The Basics Of Depression

Depression is a common and serious medical illness that negatively affects how you feel, the way you think and how you act. Depression causes feelings of sadness and/or a loss of interest in activities once enjoyed. It can lead to a variety of emotional and physical problems and can decrease a person’s ability to function at work and at home.Depression is more than just a low mood.

The death of a loved one, loss of a job etc are difficult experiences for a person to endure. Its normal for feelings of sadness or grief to develop in response to situations like so.But being sad is not the same as having depression. In grief, painful feelings come in waves, often intermixed with positive memories of the deceased. In major depression, mood and/or interest are decreased for most of two weeks.In major depression, feelings of worthlessness are common. But it’s not say such situations could bring severe depression.Distinguishing between them can help people get the help, support or treatment they need.

There may be many reasons for depression. The main ones being life events,personal factors and changes in the brain. Major life events such as a death of a relative or friend could lead to depression. Where as personal factors many include who you are surrounded by ( family and friends ). But it could also may be the genetics inherited which lead to depression. Changes in the brain may have negative effects which could contribute to depression as well.

Depression can strike at any time, but certain studies show it may first appears during the late teens to mid-20s. Some of these studies also showed that women are more like to get depression but it is only certain studies that indicated that.Depression is among the most treatable of mental disorders. Between 80 percent and 90 percent of people with depression eventually respond well to treatment. The main ways used are medication,psychotherapy and electroconvulsive therapy. Antidepressants may be prescribed to help change the brain’s chemistry. ECT is medical treatment most commonly used for patients with severe major depression who haven’t responded to other treatments. It involves a brief electrical stimulation of the brain while the patient is under anaesthesia. There are many resources available that can massively help and support you if you are fighting depression.