Depression has become the order of day were men, women and children suffer depression due to some unforeseen circumstances. Every day we hear stories of suicide incidence from both old and young due to depression. Depression is classified as a mood disorder. It can be feelings of sadness, loss, anger or frustration that interfere with a person’s everyday activities.
It’s important to realize that feeling down or upset about something is a normal part of life but when you are feeling down or hopeless on a regular basis and also thinking about hurting yourself or ending your life could be dealing with depression. Depression is considered a serious medical condition that can get worse without proper treatment.
According to College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, it explained depression as a condition associated with the elevation or lowering of a person’s mood, such as depression or bipolar disorder.
Ex. Big Brother Naija Housemate, Erica Nlewedim and popularly known as ‘Stay Girl’ cautions the public to stop using depression as an insult to people. This was posted on her twitter account. She advised the public to help people who are really depressed and direct them to take the right treatment.
She also said that “stop joking with depression, stop using it as an insult to people. If you’re not sure someone is really depressed don’t say he/she is and if you are sure, help the person by pointing them in the right direction for treatment”.
Depression is mostly suffered by youths than the old. In schools today, we hear of students committing suicide, these are all caused by depression. Peer pressure can also be a cause of depression. Nowadays students try to live up to their mates who are living a luxurious life, a well furnished apartment and a car, and when they are not able to, they fall into depression. Sometimes when a student is faced with intense school work and financial instabilities, it causes depression for them.
Symptoms of Depression
• mood swing such as anger, aggressiveness, irritability, anxiousness and restlessness
• emotional well-being, such as feeling empty, sad, hopeless
• behavior such as loss of interest, no longer finding pleasure in favorite activities, feeling tired easily, thoughts of suicide, drinking excessively, using drugs, engaging in high-risk activities and withdrawing from social engagements
• cognitive abilities, such as inability to concentrate, difficulty completing tasks, delayed responses during conversations or thinking or talking more slowly
• Sleep patterns, such as insomnia, restless sleep, excessive sleepiness, not sleeping through the night.
• physical well-being, such as fatigue, pains, changes in appetite, weight changes, aches, pain, headaches, increased cramps
What Are the Main Causes of Depression?
Lots of things can increase the chance of depression, including the following:
• Abuse. Physical, sexual, or emotional abuse can make you more vulnerable to depression later in life.
• Age. People who are elderly are at higher risk of depression. That can be made worse by other factors, such as living alone and having a lack of social support.
• Conflict. Depression in someone who has the biological vulnerability to it may result from personal conflicts or disputes with family members or friends.
• Death or a loss. Sadness or grief after the death or loss of a loved one, though natural, can increase the risk of depression.
• Gender. Women are about twice as likely as men to become depressed. No one’s sure why. The hormonal changes that women go through at different times of their lives may play a role.
• Genes. A family history of depression may increase the risk. It’s thought that depression is a complex trait, meaning there are probably many different genes that each exert small effects, rather than a single gene that contributes to disease risk.
The genetics of depression, like most psychiatric disorders, are not as simple or straightforward as in purely genetic diseases such as Huntington’s chorea or cystic fibrosis.
• Major events. Even good events such as starting a new job, graduating, or getting married can lead to depression. So can moving, losing a job or income, getting divorced, or retiring. However, the syndrome of clinical depression is never just a “normal” response to stressful life events.
• Other personal problems. Problems such as social isolation due to other mental illnesses or being cast out of a family or social group can contribute to the risk of developing clinical depression.
• Serious illnesses. Sometimes, depression happens along with a major illness or may be triggered by another medical condition.
• School. If things aren’t going well for student can lead to depression. Peer pressure can also lead to depression.
10 Ways to Prevent Depression
There are many ways to prevent depression, though doctors don’t know that it’s possible to prevent depression altogether, but you can be able to keep it from coming back if you’ve already had an episode. Some therapists use an approach called mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) to do that.
• Visiting a therapist once in a while helps to prevent depression or stops it from happening again. Talking to your therapist or doctor about medicine that can stop depression from coming back can really help to prevent depression. Other method includes:
• Find ways to handle stress and improve your self-esteem.
• Take good care of yourself. Always get enough sleep, eat well, and exercise regularly.
• Reach out to family and friends when times get hard.
• Get regular medical checkups, and see your doctor if you don’t feel right.
• Get help if you think you’re depressed. If you wait, it could get worse.
• Stick with your treatment plan. If you are on medicine, take it as prescribed, whether you feel good or not. Don’t skip therapy sessions. Let your doctor know what is and isn’t working for you.
• Avoid alcohol and recreational drugs. It may seem like these make you feel better. But they can actually make it harder to treat your depression.
• Try ways to fight stress, like meditation and yoga.
• Spend time with family and friends. Think about joining a support group. Do things that keep you connected to others.
• Know yourself. Pay attention to the things that seem to make your symptoms worse. Keep notes and tell your doctor or therapist about it.
Don’t make big life decisions on a day when you’re feeling down.
