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How Can We Know If We Have Depression?

Depression is a common and serious medical illness that causes feelings of sadness or loss of interest in activities. Symptoms can vary from mild to severe and include feeling sad or depressed, changes in appetite and sleep, loss of energy, feelings of worthlessness, difficulty concentrating, and in severe cases, thoughts of death or suicide. These symptoms must last at least two weeks for a diagnosis of depression. Depression can be caused by genetics, brain chemistry imbalance, physical health issues, stressful life events, and some drugs. Treatments for depression include psychotherapy, family or couple therapy, medications, and in severe cases, hospitalization.

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44 views

How Can We Know If We Have Depression?

Depression is a common and serious medical illness that causes feelings of sadness or loss of interest in activities. Symptoms can vary from mild to severe and include feeling sad or depressed, changes in appetite and sleep, loss of energy, feelings of worthlessness, difficulty concentrating, and in severe cases, thoughts of death or suicide. These symptoms must last at least two weeks for a diagnosis of depression. Depression can be caused by genetics, brain chemistry imbalance, physical health issues, stressful life events, and some drugs. Treatments for depression include psychotherapy, family or couple therapy, medications, and in severe cases, hospitalization.

Uploaded by

Edgar Gil
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Depression (major depressive disorder) is a common and serious medical illness

that negatively affects how you feel, the way you think and how you act.
Depression causes feelings of sadness and/or a loss of interest in activities once
enjoyed. It can lead to a variety of emotional and physical problems and can
decrease a person’s ability to function at work and home.

How can we know if we have depression?

Depression symptoms can vary from mild to severe and can include:

• Feeling sad or having a depressed mood

• Changes in appetite. Weight loss or increase unrelated to dieting

• Trouble sleeping (Insomnia) or sleeping too much (Hypersomnia)

• Loss of energy or increased fatigue

• Increase in purposeless physical activity (for example hand-wringing or pacing)


or slowed movements and speech (actions observable by others)

• Feeling worthless or guilty

• Difficulty thinking, concentrating or making decisions

• Thoughts of death or suicide (in severe cases)

These symptoms must last at least two weeks for a diagnosis of depression.

Depression causes

Genetics: Twin, adoption, and family studies have linked depression to genetics.
While studies suggest that there is a strong genetic component, researchers are
not yet certain about all the genetic risk factors for depression.

Brain Chemistry Imbalance: Depression is believed to be caused by an imbalance


in the neurotransmitters which are involved in mood regulation.

Physical health issues: The mind and the body are linked. If you are experiencing a
physical health problem you may discover changes in your mental health as well.

Stressful life events, which overwhelm a person's ability to cope, could be a cause
of depression.
Drugs: Drugs and alcohol can contribute to depressive disorders. But, even some
prescription drugs have been linked to depression. For that reason, it’s important to
review any medications that we've been prescribed.

Treatments for Depression

There’re a lot of varieties of Treatments for Depression but these could be the most
outstanding:

Psychotherapy: Psychotherapists often use a specific type of therapy to treat


depression. Some of them use an eclectic approach, based on a client's treatment
needs.

Family or Couple Therapy: Family or couple therapy may be considered when


depression affects others in the household. Therapy that involves other family
members focuses on interpersonal relationships.

Medications: Many different medications can help reduce the symptoms of


depression. Even most studies have found medication is most effective when it is
used in conjunction with therapy.

Hospitalization: it might be necessary when a patient is considered to have


become a danger to himself or others. For example if a patient who is seriously
considering suicide

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