Have you ever felt things stocked up in one place? Or found no peace no matter how much you tried? If you ask what is depression, people will have so many emotions to describe it. For any person who goes through depression, the world and its work would simply feel like huge rocks. No matter what you try, it becomes difficult to move them. However, there is always the possibility of overcoming depression in daily life. The beginning might take a toll on you, but you need to stay patient before everything works well again. Depression comes through every age. Be it a student, an adult or an old person, it can hamper growth, anytime and anywhere.
If you leave knowing what is depression, you might miss out on the first step to achieve a happy life for yourself. There are various insights and symptoms of depression to indicate the adversity. With this, not every depressed person needs to be going through the same adversity. Therefore, we may go through the same depression but it could be amongst different types of depression. Causes of depression can be a plethora. However, there might be some common and major causes of depression.
Let us first begin to understand what is depression. Following that, we will know the causes of depression. We will also shed light on the types of depression and how it possibly obstructs our daily lives.
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Takeaway
Have you ever felt things stocked up in one place? Or found no peace no matter how much you tried? If you ask what is depression, people will have so many emotions to describe it.
What Is Depression?
In a generic sense, depression means a mental illness that negatively impacts your life. According to the American Psychological Association, depression is referred to as the “emotional expression of a state of ego-helplessness and ego-powerlessness to live up to certain strongly maintained narcissistic aspirations” [1]. This means that depression is said to be a state of mind where a person thinks, feels and acts with pessimism.
In a depressive state, the person looks at the negative side of every opportunity that comes their way. For a person with depression, looking out for the positive side of the story is no less than a lost road. The once beguiling activities will appear less interesting for a depressive person. This affects the person to work to the best of their potential.
Often, we interchange the terms sadness and depression. However, both terms have stark dissimilarities. Sadness is a natural process. A death or a loss, does make a person grief. However, it lasts for some time. But, the depressive feelings stay strong for a very long time. In depression, a person is more of a self-loather and someone who lacks self-esteem. Sadness in depression is about a person degrading.
Depression is highly connected to your family history. If someone amongst your ancestors suffered through depression, you stand the chance too. This is where genetics comes into play. Mental illness can be transferred from one generation to another. Brain development can also cause depression. If there is an alteration in the chemicals of the brain, the person stands an increased chance of getting depressed.
In understanding what is depression, we must understand its persistence. Depression in daily life is not just about feeling sad, or self-degradation. It is also one’s helplessness to cope with varied situations. For instance, a downfall in a presentation at school may make you feel sad. However, if you keep continuing thoughts about the loss and in the process feel the negative emotions, it can be a sign of depression.
Another emotion that correlates with depression is egocentric thoughts. A depressed person will find it hard to accept our understanding of others’ perspectives. For depressed people, a world only has a beginning and end with them. If a thing does not work out according to them, they feel that they have been wronged and misunderstood.
Therefore, associating one emotion with what is depression is not okay. When a person sinks into depression, there is an equal share of all kinds of pessimistic emotions and outlooks. This is why depression in daily life can disrupt one’s attention, goals and perseverance towards new challenges.
Takeaway
In a generic sense, depression means a mental illness that negatively impacts your life. In a depressive state, the person looks at the negative side of every opportunity that comes their way. For a person with depression, looking out for the positive side of the story is no less than a lost road.
Have you felt the academic pressure taking a toll on your mental health? Tips that will help you: Mental Health: 10 Tips For Students To Be Mentally Wise
Symptoms Of Depression
Identifying depression in an individual can be easier when we understand symptoms of depression. In basic terms, these symptoms are an indication of whether the depression is mild or has escalated. There can be a handful of symptoms of depression. Below is a list of symptoms to identify a depressed individual:
- The repetitive feeling of emptiness, hopelessness, loneliness.
- Frustration build-up and unhealthy outburst
- Insomnia or hypersomnia. The lack of sleep leads to insomnia. Sleeping excessively leads to hypersomnia.
- Lack of interest and laziness to do routine tasks
- Weight lost due to lack of interest in waiting
- Weight gain and unwanted cravings
- Social isolation and nervousness to speak to people
- Restlessness, overthinking, agitation and anxious attitude towards the different situation
- Increase in feeling guilty and self-blaming oneself for no reasons
- Concentration lacking and inability to make decisions
- Reappearing thoughts of suicide and death
These are some symptoms of depression that can be witnessed in a depressive person. The risk factors begin when these symptoms aggravate from a mild stage. Apart from these, there are some common and major causes of depression. These major causes of depression have been observed in people suffering from types of depression. These major causes of depression are:
Genetics
Genetics is considered to be one of the major causes of depression. A person who has a family history of depression is most likely to suffer through the same kind of depression. If not, then the person stands a chance to suffer from any form of depression.
Abuse
Abuse is another major cause of depression. People who have been through substance abuse, are most likely to suffer through depression. According to research, people who have been exposed to drugs and alcohol also suffer from depression.
Old Age
Old age is one of the major causes of depression. Old people tend to develop insecurities and might receive a lack of social support. This might lead them to suffer from depression.
Trauma
Trauma can be a major cause of depression. People who have experienced grave losses or have been abused stand high chances to suffer through depression.
These are some major causes of depression that are common in people suffering from depression. This means that most of the stories of depressive patients revolve around these major causes of depression.
Takeaway
There are various symptoms of depression that can range from mild to moderate to severe. Identifying these symptoms of depression is very crucial to knowing the treatment. Similarly, some of the people in depression go through some common major causes of depression.
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Types Of Depression
Depression, like any other ailment can be of many types or forms. The intensity of types of depression varies. Some of the types of depression that can be mild and require minimal treatments. However, there can be types of depression that can equally harm one’s health. If left untreated and unknown, the types of depression will only aggravate for worse.
