Depression
Depression is a mental illness where the sufferer experiences a low mood, usually with feelings of sadness, hopelessness, anger or disinterest, for significant periods of time. Having depression can drastically affect your everyday life for the worse. The feelings associated with depression can become overwhelming, causing serious mental distress, and can even cause physical symptoms. The duration of depression can differ from person to person, depression could last a few weeks or months, or could last for years or even a lifetime if gone untreated. Depressive episodes can be categorised on a scale, from mild to severe.
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Depression is a common mental illness, affecting more than
264 million people according to a 2018 study by The Lancet. People of any gender can experience depression, with women more likely to be diagnosed with depression. The Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey of 2014 found that 3.3% of people aged 16 or over in England, Scotland and Wales had experienced depression, making depression the second most common mental disorder in the UK behind Generalised Anxiety Disorder. It is estimated by the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention that 8.1% of adults aged 20 and over experienced depression in any 2-week period from 2013 to
2016 in United States.
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Symptoms
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People with depression may experience a range of the following symptoms. The symptoms people experience can differ from person to person, some people with depression may experience some of these symptoms and not others. Depression affects people in different ways, but the common symptoms are the following:
- A depressive mood: feeling down or low, with feelings of
sadness, anger, irritability, anxiety, hopelessness or guilt
- Sleep disturbance: excessive sleeping or insomnia
- Fatigue: constantly feeling tired or exhausted
- Loss of interest in activities: obtaining little to no enjoyment or
pleasure from doing, or the thought of doing, activities that
were previously pleasurable
- Eating disturbance: a change in appetite, such as a loss of
appetite or excessive eating
- Physical ailments: experiencing physical pain, such as having
headaches, cramps or digestive problems
- Difficulty in everyday life functioning: a disturbance in everyday
life activities, such as going to school or taking a shower
- Social disturbance: shying away from people or social situations
- Lack of self-esteem: loss of confidence in yourself
- Lack of concentration: an increased difficulty to concentrate
- Self-harm: causing harm to yourself
- Suicidal thoughts: thinking of ending your life or attempting to
People can experience these symptoms at varying levels of severity, and these symptoms could also be indicative of a separate mental condition that is not depression. These symptoms are what is considered when a doctor diagnoses someone with depression.
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Types of Depression
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Agitated Depression:
A form of depression where the sufferer becomes severely agitated and prone to outbursts of anger, and possibly self-harm.
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Atypical Depression:
Experiencing a low mood for more days that not, while experiencing brighter moods in response to positive events.
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Bipolar Disorder:
A condition where you experience episodes of hypermania and episodes of depression.
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Cyclothymic Disorder:
Experiencing mood swings with periods of mild depression and hypomania. Similar to bipolar disorder, however these symptoms are much milder.
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Depressive Episode with Insufficient Symptoms:
A depressed mood with one of the symptoms of a major depressive episode that causes significant distress.
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Major Depressive Disorder:
Experiencing a depressed mood for long periods of time, usually involving consistent feelings of sadness, hopelessness, or loss
of interest.
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Peripartum (Postpartum) Depression:
A lasting episode of depression that begins before or after giving birth. This is not the same as 'baby blues' as this disorder lasts for much longer and may not go away without treatment.
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Persistent Complex Bereavement Disorder (PCBD):
When a person who experiences grief takes a considerably long
amount of time before reaching acceptance and their grief impairs
their everyday life.
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Persistent Depressive Disorder (Dysthymia):
Long lasting and continuous depression that can vary on levels of severity. The feelings of depression can be mild, moderate or severe.
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Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD):
A form of depression suffered by women within the two weeks before their period, with symptoms fading after period. This is similar to premenstrual syndrome but the symptoms are more severe.
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Psychotic Depression:
Someone who experiences symptoms of depression as well as symptoms of psychosis.
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Recurrent Brief Depression:
A reoccurring presence of depression lasting 2-13 days and occurring at least once a month.
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Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD):
A form of depression that arises during a specific season of the year, usually being winter.
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Short-Duration Depressive Episode:
Episode of depression that lasts for more than 4 days, but no more than 14 days.
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Substance/Medication-Induced Bipolar and Related Disorder:
Symptoms of bipolar disorder or a related disorder, such as cyclothymic disorder, that are caused by use of a substance
or medication.
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Substance/Medication-Induced Depressive Disorder:
Symptoms of a depressive disorder, such as major depressive disorder, that are caused by use of a substance or medication.
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Treatment
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Treating depression can involve lifestyle changes, therapy and medication. Usually the first step to treatment is seeing a health professional, such as a psychiatrist. The health professional will determine what treatment is right for you depending on the severity of your depression. Medication can be prescribed if necessary, these could be antidepressants, antianxiety or antipsychotic medications. A professional may also recommend changes in lifestyle such as increased exercise or avoiding alcohol and drug use. Talking therapies may also be recommended, such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT).
