Are you depressed? Check it out here!
by Barsha Barua Tuesday, June 28 2005 20:07 Hrs (IST) - World Time -
There were times when we would hesitate to go to a psychiatrist, now we do not. Even schools have counselors to understand children's minds. This is the development of our society.
Everything under sun has two sides to show, bad and good. The bad part of this development is we are becoming prone to new diseases. With this development, families are bifurcating to nuclear households. There is a huge influx of people to urban life from those of villages and small towns in search of better opportunities.
No more children play with their grandparents. They might occasionally view them on the webcam. The wife might feel left out or an employee might be overloaded with work. Today we have very less reasons to not get depressed.
The most common excuse of a urban middle class today is, " I'm depressed."
This depressive disorder is an illness that involves the body, mood, and thoughts. It affects the way a person eats and sleeps, the way one feels about oneself, and the way one thinks about things. It is not the same as a passing blue mood. It is not a sign of personal weakness or a condition that can be willed or wished away. People with this illness cannot merely "pull themselves together" and get better.
Without treatment, symptoms can last for weeks, months, or years. Appropriate treatment, however, can help most people who suffer from this illness.
The types of depression:
Major depression is manifested by a combination of symptoms interfere with the ability to work, study, sleep, eat, and enjoy once pleasurable activities. Such a disabling episode may occur only once but more commonly occurs several times in a lifetime.
A less severe type of depression, dysthymia, involves long-term, chronic symptoms that do not disable, but keep one from functioning well or from feeling good. Many people with dysthymia also experience major episodes of depression at some time in their lives.
Another type is bipolar disorder, also called manic-depressive illness. Not nearly as prevalent as other forms of disorders, bipolar disorder is characterized by cycling mood changes, severe highs (mania) and lows of depression.
Sometimes the mood switches are dramatic and rapid, but most often they are gradual. When in this cycle, an individual can have any or all of the symptoms of the following disorder. When in the manic cycle, the individual may be overactive, over-talkative, and have a great deal of energy.
Mania often affects thinking, judgment, and social behavior in ways that cause serious problems and embarrassment. For example, the individual in a manic phase may feel elated, full of grand schemes that might range from unwise business decisions to romantic sprees. Mania, left untreated, may worsen to a psychotic state.
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