Depression

Depression is a medical condition that can be a source of a wide variety of psychological and physical symptoms. Intense sadness is often the most obvious symptom. Depression can be distinguished from occasional blues and grief because depression is persistent, often interfering with daily activities and relationships.

Depression is a treatable condition. Psychotherapy (counselling), drug therapy, and other treatments can alleviate symptoms and help people with depression return to rich and productive lives. Treatment is most successful in people who are open to being helped and willing to participate in treatment. Family history, lack of social supports, significant stressful events, and alcohol or drug abuse may be contributing factors in depression. Fortunately, recognizing and treating depression can improve a person's sense of health and well-being, and can also improve a person's interest in caring for him or herself. Sometimes there may be an obvious reason for becoming depressed, sometimes not. There is usually more than one cause and different people have different reasons.

Often people don't realise how depressed they are, this is because the depression has come on gradually. They may try to struggle on and cope by keeping busy. This can make them even more stressed and exhausted. This can cause physical pains such as constant headaches, or sleeplessness. Extreme sadness may be the best known symptom of depression, although depression can cause other psychological and physical symptoms. The hallmark of depression is that symptoms are persistent and interfere with daily activities and relationships. Unfortunately, there is no single sign or symptom that serves as a marker for depression, and the condition can be tricky to identify. In fact, many people do not recognize that they are depressed or that their physical symptoms (aches and pains, appetite, and sleep changes) are related to depression.

The symptoms of depression may include, sadness for most of the day, particularly in the morning, markedly diminished pleasure or loss of interest in almost all activities, significant weight loss or weight gain, insomnia or excessive sleep, agitated movements or very slow movement, fatigue or loss of energy, feelings of worthlessness or guilt, impaired concentration and indecisiveness, and recurring thoughts of death or suicide.

Two types of treatment available are talking treatments and medication. Talking treatments consist of counselling assisting you to talk about your feelings in private with a sympathetic professional. Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) can help to overcome the powerful negative thoughts that are part of depression.

Medication such as antidepressants can be effective if depression is severe or goes on for a long time. They may help feelings of anxiety and help you to deal with problems effectively again. The effects of antidepressants won't usually be felt straight away - people often don't notice any improvement in their mood for two or three weeks. Natural remedies such as St John’s Wort are available from chemists and health food shops. There is evidence that it's effective in mild to moderate depression. It seems to work in much the same way as some antidepressants, but some people find it has fewer side effects. You should discuss taking it with your doctor, particularly if you're taking other medication.

Like all medicines, antidepressants have some side effects which can differ from person to person although these are usually mild and tend to wear off as the treatment goes on. The newer antidepressants (called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) may cause nausea and anxiety for a short while. The older antidepressants can cause dry mouth and constipation.

The most important role is to understand your illness, finding support is a major factor, having someone you can talk things over with will help. Talk to someone close to you about how you feel. Get some regular exercise. This will help you keep fit and hopefully, sleep better. Do jobs around the house to take your mind off thoughts that make you depressed. Eat well, even if you don't feel like it. Don't drink alcohol, as this makes depression worse, although it might not seem to at first. If you can't sleep, try not to worry about it. If you know what is making you depressed, write it down and think of ways to tackle it. Pick the best ones and see if they help. Keep hopeful - this is a very common experience and you will come through it, probably stronger and more able to cope than before. Keep in mind if you know someone who suffers depression, listen to them but try not to judge them. Don't offer advice unless they ask for it. If you can see the problem behind the depression, you can help the person to find a solution. Spend time with them, listen to their problems and encourage them to keep going with activities in their routine and getting further support. If this isn’t helping and they're getting worse, encourage them to visit their doctor and get help.

By Georgette (ACAP Placement Student)