Depression is a medical condition and therefore should be taken seriously as any other medical illness. There are different types of depression but the symptoms are always more or less the same. The major difference in the symptoms is their severity. Some of the common symptoms of depression include the patient having feelings of less worthiness, being helpless, hopeless and sad. Victims can suffer from mild or moderate depression showing symptoms like insomnia, lack of appetite, low self esteem and fatigue. A victim could also suffer from major depression with symptoms such as weight gain or loss, hypersomnia, disinterest in daily activities and suicidal thoughts.

Depression in special situations includes depression in the elderly, depression in men, depression in women and treatment resistant depression. Depression in special situations has different causes, symptoms and treatments in each and every situation.

Depression in Men

It is a shock to note that over six million men living in the United States of America are victims of clinical depression year in year out and yet most of them do not know the symptoms of depression. The thought that depression is a disorder associated with female hormones hinders men from recognizing that they are suffering from depression and seek medical attention. The depression symptoms found in women are not different from those found in men. The only difference is that men’s symptoms are expressed in a different way. Some of the common symptoms of depression in men include, fatigue, apathy, suicidal thoughts, disinterest in sex and disinterest in activities that they used to like. The main difference in the symptoms is that men tend to be more aggressive and hostile while women are emotional and sad.

Depression in Women

It is believed that women have a higher risk of suffering from depression than men. Statistics show that 10%-25% of women suffer an episode of clinical depression in their lifetime. The possibility of men suffering from depression is half that of women. The differences between men and women suffering from depression include,

• Depression in men does not occur earlier, lasts shorter and is less likely to recur compared to women.
• Depression in women is associated mostly with life stresses and can be sensitive more on seasonal changes.
• Women suffering from depression are not likely to be associated with alcohol and drug abuse.

Depression in the Elderly

Depression is common in elderly individuals and should not be taken as a normal aging disorder. Many elderly people in the United States of America suffer from depression but only a small percentage is treated of depression. The main reason that may lead to many of the cases not being treated is the common confusion on the other illnesses that the elderly are prone to.

Treatment resistant Depression

Treatment resistant depression is a condition when depression symptoms decline to respond to antidepressants or other medication. Treatment resistant depression which is also known as refractory depression can affect both men and women. Victims suffering from refractory depression need to consult their doctor for alternative treatment otptions.

Depression, against what many people think is an illness or medical disorder. It does not signify weakness in any way as it is the common belief .There are different types of depression which have different signs and symptoms. The major types of Depression and also most common include Major Depression which can also be referred to as clinical depression and dysthymia which is commonly known as chronic depression. There are also other types of depression which vary in their symptoms, signs and treatment. Some of them are seasonal depression, bipolar depression and Atypical Depression.

Major Depressive Disorder

Major depressive disorder is a depression type that is characterized by combined symptoms which include insomnia, lack of appetite and finding no pleasure in doing what a patient used to enjoy. Major depressive disorder can occur to an individual only once in a lifetime. The victim suffers from loneliness, hopelessness and feelings of sadness for a few days. Clinical depression is known to disable a victim and prevent them from doing things in a normal way. With clinical depression the symptoms may include, disinterest in all things or either a depressed mood. The symptoms of clinical depression occur on a daily basis for a period of two weeks. The symptoms can cause distress which should be clinically proved. The symptoms may be exempted from their association to clinical depression in some cases. If a victim shows the symptoms after taking drugs, within a period of two months after losing a family member or friend or suffers from hyperthyroidism, then the individual may be exempted from suspicion that he or she is suffering from clinical depression.

Chronic Depression

An individual can be said to suffer from chronic depression after experiencing a depressed mood for a very long time like two years and more. Though Clinical depression is more severe than chronic depression, victims of chronic depression are expected to experience an episode or more of Clinical depression in their lives. There is no clear cause of chronic depression but experts believe it is because of the changes in brain which in turn involving serotonin. Serotonin is a chemical in the human brain that deals with the emotions of an individual. It is also believed that the common things that may heighten the chances of chronic depression are work and relationship problems, medications and chronic disorders or diseases.

Treatment of Depression

The most common treatment of depression is the use of antidepressants. Depression types such as chronic depression which are known to be severe can also be treated by the use of antidepressants. It is advisable to individuals suspecting the depression symptoms seek medical assistance. The diagnosis of a potential victim is the first step to the treatment of depression. Psychotherapy which is normally referred to as counseling can be used to treat depression cases. According to the doctor or health specialist, depression can also be treated by combining both psychotherapy and medication. Seeking medical attention increases the chances of reducing the intensity of the symptoms associated with depression.

Psychotherapy is one of the methods used in the treatment of depression that does not involve the use of drugs. Psychotherapy can be used alongside other methods to treat depression. It is a not yet proven that psychotherapy can fully treat depression without the use of other medication but it is proven to work when other methods of medication are incorporated. Depression can be described as a mood disorder that affects an individual’s behavior making them act in some ways that undermine them in the society. Some of the symptoms associated with depression include insomnia, the victim feeling guilty, the victim feeling no need to live and the victim feeling mad at things they used to like.

