Depression is a mental disorder that manifests itself in a steady decline in mood, impaired thinking, and motor inhibition. This condition is considered one of the most difficult, as it can cause serious distortion of consciousness, which in the future will prevent a person from perceiving reality adequately. This cannot be allowed. At the first signs of this disorder, you need to seek help from a psychologist. What is depression and how does it manifest? What are the main methods of treatment?
Disease prevalence
Depression in the modern world overtakes a person quite often. According to statistics, this condition from the entire list of mental disorders is the most common. Studies by scientists have shown that the likelihood of developing depression in any person ranges from 22% to 33%. Moreover, based on the practice of psychiatrists, it can be argued that the figures given reflect only official statistics. The fact is that some of the people suffering from this disorder do not even try to seek medical help. Some patients come to a specialist only after the development of concomitant and secondary disorders.
There are periods during which peak incidence occurs. This is a youthful age, as well as the second half of life. Between the ages of 15 and 25, depression is common in 15–40% of young people. For people over 40, this figure is 10%, and for those who have crossed the 65-year mark, 30%. Moreover, women fall into a state of depression 1.5 times more often than men.
Causes of pathology
In almost 90% of visits to a doctor, a specialist reveals that chronic stress or psychological trauma contributed to the development of an affective mental disorder. In the second case, the emerging pathology is called reactive. It is provoked, as a rule, by divorce, a serious illness of a loved one or his death, as well as a chronic pathology that arose in the patient himself, or disability. Often reactive disorder occurs upon retirement, bankruptcy, relocation, as well as with a sharp decrease in the level of material condition.
Sometimes the development of depression contributes to the achievement of an important goal when a person is on the wave of success. Experts explain such reactive effects by the fact that the patient suddenly loses meaning in life.
In the wake of chronic stress , neurotic depression occurs. In such situations, it is almost impossible to establish the specific cause of the pathology. The patient is either not able to indicate a traumatic event, or he describes the doctor his whole life, consisting of disappointments and failures alone.
At risk for the occurrence of psychogenic depression are women and the elderly. They have this condition manifests itself quite often.
Another reason for the occurrence of depression is to be at the extreme poles of the social scale, that is, when a person is poor or rich. The following effects on the occurrence of a mental disorder:
- low resistance to stress;
- tendency to self-flagellation;
- pessimistic view of the world;
- low self-esteem;
- unfavorable situation in the parental family;
- emotional, psychological or physical abuse experienced at an early age;
- hereditary predisposition;
- early loss of parents;
- lack of support in society and in the family.
Endogenous depression rarely occurs. They are observed only in 1% of patients with fixed affective disorders. Periodic depression, accompanied by a unipolar form of manic-depressive psychosis, as well as senile disorders and involutional melancholy, are considered endogenous. Similar groups of ailments develop, usually due to metabolic disorders caused by aging, as well as due to some neurochemical factors.
The likelihood of psychogenic and endogenous depressions increases during the period when physiological changes in the hormonal background occur in the body. This is a youthful age, as well as postpartum conditions. Changes in the hormonal background are also observed during menopause. All these stages are very difficult for the body to transfer, since at this time there is a restructuring of the activity of all systems and organs, and this is reflected both physiologically and emotionally and psychologically. Such a condition is certainly accompanied by a decrease in working capacity, increased fatigue, impaired attention and memory, as well as irritability. Such features, simultaneously with the person’s attempts to accept his own maturation, aging or a new maternal function, are the impetus that gives rise to the development of depression.
Another risk factor that contributes to the occurrence of pathology is somatic diseases and brain damage. Based on the statistics, clinically significant affective disorders appear in almost half of those patients who have suffered a stroke. Depression occurs in 60% of people suffering from cerebrovascular insufficiency, as well as in 15-25% of those who received a head injury. In the latter case, symptoms of nervous disorders occur only a few months or years after a head injury.
Among somatic diseases that provoke affective disorders are:
- thyroid disease;
- diabetes;
- duodenal ulcer and stomach;
- rheumatoid arthritis;
- chronic respiratory and cardiovascular failure;
- oncology;
- HIV, AIDS and some other pathologies.
Often, depression occurs among drug addicts and alcoholics. The reason for this is chronic intoxication of the body, as well as numerous problems provoked by the use of psychoactive substances.
