What is Depression and Do I have It?
When you ask a group of people with clinical depression to describe the condition, you can get a variety of responses.
Depression is a very personal experience that is felt by millions of people around the world.
Different people have different symptoms, but one thing is certain: depression is a tough condition that can destroy your life if you suffer from it.
Many people with depression describe it as a sense of despair that takes over everything they do and feel. It takes on a life of its own.
If you never suffered from depression it can be difficult to really understand the severity it takes on for an individual in it. It doesn’t compare to someone feeling sad because they their favorite team just lost the playoff, or they weren’t picked to be on a project at work. Depression is even more invasive than sadness or frustration.
Depression takes everything away from you; it zaps your energy, focus, desire, concentration, and especially your joy. Even people you love become unimportant and you find yourself not caring about anyone or anything anymore.
If your depression becomes your norm for a long time, you’ll become accustomed to the feeling bad and find it difficult to access any other emotion. You’ll find it familiar and keep going back to that emotion even if you don’t want to and it can even become disconcerting.
Physical Concerns of Depression
Depression’s physical symptoms not only take their toll on your feelings and mental state; they can also cause serious physical problems. Depression can either cause you to lose your appetite or eat without ceasing. It also zaps your drive and strength.
You may appear to become inactive when you’re down. This alone can cause several issues, but if some of the others are added to the physical side effects of depression, it’s easy to see why it can be such a serious illness.
In addition, depression can lead to:
- Failure to sleep. Depression can cause insomnia, which strips the body of the necessary sleep which is needed for you to function properly.
- Poor diets. Most people fail to take the proper nutrients when they are stressed. Planning and preparing a meal take too much effort. This can cause several health issues or problems.
- Physical Aches and pain. If someone tells you there is no impact on your physical state from your mental state, they are incorrect. The chemicals in the brain that signal pain are affected as well as those that help you feel good when you’re sad.
- There is a rise in physical aches and pains, which in turn brings in the negative feelings and the cycle starts again.
- Hygiene becomes unimportant. Someone with depression has no desire or incentive to care for themselves.
What are the Symptoms of Depression?
These are some specific things those with depression experience:
- Chronic and severe sadness about everything
- Hopelessness
- Problems sleeping or Insomnia
- Constant Frustration
- Overwhelming Irritability
- Concentration Problems
- Loss of interest in things that once fascinated them
- Feeling insignificant, unworthy, useless and oddly guilty for no reason whatsoever
- Serious change in weight, one way or the other
- Lack of energy, exhaustion and fatigue
One thing about depression is certain: it’s a serious condition and shouldn’t be taken lightly.
As depression progresses, it feeds on itself like a snowball rolling downhill. The longer someone is depressed, the worse it gets until they see no way out of it at all. They become resigned to being miserable all the time.
Depression can be caused by a certain occurrence, seasonal change, a loss of someone dear, or even a brain chemical imbalance. Depression treatment usually involves counseling or medicine to help change alter the brain chemistry.
We have found that traditional means can serve to mask and there are several new alternatives that can.
If you know someone who is depressed, the best thing you can do is be his or her friend. Talk to them and help them through this period. Help them seek medical care to treat their illness.
If you think you may be depressed, there is help. Depression doesn’t have to ruin your life! With help and support, you can conquer your depression, move past it, and go on to live a joyful life.
If you are suffering from depression and feel you need help reach out to us here now.
