In medical terms, depression is a mental disorder characterized by depressed mood, pessimistic self-esteem, and a negative outlook on reality and one's future. This condition dramatically reduces a person's ability to adapt socially and their quality of life.
Where does depression come from?
The occurrence of a depressive state can be associated with various factors:
- Dramatic experiences associated with personal emotional reactions. This type of depression is called reactive and occurs as a response to an event.
- Depression can be triggered by intense stress. In this case, the cause is a fast pace of life, a stressful environment, uncertainty about the future, social instability, and maladjustment.
- Insufficient amount of so-called biogenic amines (serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine) in the body.
- Side effects of medications taken (benzodiazepines and corticosteroids can cause this effect). In this case, the symptoms of depression gradually subside after the offending medications are discontinued.
- Somatic diseases (traumatic brain injury, cerebral atherosclerosis, diseases accompanied by long-term, intractable pain syndrome).
How to recognize depression?
Experts identify various signs of depression.
From the psycho-emotional sphere the following are noted:
- a feeling of longing, suffering;
- irritability;
- anticipation of misfortune;
- guilt;
- dissatisfaction with oneself;
- pathologically low self-esteem;
- increased anxiety;
- decrease and loss of the ability to experience.
Physiological symptoms of depression include:
- loss of appetite;
- sleep disorders;
- bowel dysfunction, most often in the form of constipation;
- increased fatigue;
- weakness;
- unmotivated pain sensations not caused by organic pathology.
The group of behavioral signs of depression is represented by:
- passivity;
- loss of interest in the surroundings;
- a tendency towards solitude;
- refusal of entertainment;
- addiction to alcohol and other psychoactive substances;
- refusal to engage in purposeful activity.
Mental symptoms include impaired concentration, slow thinking, an abundance of negative thoughts, reflections on the meaninglessness of existence, and suicidal attempts due to one's own uselessness.
Specialists piece together all these symptoms during examination and interviews with the patient, gradually integrating them into a clinical picture of the disease. Conversations with the patient's close circle of contacts are also of great diagnostic value.
What to do with it?
If you suspect you or someone you know has a depressive disorder, you should seek medical help. In many cases, emotional distress gradually subsides once the underlying cause is addressed.
A medical examination can help identify somatic causes of depression.
However, if persistent emotional disturbances have developed by the time you seek help, even treatment for chronic somatic illnesses will need to be accompanied by special antidepressant medications. In particular, this accelerates the relief of depression when treating illnesses characterized by chronic pain:
- rheumatoid diseases;
- long-term degenerative diseases of the spine;
- vascular disorders.
If the trigger for the development of a depressive state was the side effects of medication, it is necessary to review the treatment regimen, adjust the dosage, or replace the medications taken with less aggressive analogues.
Coping with depression and finding a way out on your own isn't always possible. In some cases, a change of scenery and support from loved ones may not be enough. In these cases, qualified medical help is needed to avoid negative consequences.