Pathology can also arise from watching films, the plot of which includes a story about people who have lost their loved ones, and are convinced that a bright future will never come to them. Similar can be seen in Asian television series - dramas. This allows us to answer the question of why depression appears from Korean films. Yes, because their plot has unexpected outcomes, is distinguished by a sensual game of heroes, and it does not always have a happy ending.
Pathology classification
Depressive disorders are:
- Clinical. This is a deep depression. Sometimes it is also called large. How is deep depression manifested ? It is accompanied by a steady decrease in mood, fatigue, loss of interest, a significant decrease in the level of energy, the patient's inability to enjoy, loss of appetite and sleep. A person begins to perceive his present with pessimism and also look to the future. He has ideas of guilt, suicidal thoughts, intentions or actions. Similar symptoms last 1-2 weeks.
- Small. How is depression of this species manifested? The clinical picture for minor disorders is somewhat inconsistent with those described in the previous paragraph. The patient has only one or two symptoms that persist for 1-2 weeks.
- Atypical. How is depression manifested in this form of the disorder? Symptoms of this condition are expressed by drowsiness, emotional reactivity and increased appetite.
- Postpartum. This type of affective disorder occurs in women after the birth of a baby.
- Recurrent. Signs of this type of depression occur approximately once a month and continue to persist for several days.
Depression is also understood as dysthymia, which is a moderately pronounced, but at the same time persistent decrease in mood. Such a condition never develops to the intensity that is characteristic of the clinical type of depression. Signs of dysthymia can occur for a long period of time (up to several years). Against the background of this condition, some patients periodically experience major depression.
Consider the manifestation of pathology in various categories of patients.
Depression in adolescents
Each child will certainly enter the period when his adult life begins. This is adolescence, which is characterized by the appearance of increased emotionality and inconsistency. The psyche of a teenager becomes unstable and vulnerable.
At this moment, the body is undergoing restructuring. Puberty occurs, which is characterized by increased activity of the endocrine and nervous systems. Often in adolescents there is an inadequate reaction to surrounding events, as well as to ridicule and remarks of peers or to the teachings of adults. This can be explained by the predominance of the processes of excitation of the nervous system over the processes of inhibition. During this period, the first symptoms of a mental disorder become noticeable.
What is depression, and how does it manifest in adolescence? This pathology is a severe mental disorder requiring immediate medical attention to prevent such serious consequences as disability or suicide.
How does depression appear in adolescents? Its signs are:
- decreased performance, emptiness, lack of strength, apathy and fatigue;
- increased daytime activity, excitement, loss of appetite, anxiety, longing, insomnia, or restless sleep;
- loss of communication with relatives and friends, the appearance of guilt, the desire for loneliness and closeness;
- lack of concentration, lowered self-esteem, forgetfulness, irresponsibility;
- gluttony or complete refusal of food;
- heart or headaches, as well as discomfort in the stomach;
- addiction to drugs, alcohol, smoking, promiscuous sexual activity;
- thoughts of suicide, which are manifested in drawings, poems and utterances, as well as self-harm or the commission of various kinds of reckless acts that can end your life.
The signs of the appearance of a depressive state in a teenager should be paid attention primarily to his parents, as well as people close to the young man. The teacher must observe the change in the student’s behavior, timely informing the relatives of his pupil about this.
Depression in women
Representatives of the weak half of humanity have a habit of treating themselves quite critically, constantly supporting the pursuit of the ideal. This is what causes female depression.
A similar type of psychological disorder is inherited, and the first signs of this pathology can most often be observed at the age of 15 to 30 years.
How does depression manifest in a girl and a woman? Symptoms of this condition may be different and depend on the form of the disease. How does depression appear in women, and what are its forms?
- ICP. This is one of the most common types of female mild depression. The main signs of this condition are fatigue, irritability, anxiety and mood swings. A girl or woman's sleep worsens, sometimes an unexplained panic occurs, her appetite increases. How to get out of depression with symptoms in women? Typically, these signs of the disorder go away on their own. However, if they cause severe discomfort to a woman, then doctors recommend taking plant-based sedatives.
- Dysthymia, or neurotic depression. With this disorder, a woman's self-esteem decreases, chronic fatigue appears and her appetite disappears. In addition, insomnia appears, memory worsens, and it becomes difficult for her to concentrate. A woman who is diagnosed with dysthymia perceives any life changes very pessimistically.
