Depression - Types, Symptoms, Causes, Risks and Treatments

Clinical depression, also known as a major depressive mood disorder, is a critical medical condition. It can have negative impacts on the way one feels or acts. However, different people go through depression in different ways. There are still several misconceptions about depression and its treatment. This article will help you learn how depression can affect your daily life.

Interested to learn more in detail? Keep reading!

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What is Depression?

Depression is a condition affecting your mood and ability to function. Its symptoms can overpower thinking and basic functionalities like eating, sleeping, etc. As a result, it leads to feeling low, losing interest in activities, physical and emotional problems, and a person's effectiveness in performance.

Many get confused with just being upset and depressed. It is obvious that there will be unpleasant events in your life which will make you grieve. In the long run, such events can trigger depression.

What Are the Types of Depression?

Depending on how depression affects your daily life, doctors divide them into different types..

Bipolar Depression: Those who suffer from this disorder have extreme mood conditions, from low to high-energy periods. When they are in a low phase, they may experience symptoms like feeling sad and hopeless.
Major Depressive Disorder (MDD): This type of clinical depression is intense and has overwhelming symptoms. In addition, those going through this phase can have persisting symptoms for more than two weeks. Hence, interrupting their daily lives.
Psychotic Depression: Individuals who have psychotic depression experience severe depressive symptoms along with delusions and hallucinations. They believe in seeing or hearing things which are not real.
Perinatal and Postpartum Depression: Perinatal and Postpartum depression involves childbearing. The former occurs during pregnancy and the latter after giving birth. In most cases, women reported symptoms like minor episodes of sadness, worthlessness, worry and stress. These symptoms can continue even after a year of having a baby.
Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD): This is a serious form of Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS). It causes extreme physical discomfort and mood swings. This generally starts a week before the menstrual cycle begins.
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD): The seasonal affective disorder starts with the change of weather, mostly in late fall and early winter. In this condition, a gloomy climate affects the mood.
Persistent Depressive Disorder (PDD): PDD, or dysthymia, has less severe symptoms than clinical depression. However, this disorder can last for years.

What Are the Causes of Depression?

There can be several causes of depression. Here is a list of a few.

Chemical Condition of the Brain: Any kind of abnormalities in the brain can lead to depression.
Medical Conditions: Someone going through extreme pain due to an illness can also develop depression.
Reaction to Certain Medications: There are certain medicines like steroids that cause depression as a side effect.
Life Events: Work pressure, stress, the death of loved ones, traumatising events, and lack of support can also cause depression.
Genetics: Not all forms of depression depend on genetics, but there are chances.
Personality: People who find it hard to cope with their surroundings and find it overwhelming are most prone to depression.

Triggers of Depression

Besides these causes, there can be different depression relapse triggers. For example:

1. Bereavement

This is one of the significant triggers of depression. Nevertheless, diagnosis of this is not easy because it is confused with a normal reaction to loss. In addition, it varies from one person to another on how grief is perceived.

In some cases, this sense of loss and grief manifests into certain symptoms like depression, anxiety, anger, disturbed sleep, high stress, changes in the immune system, etc.

2. Rejection

It is very common among humans to need approval from others. Thus, rejection in any state can become difficult for some people to handle. As a result, there are many who have a high rejection sensitivity.

Rejection and depression have a co-dependent relationship. On the one hand, social exclusion becomes a cause for depression; on the other, depression elevates rejection sensitivity. This is because those suffering from depression have low self-esteem and are more sensitive towards rejection.

3. Stress

Psychological stress is another trigger of depression. In addition, those who undergo extreme stress develop hormonal changes. These changes then result in some physical changes in brain cells as well.

Moreover, psychological stress activates the immune system. This includes releasing cytokines; these are immune system chemicals related to depression. Since the immune system chemicals become active in the brain, it produces symptoms of mental illness.

4. Lack of Sleep

Changes in the sleep cycle may trigger depression. For example, around 75% of depression patients have insomnia, and 40% have hypersomnia.

In a clinical trial, two adult twins were examined. The results state that sleeping for five hours less has a chance of doubling depression. While a study with adolescents showed sleeping for six hours or less per night can increase the risks of depression by 25% to 38%.

5. Rumination

Rumination is a situation when grief goes out of hand. Unfortunately, those going through this phenomenon continue to dwell with grief rather than making efforts to come out of it. In some cases, individuals get angry with others who have a better grasp of handling similar situations.

This is another trigger for depression. Besides, it can worsen prolonged depression and pose a risk for suicidal thoughts.

6. Financial Problems

Monetary problems are one such condition that most people face. Nonetheless, a study showed the effects of low income is associated with mental health risks.

However, this continues as a vicious cycle. In addition, financial problems cause stress and depression, worsening the existing problems.

7. Transitions in Life

Some people find it hard to accept minor transitions in their life, even if it is a positive changes. For instance, moving to a new city after getting promoted. In addition, the sense of leaving your family behind can impact one's mind negatively.

There is a subtype of depression known as adjustment disorder. This causes depressive symptoms or clinical depression after some changes in life.

8. Substance Use

Doctors opine substance use and depression are correlated as they share common risk factors. Often these two overlap and trigger one another.

Many people get addicted to substances as a process of self-medication. Most people do not even know their mental health issues are treatable. One should note the occurrence of substance use and depression at the same time needs immediate medical aid.

What Are the Common Signs and Symptoms of Depression?

There are many signs to detect depression. Symptoms of depression include:

Being sad, hopeless and worried all the time
Not enjoying anything
Always in an irritated and frustrated mood
Either eating a lot or having no appetite
Difficulty in concentrating
Disturbances in sleep
Headache
Pain in stomach
Sexual dysfunction
Having suicidal thoughts

What are the Risk Factors of Depression?

