Depression affects more than 63 million people in the United States annually. Feeling sad is however normal but if they exceed the normal range of a healthy person, depression comes into play inform of guilt and lethargy without any relief. Grief, anxiety, sadness, and elation, as well as other forms of emotions we feel throughout our lives like lack of self-esteem, are the major doors via which depression sets in. Challenge or a threat may trigger anxiety while the loss of a loved one or a setback may cause sadness. In line with these, this paper, therefore, is going to the major causes of depression, its symptoms, and effects as well as various ways that it can be treated.
According to the Depression and Anxiety whitepaper from the University of California, published this year, depression affects more than 63 million people in the United States alone on an annual basis (Mugoya, 2018). In psychology, depression is basically an illness that involves thoughts, moods, and body and generally affects the way one thinks and experiences life. Psychologists talk of depression as more than just sadness but rather a clown of feeling blue and bad moods from time to time. Depression could occur at childhood or even in adulthood and the center of it all is due to low self-esteem or self-worth and feeling like you are not worth a thing in front of others leading to isolation of self and eventually becoming alone with no one to talk to and the self-blame kicks in and depression sets its course. There are different causes, symptoms, and effects as well as ways of treating depression.
Depression is usually referred by doctors as a bipolar disorder or a mood disorder. Major depression hallmarks usually include a person feeling worthless, loss of self-confidence, and being absent or having a decreased interests in most major activities as well as a sad or low mood every time (Parikh, 2018). Someone who is under depression however usually has depression symptoms or effects episodically meaning that sometimes they are normal and have confidence as well as self-esteem while other times they are depressed with depression symptoms wrote all over their faces and bodies. Some of the causes include changes in the brain, genetic factors, drugs and alcohol, medical conditions and medication as well as brain trauma.
When it comes to changes in the brain, the brain has got different regions which function distinctly. These regions communicate with each other via neurotransmitters and the nerve cells. The limbic system controls the emotional behavior which connects to other parts of the brain including the hypothalamus and the thalamus (Parikh, 2018). When there are imbalances in the transmission of information, hormonal imbalances occur leading to bipolar disorders and eventually depression. In terms of genetic factors, research has it that there a family gene which is linked to a bipolar disorder, and that after a traumatic event, there is a genetic mutation affiliated with clinical depression (Parikh, 2018). Therefore via mutation, these genes transfer from one family member to another and a traumatic event can trigger the same leading to depression. Overconsumption of recreational drugs and alcohol also causes withdrawals especially after an addiction which may lead to bipolar disorders and eventually depression.
People suffering from various medical conditions also including dementia-causing brain disorders such as Huntington’s and Alzheimer’s diseases are more prone to depression due to their severe symptoms as well as effects (Pearls, 2018). These diseases may cause vitamin deficiencies and hormonal imbalances which are the key causes of bipolar disorders, anxiety, and depression. Mood disorders can also be caused by certain drugs prescription, for instance, cancer, blood pressure, and mania can be triggered by certain drugs which eventually cause depression. Also, mood disorders, anxiety, and behavioral changes can be caused by any form of injury to the brain like brain tumors and traumas which eventually cause depression.
There are various symptoms of depression. Some of them include depressed mood with continuous and concentrated feelings of hopelessness, emptiness, and sadness. Apathy was one losses interests in certain activities they initially enjoyed, sleep problems, decreased energy and fatigue, significant changes in appetite and either gain or loss of weight, indecisiveness and inability to think or concentrate, feelings of helplessness, worthlessness, and guilt, as well as predominant thoughts of suicide or death, are also some of the major symptoms of depression (Beyond Blue, 2018). Low self-esteem, hypothermia which is excessive sleep and insomnia which is lack of sleep as well as being highly talkative are also some of the major symptoms of depression.
There are major effects of depression if an individual suffering from the same does not get help in advance. Some of the major lasting effects of depression include loss of income or job, low productivity either at work or school, relationship and family conflicts, fatigue due to disturbed sleeping patterns, risky and dangerous actions, isolation, being withdrawn from others, substance abuse and use of the same, self-inflicted injuries, and suicidal tendencies as well as suicidal ideation (Beyond Blue, 2018). Therefore, major physical effects are experienced via depression.
There are various ways of treating depression. According to Mugoya (2018), these include psychological treatment methods and medical treatment methods. Some of the psychological treatment methods include cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, and interpersonal therapy. Use of antidepressant drugs is the major medication method used to treat depression.
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is the most effective method of treatment of depression. It involves diplomatic forms of treatment where a therapist is utilized via talking about the behavior of the patient and finding out the way he feels, thinks and even relates to the world and then using the findings to turn him or her into realizing how important he or she is and to stop being depressed. The behavioral patterns are determined professionally and used to make the person depressed to look at life positively and to teach the patients to think rationally about the difficulties they are facing and those that cause them to be depressed (Parikh, 2018). Interpersonal therapy, on the other hand, involves finding the relationship patterns and use them to improve relationships and ensure that the affected persons can cope with grief and help them reduce depression and deal with the same in case they are affected.
Behavioral therapy, on the other hand, is different from CBT in that it focuses on attitudes and beliefs of the depressed person. It aims at the activities that are satisfying, pleasant and rewarding so as to reverse the patterns of inactivity, withdrawals, and avoidance (Pearls, 2018). This way depression can be reduced and treated. Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy involved meditation where affected persons engage in physical sensations like breathing and eventually to thoughts and feelings. According to Mugoya (2018), people who have severely suffered from depression require antidepressants to treat them. They usually include a combination of antidepressants, antipsychotic drugs, and mood stabilizers.
In a nutshell, it can be concluded that depression is more than just sadness but involves the combination of both sadness and hopelessness. Just as explained in this paper, depression is a dangerous psychological disorder which if not treated earlier can lead to lasting effects which can lock one out of the society. The symptoms of depression are recognizable and treatment methods are available just as explained above including the psychological treatment methods and medical treatment methods.