The term, "I feel depressed" is one that we have all uttered at some point in our lives. It's usually because we are feeling particulalry sad or down about something. Our spirits and mood are low. It is only when these feelings persist that "feeling depressed" might crossover into the medical definition of the word depression.
In England it was found that anxiety and depression were the most prevalent mental disorders, having been experienced by nearly ten per cent of the population at some time (The Health & Social Care Information Centre 2009). The ONS also declared that one in ten suffer from depression in Great Britain.
Anxiety and depression tend to get combined in such research as they share a lot of similar symptoms. In addition, the two seemed to be closely linked to each other in that a depressed individual may experience anxiety. Similarly, someone suffering from an anxiety disorder may experience depression. The way in which depression manifests itself can also pose a problem when it comes to diagnosis. Some symptoms include tiredness, feeling irritable towards others, weight loss, loss of sex drive, getting teary, weight gain and insomnia.
The difficulty in diagnosis stems from the fact that it's perfectly normal to feel some of these things some of the time. With that in mind, how do we know when we need to seek help for depression? The best thing to do is to examine how long you have held any of these symptoms. If you have felt or experienced several of them consistently for two weeks, then it is advisable to book an appointment with your doctor.
The way in which depression is treated will vary according to the nature of depression diagnosed. There is no one cause of depression. A genetic link has been established with regards to manic depression. But while a family history of depression does increase the likelihood of getting it, there has been no solid evidence to suggest a genetic basis to regular depression.
Further causes of depression include major life events such as moving house, bereavement and the end of a relationship. The common factor here is a stressful change to routine. Other causes include poor diet as some foods are now suspected of contributing to low moods. In conjunction with this, a lack of exercise can contribute to depression. Certain street drugs and pharmaceutical drugs can also have side effects that include depression.
When you doctor diagnoses you with depression they should take into account both your current state and your medical history. This is to enable them to find a suitable treatment for your particular form of depression. However, many doctors simply prescribe anti-depressants as a catch-all solution. This isn't always ideal because anti-depressants have only been found to be clinically significant in their treating of severe forms of depression. In turn, there are a number of other treatments that do not include drugs that are becoming increasingly noteworthy in their effectiveness.
Your doctor might want to initially monitor you before prescribing a treatment because depression can often subside after a short time. However, there are psychological therapies that can be prescribed and are very effective. These include guided self-help, which is reading a course of recommended self help books and material in accordance with guidelines from a healthcare worker. Cognitive behaviour therapy or CBT is also known to be successful with some forms of depression. This is a solution based therapy which aims to dispel the sufferer's negative thoughts and feelings through a serious of exercises designed to modify their behaviour. Whatever form of treatment is recommended, the most important step is to seek help when you know something is wrong.
In England it was found that anxiety and depression were the most prevalent mental disorders, having been experienced by nearly ten per cent of the population at some time (The Health & Social Care Information Centre 2009). The ONS also declared that one in ten suffer from depression in Great Britain.
Anxiety and depression tend to get combined in such research as they share a lot of similar symptoms. In addition, the two seemed to be closely linked to each other in that a depressed individual may experience anxiety. Similarly, someone suffering from an anxiety disorder may experience depression. The way in which depression manifests itself can also pose a problem when it comes to diagnosis. Some symptoms include tiredness, feeling irritable towards others, weight loss, loss of sex drive, getting teary, weight gain and insomnia.
The difficulty in diagnosis stems from the fact that it's perfectly normal to feel some of these things some of the time. With that in mind, how do we know when we need to seek help for depression? The best thing to do is to examine how long you have held any of these symptoms. If you have felt or experienced several of them consistently for two weeks, then it is advisable to book an appointment with your doctor.
The way in which depression is treated will vary according to the nature of depression diagnosed. There is no one cause of depression. A genetic link has been established with regards to manic depression. But while a family history of depression does increase the likelihood of getting it, there has been no solid evidence to suggest a genetic basis to regular depression.
Further causes of depression include major life events such as moving house, bereavement and the end of a relationship. The common factor here is a stressful change to routine. Other causes include poor diet as some foods are now suspected of contributing to low moods. In conjunction with this, a lack of exercise can contribute to depression. Certain street drugs and pharmaceutical drugs can also have side effects that include depression.
When you doctor diagnoses you with depression they should take into account both your current state and your medical history. This is to enable them to find a suitable treatment for your particular form of depression. However, many doctors simply prescribe anti-depressants as a catch-all solution. This isn't always ideal because anti-depressants have only been found to be clinically significant in their treating of severe forms of depression. In turn, there are a number of other treatments that do not include drugs that are becoming increasingly noteworthy in their effectiveness.
Your doctor might want to initially monitor you before prescribing a treatment because depression can often subside after a short time. However, there are psychological therapies that can be prescribed and are very effective. These include guided self-help, which is reading a course of recommended self help books and material in accordance with guidelines from a healthcare worker. Cognitive behaviour therapy or CBT is also known to be successful with some forms of depression. This is a solution based therapy which aims to dispel the sufferer's negative thoughts and feelings through a serious of exercises designed to modify their behaviour. Whatever form of treatment is recommended, the most important step is to seek help when you know something is wrong.
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