Depression
Depression or major depressive disorder is a mental health disorder that affects a person’s feelings, way of thinking, and way of acting.
The most common symptoms of depression in a person are feeling sad and losing interest in doing activities they usually do.
This condition can then lead to various emotional and physical problems.
The effects of depression can last a long time or even recur and can affect a person’s ability to carry out daily activities.
Not only that, this health disorder can also worsen and last longer if not treated.
Diagnosis of Depression Symptoms
The doctor will diagnose depression by conducting a medical interview, physical examination, psychological examination, and supporting examinations such as blood tests if necessary.
The examination aims to find out what causes and symptoms of depression.
Here is a more complete explanation:
Physical examination
The doctor will perform a physical examination and ask questions related to your health condition.
In some cases, the depression that arises is related to a physical health problem that is the cause.
Well, Know the Methods and Tests to Find Out Depression in Someone.
Laboratory tests
This examination aims to confirm thyroid gland disorders which are one of the triggers for depression through a complete blood count.
Medical experts can assess if there is a disorder in the organ so that they can immediately carry out treatment.
Mental check
A psychologist or psychiatrist will ask about the symptoms that appear, including thoughts, feelings, and behavioral patterns.
In addition, doctors also ask sufferers to fill out a questionnaire to answer several questions to assess mental health.
DSM-5
Doctors may also use the criteria for depression according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) from the American Psychiatric Association.
What are the Characteristics of Depression?
You can notice symptoms of depression from two things, namely mental and physical. From a mental aspect, this mental disorder has the following characteristics:
- Often blame yourself for always feeling guilty.
- Often feel inferior, worthless, and hopeless.
- Always feeling excessively worried and anxious.
- Having a bad mood or feeling excessively sad often.
- Sensitive, easily angered, and cries more often.
- Difficulty thinking, making decisions, and concentrating.
- Showing apathy towards the surrounding environment.
- Showing no interest and no motivation for anything (anhedonia).
- Constantly having thoughts of hurting yourself or attempting suicide.
Meanwhile, physical symptoms of depression that can be seen include:
- The body feels tired and has no energy.
- Decreased appetite or even no appetite.
- Having difficulty sleeping or sleeping too much.
- Pain and dizziness without an obvious cause.
- Speech and body movements are slower than usual.
- Decreased or loss of sexual desire.
- Weight gain or loss.
Depression problems do not always show similar symptoms. This depends on the severity of each sufferer.
Mild levels of this mental disorder can interfere with activities, productivity, and social relationships.
Meanwhile, in severe depression, sufferers cannot carry out activities and form relationships with other people.
Risk Factors for Depression
Depression generally occurs in teenagers between the ages of 20 and 30, although all age groups have their own risks.
Women are more at risk of depression than men, but women are also quicker to seek professional help.
Meanwhile, depression that occurs in middle-aged or older adults can occur together with other serious medical conditions. Examples include diabetes, cancer, heart disease, and Parkinson’s disease.
These chronic illnesses are often worse when depression is present. Sometimes medications for these illnesses can cause side effects that contribute to depression.
Several factors that can trigger this mental health disorder include:
- Having a history of mental health disorders in the family.
- Abusing alcohol or illegal drugs.
- Having certain personality traits, such as low self-esteem, being too harsh in judging oneself, being pessimistic, or being too dependent on others.
- Having a chronic or serious illness, such as a thyroid disorder, head injury, HIV/AIDS, diabetes, cancer, stroke, chronic pain, or heart disease.
- Taking certain medications, such as some high blood pressure medications or sleeping pills.
- Experiencing a traumatic event, such as sexual assault, death, loss of a loved one, or financial problems.
Causes of Depression
Unfortunately, experts do not yet know what causes depression for sure.
However, they suspect that this mental health disorder occurs due to the following triggering factors.
Biological problems
A person suffering from depression may experience physical changes in the brain.
However, the significance of these changes is uncertain, although they may ultimately help determine what is causing them.
Chemical disturbances in the brain
Neurotransmitters are naturally occurring chemicals in the brain that are thought to play a role in the development of depression.
