Experts say that depression of a person can be a root cause of various diseases. Anyway, many misconceptions and misbelieves are also existing about it. People with depression often perceive them because they are attached to mental disorders. To eliminate these perceptions knowing the surprising facts related to depression is necessary which are mentioned below.
Depression is not an illness but a complex mental disorder
People believe depression as a severe sadness or weakness of a human character. Depression is nothing but a mental disorder that is difficult to understand. It may occur due to sociological, psychological or biological means but also have multiple treatment solutions.
Depression is a serious illness but there are many medications, therapies are available to control your disease. People commit suicide when they come to know that they are suffering from depression. You shouldn’t do that if you come to know that you are diagnosed with this mental health condition but instead of that, you should look for the possible medical treatments that are available for the depression problem.
Be talkative with your physician as he is the only person who understands you well when you are suffering from depression. If you think your medications causing you any side effects consult your physician and he will make small changes to the dosage of your medicine or he might switch you to another antidepressant medication. Switching you to other antidepressant medications will be a difficult task for your physician as first he needs to understand why the current medication you are taking is not working perfectly and also why these medications causing you more side effects.
So speaking up with your Doctor, like how are you feeling will surely help him to understand your mental health and come up with a solution.
Antidepressants are always there for your rescue
Anti-depressants alter the chemistry in your brain and can help to checkmate your firm rooted biological matters that are responsible for the depression.
In some complex cases, a combination of anti-depressants and talk therapy or psychotherapy leads to a better result. Antidepressants work by increasing the required amount of serotonin levels in your body and after that it makes you feel good. There are many types of antidepressants available in the health markets such as tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs), Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs), Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), and serotonin-norepinephrine inhibitors. SSRIs are your physician’s first choice of drugs to any patients as they come with fewer side effects when compared to other antidepressant medications.
People may think antidepressants can reduce the levels of depression and ease the symptoms of this mental health condition. Patients cannot choose their medications and they have to consult their physician. He will assess your condition and choosing the best medications for your mental health condition will be a challenging task for the doctor. Because each and every antidepressant comes with a lot of side effects. He might readdress your past medical conditions that you have suffered and prescribe you drugs depending on that.
Trust me, coming out of it simple
You don’t want to be in depression, do you? People often mistake their sadness of a situation to depression and believe that a positive thought or attitude is all they need to come out of it.
Depression is not a sign of self-pity or weakness but a mental condition which affected your brain operations due to the negative impact of the environmental or biological factors. If you feel it then your doctor is at your rescue.
Depression does not cause by the sad events happening in your life but the way you are taking it. If you stay strong and handling the situation very well, then you are not at the danger of getting diagnosed with depression.
Sad situations are definitely a cause of depression
No one is excused from experiencing a bad situation. It can come in the form of losing your loved ones or not getting what you expected. Situations like these may cause you depression but these situations are not the sole reason for the depression.
The sadness, hopelessness, and lethargy caused by depression are unexplainable. These may lead to suicidal tendencies. These happen suddenly though you feel your life is perfectly alright and can haunt you for a very long time.
You may have depression if your parents have
You may likely to suffer from depression if anyone in your family suffers, says the Mayo Clinic. But there is no valid proof that genetics can be a significant cause of depression. This proves that you may not have the depression if anyone in your family has.
It’s always safe to know your family history but at the same time worrying about the things which you can’t control doesn’t make a sense either. Focus on the things which you can control like not consuming alcohol or drugs can help you lower the risk of depression.
Don’t misunderstand your parents by thinking like you are diagnosed with depression due to your parents. Genetics have nothing to do with the depression, the way you feel and the environment you are surrounded by, family problems, office tension, all these factors can contribute to depression.
Anti-depressants will alter your personality
Anti-depressants will make you a different person once you start taking them as they alter your brain chemistry.
The good thing about the anti-depressants is that they change only depression causing chemical reactions but not your true personality. You start feeling yourself once you start taking them. If you are not, then do remember your doctor once for the treatment.
Use antidepressants as the doctors prescribed but don’t use it for your other problems or don’t recommend it to anyone.
Should you take anti-depressants for your entire life???… Nah!!!
Anti-depressants are for the long term treatment but the duration depends on your severity. The higher the severity, the longer will be your intake of anti-depressants.
You are not going to take antidepressants for your entire life, but it completely depends on how you are responding to those medications. If your condition is not getting better even after using the antidepressants you should consult your physician and he will make small changes to the dosage of your medication or switch you to another medication.
You may not take these antidepressant medications for a long time as your doctor’s psychotherapy comes handy with this medication. This will help you develop confidence in facing the challenges and makes you less dependable on anti-depressants.
Only women are victims of depression. Is it so?
Societal pressure and status make men not to discuss their depression with others. This makes many believe that it is only women who suffer from depression.
Men are more likely to develop suicidal tendencies if they don’t discuss their depression. So, men also do need help like women. Depression affects both men and women, but men feel uncomfortable when they are about to start telling the bad experiences in their life and don’t want to disclose things like women. There is no difference between the symptoms of depression in men and women.
Continuous thoughts of death, feelings of worthlessness or guilt, insomnia or difficulty in sleeping, unable to concentrate on their daily tasks, loss of energy nearly every day, difficult to make decisions, and changes in eating habits are the common symptoms of depression in men.
Whereas, in women, the symptoms may include a disinterest in daily activities, loss of interest in previously pleasurable activities, mood swings, feelings of tearfulness, death of a parent, changes in appetite, use of certain medications, getting suicidal thoughts frequently, or making attempts to commit suicide, and physical symptoms such as cramps, bloating, headaches, breast tenderness, digestive issues, aches, and pains.
Will talking about depression makes it worse from the bad?
This is a common misconception that the more you talk about depression, the worse it gets but this is untrue. In fact, the lonelier you are, the more it worsens.
You need a supporter, a person who listens to you without judging you, a person who respects your feelings to provide you a sympathetic ear. If you don’t find one then don’t worry there are certified therapists for your rescue.
More about it
Depression is a mental illness often covered by many misconceptions. Some of the misconceptions lead to the stigma around depression, anti-depressants and therapy as well. It is very important to recognize when you have it. Making small changes in your lifestyle also helps you to deal with your problem and also the one who is suffering with this mental illness should look for better treatment options and not taking care of your condition may lead to severe consequences and after that, it will be difficult for your physician to treat your problem.
There are many treatments for the depression which your doctor will recommend. Some of them are as follows:
- Medication
- Psychotherapy
- Medical procedures
- Alternative therapy
- A change in the lifestyle
If you feel depressed then immediately call your doctor and make an appointment for the best suitable treatment option.
References
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28735658
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0193953X05703968
Sirisha B