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Hopelessness, helplessness, despair, sorrow, guilt and sadness are all feelings that comprise the human experience. When they are in small doses, they are manageable and short lived. Unfortunately for some people these feelings are not so short lived and can cause major problems in their lives. Major depression causes you to feel an extreme type of sadness and despair. The sense of hopelessness does not dissipate with time and you feel no pleasure in life, as much as you hope for a way out of feeling this way, there seems to be no way out. There is hope for treatment of major depression and with help from a trained professional, you can find a way to be happy again.
Major Depression
Major depression is often referred to as unipolar depression and has a number of symptoms that hit hard and can last a long time. This disabling disease of the mind affects about 20% of all people at some point in life. It can strike as early as childhood, as late as the twilight years and anytime in between. Typically, twice as many women are affected by major depression than men. This is thought to be due to the many hormonal changes that a woman goes through in life during menstruation, pregnancy, miscarriage and menopause. Women are also considerably more affected when they work outside the home and have to balance the worlds of the home and the job which can be quite difficult.
Major depression in men is believed to be underreported because men tend not to talk about their feelings as much and do not seek help for emotional and mental problems as actively as women. The signs of major depression in men tend to veer toward irritability, anger and substance abuse and there is a higher percentage of physical violence (homicide and suicide) among men as compared with women.
Triggers
While it is not completely understood what actually causes major depression, there are known triggers that can send a sufferer into a depressive state, though not everyone has a trigger. A chemical imbalance in the brain caused by hormonal fluctuations, illness or any number of unknown issues can cause a depressive episode as can any of the following:
- Grief – the loss of a loved one (death, separation, divorce)
- Illness – usually long term illness (like cancer) in a loved one or one’s self
- Dispute – conflict at work or at home, abuse (physical, emotional, sexual)
- Transition – a change in status at work, graduation, retirement, parenthood, marital
- Deprivation – being deprived of a job promotion, change in status or desired object
Diagnosis
If you have symptoms of depression that last longer than two weeks it is a cause for alarm, especially when they are not associated with some immediate problem (illness, loss, etc). The mental health professional you visit will evaluate your symptoms, their duration and severity. They will review your physical and mental health history as well as that of your family members and may do a depression screening test. Most depression evaluations do not involve any physical testing (blood, urine) but a doctor may order a blood test if there is the possibility of an underlying disease that can trigger depression (like thyroid problems).
Treatment
Even though major depression is an illness that affects the mind, its treatment is similar to one that affects the body. You may be placed on a drug therapy and have a form of mental physiotherapy by having regular visits to talk to a mental healthcare professional. Different medications and talk therapies are recommended for the various types and degrees of depression so your therapy will be tailored to your personal need.
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