Once in a while, events in our lives disappoint us and make us sad. having a bad day could lead you to say “I feel so depressed.” People would utter that depression feels like a black curtain of despair coming down over their lives. Although feeling depressed once in our lives is normal, chronic depression happens among people who are not able to recover from the normal cycle of grieving. These are people who are not able to deal with stress.
Depression may be a state of mind but it is also associated to physical changes in our brain. Depression is said to be caused by an imbalance of neurotransmitters that carry signals in the brain and nerves. Excess activity of the stress response system drives emotional centers of the brain into overdrive so that negative events make a disproportionate impact and hijack rational response systems. One literally can’t think straight. It makes one think over and over about the difficulties and disappointments one until that’s all one can focus on. The cause of depression can be both blamed to one’s environment and genes. To some people, depression is hereditary. An individual tends to be depressed even when faced with very minimal stress due to inherited causes. On a different note, there are individuals who has not adjust to minimal changes in life. For example, failing in an exam. Depression can always creep in. These people may not have inherited depression but still they are prone to be depressed when they are not able to recover from their cheerless moments. Moreover, a negative personality characterized by a low self-esteem, and a negative outlook are at higher risk of becoming depressed. It is mentioned previously that being depressed is quite normal but this depression only goes for a short time. A prolonged depression could always lead to other psychological disorders.
When one is depressed, one may feel hopeless and sad. You may not feel any pleasure from almost anything you do. Others either lose or gain weight because of changes in appetite. There are those who will develop insomnia while others would develop hypersomnia. Also, a depressed person is either restless or feels tired all the time that moving seems to be a great effort .
In taking a look at depression, one should also take into account diffrences in gender. More women get depressed than men. This could be because of hormonal changes brought on by puberty, menstruation, menopause, and pregnancy. This fact might be debatable because in most cases only a small number of men seek help to cure their depression. Men usually cover their depression with drugs or alcohol. Moreover, suicide cases due to depression are higher among men than women. Elder people are also prone to becoming depressed. This can be probably due to the burden of having to adjust living alone while their children are having their own lives. Feelings of being useless and unimportant may lead the elderly to feel depression.
Depression doesn’t go away on its own. One must do something with it. Today, there are a number of therapies and treatments available to treat depression. Supportive therapy assists relieve the pain of depression, and addresses the feelings of hopelessness. Cognitive remedy on the other hand, changes the cynical thinking, expectations, and negative self-evaluations that create depression and maintain. This therapy facilitates the person tell apart serious from minor problems and it helps the person to build up positive life goals and a more positive self-evaluation. Behavioral therapy permits the person to try solving certain problems in a more constructive way. It helps the patient develop better coping skills. These therapies may be combined for a better and faster recovery.
Depression is more of state of mind than of biological basis. Everyone can control their mind. The mind may be very powerful in instilling thoughts that could affect one’s judgment and outlook in life, but the individual is capable of allowing these pessimistic to push them all sideways and decide
to view the brighter side of life.