Studies have shown that changes in the function and effects of these neurotransmitters can affect mood stability, which in turn can affect a person’s level of depression.
Hormonal disorders
Changes or disturbances in hormonal balance can trigger depression. This often occurs during pregnancy and several weeks or months afterward (postpartum).
In addition, someone who experiences thyroid problems, menopause, and several other conditions also has a high risk of depression.
Hereditary disease
These mental health problems are more likely to occur in someone whose immediate family has experienced similar conditions.
Experts say genes can influence the risk of developing depression.
Life events
Experiencing stress, death of a loved one, upsetting events (trauma), isolation, and lack of support can lead to depression.
Medical conditions
Ongoing physical pain and illness can lead to depression.
People with chronic diseases such as diabetes, cancer, and Parkinson’s disease are more susceptible to depression.
Drug
Some medications have depression as a side effect. Drugs and alcohol can also cause or worsen depression.
Personality
A person who is easily overwhelmed or has difficulty coping with certain situations is more susceptible to depression.
What are the forms of depression?
Depression is divided into several types based on the severity and what causes it.
Here is an explanation for each type:
1. Major depression
This type of mental health disorder appears with symptoms such as feelings of sadness, loss of interest, or general symptoms.
This condition can appear at any time and last for about 2 weeks or even more.
Want to know when someone with depression needs to take medication?
2. Dysthymia
In addition, there is also dysthymia or chronic depression symptoms (persistent depressive disorder). This type is included in major depression that has occurred for a long time, namely for at least 2 years.
3. Bipolar disorder
Then, there is also bipolar disorder, a mood disorder that appears with symptoms in the form of drastic changes in emotions and moods over two time periods.
When experiencing this mental health problem, a person can be in a manic phase or excessive happiness and major depression (feelings of sadness and hopelessness).
4. Postpartum depression
This type of depression is very common in mothers who have just gone through the labor process.
Typically, this condition appears with symptoms of major depression within approximately 1 year after delivery.
5. Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD)
PMDD is a mental disorder that is identical to women. Symptoms can appear about 1 week before menstruation for some women, then disappear when menstruation arrives.
However, this disorder is not the same as the symptoms of PMS or Premenstrual Syndrome.
6. Atypical depression
This type usually presents with several non-typical symptoms of depression. For example, significant weight gain, excessive sleeping, denial, and excessive sadness.
Generally, these symptoms will begin to subside if the sufferer experiences a positive event or atmosphere.
7. Psychotic depression
Finally, there is psychotic depression, a mental health disorder that occurs in someone who experiences severe depression along with psychotic symptoms, such as delusions, hallucinations, and thought pattern problems.
Treatment for Depression Symptoms
Living with depression is not easy, but treatment can help improve the quality of life of sufferers.
Try to see a medical professional for help with treatment to get better. If it’s still mild, self-care may help.
If self-care is no longer effective, sufferers may need psychiatric counseling or prescription medication from a doctor.
Some ways that can be an option to overcome or treat depression, include:
1. Self-care
Self-care can be the best option for mild depression. For many people, regular exercise helps create positive feelings and improve mood.
Getting enough quality sleep, eating healthy foods, and avoiding alcohol (a depressant) can also help reduce symptoms.
2. Psychotherapy
Doctors will recommend psychotherapy for mild to severe cases of depression. In addition, doctors also often combine psychotherapy with medication.
The following are types of therapy to treat mental disorders:
- Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). This therapy aims to help sufferers release negative thoughts and feelings and replace them with positive responses.
- Problem-solving therapy (PST), a therapy that can help improve sufferers’ ability to deal with experiences that trigger feelings of distress.
- Interpersonal therapy (IPT), to help overcome problems that arise when interacting with other people.
- Psychodynamic therapy, to help sufferers understand what they are feeling and how to respond to those feelings.
Depending on the severity of the condition, treatment may take several weeks or longer.
In many cases, significant improvement can occur within 10 to 15 sessions.
Treatment for depression symptoms is certainly very important.
