Depression is the Biggest Pandemic in today’s world.
At times It doesnt knocks and then enters your mind and body. But most of the time, it does knock but we fail to identify.
It begins as a short phase, with / without knocking the doors, and slowly expands and overtakes your entire psychological and mental health.
In Year 2004 WHO declared DEPRESSION as the number 4 cause of Human Suffering, after Cancer, Aids, Heart Diseases, Traffic Accidents.
WHO predicted that Depression will rise to No. 2 in 2020.
However in 2013 depression was coming up and by the year 2017, Depression had already risen as No 1 Cause of Human Sufferings.
Surprisingly and sadly, the FASTEST GROWING GROUP is of ADOLESCENTS.
And the WORRY is what would happen once this Depressed Adolescent becomes a Parent in the future?
The RISK FACTORS among Adoloscents are :
Smart Phone
Technology Addiction
The RISK FACTORS among Elders are :
Environmental / Family Conditions.
Cardiovascular Diseases.
Physical illness.
Lifestyle Medical Conditions.
Poor Dietary Habits.
Poor Decision Making Practices.
And this is causing the EPIDEMIC OF LONELINESS where in an overcrowded world people are dying of loneliness.
CAUSES of DEPRESSION are often UNRECOGNISED and UNNOTICED.
Before we talk about the CAUSES, lets talk about the IMPACT of DEPRESSION.
WHY did I quote DEPRESSION as a PANDEMIC?
Because it spreads from one person to the other.
In order to avoid and stay away from this PANDEMIC, you need to firstly understand:
1. How to recognize DEPRESSION
2. What are the SIGNS of a DEPRESSED PERSON
3. How to maintain a distance (if you are not a doctor) or TREAT the person (if you are a doctor)
4. UNDERSTAND that DEPRESSION is CONTAGIOUS
SIGNS OF DEPRESSION:
Stay aloof from SOCIETY or Poor SOCIAL INTERACTION.
Stop taking SELF CARE.
OCD - Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.
Low SELF ESTEEM.
Poor FUNCTIONAL SKILLS.
COGNITIVE DISTORTION.
POOR RELATIONSHIPS / ISOLATION.
The Components of Depression has a WIDE SPECTRUM but it can be divided into 3 parts :
(1) Biological Components :
(A) Genes -
There are no depression genes
But genes can get vulnerable to depression.
(B) Biochemistry -
Diseases
Drugs
(2) Psychological Components :
(A) Cognitive Distortion
(B) History of the person - Depressed Parents makes Depressed kids.
(C ) History of the Coping Style / Skills in Adverse Situations.
(3) Social Components :
(A) Social Disturbances
(B) Distress
(C ) Cultural Influence
Now lets talk about the WIDE SPECTRUM OF THE CAUSES OF DEPRESSION.
1. Lack of Physical Exercise
2. Biochemical Imbalance
3. Genetics
4. Psychosocial Stressor
5. Cognitive Distortions
6. Lack of Environmental / Social rewards.
7. Social Inequities
8. Cultural / Familial Influences
9. Dietary Issues
10. Mishandling key Vulnerable situations
=> In order to understand the CAUSES of depression well, we must also talk about the
EFFECTS OR TENTACLES OF DEPRESSION.
1. MOODS
The Person under Depression would show high signs of Mood Swings.
Sudden Anger events or Deprived of Social Interactions are the prime signs.
2. PHYSIOLOGY
The person would stay idle and inactive feeling low most of the time.
Confined in a dark room. Social Disconnect are the prime signs.
3. PHYSICAL HEALTH
The Physical Health of the person starts deteriorating. As the person stops taking care of his wellness and stays inactive and cut off most of the time.
4. CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE
Cardiac Health would get impacted.
Cardiovascular diseases are one STRONG impact of Depression and vice versa.
5. COGNITIVE SKILLS
The Thinking and Information Channel of the Person is impacted. It affects the Brain Functioning with Chemical Imbalances resulting into Neurotransmitters imbalances.
6. DECISION MAKING SKILLS
The Person goes low on Self Esteem and lacks Decision making skills.
7. ABILITY TO FUNCTION
The Functional value of the mind and body goes low as the person is aloof of the wellness and social connect too.
8. RELATIONSHIP-ISOLATION.
The prefer to not only disconnect by Society but also it impacts their close relationships in extreme cases. Resulting into isolation from family and friends relationships.
TREATMENTS OF DEPRESSION :
1. Psychotherapy
2. Psychotropic medication
3. Electroconvulsive therapy
4. Antidepressants
6. Regular Physical workout – 30 min to 1 hour
7. Soaking in Sun and keeping Vitamin D checked and regulated - as Vit D plays a
vital role in correcting mood disorders.
A mental health professional may recommend a combination of psychotherapy
and antidepressant medication to treat the disorder in children, adolescents
and adults.
They can also advise regular morning outdoor workout to be in nature and focus
on a structured workout pattern with walking, jogging, strength training, yoga
and breathing techniques in order to balance neurotransmitters resulting into
chemical balancing and keep the mind engaged and creative with versatility.
Lets talk about the treatments in details :
Medications
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)
condition and related issues with a mental health professional.
Psychotherapy is also known as talk therapy or psychological therapy.
behavioral therapy or interpersonal therapy.
Your mental health professional may also recommend other types of therapies.
Psychotherapy can help you:
1. Adjust to a crisis or other current difficulty.
Regular workout and talk therapy with an expert or psychologist gives very good positive results in the treatment that rules out the necessity of any medicine.
5. Combination of talk therapy and medication
Many types of antidepressants are available like:
Serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs)
Atypical antidepressants etc.
Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy is a general term for treating depression by talking about your condition and related issues with a mental health professional. Psychotherapy is also known as talk therapy or psychological therapy.
Different types of psychotherapy can be effective for depression, such as cognitive behavioral therapy or interpersonal therapy. Your mental health professional may also recommend other types of therapies.
Psychotherapy can help you:
1. Adjust to a crisis or other current difficulty
2. Identify negative beliefs and behaviors and replace them with healthy, positive ones
3. Explore relationships and experiences, and develop positive interactions with others
4. Find better ways to cope and solve problems
5. Identify issues that contribute to your depression and change behaviors that make it worse
6. Regain a sense of satisfaction and control in your life and help reverse depression symptoms, such as hopelessness and anger
7. Learn to set realistic goals for your life
8. Develop the ability to tolerate and accept distress using healthier behaviors
Alternate formats for therapy
Formats for depression therapy as an alternative to face-to-face office sessions are available and may be an effective option for some people.
Therapy can be provided, for example, as a computer program, by online sessions, or using videos or workbooks. Programs can be guided by a therapist or be partially or totally independent.
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT).
In ECT, electrical currents are passed through the brain to impact the function and effect of neurotransmitters in your brain to relieve depression. ECT is usually used for people who don't get better with medications and therapy.
Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS).
TMS may be an option for those who haven't responded to antidepressants. During TMS, a treatment coil placed against your scalp sends brief magnetic pulses to stimulate nerve cells in your brain that are involved in mood regulation and depression.
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