It is easy to understand psychotherapy and depression because depression is a disorder that involves behavior while psychotherapy involves behavior correction and understanding. The main role played by psychotherapy in treating depression is helping the patient to get in terms with their new sate and be able to avoid any kind of stressful activities to be able to get well quickly.

Specialists and studies have proven that psychotherapy plays a major role in the treatment and care of clinical depression patients. Patients suffering from depression need to get support for their condition in order to be able to cope with it. Some of the studies have proven that the use of psychotherapy together with antidepressant is more effective than the use of the drugs alone. The study also concluded that patients who undergo psychotherapy together with medication are more likely to stick to their medication that those that are on medication alone. Psychotherapy usually takes a longer time than any medication but is more effective if taken seriously together with the medication.

Psychotherapy has not been proven to treat a type of depression known as treatment resistant depression but physicians highly recommend its use. According to a study carried out in the year 2007, patients who suffered from the treatment resistant depression had their symptoms change after undergoing a type of therapy known as cognitive behavioral therapy. Psychotherapy can be used to treat depression all by itself without the use of drugs but needs a lot of time. The use of psychotherapy without any other medication causes minimal adverse reactions compared to drug use. The use of therapy is highly encouraged because it has benefits associated with that may not be found in other medication.

The beneficial part of therapy includes

• Reduction of stressful events and activities in life. Psychotherapy improves life’s value by reducing stress to an individual.
• Increases the chances of the patient’s ability to handle issues with the people they associate with each and every day like family, work mates and friends.
• Psychotherapy is believed to increase the chances of a patient being able to carry on with the medication for a long time or to the last dose.
• Psychotherapy can help a patient to be able to cope with some side effects that are associated with some drugs used to treat depression.
• Psychotherapy increases the awareness of the victim about their condition.

Dysthymia which is also referred to as chronic depression is a type of depression which is less severe compared to clinical depression. Dysthymia symptoms can be observed for a longer period usually exceeding two years. It is evident that people suffering from Dysthymia act and function normally though at times are seen to be sad. The disorder is usually common in women though men can become victims also. In the US it is approximated that 10.9 million of the total population of people who are 18 years and older suffer from chronic depression. It is believed that individuals can suffer from chronic depression at any age but mostly adults are the victims.

Symptoms

It is easy to differentiate the symptoms of chronic depression from other forms of depression. The signs and symptoms are the main factors that are used to differentiate types of depression. Symptoms evident in chronic depression victims are similar to those evident in clinical depression victims but are slightly intense. Some of the symptoms that Dysthymia patients display include the patient feeling guilty, feeling helpless, having problems with sleep, feeling disinterested in some activities that they used to enjoy, feelings of fatigue, change in eating habits, slow thinking, cramps and feeling worthless leading to thinking of committing suicide.

If a person notices the above symptoms it is advisable to get a diagnosis from a qualified doctor for Dysthymia. Dysthymia diagnosis is performed mainly concentrating on the symptoms but by a qualified health specialist. To be able to determine that the symptoms shown in a victim are truly associated with chronic depression, they should be evident for a long period of time. The things that the doctors avoid by checking on the time that the symptoms have been experienced, is to avoid judging wrongly on short term symptoms which may be caused by either the use of medication or drug abuse. Chronic depression diagnosis does not involve any blood samples or x-rays but only involves the analysis of the visible symptoms.

Though it is not clear the actual cause of Dysthymia, specialists believe that it may be probably caused by changes in serotonin. Serotonin is a chemical found in the human brain that helps them in the controlling of their emotions. Since chronic depression mainly affects an individual’s emotions it is therefore believed that it can be the cause of chronic depression. Dysthymia can also be said to be caused by the common things that stress people in day to day activities such as work and relationship issues.

Though Dysthymia is seen to be a severe disorder it can be treated by local physicians. There are a couple of ways to treat chronic depression. The first step to treatment of any disorder is the acceptance and early diagnosis. If a patient is diagnosed at an early stage it is easy to suppress some of the symptoms before they become more pronounced. Antidepressants are commonly used in the treatment of depression. Doctors may also recommend the use of psychotherapy for the treatment of chronic depression or a combination of psychotherapy and other medication.

It has been shown that alcohol can lead to depression. Depression is a state of depressed emotions, sadness and with a negative view on life. It is difficult to function properly in daily life when one suffers from depression as one is tired and has lost energy and motivation.It is also important to remember that depresion creates anxiety in many cases, so that one has anxiety as well to the depression disorder. Weight as well increases in those consuming alcohol very much cause of he high calories.

Alcoholizm – the beginning

Depression created by alcohol starts first with ones physical body. First the alcohol reduces serotonin levels in your brain, these are for to create a good emotion, conditions like happiness and makes you feel well. Anti depressants are made to build up those levels again.After a long time with drinking these levels can go all the way to zero and it will then take time for them to level up. A study of people who drunk only one drink a day and stopped after 3 months we saw that the depression almost dissapeared so then imagine how long it takes for a daily alcoholic.

