What is depression? Nowadays, most people suffer from the problem of depression. It is a common and serious mental disorder that denotes a low mood or loss of pleasure or interest in performing activities for a longer duration.
If people in their day-to-day lives have different regular mood changes and feelings, they are suffering from depression. They must be immediately treated with medications and therapies. Also, they seek medical assistance from a specialized doctor or health care expert, if they are experiencing mild or severe depression symptoms.
According to a national survey done in 2023, it was found that 3 out of 10 which means around 30% of people have been diagnosed with depression. Also, from 30% there are 18% of people are presently in a state of depression.
In this blog, we will explain the problem of depression, its causes, how it may affect the lives of people, and the treatment methods for preventing depression.
About Depression
Depression known as major depressive disorder or bipolar disorder causes a feeling of sadness and loss of interest in activities that are carried out for a longer period. Generally, the symptoms of depression may last for a day, every day, or at least two weeks.
It may cause mild to severe symptoms which can affect how a person feels, thinks, and handles daily activities like sleeping, eating, working, etc.
People with depression may have feelings of tiredness, low concentration on their daily work, suicidal thoughts, less hope, and low self-respect. They may experience the symptoms of depression, such as insomnia (difficulty sleeping) and anorexia (loss of appetite).
Depression can occur at any age, time, and to anyone. However, it can develop more in women as compared to men. It may also be likely to develop in those people, who are living their life with a lot of difficulties or problems, severe losses, traumatic events, etc.
Although, there are widely known effective treatments for treating this mental disorder. Yet, some low and middle-income countries in the world have received no specific treatment for depression.
Severe symptoms may need long-term treatment methods. Also, most people depend both on medication and psychotherapy for treating long-term problems of depression.
There are five types of depression. These are as follows:
- Major Depression Disorder(MDD)
- Persistent Depressive Disorder(PDD)
- Perinatal Depression (PPD)
- Seasonal Affective Disorder(SAD)
- Post-stroke Depression (PSD)
Causes of Depression
Several factors can cause depression in people. The three common factors include biological, social, and psychological factors that can cause the problem of depression.
Here, we will discuss these common factors for depression in individuals. These are as follows:
Psychological Factors
There are various psychological factors such as an imbalance of neurotransmitters (serotonin and dopamine), stressful events (death of a loved one, losing a job, trauma of divorce, feeling of isolation, and lack of support), and medications like Orticosteroids, Barbiturates, Beta-blockers, Isotretinoin, Benzodiazepines, Gabapentin, etc., can trigger depression.
Social Factors
Social factors play a vital role in causing the problem of depression. It includes class, gender, religion, race, culture, family, and other peer networks. These factors can occur at any age or stage, and at any time in an individual’s life, which can contribute to the problem of depression. An individual may be isolated from society due to a lack of social support. This is the main societal effect of causing depression in people.
Biological Factors
This factor, due to family genetic history may lead to the problem of depression. It includes genes, hormones, and brain chemicals that may have some effect on depression. Individuals may often develop depression by inheriting genes from their families. It may depend on individual physical health, genetics, diet, sleep, and age factors. There are major mental health conditions that are connected to this factor, which include genetics, prenatal destruction, brain defects, infections, etc.
How It Affects People
Depression affects on overall physical health of a person’s body. It can affect the quality of life and may impact a person’s central nervous system (CNS), heart, kidney, lungs, and digestive system.
It can cause a lot of symptoms with the CNS that includes, continuous low mood, a feeling of sadness, and a sense of guilt. Some people may have difficulty in sleeping at night which includes other symptoms like headache, anger, state of being irritable, and loss of interest in common activities that used to provide happiness.
Depression also affects the immune health system, which can lead to weight gain and obesity-related health conditions such as type 2 diabetes. It may also lead to anorexia. Some people have eating problems, which can lead to other symptoms like constipation, cramps, stomach ache, malnutrition, etc.
It may have a negative effect both on blood vessels and the heart. Stress hormones make the blood vessels tight and increase heart rate, which can lead to heart disease. Cardiovascular problems may occur again and again, which causes depression. But, it can cause other health conditions such as diabetes, drinking alcohol, smoking, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, etc.
Depression may hurt the digestive system or immune system and can cause infections and other diseases. It may cause inflammatory health-related problems in patients.
Hence, depression can cause problems in different parts of the brain such as the hippocampus, temporal lobe, frontal lobe, and amygdala.
Treatment of Depression
As we know there is no cure or permanent treatment for depression. However, there are some or different treatment methods for treating different types of depression. The symptoms of depression may differ from person to person. Alternatively, many different treatment methods are widely available to manage the symptoms of depression.
The four main treatment methods for depression are as follows:
Medications
Specialized doctors will often recommend selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) antidepressants to treat depression. Fluoxetine (Prozac) is the best medicine used in the treatment of depression. This drug helps regulate the hormones and imbalance of neurotransmitters. It may also contribute to both the mental and emotional health of patients.
Psychotherapy
The most common treatment for depression is psychotherapy or talk therapy. The patient can talk with a mental health professional to treat depression. The therapist will help in changing the unhealthy emotions, thoughts, and behavior of a patient. There are different types of psychotherapy, out of which cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is the most common therapy used in the treatment of depression.
Brain Stimulation Therapy
This therapy can help patients suffering from severe depression. It also helps those people who are dealing with psychotic depression. The three most common types of brain stimulation therapy such as electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), and vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) therapy.
Other Medications and Therapies
There are several medications (Adderall, Vyvanse, Ritalin, Modafinil, Provigil, Suboxone etc.) to treat patients with mild symptoms of depression. Acupuncture, massage, hypnosis, and biofeedback are other therapies to treat ongoing symptoms of depression in patients.
Conclusion
So, we come to know that depression is a feeling of sadness, depressed mood, emptiness or hopelessness, and loss of pleasure or interest in daily activities for a long interval.
Lastly, if patients have to overcome the symptoms of depression, they must consult with a doctor or health care expert before starting the treatment process of depression. Also, seek medical assistance from a health care professional for further depression treatment procedures and other medications or therapies.