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Thursday, April 4, 2019

D - Depression #AtoZ #MentalHealthAwareness

He has recently gone through a major life event that was stressful and it has changed his behavior completely, Depression?

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), depression is the most common illness worldwide and the leading cause of disability. They estimate that 350 million people are affected by depression, globally.

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 7.6 per cent of people over the age of 12 have depression in any 2-week period. This is substantial and shows the scale of the issue.

Depression is a mood disorder characterized by persistently low mood and a feeling of sadness and loss of interest. It is a persistent problem, not a passing one, lasting on average 6 to 8 months.

Not only is depression prevalent, but it also creates the heaviest burden of disability among mental and behavior disorders.

Risk factors include:
  • ·         Personal or family history of depression
  • ·         Major life changes, trauma, or stress
  • ·         Certain physical illnesses and medications




Depression symptoms can vary from mild to severe and can include:

  • ·         depressed mood 
  • ·         reduced interest or pleasure in activities previously enjoyed, loss of sexual desire
  • ·         unintentional weight loss (without dieting) or low appetite
  • ·         insomnia (difficulty sleeping) or hypersomnia (excessive sleeping)
  • ·         psychomotor agitation, for example, restlessness, pacing up and down
  • ·         delayed psychomotor skills, for example, slowed movement and speech
  • ·         fatigue or loss of energy
  • ·         feelings of worthlessness or guilt
  • ·         impaired ability to think, concentrate, or make decisions
  • ·         recurrent thoughts of death or suicide, or attempt at suicide



Symptoms must last at least two weeks for a diagnosis of depression. Not everyone who is depressed experiences every symptom. Some people experience only a few symptoms while others may experience many.Other medical conditions like thyroid problems, a chronic illness or vitamin deficiency can also mimic symptoms of depression so it is important to rule out general medical causes.

The Hamilton depression rating scale is one of the most widely used assessment instruments in the world for clinicians rating depression. The Hamilton scale, has 21 questions, with resulting scores describing the severity of the condition.

Depression is among the most treatable of mental disorders. Between 80 per cent and 90 per cent of people with depression eventually respond well to treatment. Almost all patients gain some relief from their symptoms.








Some self-help tips for depression survival are:
  • ·         Be active and try to exercise.
  • ·         Set realistic goals for yourself.
  • ·         Try to spend time with other people and confide in a trusted friend or relative.
  • ·         Try not to isolate yourself, and let others help you.
  • ·         Expect your mood to improve gradually, not immediately.
  • ·         Postpone important decisions, such as getting married or divorced, or changing jobs until you feel better.
  • ·         Continue to educate yourself about depression.


Depression affects nearly one in six people at some point in their lives, so folk remedies and half-truths about this common illness abound. Our culture admires will power and mental toughness and is quick to label anyone who falls back as a whiner. But people who have clinical depression are not lazy or simply feeling sorry for themselves. Nor can they "will" depression to go away.



DISCLAIMER: All the information being provided her has been sourced from the internet and books and some also via personal experiences. It has no medical authentication per se so suggestions if followed must be done in consultation with a trained mental health professional.


Useful resources for Depression support:




This post is a part of April Blogging from A To Z Challenge
You can find all my posts here.







35 comments:

  1. Kudos to you for using this year's challenge to discuss mental health issues. Depression is one of many serious mental health issues that deserve greater attention and understanding.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Deborah, I am a me tal health survivor myself so this issue is close to my heart.

      Delete
  2. According to WHO every person suffers from depression at a certain point of time. Thank you for bringing out this topic.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes Mahesh that's right but everybody doesn't get help and fully and properly treated.

      Delete
  3. Hi pooja, such an apt topic you have picked up.... v nice andinformative post.. we all should talk about this more often... and be more mindful and empathetic towards friends who are going through the lows...

    ReplyDelete
  4. Yes Kushal awareness and voicing is the first step.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Depression may affect many people at different point in time. May be it is a natural phenomenon. Like we are not happy always, we may not be depressed either. It is staying depressed for very long time is a problem. Many of us do not realize we are depressed. I think like blood chemistry, we should get ourselves checked at regular interval to know if we are depressed. If there is a chronic depression in a person treatment should be initiated.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Depression may affect many people at different point in time. May be it is a natural phenomenon. Like we are not happy always, we may not be depressed either. It is staying depressed for very long time is a problem. Many of us do not realize we are depressed. I think like blood chemistry, we should get ourselves checked at regular interval to know if we are depressed. If there is a chronic depression in a person treatment should be initiated.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Abhijit Yes awareness and seeking help is important.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Very well written. Depression is for real.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Yes Rashi as real as any physical ailment

    ReplyDelete
  10. This is yet again vital piece of information for me dear. You are enriching me with each post buddy, I am sure with it I will be able to help someone someday

    ReplyDelete
  11. thanks Roma Gupta Sinha for your encouraging words

    ReplyDelete
  12. The article is very well written. Short and succinct. I loved the last paragraph because there are a lot of so-called Godmen and charlatans especially in our country who take advantage of people's credulity and mislead them to make money. People need to avoid such traps.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Very informative!
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    ReplyDelete
  14. That's true in search of alterantive cures people keep making mental illnesses even worse.Thanks Jai!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Oh, thank you for including depression! It's such a misunderstood illness. On one hand, there are too many throwing the term around, "I'm depressed," when they are really feeling sad, which we all feel at times. Then, there are those who are diagnosed with depression, a medical condition.
    My own mother didn't understand when my oldest son was diagnosed. She said, "What does he have to be depressed about, he just got married," as though the happiness of a new marriage had anything to do with a physical illness!
    But, then again, I didn't understand it until loved ones were diagnosed.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes Lisa there is a difference between feeling depressed and having depression.

      Empathy is the key in families and communities.

      Delete
  16. Depression is so common these days but often people don't realize that a person needs some care and attention as we are all so busy living our own lives! Empathy is what we need the most.

    ReplyDelete
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  27. Wow, this post is nice, my sister is analyzing such things, so I am going to tell her.

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