Depression (sometimes known as major depression) is an extremely common and extremely serious mental illness that adversely affects your feelings, the way you behave and how you think. Fortunately, it’s also treatable. If left untreated, depression can negatively affect your life and the lives of those around you. This type of mental illness is highly treatable, both with medication and with therapy. Here are some facts to know about depression.
Depression is classified as a psychological disorder. It affects the way that you view, think and feel about yourself, others and life in general. The symptoms of depression are unpleasant. There are several forms of depression, ranging from mild to severe. It is possible to have mild depression as well as severe or even incapacitating depression. Major depression, however, is considered to be the most disabling form of the illness.
Some of the symptoms of depression include moodiness, trouble getting out of bed or staying asleep, loss of interest in things that you once liked, decreased interest in exercise or hobbies, difficulty concentrating, feelings of guilt, insomnia or sleeping problems, trouble making connections between things that happened recently and situations that occurred several years ago, constant thoughts about death or suicide and suicidal thoughts. In order to understand your depression, it helps to know what some of the common symptoms are.
Some of the most common depression symptoms are feelings of hopelessness or irritability, feelings of excessive guilt (which can be coupled with suicidal thoughts), feelings of helplessness or worthlessness, a negative outlook on life and suicidal thoughts. It’s also important to point out that depression can affect both males and females, and it does not choose gender when it comes to diagnosing. It can affect anyone, regardless of age, race or ethnic group and whetheror not you’re married or not
Depression medications act quickly to treat symptoms of depression. There are several types of depression medications on the market including antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications. However, you should never rely solely on prescription depression medications. There are natural alternatives to depression medications. Some of the most popular natural alternatives include herbal treatments such as St. John’s Wort, St. Johns Wort and Passion Flower, and vitamins and minerals. These remedies have been shown to help treat symptoms and improve moods.
Depression can be caused by too much stress, too much anxiety or from the early losses experienced during childhood. The good news is that even though depression is a normal part of life, it’s a sickness that you need to get treated. Depression doesn’t just go away. Even if you experienced no significant losses during childhood, you can develop depression symptoms. It is recommended that you seek medical help when you are aware of the possibility that you have an illness such as depression.
Depression is an abnormal biological response to high levels of stress in your brain. When your brain recognizes that stress is prevalent, your body changes the production of certain hormones, which then change the activity of specific cells. One of these cells is the one responsible for regulating your mood. In severe cases, this depression-stress response can lead to changes in your brain chemistry which, in turn, can trigger symptoms of mood swings and chronic disease.
Depression medications that work to improve your mood help regulate your brain chemical balances, which in turn helps regulate many other neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitters are chemicals that pass through the walls of the neurons in your brain and help regulate chemical communication between cells. Depression is often a symptom of depleted neurotransmitters. Most medications for treating depression work by increasing concentrations of certain neurotransmitters, which in turn help to increase overall neurotransmitter levels. However, when you take medications to help regulate the production of neurotransmitters, you may still need to supplement those levels with a healthy, balanced diet.
Often times people suffering from depression also experience symptoms of grief. Grief is a normal response to the death of a loved one; however, feelings of grief can also be associated with other mental illnesses including depression. Grief usually last for a period of time after the death of a loved one; however, sometimes, this grief can last for years. Left undiagnosed and untreated, grief can make depression more severe.