Introduction
Depression is basically the mood disorder and it majorly affects youngster because of their problematic life associated with relationships, loss in business, death of loved ones etc. Approximately 20-25% people in the world are suffering from depression. Lacs of death are counted every year due to depression and anxiety. It’s increasing at very high rate and drastically. There is nothing to say about it’s deadline. Here we’ll be discussing about the world’s most sensitive disorder depression that eats up lacs of lives every year.
What is Depression ?
To begin with depression I would like to introduce you to the science behind depressed mood of an individual. It is believed that when chemical balance level of some neurotransmitters in the brain goes lower than normal the patient has to suffer from mood swings, negativity, sorrowful life and bad behaviour. If these occurs for some days (2-3 days) then it is ok. But if it goes for long duration ( 2-3 weeks ) then it should be treated earlier before the conditions become worst. This is called the depression in which a person likes to die than to live. There are 3.5 crores people in the world who are suffering from depression and taking medication for it.
The medical science also reveals the depression begins with with the shrinkage of hippocampus ( a part of brain that lies near the temporal lobe, it looks like seahorse that’s why it is known as hippocampus ) in the brain. The growth of the hippocampus decrease in depression or we can say cells of hippocampus do not grow.
The treatment in response to re-growth of hippocampus includes neurogenesis ( the formation of new neurons ) in which the normal structure of the organ can be restored. Always remember never leave a person alone who has undergone depression or suspected because in loneliness such person gets a huge suicidal thoughts.
How depression starts ?
A patient came to me complaining that he has nervousness and restlessness sometimes in daytime. He doesn’t feel comfortable at all anywhere. And he feels to cry, he feels sadness around him all the time. He also revealed he feels little better when he does exercises. He gets stimulation when he takes coffee along with some good songs. But he also clarified that this little happiness is for temporary only. As time passes he becomes same again. So in a nutshell he made a disclosure for all his problems that he is unable to enjoy the life comfortably.
Even his favourite food if his wife serves to him, he doesn’t even taste it because he suddenly becomes reluctant and food becomes tasteless. In the office if his boss gives any tasks to complete he prejudices and decides from the next day he wouldn’t go to office and would leave the job.
On further enquiries when i asked him about the history of same signs & symptoms in the family, i found his father and grandfather also had depression. So lastly i came to know that it was congenital depression that he got from his father through genes.
Treatment we gave him
- Antidepressant– Result takes 15-20 days to notice.
- Psychotherapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
- Hypnosis
Types of depression
Depression is the mental disorder that affects your life badly and it can kill you mentally and physically. It is of two types:
1. Neurotic depression
2. Endogenous (psychotic) depression
Neurotic depression ( Reactive depression or Neurosis )
It is mild depression, affects less and less in amount. It has lower nervousness, sadness, mood swings than comparison to endogenous depression. In this kind of depression a person mood is good and feels freshness in the beginning of the day but it changes as the day passes and feels sadness in the evening. Then he loses his appetite and takes less sleep. This depression develops when a drastic change occurs in the person’s surroundings. Such as any death case, failure in exams, loss in business, problem in relationship etc.
Treatment of this kind of depression includes psychotherapy, meditation, councelling and hypnotherapy.
Endogenous (Psychotic) depression
It is severe depression disorder. In this a person becomes very sad and gives up of his life. He always feels to cry and committing suicide. This patient requires more attention and prevention than anybody else. Some patients found with a huge hesitation even they don’t get off from their bed as they think that someone would kill them. Treatment includes medication for increasing level of Serotonin, Norepinephrine and Dopamine. The result can be seen after 2-3 weeks of medication. Councelling is also given to the patient along with medicines. Councelling includes giving positive commands to the sub-conscious mind and make patient free of all tensions. If a patient is trying to commit suicide again and again then we prefer to give him ECT ( Electroconvulsive therapy ). It is an electrical shock given to the brain when the patient is under anesthesia.
