HEALTH & FITNESS…
WELLNESS!
DEPRESSED?
By: Esther Oyebola Adekoya
The World Health Organisation has predicted that “depression will be the second most common cause of ill health and pre-mature death worldwide by the year 2020 after every heart related issues. By the year 2030, it will be the major cause of death. One in seven people will experience a depressive disorder at a point in their lives”.
I am Esther Adekoya, an emotional therapist and President of Heartrose Care Foundation, an initiative out to create “A World Without Depression” by promoting and restoring emotional wellness through Education and Therapeutic supports; a writer under the auspices of Heartrose Series. I will be sharing ideas with you on Wellness as a privileged host on this platform; beginning with Depression.
Depression is a disease of the mind, the most common form of mental illness. It is having a low, down spirit within you and affects a person’s thoughts, outlook, behaviour, as well as mood. The disorder is often characterised by loss of pleasure in normal activities, appetite or weight disturbance, sleep disturbances, fatigue or loss of energy, thoughts of death; to mention but a few.
Depression, a medical condition, makes you very unhappy and anxious and often prevents you from living a normal life. It weakens the immune system, making the body more susceptible to other medical illnesses. A broken spirit dries up the bones. It is a feeling of sadness that makes you think there is no hope for the future.
The symptoms of depression are basically classified into two: Typical and Atypical.
Atypical depression is associated with external forces and the behaviours of others, the mood of a sufferer improving as they receive positive attention and praise. This distinguishes atypical depression from major depression when positive events have little or no effect on the sufferer. Atypical depression is generally less serious than major depression and people can live with it for many years, or even throughout their entire lives.
You may see someone exhibit a mix of symptoms like:
- Eating excessively or minimally
- Too quiet or over-compensating by speaking too much
- Sleeping too much or not enough
- Frequently tearful or unable to express emotion
- Isolating him/herself or almost terrified of being left alone
- Can’t work at all or behaves like a workaholic
- Difficulty in concentrating at all or completely focused on only a few issues
TRUE DEPRESSION…
SADNESS is a natural reaction to common problems such as the end of a relationship, a disappointment about a job failure or a conflict that cannot be resolved. All of us go through periods of dysphoric (depressed) mood with some temporary symptoms of depression but we usually continue to function normally and recover without treatment.
True depression lasts longer; usually has more extreme symptoms and most often requires treatment to subside. It affects feelings, thoughts, behaviour and physical functioning. Clinical Depression refers to a constellation of signs and symptoms that significantly affects a person’s functioning and lasts for a substantial amount of time.
Depression can often be hidden or masked by either the patient or family members for the simple reason that it is hard to identify and often painful for people to admit that something is wrong. The fact that depression leads to poor health is not new as evidenced by a study conducted by the World Health Organisation with a surprising outcome that in many cases, it is not recognised or treated.
It has long been known that depression can co-occur with other mental and physical ailments such as heart conditions, cancer and stroke which poses another problem in diagnosing depression; if someone is complaining of a physical problem, the depression may be overlooked. The chief problem with the treatment is getting people to recognise the condition when it starts.
Depression in some circumstances, such as the death of a loved one is normal but if it continues for too long it can become chemical and may cause the sufferers to be placed on antidepressants for the rest of their lives; if left untreated however, depression can lead to health problems in a physical manner and could complicate other chronic illnesses.
WARNING SIGNS TO LOOK OUT FOR…
- An inability to function normally in everyday life
- Inability to enjoy activities you once loved; such as reading, playing video games, drawing, etc.
- Lethargy, fatigue and the feeling that doing things take a lot of your energy
- Persistent sadness, including fits of crying either uncontrollably or being set off easily
- Feelings of anxiety or emptiness
- Feeling blue, sad and generally down over a period of at least two weeks
- Feelings of worthlessness, self-blame and a lack of self esteem
- Sleeping a lot more or less than usual or experiencing insomnia
- Unusual weight gain or loss; overeating or appetite loss
- Finding thinking or concentrating difficult; “foggy” thinking, inability to make clear decisions or forgetfulness
- Pessimism or a feeling that life is hopeless, pointless and futile which may even lead to a feeling of numbness
- Body pains, cramps, digestive problems, headaches and other aches that don’t go away with medication or treatment
- Being irritable or restless; a great deal of the time
- Suicidal thoughts; thoughts about dying or attempts at suicide
Take a decision to keep yourself happy; avoid being alone, take a walk, join a group or social network that keeps you talking to people and before you know it, you are back to life.
It is a choice.
Grasp it!
