Depression

Depression is a mental disorder .Depression is characterized by low mood, a feeling of sadness and loss of interest in daily activities.

“Depression is the most unpleasant thing I have ever experienced...It is that absence of being able to envisage that you will ever be cheerful again. The absence of hope. That very deadened feeling, which is so very different from feeling sad. Sad hurts but it's a healthy feeling. It is a necessary thing to feel. Depression is very different.”

- J. K. Rowling .

As a Pharmacist, I want to share with you some information about depression, which is a fatal one and common in human beings .I want to enlighten you about the seriousness of this disease.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), depression is the most common illness worldwide and the leading cause of disability .They estimate that 350 million people are affected by depression, globally.

Signs and symptoms

Depression can affect both men and women .Symptoms of depression may include-

• Mood - Anger, irritability, aggressiveness, restlessness, anxiousness, crying.

• Emotional –Sad, feeling empty, hopeless.

• Behavioral – Loss of interest, feeling tired easily, drinking excessively, using drugs, engaging in high risk activities, thoughts of suicide.

• Sexual – Reduced sexual desire, lack of sexual performance.

• Sleep – Insomnia, restless sleep, excessive sleepiness.

• Physical – Fatigue, pains, headache, digestive problems, weight changes, decreased energy.

Etiology (Causes)

The causes of depression are not fully understood and may not down to a single source.

Genetics.

• Physical illness.

• Hormonal change.

• Environmental.

• Biochemical factor.

• Personality – Those with less successful coping strategies, or previous like trauma are more susceptible.

• Drug induced – It includes alcohols, smoking, and stimulants.

Types of depression

From the point of view of drug treatment, depression are classified as-

• Exogenous or reactive depression – Exogenous depression is characterized by a well defined precipitating stress, such as loss of individual adverse effects of drugs. The treatment of this type of depression is psychotherapy.

• Endogenous depression – Endogenous depression is caused neuro-chemical imbalance. Its symptoms are severe and of reactive depression.

Some other types of depression are –

• Major depression – Major depression is a moderate to severe episode lasting two or more weeks. There is trouble sleep, loss or gain weight, loss of interest in activities, feel hopeless, and difficulty in concentrating.

• Dysthymic disorder – It begins slowly and may not be able to pinpoint when the depression started.

• Bipolar or manic depression – Bipolar or manic depression is a mental illness that can loss a person between terrible lows and manic highs. The mood is dramatic and rapid.

Clinical features of depression

• Low mood accompanied by a loss of interest or pleasure.

• Mood may be worst in morning.

• It cannot express emotion.

• Feelings of hopelessness.

• Appetite or weight loss or weight gain.

• Decreased energy, fatigue.

• Thinking of death or suicide.

Treatment

There are three components to the management of depression. They are –

• Support, ranging from discussing practical solutions and contributing stresses, to educating family members.

• Psychotherapy, also known as talking therapies such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).

• Drug treatment, specifically antidepressants.

This is some of the information about Depression, I want to enlighten you. If you like my above blog ,keeping following it with utmost interest and do not forget to comment if you have some suggestions regarding my future blogs and also hit on some queries if you have any. I will try my level best to clarify them.

My friend doing some digging on depression-related articles and noticed that linked of these personal development resources here

https://conscioused.org/wiki/depression/