Understanding Depression
Depression is a type of mood disorder that involves a persistent feeling of grave sadness and loss of interest. These intense feelings can hamper a person’s everyday activities resulting in lower productivity. However, depression is different from mood fluctuations that people experience as a part of their everyday lives. It is an ongoing problem and the symptoms can last longer than usual mood fluctuations.
Symptoms of Depression
Symptoms of depression can vary from person to person in terms of severity and duration. It’s also not uncommon for people diagnosed with depression to have physicals signs of it as well. Brain chemicals linked to depression play a role in both, mood as well as pain. Some common symptoms can be:
- You have lack of energy almost every day
- You feel guilty or worthless every day
- You feel pessimistic
- You have a hard time focusing
- You feel restless
- You’ve lost or gained weight
- You feel cranky or restless
- You overeat or stop feeling hungry
- You have headaches, cramps, or pains that don’t get better with treatment
- You have sad or empty feelings
- Slowed movement or speech
- Loss of sexual desire
- Fatigue
- Recurrent thoughts of death
Causes of Depression
The exact cause of depression might be difficult to pinpoint but it can be a combination of things like:
- Hormones – The levels of hormones can sometimes set off the symptoms of depression. These hormone levels can fluctuate because of various reasons like pregnancy, thyroid problems, menopause, etc.
- Genetic – People are more likely to have depression if someone related to them has it. Though the researchers have not been able to find the specific genes responsible for it, it isn’t false to say that there might be a correlation
- Brain structure – People who have depression are known to have some physical difference in their brains than people who don’t have it
- Childhood Traumas – Some incidents from one’s childhood may impact how their body reacts to stressful situations and fear
- Abuse – Emotional, sexual, or physical abuse can make you more likely to develop cancer
