What is depression?

The word depressed is a common everyday word. People might say “I’m depressed” when in fact they mean “I’m fed up because I’ve had a row or failed an exam or lost my job” etc. These ups and downs of life are common and normal and most people recover quite quickly.
However, depression is a mood disorder characterized by feelings of sadness, hopelessness, helplessness and worthlessness.

Women are more likely to become depressed than men. The higher risk may be due in part to hormone changes during a woman’s life.

It lowers motivation and energy levels. Depression permeates through the body and mind. Symptoms can become sever enough to interfere with day-to-day activities. When depressed, you may often experience feelings of low esteem, guilt and self-reproach driving you to take irrational decisions.

Who gets depression?
Depression affects people of all ages, geographic locations, demographics and social positions.
About 2 in 3 adults have depression at some time in their life. Sometimes it is mild or lasts just a few weeks. However, an episode of depression serious enough to require treatment occurs in about 1 in 4 women and 1 in 10 men at some point in their lives. Some people have two or more episodes of depression at various times in their life.
Women are more likely to become depressed than men. The higher risk may be due in part to hormone changes during a woman’s life.
Men are les likely than women to get help for depression. They may show the common symptoms of depression, but they’re more likely to be angry and hostile and few may mask their condition with alcohol or drug abuse. The risk of suicide is greater for men than for women.
Elderly, older people may become physically ill and less active than they once were. They may lose their loved ones or may have to live alone.
These changes can raise the risk of depression.

What are the symptoms of depression?
The following is a list of common symptoms of depression. It is unusual to have them all, but several usually develop, if you have depression :
Low mood for most of the day, nearly every day. Things always seems ‘black’.
w Loss of enjoyment and interest in life, even for activities that you normally enjoy.
:: Abnormal sadness, often with episodes of crying.
:: Feelings of guilt, worthlessness or uselessness.
:: Poor motivation. Even simple tasks seeks difficult.
:: Poor concentration. It may be difficult to read, work, etc.
:: Sleeping problems, excessive sleeping, insomnia.
:: Lacking in energy, always tired.
:: Difficulty with affection, including going off sex.

“Life is too beautiful a gift to waste.” Depression may not kill one’s body but it certainly kills one’s spirit if you’ll let it. Don’t be a victim.

:: Poor appetite and weight loss. Sometimes the reverse happens with comfort eating and weight gain.
:: Irritability, agitation or restlessness.
:: Physical symptoms such as headaches, palpitations, chest pains, and general aches. Symptoms often seem worse in the mornings.
:: Recurrent thoughts of death. This is not usually a fear of death, more a preoccupation with death and dying. Some people get suicidal ideas such as ... “life’s not worth living”.
The severity of the symptoms can vary from mild to severe. As a rule, the more symptoms from the list above that you have, the more severe the depression is likely to be.

How is depression diagnosed?
Depression is typically diagnosed simply by a clinical interview asking about the core depressive symptoms.
People tend not to recognize depression, even it’s right before their eyes. Never overlook the various symptoms. Being honest with one’s self, is the key to be able to cure such an illness. Depression shouldn’t be something that one fear of, instead, one should just start taking charges of his/her life and actually face this illness and fight it.
“Life is too beautiful a gift to waste.” Depression may not kill one’s body but it certainly kills one’s spirit if you’ll let it. Don’t be a victim.

What causes depression?
The exact cause is not known. Anyone can become depressed. Some people are more prone to it and may develop for no apparent reason. An episode of depression may also be triggered by a life event such as relationship problem, bereavement, redundancy, illness, etc. In many people it is a mixture of the two. For example, the combination of a mild low mood with some life problem, such as work stress, may lead to depression.
Women tend to develop depression more often than men. Particularly common for women to become depressed is after childbirth (postnatal depression) and menopause.
A chemical imbalance in the brain might be a factor. This is not fully understood. However, an alteration in some chemicals in the brain is thought to be reason why antidepressants work in treating depression.
Trauma and stress from major life changes.
Serious medical conditions like heart disease,cancer, HIV, arthritis and certain drugs can contribute to depression because of the physical weakness and stress they impart.

Some do’s and don’ts about depression:
Don’t bottle things up and ‘go by alone’. Try and tell people who are close to you how you feel. It is not weak to cry or admit that you are struggling.
Don’t despair most people with depression recover.
Do try and distract yourself by doing other things. Try doing things that do not need much concentration but can be distracting such as watching TV. Radio or TV is useful late at night if sleeping is a problem.
Do eat regularly, even if you do not feel like eating.
Don’t drink too much alcohol. Drinking alcohol is tempting to some people with depression as theimmediate effect may seem to relieve the symptoms. However, drinking heavily is likely to make your situation worse in the long run.
Don’t make any major decisions while you are depressed. It may be tempting to give up a job or move away, to solve the problem. If at all possible you should delay any major decisions about relationships, jobs or money until you are well again.
Do tell your doctor if you feel that you are getting worse, particularly if suicidal thoughts are troubling you.
Sometimes a spell off work is needed. However, too long off work might not be as good as dwelling on problems and brooding at home may make things worse. Getting back into the hurry flurry of normal life may help the healing process when things are not improving. Each person is different and the ability to work will vary.
Sometimes a specific psychological problem can cause depression, but some people are reluctant to mention it. One example is sexual abuse as a child leading to depression or psychological difficulties as an adult. Tell your doctor if you feel something like this is the root cause of your depression.

Will Obesity lead to depression or vice versa?
Obesity is largely to blame for an epidemic of anxiety, mood disorders, depression and other mental disease. Past studies have also proved this fact that people who are obese have also suffered from depression. It is not yet confirmed that whether depression causes obesity or obesity may result in depression. People who are suffering from depression sometimes suffer from hormonal disorder which can be easily treated. The treatment of depression and obesity should be integrated.

How Unani experts can help you manage your condition?
Unani experts can help you to manage this condition by helping you to lose weight and advising appropriate changes in diet and lifestyle. A balanced diet approach focusing on consumptionof fruits & vegetables, whole grains, non fat dairy products, lean meat, fish and low in saturated fat, total fat and refined carbohydrates is recommended. Regular physical activity helps in lifting the mood. The physiotherapists, fitness experts & counselors at Unani plan an exercise program comprising both active and passive exercise as per your lifestyle, fitness level and health condition.
Our counselors act as transient support system to motivate clients. They will help you explore what the depression may be about. With their help you will also learn to recognize stress in your life and develop strategies to manage them.