Early signs of depression
- Insomnia
- Embark ( Loss of interest in work )
- Loss of ideas ( feeling like no ideas for anything )
- Out of a group 100 people 25 have depression as per international health survey. You know why they get this, because of the following reasons :
- Competition
- Financial problems
- Business going in loss
- Personal affairs
- Social media
- Negative thoughts
Major depression symptoms
It’s a mood disorder. You know, how a person is from internally and what he thinks and what he wants internally it is the mood, on the contrary how he looks externally to the people it is affect. So emotions are of two types internal emotions ( mood ) and external emotions ( affect ).
No emotions at all
In the beginning of depression or we can say in the first stage of depression a person’s emotions become blank. Means no happiness and no sadness to the surroundings to the any event occurs. Gradually it increases and there is unhappiness over the face all the time. He would do commitment that he is very sad, not feeling well, negative thoughts coming in the mind. Also he would be seen saying negativity for the future also. He will feel crying after fed up of such all these thoughts.
Crying
He knows that crying in front of others is not good. Instead of pacify, people will laugh at him and will make fun of him. Nobody will understand how is feeling and what is happening with him. Due to this the person likes to go under isolation ( to separate itself from others ). Furthermore if the condition persist and if nobody make him understand and listen to him, the people like him decide to finish the life and go for suicide.
These are the symptoms of bad mood and if the person is left untreated, he goes under depression. The most bad thing is that we also know that he is sad and confused with his life when we see him. But despite that we dont pay any attention to such persons.
Loss of interest
He also clarifies he has lost his interest in everything. Now nothing matters to him. He doesn’t even spend the time with his hobbies which he was used to earlier. Also he hardly spends his day. He wants to enjoy the life but things are taking him inside the darkness.
Anxiety
Along with all above symptoms he has anxiety also including – stressed, restlessness, tension, dry mouth, increased heartbeat, dizziness etc. He has confused sleep which usually breaks in between the time or he wakes up very early at night. Whenever his sleep breaks at early night he has depressive thinking. He thinks there is nothing in the future and it seems as waste. At this stage he tells other suicide is the only way to get free from all the problems. Here i want to tell you one thing, the ratio of committing suicide is higher in males than females.
Guilty
He feels guilty ( to blame itself ) as he has done a mistake in his life, which is not correct. He understands himself as criminal and accuses. The person also believes that he should be punished badly either to be hanged or to be killed.
Fatigue
He feels tiredness and loss of energy and muscle cramps. Headache, uninterested in food, loss of hunger, weight loss, constipation and all this ends up with loss of interest in sex also.
Inattentive
His all activities and motion become slow. He doesn’t get ideas early to do any task. Loss of concentration and attention. He becomes taciturn ( less talkative ) and one day he becomes dumb.
Agitation
Some people who are under depression are found with Agitation ( more stimulation or enthusiastic ) and they walk here and there fastly unnecessarily. They don’t stay anywhere they always walk.
Diurnal variation of mood
In the morning they feel very depressed and as the time passes they feel better.
Panic attack
It means the attack of nervousness. They feel nervousness, restlessness, excess sweating, choking of throat, sudden chest pain ( angina ) and feels that they will die soon.
Six hidden symptoms of depression
Lifestyle change
If someone has suddenly changed his maim two habits Eating and Sleeping. If a person is eating too much or too less or he is sleeping too much or too less. This is the first hidden sign of depression.
Conversation
If a person is mostly or always talks about life & death. What happens after death, when death will occur. He needs crucial attention as soon as possible.
Uncertainty about life
Person thinks that his life is full of challenges and he can’t handle it anymore. Something bad would be happened to him. Think more about the things that are really uncertain. He sleeps on the past incidents that had occurred in life but now he overthinks that all will happen again to him. If he had met with an accident in his life earlier, it will reoccur, he thinks so.