3. Medicine
An imbalance of brain chemicals is a risk factor for depression. Doctors can prescribe antidepressants to help modify a person’s brain chemistry.
In general, antidepressant drugs do not have a stimulating effect on people who do not have the disorder.
Antidepressants may reduce symptoms in the first week or two of use, but the full benefits may not be seen for up to two to three months.
In some situations, other psychotropic medications may be helpful.
Doctors usually recommend that sufferers continue taking the medication for six months or more after their symptoms improve.
Long-term treatment may also help to reduce the risk of future depressive episodes for people who are more at risk.
4. Brain stimulation therapy
This type of therapy is usually an option for depression that does not improve after taking medication, experiences symptoms of psychosis, and shows signs of suicide attempts.
These types of brain stimulation therapies include:
- Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) . This therapy involves passing an electric current through the scalp to the brain to cause a brief seizure.
- Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS). This type of brain stimulation is done by using magnetic energy that is converted into electrical currents at the base of the skull. This procedure aims to help sufferers regulate emotions. TMS is an additional treatment that can be combined with medication and is non-invasive (does not require surgery).
- Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VHS). Doctors rarely perform this type of therapy. The procedure is that the doctor will install electrodes for vagus nerve stimulation that are implanted in the patient’s neck.
Complications of Depression
Depression is a serious mental health disorder that can be fatal for sufferers and their families.
These disorders often get worse if left untreated and result in emotional, behavioral, and health problems that impact life.
Some complications that can occur include:
- Being overweight or obese can lead to heart disease and diabetes.
- Physical illness.
- Escape in the form of alcohol or drug abuse.
- Anxiety, panic disorder or social phobia.
- Causing family conflict, relationship difficulties, and work or school problems.
- Social isolation.
- Feelings of wanting to commit suicide, attempting suicide, or committing suicide occur.
- Desire for self-mutilation.
- Premature death due to medical conditions.
Depression Prevention
Unfortunately, experts do not yet know for certain what effective steps are to prevent the emergence of depressive symptoms.
However, if you experience it, it would be better to prevent recurrence by learning some effective ways.
For example, lifestyle changes and effective medication. Some other ways you can do to prevent this condition include:
1. Maintain physical health
Exercise regularly, eat healthy foods, get enough sleep, and avoid smoking or excessive alcohol consumption.
Good physical health can help improve mood and relieve stress.
2. Manage stress well
Find ways to cope with stress, such as meditation, yoga, or activities you enjoy. Talking to a loved one or a therapist can also help.
3. Stay socially active
Maintain positive relationships with family, friends, and the community around you. Don’t hesitate to seek support when you feel stressed or lonely.
4. Find hobbies and fun activities
Find an activity you enjoy, such as reading, painting, gardening, or playing music. Hobbies can make you feel happy and enhance your sense of accomplishment.
5. Limit the use of social media
Spending too much time on social media can lead to feelings of lack of support and pressure to constantly compare yourself to others. So, limit your use of social media.
6. Manage your time well
Give yourself time to relax and rest. Don’t be too busy or overworked. Because overworking can trigger stress and lead to depression if not handled.
7. Recognize the early signs
If you feel like you are starting to experience these symptoms of mental health disorders, seek help from a mental health professional immediately. Don’t wait for the condition to get worse.
Because untreated conditions can have negative impacts on physical and mental health.
8. Don’t isolate yourself
When you feel stressed or sad, don’t isolate yourself. Try to stay connected with others and talk about your feelings.
Isolating yourself can actually make your thoughts more negative.
When to See a Doctor?
If you are having trouble dealing with your feelings or are feeling depressed, don’t hesitate to seek help from a doctor or therapist.
They can help you to gain strategies to face challenges in life.
Immediately seek medical attention from a psychologist or psychiatrist if you or someone close to you experiences symptoms of this mental health disorder, especially if you have a desire to harm yourself or others.
Well, these are the symptoms of depression that require the help of a psychologist to know when it is time for depression sufferers to need medical help.
Early treatment can help sufferers become more productive and prevent serious complications from arising due to this mental health disorder.