Depression-Signs and Symptoms

When I wanted myself to be heard, I felt the most unheard!

Depression is a illness that negatively impacts the way we live, socialize, and perform our daily functions. It involves a constant sad mood that does not get better with doing things that we once loved.

What is the main reason for depression?

The causes of depression have been the subject of significant research over the years. Although it is not uncommon to hear that depression is a consequence of “chemical imbalances”, scientific research has identified many triggers for the disorder. “Faulty mood regulation, genetic vulnerability, stressful life events as well as complex medical problems” can be among the probable causes. An individual may be more prone to mental illness due to personality features like receptivity to stress and low self-esteem, as well as environmental factors including “chronic exposure to neglect, and violent behavior,” among other chaotic environments. 

“Biological, psychological, or social factors are studied to find the cause of depression in any person”

Today most depression is caused by the way we grew up but we are not sure of the cause every time. However, on a specific note, reasons for depression can be divided into 3 categories; Biological, psychological, and social factors. Biological factors include the role of neurons, hormones, and genes in causing depression. Psychological factors can include childhood traumas such as the loss of a parent, or a broken family while social factors include bullying or a stressful environment.

The symptoms of depression vary from case to case. It depends upon the type and severity of depression, so, not everyone may face all the symptoms. However, according to surveys, females seem to be caught in the condition more likely than males. This is due to biological, hormonal, and social factors with increased guilt and anxiety. Furthermore, men with depression are at a greater risk of suicide than women, which may be related to problematic societal norms and pressures.

Prominent Signs of depression:

 Signs of Depression can be observed within 6-8 weeks of the disease initiation and can manifest it in various ways such as;

• Changes in appetite :There can be a visible decrease in the food intake or it can be the opposite i.e. the person trying to suppress emotions and frustration through excessive eating.
• Weight gain: Depression can cause weight gain because of overeating. In addition, the stress hormone cortisol also has an impact.
• Changes in Sleep routine: Sleep can be a sigh of relief for depression patients and they intend to sleep for long hours with an urge to escape from reality and guilt. However, the majority of the cases have immensely decreased sleep duration. Patients are not able to sleep due to clustered/ intrusive thoughts and noise in their heads.
• Clueless Physical pains: Depression and pain share a common neurochemical pathway, therefore, the Majority of the time, a depressed patient can have persistent aches, pains, or ailments, such as headaches or indigestion back pain, and headaches without any clear physical issues.

Symptoms of Depression:

Many times, in the name of being grateful, a vague emotional discomfort that can be stated as “something not feeling right” is overlooked.

• Anxiety, sadness, or irritability: remains almost the whole day and no matter what you try but you can’t snip out of it while this condition lasts for at least 2 weeks. However, a person may not always be sad; instead, he can be extra happy to hide the misery.
• Difficulty concentrating: Focusing ability of the patient gets highly disturbed. Moreover, due to recurrent thoughts, the patient faces a lot of difficulty in deciding and memorizing. He can also struggle with expressions due to confused thoughts.
• Loss of interest and motivation: A person would lose pleasure in doing things he once loved and enjoyed For instance sports and social media.
• Being argumentative and picking fights: A person gets frustrated over small matters.
• Less energetic and fatigued: A person feels very low and even small tasks require a lot of effort. Also, they feel difficulty in performing job tasks or school work.
• Hopelessness and emptiness: The Person gets surrounded by pessimistic thoughts and he feels impossible to fight through the disease and circumstances.
• Worthlessness with guilt: the person becomes low esteemed and blames himself for problems. He questions his existence meanwhile does not care for himself including essential hygiene. At a severe level, a person may harm himself.
• Recurrent death thoughts/suicide: Amidst the disease, a stage comes when the patient gets morally weaker and cannot bear the extreme symptoms. So it can be said that major depression can take a person to the verge of taking his own life.

Symptoms of depression may also vary with age so the majority population of our country ~teenagers is more likely to have following symptoms;

• Feeling annoyed by everything and everyone
• Displaying emotional outbursts in response to small triggers
• A greater-than-average desire for social interaction and approval
• Promiscuity and substance abuse

The relationship between depression and other conditions is complex. Sometimes, symptoms that appear to be related to depression may be indicators of another condition. If you feel any of these symptoms, do not be ignorant and consult a mental health professional just now because mental illness like depression can lead to severe acute results. Life is precious and so is your mental condition, so take care of it.

You may also consider consulting a qualified psychologist or psychiatrist online through platform like SehatYab. To book an appointment or know more about SehatYab, please visit www.sehatyab.com or contact helpline at 03001003171 / 03001003172