Abandonment
The patient believes people will abandon him. They will leave him alone, will not invite on any occasion, will ignore him, they will kick him out of the home and office or from the society. So the patient feels the fear of being abandoned.
Losing passion
The patient become aggressive on trivial things ( normal or silly things ). Become nervous and demotivated for very trivial things. So if a person is getting nervous and burst on general topics, he is under depression.
Sensitiveness and hypersensitiveness
If a person becomes emotional and starts crying on normal topics and pacifies himself automatically after sometime. And when you talk to him about love and if his eyes always filled with tears on the spot, he may have undergone depression.
Causes of depression
There are generally three causes of depression :
GENETICAL
BIOLOGICAL
PSYCHO-SOCIAL
Genetic
It means depression that has been transferred to the off-springs ( child ) through genes of the parents. Means if parents have depression and they are taking medicines for it, then probability of getting depression in the progeny ( child ) is very high. If both parents have depression then chances of getting it in the children are 35-40%. Many people came to me and asked, they have seen a girl for their son but girl’s mother or father has depression, what should we do. I told them there is high chance of depression for the girl also because history of both the parents.
Note that it is not necessary to have depression in the child even though parents had. If you maintain a good diet, do regular exercises, have no addiction, take complete sleep, do mediation, do stress free jobs, have family support and enjoying life happily, then you can’t get depression even though your parents had. If there are twins and one of them has depression so other has high chances of getting it.
Biological
Chemical imbalance means problem with neurotransmitters in the brain. We know the meeting point of two nerves is called as synapse. And there are many neurotransmitters in the synapse, but we majorly talk about three of them named as Serotonin, Norepinephrine and Dopamine. When the level of any one of them or all decrease in the brain, it leads to depression. And we the doctors give medicines to the patient to increase this level in the brain. The example of such drugs are SNRI ( Serotonin Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors ), SSRI ( Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors ), Tricyclics etc.
Psycho–Social
This type of depression is seen in a patient when one of the following cause is found in the family or belongings :
- Death of parents
- Accident
- Suspended from job
- Financial loss
- Child abuse ( beating or sexual harassment in childhood )
- Divorce of parents etc.
Major symptoms of depression
A depressed person always thinks about negavity things. He complains about body pain, insomnia ( no sleep ), Anorexia ( no hunger ) etc. Also he added, he is unable to recognize people, always talks to himself, feels unconscious. He also disclosed that he had fear of death and someone is planning to kill him, people are plotting against him and will catch him and hurt him. He took it as physical disease but he doesn’t know that actually it is mental disorder. Isn’t it ?
It seems as physical but it’s a mental disorder and people take it wrong.
Major symptoms of depression.
- Nervousness
- Indifference
- Sadness
- Tiredness
- Weakness
- Feeling crying without reason
- Hopeless
- Talk very silently in low voice
- Feel guilty itself.
- Loss of hunger
- Weight loss
- Insomnia
- Body pain
- Loss of interest in everything
- Thinking to commit suicide
How to treat depression without medicines
It is believed that when Serotonin level in the brain goes down or decreases, it leads to depression. This our medical science claims. So what to do to increase the serotonin level ? Generally many depression’s patients come to me and i suggest them to take antidepressants medicines in order to balance the serotonin level in the brain. Keep in mind whenever serotonin level goes down in the brain, this chemical imbalance affects the emotions and flourish the depression.
Now pay attention what i am going to say, it is the just opposite theory. Suppose if we change the emotions of the patient then automatically serotonin level will go up ( increases ). And when this level gets balanced, the patient will not have depression as we already discussed lesser the serotonin level in the brain, more the depression develops.
Therapies
By using some therapies such as R.E.B.T. ( Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy ), C.B.T. ( Cognitive Behavioral Therapy ) or Hypnotherapy etc. we can change the thinking and ideas of the patient. And when ideas and thinking of the patient gets change from negative to positive, it will increase the serotonin level. The patient will get free from depression.
