Depression: Symptoms, causes & treatment

 Depression is a mood disorder that causes a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest. Also called major depressive disorder or clinical depression, it affects how you feel, think and behave and can lead to a variety of emotional and physical problems. You may have trouble doing normal day-to-day activities, and sometimes you may feel as if life isn't worth living.

Most of us feel sad, lonely, or depressed at times. It's a normal reaction to loss, life's struggles, or injured self-esteem. But when these feelings become overwhelming, cause physical symptoms, and last for long periods of time, they can keep you from leading a normal, active life.

• Trouble concentrating, remembering details, and making decisions
• Fatigue
• Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, and helplessness
• Pessimism and hopelessness
• Insomnia, early-morning wakefulness, or sleeping too much
• Crankiness
• Restlessness
• Loss of interest in things once pleasurable, including sex
• Overeating, or appetite loss
• Aches, pains, headaches, or cramps that won't go away
• Digestive problems that don't get better, even with treatment
• Persistent sad, anxious, or "empty" feelings
• Suicidal thoughts or suicide attempts

It's often said that depression results from a chemical imbalance, but that figure of speech doesn't capture how complex the disease is. Research suggests that depression doesn't spring from simply having too much or too little of certain brain chemicals. Rather, there are many possible causes of depression, including faulty mood regulation by the brain, genetic vulnerability, stressful life events, medications

, and medical problems. It's believed that several of these forces interact to bring on depression.

When you’re depressed, it can feel like you’ll never get out from under a dark shadow. However, even the most severe depression is treatable. So, if your depression is keeping you from living the life you want to, don’t hesitate to seek help. From therapy to medication to healthy lifestyle changes, there are many different treatment options available.

1.   Social support. 

Social support is hypothesised to protect mental health both directly through the benefits of social relationships and indirectly as a buffer against stressful circumstances. Social support is a multidimensional concept which broadly refers to the emotional (e.g. providing encouragement), instrumental (e.g. helping with housekeeping) or informational (e.g. notifying someone of a job opportunity) assistance that is received from others. 3 It may also be characterised by the provider of support, including support from a spouse, relatives or friends, each thought to have independent protective effects against depression. Several reviewers have discussed aspects of social factors and mood problems in adult and elderly populations. 4^–8 Previous reviews have been mostly narrative, however, and none focused specifically on depression. In spite of the wealth of literature on social support, several questions remain. It is not clear which sources or types of social support are most protective against depression, or whether the type and source of support that is optimal for mental health varies across the life course.

Strong social networks reduce isolation, a key risk factor for depression. Keep in regular contact with friends and family, or consider joining a class or group. Volunteering is a wonderful way to get social support and help others while also helping yourself.

2.   Participate in a hobby

Maintaining your mental health can be a bit of a mystery. Does it require a positive attitude, a secret supplement, or good genetics? You may be happy to hear the key could be having a fun hobby. Studies have shown that people who have hobbies they love experience less stress and depression and have a more upbeat outlook on life. The right hobby can give you something to look forward to and keeps your mind active.

A wholesome hobby could be joining a rec league in a sport you love or attending cooking or a language class. It could be creating crafts inspired from Pinterest or dusting off an instrument that’s been tucked inside a closet or a corner. This is important because it gives you a reason to do something with your day. We’ve been there where we spend hours sleeping in because we don’t have a reason to get out of bed. This just leads to feeling worthless and having an unsatisfactory day. If you have events on a calendar, it gives you a reason to get out of bed, get dressed, and socialize with others.

3.   Make Healthy Habits

Eating healthy is good for your body and will help your mood overall. The easiest way to improve your diet is to cut out junk food. Avoid foods high in refined sugar and foods packed with saturated fats. Incorporate healthy foods into your diet, including:

Fatty acids

Omega-3s and omega-6s are two types of healthy fatty acids. These can be found in: fish, nuts, fresh fruits and vegetables and olive oil

Amino acids

Neurotransmitters, the messengers in the brain, are made of amino acids. Neurotransmitters play a role in mental health, so include amino-acid-rich foods, such as the following, in your diet: meat, dairy products, certain fruits and vegetables

Complex carbohydrates

Carbohydrates can help stimulate production of the feel-good neurotransmitter serotonin. Carbohydrates also help your body absorb amino acids more effectively, which helps you synthesize proteins. Your brain runs on glucose, which is also derived from carbohydrates. Complex carbohydrates can be found in: whole grains, legumes, vegetables, such as spinach and broccoli and fruits, such as oranges and pears

4.   Exercise. 

Regular exercise can boost your mood if you have depression, and it's especially useful for people with mild to moderate depression.

Any type of exercise is useful, as long as it suits you and you do enough of it Exercise should be something you enjoy; otherwise, it will be hard to find the motivation to do it regularly.

