Wednesday, January 09, 2013

The Truth About Depression

By Anita Hale


According to The Health and Social Care Information Centre, depression is considered the most diagnosed mental disorder in England, experienced by just under ten percent of the population.

But there are problems when it comes to diagnosing depression. Part of this is because depression can be symptomatic of panic and anxiety disorders and vice versa. In addition, the catalogue of indicators pertaining to depression is lengthy and quite often vague. For example, symptoms might include sleep issues, feeling sad and prone to tears, poor self image, short temperedness, lack of libido and concentration issues.

On the other hand, most of us have dealt with some of these problems at some stage in our lifetime and this does not necessarily mean that we have suffered from clinical depression. If you are concerned about how you're feeling than you should think about how often you experience these emotions. For instance, feeling tearful every once in awhile isn't something unusual. But if you go experience several of the symptoms of depression everyday for two weeks then its time to take action. The first port of call should be your local doctor so make sure you book an appointment and don't suffer in silence.

How your depression is addressed by a doctor will vary according to its severity. This is because there isn't a single root cause of depression. It can arise due to a number of different explanations. For instance, there is a suggestion of a genetic foundation to manic depression. However, that is not really the case with the depression that we're talking about right here. Nevertheless, if there's a family history of depression you might be more likely to suffer from it as a result.

Various other triggers for depression include a unpredicted shake-up in your daily life which might generate the symptoms outlined. These include stressful events such as a marriage beak up or relocation - even starting a new job. However, there are also certain instances where drug use and medication have been found to influence the onset of depression. Similarly, there has also been an association identified between food and state of mind. This implies that what you eat has the ability to influence depression.

With all these different causes of depression it is not surprising that there are a number of different ways to treat the disorder. That is why you should get a medical evaluation which takes into account your medical history and ongoing health and wellbeing. From here your General Practitioner should be able to recommend the best course of treatment as befits the type of depression you have. Truthfully, anti-depressants are definitely the most commonly prescribed treatment, with a particular leaning towards serotonin reuptake inhibitors. These can be great in dealing with severe depression, but they do also carry with them side effects which some sufferers feel aren't worth the treatment. But there are a lot of non-medicated treatments which are becoming more popular for treating more widespread varieties of depression. It's definitely worth asking your doctor about these as talking therapies can be every bit as effective in treating depression when prescribed under the right circumstances.




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