If you ask a group of people who have suffered from clinical depression to define the illness, you will hear a variety of answers. Depression is a very personal experience that millions of people worldwide understand.
Different people manifest different symptoms, but one thing is sure: depression is a complicated illness that can significantly alter your life if left unresolved.
Many people with depression describe it as a sense of despair that engulfs everything they do and everything they feel.
Suppose you think being depressed is the same as feeling sad because your favorite team just lost the championship game or a restaurant no longer serves your favorite dish. In that case, you have no idea what suffering from actual depression is like. Depression is much deeper and more invasive than sadness, frustration, or inconvenience.
Depression takes everything away from you; it can sap your energy, focus, concentration, and especially your joy. You can find yourself not caring about anything; nothing really matters and even the people you love become unimportant.
If you are depressed for an extended period of time, you become accustomed to the feeling, and any other emotion becomes unfamiliar and even frightening.
Physical Concerns of Depression
Depression doesn't only take its toll on your emotions and mental state; it can cause serious physical problems as well. Depression may cause you to either lose your appetite or eat incessantly. It also zaps your energy and motivation.
When you're depressed, you tend to become inactive. This alone can cause several problems, but when added to some of the other physical side effects of depression, it's easy to see why depression is such a serious illness.
In addition, depression can lead to:
Lack of sleep. Depression can cause insomnia, which strips the body of necessary sleep to function properly.
Poor nutrition. When depressed, many people fail to take in proper nutrients. It takes too much effort to plan and prepare a meal. This can cause several health problems.
Aches and pains. If anyone tells you that your mental state does not affect your physical condition, they're wrong. When you're depressed, the chemicals in the brain that signal pain are just as affected as the chemicals in your brain that help you feel happy.
Physical aches and pains are increased, which kicks in the sad feelings, and the cycle begins again.
Hygiene issues. Someone suffering from depression may not have the energy or the motivation to be concerned with self-care. Bathing, brushing teeth, combing hair, and other day-to-day habits become difficult and unimportant.
What are the Symptoms of Depression?
These are some specific things those with depression experience:
Constant and severe sadness about everything
Hopelessness
Insomnia or trouble sleeping
Irritability
Trouble concentrating
Loss of interest in things that once interested them
Feeling worthless, useless, and strangely guilty for no reason at all
Serious change in weight which can be increase or decrease
Lack of energy and fatigue
One thing about depression is sure: it's a serious condition and should be taken seriously.
As depression progresses, it feeds on itself like a snowball rolling downhill. The longer someone is depressed, the worse the depression gets until they see no way out of it at all. They become resigned to being miserable all the time.
Depression can be caused by a particular event, seasons change, a loss of someone close, or even a chemical imbalance in the brain. The treatment for depression usually involves counseling or medication that helps alter brain chemistry.
If you know someone who is depressed, the best thing you can do is be supportive and empathetic. Talk to them and help them through this period. Help them seek professional treatment or medical care depending on the severity of illness.
If you think you may be depressed, start by finding a licensed therapist or talking to a health care provider who can refer adequate resources. Depression doesn't have to ruin your life! With help and support, you can conquer your depression, work through it, and go on to live a joyful life.