DEPRESSION

Depression is much more than mere sadness. It is defined as emotional dejection and withdrawal. We often say that we are depressed because something unfortunate happened during our day or we couldn't get our way. However, real depression is a clinically diagnosed condition that often needs therapy plus for some medication to relieve. 

Depression is a state of low mood and aversion to activity that can affect a person's thoughts, behaviour, feelings and physical well-being. It may include feelings of sadness, anxiety, emptiness, hopelessness, worthlessness, guilt, irritability, or restlessness.

A number of factors can play a role in depression:

• Alcohol or drug abuse
• Life events or situations, such as:
  
  • Breaking up with a boyfriend or girlfriend, failing a class, illness or death in the family, or parents divorcing (for adolescents)
  • Childhood events, such as abuse or neglect
  • Divorce, death of a friend or relative, or loss of a job (for adults)
  • Social isolation (common in the elderly)
• Medical conditions such as hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid), medications (such as sedatives and high blood pressure medications), cancer, major illness, or prolonged pain
• Sleeping problems

Symptoms

Depression can change or distort the way adolescents see themselves and their lives, as well as other people around them. People who have depression usually see everything with a more negative attitude, unable to imagine that any problem or situation can be solved in a positive way.
Symptoms include:

• Agitation, restlessness, and irritability
• Dramatic change in appetite, often with weight gain or loss
• Extreme difficulty concentrating
• Fatigue and lack of energy
• Feelings of hopelessness and helplessness
• Feelings of worthlessness, self-hate, and inappropriate guilt
• Inactivity and withdrawal from usual activities, a loss of interest or pleasure in activities that were once enjoyed (such as sex)
• Thoughts of death or suicide
• Trouble sleeping or excessive sleeping

Depression can appear as anger and discouragement, rather than as feelings of hopelessness and helplessness. Use of alcohol or illegal substances may be more likely to occur.If depression is very severe, there may also be psychotic symptoms, such as hallucinations and delusions. These symptoms may focus on themes of guilt, inadequacy, or disease.

Signs and tests

Major depression is diagnosed if a person reports having five or more depressive symptoms for at least 2 weeks. Beck's Depression Scale Inventory or other screening tests for depression can be helpful in making the diagnosis.
Before diagnosing depression, the health care provider should rule out medical conditions that can cause symptoms of depression.

Depressed people may lose interest in activities that once were pleasurable, or suffer cognitive impairments (difficulty concentrating, remembering details, or making decisions). They may contemplate or attempt suicide. Their weight may change dramatically. Insomnia, excessive sleeping, fatigue, loss of energy, or aches, pains or digestive problems that are resistant to treatment may be present. Depression can cause pervasive problems in an individual's life through its (often unconscious) changes to behaviour (e.g. a pygmalion effect of expecting poor social performance, and ultimately pushing people away).


There is a way to find out if you have a tendency toward this condition. It is called a depression quiz. This test helps you determine whether you are showing signs of being depressed by the symptoms you express. In mental health, there are also test available to determine if someone has attention deficit disorder.

This test won't show results of how deeply this condition is felt, but it is very helpful toward getting a diagnosis and determining your state of mind. Showing your doctor this test will help him or her to ascertain the level of your condition and what steps will need to be taken. This test is will help you learn more about your inner states of mind.

The test contains a set of questions that will determine if your condition is mild or more pronounced. It will also help you see if there is a chronic pattern. Similar to the attention deficit test, by seeing the number of yes responses to certain questions, you'll learn if your symptoms warrant further help. Three or more "yes" answers can be evidence of an acute form of depression. Sometimes one can also have a temporary depression as the result of certain circumstances in their lives they respond to with a state of hopelessness. However, symptoms that remain over a period of a three or more weeks can be evidence of a more serious condition. In this case, you should contact a medical professional. These symptoms can include fatigue, insomnia, irritability, and suicidal ideation. Please be aware, that if there is a plan that accompanies suicidal ideation, it is important to seek help immediately and if it is a family member, take them to a local hospital.

If you feel a sense that things aren't going well and you are not responding in a healthy manner to your daily situations then you should take a depression quiz. Please be aware that his test is not an exact science and that regardless of your score on the test, seeking counseling is an excellent way to help to clarify the causes of low moods or feelings of helplessness. 

Treatment

Talk therapy and Cognitive behavioural therapy are often used to help treat depression. In a similar vein, the science of happiness makes various recommendations of habits that help increase a person's well-being. Antidepressants are sometimes quite necessary. Electroconvulsive therapy has been known to have positive results. Doctors may also be open to natural ingredients in the end