Many individuals still wrongly believe that depression is not a genuine health condition. This often results in delayed or no treatment thus resulting in major complications to include suicide. Fortunately, there are now effective ways of treating depression.
What is clinical depression?
Most people go through periods of feeling down or sad at some time in their lives, but when you are depressed you feel persistently sad for weeks or months, rather than just a few days. Depression is not a sign of weakness or something you can “snap out of” by “pulling yourself together”.
Depression is a mood disorder that causes a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest. It affects how you feel, think and behave and can lead to a variety of emotional and physical problems. You may have trouble doing normal day-to-day activities, and sometimes you may feel as if life is not worth living.
What are some symptoms of depression?
Depression affects people in different ways and can cause a wide variety of symptoms. Symptoms also depend on your age. Children have symptoms that do not occur in adults. Men tend to have some symptoms that do not occur in females.
The symptoms of depression range from mild to severe. At its mildest, you may simply feel persistently low in spirit, while severe depression can make you feel suicidal, that life is no longer worth living.
There are a lot of signs of depression, but you may not have them all. How intense they are, and how long they last, are different from person to person. Signs and symptoms include the following:
Sad, empty, or anxious.
Helpless, worthless, or guilty. You may feel bad about yourself or your life, or think a lot about losses or failures.
Hopeless. You may be pessimistic or believe that nothing good will ever happen. You may even think about suicide.
Irritable.
Less interest in activities. Hobbies or games you usually enjoy may not appeal to you. You may have little or no desire to eat or have sex.
Less energetic. You may feel extremely tired or think more slowly. Daily routines and tasks may seem too hard to manage.
Trouble concentrating.
Changes in the way you sleep. You may wake up too early or have trouble falling asleep. The opposite can also happen. You may sleep much longer than usual.
Changes in appetite. You may overeat or not feel hungry. Depression often leads to weight gain or weight loss.
Aches and pains. You may have headaches, cramps, an upset stomach, or digestive problems.
What causes depression?
Many experts believe it is a combination of factors that cause depression. These include anomalies in brain structure, genetics, and life events.
Sometimes there is a trigger for depression. Life-changing events, such as bereavement, losing your job or even having a baby, can bring it on.
People with a family history of depression are more likely to experience it themselves. But you can also become depressed for no obvious reason.
When to see a doctor
If you feel depressed, make an appointment to see your doctor or mental health professional as soon as you can. If you are reluctant to seek treatment, talk to a friend or loved one, any healthcare professional, a faith leader, or someone else you trust. If you think you may hurt yourself or attempt suicide get help immediately. You should call your doctor or mental health professional or visit the accident and emergency department at the hospital. You should also reach out to a close friend or loved one, or contact a minister, spiritual leader or someone else in your faith community.
If you have a loved one who is in danger of suicide or has made a suicide attempt, make sure someone stays with that person. You should arrange for the person to be seen by a health professional as soon as possible.
Treatment
If you think you are getting depressed, do not try to tough it out. See your doctor. Several treatments can help, including antidepressants and talk therapy. Your recommended treatment will be based on whether you have mild, moderate or severe depression.
Some individuals with depression also benefit by making lifestyle changes such as getting more exercise, cutting down on alcohol, giving up smoking and eating healthily. Joining a support group also benefits some individuals.
Prevention
Depression can affect anyone. Currently there is no definitive way to prevent depression. However, these strategies may help:
• Take steps to control stress, to increase your resilience and boost your self-esteem.
• Reach out to family and friends, especially in times of crisis, to help you weather rough spells.
• Get treatment at the earliest sign of a problem to help prevent depression from worsening.
• Consider getting long-term maintenance treatment to help prevent a relapse of symptoms.
Conclusion
Depression is a major public health disorder in many countries including Anguilla. Unfortunately, depression often goes undiagnosed and untreated in adults and children, and they may feel reluctant to seek help. There is still much stigma attached to mental illness in Anguilla and many individuals, including some health professionals, tend not to take depression seriously thereby resulting in many individuals failing to get the appropriate treatment. If you have signs and symptoms suggestive of depression seek professional help. Various treatments are available to successfully treat depression. Talk to your doctor today.
Ask Your Doctor is a health education column and is not a substitute for medical advice from your physician. The reader should consult his or her physician for specific information concerning specific medical conditions. While all reasonable efforts have been made to ensure that all information presented is accurate, as research and development in the medical field are ongoing, it is possible that new findings may supersede some data presented.
Dr Brett Hodge MB BS DGO MRCOG, is an Obstetrician/Gynaecologist and Family Doctor who has over thirty-five years in clinical practice. Dr Hodge has a medical practice in The Johnson Building in The Valley (Tel: 264 4975828).
