Depression is originated from deprimere a latin word meaning tosink/ to press down. This word came to use in the 14th century to express a state of melacholy or sadness. And with time, the word has become more accomodating/ evolved including mental health conditions as well from mood swings to other symptoms. Now, we know that/ have enough awareness to know that depression is not something to be taken seriously and also depression is not just a word to be used at our convenience. So what is DEPRESSION? well, a persistent feeling of hopelessness, sadness,a lack of interest/ happiness in day to day activities. In addition, there can be tiredness, sleep pattern/ appetite change and difficulty to concentrate. To understand that you or people around you are going through depression is a difficult task beacause pretty much everything happens inside of us, within our mind we might feel alot but we might not express clearly to others because we ourselves might not understand what we are going through. It is quiet challenging. And symptoms can differ from person to person. There are few pointers to look out for :
Social Withdrawal: It is basically isolating yourself from people be it friends, family or others. Does not engage in any social activities. Continued Sadness: It a series of sadness and hopelessness, a feeling of emptiness which is experienced frequently. Tiredness: Constantly feeling tried / energy drain. Not able to tackle everyday with enthusiasm.Lack of interest: Not finding much happiness/ interest in the things that you used to enjoy earlier. changes in sleep pattern : You can experience insomnia or over sleeping, which is totally different from your usual pattern. appetite or weight pattern change : There can be a drastic weight loss or gain, which is same in terms of food consumption. difficulty in Concentrating : Memory, focus or decision making , doesnt seem easier now. It is more challenging and complex. physical challenges: This can include aches ans pains without clear medical issues/ symptoms. Thoughts of giving up life: No / lack of interest to live, thoughts of commiting suiciding or ending ones lives. Awareness about depression is essential for the early detection and prevention of the issue with proper medical help. Early analysis and treatment can provide a better quality of life for people. Also educating people about such conditions like depression is very important because people are often shy to admit about these things, they associate mental illness with shyness or embaressment to admit in public or to others ( even loved ones) , they also fear peoples judgement due to lack to education about these matters. Hence, its high time to break the stigma surrounding mental wellbeing. We need each and every individual on the planet to understand that mental health is as important as physical health, maybe much more because of the negligence or lack of importance to it. Also preventing suicide or suicidal tendencies should be the goal of each responsible citizen , especially those citizens who are in the medical fields. A value should be cultivated in everyone to detect and provide help to the near and dear ones who are suffering from some form of mental illness. Having a safe and supportive environment for such and all individuals is a must. We need to work towards the goal of acvomodating everybody and their feelings. To work for a healthy world both inside out. Also we require to focus on enhanced treatment facilities which focuses on adequate funding and quality resources. Here, we have to self volunteer, educate ourselves and others. We have to remain sharp and open. Also we need to develop a sense of empathy to tackle with sensitive situations. We need to get in touch with proper health experts to tackle depression for a better output. We need to act quick and on time. Everyone should feel it is ok to approach an expert and that is the right way to deal with it. Hence, depression is not a fancy word, it is a serious condition. We need to join hands with empathy to work towards cleaning minds. There are several types of depression namely: Major Depressive Disorder (MDD),Persistent Depressive Disorder (Dysthymia),Bipolar Disorder,Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD),Postpartum Depression,Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD),Atypical Depression,Psychotic Depression,Situational or Reactive Depression and Substance-Induced Depression etc Now, I am sure alot of people might have heard about postpartum depression as a lot of celebrities have spoken about it but there are other forms of depressions as stated above which has not been known to many. Usually depression is categorised and compared based on the symptoms, duration, triggers and many other factors. MDD is like a heavy cloud of sadness hanging above you, its symptoms are persistent sadness and hopelessness with a lack of interest in the things used to enjoy previously. There can also be sleep and appetite changes. Dysthymia, is like a milder verison of the earlier discussed one. It has a long lasting effect of sadness and reduced energy. Bipolar disorder might be a familar name to you all from movies or other media platforms, it is basically a roaller coaster of emotions, it has two phases one called as mania or hypomania which shows an energetic and high you, a fully charged version of yourself whereas the depression phase will have a low energy you.Coming to SAD, its when we say I’m feeling blue. Its a feeling of lack of motivation , this might occur only at certains times of a year like winter. Postpartum depression occurs after giving birth, it might make things difficult for woman with newborns to go through such a blue phase. With lost of understanding, care and support you can come out of it successfully but your partner should be able to standby you and give you strength during these times. PMDD, is an enhanced , a much enhanced version of PMS which can occur before your periods this can make you super moody, irritable and on low energy mode.Atypical Depression,they come with symptoms like overreacting or overeating. You might feel like your limps are heavy. This is just as the name suggests.Psychotic Depression, is a deep sadness followed by other delusions like hearing a voice or believing things which are not true. This can make you loose touch with reality. Situational depression,can occur based on your situations like a breakup, divorce or job loss or even a death of a loved one.Substance Induced Depression can occur due to substance use. Its an extreme hopelessness or low phase you might be experiencing. Remember, we are not experts we just need to know that we need proper experts.
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