benefit by making lifestyle changes such as getting more exercise, cutting down on alcohol and eating more healthily. Self-help measures such as reading a self-help book or joining a support group are also worthwhile.A health treatment that is not classified as standard Western medical practice is referred to as complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). CAM encompasses a variety of approaches. They include everything from diet and exercise to mental conditioning and lifestyle changes. Examples of CAM therapies include: Acupuncture, Aromatherapy, Biofeedback ,Chiropractic treatments,Meditation or Yoga. (WebMd,n.d )
To conclude ,depression can be named ”The disease of the 21 century”as it is the most common disease of our time .This illness is not fatal and is hidden, it can be easily concealed, and it does not bother society, but obviously, all in all it is a disease that we should not ignore.