What is Depression? Risk, Symptoms, Treatment, & Medications

Depression is known as a mood disorder that causes long-lasting, intense feelings of grief, and sadness. It also causes loss of interest in day-to-day activities that once one enjoyed performing.

Depression has major impacts on the three most important components of a human being that includes how one feels, thinks, and behaves which in turn leads to several other emotional and physical problems.

In clinical terms, depression is known as major depressive disorder or clinical depression. Since depression is persisting, it’s not easy to come out of it because it’s more than normal sadness.

Although medications, psychotherapies, or a combination of both along with changing lifestyles can help treat depression.

Risk Factors of Depression

Many factors cause depression, which includes:

1- Genetics

Genetics plays an important role in developing depression. Individuals whose first degree relatives suffers from depression have a higher risk of developing depression.

2- Environmental Factors 

Adverse childhood experiences especially, when there are multiple experiences of diverse types, tend to develop depression.

Stressful life events are well-recognized as major causes of developing depression, such as, loss of a loved one, relationship breakups, physical abuse, sexual abuse, financial problems, or experiencing a traumatic event.

3- Biological Factors

Imbalances in Stress hormones known as adrenaline, cortical, and DHEA can lead to depression. Thyroid problems can also result in depression.

Menopause or pre-menopause can also lead to depression because the body starts to reduce or stop producing hormones related to the woman’s fertility.

4- Chronic Illness

Individuals who suffered from chronic illnesses such as cancer, stroke, heart diseases, or chronic pains or are currently suffering have a higher risk of developing depression.

5- Medications

There are certain medications that have side-effects of causing depression such as, high blood pressure or sleeping pills.

6- History of Mental Disorder

Individuals who have a history of other mental disorders, such as anxiety disorders, eating disorders of PTSD are prone to develop depression.

7- Psychological Factors

There are certain psychological reasons that can cause depression such as, loneliness or isolation, lack of social support, or relationship problems.

Neuroscience of Depression

Research suggests that people who suffer from depression have a smaller hippocampus size. The more an individual experiences episodes of depression, the more is the reduction in hippocampus size.

Also, imbalances in the neurotransmitters of the brain and how they interact with neuron-circuits plays an important role in causing depression.

Symptoms of Depression

Symptoms of depression occur during most time of the day and nearly every day.

Symptoms include:

1)Feelings of sadness and tearfulness

2)Reduced interest or intrigue in healthy and productive activities

3)Increase or decrease in appetite

4)Major decline in health and weight although eating habits continue as normal

5)Psychomotor agitation

6)Feelings of worthlessness or excessive and inappropriate guilt

7)Diminished ability to think, concentrate and remembering things

8)Recurrent thoughts of death or suicidal thoughts

9)Sleep disturbances including insomnia or sleeping too much

Treatment and Therapies

Even in most severe cases, depression can be treated. It requires professional treatment, and with the right care, people can cope with it, and feel better. Since depression affects different people in different ways, usually; depression is treated through medications and psychotherapies or a combination of both, depending on the intensity of it.

Medications

Antidepressants are helpful in treating depression in some people, especially in severe cases.

Antidepressants help to improves brain usage of different chemicals that control mood and stress.

Medications usually take about 2 to 4 weeks to cause an impact and often help to improve sleep, appetite, and concentration problems.

It is important to note that, once one started the use of antidepressants and feels better after a few doses should not stop using them abruptly before consulting the doctor.

This can cause depressive symptoms to return back. The course of medication is usually, 6 to 12 months and its withdrawal is slow and gradual.

Psychotherapies and the Role of Psychologists

There are several psychotherapies such as, ‘talk therapy’ or ‘counseling’ can help treat depression.

Licensed psychologists are highly trained mental health professionals having expertise in treating and helping those suffering from depression.

Psychotherapies have proved to help people with depression recover, especially people with mild to moderate depression.

Psychotherapy helps people to find out the life events that contribute to their depression and help them to accept, change, and adapt to those situations.

It also helps them to set realistic goals for their future. It helps people to identify their distorted thought processes or unhelpful behaviors that cause feelings of hopelessness and helplessness in them.

It helps to develop coping skills and strategies to overcome their symptoms and problems.

Famous therapies that psychologists use to treat depression include:

1- Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)

CBT is a type of therapy that focuses on three important components; the thoughts, feelings, and behavior that tend to affect one another.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy has been proven successful in treating depression.

CBT helps individuals to identify their negative thoughts, help to change their inaccurate rigid beliefs, and helps change their behaviors that contribute to the symptoms of depression.

Also, it improves positive interaction with people.

2- Interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT)

IPT is a short-term, focused treatment for depression. IPT helps individuals to improve interpersonal relationships with others by learning to better express the emotions and feelings along with solving problems in healthier and more realistic ways.

3- Short-term psychodynamic psychotherapy (STPP)

STPP is another beneficial approach to treat depression. It helps the individual to explore their hidden troubling feelings and thoughts that cause problems in their relationships, communication, or day-to-day functioning and helps to change them.

About This Author

Syed Ahxn A traveler, SEO consultant, and blogger. Joined: September 15th, 2019