- Pseudo Dementia. This is one of the types of depression that most often occurs in women who have reached old age. The main symptoms of this condition are impaired concentration of attention and memory, as well as difficulty in orientation in space.
- Atypical type of depression. The main symptom of this type of pathology is obesity. After all, a woman “seizes” stress, while beginning to eat thoughtlessly. In addition, there is increased emotional excitability, which is replaced by drowsiness and apathy.
- Circular depression. A similar type of disease occurs in the autumn-winter period. How is circular type depression manifested? A woman constantly feels boredom. She tries to do nothing and lie as much as possible.
- Spring depression. This form of the disease is a reaction of the body to various stress factors. How does spring depression manifest in women? Constant feeling of fatigue, slowing down of thought and speech, drowsiness or insomnia, nervousness, sudden jumps in weight, aggressiveness and rudeness, the emergence of self-doubt.
- Summer mental disorder. How does depression appear in women during the warm period? Symptoms such as unwillingness to work and isolation, anxiety and fatigue, difficulty concentrating and irritability, loss of appetite and anxiety, weight loss and appetite, sleep disorder, and irritability can suggest the presence of a mental disorder.
Postpartum depression
After the birth of a child, a similar type of mental disorder occurs in every fourth young mother. What is birth depression and how does it manifest? The main causes of psychological disorder are:
- lack of free time;
- financial difficulties;
- hormonal changes.
How is postpartum depression in women? For such a condition, a woman's hypersensitivity is characteristic, which leads to the development of various concomitant symptoms. It should be borne in mind that postpartum depression does not necessarily occur immediately after the baby is born. Symptoms of the disease can occur throughout the year. How to get out of depression with symptoms in women? The disease sometimes goes away on its own. However, in 20-25% of cases it becomes chronic and requires specialist advice.
How is depression manifested in young mothers? This is a bad mood in the morning due to chronic lack of sleep, tearfulness and gloom, irritability and panic attacks, a complete lack or increase in appetite, headache attacks in the morning, aching joints, as well as a decrease, and sometimes a complete lack of sexual desire.
If postpartum depression is manifested, what to do, and how to get out of this condition? Sometimes postpartum psychosis occurs with cyclothymic, bipolar disorder or blood poisoning. In this regard, in the presence of the described symptoms in the postpartum period, a woman needs to consult a specialist and undergo an examination prescribed by him.
Depression after 40 years
At this age, serious changes occur in a woman’s life. Already matured children begin to live independently, signs of withering of the body are clearly manifested, and family life becomes monotonous and boring.
To combat age-related depression, a woman will need to get rid of unnecessary connections and things, as well as carefully monitor changes in her psychological state.
With age, how does depression appear in women? Reviews of experts say that negative emotions will tell about the presence of the disease, the manifestation of which is not amenable to control by the representative of the weaker sex. This is anxiety and anxiety about the future, a constant desire to complain, suspicion of a spouse and obsession, grunts and irritability at the slightest occasion. A similar depressive state in a woman is exacerbated by health problems and hormonal changes.
Male depression
Representatives of a strong half of humanity are not used to talking about their condition. This often leads to the fact that the problem is becoming increasingly widespread.
How does depression appear in men? Many of the symptoms of this mental disorder are similar to those observed in women. So, signs of male depression are:
- feeling of constant fatigue;
- ;
- ;
- ;
- ;
- ;
- ;
- stress;
- ;
- ;
- ;
- ;
- .
Drug treatment
, , , , . . .
Medications are mainly antidepressants. In the presence of inhibition, these drugs should be with a stimulating effect. Anxiety depression is treated with sedative medications.
A decrease in the severity of signs of a mental disorder begins to be noted only 2-3 weeks after the start of therapy. In this regard, at the initial stage of treatment, tranquilizers are often prescribed to the patient. They are taken for 2-4 weeks.
Psychotherapeutic treatment
At the first signs of a depressed state, it is recommended to consult a psychotherapist or psychologist who will prescribe group, individual or family therapy.
In the treatment of this condition, as a rule, three approaches are used, which are the most effective. This psychotherapy is cognitive, psychodynamic and behavioral. The main goal of such treatment is that the doctor helps his patient to recognize the conflict, and then resolve it in the most constructive way.