For a long period of time depression was considered like something unserious or the result of a bad mood. As we know low mood lasts for a couple of days and then it is usually changed by good mood and here is the first major difference between a depressive episode and bad mood. As a matter of fact, a bad mood is one of depression signs.

Today some people believe that it is a whim or “a disease of lazy ones”. In fact, such an approach to this serious disease is formed because human beings have poor knowledge about depression.

Leaving this problem without consideration, we make the situation worse, provide further development of depression and become its slaves.

In addition, psychological condition while depressed often leads to a variety of somatic disorders, pains, headaches, such a condition may trigger more serious diseases, often considered incurable.

If you think that you suffer from depression, first of all, you should seek professional help.

And here is a leading problem – as a rule, a person who suffers from a depressive disorder rarely asks for any help.

It is important to distinguish depression from seasonal blues or banal bad mood.

Depression Signs and Symptoms

The main symptom of the onset of the depressive disorder that lasts for a long period of time is a low mood that ranges from mild to unbearable sadness.

Almost every person has pain in various parts of his body, sometimes every day in different places. There are sleep disorders, from insomnia during the night to sleepiness during the day. Usual interests lose their meaning, and life becomes colorless. Food is tasteless. By the way, eating disorders can also occur in the reverse process – overeating.

There are several characteristics of depression when it is easy to define:

Firstly, akinesia is a phenomenon in which a person tries to do a minimum of movements, and the movements themselves are slow.

Secondly, abulia is when a person abstracts from everything, unconcern takes place.

Thirdly, apathy is the absence of response to any external action.

However, these symptoms tell you, shout to be exact, that it is necessary to help a depressed person immediately! For many years people may not experience these symptoms, on the contrary, depression can be accompanied by outbreaks of neurosis, panic attacks, and generalized anxiety state.

Causes of Depression

First of all, let’s consider the external causes, i.e. the circumstances which influence our emotional state every single day.

Stress

These primary external causes of depression such as hard work, conflict with people, a sedentary lifestyle, difficulty in social adaptation play a major role in the development of depression. In this case a person is capable, if not to change the environment or change radically the way of life, at least, he is able to change the attitude to his own work, friends, and family. Coping with stress is not the task of one day or a week. It is a time-consuming process which should be carried out consistently, day after day.

Internal causes

It is about hormonal changes that occur, for example, during pregnancy or after childbirth, menopause. Many viral diseases such as hepatitis, diseases of the brain and its injury may cause depression. In this case, treatment of depression should be parallel with the treatment of the certain disease, not separately. There is a so-called endogenous depression, caused by lack of specific hormones or other substances produced by the brain. This type of depression is also treatable.

Heredity is another cause of depression, less treatable. But here you can handle it with the help of psychotherapy and specially selected medications.

Read more about Major Depressive Disorder

Ways to Overcome Depression

The most effective way to beat the depressive disorder is knowledge. Learning a huge amount of information on this subject allows you to find an answer on your questions. Awareness is one of the most effective ways of cleaning your body and soul from this severe disease.

The second important moment when dealing with depression is action. It is necessary to seek professional help. There is nothing wrong. After all, when you have a toothache you go to the doctor. Sometimes mild depression can be overcome with just a few consultations, sometimes in combination with antidepressants.

It is necessary to understand that independent choice of antidepressants in this case may worsen or even trigger new and much more serious problems. Thus, medications are available only by prescription.

However, there are a number of actions that you can do on your own to help your body cope with depression

 Do not let yourself or anyone else to feel sorry for you. It is most important. Self-pity destroys the remnants of self-esteem which is already low in depressed people. Build brick by brick your new “self”, if you allowed to feel sorry for you earlier.

 Eat healthy food. For any healthy person, it is important to get the full amount of vitamins and minerals, it goes without saying for people who have different diseases. In addition, the onset of depression can be triggered by lack of elements such as magnesium.

 Do not escape from your problems. Meet them face to face, it will be difficult in the beginning. Escaping from problems and avoiding its decisions make depression worse and make a person its slave, he is no longer able to live and think differently. Once it is sufficient to change the way of thinking and behavior and depression will go away. Listen to yourself, maybe you just got used to this state, and you are afraid of changes.

 “Move” slowly. This advice can be used if you feel that you are completely depressed when you feel that you do not want to eat or drink or get up. Try to say to yourself that you are aware of your condition, but now you feel like drinking tea. Do it while thinking only of tea and a teapot. Spend five minutes. It is very helpful to distract you from depressed episodes.

In conclusion, it should be mentioned that depression is a condition which is successfully treated for many years. There are different effective techniques and methods – medication and therapy – that’s why to find your way of dealing with depression is more than possible. The most important thing is to take it seriously.