Pointing towards the another way to get rid of depression, there is a saying ‘Fake It Till You Make It’ is the behaviour in which we show off that we are happy although we know we are not. So if we show mock happiness and try to be happy the serotonin level will rises because brain has neurotransmitters that will stimulate others chemicals to take serotonin level up.
Third way is to do meditation in full empty room & watch and pay attention to your ideas that are coming out of your brain with closed eyes. You don’t have to note whether it is a negative idea or positive. And you just have to see your ideas how are they. You don’t have to be affected from them. Take them neither good nor bad ideas. And neither happy nor sorrow ideas. Take them just they are ideas only nothing else. Repeat this habit and you will shock to see that after some days you will feel your brain as light as cotton. All the negativity has completely gone and you are relaxed and living in very peaceful surroundings.
Home remedies for depression
There are more than 750 crore people in this world and depression affects 25% of total population of the world every year. A person becomes hopeless and sad in Depression. He thinks negatively most of time. He believes there is nobody in the world for him, there is darkness around him he adds. Overall the person like him thinks negative all the time and never becomes agree to visit a psychiatrist. Because such patients assume once they start medication for depression, it will lifetime treatment they will have to bear.
So here are some home remedies i am suggesting for those patients who don’t want to visit to a psychiatrist and can get rid if depression at home:
Making a goal
If you haven’t set any goal to achieve, make it now. But remember you have to make your goal in fragments ( in parts ) so that you can easily achieve one by one and get happy. Because small goals looks easier to achieve than long. A goal makes a man focused. So make a goal in small parts if you haven’t.
Listen, speak, watch positive
When a person listens and watch negative he thinks and speaks negative. So whenever you are watching TV or anything try to watch positive. Stay away from social media because nowadays everything on social media express negative. Try to be among positive thinkers, religious place, try to watch and listen devotional serials. Never be alone because when we are alone we always think negative and curse ourselves and try to commit suicide due to negative thoughts. Try to be among the people. Speak positive and listen positive. Read motivational books. Avoid watching debates on TV.
Express yourself
Whatever you are thinking for any incidents or thing, share it with others ( family members, friends, doctor, co-workers etc ). Because when you express yourself you feel relaxed and there is no pressure in the mind for any doubt.
Stop thinking about past
Past incidents may kill you so avoid them. Accept the failure. Live your life in present, forget your past if you had made any crime earlier. If you are feeling guilty or crying share it with others and communicate with them. If you are hiding something ( which shouldn’t be hidden ) from others, make it disclose to them. So forget your past and focus on your future goal.
Counselling
Go for counselling if above remedies didn’t work for you. Always remember a person feels better when he personally communicates with a single person. He feels secure and confident when a person listens him.
Hypnosis
Transferring positive thoughts from hypnotherapist to patients verbally. This also gives the good results. The councillor ( hypnotherapist ) gives you the positive commands and tries to fill your sub-conscious mind with positivity. Consult a psychiatrist if none of the above remedies worked for you. It will be the best way to deal with the situation and doctor will assist you and treat you with medicines.
How to fight with depression
Tips to fight with depression
- Interact people that you love.
- Do work what you love.
- Do 40 minutes exercise in with pedestal in sunlight every day.
- Don’t speak out negative thoughts
- Do activities, dont sit lonely.
- Talk openly with a person you love the most.
- Attend social programs like birthday, weddings, parties, festivals, watching movies etc.
- Help the needy persons ( help those only who can’t help you back ) in the form of money, clothes, eatables etc.
- Make new hobbies like going for a picnic etc.
- Take 8 hours sleep ( if unable to sleep take either an antidepressant drug or sleep tablet ).
If you follow above all points you easily get back to normal healthy individual life within 3 – 4 weeks. But when it comes to taking medicines it will take 6 – 9 months to see good results. You will shock to know, there are thousands of people are under depression but they don’t show you that they are affected by depression. Even your neighbours also.
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