Depression - What Do You Know About Depression Disorder?

I was diagnosed with depression disorder before I turned 21 years of age and I have been struggling to cope with it for almost a decade. The first few years I did not read about it a lot. Lately I have realized that I need to know more about this increasingly common disorder if I want to find ways of overcoming my depression disorder.

What is depression? There is more than one answer to this question. Let us look at the medical causes of depression. This is usually described as originating from a chemical imbalance in the brain. Low serotonin and norepinephrine levels are usually present in the brains of depressed people. This is the basis for prescribing drug therapies. Antidepressants are prescribed by doctors in order to correct the imbalance of vital neurotransmitters in the brain of a patient.

I have been on and off antidepressants for close to a decade now and the results have been neither here nor there. I seem to be one of the estimated 60 percent of people which report that antidepressants have little or no positive effect on lifting their depression successfully. That is why I decided to research other possible depression treatments for myself.

Some people believe that psychotherapy is more effective in the long run than depression medication. They view chemical imbalances not as the cause of depression, but rather treat it as a symptom of the disorder. I happen to agree that this is a much more logical approach.

Prolonged periods of constant stress and worry have also been indicated as a probable cause of depression. This leads to increasing levels of stress hormones being released in your body which is not healthy for extended periods of time. This can cause you to become even more stressed. After months of being stressed out constantly you become exhausted and struggle to get out of bed in the morning and do your daily work.

There are a few types of depression that may differ from each other in some unique way. Clinical or major depression is the most common type which is a state of despair that disrupts your daily functioning and activities in a major way. Manic depression, or bipolar disorder as it is now commonly called, is marked by huge mood swings between euphoria and despair on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. It is a disorder of extreme opposites. Seasonal adjustment disorder or SAD is experienced in the winter season by some people and is somehow connected with the cold and gloomy weather. Postnatal or postpartum depression may be experienced by a mother weeks or even months after childbirth.

The symptoms of depression may vary from individual to individual, but some of the common physical and psychological symptoms may be described below.

* Daily feelings of sadness and emptiness.

* Loss of enthusiasm for activities you used to enjoy.

* Unexplained weight loss or weight gain.

* Sleep disorders such as sleeping too little or too much.

* Daily exhaustion and general loss of energy.

* Frequently feeling that you are worth nothing to nobody.

* Struggling to concentrate or think straight on a daily basis.

* Obsessive thinking about committing suicide or planning suicide.

It is important that a doctor or psychiatrist review these symptoms in order to diagnose depression disorder. Other causes of depression that must not be overlooked are substance abuse and hypothyroidism.

Antidepressant medication may be prescribed by your doctor and your condition is then monitored on a weekly basis. You may also be referred to a psychologist or pastoral therapist for therapy. Other treatments for depression that are less common are relaxation therapy, regular exercise and self hypnosis.

The conclusion is that you have to find the approach that works the best for lifting your depression symptoms. This may take months or even years. Search, and with the right attitude, you may find.

Copyright 2008 - Dan Theron. All Rights Reserved Worldwide. Reprint Rights: You may reprint this article as long as you leave all of the links active, do not edit the article in any way, give author name credit and follow all of the EzineArticles terms of service for Publishers.

Do you suffer from anxiety and depression? Dan has created a web site and blog about coping with depression and anxiety you can now visit.

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