The term “depression” conjures up a black cloud of unpleasant feelings in our minds as a common concept. What exactly is depression then?  Why is it more prevalent among younger generations? Is depression truly the repository for bad feelings as they claim? We should talk about depression.

The word “depression” is derived from the Latin “depresso,” which means to press down and lower. Depression is a constant feeling of sadness and loss of interest, which stops you doing your normal activities that last for 6 months or longer. Similar to having unpleasant emotions, depression lasts for a long time and negatively affects daily living, giving the sufferer the impression that their existence is being dragged out from under them.

Definition

According to WHO,” Depression is common mental disorder characterized by persistent sadness and a lack of interest or pleasure in previously rewarding or enjoyable activities, also include disturb sleep, appetite, tiredness and poor concentration.”

A prolonged sense of sadness and loss of interest are symptoms of depression, a mood illness.

History of depression

Depression has a history that is at least as old as civilization. In ancient Egyptian paintings, hieroglyphics, and status, we can find descriptions of depression. The Egyptians portrayed this depressing state of mind while the pyramids were still in their infancy in many of the same ways that we now perceive depression. The Egyptians used dance, travel, and sleep as treatments. These people in antiquity understood that insomnia increases the weight of depression and that exercise reduces the depression’s lethargy.

In his 2001 book “The Anatomy of Melancholy”, British academic Robert Button (2001) compared depression to a broken-winged goose that droops and pines away. Burton emphasized in his 150-page book that depression might have causes that are obscure or that transcend the original cause.

The Roman Catholic Church in the Middle Ages taught that depression was the result of Satan. Philippe Pinel, a French physician who lived in the eighteenth century, described depression as the result of social and psychological stress, inheritance, and physiological conditions.

The church in the east took a completely different approach than other churches, stating that depression was a passion called despondency that was sparked by the concept, according to California psychologist and priest Georg Morelli.

Later in 1948 psychiatrist Adolph Meyer introduce the idea that depression was a reaction to life events, and not a medical illness. His psychobiological studies showed that thought and feeling affects a person’s physiological state.

The father of psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud, stated in “On Murder, Mourning and Melancholy” (2005) that melancholy has many definitions, meanings, and physical and psychological origins. He thought depression was a complicated condition brought on by trauma in early childhood. According to a contemporary theory of depression, depressive thoughts, stress triggers, and dispositional variables contribute to this psychosocial-biological illness. An unsafe and harsh setting can make depression more likely.

Causes of depression

It’s not always loneliness, loss, misfortune, or preexisting negative pattern of thinking that spiral into a depression. Sometimes people become melancholy and decide life is no longer worth living for no apparent reason. There can be various causes for the person to be depressed. Some common causes are described in brief;

• • Abuse: Physical, sexual, or emotional abuse can make you more vulnerable to depression later in life.

• • Age: Elderly people are more likely to experience depression. Other elements like living alone and lacking social support can exacerbate that.

• • Certain medications:Some drugs, such as isotretinoin (used to treat acne), the antiviral drug and corticosteroids, can increase your risk of depression.

• • Conflict: Depression in someone who has the biological vulnerability to it may result from personal conflicts or disputes with family members or friends.

• • Death or a loss: Even though it is normal to feel sad or grieve after losing a loved one, depression risk can grow.

• • Gender: In general, women are twice as likely as males to experience depression. Nobody knows the cause. Women’s varying hormonal alterations throughout their lives could be a factor.

• • Genes: A family history of depression may increase the risk. Since depression is considered to be a complicated trait, it is more likely that there are numerous small-effect genes at play than a single gene that increases the risk of developing the condition.Such other mental disorders, the genetics of depression is not as clear-cut or easy as it is in diseases that are solely genetic, like Huntington’s chorea or cystic fibrosis.

• • Major events: Even good events such as starting a new job, graduating, or getting married can lead to depression. So can moving, losing a job or income, getting divorced, or retiring. However, the syndrome of clinical depression is never just a “normal” response to stressful life events.

• • Other personal problems: Problems such as social isolation due to other mental illnesses or being cast out of a family or social group can contribute to the risk of developing clinical depression.

• • Serious illnesses: Sometimes, depression happens along with a major illness or may be triggered by another medical condition.

• • Substance misuse: Nearly 30% of people with substance misuse problems also have major or clinical depression. Even if drugs or alcohol temporarily make you feel better, they ultimately will aggravate depression.

Hippocrates, a physician in ancient Greece, believed that depression resulted from a person’s fragility coupled with stressful conditions, as well as from having a predisposition to depression.

Faces of the depression

Since depression is a very complex mental illness, it cannot be fully understood in a single box. As a result, they are divided into many kinds to facilitate understanding and diagnosis. Here is an explanation of them:

Major depression

A major depression is identified by the symptoms that go along with it, such as a protracted, depressed mood that includes a number of symptoms like depressive thinking, decreased ability to tolerate frustration, disturbance of appetite, loss of pleasure, exhaustion, and suicidal thoughts, among others. These symptoms cause human suffering, lost productivity, and high medical costs.

Adjustment Disorder with depression

Adjustment disorder: You frequently experience tension and restlessness.You find it difficult to focus because you are afraid that something terrible might occur and you feel as though you might lose control of yourself.

