The word depression is loosely used every day, like “this person depresses me” or this weather is so depressing” or “my phone depresses me”. All this are everyday sayings that do not necessarily mean much, just a figure of speech. What is depression? Is it as easy as people make it sound on a daily bases? The answer is a definite NO because it is more than just feeling down. Depression is a real illness that impacts the brain and needs serious attention and it can go as far as taking medication for treatment and it can be effectively treated. It is a silent resignation or withdrawal in activities that one normally does daily or enjoys for a prolonged period of time accompanied by overwhelming sadness, hopelessness, moodiness, and isolation from people throughout that time.

SUFFERING FROM DEPRESSION

You’ll never say it just cancer get over it so why do some people say that about depression?

Depression is a serious condition that is common and does not discriminate because it affects men and women of every age but it affects more women than men. For women it is both physical and emotional while in men is rather more physical and a bit more challenging to diagnose. Though treatment can be effective the problem can be a fact that most people suffering from it are never diagnosed and treated, commonly overlooked. The impact can be severe in combination with substance abuse and other disorders such as anxiety, stroke or other related disorders. Every aspect of your daily living will be compromised should you suffer from depression, be it finance, family, marriage, career, relationships. It is mysteriously painful and the danger of depression is that it is insidious and it compounds daily.

CAUSES

*medical – heart disease (cardiovascular), high blood pressures, diabetes
*stress
*grief e.g difficult life matters
*genetic
*as mentioned earlier that it impacts more on women more, causes include hormone levels changes, pregnancy, after giving birth, menstrual cycles, menopause,

SYMPTOMS
Symptoms can be psychological and physical

*weight gain in women
*sensitive to rejection (women)
*suicidal attempts or feeling/thoughts
*weight loss or gain
*appetite – either eating too much or less
*fatigue
*restlessness
*body pains
*sleeping disorder – too much or less
*feeling worthless
*isolating yourself
*substance abuse
*indecisiveness
*loss of interest in sex
*guilt
*anxiety
*lack of concentration
*inability to enjoy everything
*loss of memory

These do not constitute depression as anyone can suffer from them occasionally, it is normal to feel down once a while. They have to occur regularly for at least 2 weeks or longer than that and have an impact on the daily functional aspects of your life. If you suspect you might be depressed, engage with a professional, health care worker or your doctor then you can know if it is depression or not. It can be diagnosed and treatment options will be available for you. Good and appropriate treatment can be very effective and know that denying the problem will only make it severe because it is not just bad moods that will just disappear on its own. Only a qualified professional will accurately diagnose it. With the help of a professional, you will be able to get well and get help to avoid it from recurring as it is said it can easily recur if you were once diagnosed. That treatment will help you get back that cognitive behavior.

NEVER BELIEVE THINGS THAT COME TO MIND WHEN YOU ARE SAD AND ALONE, YOU MIGHT NOT HAVE CONTROL OVER YOUR THOUGHTS BUT YOU CAN STOP LETTING THEM CONTROL YOU***