Depression
What is Depression?
It is a mood disorder that causes feelings of sadness affecting the behavior of daily activities, such as sleeping, eating or working. This disorder can cause various physical and emotional problems causing little will to live. Depression is not a passing sadness that is not easily recovered.
Causes
Depression comes from a mix of things. There is biology, like chemicals in the brain, and family history. Feelings and thoughts matter too, such as stress, tough experiences, and how we see ourselves. Even how we act and our surroundings count. Big life changes, being alone, or not having enough support can make it worse. All these parts together show that depression is complex and needs many ways to understand and help it.
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Prevention
The exact cause of depression is unknown, and although there is no sure way to avoid this disorder, the following measures can be taken to help control stress and raise self-esteem, such as getting close to family and friends to receive support in times of crisis, visiting a specialist to receive treatment to prevent symptoms from worsening, it is advisable to take long-term treatment to prevent the recurrence of symptoms.
Signs and Symptoms
Depression may occur once or several times in a lifetime, and symptoms may occur almost every day throughout the day.
Signs and symptoms in adults
- Loss of appetite and weight loss
- Staying home and not feeling like socializing
- Memory problems
- Suicidal thoughts
- Feelings of guilt or worthlessness
- Feelings of hopelessness
- Difficulty falling asleep and waking up
- Suicide attempts or thoughts of death or suicide
Signs and symptoms in children
- Sadness
- Irritability
- Refusal to go to school
- Weight loss
- Poor school performance
- Alcohol or substance use
Treatments
The doctor may prescribe combined treatment of psychotherapy with medication to improve symptoms. In cases of severe depression, patients may need to stay in the hospital until symptoms improve.
Among the different types of antidepressants to treat the symptoms, depending on the severity, the specialist will prescribe the medication to avoid side effects.
There are two types of psychotherapy that are effective in helping to improve the signs and symptoms of depression: cognitive behavioral therapy and interpersonal therapy.
You are consulting a general practitioner, not a psychologist. We only treat and diagnose mild cases of depression or anxiety. However, we do not offer counseling or treat severe or complex cases. We do not prescribe any drugs to control signs and symptoms.
Consult a psychiatrist, psychologists and other mental health experts when you require medication for severe or difficult to control symptoms.
