What is depression?

In recent times, there has been a high trend of depression cases and this mental disorder cuts across people from all age groups, backgrounds and nationalities. According to WHO's 2017 yearly report, an estimated 3.8% of the world population is affected with depression, which is approximately 280 million people. Wow! It doesn't help that in this part of the world, it's easier to wave off people with depression with the slang 'Na sapa dey worry you, no be depression' which is appalling, because unlike other mental disorders, depression sometimes occur in a way that is similar to mood swings and as such people who are depressed would probably think they have mood fluctuations and carry on in their depressive states without getting help. Also, the social stigma associated with people who suffer depression in this part of the world should be frowned upon because not only are they stigmatized, their condition is made very humorous that most times they become recluse, go back into their shells and carry on with their depressive moods and this doesn't help the society in the long run because they end up being a menace to their family, community, kindred etc

What is Depression?

Depression is a mental and behavioral disorder that involves a persistent feeling of sadness,loss of interest and pleasure in activities. It's worth noting that it's a norm to feel sad or low sometimes but this feeling which is better known as mood swings usually stops after some time and it is quite different from depression, as depression is persistent, recurring and can last for a long time if help is not rendered

Symptoms and patterns of Depression

Whether it's the new mom who can't guess why she's feeling glum or that toddler who is all cranky or the teenager who wants to sleep all day and find nothing worth doing, depressive moods all have similar patterns of being sad, irritable, empty and hopeless. Lack of concentration, feelings of excessive low self-esteem and worth, loss of interest and pleasure in activities, increase in purposeless physical activity (e.g., inability to sit still, pacing, handwringing) or slowed movements or speech (these actions must be severe enough to be observable by others) Feeling worthless, thoughts of suicide, weight gain/loss which can't be traced to a dieting program are all inclusive of depressive symptoms. Although these symptoms might vary from mild to severe, symptoms of depression must last at least two weeks and a noticeable change in the level of functioning before depression can be diagnosed.

Causes of Depression

Researchers haven't been able to pinpoint a particular cause of depression, as depression can be triggered or occur for a variety of reasons which includes but not limited to:
Trauma and Abuse: People who have had traumatic experience and people who have suffered abuse(emotional, sexual, physical) are more likely to go through depression.
Personality: People who have certain personality traits such as extremely low self-esteem, overly self-critical are more vulnerable to trigger depressive moods
Illness: Sometimes, people who have life-threatening illness or long-standing illness such as cancer, heart disease can easily be triggered into depressive moods as the illness is taking a toll on their overall wellbeing.
Environmental factors: An environment that exposes people to violence, neglect, abuse, poverty and disease have a higher chance of producing more depressed people.
Genetics: If you have a family history of depression, then you are susceptible to having depression as researches have shown that there is a high degree of heritability (approximately 40%) when first-degree relatives (parents/children/siblings) have depression.

Effects of Depression

As much as depression is a mental illness, it has great effects on our physical and overall well being.
Some of the effects of depression are:
Trouble with memory or making decisions: Cognitive changes such as trouble remembering things or making decisions affect people with depression.
Risk of heart attack: Studies have shown that people in depressive state stand a chance of having a heart attack.
Insomnia: Depression can make you have abnormal sleep patterns or no sleep at all as this can be a result of difficulty in concentration
Fatigue: Depression reduces the energy level of the body and this makes one with depression tire out easily and feel fatigued
Suicide thoughts: Depression can make the mind preoccupied with thoughts of hurting oneself which increases the risk of committing suicide.

Treatment of Depression

We've come to the good part which is, there is definitely help for people going through depression. Depression is among the most treatable of mental disorders. Most patients with depression gain relief from their symptoms and respond well to treatment. Treatment of depression comes in two major forms which are:
Medication: The chemistry of the brain may contribute to one's depression and for this reason there are antidepressants which normalize the brain changes associated with depression. Now, these antidepressant drugs are best prescribed by your doctor or your therapist as they would know which one is suitable for your level of depression. Although long term use of these antidepressants may be suggested to reduce the risk of future occurrence for certain people at high risk
Psychotherapy: Talking to a licensed psychotherapist about how you feel is a great start to treating depression. Although this therapy is sometimes used for only mild depression. Moderate and severe depression combine therapy with medications. Therapists also prescribe other natural remedies and tips such as acupuncture, exercise, meditation etc to help cure depression.
Depending on the severity of the depression, treatment can take a few weeks or much longer. In many cases, significant improvement can be made in 10 to 15 sessions.
Pertinent to know that these are not the only way a depressed person can get help, you and I can also help by being kind, spreading love and light to them, reassuring them that they're worthy and more than enough, give a listening ear to them and do not wave them off or stigmatize or make humor out of their condition.