Alcohol removes all vitamins after an alcohol intake. This leads to faster old age of the brain and with some elders dementia. Alcohol can activate the gen linked to depression and other mental disorders. The result of such an activation can lead to not only depression but stroke and manic episodes as well. To drink to decrease anxiety works in short terms but in long terms alcohol will increase ones anxiety and depression, that is why many doctors give advices to their patients to not drink alcohol as a medicine.

Depressive patients tend to believe of a negative future. They think that everything that will happen in the future will be bad. Thereby the illusion of the depressed patients are seen as future is unexistent. It is like wanting to create a movie. Before you think of what movie you will make you can’t define it as boring or exciting. “

An unemployed man can wake up one day with lack of sef confidence and say: “Today I feel depressed.” A woman in her midst 40s griefs: “It’s so empty in my house.I have been depressed since my children moved away.” A girl whispers to her friend on the street: “Look at him walking with his head downwards and just drags himself forward. He looks depressed.” A waitress in a wearhouse says: “Anna talks so short conversations to her customers and she takes longer brakes than before. Has she become depressed?” The word depression is used from a feeling of sadness or lack of interests and an active lfiestyle. Such emotional states is also the central definition of the psychological disorder known as “depression”.

* Depression is used in daily conversations about a short and passed emotion of sadness.Depression in health care is about a psychological disorder where a couple of the symptoms of depressions has been going on at least 2 weeks and has resulted in lack of ability to perform duties such as work or education, socially or in the family affairs.

“We believe that there should be a distinction on depression disorders. Medicating depression illness when the disorder is caused by a sorrow of something that happend in real life or something one feels or thinks within ones self would contradict ones own personal desire and thereby could actually increase states of psychosis or even create personality disorder. Psychotherapy should thereby be used instead of medication. Medicating depression with antidepressants when it is something physical, like alcohol abuse, is approved by us as then there is no potencial danger.” – MentalDisordersList.com

Symptoms of depression.

What is the most known thing in a depression is different from persons to persons. Some may feel in the beginning more unhappy, whilest others feel lack of the ability to perform duties or interests. Some feel that their sexual energy is gone or that they have problems sleeping. Still though we find about 10 of the symptoms of depression described below from those who have depressive disorder even though it varies.

* Bodily with difficulty sleeping, low appetite, movement and sexuality.
* Emotionally with sadness, lower selfesteem, guiltiness and anxiety.
* Negaitve thoughts, negative conceptions of ones self, the world around one and the future.
* Withdrawing from social relations, feeling of helplesness and addiction.

The three first symptoms, (sadness, loss of interests and joy, loss of energy and increased tiredness) are considered to be the most known symptoms and at least two of them must be present for to be given the diagnose depressive disorder.

* Feeling of sadness – is almost always present. One looks black on everything, feels unhappy and the mind is filled with negative thoughts. Often we can see it on others that they have a sad expression in their faces and eyes.

* Loss of interests and pleasures – is also central. The depressed looses interests for hobbies and daily pleasures. The favourite show on TV does not give joy no more, the visit from ones family becomes difficult, one stops playing lotteries or going to the gym or other activities. “The desire to live is gone”, is what many suffering from depression say. The sexual interest is often low or even 100% gone and the ability to enjoy life dissapears. Lower energy or increased tiredness – everything becomes difficult and heavy. Daily life tasks that before went easy requires now a lot of effort and takes longer time. One has to force ones self out of the bed and it appears everything goes against one. The body feels heavy and dead and the mentality is horrible. One becomes often more easily tired and one wants to give up.

Other symptoms are:

* Loss of confidence in ones self – one feels that one no longer is of any good, even in tasks one knows in and out. The feeling of beeng an honoured and liked person can go away.

* Unreasonable guiltiness, one blames ones self for different things that one has no reason to do, many times persons suffering from depression stays in the past and the thoughts are mostly about the past.

* Compulsive thoughts about death and suicide – are usual for persons suffering from depressive disorder. Because one feels valueless and thinks one has done so many wrong things, duying is believed by many suffering from depression will be a relief. “Everything will be better if I die”, is a usual way to think for depressed persons and is something that is often been said to ones nearests. After a while such thoughts can lead to suicide plans. About 15 of 100 (15%) of those suffering from majour depressive disorder will end up taking their lifes. As we will discuss this forward we know today a lot of what type of depressed persons have highly risks of taking their lifes. Almost all that are saved from taking suicides are thankfull for it laterwards.

* Lack of ability to think, concentrate and decide – this is often a change that is easily noticed by the depressed and his/hers souroundings. It is difficult to concentrate for a long time, the person does for ex. not remember what was said in the meeting he just attended to, what he read in the news or TV. Many depressed persons can read a page of a book and not realize the context. The person suffering from depression have often problems deciding, making a decision, even though about small issues. Instead one thinks too much and can not complete the thought that leads one towards a decision.

* Lack of ability to move – changes in movements are sometimes present. Some persons with depression feels a strong anxiety so they are forced to get up and move. Others though have no energy and can not move and stay unmovable for hours.

* Sleeping problems – are usual and are of different sorts. Some have so big difficulties sleeping at night whilest others sleep easier making them wake up often. Waking up early in the morning with negative thoughts without beeng able to sleep again is usual for many persons suffering from depression. Others can sleep too much because they feel tired.