What happened? Are you down today? Don’t you feel good? It’s been so long since you left your house. You don’t even speak properly. Is there something wrong with your health? Do you feel that your recent mood swings and episodes of self-isolation are beyond explanation and not just a temporary thing? Are you sick and tired of hearing questions like this and pretending that everything is fine? You try to do good when you know something is bothering you deep down. Do you need a doctor or psychologist in Kolkata? Are you facing these endless questions? All of these could be signs that you are depressed.
It is not wise to suffer in silence. You may be slowly slipping into depression and this can be detrimental to your overall mental health and well-being.
Are you depressed?
We all feel down at some point in our lives. Our natural response to a given situation that upsets us or something we don’t like or want. However, when these feelings of boredom, frustration and loneliness get on our nerves and cage us, we dismiss it as a bad mood day. In reality, it can be something more than that. It could be that you are depressed.
What is depression?
Depression, also known as major depressive disorder, is a widespread and serious medical condition that affects your emotional well-being.
Depression statistics :
Let’s take a look at how common depression is among Canadians.
Here are some statistics from the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA):
About 10% to 20% of Canada’s youth population suffers from mental illness.
About 5% of the male and 12% of the female population between the ages of 12 and 19 have experienced a major episode of depression.
According to the UN Secretary-General, the global pandemic, COVID-19 has severely affected mental health and well-being in Canada.
These are a few examples from different parts of the country. The real picture is more likely to be horrifying. However, although depression slowly affects the body and mind, once diagnosed it is curable with proper mental health counselling.
Symptoms of depression can vary from person to person. However, there are some telltale signs to watch for. Although these may seem like simple lows, some symptoms are more complex, stronger, and longer lasting. So, when you go to your counselling session, be sure to discuss these with your counsellor or therapist.
Read: 10 techniques to help change negative thoughts of depression
Signs and symptoms of depression include:
1. You almost always feel hopeless and helpless
You always have a negative outlook, feel like it’s the end of the world, and can’t do anything to fix what’s broken inside. You have made up your mind that nothing will change or improve in your life.
2. You don’t find anything interesting anymore
You’ve almost forgotten about the things and ideas you once loved, including your hobbies, skills, food, and other things that used to bring you joy and happiness. You have isolated yourself from everything and everyone.
3. Your favourite foods no longer tempt you
You stop caring about what’s for lunch or dinner. You eat just to fill your stomach, not because of your fondness for the foods you enjoy. There are days when you don’t even like the thought of eating. You don’t feel particularly hungry or want to eat. There are significant changes in your eating habits and body weight. You either lose or gain weight in less time.
4. Your sleep patterns have changed
You either have insomnia or you oversleep. Some people complain of waking up early in the morning and then feeling tired throughout the day.
5. Your personality has changed
You get irritated easily even if there is a small problem or you don’t react.
6. You always feel tired
You are no longer the same person who was full of energy. You feel lethargic and tired even after doing small chores or housework. You stop working and socialising.
7. You blame yourself a lot
You suffer from overwhelming feelings of guilt or worthlessness. You become your biggest critic criticizing yourself for the slightest mistake, even the ones you didn’t make. Criticism is borderline self-loathing. You also have an increased tendency to self-harm.
8. You can’t concentrate well
You find it a difficult time to focus and make decisions.
9. You try to escape most of the time
You are always looking for an escape from everything and everyone around you. And, you find your escape and comfort zone in things like dangerous sports, substance abuse, smoking, drinking, and anything else that can help you find solace.
10. You experience unexplained pain
People suffering from depression complain of aches and pains, including stomachaches, headaches, muscle aches and backaches.
Cause of depression
Young man lost in depression and sadness holding paper with smiley on his face because society is forcing him to hide his pain in depression and lost hope
Anyone can be depressed. You never know, the person sitting next to you in your office, who is always happy, may also be suffering from depression.
Coping with depression:
If you experience the symptoms mentioned above, you may be depressed. But don’t worry; take a deep breath and read on. You will find many experienced and reputable psychologists who can help you deal with depression through various counselling techniques and platforms.
Always remember your mental health is just as important as your physical health. And as far as depression is concerned, it can affect anyone regardless of gender, social status or age. Therefore, you need to raise awareness about depression and talk about it more often. By choosing online therapy, you can help yourself and others fight depression.
