Understand Depression - signs and symptoms - causes - Treatment

Depression is the most common mental illness, every fourth adult suffers from this disease
. In depression, the patient looks sad, quiet, lonely and non-confident.
Depression can be caused by environmental factors or evidence is present which reflects biochemical changes in the brain which are responsible for depression.

Signs And Symptoms.



Depressed persons should have some of the following signs and symptoms.

• Depressed mood, most of the day or daily
• showing less or no interest in daily activities.
• Weight changes. Marked weight loss or gain, 
• appetite disturbance, May be increased or decreased.
• Insomnia (difficulty in sleeping) or excessive sleeping.
• Restlessness or retardation. (Psycho-motor agitation)
• Tiredness
• loss of self-esteem, self-confidence or self-deprecation
• Cognitive changes ( inability to judge and think). 
• loss of concentration and attention
• have suicidal Tendency, thoughts of death, want to die, (in contrast to mania, in which patients have homicidal tendency)
• Feeling helpless and hopeless
• unexplained pains and aches

Causes Of  Depression:

Following are the causes of depression. (One cause is enough for the depressive disorder)

• loneliness
• sudden severe loss (financial or relation)
• loss of financial support.
• Recent stressful life experiences or chronic stress (long term stress)
• Childhood trauma or abuse
• unemployment or underemployment.
• Family History of depression
• marital or relationship problems
• Sexual dissatisfaction.
• Health problem or chronic (long term) pain
• Alcohol or drug abuse.

Biochemical changes in the brain are also responsible for depression. For example, low levels of neurotransmitters (dopamine, serotonin or epinephrine) cause depression. 

Most of the antidepressants alter the levels of these neurotransmitters to show their antidepressant effect. Moreover, trauma to the brain is another obvious cause.

Treatment:

The cause of your depression helps determine the treatment

 Understanding the cause of depression is the most important thing. For example, if you have lost a job, it is better to find out another satisfying career instead of taking antidepressants. Because antidepressants will not help you in getting the job and in your case, the remedy is "good employment".

Just as the symptoms and causes are different for different people, treatment strategy also varies. one that worked for one person might not work for another. and single therapy don't help much. The relatives and loved ones should think about the causes and try to find out the ways of eradicating the cause, try to minimize antidepressant therapy as much as possible.

Ask for help. don't feel lonely, don't feel helpless and hopeless, these are symptoms of depression. don't fight with your depressing situation alone. Tell your condition to your family and friends. They will try to minimize the stimulus and try there level best to keep you happy and healthy.
Depression is aggravated by loneliness. It is very difficult to fight against depression alone. build your army against the depression. and your army is your family, relatives and friends. Fighting alone with depression in spite of such an army is something looking really foolish. So next time follow this

Lifestyle changes are not always easy to make, but they can have a big impact on depression. Take a good look at your own lifestyle. What changes could you make to support depression recovery?  Self-help strategies that can be very effective include:

• Cultivating supportive relationships
• Getting regular exercise and sleep
• Eating healthfully to naturally boost mood
• Managing stress
• Practising relaxation techniques
• Challenging negative thought patterns

And of course, Help of medical professional is always an open option.