 

Regular exercise can be as effective at treating depression as medication. Not only does exercise boost serotonin, endorphins, and other feel-good brain chemicals, it triggers the growth of new brain cells and connections, just like antidepressants do. Best of all, you don’t have to train for a marathon in order to reap the benefits. Even a half-hour daily walk can make a big difference. For maximum results, aim for 30 to 60 minutes of aerobic activity on most days.

5.   Meditation

To begin meditating, find a place where you can sit comfortably and quietly. Then close your eyes and do nothing for a minute or so. Thoughts may come during that time, and that is okay. Then start the audio below and play your mantra** at a whisper. Each time you hear your mantra, say it quietly inside without moving your tongue or lips. After one minute the audio will fade to silence. Then continue saying your mantra quietly inside for four more minutes. If thoughts come during that time, gently return to saying your mantra quietly inside. The audio will tell you when four minutes is over. Follow this instruction for your first meditation only. After your first meditation, follow the instructions in the Daily Practice of Meditation section below.

Sit quietly, close your eyes, and do nothing for a minute or so. Thoughts will come and that is okay. It is natural to have thoughts during meditation. After a minute or so, in the same natural way that thoughts come, and without moving your tongue or lips, quietly inside start saying your mantra. Slowly repeat your mantra until you are done meditating. When thoughts come, gently return to saying your mantra. When you finish meditating, lay down and rest for 4-5 minutes.

 

6.   Sleep. 

A common complication of depression is lack of sleep. Lying awake in bed at night with a brain that won’t calm down, or waking in the middle of the night and not being able to get back to sleep, are common symptoms. Fatigue from lack of sleep can add to symptoms of depression, so proper sleep is an important part of a depression treatment plan. Develop a calming bedtime routine that can help you wind down at the end of the day, and follow a consistent sleep schedule to improve the amount and quality of sleep you get.

Sleep has a strong effect on mood. When you don’t get enough sleep, your depression symptoms will be worse. Sleep deprivation exacerbates irritability, moodiness, sadness, and fatigue. Make sure you’re getting enough sleep each night. Very few people do well on less than seven hours a night. Aim for somewhere between seven to nine hours each night.

 

7.   Stress reduction. 

Stress is a part of life, but chronic, long-term stress can be debilitating, especially for someone with depression. Stress builds upon itself, so it’s essential to combat stress with calming, soothing experiences. Stress management is different for everyone, so you are the best person to decide which healthy activities help you

Make changes in your life to help manage and reduce stress. Too much stress exacerbates depression and puts you at risk for future depression. Take the aspects of your life that stress you out, such as work overload or unsupportive relationships, and find ways to minimize their impact.

 

 

8.   Think Happy Thoughts

No, it’s not easy to break off the chains of negative thinking. But it is possible to identify patterns of pessimistic thoughts that throw gasoline onto the fire of depression and replace them with reasonable thinking. For example, if you look at things in absolutes, this can lead you to mental destruction as there are middle grounds in life. If you overgeneralize life circumstances, this can keep you from growing as one negative experience can keep you from having positive ones in the same area. Also, if you are a glass-half-empty kind of person, you can spend a lot of thoughts focusing on all the bad things in life rather than the good things. Jumping to conclusions can also be harmful as assuming the worst can be detrimental especially in relationships. Another thing to remember is the way you feel doesn’t necessarily reflect reality. The most helpful thing you can do if you are drowning in disparaging thoughts is to question them. Is there truth to what you are thinking? Is there another way to look at your current situation? How would a positive person look at this situation?

 

9.   Avoid technology before bedtime

Using screens can affect how quickly you fall asleep and for how long you sleep. This happens for several reasons: Screen usage in the hour before bed can stimulate your brain. Blue light from televisions, computer screens, phones, and tablets might suppress melatonin levels and delay sleepiness.

To help avoid technology disrupting your sleep, the National Sleep Foundation recommends you stop using phones, computers or televisions at least 30 minutes before bedtime. If possible, the Foundation also recommends eliminating electronics from your bedroom

 

10.   Spend time outside

Spending time outdoors, especially in green spaces, is one of the fastest ways to improve your health and happiness. It’s been shown to lower stress, blood pressure and heart rate, while encouraging physical activity and buoying mood and mental health.

Spending time in green space or bringing nature into your everyday life can benefit both your mental and physical wellbeing. For example, doing things like growing food or flowers, exercising outdoors or being around animals can have lots of positive effects.

 

Depression is a serious disorder. Its symptoms of sadness and isolation can be debilitating. There are many things you can do on your own to treat depression and alleviate its symptoms. Stay healthy by eating right, exercising, and getting plenty of sleep to combat depression. Talk to your doctor if you are experiencing symptoms of depression