Depression

Depression can strike you and I. It knows no gender, race, age nor economic status. It is an illness that affects the body, mood, and thoughts. People who suffer from depression are not "just sad" or "weak" or "grief-stricken”. They are not only affected in their sleep, appetite, even the way they think about themselves and things are also affected. Sometimes, they have no mental energy to even to drag themselves out of bed.

Depression can occur as a disorder on its own or co-occur with other mental and physical illnesses. Common types of Depression include Major Depression, Dysthymia, and Manic Depression (otherwise known as Bipolar Disorder).

Major Depression is manifested by the symptoms listed below and interferes with one’s ability to work, study, sleep, eat, and enjoy things and activities once considered pleasurable. One depressive episode can trigger future episodes.

Dysthymia is more chronic in nature but its symptoms are less severe. Those with Dysthymia are able to continue to function well and may occasionally laugh and enjoy themselves.

Manic Depression manifests itself similarly to Major Depression however, those with Manic Depression experiences mood swings between depressive mood and inappropriate elations.

Who is at risk of Developing Depression?

1. Research had found that women are twice as likely as men to be diagnosed and treated for Depression. This is attributed to: (a) women hold many conflicting roles, such as her role as a nurturing wife and mother at home and being an aggressive sales representative at work; (b) women are more willing to seek treatment while men tend to suppress it through the use of alcohol or other substance; and (c) women experience frequent changes in their hormone levels during their monthly hormonal menstrual cycles, pregnancy, and menopause.

2. Those whose family have a history of Depression are more likely to develop Depression than those who do not.

3. Those who have had an episode of Depression before will have an increased risk of developing Depression.

4. Those who are unhappily married, divorced or separated have a higher risk of developing Depression in comparison to those who are happily married.

5. Those over the age of 65 years old may be especially vulnerable.

Common Causes

Environmental

How we react to environmental events that occur in our everyday lives may influence the development of Depression. These environmental events may include situations such as prolonged stress at home or at work, coping with the loss of a loved person/animal/object, or traumatic events. This is because our relationships with others, losses we experience and crises we encounter can affect our thoughts, emotions, and behaviours.

Thinking style

When people experience chronic or repeated stressful events, they believe they have no control over the stressful situation. In addition, they often have negative beliefs about their ability to manage aspects of their lives based on perceived failures in the past. For example, imagine someone with a chronic illness who is too weak to care for herself and cope with life’s daily hassles, and she come to doubt her abilities and self-worth. She may begin to feel helpless and believe that most things are beyond her control. This feeling of helplessness may make her vulnerable to developing clinical depression at some point in her life.

This may also explain why many people appear to have “perfect lives” on the outside while being very depressed inside, often feeling guilty for being depressed as well as the common thought of “I should be happy”.
Stress
It is evident that a stressful event always precedes the development of Depression. Some people develop Depression after experiencing stressful events such as the loss of a job, the end of a relationship, getting married or moving to a new living environment. However, whether a stressful event itself can actually lead to Depression is still unclear. The same type of stressor may lead to Depression in one person but not another. Evidence had shown that Depression may be caused by the influence of more than just one or two factors. For instance, a young woman with a family history of Depression who suffers the death of her husband subsequently develops Depression. It is not necessarily the traumatic loss itself that caused the development of Depression, rather, the combination of her genetic predisposition with the stressful event that made her vulnerable to becoming depressed.
Depression may also be a result of struggling with chronic stress. Chronic stress may come in the form of having to juggle with the care for a chronically ill spouse and holding a full-time job. If a person is under continued stress, a single difficult event may easily induce an episode of Depression. An explanation for this is known as the kindling effect. This theory suggested that initial depressive episode trigger changes in the brain’s chemistry and limbic system (structures of brain involved with aspects of memory and emotional behaviours), making it more susceptible to develop future episodes of Depression. Hence for this person who may have an earlier episode of depressive mood, even small stressors can lead to developing further episodes of Depression.

Signs and symptoms of Depression:

sadness, often accompanied by pessimism and hopelessness
apathy and inertia that make it difficult to “get down to doing work”
fatigue
easily irritated
loss of interest in things and activities once considered pleasurable
loss of energy and a lack of interest in work, sex, hobbies, or other activities
low self-esteem, frequently accompanied by self-criticism; and feelings of guilt, shame, worthlessness, and helplessness
insomnia
difficulties in concentration
loss of appetite
Suicidal thoughts
Unintentional weight loss or gain
Reduced ability to make decision

Treatment

Depression can develop into very severe mental disorder if treatment is not given. Usually, with medication and some coping strategies, most depressive sufferers show signs of improvement. Psychological treatment involving Cognitive and Behavioural relearning, coupled with medication had been reported to be more effective than medication alone.