Did you know that many times we are depressed and we don't know it. Maybe we are depressed by the situation in the country or by a life situation, by losing a relative and not satisfying our pain. These make us fall into a depressive state that if not treated in time should be treated pharmacologically.
In depression, a set of symptoms predominates, it goes more towards the affective side and those who suffer from it may show sadness, irritability, apathy, decay, hopelessness, discomfort and importance before the vicissitudes of life.
Locating the origin of a depressive state is complex, since it is a multifactorial disease, although there are factors in people that predispose it to occur. Some studies claim that these factors are biological, psychological and social.
What are the symptoms of depression?
Symptoms in depressed people can manifest themselves differently. The most common symptomatology in those who suffer from it is:
Memory problems.
Loss of sexual interest.
Feelings of worthlessness, hypochondria, or guilt.
Negative thoughts.
Death wishes or suicidal ideas.
Loss of energy or fatigue.
Sadness, hopelessness.
Loss of interest in activities that you enjoyed or disliked doing.
Irritability.
Cries for no apparent reason. Trouble sleeping
Loss of appetite or desire to eat.
Symptoms:
The symptoms of a depressed patient can be different at each age. Symptoms generally manifest in the young in the form of behavior; while in adults the symptoms are usually somatic.
People who suffer from depression have a number of symptoms that can fall into five main categories:
Mood symptoms
Motivational and behavioral symptoms
Cognitive symptoms
Physical symptoms
Interpersonal symptoms
Are there types of depression?
There are different types and subtypes of depression and everything will depend on the person and the age and if it is mild or chronic.
Major depressive disorder. This type of disorder is one of the most complex and serious. It is subdivided into:
Major depressive disorder, single episode: if only one episode appear.
Major depressive disorder, recurrent episode: if there has been at least one other major depressive episode in life.
These subtypes are divided into: catatonic type, melancholic type, atypical type, postpartum type, and seasonal type.
Dysthymic disorder: This type of disorder is less serious than the previous one, but more sustained over time, the patient may experience depression for at least two years.
Unspecified Major Depressive Disorder. This includes depressive disorders that do not meet the criteria for inclusion in other categories. The most common are: Premenstrual dysphoric disorder, Postpsychotic depressive disorder in schizophrenia, Minor depressive disorder, Recurrent brief depressive disorder
Grief depression. Some people after the loss of a loved one need the help of a specialist to get out of this state.
How is depression diagnosed?
The diagnosis of depression must be made by a specialist. The person who suffers from this disease usually presents key points that awaken the alert among family or friends. In general, a depressed patient tends to show deterioration in appearance and cleanliness, is psychomotor slow, his attention decreases, his tone of voice is low, spontaneous crying, his outlook on life is pessimistic, he feels guilty, he may be hypochondriacal, suffers from sleep disturbances, among others.
When reading these symptoms, we could say that we are depressed patients, but we must ask ourselves how often these episodes are in our life, if they continue we must go to the specialist to be clinically evaluated and see how severe and how high it is. the degree of functional and social impairment.
Some anxious states can be declared clinically depressive, hence the importance that, if this is the case, they are treated by a specialist. An individual suffering from depression can incur alcohol abuse, psychotropic substances and some organic brain and systemic diseases.
Depression is often associated with eating disorders (bulimia, anorexia) and some personality disorders.
Depression can manifest itself at any age, however some studies affirm that its highest prevalence occurs between 15 and 45 years. In adolescence, it is common to see that this disease appears due to all the social pressure that the adolescent faces.
Can depression lead to suicide?
Depression is associated with suicidal behavior. Studies reveal that the risk of suicide is four times higher in people with depression compared to the general population, and 20 times higher in the case of severe depression.
Therefore, it is important to assess the risk of suicide in a depressed patient, since suicidal behavior results from innumerable situations and factors that combine to generate a range that goes from ideation to consummated suicide.
The highest risk of suicide, in general, occurs during the depressive episode and in the period of partial remission. Among the factors most associated with the risk of suicide in depressed patients are: men tend to commit suicide more, family history of a mental disorder, severe levels of
depression, previous suicide attempt, hopelessness, states of anxiety and alcohol abuse and other drugs.
What can be the cause of depression?
Different events can act as triggers for depression in people, since being a multifactorial disease it is not known exactly what triggers the episodes, since sometimes it appears without an apparent cause. Some of the possible scenarios that trigger a depressive episode are:
Previous depressive episodes.
Family background.
Stress
Death of loved ones, unemployment, loneliness, others.
Physical or psychological trauma.
Have a physical illness or chronic health problems.
Alcohol abuse and drug use can make depression worse.
For women, some may have depression after childbirth.
Treatment of depression?
Depending on the type of depression, the environment and the patient, depression will be treated differently, however here are several treatments that specialists have put into practice:
Self-help techniques: acupuncture, yoga, massage or certain food supplements can help the person with depression, although there is no firm evidence, these tend to relax the patient.
Psychological therapies: going to therapy with the specialist helps redirect many of the depressive episodes. Talking to a specialist to help you understand what you are going through is vitally important.
Pharmacological therapy: In general, severe or chronic depression must be medically and attend therapies with the specialist.
The treatment applied to the individual suffering from depression depends on each case and its symptoms, the main thing that both the specialist and the patient must take into account, working together and using a treatment that works, giving them the necessary time for that to happen.
Thank you for visiting my blog.
Bibliographic references:
https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/depression/what-is-depression
https://www.who.int/news-roomhttps://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/depression/symptoms-causes/syc-20356007/fact-sheets/detail/depression
https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/depression/index.shtml
The main image was taken from:https://www.news-medical.net/health/Drug-Abuse-and-Depression.aspx
That is a good one my dear, there are really so much we need to know about our health, for they say health is wealth, are you a doctor