Dysthymic depression

When you suffer numerous symptoms of a significant depression, it is referred to as a dysthymic depression. When you’re in a dysthymic state of mind, you might suffer repeated fear. As a result of the energy needed to mobilize against the anxiety, you might also experience heightened depression for more than two years.

Postpartum depression

Because of physical factors related to delivery, women are more likely to experience depression throughout the period between puberty and menopause. Postpartum depression is one of these disorders.

Shortly after giving birth, one in every thirteen women has this depression. This euphemism, which is also referred to as “baby blues,” might minimize the seriousness of a disorder that affects both mother and child as well as possibly future generations.

Seasonal affective Disorder

A form of sadness known as seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is triggered by the changing of the seasons; it starts and ends about at the same periods each year. If you have SAD like the majority of people do, your symptoms begin in the fall and last through the winter, draining your energy and making you cranky. Typically, these symptoms go away in the spring and summer. SAD less frequently results in depression in the spring or early summer and clears up in the fall or winter.

Atypical depression

The most frequent forms of depression are called atypical disorders because they differ from major depressive disorders. This type of depression is characterized by excessive sleeping and weight gain. Any pleasant changes in life, in contrast to persons with profound depression, for whom even an unexpected visit from a close friend has no mood-altering effect, can momentarily cause the sadness to lift.

Bipolar depression

Manic depression, formerly known as bipolar disorder, is a mental health illness that results in sharp mood swings, including emotional highs (mania or hypomania), and lows (depression).

When you experience depression, you could feel melancholy or hopeless and stop enjoying or being interested in most activities. You might experience mania or hypomania (a less severe form of mania), which can make you feel euphoric, energized, or excessively irritable. The ability to think clearly, energy levels, activities, judgment, and behavior can all be impacted by these mood changes.

Everyone’s experience with depression is unique. People are more likely to develop new types of depression in the current day. So it’s possible to be depressed even if you don’t fit into a specific category.

Symptoms of depression

Although depression may occur only once during your life, people typically have multiple episodes. During these episodes, symptoms occur most of the day, nearly every day and may include:

• • Feelings of sadness, tearfulness, emptiness or hopelessness

• • Angry outbursts, irritability or frustration, even over small matters

• • Loss of interest or pleasure in most or all normal activities, such as sex, hobbies or sports

• • Sleep disturbances, including insomnia or sleeping too much

• • Tiredness and lack of energy, so even small tasks take extra effort

• • Reduced appetite and weight loss or increased cravings for food and weight gain

• • Anxiety, agitation or restlessness

• • Slowed thinking, speaking or body movements

• • Feelings of worthlessness or guilt, fixating on past failures or self-blame

• • Trouble thinking, concentrating, making decisions and remembering things

• • Frequent or recurrent thoughts of death, suicidal thoughts, suicide attempts or suicide

Many depressed individuals typically experience symptoms that are severe enough to interfere with daily activities including job, school, social interactions, or interpersonal relationships. Some people may experience widespread misery or unhappiness without truly understanding why.

Result of depression

In the short-term, depression is likely to cause loss of appetite, weight loss, and other physical symptoms. If you develop insomnia or hypersomnia (sleeping too much), you will be fatigued and lethargic. In the long term, you can experience malnutrition from not eating enough or become obese from eating too much. You can also experience a drop in short-term memory, finding it easier to forget things. Long-term depression can also lead to suicide. Everyday Health states that over 66 percent of suicides have depression as a factor.

Management of depression

Although getting professional assistance is crucial, there are other things you can do on a daily basis to aid in your recovery. There isn’t a single, effective method for helping people overcome depression. The good news is that a variety of resources and medical specialists are available to address depression. The sooner they can recover because depression can be treated. Different depressions call for various treatments. Small-scale symptom relief includes:

Learning about the condition, lifestyle changes, psychological therapy provided by professionals or online e-therapies.

Psychological treatment for depression

You can alter your thought patterns and enhance your coping mechanisms with the aid of psychological counseling. As a result, you are better able to handle stress and disagreements in life. Cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), interpersonal therapy (IPT), behavioral therapy, and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) are some of the different psychological treatment modalities .

Antidepressant medication:

The main medical treatment for depression is antidepressant medication. When previous treatments have failed or when psychological treatments are not feasible because of the severity of the problem or a lack of access to the treatment, antidepressants are administered. Antidepressants may enable people to experience constant joy.

Some side effects including;
-Nausea,

-headache,

-weight gain,

-dry mouth dizziness,

-anxiety

There are a variety of methods people can help themselves to get better and stay well, in addition to medical and psychological care;

• • Staying active

• • Get in a routine

• • Set goals

• • Eat healthy

• • Exercise

• • Get enough sleep

• • Challenge negative thoughts

• • Do something new

• • Avoid alcohol and other drugs

• • Don’t rely on medication alone

• • Get social support

• • Accepting treatment takes time and commitment

    
    According to the WHO, more than 70,000 people commit suicide each year, and depression will overtake HIV/AIDS as the second-leading medical cause of disability by 2030. Therefore, it is crucial for us to love and care for ourselves, promote positivity and love, and spend time in nature since these tiny actions can go a long way toward keeping us away from depression.
    
    

    Although it can be frightening, depression is not irreversible, therefore we should wait for the rough period to pass before seeking professional assistance.