Explaining Depression

,

• Publisher: Straightforward Publishing Digital
• Year: 2014
• ISBN:
  9781847163103
• Topic: Personal Development
• Subtopic: Self Improvement

Without doubt, the rising incidence of depression in society, the source of which is manifold and complex, is of growing concern to many people, whether layperson or professional. Explaining Depression by Nicolette Heaton-Harris is a wide-ranging introduction to the nature and origins of depression and also the existing support framework. This is the perfect guide for all those who wish to develop their knowledge of this important area.

1

WHAT IS DEPRESSION?

---

Depression is not a static condition that is the same for every sufferer. It is a rapidly changing animal, in a constant flux, affecting different people in different ways.

However, this does not mean that the symptoms cannot be reported. There are general patterns and doctors can be signposted by descriptions or certain words you use when you see them to tell them how you’ve been feeling. They note these ‘red flags’ of warning and come to a diagnosis.

You have depression. But what is it? And what is it not?

FACTS

• Anyone of any age can suffer with depression

• More women than men are affected

• One in five adults will suffer with depression in their lifetime*

• Every year, doctors diagnose two million new cases in the UK alone

• On average, each GP in the UK will see one depressive patient a day

• Depression can be treated effectively

• It is not a weakness of the mind

• Rates of depression have increased over the last few decades

• Stress is greatly related to depression

Where you live may greatly affect your chances of suffering with depression. Dwellers of inner cities who live in a hustle-bustle world are twice as likely to suffer with it as those people who live in the remoter parts of the country. So if you live in, for example, London, and you have what you consider a ‘normal’ life, you are still twice as more likely to suffer with depression than someone who lives in the country, simply because of your geographical location. So in this example, your risk factor of having depression, is nothing to do with you as a person, whether you have a confident manner, or not. It is out of your hands and down to the place you live in.

Depression comes in two distinct forms - reactive and endogenous. Reactive depression comes about because of an event in that sufferer’s life. Eg, the birth of a baby, redundancy, long illness, bereavement, etc. Whereas endogenous depression means it has come from within and appears to be for no obvious reason, except for chemical changes within the body and brain.

Depression can show itself in two distinct ways.

Psychologically and physically.

Some of the psychological symptoms may be a result of the physical symptoms and vice versa. Sometimes the physical symptoms aren’t even noticed because the psychological symptoms are so bad. So if you do suspect you have depression and have not yet been to your doctor, try to make a note of everything that you feel is wrong with you, as it may well all be connected.

PSYCHOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION

Not all sufferers of depression will report ‘feeling low’

You may feel constantly anxious

Emotionally numb (feel you have no mood changes at all)

Low mood

Persistent feeling of sadness

Feeling empty

A sense of loss or dread

A low mood worse in the morning (Diurnal Variation)

Nothing seems to bring any pleasure (Anhedonia)

Low mood may seem worse in the evenings

The odd good day, outnumbered by the bad

Crying more often from slight or even no upset

Depressive thinking

Concentration and memory problems

Delusions

Hallucinations

Suicidal impulse

As you can see, psychological symptoms are all those symptoms classed as happening in your mind.

PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION

Difficulty with sleeping (getting to sleep/waking too early/sleeping too much)

Mental and physical slowing

Increase or decrease in appetite

Increase or decrease in weight

Problems with libido

Tiredness and lethargy, aches and pains

Constipation

Problems with the menstrual cycle

Here, physical problems come from what is happening to the body.

I’m now going to take a more in-depth look at some of these symptoms, so see if you feel that they match some of your own. If they do, then make sure that you mention them to your doctor.

ANXIETY

Anxiety is a generalised, pervasive fear of something known or unknown, however in the case of depression, the anxiety is usually of an unknown source. Physically, when we feel anxious, our bodies create adrenaline and extra blood is sent to the brain and our muscles throughout our body for ‘flight or fight’.

We feel edgy. Tense. But, if nothing dangerous occurs, this feeling passes and we begin to relax, yet if you have depression, this anxious feeling of being constantly on edge can last for months. It can be exhausting in itself.

You wake up in the mornings already in a high state of dread and this in turn, can make you irritable. You may snap at those close to you that you love, upsetting others as well as yourself, leading to other feelings of guilt. This anxiety can make you nervous. Indecisive. It can make you second guess your every decision and debate your self-worth because you just don’t know what to do for the best. Therefore the anxiety adds to the depression and becomes a vicious cycle.

(Lizzie’s Story : “I had the worst anxiety when I suffered with depression. I was in university and living away from my family and trying to cope with these huge workloads of study. I doubted my ability to cope and I got into the habit of biting my nails so much they would bleed. Seeing the blood frightened me at first, but then it made me feel better. It was like I was finding an outlet valve for the pressure inside of me and so I started to find other ways of making myself bleed. Small cuts at first. Then bigger ones. The more I hid it from everyone the bigger a secret it became. I felt ashamed of myself and felt a fraud.”)

EMOTIONALLY NUMB

Some severely depressed people may say that they feel emotionally numb.

There are no highs or lows for them. Everything is constant. Nothing inspires an emotional response and they cannot even cry. They may say they feel that there is nothing inside of them to give, making the sufferer feel that they are completely separate from family and friends.

DEPRESSIVE THINKING

How you think changes dramatically when you have depression. A sufferer can view the world around them in a completely negative light, which reinforces their initial thoughts. They do not see good things happening. They only focus on the bad and make mountains out of molehills.

(Ebony’s Story : “I suffer with depression quite badly, though I still work as a secretary in a law firm. I find it real hard to see anything positive from my day. Yesterday my boss asked me to type out some letters he’d dictated, which I did. There were five to do and they needed to be done by the end of the day. When he went to sign them, he spotted a spelling mistake and nicely asked me to make sure it was corrected before it got sent out. That was it. That was all I could think of. That one spelling mistake. It ruined my day. I felt incompetent and totally useless at my job. I almost thought of quitting. I didn’t see that I’d got four letters right, nor that I’d got them finished really quickly to get them in the last post. It was the bad thing that mattered most of all.”)

CONCENTRATION AND MEMORY PROBLEMS

When a sufferer is in a state of depression, it can be hard to focus on anything within their world. Anyone who needs to remember...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Contents
• Foreword
• 1. What is Depression?
• 2. Post-Natal Depression
• 3. Manic/Bi-Polar Depression
• 4. Juvenile Depression
• 5. Other Types of Depression
• 6. Treating Depression
• 7. Self-Harming and Suicide
• 8. Nutrition, Exercise and Mental Health
• 9. Bereavement and Depression
• 10. Useful Addresses
• Authors Acknowledgements
• Index