Written By- Priya Vaishnav, 3rd Year Student of KIIT School of Law, Bhubaneshwar
According to the report of the World Health Organization, more than 300 million people suffer from depression worldwide. Depression is one of the world’s leading cause of disability.
Many people suffer from feelings of sadness and grief at times. It’s a normal reaction to loss and the struggles of life. But when intense sadness lasts for days to weeks and keeps you from living your life, it may be something more than sadness. That is the state what we call depression.
In its simplest form, Depression is a condition of low mood and aversion to activity that influences a person’s behavior, thoughts, feelings, and state of well-being. People who are dealing with the state of depression might behave clingily, feel irritated, sad, low, guilty, lonely, or ashamed. Depressed mood can be a feature of psychiatric syndromes such as major depressive disorder but it may also be a normal reaction to life events such as grief, a symptom of some bodily disorder, or a side effect of drugs and medical treatments.
Depression is as ‘living in a black hole’ or having a sense of impending doom. Although, some people dealing with depression don’t feel sad at all. They may feel lifeless or empty or men specifically may even feel angry, aggressive, and restless. What so ever the symptoms, depression is way different from normal sadness. It strongly affects a person’s day-to-day life. In medical terms, people often call it a major depressive disorder or clinical depression.
What causes Depression?
While in most of the cases the healthcare providers are unable to understand what’s really causing depression, still there might be few contributing factors often linked to its development. Depression usually results because of personal factors and other life events, instead of one immediate issue or event.
Common Causes include:
Family history: Some people with a family history of depression or another similar mood disorder stand at a higher risk of developing depression.
Past events: Some past events, for instance emotional, physical, or sexual abuse highly increases the vulnerability of causing depression later in life.
Medical illness: Certain conditions such as insomnia, chronic illness, chronic pain, or attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may lead to such conditions.
Conflict: Someone with low emotional stability may easily be prone to develop the condition of depression from personal conflicts or disputes with family members or close ones.
Death or a loss: a person with sadness or grief caused due to death or loss of a loved one, though natural, may also develop a condition of depression. Major events: Major and important life events such as moving from one place to another, a new job, graduation, or getting married can also lead to depression. So can financial crisis, the burden of responsibility, getting divorced, or retiring.
Other personal problems: Problems such as being in self-isolation, being evicted out of a family, or not getting the love and attention one seeks can contribute to the risk of depression.
Drug addict: Close to 30% of people with excessive drug consumption are prone to suffer from major depression. Drugs or alcohol may temporarily make you feel better, but they ultimately will aggravate depression.
Treatment
Any person being treated for depression should coincide with a healthy diet and maintain a regular sleep schedule. It may sound facile, but the importance of taking care of your body cannot be overstated. There are various methods one can use to smooth the symptoms of depression. People dealing with depression should make exercise a part of their daily routine, exercise is especially helpful for the depressed mind. It enables a person to better handle stress, and the endorphins released while exercising gives a mental boost. Aside from the mental health benefits, the center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report states that physical activity helps you sleep better at night. One dealing with depression may also opt yoga as its more accessible form of exercise, it doesn’t require any equipment and also because many of the moves and poses do not require much effort. Meditation is a highly effective way of clearing your mind and calming your body. It is also very easy to do, with guided meditations available through phone apps, online in text and videos, and in books.
People with habit of writing or keeping a journal of what they have done each day, may find that it helps to express their thoughts on paper instead of bottling them inside. It’s helpful to have close friends and family who you can confide in, but they’re not always available or may be dealing with the stress of their own life. It makes writing a good idea and makes a great alternative to let things get off your chest. Therapy with anyone from a guidance counselor to a certified therapist can also help people dealing with this situation, and many may prefer therapy over the medication route.
Short-term, stress-related depression especially which is caused due to traumatic events, can be relieved by having a way to get everything off your chest and receive practical advice. For a severe and more hands-on approach, try seeking advice from experts like psychiatrists or psychologists. They offer many types of therapy, which helps in providing faster relief. There should be no shame in taking medication to manage your depression. People routinely
take medication for physical illness, and having a mental illness isn’t any different. People worried about the possible side effects should consult their doctor to discuss them. Any medication can be reduced or ceased bit by bit to wean off medication over time, and there are different types of it available to suit your individual needs and chemistry.
Remember that recovery is a journey, not a destination. Bad days will still come, but with the well-targeted and right treatment, you should be able to overcome extreme lows. While science is yet to find a cure for mental disorders such as depression, it is entirely possible to live a happy and fulfilling life in spite of it.
References:
[1] National Institute of Mental Health. Major Depression,
www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/major-depresson.shtm.
[2] Journal of Depression and Anxiety. Depression,
https://www.longdom.org/scholarly/depression-journals-articles-ppts-list-2448.html
[3] Causes of depression, https://www.webmd.com/depression/guide/causes-depression#
