Depression is not just a feeling of low mood or getting occasional mood swings. It is a lot more than that. It is a serious sickness/mental sickness of intense sadness. It not only affects a person mentally but also affects his physical health. Depression has a constant negative effect on the mind and body of the victim. The feeling of intense sadness gives birth to several other negative feelings which are feeling hopeless, worthless, helpless etc. Depression must never be taken lightly as it is a disease which can seriously affect a person’s health and even end up in self-harm or suicide.
Signs of depression
There are several different signs of depression which must be taken care of by the person who feels sad regularly. These signs will help him/her to understand their mental health condition and even take help if any required. Following are the signs or symptoms of depression
- Feeling of sadness or being depressed all day night, especially in the morning after waking up
- Feeling tired way more than usual every other day
- Feeling guilty worthless constantly
- Failing to remember detail, focus on details or make decisions.
- Either you can’t sleep at all or you keep sleeping the entire day.
- Losing interest in all the pass-time activities gradually
- Gaining or losing weight
- Feeling of restlessness
These are some of the most common and usual symptoms of depression. However, not every patient of depression faces similar symptoms. Some face mild symptoms while the others go through severe symptoms. The occurrence of symptoms also varies person to person.
Depression also has physical symptoms. Since a chemical in the brain which is linked to depression plays the role for mood and pain both the things. The physical symptoms of depression include the following
- Back pain
- Digestive issues
- Joint pain
- Sleep trouble
- Chest pain
- Appetite change
- Slowing down of speech and body movements
Just like the mental symptoms, these symptoms vary from person to person as well. Every person has a different condition and severity of depression which must be checked from a proper psychologist.Read more about symptoms of depression.
Types of depression
There are different types of depression.Some people suffer through a different type and some other from something else. It varies from mild to severe and all of these have different kind of treatments as well. Following are some of the types of depression commonly found in today’s world.
- Persistent depressive disorder
- Postpartum depression
- Psychotic depression
- Seasonal affective disorder
- Bipolar disorder
These are some of the types of depression commonly found in people. You must know about the different types of depression in detail to get hold of complete knowledge.
Specific features of depression
Just like any other thing, depression has specific features as well. These features help a person to decide and describe their condition better. Following are the features of depression
- Anxious distress
- Mixed features
- Atypical features
- Psychotic features
- Peripartum depression
- Seasonal pattern
Depression is a complicated disease and anyone who thinks is at the verge of depression must thoroughly research about it so as to avoid any inconvenience in the future. The features of depression have more depth to them and people with depression must know the details to overcome it in a better way.
How to fight depression?
As tough it is, there are still ways by which we can fight depression. There are usually relevant medicines to cure and treat this mental illness. Your psychologist gets a course started usually of antidepressants and other medications. Anti-depressants have a lot of drawbacks and it is best to avoid using them. However, there are several other ways to treat depression. It depends on the level of depression you have and the initial stages are mostly easily curable even without the medication. Following are some of the way to cure depression without medication.
- Meditation: Meditation and mindfulness is one of the best cures to depression. According to a medical research, 30 minutes of meditation every day can help people cure their depression alone without having to go to the psychiatrist or taking anti-depressants. Meditation also helps to cure back pain, headaches etc.
- Exposure to sunlight: Getting out more often than usual is another hack to cure depression without medication. When our body gets exposed to sunlight, it produces dopamine which gives a relaxing feeling to the body and calms it down as well.
- Exercise: Exercise is a great way to cure depression or any other mental illness. An exercising body increases BDNF compound in the body which promotes the growth of new neurons and neuronal connectivity. It helps the brain to get refreshed and fight depression.
- Diet: A clean and healthy diet is one of the key factors in fighting depression. A diet rich in nutrients helps to keep the state of mind stable and cure depression.
- Oxidative stress: In order to cure depression, the person must reduce and finish oxidative stress. Oxidative stress is also the cause of many other diseases like Alzheimer’s, cancer, Parkinson’s, chronic fatigue syndrome etc. To reduce oxidative stress, people need to cut down on unhealthy fats like canola oil, sunflower oil etc. Increase the use of fresh herbs and dark colored fruits and spices which however are not inflammatory like turmeric.
These are some of the major tips to cure depression without medication. However, these are applicable only on mild depression cases. These will only work for people with mild depression and as for the people with severe depression; you must see a doctor immediately. You can even get online help. They provide expert psychologists online and you will not have to worry about your regular visits and forgetting them