Depression: Feeling Blue?

Many people use the term depression very loosely. We love to say "I am depressed" to mean that we are feeling sad, down in the dumps or simply to be over-dramatic about things. We know that being depressed and being sad are synonymous or rather overlap in meaning (no two words in the English language are perfectly synonymous) but this is far from accurate.

Depression does involve feeling sad but people who are sad are not always depressed. Depression is, to begin with, a much more intense sadness. It is a sadness that is deeper and does not seem to budge. It is haunting for the sufferer and conditions their life in a way that sadness does not. Depressed people lose interest in doing the things they loved, in socializing and meeting their friends, they suffer from insomnia or erratic sleep, feel tired all the time and have memory lapses - this is just to mention just a few things.

Depression is there to stay unless you do something about it. It rarely just goes away on its own especially if your situation does not change. You could be depressed because severe alcohol abuse or drug abuse but you could also be suffering from post natal depression, depression as a result of a trauma or loss of someone you loved. Depression is such a complex and varied condition of which there are so many different types.

Treatment:

Treatment is one of several. People with depression need someone to talk to and help them out of their state of depression. They could use the services of a psychologist (perhaps psychotherapists or a cognitive behavioral therapist). Sometimes depression is due to patterns of thoughts that become ingrained, ways of seeing the world that need to be changed. A qualified therapist can help change a depressed person's negative views.

Medication could be a very important aspect of treating depression. This is because depression is also a physical condition just like diabetes. It is caused by certain changes in the brain structure and in the balance of special brain chemicals known as neurotransmitters. Prolonged stress on the brain can lead to these changes which make a person depressed. There are various drugs which can be prescribed to you to help you get through your depression.

Tricyclic antidepressants, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and Serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors are the main groups. In each of these three, there are many different medications that can used. Many times depressed people need to juggle and try different medications as what may work for one person might not actually work for another person.

Ideally you make the best of both and take medication as well as see a therapist. If you feel alone and constantly wondering whether you are the only one feeling the way you do then you could try group therapy. In group therapy you share your experiences with other people with your same condition. It could be a huge relief and help you deal with it better: to hear people going through those very same experiences that you thought only you had.

Depression is a complex condition. There are also genetic links to depression and it does sometimes run in families. To read more about the genes and research going on about depression and genetics, take a look here: http://townsendlab.berkeley.edu/blogs/depression-genes-family-and-environment

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