Online depression therapy
Online depression therapy mainly focuses on the thoughts that are currently bothering you, your feelings, any changes in behaviour and how these are affecting your daily life. During your session with your Psychologist ( he or she) will likely use talk therapy or CBT to help you understand your problems and help you know that depression is just another phase of your life, and it will pass.
The role of a mental health counselling professional is to listen to your problems, offer feedback, and work with you to find and develop coping strategies for depression. They will assess your progress during the session and customise the sessions according to your needs if necessary.
Is depression genetic?
A wide range of factors can contribute to the development of depression in a person. However, family genetics seem to play a role.
Research shows that a family history of depression can increase a person’s risk of developing it. Although the importance of genetic factors in the development of depression is not fully understood, twin and family studies show that the heritability of depression is about 37 percent.
Several small studies have identified genetic factors that may be associated with depression. However, further, more definitive studies are needed to appreciate the exact role of genetics in depression fully.
Always remember you should never hide anything from your therapist. If you do, your therapist won’t be as effective at helping you and getting to know what’s bothering you. How can they help you deal with it?
How to treat chemical imbalance in the brain?
Some drugs work by changing the levels of chemicals in the brain, blocking reabsorption.
Blocking the reuptake of certain neurotransmitters increases the amount available for use by your nerves. It activates your nerve receptors for a long time.
Medicines can change the levels of the following substances:
1. Dopamine
2. Serotonin
3. Norepinephrine, also called norepinephrine
Some drugs work in combination with the other two chemicals listed above.
Examples of these drugs:
1. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). SSRIs inhibit the reuptake of serotonin. Examples are fluoxetine (Prozac), paroxetine (Paxil), and citalopram (Celexa).
2. Serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs). SNRIs work by blocking the reuptake of both serotonin and norepinephrine, thereby increasing levels of these two chemicals in the brain. Examples include duloxetine (Cymbalta) and venlafaxine (Effexor XR).
3. Tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs). TCAs block the reuptake of norepinephrine and serotonin. Examples are imipramine (Tofranil) and nortriptyline (Pamelor).
4. Norepinephrine-dopamine reuptake inhibitors (NDRIs). NDRIs such as bupropion (Wellbutrin) are neurotransmitters
5. Inhibits reuptake of norepinephrine and dopamine.
Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOs). MAOIs block the reuptake of norepinephrine, serotonin and dopamine. These drugs, including isocarboxazid (Marplan) and phenelzine (Nardil), are not as popular as other types of antidepressants.
Is there a specific age for depression?
Depression is likely to occur at any age.
“It’s more common in adults. But people of any age can be affected by environmental factors.”
“But whenever I try to get into the details, I find that the physical problems aren’t really there. The problems are mental and they come from depression.”
However, children and teenagers are more likely to suffer from depression due to various reasons.
Why do people suffer from depression?
According to some research, genetic defects are particularly important among many factors.
“Many people can suffer from depression due to genetics. It is necessary to take into account biological diseases. Also, negative psychological structure. Or the surrounding environment that he feels does not go with him anymore”.
He said that if there is a break-up, divorce or someone in the family is affected by illness, there is a risk of depression.
Again all around is fine but still a person can suffer from depression due to various biological or inherent reasons.
What is the way to cut depression?
There are three types of depression – mild, minor or major.
“Mild depression gets better on its own. If it’s mild, it helps to share with someone or increase social interaction. That is, not being isolated. Mixing with everyone. Being around people you like. Avoiding people too much. It is possible to rise.”
Another characteristic of depression is the desire to withdraw.
“That’s why we say exercise. A regular 30-minute walk is great. If someone can’t go out, moving around indoors can also be beneficial.”
The more physically active a person is, the more his problems will be reduced.
“The most important thing is to stay mentally strong and have confidence that I can do it. That’s why I focus on my positives and practise good things.”
However, he thinks that if the work of daily life or studies or the relationship with the family continues to deteriorate or if someone seems to be constantly winding himself up, he should seek the help of a Psychologist and a Psychiatrist.
Depression is treatable, and Curable too
Celebrities With Depression
1. Kirsten Dunst
2. Dwayne Johnson
3. Lady Gaga
4. J.K. Rowling
5. Miley Cyrus
6. Neal Brennan
7. Deepika Padukone
