Abhishek
A lot of people use depression for classifying the mental state of feeling low or a loss of touch with their mental abilities to perform optimally. While the term depression is related to being unhappy, low self-esteem, loss of pleasure in normal activities one enjoys, it could easily be misunderstood for other conditions.
Many people confuse depression with anxiety. And for some people, they may just be under a great deal of stress and conclude that they are depressed. But do you need a medical diagnosis to confirm that you are depressed, and how can you know when it is clinical depression?
Understanding Medical Depression
So you happen to have a bad day at work or are dealing with a breakup, there is a good chance that you will be feeling down. But there is a good chance that you won’t feel the same the next day when you get to work and perform better at your task. You likely will return home feeling better than the day before. So also it is when you get out of a long-term relationship and go for a weekend getaway with friends where you meet someone interesting.
You could quickly forget about the negative impacts of your past relationship. So is there a difference between regular and medical depression? You can be sure there is a big difference. This link https://genesight.com/blog/depression-diagnosis does a good job of breaking down the details about how to know if you are suffering from clinical depression.
Medical depression tends to be severe and persistent lasting for a long time if nothing is done to checkmate the condition. When left unchecked, it can lead to other forms of mental disorders which could F negatively. So how do you know when you are suffering from medical depression? You can find some of the signs and symptoms below.
Signs and Symptoms
- Loss of interest in most or all activities you are normally involved in. This could include hobbies, sports, exercises, and even sex.
- Feelings of hopelessness, sadness, forgetfulness, crying often even when you are not sure why and an emptiness that needs to be filled.
- Frustration or irritability and anger over the slightest issues.
- Irregularity with your sleep routine such as insomnia or lying too much in bed for days.
- Lack of energy and a feeling of tiredness that makes it challenging to accomplish the smallest tasks you can do normally.
- Slow thinking, speaking, and movement of the body.
- Physical challenges that you have no explanation for such as headaches, joint pain, and backache.
- Trouble concentrating, thinking, remembering things, and making a decision.
- Constantly feeling guilt, seeing yourself as a failure, and blaming yourself for no reason.
- Suicidal thoughts, feeling of death, and roaming around with deep thoughts of negativity towards living.
While there are many other symptoms of depression, the ones above are some of the common ones you’ll find in people who are suffering from the clinical type of the condition. It is almost immediately noticeable as patients seem to experience challenges in their relationship with others and their daily activities such as work and schooling.
In most cases, you want to seek medical assistance and confide in an expert to make a full diagnosis and prescribe a treatment approach. You can check here for organic treatment options for depression.
How to Treat Medical Depression
The condition can be found in anyone including adults and children. It is not brought about by a lack of the ability to cater for oneself or meet one’s needs as both the rich and poor could suffer from the condition. But when it comes to treating the condition and finding ways to get your life back on track, below are the common methods prescribed by experts.
Use of Antidepressants
This is one of the commonly employed methods to help patients suffering from severe clinical depression. This involves the use of specific medications to help combat some of the challenges they are facing. The patient will need to confide in their doctors who will make better prescriptions depending on the symptoms they are experiencing. Presently one of the major medications prescribed to help patients with Medical Depressive Disorder (MDD) is the use of Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs).
Understanding SSRIs
This type of antidepressant works by inhibiting serotonin breakdown in the brain. It does so by limiting how much of the neurotransmitter is broken down in the brain making it more available for use. Serotonin which happens to be one of the chemicals needed by the brain to improve mood can cause depressive symptoms when in low supply.
And by increasing the amounts in the brain, there is a good chance of getting better results with the treatment.
Some of the well-known SSRIs used in managing MDD include citalopram (Celexa) and fluoxetine (Prozac). You may want to talk with a mental health specialist or therapist to know which option is best for you.
Psychotherapy
This includes regular meetings with a specialist to talk more about your mental health problem and help you recover from it. Why do most people shy away from meeting with a psychotherapist, there are many ways it could prove useful for managing MDD. Some of the reasons why you want to consider meeting with a psychotherapist include
- Find someone to confide in who won’t judge you about your situation
- Connect deeply with someone who understands what you are going through
- Helps to increase your self-esteem
- Arrive at better ways of solving problems
- Helps with adjusting to stress and other crises you may be encountering
- Help you get control of your life and achieve satisfaction
Depending on your condition you may want to opt for interpersonal therapy or cognitive therapy. And it may be best to check with your health specialist to determine which is best for your situation.
Other Ways to help you Get Out of Clinical Depression
There are some ways you can also try when it comes to getting out of a depressive state. Ideally, you want to try and get back to a period in your life when things were looking good for you, and there was no cause to worry. Below are other options available to you to consider to help get your life back on track.
- Make lifestyle changes that will help you see yourself in a positive light. This could include taking a vacation alone for a soul-searching expedition in some faraway country or city. It helps if you can afford it, so you get the chance to spoil yourself.
- Consider dietary changes that will improve your well-being. This can include foods rich in omega-3-fatty-acids, B-vitamins, and those rich in magnesium such as yogurts, seeds, and nuts.
- Refrain from alcohol consumption and the use of hard drugs. While they may seem like the answer, they can worsen your condition leading to a case of antidepressant withdrawal making it hard for you to recover fully.
Final Note
Speaking with a medical professional remains the best way to diagnose clinical depression and get help quickly. And if you know anyone desperately in need of help, you want to try and assist them in getting the help they need