Below are the types of depression and a brief description of it.
Major Depressive Disorder
This depression is diagnosed if its symptoms last for more than 2 weeks. The general symptoms include sluggishness, loss of interest and troubled concentration.
Persistent Depressive Disorder
As the name suggests, this type of depression persists for more than 2 years. In this type, there can be two subtypes- low-grade persistent depression and major chronic depression.
Bipolar Disorder/ Manic Depression
In this type of depression, there are mood episodes. These mood episodes can be either of high intensity or very low moments.
Seasonal Affective Disorder
This type of depression happens in winters when the days decrease by time and nights increase. This depression happens due to a lack of light and vibrance around the person.
Psychotic Depression
In this type of depression, the person experiences major depression along with psychotic indications. This includes delusion, hallucination and paranoia
Postpartum Depression
This type of depression is common to women who are experiencing pregnancy. However, some men also experience this type of depression while becoming new fathers.
Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder
This type of disorder or depression is common to women going through the menstrual cycle. During this type of depression, the women may feel irritated and have frequent mood swings.
These are some major types of depression. Other types of depression are yet to be acknowledged. These are atypical depression, situational depression and more.
Takeaway
There are various types of depression. These are:
- Major Depressive Disorder
- Persistent Depressive Disorder
- Bipolar Disorder/ Manic Depression
- Seasonal Affective Disorder
- Psychotic Depression
- Postpartum Depression
- Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder
Understanding mental health awareness is very essential to ensure that no part of society falls back into pits of mental illness. Read to know more: 10 Reasons Why Educational Institutions Must Preach Mental Health Awareness
How Depression Can Obstruct Your Daily Life
Depression in daily life can stop you from achieving and being active with your work. It can make you tired, sluggish and just “not interested at the moment.” There are so many symptoms of depression that indicate how your daily life would be stuck and messed up. Let us understand what exactly happens with depression in daily life.
Makes You Take The Guilt Trip
Feeling guilty and self balming is one of the major causes of depression. A depressive person will feel guilty if things work out. And in the worst scenario, this would gradually turn into self-loathing and self-degradation. If depression strikes you, everything you fail to achieve would send you on guilt trips. This would eventually lead the person to lose their focus and all they could do is feel guilty.
Waking Up Seems Like A Mission
Getting up becomes difficult for a depressive person. Waking up and looking towards a new day would be no less than climbing a mountain for depressed minds. This again includes emotions such as frustration, agitation and fatigue. Hence, it would make the person less productive and find no motive to continue.
Canceling Plans Is Better
For a person going through depression, getting out of home seems like a milestone to achieve. The person may find it hard to adjust socially and take part in interaction with others. So, they might find a better solution by canceling their plans. Also, a depressed person may find it hard to complete a basic outdoor activity. It can be as simple as getting a haircut at a salon.
Fun Is Absent
For a depressed person, enjoying life becomes a challenge. They are driven more by negative emotions, therefore, this makes it hard for them to enjoy. Moreover, everything that they had enjoyed might become a burden when they suffer from depression. The lazy side of a depressed mind stops the person from enjoying and having fun.
These are some ways how depression in daily life can affect a person’s overall enjoyment and performance. Major causes of depression if left untreated can only aggravate the amount of depression and lack of interest.
Takeaway
There are various ways in which depression in daily life can cut short the experiences in your lives. These are:
- Makes You Take The Guilt Trip
- Waking Up Seems Like A Mission
- Canceling Plans Is Better
- Fun Is Absent
The shift to work from home might have given respite to some people, Read how to cope up: Mental Health In Remote Work | 7 Ways To Stay Cool In WFH
Parting Note
Depression can become a stuck road for those who are suffering through it. It can seem like a never-ending path of finding respite. Knowing what is depression is is important to treat or help those around us. In a generic sense, depression means a mental illness that negatively impacts your life. According to the American Psychological Association, depression is referred to as the “emotional expression of a state of ego-helplessness and ego-powerlessness to live up to certain strongly maintained narcissistic aspirations” [1].
There are various symptoms of depression that can be detected to know if the person is suffering through it. These symptoms of depression can be mild or extreme. Accordingly, the treatments and therapies differ based on the type and symptoms of depression. Some of the symptoms of depression are:
- The repetitive feeling of emptiness, hopelessness, loneliness.
- Frustration build-up and unhealthy outburst
- Insomnia or hypersomnia. The lack of sleep leads to insomnia. Sleeping excessively leads to hypersomnia.
- Lack of interest and laziness to do routine tasks
- Weight lost due to lack of interest in waiting
- Weight gain and unwanted cravings
- Social isolation and nervousness to speak to people
- Restlessness, overthinking, agitation and anxious attitude towards the different situation
- Increase in feeling guilty and self-blaming oneself for no reasons
- Concentration lacking and inability to make decisions
- Reappearing thoughts of suicide and death
There are various types of depression. These types of depression can be chronic or temporary. However, they require different types of attention to treat and reduce their effects. There are certain ways in which depression in daily life can affect a depressed person. These are:
- Makes You Take The Guilt Trip
- Waking Up Seems Like A Mission
- Canceling Plans Is Better
- Fun Is Absent
Commonly Asked FAQs
- What are levels of depression?
There are three levels of depression. These are:
- Mild
- Moderate
- Severe
- Which is the highest form of depression?
The major form of depression is Clinical Depression. It is also known as Major Depression Disorder.
- What happens during the depression?
Depression is a mental state of mind wherein a person goes through low emotions. These include the feeling of hopelessness, loneliness, fatigue, guilt and self-degradation.