A few of the risk factors of depression include:

Family History: In case someone in your family has depression, then you are at a higher risk of getting depression.
Major Life Changes: Sudden changes in life can lead to stress. These might include problems in marriage, job or others. However, regardless of the problem these can lead to depression.
Health Problems: Long-term health problems can also contribute to depression. For instance, problems such as heart attack, stroke, HIV and cancer can generate depression. Also, the consumption of substances and alcohol increases the risk of depression.
Gender: In general, females are more likely to suffer from depression than males. The reason behind it can be having a baby, menopause, miscarriage etc.
Age: Although individuals of any age can suffer from depression, older individuals are at higher risk. Also, in some cases, depression can arise from aging.
Medications: A few medications, such as pain relievers, sleeping pills, sedatives, and steroids can result in depression.
Negligible Social Support: If individuals experience negligible support they are more likely to suffer from depression. Also, feeling isolation and lack of social factors can contribute to the same.
Sleep Disorders: Sleep problems for an extended time can result in depression.

How to Diagnose Depression?

You must talk to your doctor if you are feeling sad for more than 2 weeks. After that, your doctor will use multiple methods to diagnose your depression. So, opt for consultation if:

Your symptoms have not improved for more than 2 weeks.
If it is affecting your work, education, relationships etc.
Going through thoughts of self-harm and suicide.

What Are the Ways to Treat Depression Syndrome?

Although depression is a serious medical condition, it is treatable. Besides the conventional treatment process, there are other ways as well.

Self-Help: Reading books, taking a walk in nature, exercising, or spending time with people you love, can help you focus on the good things in your life.
Alternative Medicine: Doctors believe people with mild depression can improve their condition with complementary therapy. This can be a massage, hypnosis, acupuncture, or biofeedback.
Counselling: This is the most effective way to treat depression. As you talk to a therapist, they can identify the root cause of your condition. Then, with their guidance, you learn to address your problems and develop coping mechanisms.
Medication: Only certain types of depression need medical help. Moreover, you must know having antidepressants can cause adverse effects. Therefore, do not consume any such medicine without consulting a doctor.
Therapy: Brain stimulation therapy helps those with severe depression. These include Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT), and Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS).
Natural Remedies: Along with taking prescribed medications, you can also try some natural remedies. Nevertheless, you should always consult your healthcare provider before adding any other medication because overlapping these can harm your health. Some natural remedies include St. John’s wort and omega-3 fatty acids.

How Does Depression Affect Your Daily Life?

It is difficult to visually identify a depressed person because this condition does not have an appearance. Someone who seems normal may have severe depressive symptoms.

There are many ways how depression can affect your daily life. Some of them are as follows:

You feel guilty as you struggle to accomplish minor goals like getting up from bed.
Waking up in the morning feels difficult, as it is when you question, "what is the point?”
You pretend and hide what you are going through in front of everyone.
Most often, you act eccentrically, like cancelling plans at the last minute, because it is not possible for you to get up.
Even if you are at a gathering, it becomes difficult to have fun.

Additionally, depression can also impact your physical health.

Effects on the Central Nervous System: Depression mainly impacts mood, which the brain controls. Since it is related to the central nervous system, it instigates a feeling of emptiness, trouble in decision-making, insomnia, refusal to let go, etc. These symptoms are often ignored, but with time they become extremely problematic. For example, the American Psychological Association states that older adults with depression are more prone to memory loss.
Effects on the Digestive System: Along with affecting a person's mental condition, depression also impacts a person's nutrition and appetite. As a result, some people develop an eating disorder as a coping mechanism. However, this leads to obesity and diabetes. The other group of people lose their appetite and do not feel like eating at all. This can sometimes develop into anorexia.
Effects on the Cardiovascular and Immune Systems: As mentioned above, stress and depression are interrelated. So, when a person is in deep depression, stress hormones spike the heart rate and tighten blood vessels. This can lead to several heart diseases. Stress can also negatively impact the immune system and make it vulnerable to infections and acute diseases.

How to Come Out of Depression?

Till now, we discussed how depression affects your daily life. So, let us focus on ways to overcome this condition.

Clinical depression requires medical assistance, but there are some additional steps you can take to manage depression. Here are some of them:

Accept what you are going through, try to be open and love yourself.
Some days are hard to get up, but doing minimal physical activities can lower depressive symptoms.
Maintain a journal or mood diary to track how you are evolving daily.
Try navigating the good things and avoid overgeneralisation of events.
Finally, go against your depressed voice.
Make a list of goals; these do not need to include major tasks but focus on little things.
Recognise your successes and reward your efforts.
Make a routine, and it might help you do regular tasks easily.
Push yourself to do something you enjoy.
Listen to music to boost your mood.
Spend time with your family, share your thoughts or go through old photos.
Do something new, like take up a new hobby, learn something, etc.
Volunteering in events can motivate you to do some physical activity.
Try meditation to control and relax your mind.
Maintain a healthy diet and limit caffeine intake.
Refrain from consuming alcohol or other forms of substance use.
Aim to have 8 hours of sleep every night.
Consult a professional for therapy and medication.

Since you have read so far, you now know how depression can affect your daily life and other related information on this subject. So, to conclude, depression is a serious condition that requires professional aid. Moreover, there are many ways to treat this condition, but you must take small steps to make an impact.

FAQs About Depression

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How common is depression?

Nearly 7% of adults in America suffer from depression every year. Furthermore, reports state more than 16% of U.S. adults will go through depression once in their lifetime.

Who is at risk of depression?

Depression can attack anyone, irrespective of age and gender. However, women are at higher risk of depression than men.